'The complete short films'.
Jan Svankmajer is an artist, animator and film maker. I received a copy of his complete short films as a present. There are many themes and interests that correlate with my own work. In particular mechanical, children's toys and collections of curiosities.
However his work has more sinister cogitations we have similarity in our use of dark humour. Perhaps animation would be a interesting line of inquiry for the exploration module.
'Of Tender Skin'.
When entering the space you are directly confronted with alluring metal structures holding mixed medium sculpture which can only be described in a series of words:
Flesh.
Flush.
Slaughter.
Bone and muscle.
Tendons.
Beautiful opaque qualities.
Contortion.
Life Stock.
Butchered.
Preparation for devouring.
Repellent.
When closely examined these objects could almost be described as remnants of horses and when peering closely upon the wax a quite beautiful opaque quality emerges. You wish to study this further but are then bombarded with a rather strange aroma; which compels you to retreat from the object and examine them no more.
'Worry will Vanish'.
An installation that transcends us. As we enter the gallery space we happen upon a tree stump and hidden in the tree stump a convex piece of glass about the size of a fist that almost resembles a dew drop; within this glass is a video of a lady falling almost as if through space.
When approaching the curtained off area of the gallery space we are asked to remove our shoes, then barefooted you tread upon a carpeted area. Draw back the curtain to find a large open space with bundles of duvets strewn across the floor like nests and a projection against two walls. The moment you sit upon the duvet you are completely immersed and transcended into a journey through the body and its contextual similarities between natural environment and the space beyond the earth.
Description: Experimental Performance/sound/Installation 5ft x 5ft music box machine assembled using Gypsum Gypframe, old bike parts, burning bin, wood, bolts and light steel box tubing with manikin hand attached. Tent made from wood baton and white linen material. I would enter via the tent, turn the bike pedal which would move the music box which in turn would move the manikin hand back and forth, with charcoal attached this would leave a line on the paper which was secured to the floor.
Notes: I began with an old music box which I disassembled. I continued with producing process sketches of different ideas, for example, a larger music box. I then assembled a larger version made of scrap. With the spin movement of the music machine I attached an egg shaped cog that would rotate the metal box piping, which in turn moved the Marquette hand back and forth to produce drawings. Working with different ideas of access and separation between the action and the drawings produced.
Outcome: Using the material tent as essentially a blindfold for me and the viewer to create mark making was successful. It offered inclusion and interaction also privacy and the ability to sever yourself from the mark making produced by the machine. However the interaction could only accommodate one person to man the machine and one person to collect the drawing produced. Perhaps a more fluid and multiple interaction is required.
Wunderkammer- Meaning a place where a collection of curiosities and rarities is exhibited.
This seminar was about collections and how they are exhibited and were reminiscent of Duchamp's 'suitcase box' which contained a mini exhibition. This seminar highlighted questions regarding items that had been made to be interacted with which then become valuable and therefore denied touch. Tom Martin continued by talking about his work which is a marvelous display of colour, fully interactive. Wunderkammer in the form of drawers and wonderfully crafted boxes which contain colourful objects that can be moved and interacted with by the viewer.
I am a multi-medium artist studying for a Masters in fine art at Cardiff Metropolitan. I am currently experimenting with simplified technological interaction (in the form of performance and mechanical sculptures/ installation/exoskeletons) resulting in mark making inspired by artists such as Stelarc and Rebecca Horn. After experiencing a personal loss I became obsessed with making work that I could physically move as a way of expressing grief. I have most recently been experimenting with viewer interaction and the manipulation of different levels of control between the artist, the artwork and the viewer, incorporating scientific theories and pseudo science in my art work.
Drawing myself without a mirror: the presence of the artists in the work of art.
This seminar was about perception and drawing the world in actuality from the perspective of the artist. This would include:
These lines of research were presented and covered through looking at different attempts of visualising looking at the world from the individuals' point of perception such as artists, films ( Being John Malkovich:1999) and games.
I feel this is an interesting line of enquiry and one to consider whilst making my future exoskeletons'. Maybe to perceive the world not through my own eyes but though the eyes of my mechanical creatures.
https://sarachristova.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/img_6122.jpg
Artist Statement:
An experimental performance with the 6 exoskeleton arms, attached together with a bendable sprung backbone with brushes bolted to the end of the arms that are dipped in to four buckets with acrylic paint and then in gestured body movements the exoskeleton applies to a 10ft x 9ft canvas.
‘When wearing this exoskeleton one is reacquainted with the ability of the movement the human body and its capability to make elaborate jesters, also how the body is forced to redefine its parameters with the integration of this new found skin’.
In contemporary western culture it is not deemed unusual to communicate only using the means of social networking sites, email or mobile phones. Through these means communication has become more accessible; however there are some senses in the wake of technological advancement which are becoming obsolete to communication, such as touch and smell, (face to face contact). This performance aims to experiment with the human body’s parameters and its awareness of the prosthetics and the identifiable imprint that resonates upon our environment.
Build up:
Had trouble with the extra two arms needed to add belts to stop pulling away from back.
The additional belts seem to add the support required.
Outcome:
There are many options for the exoskeleton to develop ( view, interaction, different and larger arms, more inventive, small gestures, more canvases) design works well positive reaction. However on its own without the other performances does the meaning become blurred? What would need to change to make the meaning clear? Does the meaning need to be clear? Is the only theoretical element that matters, the idea of prosthetic parameters?The main theoretical element needs to be dissected and isolated.
Resonate: proposed idea for a future show. The paintings themselves are interesting and deliver their own show (experiment with thermal reactive paint).
http://cardiff-school-of-art-and-design.org/2014/stelarc-inspired-painting-performance/
Currently exhibiting with the Woman's Art Association.
23rd November to 20th December 2014.
I was invited to exhibit some of my work and to assist curating the exhibition. It was a interesting experience having so many different diverse art pieces as it is an open show. The exhibition has been a positive experience because there so many other artists exhibiting and there are no restrictive aspects.
The design cognition: practice and philosophy.
This seminar reflects my own practice themes of prostheic body and drawing attention to the the evasions of technology, mimicking the evolution of humanity in a paradoxical definition of a cyborg.
Following our visit to Artesmundi the main subject of discussions in our MFA group were the idea of space/place. For example , what happens when an art work it's moved from its site specific location to a gallery space in a different country? A further point of interest was, is the look of Artesmundi becoming more like Biennale? The last question discussed was , is there a formula to creating Biennale standard work?
Contemporary artists positions and critique.
We have been asked to do a 10min presentation on our position in relation to one artist (compare and contrast) to outline the relevance of these methods in contemporary art practice.
I have chosen Stelarc as his research simulates mine and there are some contextual similarities.
The Upmarket Gallery.
Opening 1st December 2014.
(performance time 4:00pm-6:00pm).
Exhibition 1st-13th of december.
(9:00am-6:00pm)
Newport City Market.
Top Floor.
Upper Dock Street.
Newport, NP20 1DD.
In this seminar James Green discussed his own work in relation to perception. Drawing attention to our quite linear perspective and asking the question : why we as human beings insist to view the world through boxes/rectangles? When in actuality we see the world through two overlapping circles and how this approach can create a higher level of empathy.
It is a common phenomenon that when someone has severed a limb, they suffer from something known as ghost arm/leg syndrome. However the bodies ability to adapt to the integration of prosthetic's is hardly mentioned. I am referring to something as simple as wearing a ring for a long period of time and the sensation you get that it is still there even when removed. In addition when driving a car we hardly consider the interesting phenomenon of the physiological/psychological ability to adapt to new found parameters. I had a similar experience when wearing the prosthetic's I made for my four performances, 'Detach to interact'.
The Lumen Prize is a Digital art prize. It was a very unique exhibition and research seminar. there was one presentation I found to be particularly relevant to my research; this was the work of Edward Bateman, he created a series of work entitled specimen 1 and so on. Using the computer as his medium. However on completion, he made a radical decision to have his image etched into metal. (The idea of making digital imaging into the physical reflects my current practice).
http://lumenprize.com/artwork/series-title-five-anomalies-image-title-specimen-one
Cardiff, in and around Roath Park.
Description- Made in Roath Festival is a part of Cardiff Contemporary in which People/Artists open their gardens and doors to the viewing public. An opportunity to see the unseen and the new up and coming.
