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NEW HARDWOOD EXPERIMENTATION.
Left with several slats of aged hardwood following the creation of my work ‘Salvage’ (2017), I sought to find a way to purpose the remaining material. Having previously cut and displayed only a thin veneer of the planks aged surface, I wanted to create a work that appeared different in its construction, form, aesthetic and function. Subsequently, I decided to cut the plank into 14.5cm x 14.5 cm squares, stacking them to create individual cube forms. Each piece is imperfect, aged on some sides and smooth on the others, creating a series of interesting juxtapositions. Varying in colour and composition, I feel as though these cubes have a lot of potential. I could present them as individual sculptural forms or integrate them into a large installation.
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DISMANTLE, 2017.
A wall-mounted installation purposed from the material remnants of my work ‘Fill’ (2017), ‘Dismantle’ (2017) renegotiates and reconfigures traditional constructs of value through manipulations of surface, composition and arrangement. The re-materialisation of a commercial sink, employed previously as mould, it presents the object as a series of five fragmented parts. Roughly cut and painted a solid white, areas of the material have been sanded back to reveal its concealed metallic surface. Toying with notions of dimensionality and utility, the work renders the three-dimensional sink as a two-dimensional form. Commenting on architectural structure and facets of consumer culture, it evidences this push and pull relationship between form and anti-form, revealing and concealing, accumulation and waste. Building off the viewer’s conscious, or unconscious, affiliation to the object and its function, the materials presentation within the gallery space, and its consequential absorption by the white wall, endeavours to once again foreground this concept of value and legibility.
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PEDRO CABRITA REIS.
Characterised by idiosyncratic, philosophical and poetical discourse, Pedro Cabrita Reis’s artist practice encompasses a variety of means, including painting, sculpture, photography and installation. Composed of a mix of industrial, found and manufactured materials, his works submit to a simple constructive process. Recycling anonymous residues of everyday life, he establishes dialogue with art historical precedents such as minimalism and post-modernism. ‘Limbo’ (2009), a reworked model of an installation created in 1990, was of significant influence. Representative of an aqueduct or waterway, it re-interprets and reduces an architectural structure to a gallery-based sculpture. Constructed from wood and plaster, the work comments on space: the artworks occupation of it and the viewers presence within it. Exposing a series of dualities, Limbo evidently engages notions of “construction and deconstruction, continuity and dis-continuity, play and the opposite – in short, a symphony of visuality and spatiality” (McDonald, 2010). It is this approach to material and construction that draws me to Cabrita Reis’s practice. Presenting his works in a state of seeming incompletion, I like the way in which his works remain largely unresolved. Highlighting the architectural construction of the form over its conceptual premise, they engage the viewer in a similar manner to my own works.
Limbo, 2009. Plaster, aluminium and wood. 720 x 4490 x 2060 mm.
References:
McDonald, Kyla. 2010. “Tate: Pedro Cabrita Reis”. Accessed October 17, 2017. http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/cabrita-reis-limbo-t13492
Sprovieri Gallery. “Pedro Cabrita Reis”. Accessed October 17, 2017. http://www.sprovieri.com/artists/pedro-cabrita-reis/biography/
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FILL, 2017.
‘Fill’ (2017) is another such example of investigations into un-purposed, negative space. Concrete casts of the deep basins of a salvaged, commercial double-sink, the sculptural installation draws attention to notions of weight, material and perception. Displayed on the floor on two individual pieces of unrefined plywood, the work employs industrial material as a point of artistic inquiry. Building off the inherent qualities of concrete, there emerges a subtle contrast in the surface of the form, appearing smooth and polished on its upper side and imperfect on its arched edges. Feeding back into this notion of space, the work, as a negative cast, essentially displaces the original form and function of the material. Rendering its sense of immediacy and recognisability while enabling a variety of readings, it cultivates dialogue between objects of worth and objects of detritus. Symptomatic of our relationships to the materials we discard, it purposes common construction goods as means of facilitating a shared spatial experience.
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FURTHER SINK PROGRESS.
Choosing to go forward and paint the sink a solid white colour, I encountered problems with achieving a smooth opaque surface. Streaky and uneven, I decided to reconsider my approach; sanding back the paint and intending to retry with a finer paint roller. However, sanding back the forms, I quite like the smooth patches of metal that peak through behind the paint. Alluding to the original quality of the material, I like the balance between rendering appearance and functionality.
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RICHARD PRINCE.
Mining images from mass media, culture, advertising and entertainment, artist Richard Prince has been primary in redefining concepts of authorship, ownership, and aura. Navigating the complex transactions of representation, he purposes the ‘prior availability’ of the appropriated material as means of verifying its fictional transformation. Usually appropriating within the realm of photography and film, it is his select sculptural investigations that interest me. Specifically, I am drawn to his work ‘Gomper’ (2007), a wall-mounted sculptural piece comprising the cut, discoloured and sanded bonnet of a car. Simple in its construction, Prince once again exploits this notion of appropriation; introducing it however, in more sculptural sense. It is this restrained approach to material that I admire: the installation becomes about the forms validity and value within a gallery context, rather than its claim to any type of newness.
Gomper, 2007. Fiberglass, wood, acrylic and bondo. 171.5 x 137.2 x 12.7 cm.
References:
Richard Prince. “Writings”. Accessed October 16, 2017. http://www.richardprince.com/sculptures/hoods/#/detail/1/
Gagosian. “Richard Prince: Artist Biography”. Accessed October 17, 2017. https://www.gagosian.com/artists/richard-prince
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SINK REMNANT PROGRESS.
Left with the deconstructed remnants of a metal sink following the completion of my last work, I sought to find a way to purpose the leftover material. Using the plasma cutter to break down the form into several smaller parts, I am intrigued by its seemingly two-dimensional appearance. Effectively rendering its function and form, I am experimenting with the use of paint as tool for further abstracting and manipulating the material.
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FRAGMENTATION, 2017.
Extending this architectural critique within my work ‘Fragmentation’ (2017), I sought to explore alternative means of foregrounding and fracturing aspects of negative space. A floor-based installation fashioned from two salvaged panels of Masonite, previously purposed as textured ceiling sheeting, the work presents a singular material as a series of several fragmented parts. Freestanding rectangular frames propped by a succession of white blocks, the integration of a supporting structure is indicative of traditional modes of artistic display; portraying an item of detritus as that of status. Deconstructing the panel, while ensuring the preservation of its original profile and dimension, it re-configures with out removing. A new, exploratory way of rendering functionality and commenting on the displacement of negative space, the structure therefore becomes a subtle reference to architecture and construction. Expressly evocative of the current housing affordability crisis and the consequent rise of renovation in response to mass gentrification, the work exploits the common context of the material. Allowing the viewer to discern his or her own relation to the object and its form, the notion of utilitarian value is once again introduced through the works assimilation within the gallery.
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MATERIAL AND ART.
Reliant on existent constructs of value and tradition, my practice seeks to explore the ways in which we think about certain materials as art. Salvaging discarded industrial forms, and objects typically associated with the built environment, I play with the relations engendered between material and space. Selecting, re-configuring, abstracting and re-presenting, I employ the four walls of the white cube as means of isolating the material. Resultantly, in the gallery space, the work becomes about the viewer and their perceived relation to the material and its form. While inadvertently connected to myself as artist, each material shares a sense of familiarity and relatedness. Common construction matter, including concrete, wood and metal, the forms I create are specifically neutral; enabling a more accessible reading of the work.
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CAROL BOVE.
"Bove brings things together not to nudge associative impulses into free play driven by the unconscious, but rather to conjure a kind of affective tangle that disrupts any singular, historical narrative." - Johanna Burton.
Well regarded for her large-scale sculptural installations and assemblages that actively challenge perceptions of structure and form, artist Carol Bove has been seminal to my investigations into the converging approaches of art and architecture. Employing combinations of found and made elements plagiarised from various domestic, industrial and natural contexts, she seeks to challenge and actively disrupt the history imbued by her material selections. ‘Cats Paw’ (2016), a sculpture fashioned from a mix of stainless steel, found steel, and urethane paint, is a work I find especially intriguing. Juxtaposing the unrefined surface of the arched steel, with the abstracted form of the polished, painted stainless steel, I feel as though I can really connect with her approach toward composition. Establishing this dialogue between architectural form and space, her works employ the gallery similarly to my own; using the white cube as a vessel from material enquiry and re-valuations of worth.
Cat's Paw, 2016. Stainless steel, found steel, and urethane paint. 62.6 × 148.6 × 113 cm.
References:
David Zwirner. “Carol Bove”. Accessed October 10, 2017. https://www.davidzwirner.com/artists/carol-bove/biography
Artsy. “About Carol Bove”. Accessed October 10, 2017. https://www.artsy.net/artwork/carol-bove-cats-paw
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RUBEN OCHOA.
A multi-disciplinary artist specialising in the construction of large-scale sculptures, installations, paintings and photographs, Ruben Ochoa plagiarises materials from the built environment, exploring the domineering forms and manufactured contours of the urban landscape. Forged from industrial matter such as concrete, metal, rebar and excavated earth, his works expose the urban constructs that shape the spaces we inhabit and ultimately influence notions of access and mobility. His installation, ‘A Bit of Detritus’ (2011), has been especially pertinent. A floor-based work comprising a vertical arrangement of ten unrefined concrete slabs, the work effectively challenges traditional perceptions of value. Employing the four walls of the white cube as means of establishing this socio-political critique, its simple construction, while evidently emphasising the material quality of the form, references the charged histories in which it imbues. It is this sense of simplicity and materiality that draws me to Ochoa’s practice. Although his works operate on a scale much larger than my own, there is this shared concern for notions of material, architecture, history and form.
A Bit of Detritus, 2011. Concrete, metal and dirt. 80" x 32" x 32".
References:
Art Works for Change. “Ruben Ochoa”. Accessed October 3, 2017. http://www.artworksforchange.org/portfolio/ruben-ochoa/
Art + Practice. “Ruben Ochoa: Sampled y Surveyed”. Accessed October 3, 2017. https://artandpractice.org/exhibitions/ruben-ochoa/
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NEGATIVE SPACE.
Interested in the metaphoric, negative or otherwise unrealised spaces in discarded construction materials, my works this semester have sustained this conceptual approach to process and form. Drawing attention to such space through ambiguous structure and abstraction, I enjoy the way in which the original function of the material is not always immediate or entirely realised. While still referencing architecture and construction, I seek to implement less literal means of representation and display.
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STRIPPING OF UTILITARIAN VALUE.
Examining notions of value and functionality, my practice this semester is expressly concerned with the reconfiguration and removal of utilitarian properties pertinent to common construction materials and forms. Specifically interested in the societal constructs of value and the items we discard, I engage this continuous process of manipulation and re-presentation. Sourcing materials from salvage yards and other more individual removal projects, there is this constant gravitation towards the used and unwanted. Taking these abandoned materials, stripping them of their utilitarian value and placing them in spaces typically associated with status and order, I enact this critique on the traditional criterion of function and worth. Creating spaces and forms whereby the audience must consider their individual relation to the material or to a connected memory, my works ultimately rely on aspects of perception and experience.
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FURTHER SINK PROGRESS.
Having allowed the concrete to completely set over the course of a couple of days, it came time to try and remove the casts from the sink. Failing to come out cleanly and simply, the plasma cutter was used to free the concrete from the mould. Cutting the outer joints of the sink and manipulating the metal away from the cast, they were eventually removed. Taking on the polished quality of the metal, I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.
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MASONITE PROGRESS.
Having salvaged two irregular sheets of masonite, previously painted white and purposed as faux pressed-metal ceiling panels, I went about cutting the pieces into several smaller parts. Fragmenting the material to appear as a series of white ‘frames’, I sought to ensure that no masonite was lost in the process. Intensifying the fragility of the form, I created stands from cut blocks of MDF as each piece was unable to stand individually within the space. Enabling the masonite to take on a variety of arrangements, the work still needs more development. Personally I find the blocks to be too invasive. Consequently, I may need to reconsider or re-approach my original plans for display.
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PABLO RASGADO.
Providing essential insight into the transformative practice of artist Pablo Rasgado, this text was effective in helping me break down the key approaches and styles pertinent to his work. Noting influences of architecture, history, culture and nature, its in depth analysis of his’ work has subsequently enabled a better understanding of my own.
Cultural history, seen as a setting for architectural transformation, can be understood as the flow of forms destined to decay, as if these typologies were a natural consequence of social, economic, and political orders.
Function of cultural forms has maintained a narrow, often merely analogical, relationship with nature.
His in-situ installation ‘Ojo por Diente’, touches on a subsequent aesthetic sense in cultural history - its relationship to the erosion of the functionality of objects, in this case of buildings.
Interplay of precariously exhibited forms, that disappear into thin air without clearly revealing at first sight if they constitute traces of the civilising mission, allegorical fragments, or interstitial objects.
Transformative process of form, consequential to the irruption of a new function over a previous decadent one.
Work playfully inhabiting the tension between contingency and stability, which allows the phenomenological approximation towards the symbolic constitution inclines to allegorical fragments that recall archaeological or paleontological discoveries.
The project of Rasgado, who addresses these symbolic transformations of form, can be considered part of this line of thought that has its beginnings in an archaeology of current culture - both modern and urban - as if history were constituted by layered architectural fragments.
In this transformation of the past as cultural history of the present, a framework for the passing and appearing of sculptural fossils is articulates and, in the context of Rasgado’s project, causes figures to reverberate in n inevitable disappearance.
Unfolded Architecture (M HKA 18) 2017. Acrylic on drywall. 200 × 200 × 6.5 cm.
Reference:
Kautz, Willy. 2013. “Ojo por Diente: Introductory Text”. Galeria OMR.
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