Skip to content

Category: Art e-Facts

Mike Kelley 1954 – 2012: One students perspective.

Published February 4, 2012

I discovered Mike Kelley only a few months ago; I was working with teddy bears and was naturally drawn to his work, where he arranged stuffed toys into childlike, “teddy bear’s picnic” formations and created sculptures by fusing various toys together. I was attracted to the way he seemed to mess around with the objects, creating a sense of curios and play, yet the final result would often have a dark or serious meaning. With the stuffed bears in particular, he questioned the toys’ emotional value, which was the idea I was developing in my own work.

The next project I worked on saw me yet again looking to Kelley for inspiration. In October 2011, I visited the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead with my classmates to see the Turner Prize exhibition. However, most, if not all, of my peers were more awe-inspired by a work being shown on the floor above the Turner Prize show. Created by Mike Kelley and Michael Smith it was “The Voyage of Growth and Discovery”.

As we approached the room, I could hear the dull thuds of rave music. The doorway into the room was dark. I clocked a sign that read, “This exhibition may be unsuitable for young children”. I knew we were in for something good. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted with a whirlwind of lights, music and activity. A number of screens leered into the middle of the room, each one showing a video of Smith dressed in a baby outfit – his character, Baby IKKI – partaking in the Burning Man festival in Nevadaa. There was even a huge metal effigy of IKKI as the centerpiece of the exhibition. Kelley had built structures that reminded me of playground climbing frames and had attached various stuffed toys to them, the element that makes his work so distinctive. One of these structures was accessible, where visitors could roll around on a bed of teddies (the kids in the room had spent no time working this out). I could have spent hours in there, where all I felt was pure excitement.

I carried the experience I had into my next project, where my focus was carnival aesthetics and the link these rituals have with modern festivals. Throughout the project, I thought about how Kelley created an atmosphere – his use of lighting, music, imagery and decoration – to evoke emotions in an audience. I considered all of the things I had seen and heard and integrated them into my own work, as I shared an interest in combining Pagan celebration with modern culture. For that reason, I would say that the installation was my main artistic influence for the project, but it was also the most interesting and exciting installation I have ever seen. I enjoyed it so much, that I even bought the CD of the tracks played in the video shown.

No doubt I will continue to use my experience of being around Kelley’s work to influence the art I create. He inspired something fresh and exciting to be brought to contemporary art, a contribution that will be greatly missed. Personally, I have never felt so sad about someone I did not know personally passing away, because his work had a huge impact on me and will continue to for as long as I am making art.

Charlotte Wilkie-Sullivan is a Year 2 HND Contemporary Art Practice Student at Edinburgh’s Telford College

Published January 26, 2012

Art e-Fact 84: Jeremy Deller

Published August 14, 2011

 

London born artist Jeremy Deller makes installation, video and performance art. He is particularly interested in the notion of art as communication. One of his best known works is a re-creation of a violent conflict between miners and police which took place during the 1984 miners strike titled The Battle of Orgreave (2001). The re-creation which was something akin to that of a battle re-enactment societies involved ex-miners and police officers who had participated in the original strike. Unlike the original battle the re-enactment was a much more congenial encounter.

Deller went on to win the Turner Prize in 2004 for his installation Memory Bucket (2003) a documentary about Crawford, Texas the hometown of George W Bush and the siege in nearby Waco.

http://www.historicalfilmservices.mysite1952.co.uk/orgreave.htm

http://www.jeremydeller.org/

Basel Field Trip 2011: Day 3

Published April 3, 2011

The very early start of day 3 for most of us turned out to be late day 2 for some of the hardcore CAPers. Although its easy to appreciate the logic of staying up all night the more worldly wise among the group were well aware of the inherent flaws of such youthful enthusiasm. Still, all but one of the group were enthusiastically awaiting the 02:45am tram to take us in to Markt Platz and the centre of the action.
It was clear from the moment the tram arrived at the stop that something was gather momentum. On arrival in town this became even clearer.

As we took up position in the cities main square ‘Markt Platz’ what struck many of us was the apparent lack of crash barriers, visible police presence or indeed any kind of stewardship. If you are familiar with any large-scale public event in the UK you will understand just how odd this was. In addition to this, if you were asked to imagine being in a city centre at 04:00am with tens of thousands of people gathering in total darkness illuminated only by the dimmest of lights emanating from giant canvas lanterns wheeled through the streets behind masked drummers and piccolo players, each of the lanterns featuring satirical illustrations of the preceding year new and events, I’d serious doubt you could. Yet that’s exactly what happened for well over an hour before coming to an apparent end.

I say apparent because the last lantern passed and we began to ease our way back into the centre of the square two things struck home. Firstly the square was completely packed as were all the side streets and secondly what seemed like an orderly and relatively subdued parade suddenly seemed to be travelling in different directions and taking on a life entirely of its own. It wasn’t easy getting back to the hostel as the crowds and groups ‘Fastnachers’ jockeyed for right of way in the packed streets but by 7am everyone was back and heading for bed tired, bewildered but happy.

After a 5-hour top up of sleep we met again for a walk taking in some of Basels wonderful mix of modern, contemporary and historical architecture. As we approached the centre of town it became clear that ‘Fastnacht’ had also gained a second wind and was gearing up for round 2. The thought was too much for some and the group split into two camps “Fastnacters” and lets get out of here fast[nachers] who opted for the first tram out of town to Dornach a leafy suburb of the city at the end of the No10 tram where the pace was slower and we could have a lazy picnic in the afternoon sun by the river.

In the early evening we all met again outside the Kunstahalle where great fun was had watching the last of a parade of themed floats and trying to attract the attention of the various masked occupants and catch the mixture of oranges, sweets, toys and confetti being thrown at the assembled crowds. It wasn’t too long however before the collective energy began to wane and the majority of the group soon returned to base for a slow evening of local wines and packet noodles.

Basel Field Trip 2011: Day 1

Published March 20, 2011

Basel Day 1:

We arrived in Basel a few hours late on Saturday afternoon. Not because of the snow in Edinburgh but due to the plane breaking down and having to be replaced by another from Milan. Edinburgh Airport has changed recently and is not the worst place to spend a few extra hours waiting for a flight. It is expensive though, which was something like preparation for Basel. I was last in Basel in 2000 when it was 2.36 Swiss franc to the £ now its only 1.47! Ouch!

The hostel; Basel Backpack, suited our needs well, a place to drop after a long day of galleries, museums and sightseeing. It has a kitchen and a common room, which was great for the budget conscious noodle munchers amongst the group. After sorting the rooms out and a short break for juice and coffee it was off to take immediate advantage of the free travel pass we all received when we checked into the hostel. Free city travel for all tourists, what an excellent idea. The trams are regular and easy to navigate so getting into town was no problem and only too 10 mins. Trying to cater for the individual food needs of a large group is never easy so we headed for a part of town with various outlets and agreed to meet an hour later. Sure enough an hour later we were altogether and heading for the Cargo Bar by the Rhine. The bar is small but very friendly with a great a[r]tmosphere. Cool tunes, fine wine and a range of good beers and coffee. Of course it didn’t take long for the effects of an early rise and the air travel to take their toll and it was off to bed at a very respectable hour.

Art e-Facts 83: David Nash

Published February 19, 2011

After completing his studies at Kingston, Brighton and Chelsea Scools of Art British Sculptor David Nash moved from London to laenau Ffestiniog in North Wales where he purchased a chapel. Dislocated from the mayhem of London and the urban sprawl the chapel remains both his home and studio.

In 1977 Nash who works primarily in wood, planted a number of Ash saplings on a plot near his home, which became his ‘Laboratory’. The Ash Dome is a place for thinking and developing new works.

The following programme on David Nash is available in the BBC iPlayer.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00ymlhp/Force_of_Nature_The_Sculpture_of_David_Nash/

Art e-Fact 82: Dennis Oppenheim, Site Markers

Published January 25, 2011

Dennis Oppenheim died on Saturday the 22nd Jan 2010 aged 72. His impact on contemporary art particularly in relation to challenging the supremacy of the gallery as the accepted context of art during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s should not be underestimated. Along with the likes of Gordon Matta-Clark, Michael Heizer and Robert Smithson, Oppenheim broke out of and deconstructed the gallery  (literally in some cases) in pursuit of alternative or new context for art.

http://www.dennis-oppenheim.com/early-work/4

“Dennis Oppenheim came to the forefront of the American art-world in 1968, taking his taking his place in the Earth Art movement. At the time the idea of the site was uppermost in his work. Site Markers Fig I, II, III document Oppenheims early excursions into the landscape of New York. Made in 1967, the works were executed by finding a site in the urban landscape, documenting its location. In all ten sites were documented and ten aluminium marker stakes were manufactured and engraved with a number corresponding to each of the 10 sites. The stakes (contained within individual fitted sacks) along with the photographic documentation (rolled in a clear plastic tube) were then exhibited. It would easy to assume that these objects are the most important aspect of the work, yet the artists main concern is the site itself. What Oppenheim has done is claim the site as a context for art, an alternative to the gallery. As the art movements which proceeded Oppenheim had set themselves apart from the real world here the artist locates himself and his concerns firmly with it.” Excerpt from Dissertation: A Holligan Jan 1996.

Other notable works of the period include:

Boundary Split: http://www.dennis-oppenheim.com/early-work/9

Forrest Floor Removal: http://www.dennis-oppenheim.com/early-work/10

Gallery Decomposition: http://www.dennis-oppenheim.com/works/11

Annual Rings: http://www.dennis-oppenheim.com/early-work/8

Art e-Facts 81: Susan Philpsz 2010 Turner Prize Winner and the Telford CAP Student:

Published December 10, 2010

Question: What’s the connection between 2010 Turner Prize winning Scottish Artist Susan Phillipsz and the HND Contemporary Art Practice course at Telford College?

Answer: 47 Film

In May this year Film 47 documented Phillpsz Prize winning work ‘Lowlands’. The final film was submitted to the Turner Art Committee for judgement ad there is little doubt that 47 Film’s film footage helped Susan secure her prize

At around the same time Filmogropher Andy Cameron of 47 Film, was working closely with Art & Design student Natalie Doyle on the recording of Natalies’ Final Major Project work of her Foundation Course here at Telford College. Natalies’  movie focuses on social relationships through the Internet and how identity is built up through that medium. CAP Alumni Lauren McLaughlin and Gordon Douglas also appear within the film.

The following is a short documentary about the film:

Andy Cameron works freelance in and around Scotland and has worked for the Edinburgh Art Festival, the Glasgow International Arts Festival and has been published on several high profile websites.

For further information email 47 film at:

andy@47film.com
47film@googlemail.com

Telford College Partner in The Big Arts Give Christmas Challenge 2010

Published December 8, 2010

Telford College and Contemporary Art Practice partner Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop (ESW) is one of only six Scottish charities selected to participate in the Big Arts Give Christmas Challenge, UK-wide campaign supported by the Scottish Government and Arts & Business which aims to raise £3m in total by increasing the incentives for supporting the arts.

Until Friday 31 December, all donations made through the Big Arts Give website will help ESW raise funds for the New Sculpture Centre

The Big Idea

To create a purpose-built sculpture centre in Edinburgh providing the facilities and services needed by artists to support them at all stages in their careers and to provide a valuable public resource which will enable people of all ages and ability to learn about contemporary sculpture.

ContemporaryArtETC.. has a long standing and highly productive partnership with ESW allowing our learners to produce and exhibit work in a professional, supportive and highly respected organisation. The new purpose built sculpture centre, the only one of its kind in the UK, will allow us to take the partnership to to a new level and we need your help to make it happen and secure this exciting future.

A limited number of donations and match funded and all money raised will go towards the cost of building the new sculpture centre.

If you would like to support Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop please make your donation through the Big Arts Give website by following the link below:

Big Arts Give Christmas Challenge

Art e-Facts 80: David Shrigley, An important message about the arts.

Published September 10, 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6rYDaORe3k

Glasgow based artist David Shrigley has made a short animated film in support of the ‘Save the Arts’ campaign.

The Save the Arts campaign is organised by the London branch of the Turning Point Network, a national consortium of over 2,000 arts organisations and artists dedicated to working together and finding new ways to support the arts in the UK.

The aim of the Save the Arts campaign is to encourage people to sign a petition which will be sent to the Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt. It points out that it has taken 50 years to create a vibrant arts culture in Britain that is the envy of the world and appeals to the government not to slash arts funding and risk destroying this long-term achievement and the social and economic benefits it brings to all. Source: http://savethearts-uk.blogspot.com/

Find out more, and sign the petition, at savethearts.org.uk


Art e-Facts 79: Victor Pasmore, The Apollo Pavilion, Peterlee.

Published August 22, 2010

Victor Pasmores Apollo Pavilion is a reinforced concerete homage to the Apollo moon landing in 1969. The structure spans a small man made lake connecting the two halves of the Sunny Blunts estate in Peterlee, County Durham. Between 1955 and the 1970’s Pasmore was Consulting Director of Urban Design for the Peterlee Development Corporation, collaborating with architects Peter Daniel & Franc Dixon he contributed to the towns spatial arrangements, road system and open spaces as well as the distinctive aesthetic of the housing.

During the 1980’s the Pavilion fell into dis-repair due to lack of funds and became the focus of vandilism and anti-social behaviour. Despite this and in the face of significant critism, Pasmore remained committed to the structure defending it at a public meeting in 1982. In 2009 the Pavilion underwent major restoration including the rebuilding of the stair providing access to the upper level, refurbishment of the light system and restoration of Pasmores original Mural.

www.apollopavilion.info

FREE FILM SCREENING: Tomorrow @ Stills Gallery

Published November 11, 2009

FREE  Film Screening: Counter Images. GDR Underground Films 1983-1989
Thursday, 12 November 2009  6.30PM

For this special screening curator and filmmaker Claus Löser will present a selection of films which were made in the GDR between 1983 and 1989 by young artists, musicians and writers. At a time when art was subject to state control artists operated outside all official channels, their subversive actions watched closely by the Stasi state security police. As in the West, the GDR had a thriving Super 8 movement which developed out of the D.I.Y. credo of punk and was able to blossom in the small pockets of independent underground culture, providing new forms of expression amid the rigidity of the political climate. Today, many artists of this GDR Super-8 underground scene – including Helge Leiberg, Via Lewandowsky, and Cornelia Schleime – have become well-known figures in the international art world.

A 70 minute programme comprising seven films.

Presented in association with Goethe-Institut Glasgow
——————–

Art Attacks on BBC Radio 4

Published November 5, 2009

New BBC 4 radio programme  called ‘art attacks’  covering the destructive nature of art – it was pretty interesting and informative all round, but particularly great for Robert Rauschenberg’s account of meeting Willem De Kooning.

Series investigating the history of attacks on art works, from the earliest times to the present day.

When does destruction become an act of creation? Lawrence Pollard explores what lies behind some of the more bizarre assaults on contemporary art, including an exploding shed, an artist who destroyed every one of his possessions and art that has been both urinated on and whacked with a hammer.

Sourse BBC Website:

Listen to the Programme now on the BBC Iplayer:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00nk2xr

Only available until Monday 9th Nov

ContemporaryArtETC… Graduates to Curate New Gallery Space.

Published October 9, 2009

ContemporaryArtETC… Graduates Peter Amoore & Jade Noble are seeking submissions for the soon to be launced A5 Gallery.

This innovatuive 2-D gallery space is to be launched later this month within the pages of the  re-launched Edinburgh College of Art student magazine the Wee Red Herring.

The Gallery will show contemporary artwork within the specifics of a one sided, A5, page within the college magazine which has a print run of 600 copies.

The artwork will be printed in black and white.  It is a visual gallery space directly showing work produced specially for the magazine context.

The artist or artist’s may use this space however they intend – the gallery space is as flexible as you make it. Submissions should be sent as word documents or jpeg images with instructions if necessary.

Please send artwork, proposals and questions with the subject as (A5 gallery) to weeredherring@gmail.com

The deadline for submissions is Thursday 15th October.

From Jade Noble and Peter Amoore, curators of the A5 gallery.

Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop has a vacancy for a Part-Time Technician.

Published October 7, 2009

VACANCY:

Technician (Part-Time – 3 days) – Salary £15,500 pro rata

Closing date for applications – 5pm Friday 23rd October 2009.

The Technician will support the coordination of our public and arts programmes and… the day to day management of the building. Candidates will be expected to have a practical knowledge of a variety of sculptural processes and an understanding of contemporary visual arts practice.

For a job description and further information please contact:

Irene Kernan: irene@edinburghsculpture.org

or by telephone – 0131 551 4490.

To apply for the position please post or email your CV along with a covering letter and the names and contact details of two referees to:

Irene Kernan
Director
Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop
25 Hawthornvale
Edinburgh
EH6 4JT

www.edinburghsculpture.org

Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop is an equal opportunities employer.

Apply now for l!fe chang!ng opportun!t!es @ Ed!nburgh’s Creat!ve Art School.

Published May 3, 2009

Despite record numbers of applications there are still a number of places left on all of the FineArtETC courses for next session.

If you would like to be part of one of Scotland’s largest, most highly regarded and well equipped Creative Art Schools with record progression rates into Higher Education Diploma / Degree courses and into work then APPLY NOW!

BBC Radio 4 Reunites Young British Artists

Published April 19, 2009

The Reunion is a series which reunites a group of people intimately involved in a moment of modern history. In this weeks programme Sue MacGregor brings together some of the young artists who emerged in the 1990s to create the Brit Art movement – Tracey Emin, Gavin Turk, Abigail Lane, Mat Collishaw and Gregor Muir.

Click on the link below to listen to the programme.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00jqxl5

Art e-Facts 78: Mark Leckey

Published December 1, 2008

 

Mark Leckey was this evening announced as the winner of the 2008 Turner Prize winner by Australian Rock Star NIck Cave at a ceremony at Tate Britain.

One of the most controversial Turner Prize exhibitions for many years the exhibition has been vilified by visitors and critics alike. Leckey was robust in his response to the critics however dismissing the British critical establishment as having an unhealthy interest in ‘mid-brow’ art.

Art e-Facts 77: Langlands & Bell

Published November 26, 2008

In 2002 they were commissioned by the Imperial War Museum to research the War in Afganistan. As a result of their the pair produced a trilogy of works including The House of Osama bin Laden, an interactive computer animation of the house occupied by Osama bin Laden in the late 1990s. The work, which utalised state of the art gaming technology of the day allows the viewer to move through digital landscape seeking that which is no longer present.

In 2004 the work won the British Academy of Film and Television Arts award (BAFTA) for Interactive Art Installation. The work also featured in their Turner Prize nominated show at Tate Britain in the same year. A second work in the trilogy Zardads Dog which documented the trail of Abdullah Shah, nicknamed Zardad’s Dog because of his penchant for biting his victims before murdering them, was withdrawn from exhibition amid fears that it may be held in contempt of court during the then trial of Afghan warlord Faryadi Sarwar Zardad.

Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh as part of the Langlands & Bell Films & Animations 1978 – 2008 exhibition until December 13th. Other notable works in the exhibition include 2008’s ‘Departure‘ a ‘Guerilla Website’ linked to wallpaper.com and ‘Kitchen’ their first film collaboration from 1978.

The staff and students of localhost:10076/ would like to thank Zoë Fothergill and the Talbot Rice Gallery for the excellent talk and tour we received at the exhibition.

www.langlandsandbell.com

www.wallpaper.com/art/langlands–bell-digital-exclusive/2369

www.trg.ed.ac.uk/

Art e-Facts 76:

Published September 15, 2008

Killer to sleep with fishes in controversial art installation:

 

A convicted murderer is to be turned into a work of art should his final appeal against his sentence fail. Gene Hathorn (above), an inmate on death row convicted in 1985 of murdering his father, step-mother, and step-brother will be frozen, turned into fish food for hundreds of goldfish. Visitors to the exhibit will be asked to feed the occupants of a giant aquarium placed in a gallery . Copenhagen based artist Marco Everistti is continuing negotiations with American lawyers and an undisclosed company willing to help turn Hathorns remains into fish food.

Everistti, who is helping to fund Hathorn’s final appeal through the sale of drawings; made by the killer in jail; aims to raise awareness of state sanctioned execution in Western civilisation. The artists previous works have presented the audience with equally difficult questions and dilemas relating to their participation in the works. In 2000 he exhibited food blenders filled with water and goldfish (above) and invited visitors to switch the blenders on and in 2007 he held a dinner party where guests were served meatballs made with fat removed from his own body during a liposuction procedure.

www.evaristti.com

source: The Art Newspaper: Clemens Bomsdorf