Crafts (#244 September/October) Review

I revisited the 3D aspect of contemporary art and design by looking at the magazine 'Crafts'. I found an article on ceramist Jennifer Lee called 'Pots that talk of what lies beneath'. This article reviews Lee's new pieces of work which will be shown in London for the first time in five years. Lee's work is made from clay - each one differing in its components whether it be stoneware or different metal oxides. When creating these 3D sculptures she likes the think of the different clays of having an exterior and interior, rather than thinking that they have different surfaces. For her, she says, the vessels are doing "different things". Her work is labour intensive and is time baring however this helps her pieces "speak of time and subtleties". To me, her work is aesthetically pleasing to the human eye due to their natural colours and organic fluid shapes. Her sculptures look simple and not too 'busy' allowing a promoting a calming effect on the audience. Also due to the age of some of the pieces have a worn look to them creating a fading of some of the colours and merging of the different components - some of Lees work which will be shown in London from 9th October age back to the 80s! To her though it is about quality rather than quantity. Compared to twenty years ago shh was making them more quickly, her focus now is getting them "right".

(Image https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgg91-gmyi3n5d57Od2CX63koAlNuCxlIfW4Pr63Q0hlllWSfOhDU_wyFmknOu05uuvfsCSXZFQoPg0-n_Q7eNPfvvhBApzlvsOzNMsfViTCMd603BvnzNf5sSU33NxPDBZD7zdG52aqbH/s1600/jennifer+lee+2.jpg [30/09/13])

ID (#326) 'Is the internet the new streets?'

I then looked at ID for my forth blog entry and reviewed the article 'Is the internet the new streets?' by Dean Kissick. I grouped this under the 'visual communication' topic heading as the article focused on how photography/fashion has grown drastically over the internet... in turn resulting in a massive shift in them industries due to sites such as Tumblr. The article didn't focus solely on one contributor therefore I decided to pick one from the numerous names mentioned and do some of my own research into how they might have contributed to contemporary art through the use of the internet. Proenza Schouler, a leading womanswear brand based in New York, are described as being the "masters of digital marketing". This is because they were seen to highly maximise their opportunities through their use of YouTube video commissions. In their spring/summer 2013 collection there were numerous brightly coloured photo-prints which they believed represented the internet itself. As there were no photos present in this article I decided to look up this specific collection (photos below)

(Photos taken from http://www.proenzaschouler.com/collections/spring-summer-2013/ [28/09/13])

Along with the vast array of colours present in this specific collection there are numerous different patterns used which allows consumers to create their own look. Whilst the top photo illustrates very geometric ordered patterns and shapes used, the bottom has a more fluid look to it and has more of a natural feel to it. As many of the clothing in the spring series do all reflect individuality provides a good Zeitgeist for what it is trying to portray (the clothing produced is so diverse that it successfully reflects how diverse the internet is in itself and how diverse its consumers are). The internet is such a big part in 21st century culture, especially for the youth of today. It allows individuals to express themselves through 'selfies', provides fashion industries the power to promote their artwork/clothing on numerous websites and helps fuel photography based art as photographs are plastered on pretty much every webpage out there. In my eyes the internet has had a positive impact on contemporary art - "It's changed the way we dress, the way we look at ourselves and what we aspire to be". The internet is an ever-changing network which reflects our every changing society.

Textile Forum (3/2013 September Copy)

For my third entry I looked at 'Textile Forum' which focuses on the use of textiles within contemporary art and design. I cam across an article on Toshiko Horiuchi Macadam, a Japanese artist who is part of the 'fiberarts' movement. People who are a part of the 'fiberarts' movement are known for their love of experiment, and when children took a great interest in one of Horiuchis  pieces it opened up her mind to new ideas - "she discovered that art is suitable for practical use" too!

 

(http://ad009cdnb.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/50afd42bb3fc4b0cad0000d1_meet-the-artist-behind-those-amazing-hand-knitted-playgrounds-_mk090729_0014.jpg)

Above is a photo of one of the children's playground she created after she was inspired by the interaction of youngsters in her previous work. Horiuchi creates these interactive textile sculptures through the use of knitting and crotchet. As she knits, the use of repeat pattern is apparent and a wide array of colours are used to help capture the children's attention. The scale of her 'playground' pieces are large enough for numerous children to play on at once and durable showing a use of flexible  material used to help withstand large amounts of strain (the Hakone play sculpture was used by approximately 6000 children each day!). Horiuchis  sculptures appear ordered and mathematical, even though she is known for her experimental ideas, as a certain element of safety is needed to be suitable for interactions from children. However, regardless of her work being random or not, I do believe these numerous works are very successful. Not only does she give back to the community by bringing joy to the younger generations but she also got the opportunity to showcase her art work and present her impressive ideas on how art can be appreciated in numerous ways.

(KnitJapan. http://www.knitjapan.co.uk/features/c_zone/horiuchi/work.htm [24/09/13] )

Art Monthly (issue #369)

For my second blog entry I decided I would look at Art Monthly #369, a popular magazine which explores the 'Fine Art' subheading within contextual art and design. I came across a profile article based on Pratchaya Phinthong, a current artist who lives and works in Bangkok. His work is described as being full of "political stories, historical stories" and "stories of real peoples lives". One of his exhibitions which is one of his most recent is pictured to the right and links to the notion of his work depicting "historical stories". The skull, known as the 'Broken Hill' skull was a great inspiration to Phinthong and he used this as a starting point to base his commission on whilst he travelled. He also used this skull, which is actually a replica of the first early human fossil found in Africa, in one of his exhibitions as part of a performance piece with the man in the photo. The man present in the photograph is not Phinthong himself but a man called Kamfwa Chisala, a Zambian museum guide who travels where ever the exhibition goes. As far as analysis's go, the skull itself is life size as it is a replica of a real human skull which was found. Visually I believe this performance piece works successfully - Chisala would not only speak to the audience whilst presenting the skull as the inspiration for his other works in his exhibition, he would also present it as an original performance piece of art (therefore it served a double purpose). Phinthong's use of historical links also acts as a positive as many people will be interested in the history and stories behind the 'Broken Hill Skull' (it has been used to supports Darwin's theory of evolution). Nevertheless, as a single piece of performance art I believe it's at its weakest, and due to the fact that the skull was not made/constructed  by Phinthong himself it has its limitations. Some of the audience may nitpick Phinthong for using something which wasn't a piece of original art in his exhibition and may think its a weak attempt at a performance piece. Maybe only when placed inside the 'Broken Hill' exhibition does it really project the power it holds and can't be criticised so easily?

First entry ! Ceramic Review (issue #263)

 For my first entry I looked at 'Ceramic Review' (issue #263) which focuses on the 3D aspects of contemporary art and design. I came across an article on the Gardiner Museum in Toronto, and although it didn't focus solely on one particular artist/designer, it explored the idea of contemporary jewellery. The review, called 'A bit of clay on the skin: new Ceramic Jewellery', explores the idea of using 3D ceramic (usually porcelain) pieces of art which artists such as Marie Pendariès and Peter Hoogeboom transform into wearable fashion accessories. Hoogeboom, whose work is presented to the left ('Spanish Collar'), was one of the primary jewellers who distinguished himself through the use of porcelain. His work resembles ancient pieces of jewellery which were forgotten for centuries, and because of this his work can be said to help "bridge the past to the present". Not only do I find his way of working (and other artists who embrace the use of ceramic jewellery)  intriguing because it's so out of the ordinary, I also find his work inspiring... He successfully links his work to history/ past societies whilst also creating a beautiful add on for the human silhouette. I do however believe that this type of work should stick to acting only as an art statement whilst "integrating everlasting questions about the human condition and the world". I don't think a high street shop selling a large porcelain collar would go down well, the only thing I guess it would add to is a persons 'individuality'...