Bryony Gillard, Other Places and people.

Gillard Other places and people. Bryony is an artists who works with performance, text and objects. She had done work as assistant curator for South West Galleries such as Arnolfini, Plymouth Arts Center and the Newlyn Art Gallery.

She graduated from her BA in 2006, and was looking at alternative approaches to post-graduate study and continued learning. Questioning whether or no you need to do a masters as an artist. Within the lecture she talks about her research on MA and other opportunities studying in Europe, is cheaper that studying in UK? And interesting arts projects, that use exchange.

She begins with Studying Abroad.

She looked at masters for a while, as she has friends who studied in UK but couldn’t find one that resonates with her practice, and  was very aware of fees going up. She personally is interested in expanding networks internationally, this is why she looked at international Ma’s.

The Piet Zwart, Ma Fine Art,
Available at:
http://pzwart.wdka.nl/nl/courses/mfa/

• The Piet Zwart Institute, Masters in Fine Art, it focuses on performance art, the fees are around 2,000 euros a year, and it’s a 2 year programme. She thinks equality of education is  high here. The teaching staff are high in the art world. Overall it is very studio based, and not as good for collaboration. The course considers critical reflection, debate and action as being integral to self-directed artistic research and practice. there is a Final show for both years, shown at Tent, Rotterdam, quite prestigious.

• The School of Walls and Space, Royal Academy of Visual Arts, Copenhagen, Denmark. Is located in a very busy and expensive city, the Arts Academy is located in  the Regal building. Although it is very glamorous, the department is radical. Speaking in terms of  the role of an artist as a agent of society. Niels Norman is the professor who overlooks course, he is well known in the art world. Looking at Public art and carbon planning, the course is democratic with a total of 25 students and the works produces are mainly collaborative,  made as a collective. The course is very social; they eat together everyday. They look at Art acting within the public realm. The Course is Free! yet your living and working is where the it becomes expensive. Lots of young danish students, get full funding and grants, Bryony felt there was a slight imbalance between older, unfunded students and young danish loaded students.

• CalArts, Mfa programme in art, at the California institute of art. Fees are 40,000 a year. Bryony explains that if you can find a way to do it sounds like an amazing place to study, ‘the place is insane’. It is very multi-disciplinary almost a hot house of creativity. It is well connected to art world in US. It has everything you need there and you live on the campus. Also there is the opportunity for scholarships, she gives the example of Fullbright a UK/US scholarship award scheme.

• The Programme in Art, Städelschule, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. There are good tutors such as Douglas Gordon etc. Alike the Royal Danish Academy one professor who roles the department,  there is a relationship with one tutor and practice. It is internationally renowned, the  gallery attached called Portikus. The course focuses on individual practice, and progression. Looking at art history and art theory as a integral part of the course and your practice.

• Masters in fine art, at the Dutch Art Institute, ArtEZ, Arnhem. There is one small department and one course. It’s about collaboration and thinking or your position in the world as an artist. There are ways around doing Ma and still living in the UK, they meet for one week a month, living together in a hostel doing lectures, seminars, workshops 9am-10pm for 5 days. Bryony explains how although it sounds ostentatious, with getting jobs etc and not being able to speak dutch. It works well costing 2000 a year. A lot of international travel, as its a roaming academy. She has been to the Istanbul biennail etc. In January she goes India for 10 days for research for her practice and they pay all travel and stay as its subsidised. One big factor is there is no studio space, so she is requires to show work through computer, this depends on you and what work you produce, as Bryony works with text this works well, but you need a space to work in at home. It is very international student wise, this is exciting, as she believes it is nice to be in a vibrant cultural mix to talk about art, and the course is taught in english. It’s a 2 year course. Due to her background with galleries, she was pleased to see that it has three long-turn partners,  If I can’t dance I don’t want to be part of your revolutions, a publication Casco, and one other. They have a department of institutions instead of tutors, so you work with them on research, or practice in response. Bryony maintains this by flying from Bristol to Amsterdam, through easy jet, Yearly it is costing her about 3,000 including travelling and fees.

Independent art schools.

Asking the question How do artists factor in and get involved?

• Islington Mill Art Academy, Islingron mill studio project is run by artists. All are similar to associate themes, peer led, by artist for artist, by a group for a group without hierachy.
• Manchester the public school, international. The public school, originally set up in California, hubs around world, there’s no curriculum,  and is generally not accredited, it’s more for you. Doesn’t have affiliation to public institutes. A framework in which to operate. Propose classes and talks. Organising peer led learning
• Fairfield International, Ryan Gander,  a well known artists, at his house, invites 12 people to come to his art school, usually international and young british Artist. They get a studio and living space, and he uses his networks for talks etc.
• Suffolk Crate – collaborative research group, a small group of artists who work on peer led learning. Working with universities on crits and curatorials.
• Margate Turps Banana, is for painters, a magazine. It’s a year long programme, studio complex. Allowing access to their network, studio visits and crits.
• Mass Alexandria, Alexandria, is an interesting art led space. Seminars, workshops, lectures by artist, with space for exhibitions and performance.
• Open school east, choose 12 associate artists to work on project for year. Based within community of Hackney. Building works as community space also. They have studios, free programme but do community activities as payment. Work reflects the local environment. It is Peer led.
• SOMA, Mexico, is an established artist led space, different educational projects, events performances and talks. There is a Masters programme for 20 students or 6 week residency in english, arts theory including lots of reading, unsure of funding for this.
• Mountain School of Art (MSA), Los Angeles the oldest artist led school, there is a 3 month program yearly not accredited. Consisting of an intense schedule of talks etc. Links to ucla, uni at California. With interesting crossover.

Associate schemes.

A good place to start and continue work and network within your city or a new city is through associate schemes. Bryony herself is an associate of Spike Island. She expresses it to be a very good scheme one that you can invest into. They work into budgets for trips and travel grants, it’s fairly established, you can nominate talkers, any artist who work with spike island you can ask for studio visits, crits ask for specific artists, free entry to events, small library.

PAC home- Plymouth, sort of a smaller version of spike island.  A membership for artist, curators and writers to engage in contemporary arts, crits, talks, 1 to 1’s, away days, funding and residencies. Helping to widen professional networks. 

 

Eastside Projects, Extra Special People, is an active scheme providing more opportunity for artists to show their work.

Warp, g39, Cardiff. Is artists led, on a smaller scale, yet very engaged with mentoring talks etc there is a similar branch for North Wales, Prawn.

For more information you can visit this website www.transartists.org/education

Finally, Detroit, an artist-led initiative, looking specifically at why and how work is made. Bryony and Hannah Steel (Library of Independent Exchange) gained funding through Spike Island, by presenting the idea for a new artist led project in Bristol. Detroit, focuses on redevelopment and regeneration, and the fictional overlay of two different cities. Looking outside of bristol and expanding networks. They began by looking at Detroit Michigan, USA, a donut city, lots of industry, it is now a post industrial area. Interesting space for creativity, music. Bristol itself is a pastoral rural place. She stated that not all projects are about Detroit, but mainly the idea of opening up a space between to places. She is interested in opening up the opportunity for artist residencies, not just static exhibitions and working on the longer process with artists. Hoping to Offer residencies that fit peoples lives, and jobs. Working with 3 artists for 2 months, developing relationships, discuss why we make art, conditions and processes to make work not final bit, looking at term artistic research. We all have this, expanded search, through images and other artists. Show works in progress, presentations of research, parties etc.

Luke Fowler in Conversation with the Curator, Plymouth Arts Centre

On the 7th November at 6pm, at the Plymouth Art’s Centre, Luke Fowler (2012 turner Prize nominee) and Caroline Mawdsley; the Curator of Programmes gave an open Q&A on Fowlers practice and cinematic influences. Before Fowler moved to the Bread and Roses; Ebrignton Street for a collaborative performance alongside Richard Youngs.

In the talk, Fowler began by outlining the mediums his practice consisted of, these included; film, photography, sound and installation. His career began at Gordonstone College in Dundie, where he applied to study in the Time-based art department, after refusal Fowler took the second best choice of the Printmaking department. Which began to seem beneficial as his tutor’s partner Steven Partridge, encouraged Fowlers interest in Video and Installation. He spoke about his experiment with video beginning with the schizophrenic atmosphere of making music and night and art within the day. His fellow peers told him that he should choose between the two. His disregarded this remark and stated that his work explores non musicians of the amateur sonically minded artists. He believes sound art has a pontinance, and some of his pieces bring categories together.

Further exploring the limits of documentary film-making, through countercultural figures, and often making complex layered portraits of these. Therefore hoping to retell history and revealing conflict, his piece is currently on show within the Art Centres window gallery; The Poor Stockinger, the Luddite Cropper and the Deluded Followers of Joanna Southcott. Within most of his videos he works with a handheld 16mm camera, filming predominantly in domestic places, stating that video art doesn’t have to be like what Roy Douglas does. Explaining that seeing the genesis of the practice being a turn away of the use of the camera, looking at late 80’s early 90’s research based practices alike Black Audio Film Collective. This was very crucial to him,, as he noted that there was no history of experimental film in Glasgow. He used the example of Margerie Tate, who lived in Hockney, and has only just been discovered.

His interest in structural film making came from the point of exclusion, from the text books at art school. He enjoys the exploration of the relationship to free cinema through personal documentaries on 16mm camera’s. He believes Documentary motivates as a catalyst to work against. Using comprehensive knowledge of traditional documentary he can see heritage as he tells people about his life. Working against the idea that Documentary has been corrupted by formulas and pressures, that is now moved into something that has lost its strength and has become criticised over the past 40 years.

A comment which really resinated with me during his talk was when Fowler stated ‘Artists are no more less free than anyone else… they still have to make a living.’ When asked the question does it matter if people watch his video’s. I feel this is an important point which Fowler made, as although we would like to make work we aren’t fully free in our expressions of our practice as we still need for it to get coverage, or grants for us to be able to fund and continue our practice.

He believes each film is a challenge for him to make a  new invention and a personal challenge for him to do something in a new way. A Grammar For Listening was a dialogue making a negotiation with their instrument of microphone and his instrument a Bolex. Within this piece it’s a concentration of the hsaring of sounds, using and indelible mark on the representation of reality. The link here is the collaboration, and the challenges of new people, not hte video’s.

He spoke about how thing’s happen in the most odd ways, for example how he ended up collaborating with Toshiya Tsunoda. It began when Fowler was the driver for Tsunoda, Fowler offered to drive Tsunoda round Scotland in the exchange of being allowed to film. On their journeys they would speak about film, art and music. Tsunoda gave Fowler a CD with his address on it, and it wasn’t until Fowler was asked to go to Yokohama a year later, he made the connection to the address and decided to write to Tsunoda, and Tsunoda wrote back, saying how surprised he was that Fowler would be in his home town, as he thought he was just a driver. Tsunoda’s work also looks at investigation of place and documentation of this. Also touching on how our subjectivity colours our impression of a place. He made snapshots that had no relevance to musicality, narrowing to looking at phenomena’s and how they come about. asking the question is there any such thing as an intrinsic mark permanent to a place or was it down to social and environmental factors?

Furthermore, within his practice he doesn’t set out to make comprehensive portraits, he looks at arguments that fascinate or relate to him and delves into those chapters that are often neglected by aspects of culture. He see’s film is more about self education. For him especially, he never went to uni, but he was educated through his family. As in Dundee there was more emphasis on art history and research than making physical practice. His films are more autodidactic and deal with the question of image and the archive.
Fowler went on to talk about how you present your work, believing you must have meticulous instructions of what you want ‘otherwise they do the ‘shitest’ productions of your work.’ He see’s himself as the custodial car taker of his work, and therefore how it is shown. IF people want to show his pieces and don’t have the equipment he will try and work it out with them. This stems from the fact he really cares for the audience and how the work is shown, so that they have the bets context to see the work, that way they see the work in the  best possible way.

When displaying his films, he looks at disrupting the conventional mode of viewing cinema, which is passive through a screen, it’s pre-recorder and alterable of conditions within the room. He wanted to do something that fucked with the transposable space. Like moving screens, lights that go on and off, sounds that change, as your presence, your air, changed the way the room is being perceived. In relation to his exhibition at Plymouth Arts Center, The Poor Stockinger, the Luddite Cropper and the Deluded Followers of Joanna Southcott, he commented that if he had known they had  cinema, this is where his piece would have been shown as he felt it seemed displaced where it was.

Often his work things further about the audience, using the example of a book he was reading about American subcultural studies by Thomas Steel, he asks what is intrinsic to the sensors about adult education and social perfectness, and how do you grab the attention of someone who is working all day and then have to go to and evening class. He resolves this issue by making a connection to what they’re living and how their apply his work to their life. Caroline asked Fowler how he considers the audience when viewing his pieces, as people will look at a paining for two seconds how does he get them to sit and watch a film of about 6o minutes. In reply to this Fowler questions that someone wouldn’t question sitting for hours watching Madman or breaking Bad, so he doesn’t feel as if he’s taking away their time. Stating he doesn’t really care if people watch his film or not.

He addressed my question, would the experience be different if the film was seen as a one off? By  mentioning that people find distractions inmost things, yet only the dedicated viewers would pay to see it twice, yet if they were seeing a film in the cinema they would regard it as different. Overall, I found the talk very interesting, and although it were partially scripted, Fowler spoke genuinely about his work, and his concepts. Later in the evening after his performance I asked him about the talk, and the way it was set out, he mentioned he didn’t know what it was going to be set up like, as the setup of the space made me feel it was more of a performance installation, he said this was not intentional and that, he didn’t specifically want it to be seen in this way.

Tony Plant –

AA2A Scheme:

Jason Hirons begin by introducing the AA2A scheme, which has been running from 2004/2005 nationally. It is aimed for artist mid career that are out of education and have been for at least a  year. Plymouth college of art choose 4 artists a year, the artists are allowed to use the facilities, studios, equipment etc. The scheme is run by 28 college’s and universities over England, this opportunity allows artist to use equipment they wouldn’t normally have available to them, furthermore helping them to fund their practice. It is also beneficial to the institution as the artists are encouraged to interact with the students allowing the chance to share and widen each-other’s knowledge bank and networks.

Photograph of Tony Plant,
Available at:
Tony Plant’s DAILY DIGITAL SKETCHBOOK

Tony Plant:

Tony Plant is one for the four selected artists for Plymouth College of Art’s AA2A Scheme, he is an artists who predominantly works with landscapes. He began by talking about how over the last few years things have changed; due to internet. This is opening up a world of opportunities, brought in with news, from the outside (especially for him.) Increasingly opportunities are presenting themselves. He uses the AA2A scheme as an example stating that it helps him with the making of large contemporary work. As a lot of him time is spent on proposing the work that will not effect the environment.

Plant lives in Newquay, he speaks about the process of figuring out what to say; when to say it and how to say it. Explaining it’s increasingly necessary to talk-about yourself, on a website, put yourself online, with genuine information. He then began to talk again about his work. After speaking about how often he gets asked the question ‘What does it feel like to see your work get washed away?’ In reply to this question he speaks about how the way he looks at landscape is different to the majority of people, he looks interactively; a place to be, to move to, to travel across to.

Alot of his influences came from him being a surfer from a very young age, he shows an example of a 960low, he says how it is a spectacular thing to watch, he would get excited about this. You could use the maps to determine where he is and what he would be doing in 3-4 days time. Similarily to this he shows a satellite image of iceland, the shape isn’t confined to borders, it goes where it wants, you have to work accordingly and be accepting. He takes this approach within his work.

His drawing’s depend on the specific beach, he uses the example of a beach he has wanted to draw for years, with a 0.3m tide, a 12 second wave period, 14ft well. The bank this specific beach has been formed by the wave action, Plant works with this in mind, the understanding is the piece will be gone before he finishes; It wont last, it’s ever changing alike the landscape.

A photograph of Sand Art, Tony Plant
Available at:
prafulla.net

He fills the space, working with the time between a low tide, looking at filling space successfully, balance of intention, area’s and light. This why he uses curves at this point when it becomes an image. He begins by working out the tide, with no intention of one piece of work, he makes something thats a response to the place he is working in, he will stay for hours sometimes days to work out where the camera needs to be etc. In some ways he curates the space, working out where things are and what needs to be realised, i.e rocks, cliff space etc. he creates his drawings by dragging a rake, this way he is always moving into new space. It’s not as symmetrical as you think they are, your perceptions do this. He doesn’t mark them out anymore, its not about that, he wants to see what it looks like if he does make it, always asking himself what happens if?

He shows his work through time lapses, due to the variety of photographs from his pieces. Taking one shot every two sections, at 25 frames a second. People engage with this a lot, his piece TURN was Short listed for London Surf Film Festival 2012 shown at Riverside Studios London and was also shown in the Cornwall Film Festival in 2012.

His interest in art began when he studied Scientific integral graphics, at a school in St Austel, he remembers visiting the gallery downstairs when Richard long had an exhibition on and he ‘just got it.’  He then travelled and got involved with some art colleges. He came back and worked out he was interested in Fine art, he went to Goldsmiths, spoke to the dean, to which he was given the advice you know what you got to do but you have no cash.  Looking back, the reason he does landscape non precious work is because he doesn’t like the prescriptive need for work to be approved by people, he likes to make work that will disappear.

He mentions Kickstarter, a crowd funder for creative projects; a social platform. Through Kickstarter he raised the money to but a remote control helicopter and a Go Pro, so that he was more able to document his pieces, due to the increasing interest in his photographs taken with Height, these have ended up around the world with people showing vast interest.

He spoke about how he is currently experimenting with seeing through the absences of things, he explained that he went to a beach to work on a light drawing and could hear noises, he was surprised he could be so scared in a place he knew so well. He wants to explore this further.

Overall, the lecture was very genuine, but was quite hard to follow as it wasn’t very organised, not knowing where photo’s were of pieces he was referencing, and often repeating himself. Plant made  point of talking about how all he wants to do is make work, to change what people see. Yet he find it difficult to time manage as a short film of 3-4mins in length, takes a lot of time to put together from the shots, so a lot of his time is committed to the processing of the work. A large impact on his life stems from his wife getting breast cancer 7 years ago, and he continued making work, it allowed him to think and re-asses what he was doing and why. He mentioned how their was no guilt involved in what he does, a good day is to come back with nothing to show for it; as the work goes out beyond himself. Personally I feel as if with the sand piece’s it is hard for them to not look repetitive , as he gets used to the same routine and when you move down onto the beach the space is different, so previous planning is hard to contain. Yet I enjoy the fact he changes where he does these piece’s and when he mentioned he wanted to try some more in there environments with snow or liquidated cow manure. I feel as if his work reflects an attempt to take away the concentration from technology and allow people to realise their faded interest in whats happening around him.

Bibliography:

 

Aa2a.org. 2013. AA2A – Artists Access to Art Colleges – Home. [online] Available at: http://www.aa2a.org/ [Accessed: 20 Nov 2013].

Canvases, G. 2013. Prafulla.net – Art – Geometric Sand Drawings by Environmental Artist Tony Plant at the Beaches of England as Canvases. [online] Available at: http://prafulla.net/graphics/art-graphics/sand-art-by-environmental-artist-tony-plant-at-the-beaches-of-england-as-canvases/ [Accessed: 20 Nov 2013].

Gopro.com. 2013. GoPro | World’s most Versatile Camera | HERO3+ Black Edition. [online] Available at: http://gopro.com/ [Accessed: 20 Nov 2013].

Kickstarter.com. 2013. What is Kickstarter — Kickstarter. [online] Available at: http://www.kickstarter.com/hello?ref=nav [Accessed: 20 Nov 2013].

Tonyplant.co.uk. 2013. Tony Plant – Artist – Water & Paint. [online] Available at: http://www.tonyplant.co.uk/ [Accessed: 20 Nov 2013].

Vimeo.com. 2013. Tony Plant on Vimeo. [online] Available at: http://vimeo.com/channels/tonyplant [Accessed: 20 Nov 2013].

Alan Smith – Allanheads Contemporary Art, Allenheads

Allan Smith is an artist and the Creative Director of Allenheads Contemporary Arts in Allenheads, Hexham, Northumberland, established in 1994; in the hope to create new opportunities for artists and new works. He has previously worked alongside Edith in a curatorial project Platform P at the Duke in 2011.

A photograph of The Old Schoolhouse, Allenhead
Available at:
http://www.acart.org.uk/aboutus.html

Alienhead:

Alan talks about it is crucial for him and his partner Helen Ratcliff, to have people that can feed them as artists, so that they can become equal and have power.  He explains that although it is a wonderful place to live at first it was a difficult place to make work. in comparison to where he had previously lived in New York. Due to things always moving whereas, in Allenheads there isn’t much movement.

A photograph of view from Old school house, Allenhead,
Available at:
http://www.acart.org.uk/aboutus.html

When he first moved he tried to paint the landscapes, as he thought that was what artists should do, this didn’t work so he threw the canvases outside. A few days later when walking his dogs he walked past the rubble of paintings and one particular painting in specific caught his eye. When he looked closer there was dirt and mould growing over the canvas, this was the realisation to him that things were happening in Allenhead. He talked about how when you go into a new place you almost put an Allienhead on. You think you know what’s going on but invert-idly it is something else. You have to go to it’s pace to engage with it.

A photograph of the view from Allenhead,
Available at:
http://www.acart.org.uk/page5.html

This brought him to ask himself to consider feelings and understand the landscape and its relevance to you; or if an aspect is relevant. ‘Always go in with open eyes and a blank head, but don’t deny your knowledge bank.’

He often would take a students to the grouse hunting ranges, and blind fold them on the journey to the space. This challenges differences in landscapes, by blindfolding them is allows decompression, and he promotes silence. Allowing no camera’s, phones or other device’s he would exclaim ‘ You are the recording device.’ By leaving them on their own for an hour or so, then retrieving them all, and placing them in a group they would collectively talk about what it was like. This promoted various background expressions on the experiences, and their differences when discussing these experiences, this therefore assisted a collective understanding of the experience. He noted that an empty landscape allows a student to view their perceptions of size compares to their normally non rural landscapes filled with lamposts and other objects.

When speaking about Allenhead, after showing us pictures he reminded us that the weather wasn’t always sunshine and blue skies, often you were up in the clouds, and he enjoyed this word play, and that the winters were extreme and ofter reclusive.

Education:

He bases his working from an old victorian schoolhouse, that is divided into sections: accommodation, school house, headmaster’s court (where Alan and his partner live) and a Gallery space. When they first arrived no one really believed int he arts, so they really had to push their idea’s forwards. Amongst Alan there are other teachers, he gave the example of Allen Dubsen, an eco taxonomist, who makes courses for people and locals to look and understand their immediate environment. Dubsen talks about the behaviour of plants and their surrounding altitude on Fungi forages.

A photograph of the Old School House, Allenhead
Available at:
http://www.acart.org.uk/index.html

Smith and the Allenheads Contemporary Art (ACA) work alongside various departments from universities and colleges, from Ba students to Ma students and recent graduates, helped to promote the interpretations of peoples notions towards place and environment and the contemporary issues surrounding this, he hopes to allow student to challenge stereotypical perceptions. Some of the activities he does with student’s include navigation projects, suing navigation helmets, connected to oranges through hoops int he ceiling, this related to how we find out way around a place, and what we require to navigate, he explains how you can tell where a person is by the positioning of the oranges.

Alongside this Alan also teaches in the Life work Art program at Newcastle University, running projects with schools and creative partnerships, helping to further engage pupils.

The village:

Allenhead is England’s highest village at 1350 feet, with the population of around 200 people, just an hour away from Newcastle and various other cities. With  one pub, one cafe, one mechanic, one contemporary arts venue, not a competitive place to live. In 2007 the ACA put it to the trust who run the old village shop and post office, they converted it into an open studio and exhibitions space which also houses films, performances and workshops, he feels it gives a presence to the village being situated in the center, this is when they felt they had started to establish themselves within the village.

As part of a residency this space was used as a studio for two students, with free accommodation in exchange for 4 hours work a day. It is from this space and the school house that innovative projects are developed and presented to a wide audience varying from farmers, dentists, artists, believing they are providing something really ‘rich.’

The first exhibition was by Andrew Wilson, to which they asked the community to give in an object of importance to them, hoping to build a collection of individual histories. After the exhibitions these items were to be collected of donated as a form of trading, in ex-change for the item they previously put into the exhibition, this exhibition was called Trading Post. 

Alongside this the Allenheads compiled a playlist made up of people in the communities top 10 songs, collecting various tastes of music, this playlist The Allenheads music collection was played in the ACA shop and can still be listened to on the following link http://www.acart.org.uk/acasounds.html

These sorts of activities help to build the tremendous relationships with the local community as when the ACA begun no one wanted to fund it, the arts council had said you don’t have the catchment, Alan and his wife thought screw this, we can make it happen. They learnt from experience the first exhibition was a ‘white cube exhibition’ with wine and beer and it failed dramatically. With the next exhibition they had a large pot of stew, a barrel of beer, and the event ‘party’ worked so well… from this event the word got out that if you go to Allenheads you’ll have an amazing time. The turning point was when a person from the art council came to an exhibition and were stood outside as it was so busy they couldn’t get it, he said ‘I’ve got to say that’s what you have to do, you will always have to prove something to somebody.’

Artists:

The ACA began working with James Turrell after the Arts council got in touch asking would they represent the project, Smith worked with James to photograph the landscape, this helped to prove to locals it would fit in. In the end the project failed as no one wanted to commit who was in power due to the controversy surrounding it, Smith stated it was mainly due to politicians being pr savvy and pr cynical. The project was taken from them after they had found land and location; a quarry fly tipping dump and even had money for maintenance, but the project went to Kilda and became focused around architecture and now astronomy. Smith felt that the council decided to put it somewhere were people wouldn’t question it, which he feel isn’t what it should be about.

Other artists Smith the ACA have worked with are Helen Smith, with her series of paintings of architecture drawings on how to build a village hall, changing these designs by speaking to people, he showed us the example of a place to laugh and play table tennis. Helen Wakeham, in her parachute project, to be viewed from from gardens of through projections in the classroom, of the drop from camera’s.

Pete Evans, who previously worked at space xx, with his residency Base Elements. Evans references Einstein’s theory from 1905 Formerly known as the equation E=mc2. Further looking into the transformation of matter and it’s mass-energy’s ability to transform from one state to another yet cannot be destroyed or created. Questioning sciences role in comparison to emotional matters in a persons understanding of the world around us. By looking further than science at the immovable objects that are constantly surrounding us, in relation to Allenhead this meant the development of materials that were within the valleys and various surroundings.

A photograph of A panel study for installation Base Elements, 2008
Available at:
http://unseencolourfield.blogspot.co.uk/

Kypros Kyprianou, also for the residency Base Elements, created a car boot sale Periodic table made out of objects collected from car boot sales, which were mainly compounded of each element, and ordered by their ordering within the periodic table. £142 was made from the selling of elements. An A-Z guide of objects to elements can be found at : http://www.electronicsunset.org/node/459

A photograph of A Car Boot Sale of The Elements, 2007/8
Available at:
http://www.electronicsunset.org/node/1339

Smith also mentioned as part of a project called The future 2, 3&4,  David Lisser, asked What will the future hold for us; food. Working in Allenhead he made a connection to the vast amount of midges and that the oil and gas supplies would be far gone for a remote village. With extremely cold winters the extinction on larger animals and less fresh produce, he related back to Normadic tribes by making Midge-catchers, or in his case a Midge catcher hut. As he had previously discovered they are highly nutritious. He then made these into midge burgers and sold them at the exhibition, yet only needing to make small burgers as they are so nutritious. Lisser called this piece The Midge Catcher’s House.

A photograph of a Midge burger, 2013
Available at:
http://www.acart.org.uk/futures234.html

In comparison, for the same project, Smith made a piece called 2045, as his approach to the future. He believed that although things will change we will still be doing the same thing. He used the example that before smart phones you had to look someone in the eye and say I love you, but now you are doing the same but with the technological advancements.

His piece 2045, number of years after. Approach to idea of future, things will change but we will still be doing the same thing. Before smart phones you had to still look someone in the face and say I love you… Technology advancement. It was set close to home in his village Allenheads, with its precious plant life nurtured in domestic Poly Tunnels.

‘For the content of the video I have drawn on the 1972 film Silent Running, in which a future is depicted when all plant life on Earth has been made extinct. Only a few species have been preserved in enormous, greenhouse-like domes attached to a fleet of space ships, with the intent of eventual return to earth for the reforestation of the planet.’ – Smith, 2013

A Image of 2045, 2013
Available at:
http://www.acart.org.uk/futures234.html

This exhibition also including Liam Murray, aimed to explore their personal invisions of what the future would look like, challenging the public to look past the comfortable limitations of our human abilities.  Smith mentioned  that links occur by working with people from other fields.

An image of Liam Murrays, Hypothesis Non Fingo,2013
Available at:
http://www.acart.org.uk/futures234.html

Arturas Raila, worked in Allenheads on the final chapter of his piece Power of the Earth, which had been worked on for 3 years in various places including Berlin. Ralia brought over Lithuanian Jonas Trinkunas and pagan family who carried out a Pagan ritual on the top of a hill, to mark the opening of Ralia’s exhibition in Allenhead, that displayed large geo-energy flow maps, alongside photographs of the landscape. This project caused some controversy from the village locals due to it being a Christian community, and the locals wondering why they were in the community. 

A photograph of a Pagan Ritual, Allenhead,
Available at:
http://www.acart.org.uk/page22.html

For Migrating art residency, Alan Smith made the piece 5% as far as the eye can see. This piece originated from Smiths thinking that :
‘How does someone living in ‘England’s last wilderness’, with its big skies and 360 degree views, make sense of the idea that there is another 95% out there that cannot be felt or seen?’ – Smith, 2013

14 other artists joined him with asking similar questions, prior to the residency Smith engaged in conversations with physicist Dr. Peter Edwards, who claimed the universe is made up of 27% dark matter and 68% dark energy an 5%seeing, an oceanographer Nicholas Owens, the led his practice into conversations with two zen monks who believe meditation allows you to look inwards to the 95% that is missing. Smith enjoyed these contrasting arguments for the missing 95% and believe it’s as important to look outside as inside, and that they weren’t aiming to become scientists yet the practitioners methodologies helped them to develop and question their practice. He asks the question Can imagination and creativity help us make sense of the inexplicable? and further states that he likes to make things as an artist as he doesn’t understand things around him. When he works it out it upsets him. Like the carrot dangling infront of him. He’s an artist maybe its right for him to consider what it means to understand it. He also asks just because you can’t see something does it mean its not there or real.

They found by putting this stuff out there it allowed people to talk about the different experiences by referencing them. Gravity boots, story boxing only allowed to read if you go back.to place. Umbrella. Performances. Contemplation spaces.

Furthermore, he like’s to think and consider what it means to him to live on this world. Asking the question Can imagination and creativity help us to make sense of the inexplicable? Projects don’t come.out of air, a shut load.of work and are all linked together somehow.If for any reason you can’t do something, adversity, go home and your brain will figure it out. He stated Make work that’s relevant to you. Not just because you saw something in a magazine.

Contact:

http://www.acart.org.uk
http://www.alansmith.org.uk

alanshead@acart.org.uk

References:

Acart.org.uk. 2013. futures234. [online] Available at: http://www.acart.org.uk/futures234.html [Accessed: 24 Oct 2013].

Colourfield, I., Colourfield, I. and Profile, V. 2008. Base elements 1.2. [online] Available at: http://unseencolourfield.blogspot.co.uk/ [Accessed: 24 Oct 2013].

Electronicsunset.org. 2013. Base Elements | Hollington & Kyprianou. [online] Available at: http://www.electronicsunset.org/node/356 [Accessed: 24 Oct 2013].

Electronicsunset.org. 2013. An A-Z guide to the elements | Hollington & Kyprianou. [online] Available at: http://www.electronicsunset.org/node/459 [Accessed: 24 Oct 2013].

Migaa.eu. 2013. Migrating Art Academies | Review: 5% as far as the eye can see. [online] Available at: http://www.migaa.eu/review-5-as-far-as-the-eye-can-see/ [Accessed: 24 Oct 2013].

Newsandstar.co.uk. 2013. News & Star | Pagan ceremony launches art show. [online] Available at: http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/pagan-ceremony-launches-art-show-1.184124?referrerPath=home/2.1962 [Accessed: 24 Oct 2013].

Raila.lt. 2013. Power of the Earth / Artūras Raila. [online] Available at: http://www.raila.lt/power-of-the-earth/ [Accessed: 24 Oct 2013].

Chris Green – In what order does it matter that it happens

Chris Green is a contemporary artist originally from Peckham, in South East London. He began his presentation by naming it ‘In what order does it matter that things happen?’ Although he stated he doesn’t like to conform to writing an artist statement the best way he could describe his practice was that he is predominantly a painter, who is informed by living in the world and working within the studio. He described that references act as anchors; although often well worn and rusted sometimes. His works change and are open to revision and interpretation, and he values the experience of viewers coming into contact of his work for the first time. It was through his studies and living with other creative people that he found his passion towards ‘making’. Green, Bobbly Dowler, James Balmforth, Oliver Griffin and Shaun McGowell begun to make exhibitions within their huge Victorian-period house, that had previously been occupied by squatters, 78 Lyndhurst Way.  Overall they exhibited 55 artists’ work, in 9 exhibitions over 11 months in 2007. The house became a suitable gallery space, open to colleagues, friends and the public that had either heard about these exhibitions or seen pieces of work that were displayed in the front garden. He called these the Lyndhurst Way House exhibitions. One of these exhibitions, SHOOT THE LOBSTER then went on to be re-made in the Martos Gallery, New York. Green spoke about the difficulties around getting these pieces abroad, especially James Balmforth’s piece Exchange, due to the materials it had been made from (gallum and brass) and its knife like form. If the piece were to be touched it would loose its form.

Photograph of interior of 78 Lyndhurst Way
Available at:
http://www.spaceplatform.net/mainpage.html

Photograph of interior of 78 Lyndhurst Way
Available at:
http://www.spaceplatform.net/mainpage.html

It was from these exhibitions at Lyndhurst Way that Green found himself in contact with The Hannah Barry Gallery in London where he was asked to present a solo show in 2010.  In this exhibition, Together Afar, Green showed a selection of work that he had created over the past two years, selecting from a choice of 30 paintings. He explained how some of his pieces were triptychs, and as part of his exhibition he designed the modernist inspired benches.

A Photograph of Christopher Green’s solo exhibition, Together Afar, 2010
Available at:
http://www.hannahbarry.com/exhibitions/together_afar/

It was in 2013, when Green and Bobby Dowler were invited back to the Hannah Barry Gallery, 110 New Bond Street, for a new exhibition. Green and Dowler had been friends for around 11 years and had been exhibiting work together since the start of Lyndhurst Way. In the show ‘ (…)their respective practices [are] imbued with a kindred spirit of adventure and experiment. While their works are easily distinguishable from each other in terms of their formal qualities, they are united by their commitment to openness and ambiguity in the process of their creation. The composition of these works is guided by the achievement of what Green describes as an “arrived logic”.’ – Wherevent.com 2013. FOR MADMEN ONLY! | Bobby Dowler and Christopher Green. [press release] 2013.

A photograph of For Mad Men Only, 2013
Available at:
http://www.christophergreen.org.uk/

Green and Dowler have also worked with Hannah Barry in Two-Person Show: Bobby Dowler & Christopher Green for the Hannah Barry booth at Art Brussels in 2013.  Green talks about himself taking an artist as a curator role with this exhibition as he designed the desk and chairs used by the gallerist, He explained how the chairs had come from their previous project space, Lyndhurst Way.

A Photograph from Two-Person Show: Bobby Dowler & Christopher Green, 2013
Available at:
http://www.christophergreen.org.uk/

As well as his most recent artist residency in Tuscany, with four other artists over summer 2013, Green also completed an artist residency at a the temporary Plymouth based art project Space 11 in 2011. In preparation of his residency Green asked the people of Plymouth to fill out a form or to email a description of their favourite colour. Throughout his residency he worked with mixing his own interpretations of these colours, he then translated them into PS11, and painted them directly onto the walls of the space. This project was to be completed by the end of his residency and would challenge the changeability of perception. Green spoke about how he had aimed the title to bring out peoples associations with colours. He named it Swings and Roundabouts – Fish & The Fruits Paintings (To the people of Plymouth City Market). It was from this work that he created a publication for the artist’s 2011 residency project at Project Space 11 Plymouth for which he scanned the paper he had mixed the colours on, and showed photographs of these colours being used within the project space.

A photograph of pages of the catalogue for the artist’s 2011 residency project at Project Space 11 Plymouth, Swings and Roundabouts – Fish & The Fruits Paintings (To the people of Plymouth City Market) 2011
Available at:
http://www.christophergreen.org.uk/publications.html

A photograph of pages of the catalogue for the artist’s 2011 residency project at Project Space 11 Plymouth, Swings and Roundabouts – Fish & The Fruits Paintings (To the people of Plymouth City Market) 2011
Available at:
http://www.christophergreen.org.uk/publications.html

I found within Green’s presentation it was inspiring to learn about a group of people who were successful in setting up their own gallery. Additionally they had dedicated themselves to networking via solo and international exhibitions. I however have difficulty within his work when he starts talking about the materials he had used but avoided talking about the context behind his pieces. He stated that there was ‘no specific intent’ when making his paintings, which contradicted what he had previously spoken about in his artists’ statement.

A photograph of Christopher Green’s piece Life during-after wartime
2012-2013,
Available at:
http://www.christophergreen.org.uk/works.html

After viewing some of Green’s pieces it was obvious he was interested in the development of colour, texture and materials (brasso, acryclics, oil etc).

This was a common theme throughout his exhibitions and residencies.
He made it appear that his work isn’t focused on concept and when questioned seemed unsure of his own work saying ‘I think it referenced a doodle I was doing… maybe?’ Upon being asked about the canvas preference in relation to his pieces he replied ’I just relate to the size and make something out of it.’
Overall, it seemed odd to me that he didn’t give a lot of meaning to his pieces, and that they seemed purely expressive. When I asked the question ‘Do you think your graphics design education and background has influenced your art as it seems to be more about aesthetics than context?,’ he shortly replied with ‘I’d rather make something than do nothing.’ I feel as if Green is making for makes sake.

Bibliography:

Christophergreen.org.uk. 2013. Christopher Green – artist UK. [online] Available at: http://www.christophergreen.org.uk/ [Accessed: 23 Oct 2013].

Hannahbarry.com. 2013. For Madmen Only! Bobby Dowler & Christopher Green – Exhibitions – Hannah Barry Gallery, London. [online] Available at: http://www.hannahbarry.com/exhibitions/for_madmen_only_bobby_dowler_and_christopher_green/ [Accessed: 23 Oct 2013].

Hannahbarry.com. 2013. Together Afar – Exhibitions – Hannah Barry Gallery, London. [online] Available at: http://www.hannahbarry.com/exhibitions/together_afar/ [Accessed: 23 Oct 2013].

Project Space 11. 2013. Artists in Residence. [online] Available at: http://e-leven.co.uk/past/artists-in-res/ [Accessed: 23 Oct 2013].

Shootthelobster.com. 2013. SHOOT THE LOBSTER | PECKHAMNEWYORKPARIS. [online] Available at: http://www.shootthelobster.com/exhibitions/peckhamnewyorkparis.html [Accessed: 23 Oct 2013].

Spaceplatform.net. 2013. Lyndhurst Way. [online] Available at: http://www.spaceplatform.net/mainpage.html [Accessed: 23 Oct 2013].

Wherevent.com 2013. FOR MADMEN ONLY! | Bobby Dowler and Christopher Green. [press release] 2013.

Wherevent.com. 2013. FOR MADMEN ONLY! | Bobby Dowler and Christopher Green : Wherevent. [online] Available at: http://www.wherevent.com/detail/Hannah-Barry-Gallery-FOR-MADMEN-ONLY-Bobby-Dowler-and-Christopher-Green [Accessed: 23 Oct 2013].