Notes from ‘Situation’ Whitechapel series.

Edited by Claire Doherty

Part of the acclaimed ‘Documents of Contemporary Art’ series of anthologies. published by the MIT press. 2009

Site

p183

The word ‘situation’ is misunderstood as its often associated with the situationist- a group identifying with the theory of demystification. Situationist international is an art term where Guy Debord identified consumer society as the Society of the Spectacle in his influential 1967 book of that title. But don’t distinguish so monochromatically. The reality and experience are legitimising, do away with categories such as form/matter, Truth/appearance and substance/attitributes because it’s about things done but what we are doing is in constant flux, a process of making , not was has been made.

 

Curatorial Configuration

p193

What is our conception of space?

Trees, parks, buildings of course but how we experience the space makes space a reality.

Television shows thousands of moments of space on a flat screen. Depth of space is an act of involvement, traveling a road is a journey. The way we involve with space determines the way it is observed for example Night& Day or long distance flying above the clouds is a rather irrational space. There is also a lack of observing space like when talking on the phone which is an intermediary. The term exhibition is only partly relevant, shows are more like activities, workshops than shows, the thing is a manifestation from the galleries of static art work, the publications , films, events ensure intensive contact and documents a moment no longer available to observe in reality but as a simulation, we cross from observing work in space experiencing the situation to observing the work though an intermediary such as documentation, You Tube clip , instagram, ect. The reality of the work has change spatial relations.

This connects with the Simulacrum theory by Jean Baudrillard

Hannah Arendt ‘The Public Realm’ (1958)

p108

Refers to the public being in a situation where reality depends on appearance, if it’s dark it’s seen as being intimate but in the light its respectful and public. Hannah also describes public phenomena (that being you have to be seen or heard to be real) as a ‘spiritualistic seance’ (109) a weird situation where you are perceiving souls are in the room but not in the same realm as you. Being acknowledged but not seen or heard because you are not relevant, nothing in common, no relatability. So its all about knowing your audience and provoking relations, discussions, having a common ground.

So much so when referring this situation to the experience of running as a candidate at the recent (May the 2nd) Local elections in Thanet. Being available and approachable was very rewarding to our candidates that won seats.

Logistics and Achievability

p47

The ‘Art frame’, the context , the system, by which it can function as a work of art such as exhibitions art publications cultural institutions, etc. if an artwork is not bound out of necessity to a particular aesthetic form, it then becomes defined by its context.

Bring in ideas surrounding Robert Smithsons strategies of dislocation and displacement, the contradiction inherent in his work but critiqued for exhibiting the Documentation of the work in publications and galleries. The point of changing context was not an action towards anti institution but working within a wider , complexing context- nature.

context or discourse was known as frame in Smithston’s time. Daniel Burens show within and beyond the frame ( John weber gallery NY 1973) saw half his black and white strips (19 altogether) displayed out side suspended above the street and the rest in the gallery. Although art work is historically framed , ie contextualised, the perception is social and historical constructed.

Situational aesthetics is where the work has been named after the location that is sited in.

p51

“Artist are now becoming independent agents of social processes, partisans of the real. The interaction between artist and social situation, between art and extra artistic context has led to a new form of art, where both come together; context art. The objective of the social structure of art is participation in the social structure of reality.” Peter Weibel, Context art: towards a social construction of Art//1994.

 

Artist research ~ Cecilia Vicuna.

Artist website (1948- Santigo, Chile)

She uses strips of fabric, untreated wool, netting or other natural materials found around the site specific areas she works in. Ritual and monument are represented in her work. She refers to the ancient devices of the Quechua people that would use knots on a grid of treads so to record and share information. They have woven meaning into thread, an interconnectivity that is entang with matter and is referred to when referencing early domain networking systems.

I think this is stunning as this known ancient tribe of people have used tread or fibre for centuries to help them survive at high altitudes. The effort for them to shield themselves from the elements with dying fabrics and using intricate methods so to add decorative but mostly symbolic references. Reminds me of the native weaving of flax the Pacific Islanders use which is far less sophisticated than the Quechua work.

Her work is large and really simple, she engages other people with her work and has help setting up. I think this is why I like what she is doing.

Quipu womb 2017 an installation at Documenta 14 at the National museum of contemporary Art. Blood red knotted strips of fabric suspended from a hoop attached to the ceiling, the fabric drapes onto the floor like puddles of blood.

 

Artist research~Shinique Smith

artist website

Shinique Smith uses fabric binded by rope, string or ribbon. She collects them into cuboid bails like hay bail shapes so very sturdy. her colours are arranged in gradient colours styles such as darkest to lightest.

She has asked to deliver talks as her work transcribes with many contemporary issues such as;

• the human figure and how they and the clothing industry is intwined.
• The bail constructions refer to the cycle of cloth as its representing the weight by pound, that the cloth or cotton bails were originally, before being cut into patterns.
• These forms also relate to how objects are binded and packaged ready for transportation. The world relocates clothing and westerners clothing is often distributed to eastern countries, transcribing the delivery system of the discarded, wealthy countries and poorer countries for recycling, reusing. its a symbol of global capital in a bundle.
• some of the bundles of clothing are made up of a collection of uniforms such as ‘prison boiler suit’ which brings our attention to how we use cloth to give clarification, and how our relationship with fabric can identify someones status.
• Women’s connection to the textile industry and is still a solid foundation of work the  force.

Her work reminded me of Judith Scott but less wild. I also like the fact that she doesn’t rely on traditional crocheting, knitting or sewing [like my own work]. Confronting issues of gendering within the workforce via fabric or cloth is just as dynamic, even more so than using traditional techniques. The statements being made about the above issues,  can’t be done delicately. Randomness and messiness are connected with masculinity where knitting, crocheting, lace making or sewing are all intricate, repetitive, fragile so considered more feminine. Smiths work isn’t random as the bails have been carefully considered but the large structures are sturdy and strong, stable all things associated as masculine. The way women artist’s are using fabric is a contradiction towards our categorisation of how we normally associate gender. Just like how the boundaries between the Arts and other practices are becoming blurred, yet the world is building boundaries, isolating themselves, wanting more control over their loss of identity.

 

 

 

Artist Research~Maria Nepomuceno

Breathing time @ Turner Contemporary

Maria uses rope and invisible thread to stitch the coiled rope together. Sometimes she is guided by the rope tension and other times she resists the rope and uses wire to thread so to suspend them from the ceiling. Her forms are similar in shape towards, cones, flowers and tubes. these shapes are her distinctive vocabulary. Her first solo show was at Turner Contemporary in 2012, Breathing time.  Maria was born in Rio De Janeiro and was one of the first artist to be helped onto the ladder by the artist -led-gallery A Gentil Carioca. She is renowned as a Carioca artist, which has become a contemporary institution in Rio. Her exhibition at the Turner was sited under the massive windows on the ground floor and people were asked to participate with the work either by lounging in one of the handmade Hammocks or beading. She uses materials that are related to her home country, beads, rope and straw.

Artsy interview with Nepomuceno

 

Projects; Interpreting Nature; Pebbles and Baskets.

Walking studio technique used to review this work within a different context.

The pebbles which are made out of newspaper, wrapped up with fabric and pulled together like a parcel with wool, have been made during CAP1 semester.  I wanted to develop this work for CAP2 and Anika Strom suggested making them all gooey, so I developed the hot glue technique from previous work. This was time consuming and need to seek help with the set up of a vat of glue substance and the method of drowning the pebbles into the vat and then placing them somewhere to dry with out the glue dripping off, creating drip residue markings and sticking to the drying arrangement. The paper making  technique was going to be adapted so the paper pulp could cling to the pebbles and I could dry these on felt.

After experimenting with other methods of developing this original work my strategies changed from developing the form to developing the context of the form. So I used the technique we used in Cyprus and removed the work from the site where it was created and placed it in other landscapes or sites. I documented the work within another context and reviewed the work as a photographic image because the work no longer exists in that situation. The work becomes an object that can be used as an intervention or can integrate with the surroundings (as seen in the photos of the pebbles in-front of the fire place). Destabilizing place but acting out a potential to be critical= critical spatial practices. The work can be site-specific and situational, contemporaneity characteristics are prioritising the moment over time and direct experience.

My recent work (April 2019) is developing the balance of visual contradictions between hard and soft textures, similar to Phyllida Barlow . Im interested in developing the process around basket weaving and after creating some vessel like baskets from flax leaves from my mothers palm tree that has over growing its small garden. I wanted to fix these into plaster as it reminded me of the way nature fights back with concrete and in general- industrialisation. My activities with groups such as the Green Party and Extinction Rebellion are other ways my social context crosses the boundaries into my practical work.

 

SFA London gallery trip; Understanding Authorship.

Friday 29th of March 2019

Bus trip to London with other UCA students.

Itinerary;

Southwark park to visit 2 galleries, the CPG AND Realm.

Science museum drop off point and walk to the serpentine gallery

Walked through the park and visit some of the West End Galleries

Walk back to science museum to collect bus back to Canterbury.

Who did we see….

Beth Collar and Daddy Issues

Hazel Brill, Richard Downes and Mr X

Bermondsey Bothy by Bobby Niven

Serpintine Gallery, Emma Kunz with visionary Drawings

https://www.serpentinegalleries.org/files/downloads/emma_kunz_exhibition_guide_.pdf

Sadie Coles with Uri Aran , tenants Like These

Hauser and Wirth with Geta Bratescu, the Power of the Line

Hauser and Wirth with Stefan Bruggermann and Hyper-Palimpsest

Some of the Photos taken on the day

 

This event helped me to focus my thoughts on how to display my work and how to communicate about it. The variations of how to do this were available to see in these shows.

Firstly the display of work can be either in a large space or crowded for example the two shows at Southwark Park. Daddy issues by Beth Collar was work influenced by Renaissance sculpture; Niccolo Dell’Arca who’s models are expressing feelings from within. https://youtu.be/B4u8XCtFk28 . Daddy issues are not just a female problem, sons have emotional highjacking of their personal character from parental conditioning. The Jester slippers on the floor of this mashup of a modernist church with its 1950’s pebbledash walls occulting with the vintage wooded interior, were lost against its environment of the gallery transcribing a disused church. The whole experience was peculiar but not enticing enough for me to deliberate.

Realm was crowded with cardboard cars, trees and robots. Lighting and projection with an arrangement of sounds was just far too chaotic for me. I feel this collaboration of artists didn’t  committed to this project as I recognised the work looked unfinished.  I think if the sculptures and the poems inspired by Alex Finlays sculpture trail currently on show in the park and Yoko Ono’s meditations on nature, were spread out, the impact would have been read as being retrospective and not as one piece of work. The work was to reflect on how parks are places to recharge our well being but this work made me feel battered.

Bobby Nivens, Bermondsey Bothy was far more interesting with its interactive windows and lighting system. His sculptural practice concerns itself with places of transformation, investigating a broader historical and socio-historical context (s) to create shelters for simultaneous human interaction and a meditative sanctuary. I liked this to the Wabi Sabi philosopher and Zen Master Sen no Rikyu (1522-1592) and the spiritual possibilities of the tea house. The Bothy is a multi use shelter where gardeners, children, artists and community activities can share and respond to the parks surroundings. A natural space temporal used by a building that is not structural sound enough to call a permanent dwelling. Hasn’t the facilities to be a home but more like a garden room, a place to situate yourself in a garden yet boxed in away from creepy Crawleys. The cabin was something we recently explored in Silke Panse Artist Talk at UCA.

Men in Huts in Woods: Independence, Transcendentalism and Technology in James Benning’s Thoreau and Kaczynski Documentaries and Exhibition 

I really enjoy an interactive art work and something that is functioning and usable, the practical aspect of the work is important to me because I’m very rational in the term being that I am reasoning my actions most the time, a learning outcome enforced by University. I consider my reactions, Im not spontaneous.

Quote found on etymology site;…’Going through law school we often used the Latin phrase ratio decidendi, meaning the reasoning of a decision. In this context we took the latin word ratio to mean thinking process.’

The interactive process stimulates a connection to the work, I feel more like I am experiencing the work kinaesthetically and not just visually. The more interaction with my senses the better but not to the point of overwhelming them like Realm did.

Sadie Coles space is beautiful, the space has an exceptionally high ceiling and the concert interior makes everything feel safe as a nuclear bunker. Uri Aran work was a mixture of wax, sand, children’s stickers, pastels, graphite  and paint on extra large cinematic scale canvas. The documentation of the work was kept on the staff desk and not easy to access and was a page of words that ‘HOVER ON THE BRINK OF DECIPHERABILITY” . Texture is notably in the smaller works on board which correspond really well with the massive gestural markings on unprimed surfaces. These works didn’t need any explanation or narration, they were clearly perceived due to the medium and abstract quality.

Greta Bratescu, The Power of the Line was very well curated with the film room placed in the centre of another gallery with cathedral hight ceilings. The audience would circulate the film room ending at reviewing the film. The works were grouped beautifully with colour and the shapes of the wall taken into consideration. I think this helped me reconsider how I will hang, display and group my own work. Her concertina drawings were within a display box at waist level so you as the viewer could look down on all the drawings at once or directly at one drawing.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=277866523035769

Our Final show was Stefan Bruggermann and his one room with blacked out painted sound walls. This darkened room was intense but photographed really well, instagramable! The text was repeated and reminded me of Peter Hofer (Head of Year 2 UCA) work recently sold at the Year 3 auction. It was political response during a time of political unrest. The speakers shouting the work ‘FUCK’ seemed comical it seems the only way to deal with all the unjustified political tension, the intolerable situation we are all facing as the UK sits in limbo while sorting out the trade agreement to leave the EU.

 

Conclusion

Some work is easy to read or perceive and other work needs notation or some sort of literature to complement the work or give the work more substance or educate the audience on the meaning of the work. An Artist statement most probably must be always written as its a tool for the artist to explain and give reason to the work, The audience will either be interested enough to register the annotation or enjoy the work as it is and perceive it the way they want to.

These concerns surrounding text are what Roland Barthes book; Death of the Author responds too. Who is the creator when we are influenced so much by our culture, our peers and our society? https://youtu.be/YkQsRVrWM6c And when the audience reads your work, their ideological conditioning will translate the text or work which may be different, what is authorship?

References

Gallery literature

Websites sited on 21st of April 2019;

https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/217956/does-rational-come-from-ratio-or-ratio-come-from-rational

https://www.academia.edu/36697408/Men_in_Huts_in_Woods_Independence_Transcendentalism_and_Technology_in_James_Benning_s_Thoreau_and_Kaczynski_Documentaries_and_Exhibition

https://www.serpentinegalleries.org/exhibitions-events/emma-kunz-visionary-drawings-exhibition-conceived-christodoulos-panayiotou

 

Artist Talks at UCA Canterbury

Annika Strom Additional Post; https://wordpress.com/post/contemporaryartpractice2.wordpress.com/80

Charlie Duck

Emma Talbot

Silke Panse

Janette Parris

Fiona Curran

Steffi Klenz

Andrea Gregson

Fiona Curran

 

Workshop; paper making and Wabi-Sabi

I joined in with the year one group to a one day workshop at UCA Canterbury where Martin Robinson explained the different gradients of paper and textures. We looked at previous work by other students. Martin demonstrated the equipment to use and then we went off to collect things to add to our paper pulp. I collected some moss, dried leaves with interesting skeletons or funny shapes, dirt, hair and some embroidery tread.

The process of making paper uses a lot of water but this can be reused and this pulp is just finer and less bulky, this effects the strength of the paper and the smoothness. I added different paper to make my pulp such as recycled heavy weight paper, shinny photography papers, bright white computer print out sheets and magazine pages, at first the pulp looked dark grey but once dried it turned light grey. We used velvet sheets to lay the pages onto so to absorb the wet paper pulp pages and the velvet or brushed cotton releases the pages once dried.

The frames we used to sift the water from the pulp is what restricts the shape of the pages. If you were making a book then using the same size frame would be helpful as all the pages would be similar. I liked the edges not being so ridged and rational. Allowing the pulp to fade towards the sifting frame created a torn edge looking page, or an uneven sheet. This experimentation was deliberate and this encouraged one of the 1st year students to create a hole in the page where no pulp collected and then later covered this hole with plastic and hung it in-front of a window so light glowed in the paper. The paper became a beautiful piece. Was it paper or an unique art work?

I enjoyed this experimentation and enjoy working with other students, seeing the creation of ideas transform someones work is beautiful. The unique sheets and the moss, dirt, hair and lumpy leaves I used were tantalising but hasn’t encouraged me to direct my practice towards more paper making. The learning this process has given me the tools to utilise this medium confidently for future projects.

The workshop reminded me of the Artist Talk series at UCA by the Artist Olivia Bax . She creates large sculptural forms that fill living rooms with paper clay which is strong pulp. She uses newspapers often given away to users of the London Underground. I relatively cheap resource that she doesn’t mind bunging on the skip so to make way for new work.

After reviewing this work I have decided to create a photo collage due to the similar natural colour tones they share and the natural meshing that occurs in nature. The photos have been taken over a period of time but I feel the collaborate.

Are the leaves now converted to paper or is the paper now paper with leaves embedded within the fabric of the pulp? The moss sheet looks as if the moss grew on the page after wards, but the moss was added to the pulp. The lumpy leave is embedded with pulp but the grass lays on the surface and within the surface. The dirt is part of the paper sheet , its sprinkling effect looks more condensed in areas and fades into the sheet as the dirt becomes particles, less dense. The other collected extras that were added to the pulp could almost be removed from the paper that they were meshed with, they are not syncing together as one, as they lay on the surface like they were stuck on later. This suggests to me that some of the  different forms are more compatible with the paper making process. The more lumpy, the more compatible as the Dirt, moss and lumpy leaf were absorbed by the pulp and they also absorb the water more than the hair, thread, grass and flat leaves.

This process of reviewing this work has developed my understanding of the Eastern Philosophy of WABI-SABI. Paper making is regarded as simple, child friendly, craft originated and functional. But this relates so earnestly with other activities that are taken for granted such as taking a walk, making a packed lunch or Running a bath.

Wabi is simplicity and Sabi has a meaning likened to appreciation of the imperfect. The term was coined by Sen no Rikyu (1522-1592) whom is known as the Zen Buddhist that re-established Tea Drinking etiquette when Japan had become image-conscious and money-focused.  His efforts promoted the Wabi Sabi philosophy.

Tea drinking had been around since the 9th century and was imported from China by Monks and merchants. It was respected as it was considered healthy, restored calm and was endorsed spiritually. This ritualistic ceremony came under scrutiny by Rikyu and was converted from displays of status and decorative exhibitions to more intimate gatherings. The Tai-an tearoom in Kyoto was designed by Rikyu, its a secluded hut, 2 meters squared where the door is smaller than normal to encourage everyone to stoop/bow down to enter. He revolutionised the space as he created a barrier between the teahouse the the world outside. The entrance to the teahouse was to be nestled in between foliage, trees and a path was a way of directing towards this space of equality. He changed the aesthetics away from expensive elaborate ceramics to mere bamboo tea scoops.  Zen philosophy prescribes everything to  be  impermanent, imperfect and incomplete so objects that are marked by time and display haphazard marks show wisdom. This importance of respecting humanity, sympathise with and respect nature and the transient nature of existence is routinely acted out during a tea making ceremony.

Rikyu informs me of the empowerment from the simple things, they can give the big things in life an existence. The gradients between simplicity and elaborate can be calculated when distinctions are made and using philosophy helps not just formulate ideas but contextualise them so to become more firmly established within our own philosophy.

This simple act of making paper pulp in a ritualistic way with other students, where we were intrigued  by the uniqueness of each sheet, was a celebration our resourcefulness. This small act was very valuable to my learning and reaffirms my depth of interest and how my work is intuitive of my philosophy.

 

References

School of Life for research on WABI-SABI. accessed 16.4.2019

Great Thinkers. The school of life. London 2016 (p213-217)

https://wordpress.com/post/y2ucafa.wordpress.com

Olivia Bax . Accseed 16.4.2019

 

 

 

My Exhibition. Growth. A collaboration project

 

Press Release

4.4.2019

Students Transform Dying Tree

On the 4th of April 2019, Dane John Gardens and ‘GROWTH’ exhibited experimental work by five 2nd year degree students currently in study at the University of Creative Arts at the Canterbury Campus. New project work was created responding to critical issues within the unconventional surroundings of the beautiful established landscaped grounds of Dane John Gardens.

Visitors walked beneath and between the structure of grandeur trees that contained a mixture of textured and pigmented interior mediums that reflect and refracted light and of which reflected a language of hope.

‘GROWTH’ invited park users to spontaneously observe students responding to spiritual memories, contemporary environmental issues, mental illness and the phenomenology of process and growth. This pop up exhibition grabbed the attention of a diverse audience and engaged the public in a social environment as the students that collaborated on the project were keen to discuss their creative practice. The Park Warden; Sadie Williams from Canterbury City council was pleased to see the park being used in a positive way. 

The Group ‘Growth’ participants were Chloe Hill, Megan Maslen, Tyler Potter, Tasha Relton and Melinda Winter, whom can be followed on instagram @growth2019uca and welcomes future pop up event invites. 

Photos credited to Lou Hardy and Chloe Hill.

Self Assessment Criteria of this public outcome project.

A1- Develop knowledge and methods , techniques and strategies for developing Art work and realising art within a context of contemporary art.

This project was a step forward from the last group collaboration in Cyprus. With our knowledge and experienced gain in Cyprus we were able to develop those skills with confidence. Tyler and Chloe were both students I had strong connections to after our time spent together in Cyprus but we also work with the same medium being Fibre. We quickly set up a communication feed on messenger and had our first meeting in the UCA bar. We all were able to discuss ideas for the project in a friendly yet assertive manner. Tasha felt welcomed but didn’t know us as well. She was very keen to put herself forward to set up communications link with the local council so her participation was spot on. One member of the group was not willing to come along to the weekly meetings we arranged and her lack  of engagement with the group has had consequences. Our method was to be as open and honest as possible, explore all possibilities and challenge each other on unrealistic ideas. Our follow up and review communication was not successful as we never worked on one piece together which was one of the main themes. Our technique of always making contact with each other in person was very helpful. Every time we came to UCA we would always meet up and have impromptu catch ups , discuss work and go away with clarity. We considered asking for help from tutors and arranged several meetings with Joan Key, Sara Trillo and Peter Hofer. Our Strategy was to keep communicating and to sort out any concerns asap. From our previous experience, the lack of open communication equalled issues and this is problematic for a project. We were all so surprised how well the group worked together, other than one member who obviously prefers to work independently.

A2- Develop the ability to work independently and collaboratively

I feel that we would all be better students and practitioners if we were more adaptable. Some people can become more adaptable when offered incentives such as money but for this experiment, students are learning to understand their comfort zones. From my lived experience of working (which is longer and more diverse than other students), I know I can work well independently and as a group. I am not an easy person to work with as I ask questions and Im reluctant to start something new without knowing why we are doing it. I need clear reasons for the effort I will enthusiastically perform as Im very rational. What I need to develop is the understanding of who I can work with  and who I can’t work with. Or how to adapt my practice so not to exclude others but to involve others. Understanding clear objectives; is the work one piece to be worked on together or individual work but working within a theme? Or just sharing space to reduce the gallery cost? Will the individual work mingle with other work but this may all be unsure until the curating takes place.

Working with other students is like working with a selective community. If I was to work with the random public where skill set is unknown and physical ability is unknown then my co workers could be anyone and my skill set would have to change to accommodate the engagement needed to label the project to be a collaboration. Some students show anxiety, drug related dependency or conditions such as Bi-Polar but only after triggered episodes. The tell tale signs is what people need to invest in and knowing who your working with will impact the outcome of your public outcome. Intuition takes time to gage and realising the situation you have walked into and dealing with that as a physical, verbal reaction or dealing with it introvertedly will however effect your production of work. Artist have always worked with people, people haven’t changed but we are more likely to understand them though a process of categorising them. When working with a team its can be more enjoyable and less work if curating and making all the work for a solo show. But working independently can be very rewarding, they both have pros and cons, both are challenging but CAP2 was an introduction to establishing a foundation in managing our adaptability.

 A3-Critical analysis in writing and discussion.

After a discussion with Joan Key we were questioning our work in broader terms. Such as considering scale and time to make new work for the installation or showing of work together or spread out. As a group we needed to be more focused on the meaning and the virtual, so how the work may be read by an audience and discussing the outcomes and the implications this may have on the overall perception of our work as a collaboration. make sure we interact with the audience and note down these details, but how do we interact with the audience? This allowed us to consider sharing our art practice with the audience, sharing our ways of working and encouraging people to join in with making something at the event. She also drew our attention to how the work will live on after the event so documentation is vital but also photographing the work. This allows the work to reconfigure, to form work to be consumed in another situation and therefore communicates a different meaning or context. She mentioned Melanie Klein and her observations developing her child psychoanalysis. I like this idea of seeking out connections between children, gardens, trees and the generalising of the medium we are using in our show. Such as Yarn Bombing, Gendered Art and Craft.

A4- Present idea and curatorial proposal writing, project description and presentation of work.

We all filled in the UCA risk assessment form and wrote a proposal for this show in February and circulated of artist statements to one another. Our proposals were very vague and adapted to the site once we were certain on the size and scale of the situation. We created a handout to present to visitors to explain our work in more detail. We wrote a Press release and sent that on to three local news publications. We should have done and overall comment on the handout introducing the work and why we wanted to work together as that’s what the audience was questioning. We should have had a follow up and review using this self assessment as a guild.

Destination art has to be experienced within the area that is designated to. We test installed this work 3 times before the showing, the impact of the art and the context needed to be reviewed as the groups work was still in progress. We realised after the test installs that even more work was needed so to give the work more impact and balance out the dynamics of the natural surroundings. Art in public spaces isn’t new and has been used to encourage regeneration of social engagement for years. We wanted to experience our work within a local landscape garden so to interact with a variety of people, so people can observe us as artist valuing nature as highly as an exhibition space. Its an intervention to the symbolic order of nature. The showing of the work and engaging with the work is how the tactility of the medium encompasses.

A5- Situate work in a wider social culture, intellectual or institutional terms and in relation to audience.

We wanted to bring attention to our work in a public space that wasn’t confined to the social norms of the institutional confinements of the established Art Gallery. Joan key did point out to us that the Dame John Gardens may not be confined to the rules of the gallery but still follows institutional ruling; that of the town council. We needed to make a decision, were we going to continue seeking authorisation for the show through the regular networks of council officers or just be rebels and spontaneous and plan a day to install the art work and hope no-one tells us to remove ourselves and work from the park.

At this point I contacted the head of the yarn Bombing club in Whitstable and asked a few questions about how they install their work and what things they take into consideration. Anita Small was such as huge help and a brilliant person towards the group. She offered to drop into UCA and meet with all the group to answer any questions. The group showed her around the studio as a visitor and we sat down together and talked for an hour on possible sites to display work, weather implications, vandalism how the work will be received by people, possible workshops and dos and don’ts suggestions. She offered to help set up a club in one of the local coffee shops. She later dropped off two bags full of wool, hoops, crochet hooks and samples to help us get started because she remembered how crippling it was living off a student grant. Her experience and networking was a fundamental resource for this project.

After reading; Freud, Fabric, Fetish. by Anne Hanllym found in the Textile Reader (p.14) It states that …”Sigmund Freuds notorious writing likens weaving to a compensation strategy for women dealing with penis envy, or concealment of genital deficiency, which the act of weaving handily provides”. Anne then explains that she is not the first writer to consider the connection between the fetish of textiles from the point of view of gender but however this connection still seems unresolved. Fabric is the material that covers, hides, conceals ones nakedness but also hints at their  presence or accentuates their figure, its an enigma. Fabric can be the visual ego, someones inner personality or inform others of their uniform. But the surface, the covering is superficial, its an imaginary signification as far as Lacan registers. Fabric and objects are materialistic so are subjected to perversion or are tools of/for fetichism, they are the tools of desire enforced by capitalism and popular culture. Our relationship with fabric is intrinsic with commodification. Evidence of this would be Film Theory and Laura Mulvey visual cultural critical response associates males as active and perverse and Women as Passive and hysteric, the difference can be narrated through fabric such as clothing or accessories / props.

What has this got to do with ‘Growth’? I think the covering the dying tree with our work was an act of comforting it, gifting the established ancient tree with our work, which were hand made creations. This gesture was evident when other students commented that it reminded them of Christmas trees, decorating pine trees is a global traditional ritual. This materialistic tradition is a form of fetish behaviour, the art work wasn’t going to save the tree but we desired to make the tree look brighter, happy and loved.

A6- Work within the capacity of a professional artist, making decisions, taking responsibility , accountability and managing self.

I think we were excellent at working to a professional ability. We proposed our ideas, review our risk assessments , we managed our regular meetings, we coordinated our communication to fit in around our other commitments and we asked for help and support from tutors and technicians. We networked with others outside the university and above all we represented the university in a responsible manner.

The Park Ranger did come to visit us on the day of the showing and we discussed our work with her and explained why we had set up an installation within the park instead of an art gallery. We wanted to use a space unconventional, we wanted to resonate with a wider audience and we wanted to relate our work within a natural landscape. Sadie Williams was very pleased to see the park being used for positive use and was disappointed by all the bad press the park had received as the stories being printed were from 2-3 years ago. She took some photos and one of out leaflets. She was maybe a contact we should have made earlier, but then that meeting may have had an alternative outcome. Explaining a proposal or visualising it can be interpreted differently and her response to seeing the work insitu was positive.

References

Dame John Gardens research website. https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1001360. accessed on the 2.3.2019. (A park within the walls of Canterbury that dates back to 1551. It was an Roman cemetery in the city that then turned into a motte and daily castle in the 11th century. Was financed to become a civic park from 1790 with its vast Lime tree avenue. The gardens are listed and registered a historic park and garden. Was used as an ammunition depot during the 2nd World War which is strange, as so close to Canterbury Cathedral!)

Risk Assessment

Textile Reader  English edition First published in 2012 by Berg

London WC1B 3DP, UK 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010, USA © Jessica Hemmings 

Laura Mulvey website accessed on the 5.4.2019 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Mulvey

Melaine Klein reserch website accessed on 13.4.2019 http://www.melanie-klein-trust.org.uk/theory

Canterbury City council https://www.canterbury.gov.uk

https://nparadoxa.com is a great resource, Art and Feminism magazine and this is a link to a FREE MOOC. referred to by Joan Key.

Research: Joana Vasconcelos and Melaine Klein

Joana Vasconcelos was born in Portugal in 1971 and most noted for being the youngest women to be invited to exhibit at the Versailles in 2012. Her work: A Noiva [The Bride], 2001-2005 for the Venice Biennale marked her arrival with her 20ft high chandelier made from 2500 Tampons. http://joanavasconcelos.com/video_en.aspx?oid=616 In 2018 she had a solo exhibition at the Guggenheim museum in Bibao.

‘…The nature of Joana creative process is based on the appropriation, decontextualisation and subversion of pre-existent objects and everyday realities. Sculptures and installations which are revealing of an acute sense of scale and mastery of colour, as well as the recource to performances and video or photographic records, all combine in the materialisation of concept which challenge the pre-arranged routines of the quotidian (daily). Starting out from ingenious operations of displacement, a reminiscence of the ready made and the grammar of new realism and pop, the artist offers us a complicit vision, but one which is the same time critical of contemporary society and the several features which serve the enunciations of collective identity, especially those that concern the status of women, class distinction of national identity. From this process there derives a speech which is attentive to contemporary idiosyncrasies, where the dichotomies of hand-crafted/industrial, private/public, tradition/modernity and popular culture/erudite culture are imbued with affinities that are apt to renovate the usual fluxes of signification which are characteristics of contemporaneity’. (Extract taken from her book; Material World. 2015)

I first saw her work in the hugely influential exhibition ‘Entangled’ at the Turner contemporary in Margate 2016. She is recognisable for her crocheting over lizards, crabs  or other creatures. Her crocheting isn’t really what Im interested in but I love her shapes, forms, use of colour, divergent texture, the tactile quality of the work and renewing the life of textiles. After seeing her various work in her colourful playful massive book from the library I am more likely to use more pre-woven or pre made textiles in my own work. As an Artist she has elevated herself to a stage where people are watching so the work takes on this persona of making a statement, its destination art  where people go to see it because its work by ‘tampon chandelier’ lady.

My only concern is that by using more ready made pieces in my own work I will feel less attached to it and it may look more like a collection of things rather than something I have made. The balance between grouping things together like the principle of collage and creating things from scratch is fundamental to my practice as is the enjoyment of developing a project. My work often evolves due to the materials I use and the phenomenology of working with these materials. Fabric will drape how it wants, it will inform the maker the tension forced upon it. Flax will bend how it wants to due to its organic structure and then drys out and the flax form will adapt and become rigid.  I can not completely control the outcome of working with these materials which reminds me how this is similar to managing staff. For 25 years I have been working in Management and have spent years learning that people will always be unpredictable and never expect a plan to go to plan. I have ‘project managed’ people and events over the last 15 years and have an understanding that if you plan for everything, then you will be able to deal with anything. I think this is a certain sublimation connection, as I mature as an artist and confirm my skills and knowledge from a previous time, I am understanding myself and my practice.

Melanie Klein developed the term Ambivalence as being the path to maturity, sometimes people never do or they just compromise a small amount and then can’t deal with anything more. Her work as a child psychotherapist explains the development of Ambivalence over time. Babies are either contented or angry, there is no compromise, they have no scale of ambivalence. Teen-ages years are when they start to realise that nothing is morally correct and nothing is easy to define as being good or bad as the moral ambiguity of the adult world encompasses them. People that have little ambivalanse often blame others, find scape goats and reduce people to what they can offer them. They tend to have many relationships as they full in love and out again easily.

 

References

Artist website http://joanavasconcelos.com/obras_en.aspx accessed on the 22.3.2019

Material world by Enrique Juncosa Thames and Hudson Ltd; 01 edition (5 Oct. 2015)

You tube Accessed on the 22.3.2019 Melanie Klein, School of life clip,