moving to your head not my hand

There comes a point when you have to decide what sort of work you are going to produce. what issues will it deal with? what is the focus of it? how would you like the viewer to respond to it? It is this sort of question that came to mind while i was looking at the work of Ceal Floyer recently.

Autumn Rhythm 1950

While looking over her work the idea of the gesture came to my mind and how important this is in positioning the work in a certain place. It might be helpful to look at a few examples here to try and get to the bottom of my thoughts. The first is Autumn Rhytmn by Jackson Pollock. One of the most famous pieces of modern art it is immediately recognisable. And it is certainly a distinctive piece of work. The dripping style of painting has become synonymous with Pollock and we can't see a similar style of painting without recalling the historic precedent. Amoung Pollock's many achievements then is to have an instantly recognisable style. This achievement should not be underestimated and is quite a feat in a world of competing painters.

As a viewer though we are placed within a specific and narrow frame of reference. This is a painting about painting and a painter. There are no external references here and the work is contained within the boundaries of the canvas. As such it is self referential not seeking to explore ideas beyond the application of paint. As well as this we contemplate Pollock's unusual technique and his skill in bringing harmony to such a seemingly random process. Although it may not look like it this is art in quite a traditional manner. The singularly skilled figure has a unique vision which is presented to the world.

Monochrome Till Receipt (white) 1999 (installation shot)

Monochrome Till Receipt (white) 1999 

For Ceal Floyer the emphasis seems to be elsewhere. Floyer's work is not contained within the parameters of the objects shown but rather the object instigates a process on contemplation. A till receipt in itself may not mean much but when it is the only thing shown in a gallery it takes on a whole new significance. Key to recognising this is the minimal aesthetic Floyer uses. The scarcity and simplicity of the objects found in her work mean they are easily resolved for us as a viewer: we all recognise a receipt. Free from contemplating the actual object we are left to consider the nature of the act and relationship of the object to the space it is in. Where as with Pollock we never get beyond the object with Floyer we are hardly with it. Instead we are given a much more active role in producing meaning and it is up to our imaginations and intellect to comprehend what is taking place.

This is not to say that either approach is right or wrong. Instead it demonstrates how art can focus or attention in quite specific ways. Also as viewers we have different roles to play and cannot be sure of how to act when we visit a gallery. We can end up just looking into the frame or having our imagination extended way beyond. It is this sort of potential that makes things so fascinating 

pointing

So the experimentation continues as a new week starts with a new project:

After last weeks project i really wanted to slow things down. While i was pleased with the images i had produced they were just too dynamic for me. So i tried to produce a project that was simpler and had the contemplative tone i was after. The result is the image above that has been tentatively, and more than little obviously, called pointing. 

The image is a response to much of the theory that i have been reading recently. This has led me to realise that the photograph is actually quite a vague thing. Nothing much in it is certain and the best it can do is 'point' to something. Whatever meaning, value or qualities we give to the image come more from us, and the context in which we see the image, rather than the image itself.

I am actually quite please with the test run and think there could well be some scope here for a bigger project. Firstly it feels calmer which is a feeling i crave at the moment. The subject is still, the colours muted, and the viewer is not confronted with an action packed scene. There is space for you to think basically and the photograph itself plays a more subdued role.

I want to mention the traffic cone. When i arrived at the park the stick i had was flat ended and was never going to penetrate the soil. I tried a range of things to get the sign propped up but in the end had to resort  to the traffic cone. At the time i was worried as i thought this would spoil the harmony of the image and basically look a bit clumsy. However in the image i think it is arguably my favourite part. It looks slightly engnigmatic and also suggests that the sign is a temporary inclusion. This is clearly not a permanent fixture but something that has been spontaneously put up. It is this temporaneity that accentuates the question why is the sign there? The lack of an answer is in turn emphasised and the image becomes all the more enigmatic. Just goes to show you should not trust you instincts sometimes. 

Just to mention two big influences were John Baldessari Commisioned Paintings and Robert Barry's Inert Gases

By way of an evocative footnote i also started writing my dissertation today. Didn't go well. This is going to be tough........

in advance of a splash

As well as writing a dissertation i do actually have to complete a practical project over the next few months. This time four months ago i was not overly concerned about this. I had just completed what i felt to be a successful project (take a look here for more info) and was all set to stage a similar event for the culmination of my degree.

But at the same time i had begun to explore other ideas/mediums and felt the need to incorporates these thoughts into whatever it was that i was going to do. So by the time we arrive at the present i find myself slightly conflicted and unsure in what direction to proceed.

After a bit of deliberation i've decided to combat this by a process of experimentation and working through issues by doing as opposed to thinking. In practical terms this means that i will try and do a short project every week and examine the results as i go along.

On 10 October the first project took place:

Between us we chucked about 10 water bombs and took photos along the way. The project was made into a small pamphlet style book after and i played with a few different image sequences. The one above is the most logical but also the dullest. It feels very literal and descriptive. By showing each stage of the act the viewer is pretty much shown what they would expect. As such there is not a lot of room for contemplation and the project feels pretty much resolved.

Things got more interesting when i took one part of the sequence and repeated different versions of it. For example you would see 3 balloons suspended in mid air and never see what actually happens when they land. This makes the work more evocative and gives the viewer space to wonder what will or did happen. 

On first inspection i thought the images were good and it was close to the project i had in mind. But after a bit more thought and time with the images my thoughts began to change. There are certain issues that my work has usually dealt with, such as site specificity,  and this project was quite a departure from those. Also it feels quite dramatic which is contradictory to the more peaceful, contemplative tone i usually try to evoke. 

So overall while i enjoyed the project and the images they are not quite what i want to do. I guess even failed experiments can produce interesting results

how to peel an orange

One of the problems with continually researching is that you can forget to actually stop and look at the images that occupy such a large proportion of your mind. You read book after book but rarely just stop for 15 minutes and look at a photograph.

the yielding stone

This feeling hit me as i was going through an ever increasing collection of notes. Amidst these scrawled on sheets was a copy of the yielding stone by Gabriel Orozco. I thought for a moment i will just look at the image and try and figure out why it works. What follows is a bit of a deconstruction of the image and analysis of the resulting parts (may go on a bit):

- it is low angled shot in the centre of which is, based on the drain and road markings, a fairly large dark, spherical object
- its' size suggests something unusual and probably man made
- it appears to not be solid as the drain has left indentations on the surface suggesting that it has been rolled
- this sensation is emphasised by the road markings and diagonal composition that also imply forward motion
- as such it implies a human presence. The object seems to large to be moved by the wind and the fact that it has not seeped through the drain suggest it is relatively and therefore heavy
- that a photo was taken just about confirms that there was a human presence
- with all this established we are left to wonder why this ball has been made and rolled
- that this has happened feels odd but not sinister or threatening. the even lighting close up angle help this
- rather it seems playful or even child like
- but the scale of it suggest more that just a whimsical childish act. to a certain extent this has been planned and the object constructed
- as such the human presence is again suggested/emphasised
- feels like we are at the crossroads of an encounter and see the ball before it continues on its journey

The first thing to notice here is the language i found myself using. It is anything if secure and every conclusion drawn has an element of guesswork, educated guesswork, but guesswork none the less. So the first conclusion i came to is the photograph is a very unstable thing and left alone does not give us much security.

The other main point of interest was the consequences this has for Orozco's work. The photograph here is able to form an open, loose dialogue with the viewer. We have plenty of space to interact with the image and use our imagination. This is the key function of the image i feel. It is not describing something but rather evoking an action. The photograph starts our contemplation of this action and it is this we focus on rather the actual photograph. Crucially this dialogue is never resolved for us and remains open. So the viewer can keep pondering the work and its significance. The photograph does not interfere too much but rather provides a supportive platform for our imagination.

.............thud

For two weeks i have been overseas. It was a fine break and for those few days the looming pressure of completing my final year at University seemed a distant memory. But this utopian existence was shattered almost the moment i landed in the UK.

I arrived home to a plethora of emails lurking amidst which was a request for an updated dissertation proposal. No problem in itself but the 3 hours to turn it out was a little more problematic. Combine this with receiving the news while being in the day job and this was a deadline that was not going to be met. One cringing email and a busy evening of typing later and it was none the less submitted.

All good then but this sudden change of pace has had quite an adverse affect on my nerves. Suddenly anxiety levels rise along mixed in with seemingly insurmountable self-doubt and a genuine fear that i am never going to do this. Not a good mind set and something had to be done.

Indexical

My solution was to buy some index cards and surely any sane person would have done the same. The aim of these cards was to give me some structure and provide a quick and easy to get my thoughts down on paper. I got the idea from looking at extracts from Dennis Oppenheim's sketch books. In these Oppenheim briefly writes down his ideas in a few short lines. Some went on to be made while others stayed in the book. I did the same and also wrote down a few keys words that embodied the sort of work i wanted to create (similar, if much less dramatic, to Serra's verb list). This was really helpful. My mind felt less cluttered and just by writing a few words i got a much better idea of what ideas might work and which wouldn't.

The second thing i did was work out all the time i have free between now and February. This sounds a bit ridiculous but has proved to be the best way for me to get work done without a constant sense of over whelming panic. Once this is done i then look at my timetable and see what needs to be done when. Each task is given an amount of time and then recorded in iCal accordingly. I have never considered myself a compulsive person but this sort of behaviour make me think again. Regardless it is doing things like this that allow me to function effectively.

Plan in place all i need to do now is the work. easy

whirr whirr whirr whirr etc

The previous week has been a bit of strange one as i haven't done a great deal of reading. Instead i have been out and about. The highlight of these adventures was Francis Aly's retrospective at Tate modern A Story of Deception. Without going into too much detail this really was a fascinating show and an excellent way to get an idea of Aly's work. It was an exhibition i had been meaning to see for some time and after the insightful comments from Sam (see post before last) i made sure i got up to London for it.

projector

Alys had been one of main people i had in mind when i wrote the research proposal for my dissertation. His work relies heavily on the documentary process with video and still imagery being an integral part of his practice. While there are many many insights to be had from his work i what really struck me was the projectors Alys used.

Possibly an odd thing to concentrate on. But the type of projector used seemed quite important. The one to the left was quite an old machine and made a delightfully monotonous whirring noise. What emantated from this machine was a slow moving shot endlessly travelling down a heat soaked road. The noise of the machine is a perfect accompaniement to the forward motion of the film. Also the relentless noise represents a similar to loop to the one the film is on.

Two other features of Alys' work are an interest in music and exposure of the creative process. In the former case the connection to this machine is obvious. The latter, while more obscure, can still be seen. When you look at the projector you can see the film and watch it move around the various parts. Alys could have picked a more contained projector but instead allows a clear look into what is going on.

Finally it is worth mentioning where it is. It is also the first thing you see when you enter the exhibition and is right in the centre of the room. The projector then is not simply a functional tool but part of the actual installation itself.

In June 2010 i will be in position where i have to put on a degree show. So questions of how to display work are gnawing away at the back of my mind constantly. It is an issue that needs careful thought as when work is displayed in a sensitive and considerate manner the experience for the viewer is greatly enhanced.

As a footnote much of Alys work can be downloaded for free at: http://francisalys.com/

well worth it

at my physical and emotional limit

So this Sunday passed at 11:50 i arrived at London Marylebone station. I bought some snacks, changed my cloths took a photograph and was off. A confident start.

the route

At this point i had not idea that it would be 9 hours before i reached home.

What followed was a tortuous journey. The first 2 hours were a disaster where i traveled from one London street to the next getting lost more than i didn't. In all it was over 2 hours before i managed to get over the Chelsea bridge. I was under no illusions as to how proficient my sense of direction was; i knew it to be poor. But this was maddness.

Still i got out of the city and things began briefly to look up. This was until i got lost in Croydon and the rain came down. After much map checking and retracing of steps i finally found the hallowed ditches lane that was to carry me on an ideallyic journey south. By and large this is what happened and the next 30 miles, while tough, saw me pass through some fantastic scenery. To cut a long story short i arrived home late having lost the capacity to see, speak or execute any basic human task.

The one benefit of so much map checking was that it afforded me plenty of chances to take some photos. My initial concept of looking south was quickly abandoned as i had no idea which way south was. But the images were taken at frequent intervals and about 25 were done in total.

Unfortunately they can't be seen just yet as i shot on slide film. I choose to do this in response to something Richard Wentworth had said about his photographic practice. While Wentworth is primarily known for his sculpture he has also produced a series of images taken in and around Caledonian Road, London. These are typically shown as slides but prints have been made from the series. But Wentworth was quite dissatisfied with the results chiefly because of the materiality the print gives to the image. As a projection the image is fleeting and transient much like Wentworth's subject matter. To create a print gives the image a permanence that is contradictory to his concept. So the conditions of display can also be incorporated to realise elements of the concept. It reminded me that the image is never seen in isolation and there are many ways to affect how they are received.

My journey was to be a fleeting thing too and i felt this film would be appropriate. To fully abide by this concept i would have to only ever show the work as a projection. However as this was an experiment i think a little conceptual lee way is permitted. Therefore once the work is scanned you can feast your eyes on the results.