31 October 2011

Research Folio

Over the 2 years of the MA Drawing course I will be keeping a Research Folio of interesting things,  and probably a lot of thoughts. I have been wondering how this should look but have now decided to just get on with it and to begin here.

Anri Sala at the Serpentine Gallery in Hyde Park
An exhibition of sound/performance/film/sculpture and light.
This is the first time I had seen/heard his work and initially I am a little confused inside the installation. I try not to read too much information prior to looking, as I like to understand it on my own terms first.
A snare drum is playing on it's own, a pair of rubber hands moving in a set way in a darkened room and in the next room a film. The large windows of the serpentine are covered, cut out slots allowed light to filter in casting patterns. Looking through the slots I can see different chunks of the park. In the film somebody was slowly feeding disorganised pieces of slotted card into a barrel organ creating chopped up sound. Moving on through a dark space and into the next room, a film followed a man wandering around outside a neglected and graffitti covered building, he is carrying a box and winding the handle to play 'should I stay or should I go'.
Now that I recognise the music, I feel a little more comfortable and begin to enjoy how the sounds from each room mix as they pass through the spaces. A real saxophonist begins playing adding to this mixture, unfortunately the mini barrel organ in the window isn't working.

The visual ambiguity of slots of light (the same pattern as the music score) that create both the patterns inside the room and snapshots of outside simultaneously are interesting. These combined with the quiet visual film footage and mixture of sounds leaking through from the separate room spaces, all evoke a very specific atmosphere. It is both a moving and at the same time enjoyable experience.

Anri Sala, exhibition of sound,performance and sculpture

http://www.serpentinegallery.org/2011/03/anri_sala.html

15 October 2011

The first week- Thursday

It's been a very busy summer with few visits to the studio, I have started my MA Drawing course and I am excited. On Thursday all MA students and staff took part in the 'One Minute Showcase'.

   

I showed 'Large Spiral and gave a one minute introduction:

'My intention here is to make images that can physically affect a viewer. This one needed to be large to fill your visual space and be a continuous and slow movement. I experimented to find the right weight of the marks and how they should sit on the paper and used the charcoal in a simple and direct way to avoid unnecessary tinkering.
 I am interested in how people might respond to abstract drawings and how there is often an immediate connection. A sort of alternative recognition.'

 I had wanted to add a funny bit (but the minute ran out) about how drawing spirals had had a physical effect on me...it had caused extreme drowsiness. I think I might have discovered a cure for insomniacs!

Pins



I just found a first edition, the only book published on the subject, who would think there was so much to know on Pins & Pincushions. It's a wonderful book