Feedback From Last Term & Further Research

Points Mentioned:

•  "‘the pleasure of viewing’, the placement of the reflective in space with the position of the viewer; was this a consideration when installing the work; are we as viewer to place ourselves within this? Have you considered a room installation or is the object as artefact the conceptual centre? (Kusama: https://www.victoria-miro.com/exhibitions/491/)" 

• The light bulb within the piece - this could be perceived as an interactive artwork. I do not think I will continue with the interactive style artwork in this way as I think a better approach would be to focus on the viewing. 

• "Could ceramics be made reflective – there are gazes that can do this?" There are glazes that can make the ceramics reflective, but these are too expensive to use. I could try a sample piece I suppose.  

• Make a more secure, succinct final piece, professional standard, not fragile... This term I will make sure the work I create is fully bolted or fixed together to a professional standard.

• As my annotated texts were a strength last term I could make annotated texts into a book of some kind, display this as a published/ printed text rather than just a folder. 

 
Further Research:

• Book: Beyond Infinity Eugenia Cheng to get more of an idea of infinite reflection. 
• Room installation, or the object as an artefact - research Kusama: https://www.victoria-miro.com/exhibitions/491/). 

Yayoi Kusama: Sculptures, Paintings & Mirror Rooms

25 May - 30 July 2016

Victoria Miro Gallery I, Gallery II and Garden

Yayoi Kusama, All The Eternal Love I Have For The Pumpkins, 2016

• Kusama has created infinite rooms through using reflections. 
• "The room fuses some of Kusama's biggest artistic obsessions – squash plants, polka-dot patterns and infinite space – and is complemented by a trio of polished bronze pumpkin sculptures sitting close by."

Source: https://www.dezeen.com/2016/06/02/yayoi-kusama-mirror-infinity-room-installations-pumpkins-chandelier-victoria-miro-gallery-exhibition-london/ 

Reflections and future development:

• This has really got me thinking about whats in the reflections of my sculpture, and whether to create a room installation similar to Kusama. 
• The fact that Kusama's work includes a sculptural pumpkin form which is reflected in the mirrors makes me think perhaps I should create a sculptural form to be reflected in my stainless steel sculpture, to add another element to it. It reminds me also of how I presented my work for assessment last term, where I placed some of my sculpture in front of the stainless steel to reflect it back in it, see the images below:

Future Designs After Punctuated Cubed Exhibition

Experimenting with design ideas for the aluminium wire, I think I just need to go ahead and play with the material itself first before designing anymore, to fully understand this newer material. 

Studio: Finishing Touches & Installing Work Within The Collection

Before I installed the work, I thought that I need to secure the sculptural pieces together, which made it a more solid structure. I used glue and corner brackets to fix the first and second cube sheets together, and another corner bracket on the lower cube to secure it to the plinth (as seen in the two images below):

After this I cleaned up the glue and gave it a final polish to ensure the work was as high shine as it could be. 

I also decided to hide the more labour intensive look that I had originally gone for with this sculpture, and improved it following the feedback I received (which was, if my work is so concerned with the surface, why does it need to display this more tacky or labour intensive approach) and I believe that due to the professional context of the exhibition, I can remove the critique approach from the work. 

I covered the lower cube up, joining it together with another cube face that didn't fit together perfectly and therefore, still conforming to the de-constrcuted cube element. This is shown in the image below: 

Final Photos Within Punctuated Cubed Exhibition:

After seeing the other work within the space, we all noticed a colour theme which matched the flooring within the space. I painted the front of my plinth a slightly lighter shade of grey to what it was originally, to match it to the other colours within the space. 

Reflections:

• In terms of placement within the exhibition, my work was the 4th largest and the work went in order of size (mm cubed).
• I attached the wire cube to the celling using a thinner metal wire, which was not too noticeable, but the viewer was equally aware it was there, this was after the fishing wire idea looked too obviously 'invisible' and the wire looked more thought through and made the piece look more succinct. 
• Overall, I believe this experience allowed me to push myself outside the comfort zone that I have been stuck with recently, which is working smaller scale, and using just stainless steel. With the dimensions of 710mm it allowed me to discover a new material of aluminium wire, which I really enjoy the properties of.

Future development:

• I am really excited to try and develop the use of aluminium wire and design and create sculpture using it. 
• I will also create work to a professional standard from now on, which means no more 'critique' of labour, and focus only on the pure sculptural properties of the material. 

Reflective Log: Artnet News Article and Artist Connections

Browsing Artnet News Online, I came across an article by Ben Davis, 2016, titled:

    "Do You Have to Be Rich to Make It as  an Artist? Art students are chasing a dream without understanding how the system works."  

Source: https://news.artnet.com/market/do-you-have-to-be-rich-to-succeed-as-an-artist-403166?utm_content=buffer0b1ee&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=socialmedia 

Key Points & Reflection:

• The article begins with an analysis of Rachel Rose's video work titled EVERYTHING AND MORE, 2016, which can be seen here http://whitney.org/Exhibitions/RachelRose), suggesting that production value of the video has a greater power over the work, causing it to be percieved as a greater artwork, "He agreed that Rose’s work was “entrancing, but wondered if "production value isn’t a significant part of the enchantment." Because Rachel Rose "hails from one of New York’s most powerful real estate fortunes" it gave her some advantage in the creative field.

Still from Rachel Rose EVERYTHING AND MORE, 2016

• The next point made is that; “more and more cultural space is being occupied by extremely wealthy cultural producers”, and I do agree with this point. I believe it is easier to be creative or to create art when you have the financial backing. 

• The article then goes on to list some examples of artists who have a wealthy background. For example, works by successful Iranian artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, suggesting her privileged upbringing and wealth enabled her to pursue art.  
• "In March, the Guggenheim showcased 91-year-old Iranian artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, whose intricate mirrored works have recently become much-celebrated. According to the Financial Times, Farmanfarmaian had “a privileged upbringing,” from a family of wealthy merchants. Her father was even elected to Iranian parliament. She has, the paper wrote, “enjoyed a life of glamour, exile, return, revelation, parties, and hard work”"

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Geometry of Hope (1976), on view at the Guggenheim from March 13 to June 3, 2015.

• Visually, Farmanfarmaian's work is appealing, and the mirrored detail is what attracted me to critique this piece for its aesthetic as an art piece as well as the wealth behind the artist who created it. 
• This piece above, Geometry of Hope, could be a mirror, if the viewer could clearly see themselves within it. The fact the mirrored pieces are so tiny and intricate, suggests the viewer wasn't really meant to see themselves within the piece, and the focus in on the details within the construction rather than the reflection. I think this brings more to the piece than if the viewer was to clearly see themselves within the mirrors, and brings a level of critique. 

Other key points the article makes:

• "Art is a self-starting, entrepreneurial activity, and what is true of entrepreneurs in general is perhaps true of artists."
• Also within the article it displays some images of artists who come from a more working class background, Alberto Burri, being one, and his piece Grande cretto nero (1977) caught my eye due to the striking detail and simplicity in the material. 

Overall Reflections and Further Research:

• This article has provided me with a critical insight into the art world and wealth behind artists / artworks. 
• The article has allowed me to research artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian and explore her work which has a visual connection to my own work. It has also caught my attention to artist Alberto Burri and Further research will explore more of both these artists works. 

Artist Connection: Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian: Infinite Possibility. Mirror Works and Drawings, 1974–2014

Source: https://www.guggenheim.org/exhibition/monir 

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian is an iranian artist who creates mirror sculptures. 

With Farmanfarmaian's works there is a theme of infinity because of the mirror aspect. The way the reflections shine onto the walls of the exhibition above, creating unique and detailed patterns, is also something that intrigues me. 

All of her work is executed to such a high standard, perhaps due to her accessibility to be able to afford to, which is something I need to work on in my own work. 

Artist Connection: Alberto Burri

Alberto Burri, Grande cretto nero (1977) Acrylic and PVA on Celotex

Alberto Burri was an Italian painter and sculptor. 

What I like about Grande Cretto Nero is the simplicity of the cracks in the paint, and the details within the material. It's almost a sculpted painting. It resembles cracked earth from a satellite view, but  the material created is unique. Burri is even working within similar themes to my own - to consume the viewer with detail of the artwork. 

The video above is from the Guggenheim Museum, and Burri is an artist that really uses material to build a surface, for example using sacks, stitching, and plastics, and even burning on the canvas rather than using a paintbrush to leave a mark, 'never letting go of this blurring between painting and sculpture'. The textured surface of Burri's artwork is what creates this visual appeal for me.

Burri, White Cretto 1975, Acrovinyl on cellotex

This work has inspired me to experiment in a similar way, maybe creating something on a larger scale, using materials with intricate details within. The material Celotex could be one to experiment with, even his use of igniting plastics to create a texture is inspiring. 

Reflective Log/ Research: Artnet News Article, Losing Connection with Value

The Value of Art: Money, Power, Beauty

Who decides what art is worth?

Key Points:

What Determines the Commercial Value of Art?

• Like currency, the commercial value of art is based on collective intentionality. There is no intrinsic, objective value (no more than that of a hundred-dollar bill). Human stipulation and declaration create and sustain the commercial value.
• The reason that many people continue to be astonished or enraged when they hear that a particular work of art has been sold for a large sum of money is that they believe art serves no necessary function. It is neither utilitarian, nor does it seem to be linked to any essential activity. You cannot live in it, drive it, eat, drink, or wear it. Even Plato considered the value of art to be dubious because it was mimesis, an imitation of reality.
• We pay for things that can be lived in, driven, consumed, and worn; and we believe in an empirical ability to judge their relative quality and commercial value. No matter how luxurious, such things also sustain the basic human functions of shelter, food, clothing, and transport.
• What makes one painting or sculpture more or less expensive than another in this primary market is usually size.

Reflections:

• This article provided a further insight into the 'value' of art and how art can be given this value. It goes back to Marx's use-value, objects with a use value are worth more.
• This article echos the Sotheby's value of art episodes. 
• Overall I think this article could be good to look this term, if I want to go down the route of this critique further, but it's not very relevant right now. 
• Overall, I believe I am going to discard this connection with the commercial value of art as it doesn't really appeal to me anymore, and I feel I have exhausted this approach. I am more interested in the material itself, or sculpture itself, and the process of making. 

Working on Wire Frame Design Using Thin Wire & New Designs & Creating the Sculpture

Starting with the idea of just using a single thread of wire and making it into a square shape/ cube shape but this couldn't hold its own shape, and therefore wouldn't fit to the dimensions. 

Wrapping the wire to make it thicker - this was the plan in the design above but again, it flopped more with the weight of the wire. This didn't work well at all and wouldn't fit the dimensions I was working to. 

More designs after this wire frame:

Constructing the sculpture initally:

Further Designs after Feedback from Andrew:

Further construction after feedback

Reflections:

• Aluminium wire: I managed to find some aluminium wire which turned out to be a lot lighter than the other metal wire I originally used. 
• This worked really well as the wire kept its shape and enabled me to bend the wire and connect with the process of sculpture that I was used to within creating the stainless steel sculpture.
• The wire could even stand on its own, so when it comes to installing I only need to hang it with the other metal wire and it will hold its form. 

Punctuated Cubed Exhibition Designs

Wire frame hanging by fishing wire