kalijeanart

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Wk 12: Paying it Forward

The social economy referred to in this week’s reading by Purves and Selzer is summarized in the quote below:

‘…arguably the first, and oldest, economic system that we participate in, which is termed a traditional (or social) economy. This is a system governed, first and foremost, by participants who live in ongoing association with one another, originally in a village or a tribe, now, more commonly, in a family, or circle of friends, or a neighborhood. Such institutions as barter, favors, and filial obligations govern the primary mechanisms of exchange in a traditional economy.’

Purves, Ted, and Shane Aslan Selzer, “No Longer Normal: Critical Exchanges in the Landscape of Art.” State University of New York Press, 2014.

This ‘traditional/social’ economy reminded me of a (sort-of) social experiment’ called ‘Suspended Coffees’, which took off in the US on March 27th, 2013 when John Sweeney started a Facebook page with a ‘pay it forward’ ideology, that is, “Buy a cup of coffee for a stranger, because an act of kindness can change a life.” Surprisingly, “…eight hours later, the page had attracted more than 20,000 likes.”

You can read more about the ‘Suspended Coffees’ movement via the links below:

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/12/17/460001377/movement-to-pay-it-forward-with-a-cup-of-coffee-spills-into-u-s

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/lissette-calveiro/pay-it-forward-day-contri_b_9796868.html

http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/payitforward-suspended-coffee-movement-alive-and-well-in-pockets-of-perth-20150813-giycan.html

This simple idea has spread all over the world, including Perth, and has encouraged many café goers to consider someone else while getting their daily caffeine hit. This notion links back to the work of Marina Abromovic’s performance works considering how we communicate, as well as Joseph Beuys’s sociopolitical artworks ‘7000 Oaks’ and my personal favourite of his, ‘I Love America and America Loves Me’ from 1974 in New York, wherein he spent three days locked in a gallery room with a coyote.

‘As soon as he got off the plane, he was wrapped in felt and loaded into an ambulance, then driven to the gallery without touching American soil. The Action reflected Beuys’ troubled relationship with the US and its politics.’

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/beuys-coyote-ar00733

Relational aesthetic artworks such as these are integral in a world supposedly going global, while community engagement and multicultural understanding is shutting down.

https://www.kidsofdada.com/blogs/magazine/35963521-joseph-beuys-i-like-america-and-america-likes-me

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Final Sculpture

It was amazing how different the sculpture looked against the grey concrete floor of the courtyard, as opposed to the metal trailer and grass at home.

After careful consideration, I have decided that the sculpture actually looks better without the lantern inside. It's quite ironic, as much of my reasoning was due to concern of it having the structural integrity to carry the lantern. I loved the look of it at night, but as it won't be displayed or marked at night, I had to consider how it looks in the daylight without the 'magic' of the flame.

In the daylight of the courtyard space, the motely greys of the concrete come through the holes of the cage, which brings together the blue of the hoop iron bars, as well as highlighting the grey of the galvanise paint on the base, which just works.

It looks more clean and purposed without it.

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Sculpture reworked

In discussions with Mike regarding my sculpture, I explained how I had drilled holes through the end of my 4 short metal poles that were welded on the top of the base and I was planning on screwing the top cage to these pieces. This turned about to be a concern, in that by screwing the base and cage together, my sculpture would no longer be a 'plinth' & a 'thing', but one homogenous 'thing' instead.

SO... I decided to try and solve the problem, but I didn't have enough time to gather extra materials or do any more welding, so I used some of the thinner wire I had used to make the hook for the lantern and threaded it through the holes to make a 'base' for the cage to sit on. My concern with this is that it wouldn't be wide enough and the cage would fall over a lot, which would be dangerous with the lantern inside.

The wire square was a little too small for the cage to sit on it without fear of it falling, so I ended up leaving a couple of bits of the wire on the last hole so the cage had more surface area to balance on. I then did some wobble tests with the lantern inside. It was stable without being screwed together.

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Wk 12: Sculpture

Was exciting to see the sculpture start to take the shape of my drawing. I decided to use four of the metal hoop straps and to screw the bottom circle onto the four welded metal pieces to give the cage stability.

I was a little clumsy screwing in the hoop iron to the base circle, as it required a surprising amount of force, (as you can see below, I almost drilled through my finger!) so on some occasions I slipped and screwed too close to the edge and had to do a new hole, so there are some extra holes now.

So this is the finished product (or so I thought)! I love the way it looks at night. The natural flame from the lantern catches the colour of the hoop iron, making it look purple on the inside.

Next I sprayed the new welds with galvanise paint so they don't rust. I like the way the grey looks against the blue colour of the hoop iron, but I also like the natural grey of the metal, so didn't want to paint over it which has resulted in some parts looking different than others. Can't work out if I like this difference or not yet.

[kalijeanart]

Wk 11: Sculpture Progress

This is the rough design I came up with for the sculpture considering the free materials I was able to snag. I wasn’t sure of the best way to connect the frame (plinth) to the top ‘cage’ (thing), so that it matched my drawing. 

Next step was to start to make the dome shaped cage to the correct measurements using the hoop iron. I used wire cutters to cut through the iron at the specific lengths. 

I decided to use 4 pieces going across to give the cage stability so it might be strong enough to hang a kerosine lantern I picked up at a garage sale a few years ago. 

I thought it could be a ‘readymade’ part of the sculpture. I was looking forward to lighting it at night so that hopefully the light would come through in between the hoop iron ‘bars’ of the cage. 

While the cage was stable enough on its own, I wasn’t sure how it would balance on top of the metal frame, especially with the weight of the lantern inside (still not sure of that will work either). 

I also had to find a way of making it connect so it matched up with my drawing. 

I decided to cut the same metal I’d used for the cage into four pieces and then weld them to the base so they would represent the two lines connecting the shapes in my drawing. I was still worried about the stability and so decided I would try and screw these pieces to the cage to keep it in place. I did this by cutting the ends of the metal in half with an angle grinder and then used the hand held drill to drill holes in the ends. 

I used a level and a piece of pine as support to weld the four pieces of metal onto the frame at the correct height. After welding I sprayed galvanised paint I bought onto the welds so they wouldn’t rust. 

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Relational Aesthetics/ Performance artist Marina Abramović

Apologies in advance for the inevitable length of this post. 

I am obsessed with Marina Abramović’s work. To put it into terribly simple terms, Marina’s work is interested in human connection through vulnerability. 

In 1974 Abramović shocked the public in her installation Rhythm 0 wherein she laid 72 objects on a table, including harmless objects such as perfume and a loaf of bread, as well as harmful objects- a knife and a loaded gun etc. and allowed spectators to use the objects on her however they decided. A description next to the object read, 

‘I am the object.’

‘During this period I take full responsibility.’

 This brave experimental work represents Abramović’s belief that to be truly present, one must be utterly vulnerable through discomfort. She used this performance art-work to convert the viewer into a collaborator with the artist, as well as testing the desires and empathy of humankind.

My two favourite works of Marina Abramović’s are her 2010 work The Artist is Present and her 2014 work 512 Hours, both were based on the same premise of connection and vulnerability. 

 In The Artist is Present (2010), Marina sat in a gallery space in MoMA for three months. During which time she shared a minute of silence with members of the public one after the other. 

Below are some quotes from Marina’s voiceover in the video linked below : 

“[People told me] you have to be ready that in the front of you will be an empty chair, because nobody could imagine in New York, the most busy place in the world that anybody would take the time to sit in mutual gaze with me.” 

 “It was a complete surprise for myself and all the staff at MoMA… this enormous need in humans to actually have contact. How are we so alienated from each other? How has this society made us so distant? We are texting each other messages without seeing each other.” 

 “So many stories of loneliness… I’m looking at you, you’re photographed… you’re observed by everyone else [in the gallery space]. So there is nowhere to go but yourself. The moment you really go into yourself, so many people start[ed] to cry…”

“Here I made a stage for the audience. Something really happened there.”  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6Qj__s8mNU

 A trailer for the HBO documentary of her work:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcmcEZxdlv4

Marina’s 512 Hours was a similar concept whererin she invited the public to be with her in the Serpentine Gallery in London for however long they pleased, but they had to leave any electronic gadgets including watches at the door. Participants wore headphones to drown out any noise and on some days blindfolds as well. 

The results are most evident in a video that strings together interviews with various participants on leaving the space:

http://www.serpentinegalleries.org/exhibitions-events/marina-midnight-serpentine-diaries

I find the results of this work inspiring to continue my own work in the relational field of art, despite fear of criticism. The quotes from participants show the power for change that this kind of work holds. 

“As someone not into yoga or meditation, or religion… and actively very hostile, I was amazed at how powerful I found the experience.” - Peter Goodwin, UK

 “I thought I was going to be in there for a short while, but turned out I was in there for 7 hours and 39 minutes.” Casey Jung - Australia

“The stillness effected everybody. Everybody was totally involved in that feeling.” Julie Brodie - UK

“I’ve never been so carried away… I had no idea of the time passing. I just wanted to stay and stay.”

“After being in there for such a long time, I couldn’t tell which were my emotions and which were theirs.” - Millie Brown - UK

My favourite quote:

“I think what’s going on in there is an outward show of inward grace that we all posess and are capable of. The decision of whether one connects or disconnects is a choice. The whole time you’re in there, it’s like a dance between these two things. I’m sure if I spent all day in there, the division between connect and disconnect would disappear and we’d all become part of the same thing.” - Veronica Roberts -UK

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Wk 11: Bourriaud

My artistic interest of the past few years has been based on human connection. Hence, my final Fine Art major project was based on Nicolas Bourriaud’s concept of relational aesthetics art described in this week’s reading from his 2002 printed text ‘Art of the 1990s: Participation and Transitivity’.

Bourriaud, Nicolas. Art of the 1990s: Participation and Transitivity. 2002. Print.

While conducting my research into Bourriaud’s various notions, I found a useful article, ‘All in the Postproduction - A conversation with Nicolas Bourriaud by Helene Frichot.

http://kth.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:486577/FULLTEXT01.pdf

In the clever article Frichot writes as if she recorded a conversation she’d had with Bourriaud, however in the footnotes she tells of how Bourriaud was a no-show to the interview she had organised between them. Hence, the ‘conversation’ is instead based on his writings, ‘Relational Aesthetics’ (1998), ‘Postproduction’(2002), ‘The Radicant’ (2009) and ‘Altermodern’ (2009) and is therefore an excelled short summary of his various notions.

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Wk 10: Fluxus

This week I researched the Fluxus movement of the 1960s mentioned in the essay ‘Art by Instruction and the Pre-History of do it’ by Bruce Altshuler.

My aim was to better understand exactly what is meant by ‘Fluxus’, however, the more I researched, the more I realised its indefinability due to the ambiguous nature of the works under its umbrella. The Fluxus movement was initially ‘defined’ by its founder George Maciunas within his 1965 manifesto (pictured below):

http://georgemaciunas.com/exhibitions/flux-labyrinth-fluxus-gag/fluxmanifesto-fluxamusement-1965/

Considering this definition, in order for artists to fit within the parameters of the Fluxus movement, their work had to ‘be simple, amusing, concerned with insignificances…’ as well as appearing ‘complex, intellectual… [and] indispensable.’

 These stringent guidelines seem to go against the open-mindedness that the ‘anti-art’ Fluxus movement aimed to create. Perhaps Fluxus artist George Brecht had it right in saying,

 "The misunderstandings have seemed to come from comparing Fluxus with movements or groups whose individuals seem to have some principle in common or an agreed upon program."

 http://www.theartstory.org/movement-fluxus.htm

Altshuler’s essay from the ‘do it’ catalogue states that, 

‘Brecht applied to objects and physical situations the freedom of execution and openness to serendipity that is the hallmark of a Fluxus performance.’

If we view the ‘hallmark of a Fluxus performance’ this way, that is - an artwork based on, ‘...freedom of execution and openness’ to chance encounters, then the guideline within the ‘Fluxmanifesto’ (that the works must be ‘amusing and concerned with insignificances’) does not really apply.

Fluxus artists were interested in ‘chance happenings’ within their art, hence limited their individual control of whether their art would be ‘amusing’, or ‘complex’, not to mention the subjectivity of these guidelines; (what is simple and/or amusing to one person may not be to another.) Hence, to suggest that Fluxus art should fit a mould set by its founder is contradictory to the anti-art core ideals of the movement itself. It is not surprising therefore that George Maciunas was apparently well known for barring members from the Fluxus movement due to disagreements around what should be classified as Fluxus. (georgemaciunas.com)

Rather it may be wiser to take Brecht’s viewpoint on the movement:

 "In Fluxus there has never been any attempt to agree on aims or methods; individuals with something unnamable in common have simply naturally coalesced to publish and perform their work. Perhaps this common thing is a feeling that the bounds of art are much wider than they have conventionally seemed, or that art and certain long established bounds are no longer very useful."

Brecht’s understanding of Fluxus suggests that in trying to define the movement, its elusive potential is limited. 

It is more useful to instead acknowledge that the boundaries of art are ever-changing.

                                                        ***

If anyone is keen to view/take part in an art piece involving similar theories of ‘chance’ (through public participation), ‘RAFT’ by artists Janet Carter (WA) & Devon Ward (USA) will be showing from next Saturday at Bathers Beach as part of the Fremantle Festival 2017 from Saturday 28 October – Sunday 12 November 6pm-10pm. 

http://www.fremantlefestival.com.au/whats-on/raft/

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Cylinders 7-10

First one back on the wheel since Friday. Walls a bit too thin and inside hand pushing harder than outside hand.

Experimenting using slightly wetter clay. I have to be much more gentle when pulling, but feel like I have more control

I found it easier to get my walls a consistent width when using clay that was wetter after being wedged. Happy with floor width and flat, level top on this last one.

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Wk 10: Sculpture progress

I have to hand my sculpture and portfolio in a week early, as I'm going interstate the week everything is due, so I decided to get a jump on things this weekend.

I ran out of time on Friday to weld my base frame together with Jim, so I decided to get my new (secondhand) Gumtree welder out at home today and give it a red hot go ;)

I've been practicing welding at home on a few random bits of metal, but was nervous that I would wreck the metal pieces I had carefully measured, cut and bent and have to start all over again. It took all day, WAY longer than I had planned to work on it, (as I have other assignments due too), but I got in a 'making zone' and didn't want to stop until I had finished the base shape completely. I got there in the end after lots of trial and error. First step was removing the galvanisation from the metal rods I got from a building site across the road from my place where a new house is being built. I asked if they had any left over materials and they they gave me the steel rods I'm using, as well as some flat metal stuff called 'hoop iron', so I will try and use that for the top half of my sculpture if it works. I tried to grind off the galvanisation by hand, but it was taking ages, so I borrowed an angle grinder, (as well as an old work shirt as you can see in pics) and his grinder got it off in seconds.

When I tried to weld my angled pieces onto my bottom rectangle, I realised I needed a support as I couldn't keep them in exactly the right place to get the height I needed. I used various objects, but nothing was the right height, so I ended up using some old pine to make a support frame with a metal weight in the centre to weigh it down, so the steel rods could rest on it at the exact measured height I needed (according to my drawing). I got the idea for this method from the way many of us had to drill our holes for our pottery wheels at awkward angles with the drill press. Graeme showed us how to use weighted metal 'frames' underneath the wood to keep it at the correct angle. Finally this method worked and I was able to measure how far away I needed to have the pine support frame for the angled metal rods to be tack welded in the right spots.

Once I had made that support out of pine, it was surprisingly easy to tack weld the rest of the pieces onto the edges of my rectangle to get the height I needed.

Thinking up ideas for the top half of my sculpture now. I would like to utilise the free 'hoop iron' metal things I've been given (pictured below).

It was a long day, but feeling pretty pleased that I stuck at it and made a frame to the same measurements as my drawing.

Now thinking of ways to make the top half...

[kalijeanart]

Week 10: Cylinders 1-6

I made a couple of terrible ones before this one when I was stressed about getting it right. This one happened after I had a little break; when I came back to the wheel, I just took it slow and found this approach much better.

Second and third ones were short and fat, I was pushing too hard with my inside hand when pulling, so they flared out

I've realised when pulling it's better to have my head over the top of the pot so I can look inside. For #5 and 6, I really focused on trying to keep the push and pull of the inside and outside hands even whilst pulling the pot up.

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Week 9: Starting my sculpture

This week I began working on my sculpture, from the measurements on my drawing, I drew the bottom half of my shape to scale (from a side view)

The bottom of my shape is going to be a frame instead of solid material, as I am using metal and don't want it to be too heavy. I measured out the base of the bottom shape so I could begin cutting and shaping my metal to size.

I was going to heat up my metal poles the same way I heated the copper pipe to make my cup holder, but the metal I'm using is galvanised and I have since found out from Jim that when you burn galvanised metal, the zinc in it is toxic. So instead, I decided to make a jig on the edge of my dad's trailer with metal clamps to see if I could somehow bend the metal to shape it without heating it.

Next step is to scrape off the galvanisation in the corner bits of the metal poles and weld them together, then make the top rectangle and triangular side pieces that connect the top and bottom rectangles together.

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Wk 9: Lugo’s Fearlessness

It is not simply Roberto Lugo’s remarkable artworks I am impressed by, but his genuine zeal, authenticity and ability to govern attention through his ‘spoken-word’ style speech at the Emerging Artist Presentation at the 2015 NCECA Conference. I am continuously reminded throughout this unit not to be afraid to make ‘mistakes’ in my art, but to just keep going.

Heartfelt conviction is contagious and we need more of it in the world and in the art that we create. The vital cultural and political messages Lugo has voiced through his various artworks are due to his continual determination to push himself. Continuously creating is exhausting and can seem unfruitful at times, but as is evident in Lugo’s work, we must keep making things to make change.

https://www.thedemocraticcup.com/blogs/news/roberto-lugo-on-the-democratic-cup

Lugo contributed to a movement called ‘The Democratic Cup’ in October 2016. Above is a picture of his ceramic cup designs of famous women’s rights activists, Sojourner Truth and bell hooks. I was particularly drawn to this piece as I have previously studied Sojourner Truth’s famous speech titled “Ain’t I a Woman?” regarding her pledge for feminism delivered at a women’s convention in Ohio in 1851. An extremely moving adaptation of the speech performed by Kerry Washington is linked below:

http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/sojourner-truth

Below is an excerpt from Lugo’s blog regarding his contribution to ‘The Democratic Cup’:

“It is said that the two things one doesn’t bring up at the dinner table is religion and politics… As a person of color working in clay I often find myself at a theoretical table, wanting to have difficult conversations, discussions that seem like important and obvious issues to tackle but to others it is not the first thing they want to discuss… I chose to include two black female activists who embody characteristics that I aspire to personify: Fearlessness, and empathy.”

http://robertolugostudio.com/

Through researching deeper into the ethos behind Lugo’s work, I feel encouraged to trust my own ideas and create without fear.

[kalijeanart]

PLINTH & THING Drawings

Original drawing

With measurements

Option 1: soft metal spiral base, paper mâché top

Option 2: hard metal square frame as base (welded together) or pine base screwed together (depending on accessible materials and limited time) with clear/coloured plastic top cut out and possibly a light globe inside.

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Week 8: Why make pots?

My main interest in my own art practice is communication and listening to people’s stories. Therefore, I have found researching the background of the various artists we have been introduced to throughout this course, to be a very rewarding experience.  

Robin Hopper was featured in one of this week’s instructional videos, so I researched a little into his art practice. Robin Hopper’s first foray into clay is supremely interesting; he speaks of using the clay from the age of three that had risen from underneath the surface due to the bombing of London in WWII. He has been using clay for seventy-two years and now lives and works in an amazing forest within Metchosin in British Columbia and has made a beautiful Japanese garden wherein he gathers inspiration for his work on daily strolls.

Judi Delle works on the same property, ‘Chosin Pottery’ with Hopper making ceramic art, mainly from porcelain. She spent years living in Japan which is why much of her work is oriental. Although their work is aesthetically quite different, their passion and historical understanding of the importance of their work is in sync. In the interview linked below, they speak of a need for education in the art of throwing pots, as they believe many new potters are lacking authenticity in their work.

https://player.vimeo.com/video/70380241?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0

Image of Chosin Pottery Inc. 

http://www.chosinpottery.co

Linda Christianson

http://www.minnesotapotters.com/individualpages/lindachristianson.html

Linda’s story of first starting out as a potter is a search for the simple life. In 2012 article for the American Ceramic Society, Linda tells of finishing up at art school in 1977 with one simple goal- to keep making pots:

‘It did not occur to me that making pots was a profession or a career, it was a compulsion that I would adjust my life around.’

A few years later she found that she’d, “... made a lot of pots, but had no savings to speak of.”

She then made a ‘set of guidelines’ to live by as a potter, which I find both inspiring and endearing:

“Make only what I really want to make

Spend money on only essential things

Never take out a loan

Sell the pots so I can make more

Surround myself only with things I love

Say yes to interesting situations, even if they are scary or far-reaching.”

Further on in the article, she speaks of the ‘...disappointment in [her] own work coming out of the kiln’ as well as a ‘... crippling fear of public speaking...’ [being]... the biggest challenges in [her] pottery life.”

It is refreshing to hear a well-accomplished artist speaking of her faults as well as the rewarding sacrifices she has made to be the successful potter she is today. There is a humility within the art of pottery I am drawn to, I like the balance that can be found between the constant frustration and then the eventual joy when you start to understand how to use the clay.

Linda finishes the article with an encouragement for fresh potters:

‘If you’re just starting out, make what you really want to make.’

Reference:

Jennifer Harnetty, “Working Potters Series: Linda Christianson Shares the Tale of her Adventurous Life in Pottery”, Ceramics Arts Network Daily, June 25, 2012, https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/ceramic-art-and-artists/ceramic-artists/working-potters-series-linda-christianson-shares-the-tale-of-her-adventurous-life-in-pottery/.

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Lippard’s Making Something from Nothing (1977)

It is interesting that Frank Stella is mentioned in Lippard’s 1973 essay Making Something from Nothing as his ‘Kenneth Tyler Print Collection’ is currently being exhibited (and revered) at the National Gallery of Australia from 19th of November 2016 to 22nd of October 2017. 

 https://nga.gov.au/Stella/Default.cfm 

According to Lippard, Stella’s first famous artworks, ‘Black Paintings’ (1959) were traced back to ‘…Navajo rugs and old quilts… first exhibited in New York in the early 1970s…eulogized as neutral, ungendered sources…’. Lippard goes on to comment that, ‘Had they been presented as exhibitions of women's art, they would have been seen quite differently and probably not have been seen at all in fine art context at that time.’ 

Lippard’s essay highlights the historical unfair advantages for men’s art versus women’s art. Women’s art, such as the Navajo rugs were either labeled ‘ungendered’ or labeled as ‘craft’ rather than ‘art’. 

Frank Stella, [Title Unknown], 1967

https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj9uKuVz7_WAhWFxrwKHRevBG0QjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tate.org.uk%2Fart%2Fartworks%2Fstella-title-not-known-p78387&psig=AFQjCNEj-vSX77zPG_IpkJ58eyFl3dfgxQ&ust=1506404214979180

Considering the craft of the Navajo rugs, it is easy to see the similarities with Stella’s earlier works. The ‘warped wool’ of the Navajo rugs have the same optical illusion effect Stella has created in his painting pictured above.

A current website (weavinginbeauty.com) is based on the craft of Navajo rugs, as well as the discernment between the authentic and the fakes tells of the ‘continuous figure eight technique’ creating the illusionary effect. 

Pictured above is ‘...[M]aster weaver Jennie Slick with a small, finished rug. It’s easy to see that it has no fringe, and the side selvage cord shows up well against the dark wool in the background.  This rug has all the hallmarks of a genuine Navajo rug.  It is all wool, including the warp, has no fringe and has a side selvage cord.’

http://weavinginbeauty.com/navajo-rug-101/how-to-identify-navajo-textiles

Lastly, for anyone interested in the feminist art movement and/or activist art, I have always found the artworks of the infamous ‘Guerrilla Girls’ inspiring. 

https://www.guerrillagirls.com/exhibitions/

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Images of wheel