Wednesday 4 November 2009

E FIT

LOOKING AT THESE RETROSPECTIVELY, THEY HAVE ELEMENTS OF PATCHWORK QUALITIES ABOUT THEM IN THE WAY THAT A SINGLE IMAGE IS MADE UP OF A COMPOSITION OF VARIOUS SMALLER PIECES. I THINK MY FASCINATION WITH E FITS MUST HAVE SUB-CONCIOUSLY FED INTO MY INTEREST IN PATCHWORK...




WANTED POSTERS

WANTED POSTERS AND MIKE KELLEY'S POSTERS SHARE THE SAME AESTHETIC QUALITIES. BOTH ARE STRIKING IN THEIR SIMPLICITY BUT THE MESSAGES THEY CONTAIN ARE VERY DIFFERENT.





MIKE KELLEY/HAIM STEINBACH

MIKE KELLEY
AMERICAN ARTIST
1950's

MIKE KELLEY MADE FELT BANNERS THAT LOOKED LIKE HIGH SCHOOL FLIERS AND POSTERS. HE WAS INTERESTED IN THE IDEA OF CRAFT AND THE WAY THIS CAN HEIGHTEN AN OBJECT. IN THE INTERVIEW BELOW HE TALKS ABOUT HOW HE BEGAN TO SEE OBJECTS NOT FOR WHAT THEY WERE BUT INSTEAD JUST FOR THE NUMBER OF HOURS THEY HAD TAKEN HIM TO MAKE. I CAN DEFINATELY EMPATHISE WITH THIS - BUT IT IS IMPORTANT TO QUESTION WHETHER THIS MAKES AN OBJECT MORE OR LESS IMPORTANT JUST BECAUSE OF THE TIME IT TOOK TO MAKE AND THE SUBSEQUENT PRESSURE THIS PUTS ON SOMEONE, IN A WAY, TO LIKE IT.
I REALLY LIKE THE IDEA OF SOMETHING TIME CONSUMING ENDING UP LOOKING LIKE SOMETHING THAT TOOK NO TIME OR SKILL. IT MAKES YOU QUESTION WHY WE PLACE IMPORTANCE ON CERTAIN THINGS AND NOT OTHERS..

http://www.bombsite.com/issues/38/articles/



THESE ARE TWO ARTISTS MENTIONED IN THE INTERVIEW.

HAIM STEINBACH

A FASCINATING INTERVIEW WITH STEINBACH ABOUT HIS VIEWS ON HIS WORK AND THE OPINION OF OTHERS VIEWS OF HIS WORK. A REALLY INTERESTING PIECE ABOUT RELATIONAL AESTHETICS WHICH TIES IN WITH MY DISSERTATION RESEARCH. HAS THE ARTIST BECOME A CURATOR? STEINBACH EXPLORES HIS RATIONALE FOR MAKING WORK THE WAY HE DOES AND THE MISINTERPRETATIONS AND COMMON ASSUMTIONS SURROUNDING IT.




ABOVE:
RELATED AND DIFFERENT - 1985
(PIECE DISCUSSED IN THE INTERVIEW)
BELOW:
PINK ACCENT - 1987



BARRY LE VA

Tuesday 3 November 2009

EMBROIDERY (P.1)

THE OTHER PART OF PROJECT ONE IS THAT I HAVE BECOME INTERESTED IN EMBROIDERY. I HAVE BEEN STUDYING FOLK ART FOR A WHILE, AND ONE OF THE MAIN PRINCIPLES INVOLVED IN IT IS THE NOTION OF HAND CRAFTINESS AND THAT IT EXISTS INDEPENDENTLY OF MASS PRODUCTION. AS AN ILLUSTRATOR, I FIND THIS INTERESTING BECAUSE USUALLY THE DRIVE IS TO REPRODUCE YOUR WORK IN THE FORM OF A BOOK OR A PRINT ETC.
I HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH DRAWING FOR A WHILE AND NEEDED A NEW WAY TO CHALLENGE MY IMAGE MAKING. I REALLY LIKE THE IDEA OF CREATING A ONE OFF PIECE OF WORK THAT LOOKS IN SOMEWAY MASS PRODUCED. IT WOULD ALSO BE INTERESTING IF I HAVE TIME, TO SEE IF IT IS THEN POSSIBLE TO USE THE ONE OFF EMBROIDERED PIECE AS THE SOURCE FOR SOMETHING PRINTED - POSSIBLY A BOOK OR A ZINE..

THESE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF THE FIRST BITS OF EMBROIDERY I HAVE BEEN DOING. THE SCANS ARE TERRIBLE BUT THEY AT LEAST GIVE AN IMPRESSION OF WHAT I AM DOING...




PROJECT ONE.

AIMS:

WHAT I AIM TO ACHIEVE FROM PROJECT ONE, IS TO MAKE SOMETHING THAT LOOKS MASS PRODUCED OR PRINTED FROM SOMETHING THAT IS ACTUALLY A ONE OFF PROCESS SUCH AS EMBROIDERY. I THINK THIS CREATES AN INTERESTING TENSION IN THE WORK - WHERE WHAT YOU SEE AND WHAT YOU ACTUALLY SEE AND ONLY SEPERATED BY A VERY SMALL DETAIL. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING WORK - AND I THINK THIS WILL CHALLENGE MY PROCESS BECUAUSE I WILL HAVE TO WORK OUT HOW TO TECHNICALLY MAKE IT HAPPEN.
I THINK THE SUBJECT MATTER FITS THIS IDEA REALLY WELL, BECAUSE IT IS WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT WHEN I SAW THE PEOPLE ON THE MOST WANTED LIST. THEY LOOK LIKE 'NORMAL' PEOPLE ON THE SURFACE, BUT ACTUALLY THEY ARE SERIOUS CRIMINALS. IN SOME CASES YOU LOOK AT THEM AND INSTANTLY THINK THAT THEY LOOK A BIT SHADY, BUT THERE ARE SOME WHERE YOU WOULD PROBABLY NEVER SUSPECT THEM. IT IS A DOUBLE TAKE WHEN YOU READ WHAT THEY HAVE DONE.
I HAVE ALSO ALWAYS HAD A FASCINATION WITH STUDYING PEOPLE AND CHARACTERS AND LOOKING AT THE FINEST DETAILS IN A FACE THAT ARE SO INFLUENCED BY ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. I FIND THE CRIMINAL FACES REALLY INTERESTING -AS THEY ARE A GROUP OF PEOPLE YOU WOULDN'T OFTEN GET THE CHANCE OF SEEING ON MASS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY....HOPEFULLY.