Potential idea for final project!

I would love to work with magazine paper - this could be an interesting direction:

"Nava Lubelski creates these cellular sculptures using tightly rolled paper scrolls comprised of tax returns, rejection letters, and other collected waste paper.

Shredded paper sculptures, such as the Tax Files, reconfigure a mass of paper that has been grouped and saved due to written content, into slabs reminiscent of tree cross-sections where the climate of a given year, and the tree’s overall age are visible in a single slice. Historical information is revealed in the colors of deposit slips, pay stubs, receipts and tax forms. The cellular coils spiral outward, mimicking biological growth, as they are glued together into flat rounds, which suggest lichen, doilies or disease."

Delicate build up of materials really appeals to me. ALso, could potentially look at the fear of tiny circles.

Zhu Jhinsu - suspended boat of 8000 rice paper sheets on bamboo

"Constructed from 8,000 sheets of rice paper, 800 bamboo shafts, and suspended by untold lengths of cotton thread, this beautiful installation by Chinese abstract artist Zhu Jinshi was recently on display at ART13 London. Titled Boat, the piece is meant as a sort of metaphor regarding the artist’s journey from east to west, while simultaneously honoring the dead’s passage from living into the afterlife." (From boredpanda.com)
 


Like combination of soft and ethereal materials. Really interesting shape and size that they manage to suspend.

Assignment #3 - Artist #3

Gabriel Dawe - Thread Art in Miniartextil
Hailing from Mexico City, Dawe tackles notions of masculinity and machismo that is constructed in the present day, more particularly in his native Mexico. Using textiles he creates site-specific installations that act as bridge between fashion and architecture.
These images are from the installation created for the annual contemporary art exhibition Miniartextil in Como, Italy.

The work is entitled Plexus no. 19 and is spread over two balconies in the atrium of Villa Olmo, an early 19th century neoclassic house. this Villa was acquired by the Como municipality in 1924 and is now open to the public during cultural events, such as art exhibitions. Taking about a week to construct with the help of two assistants, Dawe explains some of the problems he encountered, "Because of the historic nature of the building, I wasn't able to touch ceiling, walls or floors to screw in my structures," he says. "So I resorted to fixing them to the railings, which in great measure restricted what I was able to do. In the end, it worked out pretty well; it really exceeded my expectations how well the installation inhabits the space."

'This year's Miniartextil exhibition is called Agora, taking from the Greek word that describes an important public place where people come to share ideas. The visitor is invited to not just look at the artwork but to be actively involved in it. Plexus no. 19 consists of two thread structures streamed across an upper and lower balcony that is meant to be experienced from different angles or at different times of the day. As Dawe tells us, "When the sun comes in in the morning, it is fantastic. Having those window-shaped light beams add a dimension to the installation. I always like when I get direct sunshine on them because it emphasizes the layering of the thread in very interesting ways."' (From http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/gabriel-dawe-plexus-no-19-italy)



From the information I have been able to gather, each section of thread is comprised of hundreds of individual threads which Dawe hand separates, gathers and fixes for his installations. The amount of time that this would take is unthinkable to me, yet it does create a beautiful and transcendent light quality in execution.


The combination of this new age concept and this aged neoclassical building is really appealing to me, as the threads bring out interior colours that would have otherwise maybe been overlooked. The shapes that he creates with the threads are organic and flowing and compliment the soft shapes and furnishings of the Villa. Mostly I love the sense of colour and joy that this installation brings. Using only one material Dawe plays with angles, lights, colours and shadows to create a work that adds value to an already visually interesting setting.

Assignment #3 - Artist #2

OLEK - Yarnbombing

"A loop after a loop. Hour after hour my madness becomes crochet. Life and art are inseparable. The movies I watch while crocheting influence my work, and my work dictates the films I select. I crochet everything that enters my space. Sometimes it’s a text message, a medical report, found objects. There is the unraveling, the ephemeral part of my work that never lets me forget about the limited life of the art object and art concept. What do I intend to reveal? You have to pull the end of the yarn and unravel the story behind the crochet.

My work changes from place to place. I studied the science of culture. With a miner’s work ethic, I long to delve deeper and deeper into my investigations. My art was a development that took me away from industrial, close-minded Silesia, Poland. It has always sought to bring color and life, energy, and surprise to the living space. My goal is to produce new work and share it with the public. I intend to take advantage of living in NYC with various neighborhoods and, with my actions, create a feedback to the economic and social reality in our community." (from artists website http://oleknyc.com/about)

 

This project of Olek's took four assistants 2 full days to construct. It entailed covering a Locomotive in Poland entirely with crochet. In regards to this work she said that, “I think I should call this train ‘deadly romance.’ I love it, but it almost killed me. I want to see it again, but I am avoiding it. It is calling my name. But I know how much pain it caused. I am totally in love with it, but hate it in the same time. If the natural progression is to make bigger better pieces, what should I make next? Can someone give me a plane? Or should I go to the moon?”(http://www.boredpanda.com/crocheted-locomotive-olek-lodz-poland/)

As I have previously mentioned, textiles are currently of interest to myself and my group partner and I think this piece accurately reflects how textiles can add colour and whimsy to a dark, grey and industrial object or place.

I have struggled to find information about the artist herself, but judging from her chosen projects she likes to make light of darkened issues and places. She is a very valuable artist to research for this project as our installation space will be in the dark, grey, industrialised space of City West and this project shows that even the greyest and most utilitarian objects can be transformed into a colourful explosion that adds light and beauty to a space.

Assignment #3 - Artist #1

GRACED WITH LIGHT - ANNE PATTERSON
"I hear color. I see sound. The synthesis of the visual and the auditory allows for a personal connection as my paintings, design, and direction immerse the audience sensorially. Within my frames, the brushstrokes depict scenes of reality - the changing seasons, waves, rippling water - but more importantly, their abstraction is my way of inhabiting the realm of personal interpretation rather than realism. My set design and direction also encourage the audience to connect and discover, deepening their experience. I strive for my work to denote concrete times and locales, references which allow the audience to connect on a basic level. By combining these realistic visuals with color, lighting, projection, and sound, I hope to further develop that connection, to allow the work's visual and auditory synthesis to provoke a response which will deepen the meaning of the aria or soliloquy. My goal is to encourage sensory exploration - to hear and feel the crash of the waves, to see the music playing before your eyes - and to have the audience experience art in a new, deeper way." (Quote from artists: http://www.gracecathedral.org/visit/concerts-and-events/artist-in-residence-2013/)

Patterson studied a BA in architecture from Yale University and a MFA in set and costume design at Slade School of Art in London. Many of her works combine visual arts and music and she is a renowned  for her work in galleries, museums, theatres, symphonies and operas. Her works aim to bring physical visual representation to musical experiences. Her aim is to create an immersive environment for the viewer.
The site for this installation was the Grace Cathedral in San Francisco to help celebrate 100 years of music. The coloured ribbons took four days to attach to the cathedral ceiling.



For our third installation assignment, myself and my group partner have decided that we would like to attempt creating a piece from textiles and materials. Like this example, we want to explore the notion of hanging coloured materials from roof tops and banisters.


I find Patterson's colour choices really beautifully done. The blue, red and purple combine to form a very rich visual creation. Patterson refrained from using overly bright or pastel colours, or dark and sombre colours - she found the perfect middle ground in dark and light.

I find the notion of adding to a space, but not taking away from it really interesting. This project adds colour and ribbon, but doesn't block our vision of the interior architecture of the church. Because she choose to use a material that could be placed in a carefully spaced manner, we are able to see how the ribbons compliment that space instead of covering it. The light and reflective properties add a sense of ethereality and heavenliness, which obviously is helped by the religious surroundings. I think this work is beautifully executed as it manages to add colour and a sense of modernity to a space which can so easily be seen as dark, threatening and intense. In our project I hope that we can also subvert the intended atmosphere or meaning of our chosen space.

More flowers...

For LSU Musuem of Art's exhibit titled Uniquely Louisiana, artist Bradley Sabin has created an incredibly surreal looking installation made up of 1500 ceramic flowers. Called Interface, it shows a human figure sitting against a wall whose body and head have been transformed into a stunning array of pink magnolia flowers. The impressive artwork takes up an entire gallery wall. According to Sabin, the installation "reflects a dream-state where the plant world and the human world merge."Uniquely Louisiana, which runs from now through November 11, displays 50 pieces that are inspired by the Louisiana environment, including its intriguing plant and animal life. Louisiana’s official flower, the magnolia blossom takes center stage in Sabin's work. As for how the flowers were created, Sabin says "they’re all ceramic, and each of the petals are made separately, then pressed together to make a flower." In order to make the flowers look as if they're magically floating up the wall, he had to screw nails into them and then drill actual holes into the gallery wall.
Soren Christensen Gallery, which represents Sabin, sent us these photos of the stunning installation and told us that the piece will also be the title work for his fourth solo gallery exhibition “Interface” there, which runs from December 1 to December 29.( Quote from website http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/bradley-sabin-ceramic-flowers-interface)

 

I think this work is a good example of how unsettling imagery and beautiful imagery can be combined to create an interesting work. The sinew looking cage of the human body speaks of confinement and being trapped while the ceramic flowers add a lightness and ethereal emotional context for the piece. 

http://skulladay.blogspot.com.au/

While these are technically CG graphic drawings by Luke Dwyer, I think they would be really amazing installation pieces. The combination of death with new life and nature is an unlikely match, but very beautiful and detailed in the execution of these images. He uses these images on t-shirts and other commercial objects, but I can imagine a series of these skulls in a gallery space.

Helpman Graduate Exhibition

I try to visit this exhibition each year as, studying at one of the schools involved, I find it inspirational to see the work of students who had been in my position a few years earlier.

I have included images of my favourite works from the exhibition;

These watercolour pencil drawing were done on marine plywood by Maggie May from the Adelaide Central School of Art. The series was called Everyday.

These works have a frailty and simplicity to them that is very calming and delicate. Also as the title suggests, these everyday objects have a sense of beauty and delicacy about them that we do not see or tend to ignore in our everyday lives. 

Still Night

The Dish Washer

Contemplation

These aquatint etching were done on fine art paper by Richard Austin. He graduated from the Adelaide college of the arts. These photos do not accurately show the level of detail and clear workmanship that has gone into creating these images. The level of humour adds a lightness to a medium which can very quickly turn dark.

Fold, Unfold - the Body Limen
Angelica Harris-Faull is a graduate from the School of Art, Architecture and Design.  I think this piece is very well executed as paper sculptures can very quickly take a juvenile turn. Again, the intricacy and detail is the feature I am most drawn to in this work.

Time Discovery

From Adelaide College of the Arts, Bekki Kilix created this work from linocut on Fabriano Academia paper. What I enjoy most about this work is that in each corner of the print a work of art can be found. For so much narrative to be condensed into such a small space, without being overwhelming, makes this work truly unique.

The Neo- Baroque Spectacle

This mixed media installation by Zoe Kirkwood was both my favourite work from the exhibition and was also awarded the Helpman Academy Friends Award and the City of Adelaide Award. This is such an interactive and chaotic piece that I think all audience members are instantly drawn to it. It combines so many media's and such a bright array of colours that the whole work is inviting and playful whilst still being balanced and well fitted to the space.

These Linoprints were made by Lucas Croall from the School of Art, Architecture and Design. There is a slight fantastical design aesthetic in these prints that I enjoy. Simultaneously I can very easily see these works being transferred to commercial fields, such as being made into designs for clothing or skate-board decks.