Research on 'Little Whitehead'

'It happened in the corner' 2007, Plaster/Wax/Foam/Hair/Clothes

Little Whitehead 

When speaking to Stephen Boyd he gave me this artists name to research . In my final piece I wanted to engage the audience and trigger a reaction, therefore I am going to look into 'Little Whitehead' and their strategic use of sculpture to prompt a reaction from their audience. 

'It happened in the corner' 

When Little Whitehead created this piece, the inspiration came from the city's working class and post industrial culture. The dark humorous sculptures explore the phenomenon of violence as an increasingly normalized means to identity and community. This piece is an installation of a gang of hoodies congregated in a thug-pack stance. In their presence the viewer is made a complicit witness to banal terror, while the predators are similarly made victims, silenced and stilled, staying in the corner, a hunting site of Blair Witch-cycle urban legend monstrosity. 

After producing my piece for the exhibition concentrating on a similar topic to Little Whitehead which is also looking at the 'Hierarchy System' and society's class division, I am really inspired by his way to draw an audience closer. 

Its really interesting that he has focused on the working class and taken its dark humor and presented it in a way that would attract attention and make the viewer go up and see whats happening  Whereas, if this was happening on the streets we may be more inclined to pass by ignoring the gang. Therefore, space in the exhibition in my opinion is a crucial aspect to this illusion. 

I tried to do the same thing with my group of actors and sculpture. By placing the pieces in corners of the exhibition, it draws attention from the audience as there are mulitipul piece creating a dey-ja-vu feeling. 

I am intrigued on how Little Whitehead channeled fear and terror from a static piece which is extremely interesting. 

I definatly want to keep looking into this society division that Little Whitehead has captured and the reasons behind it! 

Also I am going to do some research into the 'Blair Witch-cycle urban legend'. 

"http://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/little_whitehead.htm?section_name=new_britannia"

Exhibiting & Curating Feedback From Level 4

Level 4 Feedback 

I sat down with Anna Francis and she explained my feedback to me from the Exhibiting and Curating Module: 

Exhibiting & Curating Key Points 

• My diary is quite good, it is great to see that I have recorded the process as I had gone along 
• The diary is terribly reflective and does not go into any real in depth analysis about critical themes emerging from the group activity 
• I demonstrated the ability to explore theoretical issues raised by the exhibition content, so it would be good to see this in the diary or in another written form 
• The very brave and interesting approach taken by me and my team was admirable, and although may not have suited all, I clearly took a leading role in the organisation and bringing together of the team 
• My catalogue showed a lot of ambition and attempting to bind it myself was a brave move
• With my catalogue, the choice of paper stock has created an unsightly rippling effect on the paper and has also led to some bleeding through of images 

Overall 

Looking at the feedback given for this module, if I was to make another diary then I would make sure that I go in depth and describe the critical themes. Also include some of the theoretical issues that were raised during the exhibition, this can also be placed in the diary. 

Also, when creating the catalogue I need to keep practicing book binding to give it more of a professional outcome. In addition to this, finding a better paper stock would be officiant. 

So overall, in the diary make sure that I include everything but go into depth and don't just skim over. Plus keep practicing book binding. 

Studio Feedback From Level 4

Level 4 Feedback

During the feedback session with Stephen Boyd there were some positive elements and also some areas I need to look into: 

Studio Practice Key Points

• Strong evidence of skill acquisition in relation to casting and three-dimensional figurative modeling. 
• Use of FOUND OBJECTS IN CONJUNCTION WITH CASTING ELEMENTS produces a form of figurative realism. 
• Need to have a look at 'Little Whitehead' (use of sculpture that channels a debate) 
• There is a better interplay between research and practice, opening up issues of compassion, fatigue and cohesion in society against the back-beat of the free market 
• Keep reading and understanding the language of art 
• Look into Realism in order to test an audience 
• Keep consulting with members of staff for advice and carry on engaging in studio debates 
• My informality when looking at the text in my previous blog doesn't connect with the formality of a hardback
• Me and Dan seem to have operated in collusion to both mystify and entertain the audience. 
• In relation to my final piece, if I had casted the whole sculpture in resin, the realism in the work would have suffered. Look at artists like 'Duane Michaels' as he forfeits some aspects of realism for craft proficiency in those poly-chromatic figurative sculptures. 

Overall

Looking back at the feedback and various elements that I could take from last years work, I like the idea of using found objects but in conjunction with professional materials e.g. resin. Also I need to look further into realism. 

There are a few artists that I need to look into, one being Little Whitehead and the other Duane Michaels as both use sculpture within their work. 

I do like the idea of testing an audience as it was fun during the final exhibition and an area I would like to proceed with. 

Finally, with wanting to continue using found objects along with professional materials I need to find the link into various issues in society. 

Final Year Exhibition

Final Piece 

Sculpture made using wire, acrylic, resin and expanding foam.

Performer mirroring the sculpture. 

My exhibition piece consisted of two pieces, one piece being a sculpture and the other a performance. I believed that homeless people were ignored and forgotten about in society, therefore I started to play with the minds of the viewers and wanted to make them noticed.
I placed the sculpture along with two performers dotted in different corners of the exhibition. The performers every 15 minutes would get up and mingle with the viewers acting like they are also viewing the exhibition. The feedback I had was it created a sense of mystery as they were unsure whether the performers were the sculpture vice verser. (Explained in depth in my previous blog)
I related this piece to society and capitalism. When doing some research in depth it gave me an insight into class division. Class division is where 'for one to succeed, one has to be less fortunate'. Also the reason for placing the actors in branded clothing is because branded items are launched to succeed, whereas some parts in society will have to loose out for it to do so (Looking into the homeless in society).