The Big Art Project

I found it very interesting recently that the art world is merging into some of the mainstrream media, where it has not done before.
The new show on Channel 4 "The Big Art Project" is something of a rarity.It seems quite strange to me that there can be a series focusing on art to breach amedia source that concentrates on an audience that is stereotypically opposed to the notion.
Most shows on the TV station are; cookery, comedy, film and documentary (mainly health).So it is therefore interesting to see how a morally different program will farewhen put in the hands of an unfamiliar audience.

What i do like about the program is that it is focusing on the very issues that we are discussing at the moment,namely how the public reacts with artwork. They explore speciallymade sculpture trails and assertain what effect the pieces of public work have over everyday lives and what the public really enjoy, aesthetically. No dout it will be intriguing to discover the results as it could enlighten a great many practices within the current art domain.

http://www.channel4.com/culture/microsites/B/bigart/

Alternative environment

Now that i had begun to start realising everyday sculpture alot more i decided to experiment alittle with some of my own work in surroundings that were away from the studio. As my sculptural plans are kept within a book i opted to bring them into viewby tryin them out in the environment of pulic space in Leeds.
For example, in the above pictures got a photo of the War Memorial monument in the city centre and photoshopped one of my own desiigns in the statue's place.

This gave me great scope asto how my blueprints could be actively applied to another audience (namely the general public) and ow this might fare in alternate environments. The Narcissus plan is suddenly sketched onto the existing monument to givea feel of what it might look like. Since the current piece (of an angel) is fictional/mythological i felt thtmy piece would work quite well there as it is of the same basic subject matter.

Public Artwork

On my journeys around home over easter i came to the realization that there is an absolutely gargantuan amount of sculpture and artwork in front of our eyes everyday, and just because it is not in the settings of the gallery we dismiss it or delegate it less significance.

For instance, on my frequent runs i came across so many different quirky, little ornaments and statues in gardens and houses of residence. Garden gnomes are a prime example. Pond features and gateway markers are also brilliant examples of disposable artwork.

I suppose it just struck me how many examples of this there are out there and how the are simply glazed over. Whilst less effort is probably put into them and they are (many of them) mass produced, they are still sculptures. So i decided to see how plans of mine would look in similar situations. If my statue designs were brought out of my book and put into this environment.

The Hoax- "Nat Tate" by WIlliam Boyd and David Bowie

I recently came across a very interesting audience interaction from the 1990s which grabed my attention. It was a great piece of public artwork in the fact that it fooled nearly every audience member that was witness.

In 1998 artist William Boyd collaborated with the enigmatic rockstar, David Bowie, to create a work of pure fiction that shimmered brilliance. Basically, with the help of Bowie's publishing company, and no doubt some of his social influence Boyd succeeded in tricking all of the art world into believing a fabricated biography of a non-existant artist named Nat Tate.

In the biography it was claimed that Tate was an abstract expressionist whose work and presence was sought after by many different bodies within the American art scene. He is reported to have been a close friend of Picasso and Braque as well as a secret lover of Guggenheim.

After reslising his own artisti shortcomings, upon a visit to a fellow practitioner's studio, Tate decides to end his short-lived caeer in a dramatic manner. He first burns all of his work and then commits suicide of a State Island Ferry.

From Gore Vidal (who wrote a foreword) to Picasso's personal biographer, there was a plethora of high-art names who were "in " on the scam. This may have lead to it's success and the demeanour in which it was so well orchestrated.

However,what i find amazing and truly awe-inspiring about this act is that it was the equivalent of a prank phone call taken to a more grandiose level. It targeted the Art world and the complete arrogance and naiivity of those within it, especially the critics.

Everyone fell for this work,save a select few and it's success is paramount. The fact that it is such a cnvincing piece of literature made it into art, for me.

Theere seemed to be a targeted audience in this instance. Bowie and Boyd did not really want to give a message of humiliation to the general public. It was more focused towards those who domesticated themselves in the high life of the art world and were so willing to buy into whatever produced crap was put out. Indeed, there were many occasions in which memers of the sudience exalimed that they "Knew him!"...this fictional practitioner. So the two pranksters exploited the sheep mentality and utterly moronic devotion to whatever was exhibited byplaying a joke on on everyone.

This is a clear demonstration of audience participation and the way in which materials( in this case a novel) could e used to manipulate an affect the bystanders, engaging them completely. I might think about fabricating y own lies within my work to try and fool some critics. The idea of mine is slghtly different to Bowie's in the fact that it is a fictional piece, not an artist that i am concerned with.

Gavin Turk

I recently stumbled upon an artist who's practice, in relation to the audience, rings true tomy current work.

Gavin Turk is a renowned practitioner who has had major exhibitions and even had his work put into the Saatchi Gallery.

What is perhaps most intriguing abouthis work is that he creates a false sense of accomplishment and persona. In his work "Cave" he simply places a plaqe in the gallery, noting that he worked thereas a sculptor between a set of dates. Immediately the audience is forced to conjure up some respect for him and assume that he had a powerful and influential career.

He furthermore goes on to make a Sid-Vicious/Elvis- esque wax work of himself in a pose reminiscent of Hollywood Stars. This workcould have come straight out of Madame Tussauds due to the positioning and caliber of the finish and as a spectator you find it all too easy to elieve this lie of his self-projected stardom. His work also flows through contemporary media, in the fact that he made a mock up of "Hello" magazine, featuring himself in a typically A-list front page story.

Indeed, when questioned, Turk claims that his materials are irrelevant as they constantly change, though it is the idea which is the driving force.

His fabrication and manipulation of the audience is something to aspire to and highly relevent to my own work as i aim to do the very same with my viewers. I like the way that his pieces are merged into the galleries themselves, to give more believability to them. Maybe i might think abot how my own work could be positioned and making an alter ego or constructing some ack story to a fictional character to really take this through. Ifi want it to work then i really want to go the whole hog!!

WEN WU- Chinese Arts Centre

I was at one of my favourite haunts in Manchester today. The Chinese arts centre has a consistent flow of new and exciting artwork from some of the forerunners in the Asian arts movements.In fact i often find it far more intriguing and enticing than a lot of the mainstream pap that's put on display in the central galleries.

Some rather interesting encounters faced me upon entering the narrow corridors on this particular occasion. I managed to have a rare glimpse that the audience is seldom given, as i saw the artist of the current exhibit, " " installing his piece for the next show. Indeed, it was an installation work so he was literally starting from the ground up.....totally absorbed in this practice and far too busy to chat. To me it seems that modern spectators never have this opportunity...to see the work before it is finished, never mind in the infant stages, as i saw today. So having seen this i, as a member of the audience can go back and view the piece with completely unique perspectives to those around me.

Another artist's work that struck me during my time in the gallery was Wen Wu, whose pieces seem likened,in style to that of Goya, with a classical feel. Although the most captivating aspects of the work was what i read in the information, again donating me, the viewer, a completely novel insight and reaction to that of my primary.
Wu's work is conudcted in a bizarre, trance-like state, wherein she imagines herself as a middle aged homosexual Greek from the classical period exploiting her fantasies of the handsome male youths. The title of the work is a play on the old Chinese proverb, "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman"....though Wu switches the latter to read; "Eat, Drink, Man, Man".

She explores numerous homosexual references and the focus on the female gaze, through subjects relating to Oscar Wilde and the Ancient Greek Myth of Ganymede. Her use of food in pieces also suggests the unseen taboo and consumption of male beauty (the modern-day "Emo-males with feminine characteristics).

I found her work to be of use for many reasons. Firstly, for aesthetic values,they were very well conducted pieces. Her exploration of an ideal, a lie...if you will, that she lives through her practice struck a note with my own. I am trying to convince the audience of a sculpture that does not yet exist and she uses a false identity to convey something to the audience....so this...i found fascinating. The discussion of a Greek Myth in modern artworkwas also refreshing to me as, as a member of an audience i am captivated by these tales.

Indeed, on a final note i wouldlike to explain my thoughts on the gallery itself. Being named the "Chinese Arts Centre" the insitution sets itself up for a very strict set of clientel and exhibitors. Peraps this may also reverberate upon a select minority audience?!? They made use of the whole building, with exhibitions in the toilets as well. So it seems to me that they are testing the boundaries of the gallery,whilst working in a restricted space and with cultural morals.

Audience Theory

 I recently read a piece of text from an essay by Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy, entitled "What is Art?"

 The essay concerned numerous, highly relevant points to the development and understanding of an audience, or rather, a notion of an audience and what viewers might think. It is useful, i believe, to compare it to many contemporary opinions and works, aligned with their receptions from the public.

 Tolstoy makes the argument that:

"Every work of art causes the receiver to enter a certain kind of relationship both with him who produced, or is producing, the art, and with all those who, simultaneously, previously, or subsequently, receive the same artistic impression."

 This extract is significant for a number of reasons. Firstly, I agree that as a member of the audience, if you "get" and artwork then you feel much closer to the maker and anyone who has shared this emotion of attaining the importance or aim behind it. 

 Yet, as we know in a modern art world, the art is not always made to be "comprehended" or "appreciated" for beauty or aesthetic aspects. 

The author goes as far as to say that art must contain a christian set of morals and follow a code of beauty, relevant to the time (i suppose highly Russian Orthodox 1890s brand of Christianity) to be considered "Good Art" and all that that counters this mind-set is certainly "Bad" or "False" art.

 Such a dated view cannot be applied to an audience in a contemporary, creative world, due to the fact that belief systems, tolerances nd boundaries/morals have simply changed.

 It is interesting to see, therefore, how dated a view this is. I would be quite intrigued to compare this to a modern text or essay on viewer theory, to see how much substance it holds.

 I mean take Andres Serrano's "Piss Christ" for example. Tolstoy would have been horrified to see this put in an art gallery, let alone, conceived....as would many of the viewers in his time. 

Indeed, on a side note, what is so interesting about this text is that he always uses the male as the spectator. This would have been a time when women would have been consigned to the home, too poor , as most families with those circumstances, to get out to art galleries, and not welcome perhaps.

So it is also noteworthy to make the distinction of the wide spectrum of the modern audience, suiting all genders, as well as religions. Everyone has so many different tastes that it is not up to the artist to convey beauty necessarily, but what is reflective of their own life and practice, which, coincidentally, may reveal itself to be beautiful, to some members of an audience.

Contemplating

After having a chat with fellow students and Rory Macbeth, there was a new light in my work that i was able to see and some clear steps to attaining a finished project. Having been told before that a lot of my work conducts itself well in books and collected forms, i came to realise this notion.
So i have been sketching. I think the messier the better and the more unfinished works are some of those that i prefer. If they look incomplete, yet remain collated in a book then it gives the illusion that they are valuable and the thinking behind this imaginary sculpture.

In principle i am conning my audience into believing an ideal with me. They may add value to my quick sketches and blueprints, due to the fact that they are in such a precious book. So i may need to put a lot of work into making the holder quite professional-seeming. Indeed think i shall play around with handmade and pristine books to guage audience reactions from my peers.

I will start to look at how other artists' books have been presented and other practitioners who have played on this idea.
It was interesting to notice that when the crit chat was happenning that my less-neat drawings were favoured. The othres were said to be too precious-looking. So there was already a pre-determined sense of what the sketches should be. Which is a public opinion, but one that i already held myself.

Realisations

I came to a point in my work last night that seemed vital. There was the decision of whether to go for a full-fledged sculptural piece or retain the ideas of drawings. After careful consideration
i have decided to continue with the sketches as they are my stronger work and the sculpture feels like something that could come at a point in the future. The point i am at, at the moment seems to be the beginning of a natural progression that could consume so much creativity and time,it would be careless to neglect it. I also began to find that i am enjoying making these drawings more and more as each one evolves. It may be that i transfer them into other media, taking them into the print room and put them on other surfaces. Am very excited to see how things turn out.

Narkissos

Decided that I required a theme for my sculpture last week. So i decided to focus on something that inspires me. Classical lit and ancient myths have always been fond favourites of mine and i cherish each tale for the lessons they teach us and the sometimes wicked and ironic humour that they hold in store for those willing to sift between their dusty pages.

One in particular i remember is the tale of Narcissus and Echo. Concerning the Greek youth(named), he is a boy of great vital youth and good looks. Spurning all admirers and potential lovers, he takes himself away to the woods. When followed by one of his many gazers, Echo, she too, is shunned and left heartbroken to die a lonely death, leaving only her voice.....clever stuff eh?! Then he comes to a still pool of water that shows him his own reflection. Lost in his perfect image he is besotted with his own beauty, although not knowing it is himself, and is drowned when he tries to clasp at the reflection.

I think that as my work goes, i realise that this will only "reach out" to a certain audience or (within that crowd) a specific sort of individual. Since this focuses very much on the past, or the reliance that my audience knows the story well, there may be varied interest. However, as with many artists, this is what i enjoy doing and shouldn't have to make many compromises. Indeed, the more i consider it, this subject, along with other such myths, may not be so obscure or exclusive as i deem it. Man has always been intrigued by the pitfalls and morals learned by his forefathers in myths and legends, and simply taken delight in regarding them as works of fantsy. I suppose the fact that art practitioners have continued to study and reinvent them shows that they do hold popularity.

I have contemplated the option of incuding a book with my own version of the tale, to aid those who don't "get" the artowrk. Alhtough i don't know if this is giving the audience too much information. There is always great work in a little ambiguity, i find. Would be great to know any thoughts on that.

Narrative aside, i think that the story is well known and has a great amount of potential. What is also interesting to discover is that there is only a select amount of pieces that have been conducted on the subject. This means that it is ripe for study. I already have started to draw up blueprints for the final piece and perhaps the steps i make towards that.

Out and About, Round Leeds

Had an eventful weekend in Leeds. Got out and about to nearly every exhibition at the moment and attained some perspective on the different types of audiences out there and what the collective atmosphere is between them. It was strange to see how different it was from say, the Henry Moore Gallery to the Royal Armouries. I found use and inspiration in both of these two exemplary institutes, though one could sense a change in the decorum and general morals imposed silently in both.

You would not get excited kids running irratically around the HM for example, nor would you similarly find many High Art execs roaming the halls of the RA.

 I also discovered some great instances of sculpture and public works to draw insight from for my own practice. For instance (pictured) the statue outside the Central Gallery of the Angel, adorned with roses, shows that classical sculpture is welcomed into Leeds still and that it is in a position where it holds power. Although i did like some of the pieces within the leeds gallery i felt that they were all too safe...if you know what i mean?!? They had no vitality.....I believe that classical figurative works, if they are truly great, will stand the test of time and never fail to impress from their own position. However, i was not receiving this emotion from a lot of the pieces ,and, so began to consider how i might re-invent a very tried and tested and tired look into something novel and full of youth. Marc quinn took a very traditional aspect of sculpture and almost drove it to the extremity of purity, where all his pieces gain a flawless white glaze. So, must i "modernize" my own subject matter.

PICTURES COMING SOON

Blog Prog

My carving work seemed to have turned out a lot better than expected. Once the suspect plaster had set, i hatched it out of he cast to actual yield quite a solid and pure plaster replica. The resulting plaster was slightly wet, although i used this somewhat to my advantage, as i found it more maleable.


I liked the result of the embedded clay, meaning that the figure was an emerging form within the material. This relates to philosophies that i have discovered, made difinitive in a lot of sculptors' work. For instance, Noguchi and Michelangelo both believed that the sculpture was to be found within the clay or plaster, marble or bronze.



There is room for me to develop this notion into reality in the next few stages as i find the very idea of it fascinating.

Work Update & Thoughts upon

Just Thought i'd go into a little detail over what i have been doing and some pensive moments i've had with the work so far. After having made some sculptor planning sketches for a piece i started to make a clay moquette and develop the basic structure of it to be ready for casting in vinomould and eventually plaster.

 The sculpting turned out really well and the complications started when i wanted to transfer it to the next media, via casting. There was a stretch of several hours involving a large amount of clay bedding and preparing the Vinomould, in order to get ready for this stage.

 I now have the mould, although after having to make an equally humongous amount of plaster to cover it, the setting started sooner than anticipated, so i can only assume that there will be a very lumpy  cast with all the properties of a tin of rice pudding. Fingers crossed.

 I now have the sort of drive and inspiration needed to carry out my ideas. Have been researching artists such as Rodin and Noguchi who have similar attributes in some ways. Have started to adopt the idea of finding something within the material. Very excited about the next stages.

On another note. I looked at a large book on Anthony Gormley, as i remember him producing a lot of replicas. It is intriguing and slightly frustrating to look at his work, the iron-cast replicas of himself. What i find hard to believe is how much shelf life he has got out of one design....that gets to me somewhat, but fair-play if he can o that. Although, the crux of this point is that he had a most notable exhibit(pictured) entitled, "Learning to Think" which had these figures within it. As with a great deal of his work, he transmitted this same artwork across many varying environments, galleries and positions. It makes me think about how applicable my own work will be in display. Wondering how I can move my own work about or test it in altering scenarios to acquire knowledge of the audience or how the overall work is affected by these movements. The display is the crucial thing. Still uncertain whether i will be putting forward the actual sculpture or drawings.... probably the latter which means that i must consider this.

PSL visit

Last Saturday was the closing date of the "195 Miles" exhibit at the Project Space Leeds in the city centre.
I couldn't help feeling on my way to the show, with my other students and colleagues that whilst it wasn't too much of a marathon to get to the space, it is slightly out of the way of the average man or woman in Leeds. There is little chance in my mind that it would e as easily accessible or popular as say, The Henry Moore Institute or the Central Gallery. This seems to me that it would attract a more specific audience of real artists and only those with a very persistent tolerance for this kind of work. Only after arriving was this affirmed, as the core basis of spectators revolved around creative students and tutoring art practitioners.
However, i am here to look more closely at the presentation and exhibition methods in PSL and how they can help me.
What i liked about the show was that there was a large range of different work ethics inside the one space, making for a plethora of varying outcomes. Much of the work was 3-D and used ready made materials. It would have been a welcome change, in my opinion, to see some examples of traditional pieces or sculpture/drawing, although the atmosphere of the place seemed to be on the opposing side.
There was plenty of room to hang the sculptures and display whatever the practitioners wanted to show for themselves. It almost felt as if there could have been 3 or so more artists exhibiting in the space and it would not have been crowded.
Indeed, having viewed the exhibit i came to the conclusion that i would be more suited to a different environment for my work. Since most of my own work is based on illustrations and sculpture it would seem sensible to seek out individuals and a space that suit my own needs and productions. This may need careful consideration.

Johnny's Painting

When I was a little younger, studying under the watchful eye of Ann Crofts at MGS i remember that she taught me one very distinct lesson in oil paints. Always build up from the darkest colours get lighter as you go. This has no bearing on the link, although it made me laugh. I think part of the appeal of this sketch is the fact that there are such quaint, countryside painters who lead such sheltered tearoom lives that onset senile dementia is all parr for the course. I live in a part of the country where at one time or another i may have thought about painting hillsides for the locals......Thank God i dont!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRJxafiqHvw&feature=related

http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/microsites/leonardodrawings/section.asp


Last week, whilst spending some quality time back home i was given the great surprise and honour of being able to see some work by one my most significant influences, Leonardo Da Vinci. What was so surprising about the pieces was that they were actually his lesser-known drawings and sketches.
This meant that the interest was high, although not perhaps as astronomical as it would have been if some of his paintings or dare i say it....the Mona Lisa came to the city art gallery.
It felt like a really keen mix of an audience with those new to his work and keen enthusiasts who have spent much time studying him...like myself. The blurbs seemed to go into a great amount of depth about his working methods, equipment and techniques. This was of paramount intrigue as it felt as though the exhibit had been tailored to those who really were eager to know the inside story.

I managed to assess the value of the exhibit to this module, stunningly, whilst being mesmerised y the sheer genius of the artwrk. All ofrhe drawing were hung in a simplistic format, in similar sized frames, stick in with tape, as though they were ripped straight out of a sketchbook, yet all pristinely mounted. They also decided to display some of the sketches in double sided plinth cases, which gave another dimension to the presentation of the exhibit.

My studio work also gained highly from the experience. When looking at the work i found one of Da Vinci's plans for a Madonna painting (see picture) that he would later complete. This is what i am looking for in my own work......the sigificance of plans and blueprints to the overall produced piece. Sometimes they can feel like works of art in themselves, although many people see them as merley another step in the planning stage of devlopment. For instance, there were some wonderful plays with washes and inks to give multi-layered sketches. Indeed, the very fact that his drawings (plans) were put on show makes it clear that my own plan to bring the same awareness, is possible. The final piece need not necessarily be a sculpture. In fact, i think it is more excitingof the sketches are put infront of you, simply hinting at the possibilities.

Audiences- First Thoughts

I began to think about the many different paths i could explore, concerning the subject of audiences and their impact upon the artist and the creative community, in relation to produced work.
Since it is always a crucial part of my work that i feel requires more attention, I have decided to focus on the presentation of my own pieces and how they are displayed to the spectators. This is especially relevant and significantly- timed, as it is ever more apparent that there is an impending show at the end of this academic year. This, in itself will require a lot of planning and careful consideration, so as to gain as much from the experience as possible.
Whereas in the past much of the work that has been produced has been sculpture or of a 3d nature, I have found myself concentrating on a very two dimensional work frame that is much more true to my person, i feel. As this work is more easy to replicate and play around with (much of it is and will be made in the print rooms) there may be more of a choice to pick from for a final or supporting piece, meaning that the aesthetic quality and presentation i am searching for may be more achievable.

This feels like a considered approach to my work and i look forward to documenting my findings and sharing thoughts and work with a digital communities!!