The work I’ve done

So far, its been a case of traveling up the hill, and working spontaneously which explains my absence from the computer and the blog.

I’ve done a variety of different actions each based upon either the history of the hill or just reactions to what is up there.

Agassiz’s Rock is a giant boulder investigated by Louis Agassiz, the famous geologist, to have marks made by glacial erosion. He was to have said “This is the work of the ice.”

I chose to make my own marks on the rock by throwing snowballs onto the rock, an aggressive and playful method of mark making. The act of snowballs mirrored the contemporary use of the hill for recreation. The snow will then thaw on the rock, and water will seep into the rock. The temperature will then cool down over the night and freeze the water that is inside the rock and little fragments of the rock will then chip off due to the space the ice needs. This process is called plucking and would eroded marks. The act of snow on the rock as well is similar to Jackson Pollock’s drip paintings, leaving the process up to chance.

I filled my own footsteps with snow which I think could develop into something else.

Makeshift Weather Station

Clean Zone

site-specific showdown

Draft for statement of intent

Site & Development

I have chosen to create a site-specific artwork based on or in the grounds of Blackford Hill. The area is very closely linked with leisure activities, being an excellent and interesting place to walk dogs, go for a jog, and an excellent hotspot for sledging in the winter. It is also home to Edinburgh’s observatory, blackford pond and a variety of allotments. All these elements come together to give opportunity to a huge amount of possibilities. I first knew of the hill as a child whilst going to visit the duck pond there, since then its been a great place to go on walks and relax. A problem that could arise is public opinion as many people use the area each day; I may choose to use their participation as part of the artwork.

To start with, I will explore the area carefully taking several photos to document parts of the hill that intrigue me. As soon as possible after this I would love to get immensely involved in the site and spend a lot of time there experimenting with different ideas. Through this process I hope to be able to clarify a concept which I can then develop into a final artwork. Hopefully I will be able to make the artwork and present it in its setting, if this is impossible due to the scale or lack of materials, I will endeavour to make a smaller scale maquette to give an idea of what the art will be. This would come with a proposal for the artwork.

Sources and Resources

Throughout the project, I will take visits to the site, and if possible would like to spend most of the project there. An important part of the site-specific art form is the context of the work, both the art that has come before it, and also the historical context of the area. For this I will need to visit local libraries to find books about it, maps may also be necessary. The Telford LRC will be open to me, and the studio will be important for making artwork if the need arises. The Fine Art Library will be of good use throughout the project; there will hopefully be books on site-specific artist who have worked in a similar fashion to myself. These of course will influence me. Other influences may include the public’s opinion whilst working there, and also whilst setting up, eg on my first visit one of the visitors remarked how much being at the duck pond was like the movie “Birds” by Alfred Hitchcock.

Techniques and Resources

I will use a variety of different methods and techniques during the project, mainly in experimentation. Performance may be used, as may sculpture. There are not very many opportunities to use painting in the project due to the restrictions of the site. It may be necessary to use materials gathered from the site, and also to build structures; the materials for the latter can be bought from DIY stores. Other shops may also play key roles in supplying the media.

Timescale

To get the optimum time management throughout the course it will be important to work quickly during the experimentation and investigation stages to get as many ideas ready for development as possible. It will also be of use to evaluate throughout to know which ideas to dismiss right away

Timetable

Week 1 – Choose and investigate the site you have chosen, make notes on what themes can be explored around the area and brainstorm several ideas

Week 2 – Return to the site, apply some of the ideas to the site and document the work. Evaluate the work you have just completed

Week 3 – After evaluating choose a handful of ideas and strengthen their concept through the criticism and praise from classmates

Week 4 – Carry out the ideas at the site. Prepare for Crit. Crit

Week 5 – Evaluate work with comments from class and tutors in mind, continue to develop one concept from the experiments explored earlier in the project

Week 6 – If the concept requires a large sculpture, structure, or something that is not possible, then work should begin on making a scale representation of the site and a proposal to go along with it, idea should be developed along side of this also. If concept is seeming possible to construct, continue development of the concept and work towards a final idea

Week 7 – Concept should be clear and concise, same with intent. Work should now be completely focussed on creating the final piece

Week 8 – Assemble the final piece in the site, evaluate work and prepare for crit. Crit

Evaluation

As said previously, the work will be evaluated throughout the project with aids from the tutors, classmates and outside influences; these people will hopefully help me identify the strengths and weaknesses of the artwork during the development of it. At the end of the project I will attempt to evaluate the project myself, but after the crit I will look deeper into the flaws and successes of the artwork.

During the visit I was astounded at how many oppurtunities for art there were; I was surprised to find no art there already.

It was really interesting because there really is so so much to find up there. The second a theme starts to come to mind, hundreds of other things spring into it. One example of this was drawn from the universe theme which spawned from the observatory. I started to notice the hill looked a lot like a moonscape. So that was weird. And then there were hundreds of footsteps – “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”.

yeah

ITS GONNA BE HAAAWWWWWT

So I have recently attempted a performance

so I have recently attempted my performance of fountainhead.

I think it went quite well apart from the deserted nature of the gallery. Wish there was more people for me to interact with

ah well, it went good anyway, here’s some photos and the video that I made out of them

remember that the video is not art in itself, purely because I cannot work imovie very well, it is a documentation of the performance.

so yeah, the gallery and the theme park come together and rejoice in celebrations of disney art, commercialism, hypocrisy and joy.

LAHNDAHN TOWN

so my trip to london went very successfully. No sleep was had unfortunately

So as you can see, it was brill i a n t

100th POST!!! and also the joys of Hirst, and experimentation of Hirst.

So I’ve made it this far. Who knew when I started out in september 2008 that I could keep up with a visual blogging diary for so so long. Thank you to all who have visited the blog over the year and a bit, and to all those who will visit in the future.

This piece is an invite to Hirst’s opening with his older characters. They say how delightfully unpleasant, but it mirrors what the critics said about them once upon a time. This piece probably doesn’t have much to do with value, but I suppose in a way it does.

“We need more simon skull toys” is the quote written here in this disneyland/artland scenario where two employees have noticed the damien hirst themed items are selling quicker than the others.

This is a take on the piece before as I couldn’t be bothered with making the cartoon in cel format. It portrays pluto as duchamp’s fountain this time as pluto is seen as not one of the frontrunners in the commercial success.

These pieces are thoughful representations of simon skull, a mickey mouse/damien hirst hybrid. The second is painted bad because Hirst is seen as a terrible painter.

Hirst Opening

Yes I was at the new painting exhibition opening by Damien Hirst. It was oh so exciting!!

and I got some snaps of some local celebs looking at the work too.

Wow they’re very VERY blurry photos, must have been well drunk. At the opening he also had a representation of his old work pharmacy:

Three Stages since last post: Stage Three

Stage Three comprises of the moving away from disney to work on characterising the artworks themselves. As an obvious choice due to the success of the artist’s work commercially, I have chosen Damien Hirst. Also I’d been working with him before and he is relevant right now due to everyone hating his new paintings.

New characters:

These then culminate in a scene with damien hirst and his new paintings:

So I don’t really know how to talk about this work that well, but basically it portrays these characters who we feel sorry for due to Hirst’s disregard for them and also the fact that they have personality compared to the new works. I do however feel sorry for the new works as they’ve been given such a slating, I think they’re quite good myself, and its nice to see achange from Hirst. I also believe that the works are hated so much becuase they’re something we’re not used to, traditional painting. This is so very different from what is around right now. And I believe it is so in a good way. It looks back to Bacon and artists of that era or before with a nostalgic mindset.

This piece of art reflects his throwing aside of his other works. It might be interesting to create characters of the new works instead as they will become heroes to the next generation as supposed to his earlier works being my artistic heroes.

Three Stages since last post: Stage Two

Stage Two comprises in the destruction of my wall drawings, enabling them to never be marketed as the measurements can no longer be made, and the hanging of a collector’s item over them.

These progress the destruction and also the beauty in destruction. The dots move from their spot on the wall to one on the cleaning of the silkscreen. I find it incredibly beautiful. The new triptych is hung over where the destruction took place, an ode to the obvious interest in the new and discarding of the old.

Three Stages since last post: Stage One

Stage one includes evidence of my work continuing from already completed materials, mainly to do with Fountain.

First is a picture of me with balloon, an excited boy whose ecstatic to see fountain for real possibly? Second is a wall drawing of fountain with hirst dots all over it. Third is a fountain playing a basketball whistle and wearing fetching mickey mouse gloves: A kind of cheerleader for newer pieces of art? Fourth is a wrecked studio, putting across my feelings and attempts to be able not to sell something, a concept. Upon coming in the next day I found Carrie drawing a chalkline around it, making it sellable as it can be measured.

Contextual

To give my work some (more) context I will now look at works of artist who have done or attempted similar things to myself.

Robert Gober: when making my fountain mask I was told about the artist Robert Gober who works with objects that look like readymades but are actually handmade. He even alludes to Duchamp in his work three urinals. Maybe he’s referencing the holy trinity in a triptych like manner. I hope not, cos thats kinda the idea I’m leading into. I think the main reason I was told about the artist was due to whether I need to finish my mask off to the extremes of precision. Couldn’t find a picture of the three urinals but I did find one of this installation.

Fiona Jardine: Need to look up this artist more, but what I’ve seen is rather good. Rather.

I think its about representation, but it may also be about wall drawings, can’t remember what was the point of me looking at her right now, but I’m sure I will.