Placement Talk With Tom Davies

Placement Talk

Today we had a placement talk with Tom Davies. This was really interesting because it gave me an insight into what to expect when looking into this modual and what the process involves when we begin to look for placements.
He discussed various problems that we could encounter during the process with the worst one actually not having a placement as an end result.
He started the lecture by talking and giving us a brief bit of history about the education process and how placement started off in schools and university's. The modual started as a sign up modual, this meant that we didn't have to do this at one point but it became really popular and it was thought to give us a better understanding of what it is like to work in the outside world. It has been made a compulsory modual in our studio practice at present time.

He also started to discuss why this opportunity is important for us, and here are some of the points that he raised:

• Personal ownership and choice
• Professional relationships
• Communication skills in the initial approach
• Reflection on skills and knowledge
• Negotiating proposals
• Documenting the process
• Evaluating the placement when in progress
• Meeting the deadlines

Here are some of the things that we have got to do next:

After the meeting with Tom Davies today he said that tomorrow he would like to receive an email from each of us just giving him an outline into where we may want to go on our placement and how we are going to go about it. This does not have to be set in stone but will give him an idea on where we would like to go.

Also for next week, we have to write up a mini statement describing what our practice is revealing in our studio and what we are working on followed by 4 images. 

This should be a really interesting project!

Receipt Collecting (In connection with Micheal Branthwaits reading)

Receipt Collecting
Michael Branthwaits Reading

After the reading from Michael Branthwait he gave us a task to think of a piece of art that we can do continuously for a while in connection with the reading that he provided us with on the day.
My idea was to collect the receipts from different students and see what things we consume the most!
I went around and asked as many people in the studio to don't chuck away their receipts but to leave them in a pile on my table. In a matter of 1 hour I came back from dinner to see that there was loads of receipts left for me to use which was good.
I first put them up on the wall using various colour push pins in no real structure at all with the intention of filling my whole studio space. But, then I sat and looked at the wall and I didn't really understand why I had used different colours, I started to gather blue, green and red push pins in which I used each one for a certain receipt category. This was also interesting because it questions peoples privacy with giving out card details.
The categories go like this:

Blue - Food (As seen below)

Green - General Items (As seen below)

Red - Clothing (As seen below)

This is what it looks like on my wall:

When looking at this part of my studio wall now, it is really interesting because it looks like students mostly consume food, but this could change as I want to keep this process going to fill my studio and get a better prospective into what students buy!

Damien Hirst's Exhibition Vist (Walsall)

Damien Hirst's Exhibition

This exhibition visit at Walsall was very interesting. I have been interested in some of Damien Hirsts work from the time I have been at University and to see it up front was amazing.
The gallery and the way he laid his work out was good as it was not just all in one place, it was spread out within the rest of the artworks from various other artists in the gallery. Although his work was dispersed around the gallery it was clearly labelled with a 'DH' followed by the title of the artwork and what it is made from.
Here is a few of his artworks I viewed in this exhibition:

'Forms Without Life'

Hirst was curious about old museums that have an origin in the 16th century. He likes when the objects were put in cabinets and arranged according to type. This piece of art is where Damien Hirst arranged the collection of shells in rows classified for a natural history display. He did this to remind us that we are looking at part of the body of a sea creature that was once alive, one kind of death is necessary for another new form of life or knowledge to be displayed.  

'Love Will Tear Us Apart'

When Damien Hirst was young he swallowed tablets thinking them for sweets and had to have his stomach pumped. This was the trigger into the fascination of medicine and the confidence that drugs will cure everything. The colours of the syringes are pastel coloured and pleasantly packaged like sweets in a vending machine but are lethal, this was relating it to his childhood experience. He enjoys the contradiction between appearance and reality.

'Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree'

This is a spin painting of Damien Hirst. To make these etchings he attached copperplate's to a spin machine and drew on them as they rotated using a range of sharp tools, including needles and screwdrivers. This can be linked to a DJ turning deck.

'Pharmacy Wallpaper'

This wallpaper is designed for a pharmacy. These images are paired with a biblical reference, he is alluding to the idea that pharmaceutical products are a replacement for God in modern mythology. He said 'People have a lot of confidence in medicine. I noticed they were looking at shiny colours and bright shapes and nice white coats and they were going, right-this is going to be my savior, except they weren't reading the side effects'.

'Pharmacology, Physiology, Pathology'

This piece also draws lines between science and religion. These pieces are neatly arranged in a cabinet and consists of 3 types of scientific study. For Damien Hirst these 3 types of scientific study have governed our lives, science has came to offer the same protection from death as eternal life in Christianity.

I have really enjoyed this day out, and I am also going to do some further research into his work as I am still fascinated into the thoughts behind each piece of art!

 

Visiting Artist Lecturer: Micheal Branthwait & Ian Brown

Michael Branthwait

As I have seen some of his works before I have picked out some of the aspects that relates to my work and that I could connect to!

I liked some of the questions he asks himself during producing art in his studio, here are a few examples:

Why do we manipulate our environment in the way we do?
How has this manipulation led to systems (consumerism and capitalism) that we can not control?
How do you realize this as a person? 
What are the limits?
Where is the point when it cant be accepted as art?

I am going to take these questions and connect it to the journey I am taking responding to consumerism and how the environment is affected by consumerism.

I like the idea of that work can be more process based, as I am looking more into sculpture this semester the process is the most important part of my practice in some pieces of my work.

There are some areas of consumerism I would like to explore and that is looking at the past compared to today's consumerism. Also look at mass produced items compared to the natural things.

Ideas:

I was thinking of maybe looking at mass producing an item in the same way that a manufacturer does.
Also look into the waste of items eg. Food (Look at the recent news about Tesco and big stores throwing away food that is eatable)

Readings from Micheal Branthwait:

• Jimmie Durham - Objects for.... and other things
• Capitalism and Crisis

Ian Brown

I wasn't really connecting with Ian as much as Micheal Branthwait but I found the idea of looking at video and sound really interesting!
Also I love the idea of the relationship between the natural world and the unnatural world!

Micheal Branthwait's Lecture (What to do after University?)

What to do after University?
Rednile Projects

Micheal Branthwait talked about his practice and the group that he is involved with called 'Rednile Projects'. He explained the journey he took from after completing his degree and then onto his MA and further afield. This was really interesting because we got an insight into how hard it is to gather other artists and produce your own studio space.
Micheal Branthwait worked with various people in this group of artists one being apart of A.N (Artists Newsletter), his name was Steve Wright. This showed us how important it is to have a variety of people which could help with funding and ideas when it comes to exhibiting.
It was explained when working with a group of artists it is good to lay down some objectives and aims that can be worked up to and competed. One of which could be something like 'Keep producing artwork'.
Micheal also explained that without funding it is really hard to get your own studio space and maintain it, therefore he had to take a year out and do a PGCE in which he could teach part time allowing him to fund and pay for the studio spaces he required.

The second part of this lecture was working in groups and putting ourselves in a position where we are thinking of starting up a studio and what things we need to take into account.

We called our group: P.J.AN.L (mainly because it was the initials of each member of the group). We confirmed that we would like to open a studio space in an old public building which could cause problems as we would have to contact the council before to make sure it is alright to work in. We thought it was a good idea to create spaces where we would work and rent some spaces to other artists that would like to be a part of this project.
Also we would like a section of the building that would be a gallery space and a section where we could commission pieces of work that gains an interest from the viewer which would also fund the building to stay standing and our residency within it. Also there could be some guest workshops and public workshops so that we can connect with the people around that area. The council also presents funds for some regeneration projects therefore it maybe possible to apply for funding.
The 3 points that we have placed as our aims was:

• Provide studio spaces (Rented/Commissioned)
• Provide guest opportunities
• Regenerating a public unused building
• Responding to local area
• Provide workshops
• Create and Curate

I think this was a very fun and useful exercise that gave me an insight into what we need to think about and take into account before we leave the University and course!.

  

New York Entrance To Hell

New York Entrance To Hell!

I have decided to revisit the idea of consumerism this semester as I felt like there are many directions I could explore. To start the work process of and the ideas flowing, I decided to think about the most popular place where consumerism is most active. This is New York!
I liked the idea of picking a location that attracts people and incorporating a section that is polar opposite to this which I thought could be Hell.

I played around with 2 images in Photoshop and this is what I came up with:

I was thinking that this was a bit too literal. I decided to play around with a few titles and came up with the title 'New York's Entrance To Hell'!

Long Road Project (Anna Francis)

Long Road Project
Richard Long

This week I have been approached with two of my friends to be a part of a project that will be putting on an exhibition at the Potteries Museum.
The project is in relation to the artist Richard Long and how he connects with the environment:

These are a couple of Richard Longs works of art, this is the type of thing that we will be responding to the environment like. 

This weekend we will be going to the Peak District and working within the faculties in Staffordshire University (Music,Photography,Animation,Fine Art) to make a response to the place we are visiting. We will be going for 3 days and 2 nights where we will be engaging in small projects and on the last day writing proposals for the piece of art we will be producing. 

Along with going to this retreat, our work will be placed alongside the work of Richard Long which is an amazing opportunity! This exhibition will be next year 2014, and open to the public for viewing. 

Before I go to the retreat this weekend, I am going to do some research into Richard Long for a deeper understanding of his work!

Michael Branthwait's Reading

Michael Branthwait's Reading

During the reading we talked about how process can be as important as the finishing piece of art. 

We sat and discussed the reading, the reading was about an artist that came in everyday to her studio and produced a repetitive notion that she continued for a period of time. This notion was using tape and wrapping it on itself until the roll was out, then she would buy another roll and continue. This piece of sculpture grew very big, to the scale of where she could not lift it without assistance. 

This was really interesting because Micheal wanted to look at the situations where we have hit a brick wall and unable to think about where we can take our work next. Therefore he presented us with the idea of thinking of something that relates to our works, but something that we can do repetitively every time we come into the studios. This could be something as simple as coming in an d drawing a line on a piece of paper and then doing the same the next day until you feel like the notion does not need to be continued. 

During the second half of the reading, he set us a task to go back to our studio spaces and pick a piece of artwork and describe it to the best of our abilities, but not like the way we would describe it to our friends but in depth down to where we brought the pencil we drew the picture from. I picked a piece of art I was playing around with at the beginning of this semester, it was a painting of a face using the left over resources from last year. I found it pretty difficult to start off with because I didnt know how to reflect this way but as I got into it this became easier and something that I will continue with!

Also alongside this Micheal asked us what 2 things we are going to do repetitively that we can continue with for a small amount of time. My two ideas were: 

- Collect receipts 

- Take pictures of an area in town once a day then merge the photo  

    

Graham Coulter-Smith's Reading

Rosland Krauss

This was a very hard reading that we had with Graham as it there were some words and phrases that I didn't understand.

The reading was talking about grids, but as the reading went on I realized that the grid referred to abstractism. This also presented an element of poetry.

Further down in the reading Rosland Krauss mentioned about 'Art's Silence', here we discussed other arts that had a silence in their work, one being the '4 minute of blackness with a light flashing on and off'.

The thing that interested me the most was when it was said that abstractism is a method not art!

Graham did a short PowerPoint at the end of the reading and provided us with some artists that related to it:

Artists

• Alfred Jenson
• Frank Stella
• Louise Nevelson
• Dan Hayes
• Sol Lewitt  

Definitions:

Nihilism - Belief of nothing  

Anna Francis Reading/Expedition

Walking the city with Michel de Certeau

This reading was about looking into the way people live in certain cities.
Guy Debord looks at the way cities are put together and how people have a position in society. He splits people into two groups, one being the walkers and the others being the voyeurs.
One of the interesting things about the walkers is that he describes them to be the people who walk around the city doing everyday things and running their lives with some being oblivious to their surroundings.
The other type of person is the voyeur. The voyeur will stand above the city and look down at the walkers and observe what they are doing. I liked this because it is like a hierarchy system where the leaders look down at their workers. Plus, the author related this to New York and with it being a big city with skyscrapers it is as if the higher up in a job you go, the more you can look over and act god to the walkers below.

Expedition

The second part of this reading is going out to a location chosen by Anna and documenting everything you see, hear, smell and touch until we arrived at the bandstand in the center of Hanley Park.
This was such a good way of observing our surrounding instead of just walking through oblivious to what is going on around us.

We have also been asked to write up an A4 page on what we have seen ect. along with pictures and send it to Anna which we will do later this week!

Emily Campbell - Artist

Emily Campbell

Emily came into University to help us with our writing techniques and to give us a short PowerPoint on how she works and what she includes in her statements and proposals before she produces the artwork.
She gave us an insight into some of the pieces she has produced, these are a couple that I was really interested in:

She creates visual illusions in her artwork which is an makes the viewer shocked or wanting to engage.

Along with the artists that Liz provided me with I am currently looking at how an audience reacts to a piece of art. I love to exploration of two worlds, the fact that leaving one world into another. The main reason why these pieces of art stood out for me is that the idea that I was visualizing in my head was a bit vague but this brought my ideas together highlighting something similar to what I imagined.

I like the blackness in this illusion to the viewer, this is because it draws you in and plays with the viewers mind asking questions like, Is there a space after the blackness? Plus something dark relates to danger so it plays with the viewers perception. 

Something I will definatly be looking into this semester!

The Middle port Pottery Talk (Princes Trust Federation)

The Prince's Regeneration Trust

Teresa's Talk

This was a very interesting talk as I haven't heard of the regeneration trust before. I like the way that they are working together to re-build parts of this pottery factory. She explained that the reason why this factory is interesting is because it has a flow to the system, from delivery to the packing stage at the end.
Teresa put up a PowerPoint which gave us an insight into what this place is about and why they are regenerating it and what effect it has on the people around that area and the visiting customers.
The most interesting part that I found was that they have over 2,000 molds in which they have stored from hundreds of years ago. As I am into sculpture and am interested in history, I liked that they have kept the original templates.

There is a visit to the factory this Wednesday which I would like to go for the history side of the tour!

Spoke to Liz Lemon

I have been to speak to Liz Lemon because I have found myself stuck for ideas. I have looked at various artists and have found some areas of interest but I needed to be put on track with artists that work similar to me.
Here are a few artists that Liz has mentioned to me that I could research:

Gavin Turk

Ed & Keinholz (Produced artwork called 'Spy Hole')

Ana Maria Pacheco (Sculpture, Looks at world leaders)

Also, in addition to helping me with artists Liz gave me an insight into what she thought my Level 4 exhibition was about. She said that it challenges what we expect to see in an exhibition, raising questions like:

What do we expect to see in an exhibition?

and 

Should it be there?

also

Is it REAL or UNREAL?

or 

BELIEVE or NOT TO BELIEVE?

I think I need to stop concentrating on the topic as much and look at how it connects with the audience. My last exhibition connected to the audience leaving them feeling uneasy and questioning why there are homeless people in the exhibition, this is what I need to keep looking at! 

Meeting with Liz Lemon (Pecha Kucha PowerPoint)

Fine Art Tutorial Record

Student: Nicholas Bryan                                                                       Date: 01/10/13 Staff: Liz Lemon                                                                    Module: Studio practice & Context

Summary of tutorial: (i.e. what happened? What was discussed? How do you feel about it? Did anything surprise you? What leads do you need to follow up? What have you learnt for the future? Ect.) During our meeting with Liz Lemon we discussed what the PowerPoint will consist of and what is meant to be included. In addition to this, we talked about how we are going to pass the information about our practice to our audience. As we have been paired up in two’s, Liz mentioned that it might be a good idea to make it a small conversation between us both so that it comes across informal and fluent. Also, the PowerPoint only consists of three and a half minutes therefore we have to present valuable information and try not to ramble. Furthermore, it was discussed that it would be a good idea to highlight some of our methods of working and how we get to the making process. I am looking forward to this task because it will give us an insight into the route people are taking this year following on from last year’s exhibition. I have been placed with Philip Simpson so we are now going to gather some pictures and discuss how we are going to approach this task.

3 week action plan based on discussions: We have been given 1 week to put together some pictures and a small conversation.

Further reading suggested/Artists referenced:

Staffordshire University Casual Staff & Lichfield Cathedral Exhibition Visit

Staffordshire University
Summer Work

During the summer I worked alongside a team to help put together the degree show exhibition in Staffordshire University Fine Art.
This was really interesting because I got an insight into how an exhibition is panned out, also the demands it brings. My job during this was to assist the artists, providing them with the materials that they need to transform their studio space into a final product.
I would definatly like to do something like this again because I now have an idea of the degree system and how much time and hard work is put into erecting an exhibition. This will help me for the exhibitions we have to curate and produce in the future!

Lichfield Exhibition

I went to an exhibition in Lichfield and there were some really good pieces of art!
This piece I found really interesting:

I really liked how bold it was, plus putting it in a Gothic church setting it created a good contrast.

Going to the exhibition gave me an insight into what it takes to put up and exhibition outside of University and the process that has to happen before the opening.