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.
Black Watch!
Yayyyyyy!!! I was stoked for another theater show. This was called Black Watch and was performed by the Scottish Theater.
Scottish accents are difficult to decipher, yo.
But, seriously, it was probably one of if not the most moving plays I've ever seen. It was just so relevant to our times, I was completely enthralled. The show used minimal props, and heavy theatrics, almost as a reaction against popular cinematic narratives. The stage was set in between two blocks of audience, heightening the awareness of the presence of theater. And, it was like movement was the driving force of artistic aesthetic and concept. Here's what I got from certain scenes:
The part where the one of the soldiers was speaking a monolouge about the history of the Scottish army. As he moved through eras, the other soldier characters were dressing him in traditional ceremonial military uniforms, dressing and undressing fluidly through the whole scene. It was this weird mix of being informational but also depicting the strange identity that soldier have. The soldier is dressed by tradition, proud of it, but almost consumed by it nonetheless.
Another part was when the soldiers had all recieved letters from home. We were all expecting to be read the letters or at least see descriptive reactions to them. But we weren't given that. All the soldiers after reading, went by themselves to different places onstage and began making gestures with their hands very close to their bodies. Sign language. It was beautiful and entrancing and frustrating all at once. I felt that it parallelled the way in which a soldier may tell his story. The journalist asked them, "What was it like to see your friends die around you?" "It was fucking weird." It's an answer, a true answer, but theres a disconnect. We are only spectators, and there will always be that disconnect.
My favorite scene was at the very beginning when the soldiers began telling their story to the journalist. Everyone left stage, and the pool table remained onstage. Suddenly a knife breaks through the red fabric from the inside, and two soldiers crawl out and begin moving in a combat-type way. In the conceptual corner of my brain, I saw it as this image where they were breaking through an amniotic bloody skin. Aggressively pushing through, birthing themselves. It's this universal thing where a person's first experience with violence and how they handle it, births them into the person they are.
The play definitely inspired me to bond with my Granda more and as soon as possible. He grew up on the Irish countryside by Limerick, and had moved to London for work when he was about my age. When he was 26 I think, he was drafted into the British Army for 6 years during World War II. Last time I visited he really opened up, and listed all the places he went in sequence. My mom recorded it. She was astounded, he had never told her these things when she was growing up, and he's telling me now.
Scottish accents are difficult to decipher, yo.
But, seriously, it was probably one of if not the most moving plays I've ever seen. It was just so relevant to our times, I was completely enthralled. The show used minimal props, and heavy theatrics, almost as a reaction against popular cinematic narratives. The stage was set in between two blocks of audience, heightening the awareness of the presence of theater. And, it was like movement was the driving force of artistic aesthetic and concept. Here's what I got from certain scenes:
The part where the one of the soldiers was speaking a monolouge about the history of the Scottish army. As he moved through eras, the other soldier characters were dressing him in traditional ceremonial military uniforms, dressing and undressing fluidly through the whole scene. It was this weird mix of being informational but also depicting the strange identity that soldier have. The soldier is dressed by tradition, proud of it, but almost consumed by it nonetheless.
Another part was when the soldiers had all recieved letters from home. We were all expecting to be read the letters or at least see descriptive reactions to them. But we weren't given that. All the soldiers after reading, went by themselves to different places onstage and began making gestures with their hands very close to their bodies. Sign language. It was beautiful and entrancing and frustrating all at once. I felt that it parallelled the way in which a soldier may tell his story. The journalist asked them, "What was it like to see your friends die around you?" "It was fucking weird." It's an answer, a true answer, but theres a disconnect. We are only spectators, and there will always be that disconnect.
My favorite scene was at the very beginning when the soldiers began telling their story to the journalist. Everyone left stage, and the pool table remained onstage. Suddenly a knife breaks through the red fabric from the inside, and two soldiers crawl out and begin moving in a combat-type way. In the conceptual corner of my brain, I saw it as this image where they were breaking through an amniotic bloody skin. Aggressively pushing through, birthing themselves. It's this universal thing where a person's first experience with violence and how they handle it, births them into the person they are.
The play definitely inspired me to bond with my Granda more and as soon as possible. He grew up on the Irish countryside by Limerick, and had moved to London for work when he was about my age. When he was 26 I think, he was drafted into the British Army for 6 years during World War II. Last time I visited he really opened up, and listed all the places he went in sequence. My mom recorded it. She was astounded, he had never told her these things when she was growing up, and he's telling me now.
Damian Ortega at the Barbican
Um.... Yeah. Just kinda didn't like this at all.
I DID think it was adorably creative to replace the text on the wall with a pile of newspapers and rippy handouts. Wall text would've really distracted from the cluttered space of the works.
But.. I was just not impressed at all. I know, I come from a craftsperson perspective. But like... Just no. I do not think shoving a bunch of stuff together is a good art piece. I do not think concept justifies it. I don't care if he was making socio-political statements, whatever. Because even then, his statements just dont translate. What normal person looks at those and says, oh yeah, I see what you're saying about the government and capitalism, ya sure changes my mind, I'ma vote libral now. That just doesn't happen! He's catering to people to already agree with him. And what's the point then? It's philosophical masturbation, and nothing more. So, in effect, it just doesn't have an relevance.
The end.
I DID think it was adorably creative to replace the text on the wall with a pile of newspapers and rippy handouts. Wall text would've really distracted from the cluttered space of the works.
But.. I was just not impressed at all. I know, I come from a craftsperson perspective. But like... Just no. I do not think shoving a bunch of stuff together is a good art piece. I do not think concept justifies it. I don't care if he was making socio-political statements, whatever. Because even then, his statements just dont translate. What normal person looks at those and says, oh yeah, I see what you're saying about the government and capitalism, ya sure changes my mind, I'ma vote libral now. That just doesn't happen! He's catering to people to already agree with him. And what's the point then? It's philosophical masturbation, and nothing more. So, in effect, it just doesn't have an relevance.
The end.
V & A- Camera-less photography
While at the V & A we had tickets to an exhibition called "Shadow Catchers: Camera-less photography." At first, I just couldn't comprehend how photography without a camera would exist. I thought the camera was the vital tool in making something a photograph. But, this exhibition clearly proved me wrong. There were a number of techniques that were used by the artists: chemigram, digital C-print, dye destruction, gelatin silver print, luminogram, and photograms. Honestly, I don't really grasp how most of these work, because I've never taken a photo class, and dont have much knowledge other than putting my camera on "shaky hands" setting and turning the flash off.
These prints were astounding. I've never been so captured by abstract work before. Like, an abstract painting, you know, the kind without recognizable objects, has never done that to me before. These abstract images presented through photographic means were able to completely grab my attention and bring me into their realm, instead of giving me the distance to critique. It said somewhere on the wall, that this kind of use of the medium was doing something other mediums cant-- representing objects and spaces, therefore realities, that could never exist on our plane. It's a strange feeling knowing that. I think the reason the photographic medium is able to accomplish this better than painting is because we culturally understand painting to be a fabrication-- photography is understood as truth, as documentary.
In class, someone brought up the idea that these works were photographic casts. I liked this a lot.
My favorite from the show were Susan Derges, who made beautiful depictions of natural environments, and Adam Fuss--mostly because of the things he said about art. He centered his art on the question, "Is there a spiritual element to being alive?" I find myself touching on this concept in my own recent work, but have often been too embarrassed to say so in critique. He also understood my drive for making, saying, "You don't create, you die... It's about survival really."
These prints were astounding. I've never been so captured by abstract work before. Like, an abstract painting, you know, the kind without recognizable objects, has never done that to me before. These abstract images presented through photographic means were able to completely grab my attention and bring me into their realm, instead of giving me the distance to critique. It said somewhere on the wall, that this kind of use of the medium was doing something other mediums cant-- representing objects and spaces, therefore realities, that could never exist on our plane. It's a strange feeling knowing that. I think the reason the photographic medium is able to accomplish this better than painting is because we culturally understand painting to be a fabrication-- photography is understood as truth, as documentary.
In class, someone brought up the idea that these works were photographic casts. I liked this a lot.
My favorite from the show were Susan Derges, who made beautiful depictions of natural environments, and Adam Fuss--mostly because of the things he said about art. He centered his art on the question, "Is there a spiritual element to being alive?" I find myself touching on this concept in my own recent work, but have often been too embarrassed to say so in critique. He also understood my drive for making, saying, "You don't create, you die... It's about survival really."
Friday, January 21, 2011
ICA and National Gallery
So after Trafalgar Square on the 9th, we went to ICE, this gallery that was showing an exhibition of contemporary art, a portion being student work. I wasn’t’ impressed by it really. I really liked this sculpture called Narcissus. It was a wax cast of a male torso, with a broken head, reaching to pick out among a bunch of nose casts on a mirror pool. It was a bit literal and not mysterious as I would have liked, but I liked the way wax works with mirror as material.
There was one work that stood out to me above all rest. This animation of a black outline male figure against a white background. It was a loop of clips of him mutilating himself in a number of ways. I was struck by it, and actually had a flashback to bad times. I came back and was like shiitttt I’m still fucking watching this thing. The rest of the time in the gallery, I felt like crying or throwing up. I wished to forget the piece, but I cant. It was much like my own freshman foundation animation. I plan on maybe using this work to spark my assignment. The contemporary trend in which current figure studies involve a level of destruction to them. It contrasts with the classical glorification of the human body, but also parallels with the early grotesque Christian art…. I gotta think more, but I think I’m on to something.
We headed over to the National Gallery afterwards. I appreciated the paintings and the space and the frames, but I felt like I couldn’t truly experience it. I did love the Turner paintings, but the crowds and the noise was too much. I couldn’t just be with a painting. So I scooted out pretty quickly. It makes me think about Benjamin’s essay about the “aura.” Because I honestly feel I could get more out of some of these paintings by having the copy in a textbook to myself… So honestly, I have no idea what my opinion is about the copy vs original, because I’ve experienced an aura in both.
There was one work that stood out to me above all rest. This animation of a black outline male figure against a white background. It was a loop of clips of him mutilating himself in a number of ways. I was struck by it, and actually had a flashback to bad times. I came back and was like shiitttt I’m still fucking watching this thing. The rest of the time in the gallery, I felt like crying or throwing up. I wished to forget the piece, but I cant. It was much like my own freshman foundation animation. I plan on maybe using this work to spark my assignment. The contemporary trend in which current figure studies involve a level of destruction to them. It contrasts with the classical glorification of the human body, but also parallels with the early grotesque Christian art…. I gotta think more, but I think I’m on to something.
We headed over to the National Gallery afterwards. I appreciated the paintings and the space and the frames, but I felt like I couldn’t truly experience it. I did love the Turner paintings, but the crowds and the noise was too much. I couldn’t just be with a painting. So I scooted out pretty quickly. It makes me think about Benjamin’s essay about the “aura.” Because I honestly feel I could get more out of some of these paintings by having the copy in a textbook to myself… So honestly, I have no idea what my opinion is about the copy vs original, because I’ve experienced an aura in both.
V & A and Glenn Adamson
On Monday Jan 10, we went to the V & A museum. I nearly wet my pants I was so excited. Right from the beginning, I knew this would be like… my thing. The wall on the front read, “The purpose of every art must consist in the complete accomplishment of its purpose.” Like YAUS this is what defines good art. I don’t care what the purpose of the art is, but if I feel like the art is coming short of it, I usually hate it.
Anyway, so I ended up spending 5 ½ hours there and I didn’t even see more than half of the museum. Apparently an entire walk through is roughly 7 miles, no wonder my legs actually hurt today.
We had an hour-long walk through tour with Glenn Adamson, this smart guy that wrote these essays about craft through history and especially the recent deconstruction in craft concerning sculpture and especially ceramics. I think it’s interesting that in order for ceramic to be considered a fine sculptural art that it has to drop all the craft and function.
We all were supposed to come up with a question to ask him, and I wanted to ask something along the lines of if he thought we were on the brink of a return to craft or not. He answered my question before I could ask them. He said that currently there is a trend in which people think old craft is fashionable and that the V&A is fashionable again. Also in his talk about post-modernism, he explained that the movement is so self-conscious about its own self-consciousness that it has a reached a dead-end in development. Its self-destructed too far.
The V&A is like exploding with stuff. The plastercast room was my favorite. It was fucking amazing. It was a crap ton of architectural and monumental replicas all shoved into 2 rooms. It sounds so cheesy but I was truly filled with wonder. Life felt magic. It was just so intense I can’t explain it.
The process of how they made them was fascinating as well. I hope someday I can get to that level.
Concerning questions of the aura… idk. These copies weren’t empty by any means.
Anyway, so I ended up spending 5 ½ hours there and I didn’t even see more than half of the museum. Apparently an entire walk through is roughly 7 miles, no wonder my legs actually hurt today.
We had an hour-long walk through tour with Glenn Adamson, this smart guy that wrote these essays about craft through history and especially the recent deconstruction in craft concerning sculpture and especially ceramics. I think it’s interesting that in order for ceramic to be considered a fine sculptural art that it has to drop all the craft and function.
We all were supposed to come up with a question to ask him, and I wanted to ask something along the lines of if he thought we were on the brink of a return to craft or not. He answered my question before I could ask them. He said that currently there is a trend in which people think old craft is fashionable and that the V&A is fashionable again. Also in his talk about post-modernism, he explained that the movement is so self-conscious about its own self-consciousness that it has a reached a dead-end in development. Its self-destructed too far.
The V&A is like exploding with stuff. The plastercast room was my favorite. It was fucking amazing. It was a crap ton of architectural and monumental replicas all shoved into 2 rooms. It sounds so cheesy but I was truly filled with wonder. Life felt magic. It was just so intense I can’t explain it.
The process of how they made them was fascinating as well. I hope someday I can get to that level.
Concerning questions of the aura… idk. These copies weren’t empty by any means.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Trafalgar Square
At the Trafalgar Square, there was this big monument that depicted a British ship with this bright multi-colored textile fabric sails inside a large scale glass bottle, high up on a stone pillar.
I thought it was easy to look at and it was charming aesthetically. We discussed it as a class, and the consensus was that it had to do with Britain's history as an imperialist country and how it carried away and bottled into its own culture remnants from the other cultures they've conquered. The idea was praised rather than condemned through the work.
If I had to design a monument for the Square, I'd like to see this large metal mound rising up, the mound forming into the torso and head and arms of a contemporary British soldier. Large chunks would be like taken out, creating large holes in the sculpture (much like how a broken wax cast looks). Running through the interior of the figure mound would be this giant poppy-red fabric. Id need to experiement with models, but the idea is that the wind should blow through the gaps of the sculpture, billowing the fabric like an interior flag. A tradition and remembrance within his being. But the holes represent a sadness and a hurt. I'm not sure how the public would react to that kind of image, war monuments are usually never satisfy everyone.
I thought it was easy to look at and it was charming aesthetically. We discussed it as a class, and the consensus was that it had to do with Britain's history as an imperialist country and how it carried away and bottled into its own culture remnants from the other cultures they've conquered. The idea was praised rather than condemned through the work.
If I had to design a monument for the Square, I'd like to see this large metal mound rising up, the mound forming into the torso and head and arms of a contemporary British soldier. Large chunks would be like taken out, creating large holes in the sculpture (much like how a broken wax cast looks). Running through the interior of the figure mound would be this giant poppy-red fabric. Id need to experiement with models, but the idea is that the wind should blow through the gaps of the sculpture, billowing the fabric like an interior flag. A tradition and remembrance within his being. But the holes represent a sadness and a hurt. I'm not sure how the public would react to that kind of image, war monuments are usually never satisfy everyone.
FREE DAY!
Jan 8th, a Saturday, was my first full free day. And I decided to use my time by tagging along with some of the theater kids for the day.
I went to the British Musem with Kat, Kyle, Sammie, and Ian. We saw all the popular exhibits like the Egyptian monuments, the Assyrian stuff, the Greek nude statues, and a ton of crazy fancy European stuff. I don't even know what period style unfortunately. There was so much visual to absorb, that its difficult to just slow down and absorb information too. It was great to get a feel for the place, as I was going to return to the Museum another day for my own art stuff, and now I could narrow down what I wanted to see.
After that we went to see a play at The Old Vic, called A Flea in Her Ear. It was not about fleas at all. It was, in fact, a classic Victorian farce. It reminded me of the school production Noises Off that happened during the past semester. The set was gorgious and over the top with decoration, especially the hotel set. They had a working turntable that they actively used in the play as well. The story was this weird thing where... hmm.. Well, everyone is confused thinking theyre being cheated on when no one really is, and theres 2 characters that look exactly alike for no reason and it causes all this mayhem. A lot of shrieking and running. I kind of liked Noises Off better, if im going to go for farce. It just got annoying when it was like Godddd this has been going on for foreverrrrr why havnt they figured it out yet? I figured it out! I feel asleep twice when they moved to the far left where I couldn't see. But all in all, it was really fun to hang out with my theater people and see something different and explore more streets of London.
After that, we headed over to meet the rest of the Theater Seminar. Andrea magically possessed an extra ticket for the show Red Riding Hood, and she wanted to offer it to me! It was really great. With a belly full of jerk chicken and beer, I sat next to my boyfriend, who I'd been missing despite the few meetups every now and then, and enjoyed this crazy interactive show. It was kinda written for kids, but had a lot of adult jokes thrown in. The Grandmother for example, was a bro in drag- she called out my John and continued to flirt with him the entire show, it was hysterical. Overall the show was light and humorous. I liked the costume design a lot. The animals only had a few markings to depict them as animals, like ears with a few painted marks on their face. I enjoyed that the Wolf started out as a well-dressed man and got hairier and hairier as the play went on. I really enjoyed myself, there was so much to laugh about and it was nice to experience the childishness in between all the dark serious art and theater we work with.
I got to have a backstage tour as well with the group. I got to hold all the puppets! Unfortunately no puppet people were around for me to ask about construction : /
I went to the British Musem with Kat, Kyle, Sammie, and Ian. We saw all the popular exhibits like the Egyptian monuments, the Assyrian stuff, the Greek nude statues, and a ton of crazy fancy European stuff. I don't even know what period style unfortunately. There was so much visual to absorb, that its difficult to just slow down and absorb information too. It was great to get a feel for the place, as I was going to return to the Museum another day for my own art stuff, and now I could narrow down what I wanted to see.
After that we went to see a play at The Old Vic, called A Flea in Her Ear. It was not about fleas at all. It was, in fact, a classic Victorian farce. It reminded me of the school production Noises Off that happened during the past semester. The set was gorgious and over the top with decoration, especially the hotel set. They had a working turntable that they actively used in the play as well. The story was this weird thing where... hmm.. Well, everyone is confused thinking theyre being cheated on when no one really is, and theres 2 characters that look exactly alike for no reason and it causes all this mayhem. A lot of shrieking and running. I kind of liked Noises Off better, if im going to go for farce. It just got annoying when it was like Godddd this has been going on for foreverrrrr why havnt they figured it out yet? I figured it out! I feel asleep twice when they moved to the far left where I couldn't see. But all in all, it was really fun to hang out with my theater people and see something different and explore more streets of London.
After that, we headed over to meet the rest of the Theater Seminar. Andrea magically possessed an extra ticket for the show Red Riding Hood, and she wanted to offer it to me! It was really great. With a belly full of jerk chicken and beer, I sat next to my boyfriend, who I'd been missing despite the few meetups every now and then, and enjoyed this crazy interactive show. It was kinda written for kids, but had a lot of adult jokes thrown in. The Grandmother for example, was a bro in drag- she called out my John and continued to flirt with him the entire show, it was hysterical. Overall the show was light and humorous. I liked the costume design a lot. The animals only had a few markings to depict them as animals, like ears with a few painted marks on their face. I enjoyed that the Wolf started out as a well-dressed man and got hairier and hairier as the play went on. I really enjoyed myself, there was so much to laugh about and it was nice to experience the childishness in between all the dark serious art and theater we work with.
I got to have a backstage tour as well with the group. I got to hold all the puppets! Unfortunately no puppet people were around for me to ask about construction : /
Brigitte Jurack
Oh my God I was tearing my face off trying to stay awake for this lady.
And I got this vibe from her that she was one of those artists that spent so much time in the art community, that she had lost sort of this touch with normal people. She's like really out there. I hope I never get to that point because by then I'd just be talking in circles, making art that has no relevance.
I liked her figurative work best. The ones she thought were too illustrative. Like the Two Girls, sitting on a table blind folded. And I liked all the nature-reference constructions as well that she openly said she'd prefer not to talk about. I mean she was going through all her art in the last ten years, its understandable she wouldn't like some.
I did pick up some valuable construction tips though. She talked of painting a sculpture, and how she makes this mix paste of gesso and slip. The slip, being clay, becomes absorbany later. So when she paints over the primed sculpture, the skin of the sculpture sucks it into itself, instead of being inside a shell of paint. Also, if I want to make transparant sculptures, I should work with acrylic plastic instead of resin.
And I got this vibe from her that she was one of those artists that spent so much time in the art community, that she had lost sort of this touch with normal people. She's like really out there. I hope I never get to that point because by then I'd just be talking in circles, making art that has no relevance.
I liked her figurative work best. The ones she thought were too illustrative. Like the Two Girls, sitting on a table blind folded. And I liked all the nature-reference constructions as well that she openly said she'd prefer not to talk about. I mean she was going through all her art in the last ten years, its understandable she wouldn't like some.
I did pick up some valuable construction tips though. She talked of painting a sculpture, and how she makes this mix paste of gesso and slip. The slip, being clay, becomes absorbany later. So when she paints over the primed sculpture, the skin of the sculpture sucks it into itself, instead of being inside a shell of paint. Also, if I want to make transparant sculptures, I should work with acrylic plastic instead of resin.
Tate Britain... again. sigh.
It might be due to the the exhaustion, as it was still Jan 7th, the same day we saw Westminster Abbey, but I was underwhelmed by the Tate Britain again. I just wasn't particularly inspired by anything and had no desire to explore the old paintings.
We went mainly to see the Muybridge and Whiteread shows.
I am not a photography nerd, so I feel I probably wasn't getting the same sense of awe as the other photo kids. But I did appreciate a number of elements to his work. I loved his landscapes depicting Yosemite. I thought it was interesting that the water in his images turned into the this white solid, that was identical to the white of the sky, almost making water and sky one in the same. I found it an interesting visual concept to mix elements like that. And all that mixing was grounded in the vertical dark marks of the trees.
It was definitely neat to see the Horse in Motion and the weird projector he made. I dont care what fine artist photo people say-- photography will always be a documentation of history. That doesnt mean its not art though, you know?
Rachel Whiteread.... ehhhhh I would've rather seen more sculpture. It seemed a lot of ppl appreciated them in a painterly perspective. Which I suppose is cool cuz she did use weird shit to paint- like resin and varnish. But I just didn't care to spend time looking at sketches when I could be looking at the objects she actually means to present to the public. But, like I said, I was really sick exhausted. I do like the running concepts through her work, the notions of absence and loss, void and presence. I liked the objects they put in the show to compliment her drawings. Theyre so simple, and beautiful.
We went mainly to see the Muybridge and Whiteread shows.
I am not a photography nerd, so I feel I probably wasn't getting the same sense of awe as the other photo kids. But I did appreciate a number of elements to his work. I loved his landscapes depicting Yosemite. I thought it was interesting that the water in his images turned into the this white solid, that was identical to the white of the sky, almost making water and sky one in the same. I found it an interesting visual concept to mix elements like that. And all that mixing was grounded in the vertical dark marks of the trees.
It was definitely neat to see the Horse in Motion and the weird projector he made. I dont care what fine artist photo people say-- photography will always be a documentation of history. That doesnt mean its not art though, you know?
Rachel Whiteread.... ehhhhh I would've rather seen more sculpture. It seemed a lot of ppl appreciated them in a painterly perspective. Which I suppose is cool cuz she did use weird shit to paint- like resin and varnish. But I just didn't care to spend time looking at sketches when I could be looking at the objects she actually means to present to the public. But, like I said, I was really sick exhausted. I do like the running concepts through her work, the notions of absence and loss, void and presence. I liked the objects they put in the show to compliment her drawings. Theyre so simple, and beautiful.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Westminster Abbey
Unfortunately, I made the decision of partying wayyyy too late and only having 4 hours of sleep on top of consistent 6 hr nites since getting here... So I wasnt feeling awesome when we visited Westminster Abbey on Fri Jan 7th. I was so sick tired and hungry that I felt mad nautious so I couldn't eat and I still felt like I was going to throw up. Every time we went into the dark nooks, I would come very close to falling asleep standing up. It was the worst. Lesson learned.
Anyway. Westminster Abbey was fucking gorgious. I can barely describe it. Like... I can't idk what to say. I have been feeling alone in the crowd the few days and I just loved the silence of the Abbey. I've been craving silence like so hard. I just wanted to light a candle and sit there and absorb. It sucked we constantly had to keep moving. When we got to the public part, where you could sit, there was too much noise and crowd. Not what I wanted. But alas. heh.
I still loved the place. And I was particularly interested in the story of the forgotten soldier. I bought a little booklet about it with the historical photographs.
I suddenly have this fascination with the soldier, the contemporary warrior. Prolly cuz I feel like im walking the streets of my heritage. My Granda was an Irish farm boy who moved to London for work. He eventually got drafted into the British Army for 6 years in WWII.
I wanna know my roots.
Anyway. Westminster Abbey was fucking gorgious. I can barely describe it. Like... I can't idk what to say. I have been feeling alone in the crowd the few days and I just loved the silence of the Abbey. I've been craving silence like so hard. I just wanted to light a candle and sit there and absorb. It sucked we constantly had to keep moving. When we got to the public part, where you could sit, there was too much noise and crowd. Not what I wanted. But alas. heh.
I still loved the place. And I was particularly interested in the story of the forgotten soldier. I bought a little booklet about it with the historical photographs.
I suddenly have this fascination with the soldier, the contemporary warrior. Prolly cuz I feel like im walking the streets of my heritage. My Granda was an Irish farm boy who moved to London for work. He eventually got drafted into the British Army for 6 years in WWII.
I wanna know my roots.
Globe Theater
After the Saatchi Gallery on the 6th, we made our way to the Globe Theater.
I was very into the entire thing- seeing history life-size almost.
What I liked the BEST though, was the prop exhibition downstairs. Because there was a plaster-fibre glass cast of a REAL tree. It was so fucking big. I was so. excited. Yeah, I'm lame. But this is my shit! Making fake trees! Anyway, I read thoroughly the process of the moldmaking and casting and I think I can replicate it myself! In fact, I really want to.
What I want to do is to make this kinda portions of tree bark out of acrylic plastic (pretty transparant). I want to make some kind of inscriptions on the underside of the them that the viewers have to flip over like shells to read and piece them together. I feel the work would engage with my plastic kinetic willow branch structures as well.
Later in the day Emily asked us what our favorite artwork of the day was. I said the giant fake tree of course. She laughed and said, "That's not art." Oh Emillyyyyy.
I was very into the entire thing- seeing history life-size almost.
What I liked the BEST though, was the prop exhibition downstairs. Because there was a plaster-fibre glass cast of a REAL tree. It was so fucking big. I was so. excited. Yeah, I'm lame. But this is my shit! Making fake trees! Anyway, I read thoroughly the process of the moldmaking and casting and I think I can replicate it myself! In fact, I really want to.
What I want to do is to make this kinda portions of tree bark out of acrylic plastic (pretty transparant). I want to make some kind of inscriptions on the underside of the them that the viewers have to flip over like shells to read and piece them together. I feel the work would engage with my plastic kinetic willow branch structures as well.
Later in the day Emily asked us what our favorite artwork of the day was. I said the giant fake tree of course. She laughed and said, "That's not art." Oh Emillyyyyy.
Saatchi Gallery
This time, I was very NOT happy walking in the HEAVY cold rain. But at least it was comical. How could I get through two weeks in London as a tourist without at least one uncomfortable rain experience?
Anyway, I was excited to see what was at this gallery- this was called "British Art Now." I was very exctied to see what the rich collectors consider to be the THE contemporary British art. The defining works. I don't trust in the Turner Prize's opinion.
I'm not sure if I liked a lot of it or not. I definitely found everything interesting for sure. I took a ton of photos and even bought the description booklet. It's like... I understand it's all contemporary and new, but I still feel like it's old and done. Which I suppose is a good thing as a young artist, wanting more. Means I'll propell to new places myself.
I do wish I could've had more time there. I felt at home for some reason, so comforted. I feel like I'm getting better and better at melding into artwork. It's like you have to train a bit at first. But, now it's like I can meld into a work even if I don't like it. I can experience it for what it is anyway. I feel sorry for people who don't learn to experience art the way I do.
I'm excited to get time to read my booklet and think more. I feel we're on the brink of something as a culture. I wand to know where we are.
Anyway, I was excited to see what was at this gallery- this was called "British Art Now." I was very exctied to see what the rich collectors consider to be the THE contemporary British art. The defining works. I don't trust in the Turner Prize's opinion.
I'm not sure if I liked a lot of it or not. I definitely found everything interesting for sure. I took a ton of photos and even bought the description booklet. It's like... I understand it's all contemporary and new, but I still feel like it's old and done. Which I suppose is a good thing as a young artist, wanting more. Means I'll propell to new places myself.
I do wish I could've had more time there. I felt at home for some reason, so comforted. I feel like I'm getting better and better at melding into artwork. It's like you have to train a bit at first. But, now it's like I can meld into a work even if I don't like it. I can experience it for what it is anyway. I feel sorry for people who don't learn to experience art the way I do.
I'm excited to get time to read my booklet and think more. I feel we're on the brink of something as a culture. I wand to know where we are.
Serpentine Gallery
On Jan 6th, a Thursday, we went to the Serpentine Gallery. I enjoyed walking there in the light rain, taking pictures of trees, the waterbirds, smelling the mud and just feeling and humming along with the vibration of the earth.
I found Philippe Parreno's video work to be immediately and extremely fascinating. I usually am very bored by film art, and I normally don't take the time to sit down to view it. But Parreno's work appealed to the senses so strongly, by use of sound and the cinematic quality to his aesthetic. The sound guides, making the viewer's physical movement a part of the experience, rather than just the visual.
Also, at the end of one of his film, fake snow-made of soap- falls outside the window, as part of an installation. The snow is so lonely and so magic. It seems impossible to not be caught into the void of his energy.
I found his work to be really depressing though. I felt very sad and reclusive afterwards. Everything had to do with this "absence." The chanting of "No More Reality" particularly moved me, and I tend to think of it when I hear children in other contexts shouting or chanting. I know the pain of wishing to reject reality all too well, the innocence of childhood being crushed by sudden pain, and I dislike delving into Parreno's work for much longer after viewing it.
Without a doubt however, he has made one of the most beautiful collections of film art I've ever seen.
I found Philippe Parreno's video work to be immediately and extremely fascinating. I usually am very bored by film art, and I normally don't take the time to sit down to view it. But Parreno's work appealed to the senses so strongly, by use of sound and the cinematic quality to his aesthetic. The sound guides, making the viewer's physical movement a part of the experience, rather than just the visual.
Also, at the end of one of his film, fake snow-made of soap- falls outside the window, as part of an installation. The snow is so lonely and so magic. It seems impossible to not be caught into the void of his energy.
I found his work to be really depressing though. I felt very sad and reclusive afterwards. Everything had to do with this "absence." The chanting of "No More Reality" particularly moved me, and I tend to think of it when I hear children in other contexts shouting or chanting. I know the pain of wishing to reject reality all too well, the innocence of childhood being crushed by sudden pain, and I dislike delving into Parreno's work for much longer after viewing it.
Without a doubt however, he has made one of the most beautiful collections of film art I've ever seen.
WAR HORSE RAWR
So. We went to go see War Horse at New London Theatre.
In my opinion it was just AH so aesthetically beautiful.
It's like, stylistically-speaking, everything is based off a sketch. Everything is like an unfinished, structural image. Like the background is so minimalist, and they have this paper ripped strip just cutting through the dark space with actual landscape sketches and animations projected onto it. The puppets, especially the horses, were reminiscent of contour drawings.
I loved that when the war scenes began (which i was a little tentative about, considering the the large movements of the puppets being not as detailed as the small delicate movements), the movements of the humans became much more simplified, especially during the death scenes. Like when the captain guy got hit by a bullet and just became stiff and was lifted away into darkness. It could relate to the idea of the humans being puppets of war, you know?
Also, I loved the movenment of the girders from the ceiling. They came down vertically, looking fluid, like blood dripping. But as soon as they tilted, they shifted into solid, steel, cold objects. I loved that transformation of elements within the same object, shifted only by the slightest of movements.
In my opinion it was just AH so aesthetically beautiful.
It's like, stylistically-speaking, everything is based off a sketch. Everything is like an unfinished, structural image. Like the background is so minimalist, and they have this paper ripped strip just cutting through the dark space with actual landscape sketches and animations projected onto it. The puppets, especially the horses, were reminiscent of contour drawings.
I loved that when the war scenes began (which i was a little tentative about, considering the the large movements of the puppets being not as detailed as the small delicate movements), the movements of the humans became much more simplified, especially during the death scenes. Like when the captain guy got hit by a bullet and just became stiff and was lifted away into darkness. It could relate to the idea of the humans being puppets of war, you know?
Also, I loved the movenment of the girders from the ceiling. They came down vertically, looking fluid, like blood dripping. But as soon as they tilted, they shifted into solid, steel, cold objects. I loved that transformation of elements within the same object, shifted only by the slightest of movements.
Al Wei Wei continued
So, after class discussion, a few alternate interpretations were made concerning the sunflower seeds. I was happy with it in all ways. But now I see some possible conceptual problems.
One thing is that the work of the artisans was possibly exploited. Another, was that the symbolism of the seeds is mixed because, yes they represent possibility in action, but these particular seeds will never grow. Meaning a dead end in the possibility.
Also, concerning the idea of walking all over the work, someone's labor, can be seen negatively. And in turn, the fact that we weren't allowed to walk on it, meant an obstruction to the interaction, and a disconnect with the piece. (didnt bother me obviously).
Also, in the end, how far can his work go to realize the goal of the artwork? What is even his goal, politically speaking? And he must have a political goal if he makes political references in the way he does.
The question I asked Al Wei Wei was kind of scattered but touched on that last point. I asked something like "do you feel you work has a more effective voice in China or in America ( OH SHIT i totally meant the UK. Im an idiot. I meant western culture in general.) Well.. in china, the concept is more relevant, but there are more art restrictions. And in western culture, the freedom of speech is there, but our ability to directly do anything about it is null.
http://aiweiwei.tate.org.uk/content/738925611001
One thing is that the work of the artisans was possibly exploited. Another, was that the symbolism of the seeds is mixed because, yes they represent possibility in action, but these particular seeds will never grow. Meaning a dead end in the possibility.
Also, concerning the idea of walking all over the work, someone's labor, can be seen negatively. And in turn, the fact that we weren't allowed to walk on it, meant an obstruction to the interaction, and a disconnect with the piece. (didnt bother me obviously).
Also, in the end, how far can his work go to realize the goal of the artwork? What is even his goal, politically speaking? And he must have a political goal if he makes political references in the way he does.
The question I asked Al Wei Wei was kind of scattered but touched on that last point. I asked something like "do you feel you work has a more effective voice in China or in America ( OH SHIT i totally meant the UK. Im an idiot. I meant western culture in general.) Well.. in china, the concept is more relevant, but there are more art restrictions. And in western culture, the freedom of speech is there, but our ability to directly do anything about it is null.
http://aiweiwei.tate.org.uk/content/738925611001
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Al Wei Wei
In the Turbine Hall in the Tate Modern, Al Wei Wei has an installation consisting of over 100 million sunflower seeds laying across a wide expanse of the floor. Initially, I was captured by the immense scale. The small bits making up this larger form created this strange illusion in which the boundary between fluid and solid was blurred. I simultaneously began to feel frozen into the ground and the sense of physicality evaporates. The tension between the industrial space and the traditional hand-craft was intense.
I looked at the wall and it said each seed was an accurately sized ceramic bit, hand-painted.
Pounding like waves, I could only think the question, why?
After watching the video, reading the wall, and discussing as a class, my experience was even more enriched. I learned that he used the sunflower seed as a symbol of human compassion. It was a snack commonly shared during the Cultural Revolution when many restrictions were made and rights were being taken away. He said "the Chairman Mao is the Sun, all the people around him are the sunflowers. It was the people who supported the Revolution." Its so moving to me because this piece is about the vastness of the individual, vastness of the human race, and the vastness of the possibilities of our actions.
This work made me feel alive.
I looked at the wall and it said each seed was an accurately sized ceramic bit, hand-painted.
Pounding like waves, I could only think the question, why?
After watching the video, reading the wall, and discussing as a class, my experience was even more enriched. I learned that he used the sunflower seed as a symbol of human compassion. It was a snack commonly shared during the Cultural Revolution when many restrictions were made and rights were being taken away. He said "the Chairman Mao is the Sun, all the people around him are the sunflowers. It was the people who supported the Revolution." Its so moving to me because this piece is about the vastness of the individual, vastness of the human race, and the vastness of the possibilities of our actions.
This work made me feel alive.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Who I would give the Tuner Prize to...
Susan Phillipz. Without a doubt.
One factor is that I kinda hated or didnt look at anything else.
And the other is that I feel Susan successfully enveloped the viewers into an alternate space. I feel that this is an important aspect to good art. She strongly grabs our attention, which is getting harder and harder to do with today's people. We skim through internet articles, skip through youtube videos, flip through digital photos. Our attention spans are small by culture.
She created a moment and a space and an object with something intangible.
I've never really encountered much sound art, so maybe I'm only enamoured by the newness of it all. But there's something with a heavy to Susan's work, that I lose words over
Sleepy Impressions of the Tate Britain's exhibition of the Turner Prize
Sooo... I was a little bit exhausted after running on approximately 6 hours of sleep over 2 days. I can't quite say I appreciated anything I saw much.
So.
1. Dexter Dalewood
I was mad bored. I mean, I'm not usually interested in post-modern painting or whatever it is, but I do like to give some time to the paintings. Something about these just irked me though. There were images I recognized from art history like Jasper Johns and Picasso. But I just visually jumped from portion to portion, without much interest. I figured that Dalewood just wanted to experiment and practice in the hand of other artists. I enjoyed the toddler-like scribbling in one of the paintings. But, I wasn't sure where Dalewood's hand was. Should it have mattered? But in the end, I just didn't really care, these paintings did nothing for me and seemed pretentious with all the history referencing and political bullshit concept. They seemed nice as paintings. But winning the Turner Prize? The award that defines upcoming art? It falls short for what I'm looking for.
2. Otolith Group
I didn't spend much time in this room because of the overwhelming noise of everyone in there. Fleeing a panic attack, I scooted out.
3. Angela de la Cruz
I was dissappointed. I am slow to like minimalist works in general but I was so upset with these works. I understand the art theory behind it--violent agression towards the structure of painting, which was expressed through breaking the frame and reforming the canvas. But.. like whatever, concerning sculpture, you're saying more shit about mass and form. Which bores me immensely if I dont thing the process was interesting. And I dont--watching those nameless men handsawing wood and power drilling in random places seemed careless and uneducated. I expect high craft with high art. But it seems like low craft is the high art, and all the traditonal and ultra craft oriented pieces is what the low brow like better.
I do think it's interesting though, thinking about whyyy they would choose to consider these works as important enough to be considered for Turner. What might that mean about contemporary culture? Concerning that we're still not done attacking painting tradition and reveling in minimalist aesthetic? The fact that these questions were brought up in class, spark and interest in de la Cruz's work. I will probably continue to think about her work in the days to come.
4. Susan Phillipz
This was my favorite because the immediate atmosphere was calm and somber. It was the only one I truly wanted to spend time with. I've never experienced sound art before, that I can remember.
Free Time Ideas!
1. Stonehenge. I saw that 2 other art kids wanted to do this and I was super excited about this. http://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/
2. Harry Potter Tour walk
http://www.discovery-walks.com/london-walks/harry-potter-walk/
and 3. ummmm..... still thinking. :)
2. Harry Potter Tour walk
http://www.discovery-walks.com/london-walks/harry-potter-walk/
and 3. ummmm..... still thinking. :)
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