We were originally interested in the idea of how collaboration works, and how open this is in Denise's work. We looked at her collaborations with other artists or "non-artists", the environment, incidents and natural processes and encounters with objects. These happenings or performances were often marked onto the printing plate.
We were also interested in the links between Denise's work and the ideas of Fluxus, including social engagement, chance/impulse change, process and performance.
During the discussion the following questions were raised:
What constitutes collaboration, are there rules that should be complied with?
Can you really give up all aesthetic control to the subject/collaborator, and does it really matter?
Highlighted in Denise's Log splitter prints, good collaboration was when the artist had no aesthetic control. Within this piece Denise is questioning this framework.
Is a paradigm shift the "best" outcome of collaborative work?
Although this is not a motive for Denise it can sometimes be a unexpected result.
Wednesday, 19 November 2008
Wednesday, 5 November 2008
Rachel Thorlby seminar: Face Value?
We used the text The ontology of the Photographic Image from Andre Bazin’s What is Cinema? as a starting point. We felt this was a way into the issues surrounding the effect photography had on the plastic arts and their ability to represent reality.
Based on looking at the work of Rachel Thorlby and our own areas of interest we arrived and three core questions to be explored in the seminar:
The object/image relationship in Rachel’s work
The use of impoverished materials in the construction of artworks
What is the contemporary relevance of the romantic and how does that relate to our ‘idea’ of landscape?
Discussion:
Briony asked a question about whether Rachel’s criteria for choosing images was purely aesthetic/formal or if she selected images because she was interested in their history.
This sparked a discussion centering around the undermining of any claims to ‘truth’ in images both painted and photographed. Rachel was drawn to images that could have a slippage of meaning, i.e. a dress becomes a type of landscape. She did not select images on the basis of their historical narrative but once selected she became involved in their background stories.
The discussion moved on to Rachel’s use of impoverished materials vis a vis the elevated status traditionally associated with portraiture or landscape painting. The low-value, low-tech use of materials like cardboard and polystyrene within Rachel’s work was a mixture of experimentation allowing the materials to ‘do what they do’ and a desire to reconfigure and re-invent the original source material.
Rachel talked about the masking or intervention in a straight reading of the face within her work on portraiture. She wanted to direct attention away from this figurative aspect of portraiture as she was not interested in the figurative. By using strategies related to Surrealist ideas of juxtaposition and masking out the figures within a landscape she hoped to provoke a sense of the uncanny and in some way reinvent the image.
The consensus of opinion was that to merely represent reality was not central to what is considered interesting within contemporary art practice today.
We ran out of time to really cover the third question in our framework: What is the contemporary relevance of the romantic and how does that relate to our ‘idea’ of landscape?
Please feel free to discuss this here on the blog. As a starting point we thought that the romantic movement has a huge influence on how we represent and construct visual and mental ideas of what landscape is even if it’s ideals have been superceeded by a more naturalist/realist sensibility.
Posted By Sue Warlock and Sarah Tullock
Based on looking at the work of Rachel Thorlby and our own areas of interest we arrived and three core questions to be explored in the seminar:
The object/image relationship in Rachel’s work
The use of impoverished materials in the construction of artworks
What is the contemporary relevance of the romantic and how does that relate to our ‘idea’ of landscape?
Discussion:
Briony asked a question about whether Rachel’s criteria for choosing images was purely aesthetic/formal or if she selected images because she was interested in their history.
This sparked a discussion centering around the undermining of any claims to ‘truth’ in images both painted and photographed. Rachel was drawn to images that could have a slippage of meaning, i.e. a dress becomes a type of landscape. She did not select images on the basis of their historical narrative but once selected she became involved in their background stories.
The discussion moved on to Rachel’s use of impoverished materials vis a vis the elevated status traditionally associated with portraiture or landscape painting. The low-value, low-tech use of materials like cardboard and polystyrene within Rachel’s work was a mixture of experimentation allowing the materials to ‘do what they do’ and a desire to reconfigure and re-invent the original source material.
Rachel talked about the masking or intervention in a straight reading of the face within her work on portraiture. She wanted to direct attention away from this figurative aspect of portraiture as she was not interested in the figurative. By using strategies related to Surrealist ideas of juxtaposition and masking out the figures within a landscape she hoped to provoke a sense of the uncanny and in some way reinvent the image.
The consensus of opinion was that to merely represent reality was not central to what is considered interesting within contemporary art practice today.
We ran out of time to really cover the third question in our framework: What is the contemporary relevance of the romantic and how does that relate to our ‘idea’ of landscape?
Please feel free to discuss this here on the blog. As a starting point we thought that the romantic movement has a huge influence on how we represent and construct visual and mental ideas of what landscape is even if it’s ideals have been superceeded by a more naturalist/realist sensibility.
Posted By Sue Warlock and Sarah Tullock
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
NADIA HEBSON, the uncanny valley
In this morning's Seminar we embarked upon a crazy journey attempting to delve into various topics surrounding issues of the sublime, the portrait, artistic intention, and robots.....
Perhaps because all of these issues are so complex we were left with more questions than answers, but will attempt to summerise what was touched upon below;
Sublime and the Contemporary Sublime: A strand of thought very evident in Nadia's work, however something we all agreed is hard to define, or even attempt to capture. This concept is perhaps restricted in the present day due to it's associations with the enlightement, but could be thought of as the 'blankness of nature'.
The Portrait: A problematic mine-field that continues to entice artists and viewers alike. Does the portrait still have a place in contemporary painting? and if so how should this be tackled? what place does identity have within the idea of portraiture? does it still remain to be a vehicle for emotion, in comparison to other mediums such as film?
Artistic Intention: A heated debate exploring whether artists should set out with a clear outline of what they wish to convey, or if this must be handed over in it's entirity to the viewer.
Robots: Welcome to uncanny valley!
Many thanks to Nadia for bringing some very interesting points of disscusion forward.
Perhaps because all of these issues are so complex we were left with more questions than answers, but will attempt to summerise what was touched upon below;
Sublime and the Contemporary Sublime: A strand of thought very evident in Nadia's work, however something we all agreed is hard to define, or even attempt to capture. This concept is perhaps restricted in the present day due to it's associations with the enlightement, but could be thought of as the 'blankness of nature'.
The Portrait: A problematic mine-field that continues to entice artists and viewers alike. Does the portrait still have a place in contemporary painting? and if so how should this be tackled? what place does identity have within the idea of portraiture? does it still remain to be a vehicle for emotion, in comparison to other mediums such as film?
Artistic Intention: A heated debate exploring whether artists should set out with a clear outline of what they wish to convey, or if this must be handed over in it's entirity to the viewer.
Robots: Welcome to uncanny valley!
Many thanks to Nadia for bringing some very interesting points of disscusion forward.
Tuesday, 21 October 2008
Laura Napier
Laura Napier’s lecture was followed by a seminar on time. Chaired by Daniel Jagger and Kelly Murray.
“Time is a relevant issue to be considered within Laura Napier’s Work. It is raised on several levels from the different “times” or timelessness she creates in her work. This ranges from her physical instillations, to the audiances own perceived and real time as the space is explored.
This opened up the discussion for looking at time in a broader sence in relation, not only to instillation, but also sculpture + painting. The role of the gallery + institutions that often create a false sense of permanence + fixed sense of time to art+art objects also opened up an interesting trail of thought.
Laura is also interested in the way it is possible to control or even manipulate viewers to move around her installations in particular ways. This seemed to provoke conflicting responses with often viewers resenting being controlled + when left to explore freely, every viewers experience being different.”
“Time is a relevant issue to be considered within Laura Napier’s Work. It is raised on several levels from the different “times” or timelessness she creates in her work. This ranges from her physical instillations, to the audiances own perceived and real time as the space is explored.
This opened up the discussion for looking at time in a broader sence in relation, not only to instillation, but also sculpture + painting. The role of the gallery + institutions that often create a false sense of permanence + fixed sense of time to art+art objects also opened up an interesting trail of thought.
Laura is also interested in the way it is possible to control or even manipulate viewers to move around her installations in particular ways. This seemed to provoke conflicting responses with often viewers resenting being controlled + when left to explore freely, every viewers experience being different.”
Wednesday, 8 October 2008
Neil Bromwich- The aesthetics of social engagement.
Does art get in the way of social change or can it be used as a vehicle for social change? Can art contribute to social change at all or is it hindered by the fact that it is called "Art" in the first place?
These are some of the issues we discussed in the post-lecture seminar. With relation to "Sci-fi Hot Tub" we considered the affect of an art work in a social environment i.e Kielder reservoir, as opposed to the white walled gallery setting. In the discussion Neil suggested that although the art work "lost something" in the gallery space, it also allowed for a new critical perception.
How did you feel about Neil's work? What draws you to his work- the spiritual utopian aspect, the aesthetic documentation or the social engagement within a more public realm.
These are some of the issues we discussed in the post-lecture seminar. With relation to "Sci-fi Hot Tub" we considered the affect of an art work in a social environment i.e Kielder reservoir, as opposed to the white walled gallery setting. In the discussion Neil suggested that although the art work "lost something" in the gallery space, it also allowed for a new critical perception.
How did you feel about Neil's work? What draws you to his work- the spiritual utopian aspect, the aesthetic documentation or the social engagement within a more public realm.
Wednesday, 7 May 2008
Ginny Reed: what can we say about nostalgia..
Ginny talks about the importance of the subjective realm in her practice ( Barthes "punctum"). How does the use of medium and documentation alter this interplay?.......
Wednesday, 30 April 2008
Jamie Allen : Killing Lena
What is the relationship between the human and the digital component in Jamie Allens Work......Does this have implications for digital technologies of the future......?
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