Apparatjik Neue Berlin

Apparatjik - a collective of four members Guy Berryman, Jonas Bjerre, Magne Furulholmen and Martin Terefe opened their Light Space Modular at The Neue National Gllery in Berlin on the 12th March 2011. I was lucky enough to be able to go along to the opening performace and hope to catch a glimpse of one of my images on the installation created by Apparatjik. Functioning as an experimental platform, Apparatjik collaborated with a pool of artists, media technicians, designers and scientists to produce the spectacular installation in the open glass structure space in the gallery.

Apparatjik - We are here.

During the performance the band Apparatjik perform live within the cube whilst a series of moving images and static images are projected onto the large cube - a reference to the kinetic Licht-Raum-Modulator created in 1930 by Bauhaus artist Maholy-Nagy.The reflection of the light and projections on the glass space is an amazing spectacle to see. It was great to see the music and art reached a wide audiance of all ages and from all corners of the world - find out more information on Apparatjik website http://www.apparatjik.com/

One of the images I submitted

Gretal and Hansel part 2

One day on and the petals have dried out, changed shape, curled up, lost their softness becoming brittle and changed from a vibrant red colour to a deep dark plum.

The piece has become a lot more sinister and 'dark'. Somehow the cottage seems more desolate and the trees more menacing than before.

I would be interested to see how the petals would had deteriorate if they had been pressed and dried out prior to having the butterfly images cut out. Although if the flowers were pressed before hand their natural form and beauty would already have been manipulated.

I have enjoyed making this piece and watching it develop and change tone, but I think I will spend some time and remake a version of this piece, using a larger piece of Strong card for the base. Stronger embossed card for the trees and cottage and experiment with the use of dried and fresh petals and leaves.

Gretal and Hansel

For this blog I have been putting on images of previous work, trying to bring the blog up to date to my current practice.

This weekend I started work on a new piece, using paper engineering techniques - looking at new ideas. The pictures in this blog show a clinical white sterile woodland scene - reminiscent of the fairy tale Hansel and Gretal. This crisp image is broken up by the stamped butterflies made out of red rose petals. A beautiful flower that has been brutally 'punched' using a craft hole punch. The discarded off cuts have been piled up leaning against a collapsible cottage. The brilliant red looks savage and violent against the stark white background, spilling out towards the edge of the page.

I enjoyed using petals (a first for me), they added a delicate, silky, natural and smooth texture to the harshness of the stiff manufactured embossed card. I will be interested in seeing how these deteriorate over the next couple of days. This was a 'first draft' at this piece, looking at how to create multiple layers and structures that collapse when folded in half. I used two piece of chip board for the base, but will use a single piece scored to create the central fold for future pieces of work as I found the break in the middle of this piece too distracting.

She's got legs

For this piece I looked at the theme of image and the pre-conceived ideas of what we are led to think is an acceptable body image by magazines and fashion programmes. In myself, I have always been unhappy with my legs. At the start of the year I had a mould made of my legs and cast these using plaster - a material associated with traditional sculptures, tough, strong and long lasting. These were placed on a manufactured column made out of mdf - this was painted completing the make over and illusion of perfection.

The pair of boots at the base of the column were a pair of mine that I wore during the making process. The boots showed the wear and tear of the user, stretched over calves, worn in, showing everyday stresses and strains, trying to be fashionable. On the side of the boots I used a gel pen to write a ode to my legs. Sparkly silver, high street and glossy.

As much as I was unhappy with all my lumps and bumps that the plaster managed to show up very well, my legs have got me through a lot - never letting me down, school, being bullied, marriage, child birth, university etc etc. For me this piece was as much about experimenting in the manipulation of materials, playing around with 'fakeness' and material qualities as a moment of acceptance of my image, physique and who I am. In this piece my legs are placed up on a pedal stool for all to see in all of their glory!

Synaesthesia

For this blog I have decided to write about a course I have started @Tate Modern on Sensing Art led by Nigel Warburton. The aim of the course is to think about the senses in relation to art and to engage with works of art in the Tate Modern. The first question we were asked was a multiple choice one -

The letter A is red.

a) agree

b) disagree

Whats your answer?

I have to say I have never thought about a letter as a colour and found this an interesting concept. What amazed me even more was how quickly I decided it was not red but blue! And yes along with some others in the session I was wondering if I had finally gone bonkers. We were discussing synaethesia, the definition given by the UK Synaesthesia Association is -

"In its simplest form it is best described as a 'union of the senses' whereby two or more of the five senses that are normally experienced separately are involuntarily and automatically joined together." Synaesthetes can experience colour when they hear sounds or read words, whilst others will experience tastes, smells, shapes or touches in various combinations. These experiences cannot be turned off and are automatic. Synaesthetes will have the same reaction to the stimulus again and again and again. The letter A will always be red, for non synaesthetes like myself it could change.

Using artificial synaethesia (a strategy in art appreciation to combine the senses in some way), we worked in groups and explored art work in the Material Gestures gallery. To start off with I found myself a little unsure looking at a painting and trying to work out what it tastes like...yes you did read right I said taste! However before I knew it I was licking my lips and tasting soup, burning timbers, decay and so on. I was amazed at how my relationship with paintings I have engaged with numerous times became more vivid and clarified. I often spend time looking at the marks, colour and structure to a piece of work. However last night, for the first time, I noticed layers, moods and emotions and experiencing a physical response to a pieces of work.

A fascinating workshop!