Surrealism: The Poetry Of Dreams, Brisbane

SURREALISM AND CONTEMPORARY ART

23 JULY 2011

DR. MIRANDA WALLACE. (Curational manager of international art and exhibitions research)

I decided to visit Brisbane's recent major Surrealist exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art. I was lucky enough to also catch a lecture with Dr. Miranda Wallace, the curatorial manager of the exhibition, in discussion about the relationship between the Surrealist movement and contemporary art, which enhanced my visit to the exhibition.

When asked what she liked most about Surrealism, Wallace said she finds it first of all difficult to pin down what Surrealism is, but that largely her favourite aspect is the photography and the clear influence of cinema on many surrealist photographers, including contemporary artists. It is clear that Wallace wanted emphasise this link within the exhibition as film projections consistently appear alongside static works within the exhibition. There is also a surrealist cinema season devoted to moving image, (The Savage Eye; Surrealism and Cinema) which is running alongside the exhibit.

Wallace continues that one reason why it is so hard to define Surrealism is that many works are not linked by a visual style or approach but rather it is more a 'mode of enquiry.' Surrealism sets out to approach the more challenging aspects of life; the subconscious, The invisible realm and other 'hard to access' places, in fact Surrealists were obsessed by these themes. When we consider this, it makes sense and that there isn't one all encompassing style, as if there were, there would be some suggestion that each individual's subconscious is not unique. This is not to say that there are not common themes between artists and links between certain symbolic aspects of work as well and artistic approaches, however each outcome is essentially personal to artist.

In regards to contemporary art or in fact contemporary culture, Wallace explored the fact that Surrealism has also been one of the largest influences in commercial advertising; this bringing together of random things, is a technique, which at one stage became hugely useful within advertising.  

Wallace then began to talk us through a collection of slides' some from the exhibition and some contemporary examples.

SLIDES

Victor Bauner 1934 – artificial man,

This first slide displayed a hybrid creature, displaying this idea of part human part machine. Surrealists were consistently concerned with the line between the real and unreal to perhaps create a stronger more capable human being, forever trying to cross this boundary. In the example shown, the real and the unreal are merged. An idea, which became possible after WWI when the production of prosthetic limbs rose and these hybrids appeared, bringing us closer to this surrealist vision of the unreal becoming real. Wallace made the link to The Tales of Hoffman; where a man falls in love with a mannequin; falling in love with something unreal is perhaps the ultimate bringing together of real/unreal.

Wallace touched on a lot of important things and appeared to have absolutely vast knowledge, especially in terms of Surrealism's relevance to contemporary art, theatre, literature, culture, history etc. This fascination with the body perhaps stemmed from Breton and Ernst's medical background, both trained to be doctors, until they resigned to become poets, yet their fascination with the body continued as they searched to link artificial worlds.

Ron Mueck, mask 11, 2011

contemporary example of the real and the unreal joined together

-the fantastic world

Perhaps the difference between then and now is that contemporary surrealists there is an element of humour and a replication of the movements attitudes, whereas surrealists of the time were completing a genuine search for truth, a genuine way to tap into the subconscious and make the unreal, real.

Wallace showed a slide of Bretons 1960s studio/home, which was fascinating and of which a video appears in the exhibitions, the studio is permanently displayed at the Centre Pompidou, Paris. Within the studio many esoteric objects appear. Breton had a strong belief in the power, status and mythology of objects, hence his vast an eclectic collection.

Often the question is asked 'When does the object become art? Is it when the artist pronounces it art, as if the artist somehow has a divine power. In the case of Surrealism the answer is no, an object must hold some magical power, or retain a sense of meaning or worth, never be a commodity or mass produced consumer item, perhaps found or manipulated in some way. The fall in popularity of Surrealism is largely to do with the rise of Pop Art, which was doing precisely this taking and everyday consumer object and displaying an oversized, over spruced, shiny version of it and calling it art, essentially going against everything that Surrealism was about. Refusing to commit to convention.

The exhibition itself was curated in chronological order, mapping the rise and 'fall' of Surrelaism.

“Transform the world' said Marx, 'Change Life' said Rimbaud. These two orders are for us one and the same” - Bréton 1955

"Every product of disgust is capable of becoming a negation of the family is Dada: a protest with the fists of its whole being engaged in destructive action dada: the knowledge of all the means rejected up until now by the stonefaced sex of comfortable compromise and good manners, dada: absolution of logic: which is the dance of those impotent to create: dada of every social hierarchy and equation set up for the sake of values by our valets Dada absolution of memory: dada – abolition of archaology” Dad absolution of prophets Dada: absolution of the future absolute and unquestionable faith in every God that is faith in the immediate product of spontaneity."

Tristan Tszara -Dada Manifesto, 1918.

The fall of popularity in Surrealism due to the rise of Pop Art, which essentially went against everything that Surrealist was about, often the question is asked ' when does the object become art? Is it when the artist pronounces it art, as if the artist somehow has a divine power. In the Case of Surrealism the answer is no, an object must hold some magical power, or retain a sense of meaning or worth, never be a commodity or mass produced consumer item, perhaps found, but then manipulated in some way. Pop Art was doing precisely this taking and everyday consumer object and displaying an oversized over spruced shiny version of it and calling it art. 

On visiting the exhibition itself after the talk I found some very different works to what I have seen before – the surreal house was more specific, obviously centred around the house and themes of domesticity, of course this is a revisited theme from many surrealist, this show has a broader, general overview of surrealism, with a strong link to cinema in conjunction with the surreal film festival being held at the gallery, there is a clearer narrative, however when listening to the talk it seemed that Dr. Wallace's interviewer was perhaps speaking with little knowledge of Surrealism, which is perhaps effective as it is such a vast and complex subject that many of the audience may only have touched on parts of it. It was reassuring, however, that Wallace clearly had more to offer on the topic.

 Belle Du Jour, 1967

 Commercial Surrealist Film

 Early Hans Richter

Mannequin Love

Frida Kahlo: Face to Face

Judy Chicago

Frida Kahlo: Face to Face

18 June 2011

During my second year at university, I initially discovered the work of Judy Chicago. I was working on a group project with 'Rubix' and we were researching themes based around Busby Berkeley, Journeys and a quote which led us to the idea of 'A Dinner Party;' it was then of course that Judy Chicago's, Dinner Party came into our research, an immensely important feminist work consisting (in brief) a tablecloth embroidered with the names of empowering women ( more about that here). When given the opportunity to attend a talk with American Artist, Chicago, I couldn't refuse.

Chicago was predominantly in discussion about her recent book 'Frida Kahlo; Face To Face' Chicago outlined that the book is essentially a discussion about Kahlo's work and Chicago describes that instead of most Art history books, she didn't want to re-create that omnipotent art historian voice, which often convinces the reader that whatever is being written is the absolute truth, and cannot be disputed. A feeling, which I am sure many have felt when reading a hefty volume about an artist as exposed as Kahlo. This being said, although Kahlo is well- known, she is perhaps mis-represented, according to Chicago at least. Although many are aware of her name, Chicago details that some are perhaps not aware of the breadth of her work. The majority of books about Kahlo tend to focus upon her self portraits, these being the most infamous of her work, but as the lecture went on Chicago showed slides of work, of which, many, (including myself) had never seen before and were very different in style to the works I Had been familiar with.

Chicago discussed how, often, female artists have been mis-represented throughout history, which is not the fault of art historians, as how can they comment on work which has been unarchived, mis- restored or lost completely, which is why only recently female artists have been able to in some way come into their own.

It is no that their art is unfairly criticised, it is simply that many surviving, important female works have been placed in an incorrect context, historians attempting to skew and squeeze certain works within the existing male dominated narrative of Art History. Perhaps the themes and issues being explored, are naturally personal, therefore sometimes gender specific. These works contain their own mode of enquiry, which does not fit with any existing model, but needs to be viewed in the context of an artists life or compared with previously unseen autobiographical elements, or in Kahlo's case, a full cache of work. Within her book, Chicago is outlining various phases of Kahlos' life and setting her work accordingly in the correct context.

Chicago emphasises that her book is first and foremost a discussion, therefore is still open to the opinion of the reader and shows a balanced discussion between Chicago and another art historian, allowing the reader to form their own opinions as well as consider the facts placed before them in the book.

Chicago was engaging as a speaker, yet I often dislike talks which appeared too rehearsed and formal, therefore when Chicago veered off her script, her outbursts and personal opinions were in the end the most interesting parts of the talk.  

Fantasy has had a lot of bad press. 


but the concept has little to do with those common sense notions of it as an 'escape from reality.' It deconstructs that fantasy/reality opposition by drawing attention to the activity of fantasy in everyday life experience, of which day-dreaming is only one common manifestation. Rather than dismiss this activity as trivial supplements to the real they must be seen as central to any thinking about images for a politics of representation that acknowledges 'physical reality' - the reality in which the human mind is not an objective decoding machine but a physical apparatus that is selective and motivated in its activity. For it must surely be here in the intersection of social identity with fantasy , and the unconscious with cultural identification that Mise-en-scène takes on its full import as the staging of desire.

Not simply a scene for the sight of desire. Desire, not as the 'hidden content' of an image but rather as ' the something' in that work that every spectator does across the 'dialectic of identification' that he or she is caught up in when looking at an(y) image.

Mise-en-scène

Mise-en-scène emphasises more than just adding together elements of staging in any literal, technical sense. As 'mere technique' or 'a question of good composition,' it is rather the basis of what constitutes the actual place and space of image, what it signifies.


In this sense Mise-en-scène offers a concept which recognises the image as a place of work, a site of meaning and production, of precisely staging. It offers, in a manner that does not divide from content, the space in which to think the question - What has been staged here?

Wim Crouwel: A Graphic Odyssey, talk and Exhibition

From right Mels & Wim Crouwel & Rick Poyner, Tony Brook (Spin) on front row.

I took a trip to London to visit the the Design Museum's retrospective of Dutch Typefather, Wim Crouwel. A Graphic Odyssey was accompanied by a talk from the man himself and his architect son, Mels Crouwel. The whole discussion mediated by renowned design critic Rick Poyner.

Curated by Tony brook of Spin, the exhibition is aptly gridded out with long white tables. A huge collection of Crouwel's work adorns the walls. Crouwel's lesser known early exhibition design resides alongside his iconic posters, detailed sketchbook extracts and logo roughs as well as Crouwel's lower case re-design of the phonebook. The exhibition also showed work from contemporary designers who have since been inspired by Crouwel, proving that the Total Design aesthetic remains undated even by todays standards.

After seeing the exhibition I walked upstairs to the intimate lecture space, to watch the talk, which was sold out. There were a limited number of seats, which created a good atmosphere as the talk felt much more like an informal discussion rather than a hard nosed design debate.

On seeing Crouwel I noticed that he had such a presence amongst his many admirers and it was clear that I was in the company of an icon. Mels also white haired an bespectacled, didn't wilt in his fathers presence, but rather embraced it, as he explained he had done all his life. For Mels, a career within design was inevitable, growing up in a converted house boat, surruounded by the designs and creations of his father from furniture to the house structure itself.

I found the discussion lively and upbeat, Poyner certainly knows how to curate a discussion and it was interesting to see that although Mels had been saturated by his fathers design influence and shared his modernist values, when applied to architecture, Mels is certainly a designer in his own right. The idea that graphic design can be applied to the way a space works is not a new idea, but it is certainly one that makes sense, highlighting the ever blurring boundaries between creative disciplines.

I bought the beautifully designed catalogue at the end of the show and if it wasn't for my need to catch an early train I would have definitely hung around to meet the man himself and perhaps get an autograph. Overall an great insight into Modernist Dutch design as well as the influence of Britain (Fletcher Forbes Gill) on the Dutch design scene. A great addition to my ever increasing interest in typography.

I have recorded the talk and it can be listened to here

MDS Designinit Aftershow

After the Manchester Design Symposium, a bunch of fired up designers headed over the The Deaf Institute for a networking event organised by Designinit. The highlight of this was undoubtedly winding down with a group of fellow D&ADers on the terrace, and getting talking to Angela Gilroy, who happened to work at Dalton Maag, she kindly gave us their promotional catalogue and an ubuntu poster.

It was really interesting talking to Angie and we learnt that if we were to complete a placement at Dalton Mag it would be Angie we would be staying with, so it was her we needed to talk to. She simply said that a passionate email was sufficient and it wouldn't hurt for it to be typeset in Ubuntu.

Later Angie brought out Bruno Maag to talk to us which was encouraging as she must have found us interesting. Bruno was just ask lively off the stage as on and was easy to have a joke with. John Walters followed him out and we began talking to him also, which was really great. Bruno specified that the most likely place to get to know people was here, in the pub and I agree, people are much more relaxed in this situation and much more open to chat and socialise when out of their busy work environment.

As a result I follow up emailed Angie and although I am going to Australia in June and so wouldnt be able to commit to a two month placement she offered me the chance to come and visit Dalton Maag's new studio anytime. And who knows if we keep in touch with John Walters, he might be able to review our degree show in Eye?

this is an exact representation of what bruno looked like on the night

Manchester Design Symposium

There was a great buzz around the first Manchester Design Symposium and I felt really excited that so many creatives had congregated together for the event. It seemed that much of the hype had been generated via Twitter and subsequently any Design Symposium related tweets should be followed by the tag '#mds' Many of the people I interact with on Twitter were attending the event and I wondered if any of them would actually speak to me in 'real life,' away from the safety net of the computer screen, The likelihood of which I found unlikely and was eventually proved right. There were five key speakers at the event; Si Scott, John Walters (Eye Magazine), Bruno Maag (Dalton Maag), Jonathan Barnbrook (Barnbrook) and Tom Dorresteijn (Studio Dumbar) David Crow orchestrated the event, commenting and introducing each new speaker. The theme of the event was 'The Value Of Design' and each speaker had free reign as to how they may interpret this. of course any public speech is an opportunity for self promotion and for some this is exactly what happened, whereas others genuinely offered their slant on the value design had. There were certainly a diverse range of responses. First up was Si- Scott. I have heard a talk from Si-Scott before and I have to say that this talk was not much different really. I didn't think that Scott explained the 'The Value Of Design,' but merely talked us through his career path so far and how he has become successful using his own personal style. I think that Si Scott has an interesting style of work and the direction his more recent work is going in is good. He is a down to earth person and I think many audience members related to him, however I didn't think he offered any interesting opinions and his oration was a bit dull (might have to let him off though slightly, as he was under the influence of strong pain killers)

John Walters, however, offered his opinion about 'The Value Of Design,' from a non-designer perspective, which is exactly what Eye Magazine is base on. It was very engaging and refreshing to hear his opinion. Founded by Rick Poyner, Eye magazine has brought design writing from being, at best, a caption or short summary to an extensive dialogue and interesting discussion. Walters explained his view that Design has Value in five key ways; Editorial, Cultural, Functional, Financial and Educational Value. During the Question and Answer section at the end I asked Walters whether he thought the online accessibility of eye magazine affected the popularity of the print version of the magazine, Walters answered that eye has always had a strong online base, and that eye's online presence is as important as print, and part of what has made eye so popular, it just depends how people prefer to view things, and he had faith in eye as a beautiful printed item as well as an informative online resource. I certainly regard eye as one of my major online, cultural resources.

Probably one of the most entertaining of the speakers was Bruno Maag. Maag is like a firework and jumped straight into his talk with a sparky warning to anyone not paying for font licenses that he would personally hunt them down. Maag has a very craft-based respect for typography and he told us about the return to black and white gouache in drawing typefaces, and that any intern must close their mac and appreciate type non-digitally before they can create type digitally. I was really inspired my Maag and thought it would be enlightening to do a placement at Dalton Maag, a kind of karate kid technique in learning about typography. Maag quite literally talked about the value of design, in that the design of typefaces, which are effective and which work to sell product, can literally lead to cold hard cash, his unashamed discussion of making money was something, some conservative Brits, may have found unusual, but Maag has proved in his own work with huge clients such as Windows and Nokia, that you can make a lot of money from type. (I suppose you would have to be paid a lot to design a typeface that can be read in 3 billion different languages!) Maag has also created a free typeface also called Ubuntu, which has a vastly impressive number of variations, made available to everyone regardless of financial circumstance, location or language or as Maag says "before now typography has mainly been in the domain of the geeks"

Jonathan Barnbrook talked us through his experience as a more unconventional type designer, I couldn't help but think their may have been tensions between Barnbrook and Maag, all in good faith of course. Barnbrook is an extremely likeable and witty character and although I am unsure if he described a value of design as such, it was really interesting to see how he sourced inspiration for his typography and imparted anecdotes from his design experience.

Finally tom Dorresteijn spoke about his interpretation of 'The Value of Design.' For some reason everyone woke up slightly as Dorresteijn began his talk, maybe it was the change in accent. As a design strategist, Dorresteijn believes that the value of design is the 'design of value' in that if you can persuade a client that your design has value, then that is the key to success. In other words if the client is turned on' then they will appreciate the value of design and see how good design can result in business success.

I found that all in all the day was really inspiring and it was great to experience so many discussion about the topic of design, I felt that the day re-affirmed my belief that what I am doing really doe have value and is extremely valid as a vocation. Although I was disappointed at the absence of female representatives at the event. Afterwards the talks continued at The Deaf Institute, with a networking event organised by 'designinnit.' (to be continued)

Elle Interview

When the opportunity arose for a placement at ELLE magazine, I felt it was a chance I couldn't miss. Lewis Cham, an ex-student from the course, offered a four week, paid placement in London. After working with Flux I really enjoyed the process of seeing a magazine develop from start to finish and thought it would be a great experience to do the same with ELLE magazine.

I sent a digital PDF of my work along with my CV and got a callback from Lewis, asking to come to the ELLE office for an interview. The interview was such short notice that I had to overhaul my portfolio and re-photograph my work in 24 hours, ready to take it down to London.

Upon meeting Lewis I felt instantly relaxed as he was very laid back and took hold of my portfolio and began flicking through it. He really engaged with my work and gave me some great feedback. I did feel however that the position wasn't quite right for me, as I got the sense that a huge interest in fashion was a main criteria, and many of my references and inspirations came from outside of fashion, as I explained I felt this was a good way to avoid repeating things that had already been done.

I felt like preparing myself for the interview and meeting Lewis was a positive experience and I learnt a lot about how to present myself, I think it can only be a good thing to show your work to as many people as possible, who may never have seen it, in order to gain confidence in presenting work and refine my presentation technique. It was really encouraging to get good feedback and even though I was unsuccessful in getting the placement, I think that the position was perfect for Phoebe Sing, who did get it, and I'm sure the experience complimented her interests and portfolio immensely, Well done Phoebe!

Greg Quinton: A String Of Pearls

In association with D&AD North and Lost In The Forest, I, along with the rest of my course, was asked to individually design a poster to promote an upcoming D&AD lecture by Greg Quinton of The Partners, entitled, A String Of Pearls.

I expected the talk to be interesting as The Partners are considered to be one of the biggest design agencies in the world, so as well as being good designers, they must surely be able to promote themselves very well also. I found it surprising how down to earth Greg Quinton was, I did find this endearing but not so much engaging. I felt as though Quinton stumbled through the talk somewhat and despite whether this was positive in a 'We're just like you' kind of way, I had expected a more high-powered, well rehearsed talk. Each to their own, however and perhaps the reason why Quinton is so successful is because he is personable rather than egotistical.

As for the String of Pearls I found that many were slightly stating the obvious, I mean of course all were valid, but some i.e 'Word Damn Hard' and 'Love good Clients' were more like common sense rather than wisdom -worthy. Overall I think that a lot of the work Quinton showed was impressive, and certainly portrayed The Partners as versatile, so if nothing else I gained a well-rounded insight into an agency I previously knew of but knew little about.

The Young Creatives

'The Young Creatives' is a blog, which showcases creative talent and shares inspiring and critical content to do with the creative industries. Check out my interview on the blog here

DR. ME Talk

After rumours of a Skype lecture, I was unsure what to expect from DR.ME and was surprised on entering the lecture theatre to find the Manchester duo present. Instead of talking over points in voices, which they self-confess, would send us to sleep, the usual rambling on about the self, certain points taking far too long, and missing out vital pieces of information. DR.ME, which is the collaborative creative name of Mark Edwards and Ryan Doyle, decided to shake things up a bit and use an automated voice to concisely explain their university and post-university journey.

I found the lecture insightful and certainly have never been to a lecture which uses this platform and true to form it did keep me engaged. I took from the lecture the idea that if you keep working, keep doing work you believe in, continue to network and most importantly enjoy yourself then opportunities will slowly but surely start coming your way. DR. ME have recently moved into their own studio, which is an incredible achievement considering they only left university 7 months ago.

After the lecture I spoke to Mark and Ryan and talked through my portfolio, I found what they had to say really helpful, their constructive criticism was good to hear as it is always good to get an outside opinion on your work. I also found it useful to discuss how they coped working abroad, as this is one of my aspirations after leaving university, so thanks guys for putting my mind at ease!

Link to my blog post on DR.ME does Urban Outfitters

Vaughan Oliver 17/02/11

Hugely anticipated lecture with renowned graphic designer, Vaughan Oliver. Vaughan showed us an extensive range of work spanning the length of his career. I am very familiar with Vaughan's work as he has been a massive influence to me and I find myself using him as a contextual reference often.

Vaughan's approach is fantastically appropriate to whatever it is applied to. His most famous works are for independent record label 4.A.D and more prominently, The Pixies, it is clear to see that Vaughan's long standing relationship and connection to the band and their music has informed his work. Vaughan manages to absolutely immerse the viewer with his visuals and really give a sense of the attitude, feeling and qualities of the band, transceding his own immersion in the music.

I found it interesting to hear how Vaughan creates these moods through collaboration, hand picking photographers for appropriate projects showing that he as a graphic designer must act as a magician in fusing each element together to create a coherent piece of design. Vaughan spoke passionatly about his work and this was inspriring that so many years on, his work is a labour of love. The highlight was a show reel of Vaughan's work played to David Sylvian's Orpheus, seeing the work to music aptly portrayed a mood and atmosphere of the work, iconic, to the point of being emotional.

Below is a link to my recording of the lecture

Lecture

Lucy May Schofield

I was vaguely familiar with Lucy May Schofield's work before this lecture and I am fascinated by the intricate art of bookbinding, as I myself probably don't have the patience to be an absolute perfectionist, which seems to be a trait of bookmakers. Lucy showed us a range of beautiful books, but what was most interesting was the story behind her journey. It seems that her work, life and play are synonymous, she lives and breathes her work and her personal experiences are what fuels the content for her books. Her creative inspiration is her self and her interaction with others and the links and emotions floating in between.

I always like to hear how people get to where they are, as it is reassuring to find that it is okay (and probably a good thing) to not have a complete idea of what you want to do. Lucy is a great example of someone staying true to what they love doing despite difficulties and obstacles in terms of production and mass distribution. In fact it is all in the charm of a handmade book, that there are only a few and owning one of these few knowing each is hand finished is a very precious thought. Lucy's next venture is her 'School of Life' inspired, roaming, cathartic library this sounds fascinating and I admire her freedom to explore.

Lucy's Website (by Hilary Judd)

beautiful ready-made love note books, especially apt and inspiring near Valentine's Day

Johnny Hardstaff

I have just completed a two day workshop along with half of my course with inspirational designer/director/person, Johnny Hardstaff. Johnny has worked with some very impressive clients including Sony, Orange and Toyota and its no surprise because I get the impression that Johnny could sell an idea to anyone, not that he is short of them either, he has sketchbooks overflowing with unexplored ideas and it is clear that he lives and breathes his practice.

For the workshop we had to try to make the 'feeling of intoxication' appealing to a consumer, forgetting the negative stigma of alcohol and presenting it in a contemporary, innovative and fresh way. The client was Smirnoff. There were some amazing concepts and ideas flying around the room and over the course of the two days I felt utterly empowered by the enthusiasm and passion that Johnny has. I felt that I got to explore a large range of concepts in a short time. A great idea can be thought up in a moment, and what you do with that idea is when the magic happens. It was a privilege to get to work with someone like johnny and hopefully I will get to again in the future.

Barney Bubbles - Reasons To Be Cheerful.

I first came across Barney Bubbles when Hitch (my tutor) imparted some of his creative influences to us in a lecture, therefore I was really looking forward to hear a lecture from the author of the book, 'Barney Bubbles: Reasons To be Cheerful,' Paul Gorman.

Not only did Gorman show us a selection of Barney Bubbles fantastic work but he also gave us an insight into the man behind the work. Gorman talks of Bubbles placing great importance on his privacy, perhaps to his detriment, in that despite being a talented designer, he did not become as successful as he might if he had been less private. Gorman spoke of Bubbles fondly and it was clear that he had an emotional attachment to the creation of the book. Gorman not only seemed to know Bubbles' work thoroughly but also seemed to understand him as a person. The title 'Reasons To Be Cheerful,' is ironic as Bubbles eventually committed suicide, it was quite moving to hear Gorman speak of this, as it was clearly a something very personal to him and for Bubbles to create such bright and uplifting work, despite being depressed is a tantamount to his privateness. Even the cover of the book was designed by Gorman's wife. Gorman gave a thorough, interesting, engaging talk about Barney Bubbles' life and work and I think he represented his legacy perfectly.

Teal Triggs Lecture

Teal Triggs came to talk to us about her recently released book entitled 'fanzines.' I thought that her research on the subject was of course impressive and she had covered an extensive range of zines from all over the world. I expected Triggs to gives us a little more of an insight into zine culture, rather than talk us through the titles of a long list of zines and for this reason I found the lecture less interesting. I do engage with zines and having an avid interest in photo-montage come hand in hand with zine culture with artist such as Linder Sterling and I have made some myself in the past, they are a great way of collating together information and some of the better ones are great for making political and social statements. I think if Triggs had spoken more extensively about the sub-culture of zines this would have been more interesting, but instead I found the talk quite tedious towards the end.

INC Talk.

What is Pop Art...?

BLACK MAP - Jasper Johns.

'I just made it like I make things. I really have nothing to say about it.'

— Johns

Often I ask the question of whether 'art critics' make art famous ( from Ruskin and the romantics to Grafik magazine today) rather than the artist themselves...It is clear that artists who become timeless are talented. right? or is that just what we have been told.

This example of 'Black Map' by Jasper Johns, is undoubtedly open to interpretation, Johns quotes; ' I just made it like I make things, I really have nothing to say about it.' This could be a deliberate act of ambiguity, or is it that the work really does have no meaning, and it's just kind of what he felt like doing at a particular time.

Here is a 'critical explanation' of the work

"Johns is one of the founders of the Pop Art movement. The term is loosely and often inaccurately applied in our urgency to understand by classifying, but the use of so commonplace a subject as a map emphasizes the popular image involved. The map, 44 inches high by 70 inches wide, is executed as a charcoal drawing except for the southeastern states that are done in black oils. It is necessary to look sharply to make out the names of these southern states. They seem condemned to anonymity as if their names were unspeakable. The names of the other states are clearly identified, but executed in a variety of lettering styles that are different in size, form, placement, and shading, a characteristic of Johns' treatment of letters and numbers. In the West, the faint form of a hand is seen, as though California has been touched by a divine hand — or perhaps a commentary on those who think this is so. The drawing area is sensitively shaded and textured with painterly strokes that often seem calligraphic. In addition to the calligraphic effect, an Oriental feeling is created by Johns' use of variation in the shades of black reminiscent of the Sumi ink painters of China and Japan, who recognize eight distinct shades of black. This master artist has created a work of intense interest."

After reading this, does that change our perception of the work, definately yes; from a canvas, which is ambiguous, to a clearer, more digestable piece of 'art'. BUT does this make us like the work more, or did we prefer not knowing..?

I reference this in terms of my own work, often a very simple and basic idea can generate intriguing and 'visually interesting results' and the power of ambiguity should not be overlooked. For example, I recently took part in a one day project where in a group I had to create a 'MAP' of various data.

This is a replica of our response;

Replica of 'Map'

When described as a 'map' this image is intriguing, but once you explain the concept behind the 'map'...does the loss of ambiguity create a loss of intrigue.?

The task of 'mapping' was based around 7 songs, and each group (total 14 including ourselves) had to guess which of our tutors chose which song. In the original you now can see a horizontal line going through the centre of the image, with numbers + and - above and below the line representing right and wrong answers, and the scale from left to right being worst-best. the vertical line in the centre represents our group.

Here is a replica of the original;

When we had to present out work to the rest of the year, I found that once the work was explained and people knew how it was done...they no longer liked it, the idea not being overly witty or clever, changed their perception of the work.

I felt that not everything must always be explained, much to my tutors distaste. I understand the importance of a great idea behind something... but sometimes it would be nice to keep that idea to ourselves and just enjoy the work without explanation. After all, when people see our work in everyday life, we're not always going to be there to explain it to them. The work must speak for itself.

NM.

Stitch It.

I asked each volunteer to say a quote, which they felt summed them up, I recorded each soundbyte and then took a photograph. The soundbyte was then turned into a soundwave and stitched over the corresponding mouth, aesthetically representing each person uniquely with the use of line. The wall displays a selection of colour and cropping variations.