I could use all the wool collected to make felt. Then perhaps I could print some images onto the material... I supervised a Felt Making Class at the gallery I used to work for, Dulwich Picture Gallery, and it was relatively straightforward.
A step by step to felt making felt
You will need a flat surface to work on, where it doesn't matter if it gets wet. (outside, floor, counter-top or large table) Place a large table onto the flat surface, and cover it with a piece of plastic.
Pull the clean wool into short sections.
Place these wool pieces evenly across the plastic. Lay them all in one direction,(vertically) overlapping each piece slightly, until you have a square about 35cm long. Repeat horizontally.
Repeat the layers of wool again. Make sure each layer alternates in direction, vertically/horizontally.
The top layer can be decretive, using different coloured wools.
Fold the remaining length of plastic over the wool.
Place the into the bathtub and roll the mat back and forth, working your hands evenly across the mat.
Keep the mat rolling in the hot water for x-about 3 - 4 minutes. It is friction that causes the wool to felt.
Remove the mat from the bathtub and place it on the towel. Carefully unroll the mat, and turn the felt 1/4 turn. The felt is quite fragile at this point, so be gentle.
Reroll the mat and put it back into the bathtub. If the water has cooled, drain the tub and add more hot water. Roll the mat again for x-about 3 - 4 minutes.
Turn the felt another 3 times, and reroll for x-about 5 minutes between each turn.
Test the felt by rubbing it with your finger. The fibres shouldn't move and the felt should be quite thick. If it is still soft, turn it again and keep rolling it in the hot water.
Remove the felt from the beach mat and rinse in cool water.
Roll the felt in a towel, place it on the floor and stomp on it, to remove the excess water. Lay flat to dry.
Monday 17 March 2008
Saturday 15 March 2008
Photos of Bradford Industrial Mill's Storage Area
Following several emails and follow-ups with a councillor from Bradford, I managed to get hold of various industrial parts that were surplus, broken or unwanted. When I went to collect the pieces I was lead into this treasure trove of machine parts. It was so surreal to be walking through a narrow path created in the midst of these heavy-duty machines and piles of industrial parts.
Friday 14 March 2008
Research Notes on Jean Tinguely
Jean Tinguely at the Tate Gallery
8th September – 28th November 1982
Alan Bowness and Richard Calvocoressi
- Neo-Dadaist who rejoices in paradox and ambiguity
- Kinetic artist who mocks the kinetic sculptures that place faith in new materials and up-to-date technology
- Belief that the only certain, stable thing in the world is movement, perpetual motion, change
- Interest in the immaterial/ breaking down the traditional stability of the work of art/ dematerialising static image or form into a continuous flow of movement and sound
- Sculptural works: scrap iron, old or obsolete mechanical parts, discarded household products, various familiar objects
- Often primitively built- unpredictable in action and devoid of a utilitarian purpose
- Some sculptures have digested and disgorged footballs, sprayed water, crushed bottles, smashed plates, painted abstract pictures, emitted agreeable or threatening noises, emanated smells or even destroyed themselves
- Real function of his work is irony- a parody of mechanical and human behaviour, a satire on production, consumption and waste
- His work performs an important psychological service by offering a release from the pressures of an increasingly sophisticated tenchonological age
- The object at rest in transformed into the mobile, the living work of art, by switching on an electric current
- Requires the viewer to participate- press the switch- establishing a relationship with the machine
- Terms his work, ‘meta-mechanical’- describes the irrational, imaginative, a-mechanical ends to which his machines are put
- Socially liberating aspect of this new contract between artist, machine and spectator
- Early machine work was based on a system of asynchronous gears that moved the various parts- bars, circles, rectangles- each part moved at a different speed, so it could be months or even years before the same configuration repeated itself
- Shifting relationships and infinite variations of chance in action- alluded to the fragmentary sensations and conflicting rhythms of modern life
- Tinguely’s interest in the potential of a rotating or spinning motion to challenge and alter formal appearance is central to his work
- His early work relied for its optical or kinetic effect on the spectator as motor rather than on built-in mechanical movement
- His work is indebted to Duchamp’s- his first open-wire constructions, which were operated by handles, recalls Duchamp’s preoccupation with the wheel and mechanical rotation
- His ‘Prayer Mills’ also bears a slight resemblance to Duchamp’s tiny but influential painting ‘Coffee Mill’ of 1912
- Duchamp’s optical machines, such as ‘Rotary Demisphere’, 1925, also caused Tinguely to research illusion and dematerialisation
- Also was intrigued by Duchamp’s questioning, ironical attitude to the value of art in the age of technology and mass communication
- Heavily influenced by Duchamp’s elevation of the role of accident in artistic creation and his almost existential belief in the significance of gesture.
- Felt art should have a direct contact with urban and industrial culture, its by-products and side effects: mass production, waste, advertising, violence
- By reintroducing reality into art, the intervention of the artist would often by reduced to a minimum
- Demystify art- simple, immediate language
- Tinguely disliked the schematic and finished look of Abstract Expressionist work- symbolised a misguided wish to immobilise time- by using unfired clay my work also lacks a finished, immortal quality
- Searched for an ideal environmental art, a fusion of sensory and motor experience within a unifying structure, in which spectator involvement assumes a crucial place
- Expendable or auto-destructive works of 1960-62- when large and often intricately assembled collections of disused machinery and scrap sprang into action and, after a frantic life of half an hour or so, exploded or set fire to themselves- almost nihilistic
- Reflected the Happenings- introduced movement and change, engaged most or all of the senses and demanded active cooperation, whether physical, emotional or intellectual
- Belief that scenes of violence or destruction would have a positive, therapeutic benefit for the spectator
- Mounting anxiety about the threat of nuclear warfare/ significant advances in computer technology as well as attempts at manned space travel
- Auto-destructive- a work of art which is ephemeral and which therefore has little or no commercial value
- Impressed by the junk sculptures of Richard Stankiewicz
- Stated that his work became more disgusting, when the museums became whiter
- Late 1960s- began to openly display the belts, pulleys and wheels which assisted the moving elements in his work
- Shone bright spotlights on his machines, throwing strong linear shadows onto the walls and creating a strange, spectral impression
- Had a romantic fascination for mean, worthless materials
- Deliberately used cheap, worn-out motors and gears which added to the chance effect- exploited the machine- demonstrated properties not usually associated with it, such as random movement, irregularity, disorder
- Almost nostalgic art- disregarded electronics and advanced technology
- Sculptures often moved erratically, often shaking themselves into paroxysms of cacophonous activity- air of improvisation
- After 1963, Tinguely began to paint his sculptural works a uniform matt black- depriving them of their character as an assemblage of recognisable objects rescued from the rubbish tips and attics of urban life- emphasised their formal, plastic qualities
- Matt black- work began to resemble pieces of nineteenth century industrial machinery
- Allowed the grotesque- a groaning/ grinding/ clanking progress- endlessly frustrated in the intent- metaphor for imprisonment as the work is weighed down by lengths of heavy chains which it is forced to carry
- Changed the speed of rotation so all sorts of visual and sonic patterns would emerge
- Early 70s, the work became more colossal, heavyweight and industrial
- Essential underlying humanism of his work, the range of emotions and sensations it embraces, from soft to loud, gentle to brutal, restrained to exuberant, reassuring to disturbing
8th September – 28th November 1982
Alan Bowness and Richard Calvocoressi
- Neo-Dadaist who rejoices in paradox and ambiguity
- Kinetic artist who mocks the kinetic sculptures that place faith in new materials and up-to-date technology
- Belief that the only certain, stable thing in the world is movement, perpetual motion, change
- Interest in the immaterial/ breaking down the traditional stability of the work of art/ dematerialising static image or form into a continuous flow of movement and sound
- Sculptural works: scrap iron, old or obsolete mechanical parts, discarded household products, various familiar objects
- Often primitively built- unpredictable in action and devoid of a utilitarian purpose
- Some sculptures have digested and disgorged footballs, sprayed water, crushed bottles, smashed plates, painted abstract pictures, emitted agreeable or threatening noises, emanated smells or even destroyed themselves
- Real function of his work is irony- a parody of mechanical and human behaviour, a satire on production, consumption and waste
- His work performs an important psychological service by offering a release from the pressures of an increasingly sophisticated tenchonological age
- The object at rest in transformed into the mobile, the living work of art, by switching on an electric current
- Requires the viewer to participate- press the switch- establishing a relationship with the machine
- Terms his work, ‘meta-mechanical’- describes the irrational, imaginative, a-mechanical ends to which his machines are put
- Socially liberating aspect of this new contract between artist, machine and spectator
- Early machine work was based on a system of asynchronous gears that moved the various parts- bars, circles, rectangles- each part moved at a different speed, so it could be months or even years before the same configuration repeated itself
- Shifting relationships and infinite variations of chance in action- alluded to the fragmentary sensations and conflicting rhythms of modern life
- Tinguely’s interest in the potential of a rotating or spinning motion to challenge and alter formal appearance is central to his work
- His early work relied for its optical or kinetic effect on the spectator as motor rather than on built-in mechanical movement
- His work is indebted to Duchamp’s- his first open-wire constructions, which were operated by handles, recalls Duchamp’s preoccupation with the wheel and mechanical rotation
- His ‘Prayer Mills’ also bears a slight resemblance to Duchamp’s tiny but influential painting ‘Coffee Mill’ of 1912
- Duchamp’s optical machines, such as ‘Rotary Demisphere’, 1925, also caused Tinguely to research illusion and dematerialisation
- Also was intrigued by Duchamp’s questioning, ironical attitude to the value of art in the age of technology and mass communication
- Heavily influenced by Duchamp’s elevation of the role of accident in artistic creation and his almost existential belief in the significance of gesture.
- Felt art should have a direct contact with urban and industrial culture, its by-products and side effects: mass production, waste, advertising, violence
- By reintroducing reality into art, the intervention of the artist would often by reduced to a minimum
- Demystify art- simple, immediate language
- Tinguely disliked the schematic and finished look of Abstract Expressionist work- symbolised a misguided wish to immobilise time- by using unfired clay my work also lacks a finished, immortal quality
- Searched for an ideal environmental art, a fusion of sensory and motor experience within a unifying structure, in which spectator involvement assumes a crucial place
- Expendable or auto-destructive works of 1960-62- when large and often intricately assembled collections of disused machinery and scrap sprang into action and, after a frantic life of half an hour or so, exploded or set fire to themselves- almost nihilistic
- Reflected the Happenings- introduced movement and change, engaged most or all of the senses and demanded active cooperation, whether physical, emotional or intellectual
- Belief that scenes of violence or destruction would have a positive, therapeutic benefit for the spectator
- Mounting anxiety about the threat of nuclear warfare/ significant advances in computer technology as well as attempts at manned space travel
- Auto-destructive- a work of art which is ephemeral and which therefore has little or no commercial value
- Impressed by the junk sculptures of Richard Stankiewicz
- Stated that his work became more disgusting, when the museums became whiter
- Late 1960s- began to openly display the belts, pulleys and wheels which assisted the moving elements in his work
- Shone bright spotlights on his machines, throwing strong linear shadows onto the walls and creating a strange, spectral impression
- Had a romantic fascination for mean, worthless materials
- Deliberately used cheap, worn-out motors and gears which added to the chance effect- exploited the machine- demonstrated properties not usually associated with it, such as random movement, irregularity, disorder
- Almost nostalgic art- disregarded electronics and advanced technology
- Sculptures often moved erratically, often shaking themselves into paroxysms of cacophonous activity- air of improvisation
- After 1963, Tinguely began to paint his sculptural works a uniform matt black- depriving them of their character as an assemblage of recognisable objects rescued from the rubbish tips and attics of urban life- emphasised their formal, plastic qualities
- Matt black- work began to resemble pieces of nineteenth century industrial machinery
- Allowed the grotesque- a groaning/ grinding/ clanking progress- endlessly frustrated in the intent- metaphor for imprisonment as the work is weighed down by lengths of heavy chains which it is forced to carry
- Changed the speed of rotation so all sorts of visual and sonic patterns would emerge
- Early 70s, the work became more colossal, heavyweight and industrial
- Essential underlying humanism of his work, the range of emotions and sensations it embraces, from soft to loud, gentle to brutal, restrained to exuberant, reassuring to disturbing
Monday 10 March 2008
CFA Contemporary Fine Arts
'Die Wahren Orte' Exhibition (No.1 exhibition in the Berlin Biennale!)
Alexander Ochs curated this exhibition based on the idea of 'true places' and whether they should be discussed in the past or present tense. As can 'true places exist in a world of constant flux under a globalised market'? It is interesting to note that Ochs spends half his year in Berlin and the other half in Beijing, so he must do a lot of wandering between these two very different worlds. I found this exhibition quite exciting as all of the eight artists seemed to be dealing with existence and superficiality in their own individual quest for a 'true place', whether in culture, art, time, location etc., though the resulting work was incredibly varied.
I really liked Yang Maoyuan's response as he had created a line-up of Buddha heads, which were reminiscent of the heads of the Buddha-figures that are everywhere in Asia. Therefore the series seemed to comment on the use of serial technical fabrication, thought the mock-antique patina and a fragmented condition alluded to actual archaeological finds. By weathering the marble to such an extent, the sculptures were also deprived of any trace of individuality, which made the act of falsifying an imitation even more prominent.
However my favourite piece was a room length installation by Yin Xiuzhen. The piece, 'Collective Unconscious', not only had a strong visual presence but it also had an audible quality, as she had a Chinese pop-song, which apparently praised the city of Berlin, playing within the vehicle. The artist had utilised a mini-van, an old Chinese 'shared taxi', which she had cut into halves. The 'shared taxi' was used in the 80s and 90s, as an affordable means of transportation within the rapidly growing metropolis. However due to its cheap design and bad quality, the Chinese government withdrew it from circulation during the 90s. Therefore by extending the vehicle, using a long, rhythmical caterpillar like insertion made of clothes, the vehicle looses any pretence of stability and sturdiness. What I really enjoyed about this piece was how the viewer was allowed to climb into the work and sit on any of the multitude of seats inside. The clothes were also used to hint at the low cost but bad quality produce of China.
Andy, James and myself in the back of the mini van
Alexander Ochs curated this exhibition based on the idea of 'true places' and whether they should be discussed in the past or present tense. As can 'true places exist in a world of constant flux under a globalised market'? It is interesting to note that Ochs spends half his year in Berlin and the other half in Beijing, so he must do a lot of wandering between these two very different worlds. I found this exhibition quite exciting as all of the eight artists seemed to be dealing with existence and superficiality in their own individual quest for a 'true place', whether in culture, art, time, location etc., though the resulting work was incredibly varied.
I really liked Yang Maoyuan's response as he had created a line-up of Buddha heads, which were reminiscent of the heads of the Buddha-figures that are everywhere in Asia. Therefore the series seemed to comment on the use of serial technical fabrication, thought the mock-antique patina and a fragmented condition alluded to actual archaeological finds. By weathering the marble to such an extent, the sculptures were also deprived of any trace of individuality, which made the act of falsifying an imitation even more prominent.
However my favourite piece was a room length installation by Yin Xiuzhen. The piece, 'Collective Unconscious', not only had a strong visual presence but it also had an audible quality, as she had a Chinese pop-song, which apparently praised the city of Berlin, playing within the vehicle. The artist had utilised a mini-van, an old Chinese 'shared taxi', which she had cut into halves. The 'shared taxi' was used in the 80s and 90s, as an affordable means of transportation within the rapidly growing metropolis. However due to its cheap design and bad quality, the Chinese government withdrew it from circulation during the 90s. Therefore by extending the vehicle, using a long, rhythmical caterpillar like insertion made of clothes, the vehicle looses any pretence of stability and sturdiness. What I really enjoyed about this piece was how the viewer was allowed to climb into the work and sit on any of the multitude of seats inside. The clothes were also used to hint at the low cost but bad quality produce of China.
Andy, James and myself in the back of the mini van
Sunday 9 March 2008
Saturday 8 March 2008
Trip to Berlin, March 3rd-7th
We stayed in Mitte, very close to Alexandra Place, near Rosa Luxemborg station. During the three days, we went to a ridiculous number of museums and art galleries, averaging around four or five. I have a pile of phamplets, exhibition magazines, sheets of info etc. James has brought a folder for all the collected memorabilia but to be honest mine will probably be left to gather dust on my book shelf, so I thought it was best to write a few reviews of my favourite pieces/ exhibitions, so some evidence will exist!
We went to the 'Alte Nationalgalerie' (the National Gallery). It was astonishingly similar to our National Gallery in the decor and layout. I enjoyed the French Impressionists work on Level 2 and the Realism on Level 1. I was also impressed with the Neo-Baroque sculpture and the Auguste Rodin sculpture 'The Age of Bronze', 1875-76. Apart from that, I can not recall anything else worthy of note but I am sure hundreds would disagree!
We also visited the Institute for Contemporary Art, which was exhibiting '...5 Minutes Later', curated by Susanne Pfeffer. The work is this exhibition varied considerably in my opinion. In the large entrance area, the furthest wall simply read; 'VISITORS CAN CONTEMPLATE FOR 5 MINUTES THE INVISIBLE ASPECTS OF THE VISUAL ART IN THE EXHIBITION'. This immediately made me doubtful... It wasn't until I reached the third floor and began watching the video installations that I thought the exhibition had been worth the trek. With particular reference to Lutz Mommartz's video art pieces, 'As if it was from Beckett', 1975, and 'Way to the Neighbour', 1968.
'Way to the Neighbour', Lutz Mommartz, 1968.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaCkR0q_TVE
Various Holiday Snaps:
We went to the 'Alte Nationalgalerie' (the National Gallery). It was astonishingly similar to our National Gallery in the decor and layout. I enjoyed the French Impressionists work on Level 2 and the Realism on Level 1. I was also impressed with the Neo-Baroque sculpture and the Auguste Rodin sculpture 'The Age of Bronze', 1875-76. Apart from that, I can not recall anything else worthy of note but I am sure hundreds would disagree!
We also visited the Institute for Contemporary Art, which was exhibiting '...5 Minutes Later', curated by Susanne Pfeffer. The work is this exhibition varied considerably in my opinion. In the large entrance area, the furthest wall simply read; 'VISITORS CAN CONTEMPLATE FOR 5 MINUTES THE INVISIBLE ASPECTS OF THE VISUAL ART IN THE EXHIBITION'. This immediately made me doubtful... It wasn't until I reached the third floor and began watching the video installations that I thought the exhibition had been worth the trek. With particular reference to Lutz Mommartz's video art pieces, 'As if it was from Beckett', 1975, and 'Way to the Neighbour', 1968.
'Way to the Neighbour', Lutz Mommartz, 1968.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaCkR0q_TVE
Various Holiday Snaps:
Sunday 2 March 2008
Armley Exhibition Proposal
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Sarah Baumann
Materials: Clay, resin, varnished wood, polyester, found objects
My art practice focuses on mechanical and industrial forms drawing inspiration from outside a traditional fine art context. By expressing the hand of the artist and eliminating mechanical geometry, the sculptural work is drawn into speculations about authenticity and reproducibility. Therefore the work is thrown into the language of craftsmanship and art though not entirely disrupting its potential for being recognised as a mechanical expression.
Piece 1:
I plan to create a relatively large sculptural piece, with a base of 120cm x 45cm, which will combine clay elements alongside abandoned and disused mill machine parts. The clay will serve to minimalise the mechanical-technological nature of the work by making the viewer closely observe the handcrafted machine parts. The assemblage will also emphasise the spatial relationships between various parts in the piece, hinting at the relationship between the actual gallery setting and the artwork. Consequently allowing the viewer to question and consider the tripartite division of science, craft and art.
Piece 2:
90cm x 90cm.
A formal sculptural work with three iron- oxide resin casts of rollers used in a make-shift conveyor belt system. The belt, created with stretch polyester fabric, has industrial images printed on the fabric so to create a more literal link to the initial inspiration.
Materials: Clay, resin, varnished wood, polyester, found objects
My art practice focuses on mechanical and industrial forms drawing inspiration from outside a traditional fine art context. By expressing the hand of the artist and eliminating mechanical geometry, the sculptural work is drawn into speculations about authenticity and reproducibility. Therefore the work is thrown into the language of craftsmanship and art though not entirely disrupting its potential for being recognised as a mechanical expression.
Piece 1:
I plan to create a relatively large sculptural piece, with a base of 120cm x 45cm, which will combine clay elements alongside abandoned and disused mill machine parts. The clay will serve to minimalise the mechanical-technological nature of the work by making the viewer closely observe the handcrafted machine parts. The assemblage will also emphasise the spatial relationships between various parts in the piece, hinting at the relationship between the actual gallery setting and the artwork. Consequently allowing the viewer to question and consider the tripartite division of science, craft and art.
Piece 2:
90cm x 90cm.
A formal sculptural work with three iron- oxide resin casts of rollers used in a make-shift conveyor belt system. The belt, created with stretch polyester fabric, has industrial images printed on the fabric so to create a more literal link to the initial inspiration.
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