MA Tutorial report 2

Date:     21^st Mar 2011                                      Tutor:  Angela Rogers

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Reflection on outcomes since last tutorial

First tutorial with Angela. Reviewing Take Two Influences project and generally getting up to speed. Discussed my project drawing at the V&A, and how I felt it didn’t necessarily take me into new areas about the building, but was more concerned with the objects, the context, the cabinets, etc. We talked about the feeling of rooms within rooms, houses within houses. Shades of Francis Alys, Rachel Whiteread dolls houses.  Tomas Schutte - artist buildings within buildings. Looking towards fiction for research - The Spire, William Golding. Changing the object by altering context – for me no need to create entire installation – I am perhaps more interested in one well placed object which may do that job. 

Artist – Thomas Eisham? Furniture different sizes.

The effect of light – Anthony McCall is currently showing in London.  Reflection and mirroring.

Angela asked me where was the space for chance in my work, that it was finely honed. I do want to polish up and hone, and encapture my chance into the whole. I explain it as my musical background – practicing over and over again until I get it right. The final version is the final performance, not perfect, but with live errors, the human touch – so although honed, not cobbled together of the best out takes. I am quite happy to encapsulate chance within my work, to plan and control spontaneity.

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Current projected aims and outcomes

Rather a revelation to talk about pieces of my work Angela was looking at from my application – videos, especially X4 which is four way split screen about insects, and what parallels to be drawn between them and ourselves. The aim in my work for insight for the viewer. Also talked about my “Ken and Josie” bench mark – previous neighbours of mine. I want my work to be accessible to folk like K and J, not just artists or gallery visitors. I hope to seduce in anyone, at the level that a film or novel is accessible for anyone, and people can get something from it – there is more there to analyse and uncover if one is so inclined. The pivotal point – the relationship and conversation set up between the four films in X4 – it starts working – the viewer starts making connections.

I like this idea very much, and realise that a few years ago this was always my intention with my work – to have a wall of screens, a bank of screens, to show work simultaneously, perhaps randomly. Over time practical considerations pushed that to a backburner, but now I realise it is time to re examine. Even without multiple screen setups, I can physically make more split screen works – almost an infinite variety. (Further to this is a long-term thought about my work always being shown with sound, from my archive, so the exhibitor or viewer always makes the creative choice – rather than just showing, the viewer always interprets by choice). A video/sound art jukebox. It is another seduction, another means of creating the drawing-in, another layer or layers of depth – and actually creates more chance, more connections within the viewer. Inevitable conversations within the viewer’s head.

In my mind, showing moving images simultaneously is a mechanism which tricks the viewer into getting involved, almost subliminally. It makes the brain behave differently. I often like to multi task, and can concentrate differently with another media on. As a former classical musician, I was not alone in liking to practice with the radio on – the cacophony made me go deeper, concentrate harder, listen more acutely.

This is quite a major thought for me and my practice. I will play around with it in my thoughts for a while before I get a chance to give it some constructive time. It’s all about the relationships.

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Discussion and recommendations/further research

Francis Alys

Gillian Wearing

William Golding  novel The Spire

Thomas Schutte

Tomas Eishawm

Anthony McCall

Mona Hatoun – shower, Arabic writing on the curtain

I will list and research more fiction on the relationship with the museum, the building.

22nd March 2011