Back to life.

So I have neglected my blog for the past few years; I really started to enjoy it. Now I'm back :]

Rationale

When I first started this module it was a bit daunting. I had never used a blog before and I thought at first I would never get the hang of it so I considered using the good old pen and sketchbook.  But it didn’t defeat me and I gave the blog a shot. I took my awhile to actually get the blog started and I was still unsure what I was actually supposed to be writing about and even now I’m still unsure if I have done it correctly.

I have mainly gathered information in the blog about exhibitions, my own thoughts, things I have read about in newspapers, things about artists in general, my own work, illustrations of art pieces and most importantly how audiences interact with art pieces and how they might see them depending on what kind of space the piece is in.

Doing a blog has made me think more critically about artists work and even my own. A blog is like doing a sketchbook except I don’t feel it’s quite as personal because people can read it if the have access to the internet. In the end I really enjoyed doing a blog and one of the reasons I liked doing is because people could comment back on my thoughts or the things I have seen.

I also think it’s a good way to communicate with tutors as well as other students because if you don’t always get to see them everyday they can see what your up to and they are able to leave feedback for you.

I have decided that I’m going to continue keeping a blog and use it for similar reasons as I’ve kept this one.

Overall I think this module has been successful and I have learnt to think more critically, as well as taking my audience into account when I hang my pieces in exhibitions.

The exhibition

I've been thinking about the exhibition and how my work is going to be displayed. I’ve gone from having a photograph hung on a wall in a plain frame to a mod rock cast nailed to the wall so it looked like it was actually coming out of the wall.
Displaying both of these would have to be in the college just because of the content that the pictures hold and therefore, by doing this it would be making more appealing to certain audience; artists, art lovers etc, because you don’t usually find just any random folk in an art college.

Now, however, I’m displaying a head with tiny pieces of photographs stuck to it on a plinth. The reason I’m having my sculpture on a plinth and not anywhere else is because it’s something that the audience need to walk all the around to see the full piece. The plinth is situated around the average eye level so that it’s easy to see and people don’t have to bend down and see it.

Surfing the net

I've been surfing the net the past hour or so trying find out some information about curators.. and i've just stumbled across something on the 'Royal College of Art' website that you can actually take a course on it !

Why the course was established?

Curators of contemporary art in Britain have in the past relied for their training on experience gained through employment. Neither art history nor fine art courses provide a wide-ranging consideration of contemporary art which also includes study of critical practice and theory, and detailed understanding of how art institutions are structured and administered.

The MA course was established in 1992, co-funded by the Royal College of Art and the Arts Council of Great Britain. It was the first postgraduate programme in Britain to specialise in curatorial practice as it relates to contemporary art. The course is now funded by Arts Council England, and in 2001 the course title was amended to Curating Contemporary Art, more accurately to reflect the content and primary focus of the programme

The Observer

Art has changed. And so have the people running it. A sharp-minded breed of iconoclastic curators is revolutionising both the gallery scene and the way that we experience art.

Here's an article that I found in the observer about curating.
I thought It'd be quite interesting to read about how curators find the work rather than just telling it from an artist or audiences persepctive.

Curating art used to be a straightforward enough, if onerous, occupation. Typically, curators thoroughly versed in art history would use their research skills putting together what they saw as the best art works of a particular movement or historical period. For figures such as David Sylvester, curating wasn't really regarded as a major profession - more of a side show in the ongoing business of being an art authority. Things, however, have changed drastically since then. University courses in curating are springing up. And where once museums looked to the art historians of places such as the Courtauld Institute for the next generation of art supremos, they are now turning to something like the Royal College of Art's curating course, fast becoming the inside track for tomorrow's leading curators and museum directors. In turn, today's curators and museum directors have ditched anonymity.
'The curator of contemporary art is now concerned with the whole physical and intellectual experience of an exhibition,' explains Teresa Gleadowe, head of the RCA's curating course. Simply doing bucket-loads of art historical research is not enough. In the ground-breaking 1972 exhibition Documenta 5, Harald Szeemann - perhaps the first major freelance curator - dumped aesthetic categories and instead arranged the art through themes like 'Idea' and 'Individual Mythologies'.
Gleadowe argues that there's a huge difference between today's curators and those art historians of the past. 'Curators are now required to engage with new art as it emerges and find a critical context for the reception of that work,' she says. In reality, those critical contexts tend to act almost as curatorial trends - for instance at the moment there is a definite turn away from 90s irony to either some sort of return to socially committed art or art about everyday situations. And the broadening of the art world from a European-North American axis to a global scale means most contemporary curators now spend huge amounts of time flitting to and from art festivals around the world to keep up with what's going on - as well as to unearth buried talent.
Through the 80s and 90s curating evolved rapidly. In 90s Britain, there was a shift away from institutions - Damien Hirst and Carl Freedman famously took matters into their own hands with the Freeze and Modern Medicine exhibitions that set young British art rolling. Curators started putting shows on in domestic spaces, and combining art with non-art objects. In Berlin, Daniel Pflumm got the whole 90s Mitte art scene going by exhibiting works in his nightclub, Elektro.
In some ways curators became the counterpart to dealers: where the latter would shift artworks, the former would make works credible by putting them in exhibitions. If a work caught the eye of the right curator and got included in a big show it did wonders for its price and the standing of the artist. Inevitably the institutions have caught up, employing the new breed of contemporary curator to become museum directors and effect change from within. What's certain is that the days of paintings organised into neat chronological rows are well and truly over

Artist and the Audeince

Most people see art as something complicated, incomprehensible and unnecessary. Artists are often treated as "harmless fools". Why is this? Because art is always a new occurrence, it is original and it causes anxiety and therefore people are often ill-disposed towards it. A layman likes to say: "Even though I don`t know much about art I at least know what I like." But these aren`t actually their own preferences as their habits and the conditions they live in have made them like certain things and dislike others. We like the things we know and don`t trust the unknown. The past (which we know) seems better from the unpredictable future. We think of art in a similar way. Such thinking leads to the isolation of an artist who likes to penetrate new grounds of imagination.

The process of creating is always accompanied by loneliness and a certain incomprehension. Yet an artist doesn`t create just for his own satisfaction. Every artist wants other people to admire his works. The desire to be admired is in fact the main incentive of creating, while the process of creation itself requires a receiver as a natural supplement. One should realise however that as important to an artist as the audience is, it is not the quantity, but the quality of the audience that counts the most. The virtues of a work of art can never be described in terms of its popularity. This means that to an artist only the opinions of the people he respects and values are important. These are often just a few people - his friends, other artists, critics and people that show interest. The audience of course is also not completely without a word to say, but it is usually that little group of people (if the artist manages to convince them with his work) that encourages the creator to continue his work.

The audience can either accept or reject an art work. It is hard to forsee how people will take it. There is an emotional tension between an artist and the receivers, a feeling of insecurity and challenge, which are essential to an artist. A creator has to have the certainty that his work will overwin the public`s obstinacy or otherwise he will not make sure that what he has created is original, whether it was a work of art not only in his plans, but the actual outcome is as well.

Hanging

picture hanging .com - PICTURE HANGING SYSTEMS. An extensive range of display fixtures and fittings for the optimal and flexibledisplay of paintings, white-boards, clocks etc;without damage to walls. Recommended for commercial, public and private buildings where art will enhance the working and living environment. Particularly specified for art galleries, museums, boardrooms, hallways, stairwells and restaurants.

• Free standing poster display unit
• Free standing glass shelf unit

Barry McGee

• Painter and graffiti artist

His work draws heavily from a pessimistic view of the urban experience. He describes them as:

• Urban ills
• Overstimulations
• Frustrations
• Addictions
• Trying to maintain a level head under the constant bombardmen of advertising

It's interesting to see how the outside, so to speak, has been moved inside to a gallery space. I think he is definately aiming his work at a specific audience because not just anyone really goes into a gallery.. apart from the odd drunk or junkie etc.

I think though, that people can appreciate his work and skills more in a gallery rather than just in the open.

Street Art

I've been thinking about different 'types' of art.. things like in a gallery, land art to street art and I've been wodering if they all have the same effect on the person viewing it.. Also how people would change their perception of the art if it was moved from the street and into a gallery.

Mark Jenkins

• American artist known for his street installations
• Uses packing tape (tape casting)

Tape Men:

• Jenkins casted from his body using clear packing tape and they were installed in the city streets of Rio.

I really like Jenkins work and I think there quite comical.. imagine if you were someone who new nothing about art, you would really wonder what they are but if you were someone who new nothing about art and went into a gallery and say them you'd just assume they were art then.

Richard Long

• Poetic idea
• He makes sculptures by walking to places (the audience therefore has to interact with this by going to these places that he’s set up) but they do not last long
• He uses mediums of photography, text and maps of landscapes he has walked over
• The landscapes would be deliberately changed in some way to form his work. Sometimes sculptures were made in the landscapes from rocks or similar found materials and then photographed – but then does the viewer get the same satisfaction as seeing the art in it’s true form rather than a photograph?

Art rant

I've just commented on something that Jenny had posted earlier and it got me thinking... There was once this guy I new who went to a gallery with a bunch of his mates. They had this fold up chair thing and they placed on it a bottle of coke or something like that and went out of site.. They kept a close eye on what people did.. People started like taking note of what they could see, taking photographs, but the worst bit was, they were taking real interest in a thoughtless piece of rubbish !
If they had set this up outside in the town centre, not one person would think 'oh look at this piece of art'. They'd just turn a blind eye.
It makes me wonder if anything I see in galleries really have any significance anymore or am I just like all the rest of these people who go to galleries?

It’s just funny how something so meaningless can become “art” just because it’s in a gallery !

Or if you make up a whole load of crap about the meaning behind the piece it becomes this wonderful piece.
Ok, so i know not everyone makes up something to make the piece seem something more than it is... but i'm wondering why can't we just leave the interpritations to the audience viewing it?
I always think this when the tutors ask what my pieces are about.. I just want them to make up their own mind about what i'm trying to say rather than putting words into their mouths. Does anyone understand what i'm saying?

Exhibition

So i'm still thinking about what to exhibit up at the college... First I was thinking about hanging a photograph and then a sculpture then a photograph... argh... but I just don't know.

I've been thinking about how it would relate to this blog and then I thought I wonder how it would change the audiences view on what "sort" of artist I am.

Marketing the exhibition

I've just been looking through my folder of what we discussed in the marketing commitee.

The design of the flier and poster we had done to promote the exhibition had to capture a large audience.
I've just confused myself about what the point was i'm trying to make?

Anyway i'm wondering if it appeals to everyone?
What everyone opinion on this?

It's nothing major... i'm just interested now.
I do like it, I think it's great. The boldness of the pink really stands out.

Moving on, i've decided that i think, although we are exhibiting in a space thats open to the public (Atrium Gallery) we have still got specific audiences that we want to see the show. On the mailing list there's the places you'd expect to be on there like Art Galleries, Museums etc... but why not other hospitals or places like that? Also when we've been handing out the fliers we've been specifically chosing places that we think "art goers" will go.

This past few weeks

This past few weeks i've been neglecting my blog abit so its time for an update.

Everyone’s been preparing for the deadlines and exhibition next week.
The exhibition in the hospital has been hung but I’ve not seen it yet. The opening nights on Thursday 14th May.

Originally I was going to have my piece in the Atrium Gallery until they restricted us to what we could actually have there.

Unacceptable imagery:

• Sexual
• Nudity
• Death
• Violent
• Strong political
• Religious
• Glamour (soft end of porn)

So that pretty much took me out of there straight away. But if thats what you couldn't have in it... what actually could you put there? People are too afraid of offending one and other but seriously, in this day and age who really cares about seeing someone naked? I always think people who get offeneded by art like this are usally alot older? I'm not saying every old person would get offended but people like my in their 80's would probably be ashamed to see such things.

Oh and art works couldn’t project from the walls either etc.

The audiences there are more like passing by to visit patients in the hospital and maybe some of the patients that can move around easily.

I think it's going to be quite interesting to see what some people have chose to exhibit in the Atrium.

My work in the wrong location

So i've been experimenting with some images of my work in photoshop and placing them in areas that would not suit them just to see how bizarre they would look there. Some are in the sculpture park, some are on bill boards and others are in shop fronts. I think because the nature of my work, they do not fit these particular locations. I think for something such as the mannequins, they belong in a gallery space rather than outdoors plus I think people with small children would not appreciate there kids being exposed to this form of art. Although I do think it would be quite interesting to see what other peoples reactions would be.

Site Specific Art

Irene Brown

Irene Brown is a site specific artist specialising in temporary installations and permanently sited public art. All her artworks are unique pieces made in response to each individual site. Many previous public art projects have been concerned with providing iconic imagery for developing, or new community spaces. These range from brand new business parks to areas of regeneration within established communities in cities and rural locations. Her work is also concerned with ideas of the specialness or inviolability of a site - how a regular space can be transformed into one of pilgrimage and power. It is important that the nature of her work and the imagery, symbols and associations used to develop as a unique response to research conducted on each individual site. Recent installation work has used optical illusions to engage the viewer and encourage a sense of magic, visions or special phenomena. Anaglyph (three dimensional illusions viewed through red and green lenses) and lenticular (the image looks 3d or 'flis' from one image to another depending on the angle it is viewed from) systems have been adapted and developed for large scale digital photo collage installations. These works promote a direct physical interaction from the viewer and physically choreographs the space.

'The South East Northumberland Public Art and Design Initiative, or Inspire, was set up in 2003 to improve the built and natural environment in South East Northumberland through the involvement of artists and better design. By bringing good design to the public realm the aim is to change negative perceptions, contribute to a contemporary environment and raise aspirations for the future. Through these actions, it is hoped that people will be encouraged to stay in the area and take pride in it, and that others will tempted to move to South East Northumberland.

Inspire is a partnership of three local authorities - Wansbeck District Council, Blyth Valley Borough Council and Northumberland County Council - the South East Northumberland North Tyneside Regeneration Initiative (SENNTRi) and Northumberland Groundwork Trust. It has the support of Commissions North and Northern Architecture. Funding for the project comes from the local authorities and the Northumberland Strategic Partnership via the Single Programme.'

More on The Guardian

I’ve just seen a post on Garry’s blog about a recent article in The Guardian.. I spoke about how the MP’s were planning to let artists take over empty shop spaces in one of my earlier blogs.. Well now this new article is talking about; “Shops stand empty while artists struggle to find exhibition spaces. Why not put the two together?”

'It's just one closed-down shop in a row of closed-down shops, its façade obscured by a corrugated steel roll-up door, an emblem of recession-hit Britain. But from this weekend, the shutters go up in this former hairdresser's salon in south London; the sunlight will pour once more through the plate-glass window, and passers-by will wonder what's going to happen here next.
Alas for the economy, this isn't a green shoot of the fiscal variety. The new enterprise at 4 Sceaux Gardens in Peckham won't be putting money into the nation's pockets in any conventional sense. Instead, artist Janette Parris will be taking up residence, to create an artwork based on West End musicals. Where commercial enterprise has stalled and shops shut out, artists and galleries are now taking the initiative and moving in - a development the government last week announced its support for, unveiling a £3m grant scheme to allow people to breathe new life into vacant shops. Tomorrow, Arts Council England will announce a further funding initiative.'

So basically if this scheme works, the rest of Britains High Streets are most likely to be transformed over the weeks and months ahead: shops that had closed their doors will morph into studio spaces, galleries and workshop venues. Brilliant !!

People all around me always say how they love creating art, as do I, but there's just something about watching someone else creating. I love it. I love to watch them getting totally lost in what their doing and wonder what it is thats going around there mind at that time.. You might beable to buy their art in the long run but it's times like that, that you can not buy. Priceless.

Keith Arnatt

"Notes From Jo"

While Arnatt started off as a painter, he turned to conceptual photography in the late 1960s with work that often had a pokerfaced humour. "Notes from Jo" (1990 – 94) record his wife’s Post-It note messages usually left in their kitchen. The work irreverently plays on the conceptual concerns of image and text through the irritations and communications of daily life. "They were everyday notes from his wife, but when artist Keith Arnatt pictured and enlarged them after her death they were transformed," writes Martin Parr.

"It’s what you could call a more sentimental approach to that human condition stuff that we all face. But as always the interesting issue is how does it work? In this case finding the left over moments from a life just finished and representing them as photographs. This is technically art giving things ‘honorific’ value and it stems from the concept of ‘moments of epiphany’.
A moment of epiphany is a sudden manifestation or an intuitive grasp of reality through something usually simple or everyday."

The Guardian

Notes From My Wife is a case in point. They are jottings and reminders written by his wife, Jo, in the early 90s. Soon after, she was struck down by a brain tumour and Arnatt nursed her until her death in 1996. He decided to collect the most poignant of the notes and photographed 18 of them. Taken out of context and blown up, they become surreal. This was Arnatt's strength as a photographer: he understood how the smallest detail or observation could be transformed by the act of isolation.
All his series of photographs were taken within striking distance of his home near Tintern in Wales (including The Visitors, 1974-6, of tourists at Tintern Abbey) or, like the notes, actually in the house. He found pleasure in everyday objects - notably in exploring his local rubbish tip. He went on to make simple still lives of cardboard boxes, abandoned paint tins and other objects he found there.

The Guardian part 3

ArtBabble: the YouTube of the arts.

From Richard Serra to origami, there's a new place to watch arts films on the web. Ruth Jamieson delves into ArtBabble's fascinating online collection.

Where the BBC's iPlayer made watching TV on your computer as natural as writing an email, ArtBabble.org is set to do the same for viewing arts films. Now, instead of catching up on EastEnders, you can broaden your mind with arts films from a handful of key galleries. The films, all of which can be commented on, shared and interacted with, take you behind the scenes of major art galleries, offer interviews with world-famous artists and transport you to lecture halls all over the globe.

It's quite genius really. Plus it beats rummaging around the Library only to realise someones already taken what would wanted.

But what makes the site exciting isn't just its breadth of content; it's the depth. Throughout the films on ArtBabble, "notes" appear on the right hand of the scene, attached to relevant points in the film. If another artist is referred to, a "note" links to their Wikipedia entry, if a news event crops up, there's a link to the newspaper report. So, in a half-hour talk about the Hello Kitty brand you're offered a link to the online home of Hello Kitty, Japanese tourism information and an introduction to Anime. In a film about the Louvre's restoration of Greek and Roman sculptures, you'll be given an introduction to mosaic, a primer on Greek mythology and suggestions for further viewing. You can even attach your own notes to a relevant frame of the film, rather than in a comments section below.

The Guardian part 2

How artist Jeremy Deller is bringing the Iraq war home to Americans.

'You're not looking at a car - you're looking at 35 dead people'

British artist Jeremy Deller opens a new project at the New Museum that encourages viewers to engage with the reality of war in a manner even more direct than what images can offer.

The centerpiece of the project, titled “It is what it is: Conversations about Iraq,” is the charred wreck of a car that was bombed in Baghdad — tangible, undeniable evidence of the ongoing violence. But while this alarming sight is meant to bring the reality of the war home, the larger goal of Deller’s exhibition is to provide a place for dialogue between visitors and various experts on the war. To that end, he has invited journalists, an army sergeant, academics, translators, and refugees from Iraq to take up residence in the gallery and be available for discussion with the public during the exhibition’s run from February 11 to March 22. After the show closes, Deller, with sponsorship by Creative Time, will board an RV with two of the experts and travel across the United States, towing the car on a platform and stopping at art institutions and community sites to invite non-art-world audiences to engage with the wreckage and spokespeople.