Emma Hyles CONTEMPORARY ART

likeafieldmouse: Marton Perlaki - Reciprocities (2012)

Fri, 24 May 2013 22:20:54 +0100

Marton Perlaki - Reciprocities (2012)

'Edit / Amend' - Summer 2013

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:13:40 +0100

So, I’ve been given a new project to work on over the summer. The title of the project, ‘Edit / Amend’ requires me to rethink my current working pratice and my process of working with the current themes/ideas/directions I am exploring. It is more of a process/strategy of working than a given theme really; I’m encouraged to adapt/edit/adopt/intervene/interact/select/delete/cut/paste my whole practice and go wild with experimentation and enter uncertain territory.

To begin I’ve decided to have a read through my last position statement (April 2013) and highlight key words/themes/processes of working that I can take further, work on, edit and experiment with, to see what path they take me down.

The focus of my work is based on residues of reality; the traces and detritus left behind by people that are discarded and unwanted, by-products of the ‘real’. My interest in this area has risen from my previous and on-going studies into organic, accumulative matter such as dust, drier lint and even colour catchers used in laundry, and how it has been constructed and accumulated from our movements and everyday activities. Ephemera such as this, I have found, is a microcosm made up of various components that have derived from the most ephemeral base of our existence, such as shed hair, skin, colours, fibres etc. It encapsulates a great depth of our history and reality through its multi-layered narratives which are constructed, re-constructed and recorded by ourselves through what may appear as mundane, everyday routine and life. Although we might observe and treat these materials as an alien phenomenon that has no place in our sterile lifestyle, it is in fact a vital layer of our dense and elastic reality.

This opposition against organic, discarded ephemera has led me to investigate the theory behind abjection in relation to the materials I have recently been working with. I feel like the main reason why we reject certain matter is because we hate to admit our fragile reality. We are revolted by them because they symbolise and pose the threat of a breakdown, a deterioration of system, order and our desire for eternal existence and perfection. The writings of Julia Kristeva, particularly in Powers of Horror have inspired me and helped me a great deal in coming to terms with these ideas. This has evolved my way of thinking about these materials from a social point of view, and I have begun experimenting with them in an attempt to give it a more evolved, higher respected place in society because I feel it serves as a reminder of the imperfections in life that we will always attain on our journey towards perfection. I have also more recently become aware of past influences from my contextual studies essay into hyperreality that have crept into my thinking about this link between abjection towards ephemeral, organic material and desire for a perfect, sterile society which is less organic and more unnatural/man-made. Lectures by Dennis Dutton on evolution and the arts have informed me a great deal too.

Although I have experimented with various discarded detritus, the one that has always been at the foreground of my research and development in my practice is dust. By taking an organic material such as dust which is fragile, I have developed it into a construction that is more representative of solidity. My study into dust, shown mainly through drawing and microscopic photography (which have become pieces in themselves) has developed into more 3-Dimensional work which I feel is more of a realisation of the actual material and what is stands for. Material form has been important to me and I’ve been influenced a lot by modernist sculpture and architecture (Lebbeus Woods is an important example). Some small studying into aesthetics and appearance has also informed my decisions about sculptural form.

I’ve also realised that process has had an important, ongoing presence in the development of my work. Some of the pieces I have created/creating are works that I feel will take a long amount of time to develop, such as my colour catcher blanket which I am stitching together, which takes me a long time to collect the material needed to produce it. Not only are certain artworks taking a long process to create, but from many of my designs and drawings I feel there are so many ways I could develop 3Dimensional works which could go on to develop my portfolio in my third and final year in the course.

I feel I have also gained a few more skills during the experimentation and development stages. These include, in particular, working with woodwork when realising my dust structure, which took a lot of time to produce. My skills in photoshop too have developed a great deal as I have been editing and using these edits to draw with and design possible 3Dimensional outcomes.

I use journals in order to jot down or draw out plans and ideas, and my blog (http://contemporaryprofpractice.tumblr.com/) to archive and comment on contextual references such as artists, theories and exhibitions, which further helps me to position myself in the contemporary art world. I find the journals a great way to scribble/draw or plan out my ideas but it is also an important space for reflection upon my practice which I feel is vital for my developments and pushes myself and my practice even further. Tutorials and formative assessments at the end of each term too have helped me to inform and push myself, and I refer back to them on a regular basis.

Keywords:

·         Abjection

·         Reject

·         Fragile

·         Revolted

·         Symbolise

·         Threat

·         Breakdown

·         Deterioration

·         System

·         Order

·         Desire

·         Eternal existence

·         Perfection

·         Julia Kristeva Powers of Horror

·         Experimenting

·         Social

·         Evolved

·         Respected

·         Society

·         Imperfections in life

·         Journey

·         Hyperreality

·         Organic vs manmade

·         Dennis Dutton – evolution

·         Dust

·         Representation

·         Solidity

·         Drawing

·         Microscopic photography

·         3-Dimensional

·         Material form

·         Modernist sculpture

·         Lebbeus Woords

·         Architecture

·         Aesthetics

·         Appearance

·         Process

·         Time

·         Colour catcher blanket

·         Collect

·         Design

·         Woodwork

·         Photoshop

·         Edits

·         Journals

·         Jot down

·         Plans/ideas

·         Blog

·         Archive

·         Comment

·         Contextual reference

·         Space for relfection

·         Residues of Reality

·         Traces

·         Detritus

·         Discarded

·         By-products of the ‘real’

·         Organic

·         Accumulative

·         Matter

·         Dust

·         Drier lint

·         Colour catchers

·         Constructed

·         Movements

·         Everyday

·         Activities

·         Ephemera

·         Microcosm

·         Shed hair

·         Skin

·         Colours

·         Fibres

·         History

·         Existence

·         Reality

·         Multi-layered narratives

·         Re-constructed

·         Recorded

·         Routine

·         Materials

·         Alien phenomenon

·         Sterile lifestyle

·         Vital layer

·         Opposition

Dissertation time!

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:14:51 +0100

So, recently I’ve been introduced to what is required of me from my dissertation as I am now entering into the third and final year of my degree. I’m excited about it but I’m also beginning to brick it.

I’ve had a very vague idea of what I would like to research into and write about. For now as this is just the beginning, I’m just going to jot down some keywords that offer a starting point and may come together as I do my research.

KEYWORDS:

Hyperreality
Abjection
Objection
Beauty
Aesthetics
Simulation
Simulacra
Alienation
The Uncanny
Abstraction
Reality
The Real
Trace and by-products
Utopia/Dystopia
Society
Relational Aesthetics
Construction
Modernity/Postmodernity
Ephemeral
Organic VS Manmade
Evolution of perception
Sculpture
Architecture

I think I’ll keep referring back to this list and adding to it/editing it as I go along, just so I can beging to bring definition and focus to my chosen subject.

likeafieldmouse: Gerhard Richter - 883-6 Grau (2004)

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:53:59 +0100

likeafieldmouse:

Gerhard Richter - 883-6 Grau (2004)

likeafieldmouse: Laura Letinsky “Much of Letinsky’s work...

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:50:44 +0100

likeafieldmouse:

Laura Letinsky

“Much of Letinsky’s work alludes to human presence, without including any actual figures. For example, in the Morning and Melancholia (c. 1997-2001), and the I Did Not Remember I Had Forgotten (c. 2002-2004) series, Letinsky seems to document the aftermath of a sumptuous gathering or dinner party. Faded flower petals intermingle with empty glasses and crumbs of food on partially cleared tables, often covered with a white linen that bears the mark of spilled wine.

As alluded in the title Morning and Melancholia these scenes are often filled with a fresh, clear light, as though one is viewing from the perspective of the morning after, what the host failed to clean up the evening before. However, the title of the series itself is a reference to an essay by Freud, Mourning and Melancholia, which discusses the human response to loss.

The title I Did Not Remember I Had Forgotten also has a literary source; it refers to a line by St. Augustine, commenting on memory, ‘One would never say I did not remember I had forgotten.’ Letinsky responded:

‘I was thinking, No, that’s not right! Actually, I felt I had just come to this moment where I did not remember that I had forgotten, and it had to do with music. I’d gone for three years without listening to music. I would drive in the car and I would want silence, or I would listen to talk shows. Then for some reason I began listening to the radio, and some of the CDs I had around, and it was almost like drinking water after being really thirsty. I took such pleasure in it. Somehow, I did not remember that I’d forgotten to turn on the music.’”

andreybogush: Construction ver.2, 2013

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:45:52 +0100

andreybogush:

Construction ver.2, 2013

tastefull: Xavier Veilhan.

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:44:25 +0100

tastefull:

Xavier Veilhan.

likeafieldmouse: Clemens Behr - Wooden Skull (2011)

Sun, 19 May 2013 23:14:42 +0100

likeafieldmouse:

Clemens Behr - Wooden Skull (2011)

Fiber art

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:26:31 +0100

Fiber art:

In relation to Luanna Martineau’s work - making fabrics out of unconventional material. Dust as an unconventional material? Artist’s suggested under this movement are:

Luanna Martineau: Handmade - An interview

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:22:00 +0100

Luanna Martineau: Handmade - An interview:

Luanne Martineau is a process-based conceptual artist who employs obsessive levels of handwork in her art. She transcends the fibre arts movement through her engagement with the felting process. In her work, abstracted figurative forms built from layers of felt can conjure moments of horror and beauty, and the flesh-like appearance of her materials can call to mind a slaughterhouse or the scene of an accident. The manner in which these works are installed, however, allows for readings beyond the grotesque.

Came across this artist while doing a bit of reading on ’Abjection’. My work seems to be falling into this quite a bit lately. Was mentioned in a tutorial a while back some of the things I could do with my drier lint, and one of the suggestions was felting. This artist uses a lot of felting in her work AND deals with abjection. Interesting…

unknowneditors: FEET FIRST...

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:14:55 +0100

unknowneditors:

FEET FIRST | http://www.tomrobinsonphotography.com/

Tom Robinson and his wife decided to document their travels from a different angle: their feet.

The change in perspective makes these photographs brilliant and intriguing.

Check out Unknown Editors! (FB)

hyperallergic: Pulse Fair’s Playful...

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:12:28 +0100

hyperallergic:

Pulse Fair’s Playful Cosmopolitanism

Installation by Jason Rogenes at Pulse with West Collection (all photographs by the author for…

View Post

Position Statement, April 2013

Wed, 01 May 2013 13:13:50 +0100

The focus of my work is based on residues of reality; the traces and detritus left behind by people that are discarded and unwanted, by-products of the ‘real’. My interest in this area has risen from my previous and on-going studies into organic, accumulative matter such as dust, drier lint and even colour catchers used in laundry, and how it has been constructed and accumulated from our movements and everyday activities. Ephemera such as this, I have found, is a microcosm made up of various components that have derived from the most ephemeral base of our existence, such as shed hair, skin, colours, fibres etc. It encapsulates a great depth of our history and reality through its multi-layered narratives which are constructed, re-constructed and recorded by ourselves through what may appear as mundane, everyday routine and life. Although we might observe and treat these materials as an alien phenomenon that has no place in our sterile lifestyle, it is in fact a vital layer of our dense and elastic reality.

This opposition against organic, discarded ephemera has led me to investigate the theory behind abjection in relation to the materials I have recently been working with. I feel like the main reason why we reject certain matter is because we hate to admit our fragile reality. We are revolted by them because they symbolise and pose the threat of a breakdown, a deterioration of system, order and our desire for eternal existence and perfection. The writings of Julia Kristeva, particularly in Powers of Horror have inspired me and helped me a great deal in coming to terms with these ideas. This has evolved my way of thinking about these materials from a social point of view, and I have begun experimenting with them in an attempt to give it a more evolved, higher respected place in society because I feel it serves as a reminder of the imperfections in life that we will always attain on our journey towards perfection. I have also more recently become aware of past influences from my contextual studies essay into hyperreality that have crept into my thinking about this link between abjection towards ephemeral, organic material and desire for a perfect, sterile society which is less organic and more unnatural/man-made. Lectures by Dennis Dutton on evolution and the arts have informed me a great deal too.

Although I have experimented with various discarded detritus, the one that has always been at the foreground of my research and development in my practice is dust. By taking an organic material such as dust which is fragile, I have developed it into a construction that is more representative of solidity. My study into dust, shown mainly through drawing and microscopic photography (which have become pieces in themselves) has developed into more 3-Dimensional work which I feel is more of a realisation of the actual material and what is stands for. Material form has been important to me and I’ve been influenced a lot by modernist sculpture and architecture (Lebbeus Woods is an important example). Some small studying into aesthetics and appearance has also informed my decisions about sculptural form.

I’ve also realised that process has had an important, ongoing presence in the development of my work. Some of the pieces I have created/creating are works that I feel will take a long amount of time to develop, such as my colour catcher blanket which I am stitching together, which takes me a long time to collect the material needed to produce it. Not only are certain artworks taking a long process to create, but from many of my designs and drawings I feel there are so many ways I could develop 3Dimensional works which could go on to develop my portfolio in my third and final year in the course.

I feel I have also gained a few more skills during the experimentation and development stages. These include, in particular, working with woodwork when realising my dust structure, which took a lot of time to produce. My skills in photoshop too have developed a great deal as I have been editing and using these edits to draw with and design possible 3Dimensional outcomes.

I use journals in order to jot down or draw out plans and ideas, and my blog (http://contemporaryprofpractice.tumblr.com/) to archive and comment on contextual references such as artists, theories and exhibitions, which further helps me to position myself in the contemporary art world. I find the journals a great way to scribble/draw or plan out my ideas but it is also an important space for reflection upon my practice which I feel is vital for my developments and pushes myself and my practice even further. Tutorials and formative assessments at the end of each term too have helped me to inform and push myself, and I refer back to them on a regular basis.

unknowneditors: Rock Strangers by Arne Quinze Unknown...

Wed, 01 May 2013 11:34:28 +0100

unknowneditors:

Rock Strangers by Arne Quinze

Unknown Editors | Facebook

ooooh!

likeafieldmouse: John Foster - Sparkle Palace Cocktail Table...

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:17:30 +0100

likeafieldmouse:

John Foster - Sparkle Palace Cocktail Table (2012)

Just came across this on tumblr. It seems to relate to my recent sculptural piece which is a systematic, planar construction of dust in space - the shapes are very similar, and it also fits with my drawings produced directly onto photographs of the sunlight capturing the dust particles in the air from windows, similar to the light here reflecting off the coffee table into the surrounding space.

likeafieldmouse: Adam Fowler - Escaping Forward (2012-13) These...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 21:41:57 +0100

likeafieldmouse:

Adam Fowler - Escaping Forward (2012-13)

These are “sculptural drawings”. Fowler first draws large, looping gestural drawings in graphite, then cuts the negative spaces out with an X-Acto knife and layers the resulting graphite “laces” to create a kind of grayscale chaos.

Read a fascinating interview with the artist here.

TOWNER: THE CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM – EASTBOURNE - GUEST LECTURE - 15/03/13

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 21:03:25 +0100

Guest lecture delivered by the curator - some notes:

• The curator: BA(Hons) in Art History, Middlesex.

• First job at Whitechapel Art Gallery as an assistant – this involved cataloguing the photographic works for 1 day/pw. 2 years worth of exhibition history at the museum. With this foot in the door she gained experience in various departments of the museum when they were short staffed.

• Gained an MA in curatorship.

• Placement for 3 months at the Whitechapel Art Gallery working on the Peter Doig show.

• Commercial gallery experience for a couple of weeks @ Sadie Coles – represents the likes of Sarah Lucas – it was a very new space at the time, Brit art scene hub.

• Having both commercial and public gallery experience is a very good idea – broadens opportunity’s and ways of thinking when curating shows.

• ICA Curatorial internship – unpaid work experience for 3 months

• Job at the Listen gallery, Admin receptionist job full time. The gallery represented 43 artists, constant bombardment of phone calls at the reception, very hectic work.

• Education assistant at Whitechapel.

• Worked with gallery curators at the University of Hertfordshire. Worked with Jill Townsley to curate a show.

• Got a curatorial job at Towner.

• Towner: Semi-Industrial designed space – Rick Mather design characteristic – plus collection store.

• ‘Compulsive, Obsessive, Repetitive’ July 2nd – September 11th 2008. – group show, small scale processes to create large scale installations/pieces. Curator had to put a proposal together to the arts council in order to gain £5000 research prize to research the project. 6 artists, each had to put together a proposal of work when chosen. One of the ways to put a visual proposal together would be to photoshop your work into the gallery space. Allows allow for changes as there is a dialogue between curators and artists and sometimes need to make decisions by meeting in the middle. Time limit – 18months, 2 years to put the show together and exhibit.

• How do you approach a gallery? Some advice:

o Research the institute – artistic policy, what do they do, how far ahead do they programme etc

o Don’t be too ambitious – start small and build it up, build up your CV. Eventually can be more ambitious with work as gain recognition

o Join artist networks – meet/bond – they are helpful as they can provide feedback for your work, create connections, have peer one to one’s, events

o Photograph work professionally – make it sleek and pro

o CV in reverse order – put most recent projects first

o Introduce/submit a website – sleek and professional

o Don’t email huge attachments, small images & links to web pages for details/visual of your works

o Get into a good studio space or apply for residencies, they provide time and a concentrated space to work

o Everything is risk assessed

o Look at curators background of exhibitions, what is their niche for work? Work around this.

• Thinking of an MA? Some advice:

o Take a break from a BA – don’t go into an MA straight away. Think of it as an investment in your future, a lot of money spent on something that needs to be thought through properly. Huge jump.

Photo

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 20:18:16 +0100

flogdizdiz: hautsa 1 The wirey material appearance of this...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 20:17:30 +0100

flogdizdiz:

hautsa 1

The wirey material appearance of this reminds me of the dust samples I took microscopic photographs of. Fibres. Wonder if an idea in the future would be to take those photographs and try to remake the microscopic appearance of dust large scale in the air.

elisavette: Olivier Valsecchi Between death and...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 20:13:10 +0100

elisavette:

Olivier Valsecchi

Between death and birth-chronologically .This between,this chaos,this mix of water and dark,it is a world`s lullaby.Between ups and downs,bodies are zombies.We are from dust.

Dust as I’ve witnessed is always being associated with life and death. I can see that, I really can. But I don’t think it ever dies. I think it is in a constant shifting state. Yeah, if you think of our bodies as a form made out of particles that rots down back to particles again, isn’t that just one part of a cycle? It’s still in the process of forming and re-forming. Something rises from it and something falls from it. Addition and subtraction. Reconstruction. Process of RE. It never dies. Always ongoing.

I do like these photographs though. It reflects that dust is a major essence of who we are, it makes us who we are, we are a construction made of particles that have come together. And of course there’s a whole load more on from that, spirit etc. But I’m not going to go into that. I don’t see dust as a religious thing, more of a natural thing.