High Tea at the National Gallery was our final adventure as a whole class. It was pretty neat to experience something thats particularly British culture. It makes me wonder if there's any type of American equivalent to it. I can't think of any offhand--America's strange in that their level of cultural borrowing is a lot stronger than that of Britain.
I sat at the end of the table because I totally came late. I had a sentimental moment where I looked down and saw all the new friends I made here in London. It's always so weird to think backwards to the time when these faces were unfamiliar and strange.
I don't know if I could call my London experience life-changing.
But it was definitely mind-transforming. I definitely found a grounding in myself that I didn't have before. I suddenly have this drive to read and absorb. I suddenly have a more tangible direction with where I want to go with my work and who I want to be in life.
I feel bad for everyone that didn't get as much out of it as me.
Monday, January 24, 2011
East End Gallery Hunt
The east end gallery hunt was... alright. First off, I want in the mood to really be excited about it. And secondly, it seemed like everything was closed! And, I was kinda expecting the galleries to all be on one street like in Buffalo or something, and they were all scattered in random scary buildings.
We saw part of a 40 minute video by Oliver Pietsch called From Here to Eternity, 2010. It was pretty interesting, there was a fascination with death and the afterlife. We walked in when there were a tone of images of decaying bodies and animals with bugs eating through and animals consuming--beetles, cats, sheep, maggots, and even a canary. Delightful music played, bringing the dark visuals to this almost comical level.
After that, I followed along with Judea, Stephanie, and John. We went to the White Cube, which is a renowned and fashionable gallery. The exhibition showed a body of work by Rachel Kneebone, all in glazed porcelain. The groundfloor had a collection titled, Lamentations 2010. They were in pursuit of forms that could express the trauma of death, loss, and grief. There were a lot of female forms, bondage like vines, and these sort of forms that looked like a cross between an open wound and a vagina. On the first floor there was a collection entitled the Shields with a group of drawings called Lover's Discharge. It was a ton of legs and phalluses all.. for lack of a better word, screwing eachother. I was kinda repulsed by a lot of it. And annoyed with the cracks in the works, which looked unintentional, as a mistake in the firing. I just don't like work that makes me not like my own body- and I don't mean me particularly, but as a human form. I feel like theres so much work right now that is mutating or mutilating the body. My repulsion has a lot to do with my own emotional ties to the subject, but still. I'd prefer to see the beauty in our form, not disconnect from it.
We saw part of a 40 minute video by Oliver Pietsch called From Here to Eternity, 2010. It was pretty interesting, there was a fascination with death and the afterlife. We walked in when there were a tone of images of decaying bodies and animals with bugs eating through and animals consuming--beetles, cats, sheep, maggots, and even a canary. Delightful music played, bringing the dark visuals to this almost comical level.
After that, I followed along with Judea, Stephanie, and John. We went to the White Cube, which is a renowned and fashionable gallery. The exhibition showed a body of work by Rachel Kneebone, all in glazed porcelain. The groundfloor had a collection titled, Lamentations 2010. They were in pursuit of forms that could express the trauma of death, loss, and grief. There were a lot of female forms, bondage like vines, and these sort of forms that looked like a cross between an open wound and a vagina. On the first floor there was a collection entitled the Shields with a group of drawings called Lover's Discharge. It was a ton of legs and phalluses all.. for lack of a better word, screwing eachother. I was kinda repulsed by a lot of it. And annoyed with the cracks in the works, which looked unintentional, as a mistake in the firing. I just don't like work that makes me not like my own body- and I don't mean me particularly, but as a human form. I feel like theres so much work right now that is mutating or mutilating the body. My repulsion has a lot to do with my own emotional ties to the subject, but still. I'd prefer to see the beauty in our form, not disconnect from it.
Greenwich Observatory
On Jan 14th, we took a Thames River Cruise from Westminster to Greenwich. We then went to the Greenwich Observatory. It was pretty neat seeing all the old time-keepers and stuff. The information at the exhibit went over my head though--I don't know if it was due to being tired or what. I liked seeing the aesthetic style of the old contraptions though. And the old furniture on display, haha.
What was pretty awesome was seeing the Prime Meridian right there on the ground. Emily stayed until the night, and apparantly they shoot out a green laser every night marking the prime meridian. I wish I saw it, but I would have never stayed that long there.
It is interesting to think about how human structure functions at such a rapid pace based on these intangible sytems and patterns we create for ourselves. That goes for things like economy and relgion too.
What was pretty awesome was seeing the Prime Meridian right there on the ground. Emily stayed until the night, and apparantly they shoot out a green laser every night marking the prime meridian. I wish I saw it, but I would have never stayed that long there.
It is interesting to think about how human structure functions at such a rapid pace based on these intangible sytems and patterns we create for ourselves. That goes for things like economy and relgion too.
Free Day numbah two
Jan 13th was my second free day. I spent the good majority of the day with my boyfriend on a tree hunting adventure! I bought this book from the Tate Britain called, The Great Trees of London, and it lists all the historical and awesome trees all around London. My friends were like, what London like cares about trees? To an extent yes. There is a history of garden culture in Great Britain and there were scads of books concerning the subject in bookshops.
So anyway, we prounced about like flower children, finding 5 trees in Central London. Our favorite was one behind St. Pancras Church, it was growing atop a pile of old tombstones. It was beautiful, like a natural earth-hewn sculpture of wood and stone-- you're most basic sculptural materials.
After that, I joined my theater friends to a show called Death Trap. The set was wonderful, depicting a renovated old barn. You could see all the "rafters" of the old barn. It was a nice escape from reality. The story was a bit farfetched, two playwrights killing eachother out of passion and jealousy for fame. But like I said, a nice escape from presence.
Sometimes I relate art to that kind of escape. I wonder if such escapes are healthy or an indication of an unhealthy mind or insecurity or something. Probably both.
So anyway, we prounced about like flower children, finding 5 trees in Central London. Our favorite was one behind St. Pancras Church, it was growing atop a pile of old tombstones. It was beautiful, like a natural earth-hewn sculpture of wood and stone-- you're most basic sculptural materials.
After that, I joined my theater friends to a show called Death Trap. The set was wonderful, depicting a renovated old barn. You could see all the "rafters" of the old barn. It was a nice escape from reality. The story was a bit farfetched, two playwrights killing eachother out of passion and jealousy for fame. But like I said, a nice escape from presence.
Sometimes I relate art to that kind of escape. I wonder if such escapes are healthy or an indication of an unhealthy mind or insecurity or something. Probably both.
White Chapel Gallery and SO gallery
After the Tower of London, a few of us followed Emily to the White Chapel Gallery. What I thought was interesting was that all the works (sad we only got to see a couple because of installation), were "environments" rather than a separated object. One of them, I can't remember the name, made a ton of deconstructed and overlapping doorways, filling up the whole space with them. It was even used as a stage set for performance artists. Something about it was so melancholic and mysterious, like there was some big potential for some kind of magic to happen as you made your way around, exploring, discovering the weird half-recognizable objects around on the door handle or hanging off a hinge--being denied access to enter through to the other side. Being denied that other level of existance. I find gateway symbolism to be real fascinating, I don't know if I'll ever work with the symbol myself. But I love those kinds of artworks.
We also stopped by the gallery S O, as an extra gallery. It was all experimental jewelry or utensils. I took note of the artists I was drawn to: Andreas Fabian, Christian Gonzenbach, Therese Hilbert, Lisa Walker.. My favorite piece was a delicate, tiny gold ladder with a simple white cord looped through its first step. I dont think it was even an inch tall. It was just so simple and poetic in a way. I felt it shared a thread wth the doorway work I saw in White Chapel Gallery.
We also stopped by the gallery S O, as an extra gallery. It was all experimental jewelry or utensils. I took note of the artists I was drawn to: Andreas Fabian, Christian Gonzenbach, Therese Hilbert, Lisa Walker.. My favorite piece was a delicate, tiny gold ladder with a simple white cord looped through its first step. I dont think it was even an inch tall. It was just so simple and poetic in a way. I felt it shared a thread wth the doorway work I saw in White Chapel Gallery.
Tower of London
On January 12th, we went to the Tower of London. I was so giddy about the whole experience. The smell of the damp rock walls and the muddy grass made me so happy. I wanted so much longer than 2 hours to be there. I was practically drooling over the craft involved in the Crown Jewels and the armory. It was here that sparked an important thought in my dear brain. Why did I love this stuff so much more than a lot of the galleries we had to see? Why am I so intensely craving to be a blacksmith suddenly? I mean, it did take a while longer to think about it, and with the help of a book about the Arts and Crafts movement on the train home. But I realized it's because I am drawn to art of the everyday, or at least art with a function. Its why I feel out of place in Sculpture, because yes, I can play the post-post-modern concept game, but I always feel that in the long run its irrelevant. I like art objects with a real, and literal present purpose. Even as a decoration. But I don't belong in any other major--theater has no prop-making concentration, ceramics and metals would have me stuck in only one medium. I'm tired of people telling me I'm in the wrong major. Like, I'm probably at the wrong school even. But, knowing where my artistic perspective is extremely helpful. At least if I get critiqued for lack of concept, I can have a strong standing on why. And, it has given me more direction for what kinds of things I want to do to build up my portfolio.
British Museum: Drawings from Picasso to Julie Mehretu, Rosetta Stone, Elgin Marbles
So, this was my second time at the British Museum. I went by myself because I planned on getting lost there anyway.
I saw the rosetta stone, it was neat. I saw the Elgin Marbles, they were also neat. I know both things are significant, but I'm definitely missing something as to why theyre so... idk. I'm not sensing the aura vibrations from them. I'm thinking that the aura has nothing to do with the actual work itself-- I think that it has something to do with a person's spiritual or intellectual wants, whether the person is consciously aware of it or not. If the work has anything to do with these wants, it is valuable. If it doesn't, its marked as bad art. And, I'm not saying im exempt from this, I generally like work better or think its better art when it pertains to what I want to do with my artistic career. Like craft arts, or props.
I spent the most of my time making visual notes from a Charles Seliger work in the Drawing show and exploring the Asian art sectors. I really got stuck on the Seliger work because it was so geometric and flat, but because of the color blocking and my crazy brain, I kept seeing it in all these 3 dimensional variations. It was fun to visually play with.
I also spent a lot of time in the exhibit that showed objects from all sorts of cultures focusing on how different cultures cope with fear, suffering, and death. A lot of shaman tools and ceremonial grave markers. In the center there was an installation made by a textile artist and a doctor that followed the lives of a man and a woman, and all the medications they took through out their lives. It was nuts. It made me feel a little sad though, thinking about the chemicals I have to depend on to function as well as everyone else.
I saw the rosetta stone, it was neat. I saw the Elgin Marbles, they were also neat. I know both things are significant, but I'm definitely missing something as to why theyre so... idk. I'm not sensing the aura vibrations from them. I'm thinking that the aura has nothing to do with the actual work itself-- I think that it has something to do with a person's spiritual or intellectual wants, whether the person is consciously aware of it or not. If the work has anything to do with these wants, it is valuable. If it doesn't, its marked as bad art. And, I'm not saying im exempt from this, I generally like work better or think its better art when it pertains to what I want to do with my artistic career. Like craft arts, or props.
I spent the most of my time making visual notes from a Charles Seliger work in the Drawing show and exploring the Asian art sectors. I really got stuck on the Seliger work because it was so geometric and flat, but because of the color blocking and my crazy brain, I kept seeing it in all these 3 dimensional variations. It was fun to visually play with.
I also spent a lot of time in the exhibit that showed objects from all sorts of cultures focusing on how different cultures cope with fear, suffering, and death. A lot of shaman tools and ceremonial grave markers. In the center there was an installation made by a textile artist and a doctor that followed the lives of a man and a woman, and all the medications they took through out their lives. It was nuts. It made me feel a little sad though, thinking about the chemicals I have to depend on to function as well as everyone else.
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