ARTISTS TALKING

# 21 [12 April 2010]

Wang Jun open studio

When I was in China I met the artist Wang Jun who has a studio at 501 Artspace http://yyyiii.blogcn.com/index.shtml#. He is now the artist in resident at the Chinese Arts Centre and he has been here for two months the residency will culminate in an open studio show in which he has sent out invitations to artists to respond to his work. His concept for the open studio project is the ‘Paper, scissor, stone’ game and he has made a rock inspired piece which I went and had a look at last week. This is a new way of making work for me and I wasn't really sure what to do although Wang Jun asked me if I wanted to interview him about his residency. This is something I started when I was in China I recorded discussions with Chinese artists who have made work abroad as a way of creating dialogue and learning about artists working internationally, although it is my intention to publish them. On Saturday I interviewed Wang Jun and Ying Ying translated for us I found it interesting how he has constructed this process, which I feel has similarities with curating. I asked questions such as how has he found living in Manchester, what has he personally learnt, and how he plans to pull all the submitted work together for his open studio. Wang Jun suggested that the audio discussion could be an exhibition piece with the headphones hanging from the ceiling for people to listen to. Reflecting on this idea of the ‘Paper, scissor, stone’ game I have been looking through some found images and I was particularly struck by an illustration of how a prism works in the photography process. When I look at this image I think of Wang Jun projecting himself through a rock shape around a space. Wang Jun open studio preview is this Thursday, 15^th April at 6pm at the Chinese Arts Centre, Thomas Street, Manchester.

# 22 [21 April 2010]

Film Critique

Last week I presented my plane videos at Project Space Leeds film peer critique, which runs once a month. There were three artists showing their work and we used a projector in a white cube space to view the films. It was really nice to see my video being projected larger scale instead of just seeing it on a laptop. On reflection I feel the video needs to be larger so it offers a more immersive experience. I showed two versions of the plane video firstly the fast forward version and secondly a shorter sequence in real time, which then reverses and is accompanied by a soundtrack. Some of the comments I got back were;

I prefer the real time version as I can focus on the details within the image.

There was something about the quality of the atmosphere sound in the room with the video, which complimented the piece.

Conceptually there is something about going forward and backwards, never reaching your destination, never leaving and taking off.

I found it really helpful to get feedback on my work from people I didn't know and for me to reflect on what really interests me about the video. I have enjoyed experimenting with the sequencing and speed of the footage; although now I have re-looked at the real time full-length version I feel it is the strongest piece. When I watch the real time version it takes me right back to Hong Kong airport and reminds me why I filmed it in the first place which I simply want to share with the audience. I know that 20 minutes is a long time for a video although I feel that the piece has a hypnotic quality to it or you could look at it leave and then come back to see the end. I have had a hang up about the reflection in the video as it is filmed from behind a glass window, however the quality of the film looked good and conceptually I like this idea of the viewer looking from behind a surface at the work which you may or may not be aware of. I want to get into the studio to see how large I can scale up the video and experiment with emphasizing the atmospheric sound in the space. If you are interested in showing your work at the crit follow this link for more info: 

www.projectspaceleeds.org.uk/i_can_still_see_you_%7C_events_unid7282_page.aspx

# 23 [26 April 2010]

Take a trip to the stars

I have been getting on with some new work, which is based on a sign I saw in Bristol for the Planetarium. It was a simple piece of signage that reads,  ‘Take a trip to the stars!’ Sounds amazing doesn't it? Followed by, ‘Ask at the information desk for more details’ which takes the shine of the whole thing. I created a red and white plastic sign on a website and should be getting this in the post in the next few days. I love the convenience of using the Internet to produce work quickly. On twitter I saw an opportunity to submit video based performance work which will be curated into an online video festival in June, follow this link for more details:

http://contemporaryperformance.com/ 

I have submitted my plane video and the documentation of me singing ‘It’s Now or Never’ in the Bosa Novas bar. At the moment I am playing a bit of a waiting game with another video piece, which is based on the Chinese New Year, Gala TV show. There is footage of this material on You Tube but there is a break in it so I really need to get it on DVD. When I watched the show in China there was an English computerised translation over the top it which really undermined the performances as it sounds devoid of emotion, I found this amusing and I want to re-create this particularly the magic trick sections of the show.­­

# 24 [4 May 2010]

Twitter & FabLab

I’ve been enjoying using twitter to find out about arts activity and creative stuff happening in my local area. I can use it to communicate any event I am participating in, a good show I have seen and add links to other media such as a video on YouTube or my a-n blog. It's a good tool to just put some thoughts out their into the web ether. There is something about transferring the idea from your head and onto the page, which can start the creative process. Ideas can be communicated in just a few words, which is why I like to use twitter as you can only enter 140 characters in one post.

Twitter response to creating a mould:

Deep_sink_universe_stuck

Twitter response to using a woodcutter:

Cut_out_empty_peep_hollow_see

I found out about the 8 hour FabLab Art challenge through a twitter Future Everything had posted, which I applied for an hour before the deadline www.futureeverything.org. On Saturday I visited the Lab, which is based at the Chips building in Ancoats and I was shown the variety of equipment I can use. With only a day to make something I was more interested in using the machinery that is quick and easy to get on with. After looking at what the Lab had to offer I am keen to make a small mould, as I like how the object sticks inside the amber casing and I want to experiment with different coloured resins. I would also like to have a go at making something larger scale and I could see how the woodcutter can easily create large shapes that I could layer up and how the overall process makes a jigsaw effect with the bits cut out from a sheet of wood. To create a mould for the letters I was advised to have a look at Google Sketchup, which is free computer software that can create 3D shapes, which I will be checking out this week, follow this link to download the software www.google.com/sketchup/download/.

If you want to follow me on twitter my username is nsartist34

# 25 [11 May 2010]

Public & private actions

She danced wildly and her skirt rose up

She punched and pointed in the air

He stared as he walked passed me

He climbed on top of the speaker and jumped off

She raised her hand and held it in front of him saying ‘I don't mean to be funny but’

She couldn't make eye contact with me deliberately looking and moving her body away

A newspaper, empty coffee mug and a toolbox lay on the floor with a ceiling panel removed and some exposed wires

Sock left on the street

An unusually loud laugh

She raised her hand and said ‘stop right there’

He kept taking the same photograph of her against the wall

I stood on the table and pushed the light fixing

She said ‘there isn’t time in this meeting for this let’s move on with the agenda’

I knocked on the wall with the back of my fist

A noisy entrance

Sitting at the corner of the square table

He looked at her and then me and started to clap

Cat litter at the side of a bin

Cigarette butts in the flowerbed

Constant flow of questions

Wearing a hat

Reading a book back to front

Sitting on the pavement

A single bag of rubbish outside the front door

Doormats swapped

Lying in the road

A gold poster I couldn't read

Grey splodge on the white wall

Mirrors to close to my eyes to see

An elastic band around a tree

Carrying a large object

Speaking loudly

He dropped lots of felt tip pens on the stairs and I helped him pick them up

A tanoy sounds which I don't understand

She sat outside of the circle

She said ‘you have come as yourself haven’t you?’

He said ‘can you turn the mic off and stop performing now’

A sudden movement backwards and then forwards

A champagne bottle on the rooftop

Dirty tea towel on the floor

She said ‘please take a seat’

Scrunched up tissue with blood stains on

The ticket man cracks a joke and a smile

Chewing his nails by the door

Eating on the train

A shiny red bag with cartoon sheep on

Condensation only on the left window

He stands above me and asks for my ticket

Lime green taxi in a line of black

Poster case door open

Echo of the tanoy on another platform

Lights left on in the daytime

Stripey door on the train

Lady being escorted off

Black bag sits on the high shelf

She chants ‘any refreshments’

He says ‘I’ll take those away for you’

Orange cones in a green field

A boy steps out in front of the car

Brilliant white hair

A slither of stones embedded into the grass

Hole in the hill

Squeezing my arm tightly

Putting a coat on whilst sitting

Section of clear glass

A pink poster

Emergency stop button

Auto walk broken

Suitcase measuring scales

Blue line across the floor

Little girl in pink hopping

Man in a uniform with his back to the window

Ticket machine constantly ticking

A vase of brightly coloured flowers on the reception desk

The rattle of the wheels from a trolley

Worker eating a packet of crisps whilst walking

Animal print suitcase being pushed forwards

Attached to his belt jangling keys

Pushing the sign to the back of the front

Placing small cardboard tickets into the tops of the seats

Trainers with glitter on

# 26 [17 May 2010]

Finnisage at the Palace Hotel

I had 8 hours to make something at the FabLab, which offered the facilities to create a piece of work that involved using digital technology. I used a capital letter 'I' from the font ‘giddyup’, which is designed like a lasoo, the shape was cut out of a single piece of MDF that I covered with yellow vinyl. The FabLab brief was; urban intervention in a digital world, so I decided to take my 'I' out onto the streets from the Lab in Ancoats to the Palace Hotel, Oxford Road which is were the work was being exhibited and I wanted to see what encounters I would have with the public along the way. A number of people spoke to me about the yellow shape but no one recognized it as the letter ‘I’. People were intrigued as to why I was carrying it and were I was taking the piece and it sparked some interesting conversations about people’s involvement with art. One particular guy I spoke to outside the newsagents was really pushing me for a definitive answer as to why I was doing this, and I just said that there was no one answer it was more about opening up dialogue and interaction with people. As a coloured form moving through the environment it really stood out and cut through the angular lines of the surrounding architecture the vibrant colour in the sunlight sometimes bleached out into white. Once I finally got my ‘I’ to the Palace Hotel I only had a few hours to edit the video documentation together for the show, which was in a beautifully decorated space called the Post Room. It was a really good night lots of good work, wine and conversation. I have documented the project on the blog as it offers a space to reflect on the piece after the event, to share the experience with others and to create a legacy for my work. 

To watch video documentation of this work please follow this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ulx2peh9uU

# 27 [24 May 2010]

Application for Hazard done

Greenroom & hAb will be hosting Hazard MMX a series of intervention-based performance work across the city of Manchester on Saturday 17^th July. I was interested in applying early on in the month for this but was struggling with what to propose, however after my previous piece ‘Giddyup I’ I could see the potential for developing the project further. In my work I have been using events and situations as frameworks for a performance, could I develop my giant ‘I’ into an event? My initial idea was to have my own travelling private view outside different arts venues around Manchester. My giant yellow ‘I’ would act as a visual focus for each private view, which would be placed on a surface outside each gallery and I could use other props such as colourful bunting and play music. This work is reminiscent of my leaving party private view ‘New Arrivals’ at the 501 Artspace in Chongqing which when I think back to it gives me confidence to take risks and encourages me to make myself look a bit ridiculous. I am also interested in using my online social networks to advertise and get people involved with the mini event. I have been thinking more about the conceptual ideas behind the giant yellow ‘I’ which on the surface may seem really egocentric to do such a thing, although don't all artists have to have a sense of their own ego to make and show work? The most interesting thing for me that has come out of this project is how ‘I’ cannot be physically constantly carried around on it’s own, you need other people to help you and interact with ‘I’ to help it on it’s way. So the physical act of carrying ‘I’ parallels the artist’s way trying to show work in arts venues, which without the support of others cannot progress. I like the fact that I am taking my own destiny into my hands and making my own show for myself with the support of accidental/invited audiences, friends and hopefully the Greenroom, however if the work doesn't get selected I can make the project happen myself. 

# 28 [2 June 2010]

Performance & Live Art/Intervention

When I introduce myself as a performance or live artist to people I am always met with assumptions that I must sing, dance or act really well which is not the case although I am becoming more interested in these expectations of ‘performing’ and have been using them in my work. I have become aware the power the presence of the artist can have over an audience in a presentation situation be that in the form of the artist talk or the display of work at an event. Although I am fully versed in the context of why I make my work it does not fill me with much confidence in the build up to my performances. However I use my natural awkwardness and anxiety of performing to create tension, which is very real and not acted out.

Joshua Sofaer questions, what is live art? he goes onto say that 'at its most fundamental, Live Art is when an artist chooses to make work directly in front of the audience in space and time. So instead of making an object and leaving it for the audience to encounter in their own time, Live Art comes into being at the actual moment of encounter between artist and spectator. The artist sets up a situation in which the audience experiences the work in a particular space and time, and the notion of ‘presence’ is key to the concerns of the work.' (www.joshuasofaer.com)

With few galleries representing artists and a small circuit of live art platform events I like to take the opportunity to make my work in the public realm. Working in public offers unpredictable situations, which I find exciting and the ideal place to engage accidental audiences. My interventions could be interpreted as political acts although this is not my intention the work is always context and situation specific. My drive is to take ownership of my work so I can take control as to where and how it is shown in public if this is taken as being ‘political’ then so be it. It is important for me to feel free to intervene myself when I like as this is the only act that gives me a true sense of autonomy from the institution and the art market. 

# 29 [15 June 2010]

A Wandering Practice

As my work is site and context specific I like to quickly engage with people and place by creating verbal and visual dialogues to start the process. To experience a place I simply move through a space by walking, observing and feeling my surroundings. I gather visual material by recording sound, taking digital images and video to accumulate research about a new environment. This way of working could be interpreted as a Wandering Practice, which is open to arriving with little or no expectations, the possibility of getting lost, or finding out something I didn't already know. This way of working has been difficult for me to communicate as it is only now that I am realising how significant ‘wandering’ is in my work. To physically move I have to let go of pre-determined outcomes, forced to feel my way in a new environment and to experience what is right in front of me.

My practice has greatly benefited from moving around the country and travelling abroad which has taught me how cultural differences and alternative readings of work is a good thing this has made me feel more confident about the work I made in China, were I made solo performance pieces, collaborated with artists and culminated in a final performance titled ‘New Arrivals’ at the 501 Artspace. My working method of performing on the street is an unusual practice in China as most work is shown as part of an organised event. In my work I like to encourage some form of physical participation and create a balance of tension and humour which artist Zhou Bin, commented in his interview as ‘being very British, a far softer approach compared to some Chinese Live Art’.

I have disseminated my experience of working in China by presenting my work on the Internet by using video, blogging and social networking sites, which is a new way of working for me and a process that I have continued in my practice. Maintaining a blog allows a space for me to verbally and visually reflect on the work I have made and greatly compliments a wandering practice where the work is temporary in nature.

# 30 [25 June 2010]

Departures

Airports represent the ultimate non-place, a space where temporarily nobody knows me and I know no one else. The airport architecturally and psychologically offers a release from the daily routine entering into a streamline of time and space, with the function of simply getting you from one place to the next. In my final piece I have combined using a live art presence with video and the context has been inspired by film footage I shot of a plane being prepared for take off at Hong Kong airport; which I see ­­­­­­­as a visual metaphor for my underlying anxiety of being an artist, portraying feelings of not making it, not taking off, and never reaching my destination. I have used the video as the framework for my performance and experimented with editing the material playing with the speed, duration and sequencing of the time line. I have explored actions that are influenced by the video which compliment and disrupt the image. It is my intention to disturb the unfolding of time and to involve the audience dissolving the fourth wall and bringing people directly into the work.

I have used the Cuban song ‘Guantanamera’ in my performance, which played when I was filming at Hong Kong airport although I was unaware of the songs origins although I assumed it maybe Mexican, Spanish or Cuban. The lyrics to the song have different interpretations. However, I am interested in how the words in the chorus are referred to as ‘guajira’ (the Cuban rhythm) a rhythmic structure rather than the words being a literal translation of something. Whilst researching the song I found many versions, even a cover performed by the 1960’s Liverpool band, Jerry & the Pacemakers. I have used ‘Guantanamera’ as it is a cheerful song which reminds me of summer holidays, it is also a trace material from my experience of going to China. In my final MA asessment piece I want to take the audience on a journey, yet leave them with a sense of never being taken anywhere.

Video documentation of performance: 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj0yBcJOgLA 

Departures performance script

Departure Lounge

People sitting in seats/standing

I come out of door

Place CD player on table

Press play

Start dance with back turned to the audience

Turn and dance singing Guantanamera into fake banana

Get on knees

Close eyes and wink

During music break put leis’s around people’s necks

Continue singing and dancing

Finish with back turned to audience

Stop CD

Turn direct people into the room with plastic bananas

Entering room

I lead people into room

Direct people to seats using bananas

Shut electronic blinds 

Play video

I stand behind the audience 

Video fades out

I leave the room

Video whites out playing Guantanamera