Symposium Beforehand (at Tate Britain) - Initial ideas, Planning, Making and Site Visit

Symposium Beforehand (at Tate Britain) - Initial ideas, Planning, Making and Site Visit 

Initial Ideas

We sat down to discuss initial ideas 

Many ideas were being flung around but what stuck from the very beginning was that it should be something visual, a video piece. 

We talked about getting the audience to participate in the presentation. 

Speaking. 

Statements

Then Jan, our new member to the group, he showed us his work that he has been doing. It consists of multiple videos being played on a screen, flashing, repeating. 

This then led to us talking about how we should find clips and images of appropriated themed images and videos. 

We discussed what there was, and there was a lot. 

-Hitler speech 

-Chaplin Speech

-Kennedy Speech 

-Martin Luther King Speech

-9/11

-Hindenburg

-Famous speeches from presidents 

-Clips from TV

-Famous internet clips 

-Clips from shows such as "The Simpsons" that have appropriated from historical events and people figures as well as internet memes and such

-Godzilla New york

-King Kong New York

and so on.........

so our task was to find as many of these clips as possible, collect these and transform it into a video piece

Planning

This is a rough layout plan we had in place 

We created a Facebook communication page between the four of us so that we could change our ideas and put on any clips that we find that can go towards our video 

Making

Making process of this video was using a software called iMovies

We used the clips we found and put them together, editing, altering video and sound

Site Visit

The site visit was very interesting.

It wasn't as big as we all thought, the space we mean

The projector screen was big though, very wide 

We were discussing about how big our video will look on the screen, which isn't necessarily a bad thing as it will make viewers more engaging. 

Its good that ours is a video because first, it will mean the lights are off meaning that we can't see the walls. In my opinion the orange on the walls are a little bit out of place. Secondly the stage is rather small, if it were a performance as such, we may not have enough room. 

Cant Wait.....

Continuing.....

Continuing.....

So during the Christmas break, i decided to read a few books. This was one of them

"Steal Like an Artist" by Austin Kleon
This was a part of TOP but this task in TOP and appropriation has also deeply affected my practice.

The best thing is, my practice is directly linked in with my TOP

The more i read, the more connections i made with my work and the theme of Appropriation. 

Now ill be giving you quotes from the book now and then, i marked them down as i read the book. 

Oe quote inside said "Art is Theft" 

Know who said that?

Pablo Picasso

Who did you know appropriated from Rembrandt. 

This is Brick Lane Market #6, 2015 

This i painted near the end of 2014. 

I really enjoyed this piece because one of the early layers was the bunny rabbit drawing in the background, then i was revolving the graffiti around the eye as the centre piece. 

I like how the eye has this dark seemingly endless visual outcome more or less right in the middle of the painting, with its white splatters of paint, it seems like a never ending universe 

Almost a story 

I mentioned in one of the earlier blogs that we went to visit the British Museum last year, and went to study a few paintings. 

Two of the paintings we visited was one by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, and the other was a Goya drawing. 

Now the story here is, Goya, was a great admirer of Tiepolo's work and copied his style. He wanted to learn his style, master it. This is like me and my work, me copying the style of graffiti artist out in London but the only difference is, I'm changing the medium and surface in which i apply the work on. 

A quote from the book in a way, helped me, made sense, on what is plagiarism. 

" If you copy from one author, its plagiarism, but if you copy from many, its research" - Wilson Mizner 

Throughtout this territories of practice, it has been insightful

I am in a group with 2 girls, whom do video. I do painting. 

Yes its different but it is really interesting to expand my knowledge on the subject of appropriation throughout different disciplines within art, not just painting. 

But the subject of appropriation is beginning to be too focused. 

It is better to have a broad knowledge of different theories and themes of art, yet us concentrating solely on Appropriation can cause us to loose sight of other things around us. 

Its been good so far. Now for the Symposium.....

Brick Lane Market #7, 2014

What really captivates me from this piece is that it is rather narrative. It speaks. like a debate or disagreement of something, an essence of dispute and anger yet the colours contradicts that

The painting argues with itself through subject and colour 

Brick Lane Market #8, 2014

Brick Lane Market #9, 2015

As you can see, the previous pieces i used a kind of, glossy acrylic paint 

In this most recent piece i did not. The background i though in my opinion may have been to bright therefore i decided not to do it. 

Keep you Updated !!

E.

Dan Colen “The Illusion of Life” (Botanic Gardens Edinburgh)

Dan Colen “The Illusion of Life”

At the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

This is in fact Colen’s very first solo public exhibition in the UK.

The work in this exhibition are being exhibited for the very first time.

“Dan Colen is a hard artist to pin down. His works, aesthetically, trampolines from one discipline to another” – Newspaper Article

“I spend my daily life trying to distil what art is” – Dan Colen

These stiff static sculptures act as vessels for both containment and concealment, and by delaying the punch line, breathe new life into a tired old joke.

I wasn’t too sure about these pieces that had whoopee cushions, they were all over the room, some made with glass, some plastic, it was rather confusing yet amusing at the same time.

"Chuckles" 2013

(Chuckles bie Clown, Cardboard box reinforced with MDF, glass sphere, blue velvet ribbon, light bulbs)

Above the clown is a glass orb. This orb is a incongruously reflective symbol reappropriated from Johannes Vermeer’s Painting “The Allegory of Faith”

Colen sees Chuckles as a stand in for himself.

It was an interactive piece where people can crawl into the boxes, get to either of the two ends, and at the end there is a switch, pull to turn on the light bulb.

The space was lovely, not much artificial light, mostly natural light which links in really well with the flower paintings. 

“Like a Virgin” 2013

Vintage coke bottle

Motor

This in my opinion was badly displayed.

When I walked in, I had no idea it was there, no sign or labels indicating it was there, I could have very easily kicked it accidentally and broke it.

We spoke to the lady supervising the room and she said that the bottle represents a truth and dare game.

The motor allows the bottle to move occasionally

“The Illusion of life”

2013

Catalogues, Metal Pole

This was the piece of literature that inspired him to create this artwork; this was an inspiration for him.

When I first looked at these, I had several thoughts.

It could be watercolors or food coloring.

Then I had a closer look, there were colored leaves that were lightly stuck on, I say this because as I got closer, I blew onto the painting and little particles of something flew off.

It looked aesthetically pleasing from up close and from a distance.

It hinted an impressionist theme within the image. Like light was bouncing off and through tree leaves, captured the image and painted it on canvas

These pieces were physically delicate and finely detailed.

They are produced by hammering and smashing thousands of artificially dyed flowers (‘Deli’ flowers and ‘Grave’ flowers of the sort commonly sold in New York delicatessens) and roses onto unbleached Belgian Linen.

 Colen “tries to let the flowers make the painting”

“I knew then that this was the place for the first flower show,” – Dan Colen

Dan Colen’s artwork here is infused with magic and joy