Recorders

• Manchester Art Gallery

Saturday 19th September - Sunday 30th January

I have had an obsession with vintage recording devices since I began my foundation. In the past I have explored recorders of sound and then later trying to devise a new type of communication, by literally trapping sound. So naturally I was interested in visiting Rafael Lozano-Hemmer's, Recorders exhibition at the Manchester Art Gallery. Filled with an array of recording devices via seven interactive installations.

The first room displays rather modest installations which are amusing to participate with. Exploiting the idea of sharing information, placing this experience into a physical space, makes us aware of the information we are sharing, mirroring the way we share information everyday, but in a more obvious way. the highlight of the exhibition is undoubtedly the pulse room, It is rare, if ever, that we are able to actually visualise our pulse, it is usually experienced through sound or feeling. A ceiling is gridded with hundreds of light bulbs, at the head of the room there are two metal handles, the visitor is invited to grab hold of the handles and then watch as the lights in the room respond to their unique heart rate, for a moment, the room represents the visitor, allowing them to see their pulse illuminated on a large scale. I found this experiential exhibition engaging a mixture of recording, ambience, light bulbs and interaction, in my opinion, is worth a visit!

Marxism Today

Phil Collins: Marxism Today

Abandon Normal Devices (AND)

Cornerhouse, Manchester

02 October - 20 November

Phil Collins shines a light on what is generally perceived as the losing side in the political and social upheavals of the past two decades. The film shows contemporary interviews with ex-teachers, specialising in Marxist-Leninist ideals in the former Communist East Germany.These interviews are combined with archival material creating an interesting introduction to the topic. My interest in Germany is constantly evolving, especially Berlin and it's rich history and after spending a lot of the summer there, I felt this was an exhibition for me. I found the screening very emotional and insightful, it is one thing to learn about the history of place by reading a list of facts, but when exposed to a series of emotions and personal experiences, I felt I could really start to put my knowledge into context and understand what it was really like during that time. There were beautifully sensitive examples of archival material combined with the harsh documentary style of the interviews. A real sense of time came through with the screening. Hearing the teachers talk in retrospect about the end of communism and the possibility of becoming rich, there seemed to be split opinions referring to the pros and cons of the party. In one way there was an opportunity to become rich, but in another way some people felt that now they were doing things purely for material gain, rather than for themselves. In the next room a screening of a modern classroom brings the central concepts of Marxist economic analysis to the new generation of students, whose questions are very insightful and thought provoking. This topic is something I am very interested in and as a delve further into the social/ political impact of Photo Montage, this could be something I revisit.

Unspooling

Unspooling

Abandon Normal Devices (AND)

Cornerhouse, Manchester

02 October - 09 January 2011

Work from 18 artists that use of abandon the usual conventions of cinema. The name of the exhibition was what first intrigued me, triggering my fascination with spools, tapes and recording. Inside a range of cinematic/artistic strategies are spread over two floors including sound, gesture, spoken word, painting, drawing and sculpture. Something must be said for the curators of the exhibition, as the spacing and positioning of the pieces around the room worked well to enhance the viewer experience. Julian Moisander's The Manager, 2010, shows a hanging man projected high up near the ceiling of the gallery, whilst Ming Wong's Life and Death in Venice, 2010, is projected onto impossibly thin perspex sheets, which appear to be floating independently in the space, beautiful. Intricate installation is seen inMichaël Borremans', The German 2004- 2007. A scale model of a cinema space, shrunk to a miniscule size, contains incredibly detailed, tiny figurines, who observe the comparitively giant screen, showing the jerky mannerisms of a suited man. Whether it is the model or the film we should focus upon is unimportant, in any sense it made me stop and look closer ,which deserves some credit.

My main point of interest within this exhibition were not the works themselves but the way the works had been presented, which I thought could be applied to my degree show/ D&AD exhibition in the future.

Routine 1

Sachiko Abe

(b. Japan, 1975) I visited the Liverpool Biennial this week. Many of the things I saw were disappointing, however the undoubted highlight was Sachiko Abe. Tucked a way in a corner of FACT is a performance not worth missing. Paper Mountain was the name of the performance, I walked into a warehouse type room to find a beautiful turret of paper, which on closer inspection was made up of tiny shreds of paper, glancing further I saw a woman dressed in white at the top of a mezzanine, cutting into an A4 sheet of paper under a pale spotlight. The intricacy of the piece was fascinating, Abe cuts around the edge of the A4 sheet forming a delicate thread of paper which cascades from the mezzanine and trails to form the paper mountain, which is merely supported by string. A microphone amplifies the cutting sound and I got a great sense of time and presence within the performance. As if Abe had been there for years creating this sculpture, serenely and slowly, part of a fairytale, divine and somewhat magical.

In a separate room there appeared intricate and obsessional drawings. Obviously a theme running through Abe's work. One drawing was on a roll of paper, unfinished. still a vast amount of unrolled paper to work through and two pillows set down on the floor. it was the sense of time which struck me again and the uncertainty of a finished piece. I found the work very calming as if Abe had an escape and was separate from the stresses of life and exists purely for her work. It was this authenticity that I admired the most.

A Foundation Blog

Arthouse

Werner Herzog, 1974.

A man is locked away for his whole life, when he is mysteriously set free he must face the outside world but finds himself trapped in his own sheltered mind. Can his quest for knowledge can grant his freedom? or is he better off without the influences of fellow mankind. F.W. Murnau, 1922.

When Count Orlok follows, estate agent, Thomas Hutter to the ficticious German city of Wisborg, it is not just property he is interested in. Orlok unleashes a plague on the city and a series of mysterious deaths occur. All that can stop the 'phantom der nacht' is if a pure-hearted woman (Ellen, Hutter's wife) distracts him from the rooster's call. Once he is dead, however, are her troubles over? 1987

The city of Berlin is overlooked by guardian angels, these live in a world of black and white and try to ease the pain and suffering of those living. When one angel falls in love with a living woman, he seeks to become mortal and finds he is not alone. 1920, Robert Weine

You must become Caligari.Dr. Caligari's somnambulist, Cesare, and his deadly predictions.

One Day.

http://www.notesondesign.net/people/interviews/sheila-de-bretteville-designer-educator-feminist/