Tuesday, 17 May 2011
Actions to take forward to level 2.
PPD1 Fine Art and Site
For this last project we were asked to create work with a specific site. The site was Thwaites Mill and when walking around on the first visit the one thing I noticed was there was a lot of tags hanging off various pieces of machinary, as well as some that if you text the number, you would receive a poem about the machinary. The tags were something of a discovery, as you noticed one you realised there were loads all around the mill.
As I was finding it difficult to start any ideas, me and Amy decided to collaborate as we both noticed the tags and were equally stuck for ideas. We had several discussions which instantly helped with ideas and we decided using the tags was a good starting point. Something we both wanted to experiment with was scale, and we instantly thought of several tags as we could utilise the fact there was two of us to make.
As I was really interested in the history, we went and visited York archives in the library to see if there was any information, and to then visit Leeds library to find specific information. There we found loads of different types of tags which had different identification uses, and draws and draws of family history. As the tag is traditionally used to indentify people, we wanted to use information relating to the families that used to own Thwaites Mill. This was quite hard to come by and had another idea to maybe use the information of the visitors to the Mill, which we got off the staff at Thwaites.
We had more discussuions and walked around the site to see where we wanted to be. The main idea we had was to produce a series of metal tags and hang them. One idea was inside the Mill and another outside amongst the trees. We decided outside as it had the element of discovery which the tags inside the mill had. Discovering them in the trees and having them reflecting the sun. We chose metal as it would be able to withstand the weather conditions as well as recreating something that normally would perish, into a permenant thing. We looked at artists such as Annette Messager for inspiration for the type of installation we wanted. As there are two of us we could make more tags than if there was just one person.
We aimed to make around 600 tags as that was a specific number of visitors during one month, but the tags took time and money to make and after one day in the metal workshop we only make around 50. After talking to the metal technician, she advised us to use copper and aluminuin as they would rust easiest so we used all the scrap metal we could to save metal. We measured and cut each tag by hand, and punched a hole into the top.We had another discussion at the crits and with each other about what to put on the tags. We looked at Emily Prince as inspiration and had ideas such as photos of the workers, signatures, names and numbers. But decided that plain would say more as numbers or names would be too obvious as to what the tags were about. It also allows people to figure out a meaning for themselves. Originally we were going to hang the tags with wire from the trees, but issues with finance and getting hold of wire we went for natural coloured string which worker beautifully. It allowed the tags to move and occasionally make noise adding another element to the piece.
We looked at different types of knots also, to keep the piece looking neat and went for the 'noose' knot. As the noose traditionally is linked to death it added another element that death was a part of working at the Mill in the past and links with history. We installed the tags and instatntly realised that the wind would tangle them tags up. The majority untangled themselves but realised that that would be part of the piece as part of site. If this were to be installed anywhere else it wouldn't have the same concept or links at all. The trees we chose almost formed an arch way that really helped frame the tags and overall I am very pleased with the final piece.
As this project is resulting in an exhibition night, I really feel I've learnt how exhibitions are organised and set up. I'm really pleased with our piece and working in a partnership has opened my eyes even more since the collaboration project to a different type of collaboration, to which this one I preferred as I wasn't relying on loads of people. Working with site was difficult at first, if mostly financially, travelling there and back as well as materials was a struggle. It has resulted in a really positive experience though and an exhibition night along side my peers.Action to be taken at the end of Fine Art and Site
2. Carry on exploring materials
3. Improve critical diary, more self critical
Art Publicatons
Art Review is a monthly art publication covering all types of art and culture.
Throughout the magazine there are a lot of adverts which is what struck me first, the quality of the magazine reminds me of high end glossy end fashion magazine which isn't neseccarily a bad thing.
It's quite a formal approach to writing about the artists, overall pretty easy to read and understand. Explaining concepts and even interviews with artists.
As it's an international magazine, it breaks down the major art cities, London, Paris, Berlin etc and reviews the newest exhibitons there.
Not as much imagery as I would like, but has nice, informative feature articles.
Overall the adverts put me off and the lack of images.
Parkett
This publication is huge and only published twice a year, as well as being rather expensive.
Each publication is created in collaboration with the artists who make work especially for Parkett, which is then available as prints to buy.
It looks like a book and is a beautiful publication with some really well written, creative articles on artists which are in depth about the background of the pieces, with a good 10 pages or so per artist.
Some parts in German as it is predominantly a German publication. Nice clear, large images which really brings it to life, almost like a reference book and has very little adverts.
There's a section at the back of short exhibition reviews from all around the world, covering all types of art.
The balance between reviews and articles is right and if I had the money I would definatley buy it.
Flash Art - 'World's leading Art magazine.'
This magazine is a monthly publication that covers international artists.
Again this has a ridiculas amount of adverts which you have to get through to get to the first article. Highlights galleries around the world and the different exhibitions they hold, but there is little in the way of articles.
Reviews film and photography as well as art, a very cultural magazine.
The articles are mostly interviews with chosen artists which are interesting and laid out like a newspaper, which makes it easy to read as well as the wording not being too hard to understand.
Really good articles on media and culture that affects artists and that are often the inspiration behind artists work, short essays on mixing culture with art and current affairs, eg, Lady GaGa.
This is a good magazine for inspiration and articles on current affairs, once you get past all the adverts.
The Art Book
A monthly publication that on first view is very flat and dull.
Not very creative for an art publication, not many images and lots of complicated writing. Very much for people who are wanting to purchase art, writing about the piece technically as apposed to the concept. Explain guide prices for the work as well.
Not many adverts, and the majority of the reviews are of traditional paintings with some sculpture, even reveiwing historical works such as 16th century paintings as well as Van Gough.
This publication is not to my taste, very formal and would appeal more to art buyers, no contemporary works.
an magazine
A British monthly publication that is supported by the Arts Council England.
A thin publication that doesn't have many pages, almost like a zine or a handout. The first section of the magazine has letters from readers and debates about current art issues, which is a first in any of these magazines. Not too many adverts for such a small magazine which is good.
They review exhibitions which are easy to read and understandable, more lighthearted text then some of the other publications.
They cover all types of contemporary art and has articles on current issues affecting art such as funding in the arts and the protests.
Nice large images with supporting text, they have a news section as well as opportunities for submissions and an art services section.
Overall a lovely little magazine thats easy to read with a simple layout of the exhibitions as well as opportunities for artists and pieces on current affairs relevant to artists.
Overall of I were to buy one of the publications regularly, it would be an magazine. It covers exhibitions in Britiain, not many adverts and readable articles about up and coming artists, with interesting points being raised about issues such as funding.
Parkett was my favourite publication because of the aesthetic quality, beautifully put together, like a reference book with lots to read and large images making it colourful and interesting. Worth the money for a twice a year publication.
Tuesday, 22 March 2011
PPD1 Fine Art Practices 2 Collaboration
At the beginning of the project I was slighty apprehensive about working in a group of 5 other people. There were a lot of ideas floating about and we couldn't pin one down to focus on. We all wanted to try for locations, props, actions etc into a hat and drawing them out at random creating a series of scenarios for us to do. At first it was meant for a little excersise to help inspire us but we really enjoyed the method of chance and the absurdity of some of the events.something new and out of the studio. And after many mind maps and discussions we decided to just have a bit of fun and not pick anything too serious. So we created a chart of 'events'. Each putting suggestions for locations, materials, props, costume etc. This created a series of scenarios which we would then document and see where it took us.
The first 'event' was to be set in Hyde Park, dressed in oversized business clothing, strolling about with the subjects of fire and greed. This first one was a pivitol point for me in the collaboration as I really found out how we worked as a group and how comfortable we were around each other. Non of us had done performance art, which this was, before we really pushed our boundries. This image is one of my favourite from the whole project, it is very bold and really represents the odd events we had planned, as well as the grafitti in the background. During this 'event' we realised that performance art was the way to go and that video was the main medium to work in.
Over reading week, we all helped to create a table of individual 'events' for each of us to do over the week at home so we could continue to develop our work. This was also beneficial to us as it was interesting to see how we excecuted the individual tasks on our own with no one elses input. I didn't enjoy my individual one as much as I struggled with ideas on how I could incorperate each category, all while researching artists and discussing on our Facebook group on how we could move on.
We hired victorian costumes for this next event. Another thing I got from this collaboration experience is being spontenious. For this one we had to dance around a car park at 6am. We really bonded as a group as we started to do the harder events in the early hours of the morning doing ludacris actions. I feel this one had more of an aesthetic, escpecially on video as there is a lot going on and it slowly gets lighter which gives it a nice feel.
Scarborough was the next event and was my favourite of all of them. Was also the most unusual, it required us to spin in circles on Scarborough beach at 4am. I got some beautiful shots, this being one of them. It really captures the movement and light and I may consider using it as a starting point for a future project. The experience of exploring a place, a pretty familar, childhood place, at night really changes your perspective of the place. We got a lot of footage and images from this event in particular and started to consider where we were going to take this and started to think about the final piece, throwing some ideas around
For part of our grade we were asked to present 100 words about our collaboration. We collectively decided to create a new event to present our 100 words to. The words were written out as random words, running with the idea of the randomness of our actions, with ice on each other. The other elements such as leap frogging, making animal noises and sleeping were added in, with each of us taking a role in the performance. I, along with the group felt that this was out strongest performance yet. As we were performing this in front of people, the feedback we received was very useful. Our performances don't have any particular meaning and are very open to personal interpretation, but what we leave behind as a result of the performances really started to interest us, as well as the documentation.
We all missed making 3D and so decided as development to start creating sculptures. Using the same method we came up with a range of materials and durations and made various sculptures. This was my favourite and I feel the strongest image as it provokes a lot of thought. We worked really well as a team, helping eahc other out and suggesting a lot of ideas for the final piece as we were fast approaching the deadline. We wanted to combine everything that we had done, so we made a final event. Linking with our essay, we decided to be very site specific and use the studio space as the location. The main elements were sculptural actions, leaving what we used behind, teamwork and having a laugh.
Our final piece was the best performance we did. It was planned more than the others but still had a huge element of the unknown as we didn't know how all the elements would fit together. My job was to flick paint onto the fabric ceiling which in theory would drip onto the scene being unfolded below. The ceiling then could be used as a future project as it was itself a piece of art. The main aim of the final performance was to create mystery around our space. We chose to perform when no one was in the studio so no one would actually witness the performance, and all they had to go on was the things that resulted in the actions for example the paint splattered ceiling, the ripped apart matress, the bananas and cans lying about. This then provokes the audience looking at the scene to think about how all the things got there and what had actually happened. There were elements of each previous performances as we put up 1 image from each one on the walls, giving an uneasy homely feeling.
Friday, 4 February 2011
My Learning Style
'You like to understand a subject before talking about it. You're quiet and enjoy watching and listening to others.'
Very closely followed by
Planner (Theorist)
'You have a careful, logical approach to life. You're something of a perfectionist. You're happy being left alone to get on with things.'
Both of these sound very much like me, I would rather have something to do and sit and get on with it, making sure I got it done on time.
PPD1 Fine Art and Social Context
This project was about how social context is used in fine art. From the original presentation and list making, I discovered I wanted to look at the thought of escaping reality, as opposed to being inspired by things such as politics, media and people. I have always had an interest in this subject and how people escape in different ways.The piece I chose to present was a mask I had made using simple materials such as cardboard and paper mache. I also painted it with acrylic and feel I successfully combined both making and painting together. I attatched it to the wall with clear thread to one nail tack in the wall, this makes the mask stand out from the wall with no other distractions.
I started looking at various ways of 'escaping reality' and came across the culture of The Shamans. I have had an intrest in this culture and it was a perfect opportunity to research this more. They are a community of people who believe in contacting animal spirits to help them answer questions about everyday life, something that we would use the internet for or even just watching the news. This fascinated me and so I focussed on the animal side of things even more. My first idea was to simply draw people with animal heads, with the head relating to whatever their apparent animal spirit is. I liked this idea and so decided to experiment with different ways of drawing and painting, using mixed media and thinking about my technique and skill.
Carrying on with the theme of animal spirits and animal heads on people, I started to research both animals and taking photos of people with animal masks on in different positions. Me and my friend wore boar and elephant masks, experimenting with angles, colour and movement which actually relates to Shaman rituals. Looking into the meanings of each animal and an animal spirit was really interesting and actually found out that the Boar is the most important animal in the Shaman world, so I started to focus on that mask.
This was one of the successsful images from experimenting with the masks. I used this to draw from numerous times, improving each time. The pose is not straight on and gives a slighty eerie feel to it, escpecially with the head facing downwards. I feel this image says a lot about what I am researching as well as having elements of humour and social context.
I went out to various locations around my home town and took photos of animals to draw from. This was to imrpove my drawing technique and get as accurate to the animal as possible. I could have started to look at skulls and the actual form of various animals, bone and muscle structure. This is something I could look into further after the project.
At this point I started to concentrate on painting after the research I had done. I tried painting on different surfaces, using various types of paints. I found practicing really helped my technique and so painted and drew as many heads/ people with animal heads as I could. I started to worry at this point that I was losing touch with what it was I was trying to say with the painting and so decided that if I was adamant to stick with painting I would paint a person with an animal head so the audience would have more of an understanding of what it was I was trying to get across.
Using my favourite image from the photographs I painted it on a bought canvas, large scale. I enjoyed painting this and spending time on the detail. I do find it difficult to know when to stop adding that detail, but with every time I draw/paint I get better. A tip I got told was to make the canvas myself as then I have control on every aspect and a nicer quailty surface to paint on. A challenge was getting the texture of the velvet dress right, to get the effect I did I used white emulsion paint. I ended up using the emulsion a lot as it gives a dream-like effect on the colours which fits in well with the strange concept of having an animal head. There wasn't much else for me to develop further using this idea as this painting was my favourite but I felt it wasn't strong enough to put up for assessment.
I took a step back and looked at what it was that I actually liked about the images I took and was painting and the main thing was the mask. So I decided to try make a mask. Another thing I like to do is make and craft so combining this with my love of painting could work. The Boar is an important animal in the Shaman world so stuck with that as a starting point. I wanted to use simple and easily accessable materials as I didn't have much money and time. I really enjoyed using cardboard and paper mache, sculpting and creating a form with such simple materials. Making my own mask linked to the artist Marcus Coates who was a major influence for me during this project. I could develop this idea further by making more masks and even spreading out into performance like Coates, dressing up as animals and 'connecting with spirits'.
This was a major change in what I wanted to do originally and I think it really helped me with my work and the piece I chose to present. It combined both 3D craft with my skill of painting.
Strengths-
Painting, drawing, craft, time management
Weaknesses-
Deciding which direction to go, stubborn on what media to use but then to discover it was better to go with 3D.
