Participatory Art

Thank you.

2010-05-27T13:24:00.000+01:00

This is just a short message to say a HUGE thank you to all those who have participated in this project.

Without you, it wouldn't have been possible!

You are ALL truly inspirational and have provided liberating responses and contributions.

So, thank you!

Jaz

One final piece of artist research.

2010-05-27T13:20:00.000+01:00

I have speaking to our very own Taz at uni, and discovered that her practice is involved in participatory art.

Here is an example of a project that she developed and implemented. It's called 'The Blue Blob Interactive Art Project':

"The Blue Blob project is an interactive art project created by Taz Lovejoy during her Fine Art Degree at University Northampton with the intention to inspire creativity and in an attempt to reach communities all over the country and break down the barriers surrounding art by engaging all in simple creative fun.

The project provides a free ball of blue plastercine packaged with instructions, asking anyone interested to try their hand at creating their own miniature blue sculpture. A key feature of this project is not only the form created with the plastercine but the location in which the sculpture has been photographed. The project is geared to exploring the colour blues interaction with different environments and with that in mind many that have already participated have developed interesting locations and reactions to the concept."

Taken from: http://www.theblueblob.com/

This project is similar to mine in the fact that it is asking people to participate by breaking down the common barriers that surround art, and engage in fun and enjoyable activity, but in a more personal context.

Here are some of the pictures of the sculptures that have been sent to Taz. (These have also been taken from the above website):

These images are rather pixelated because they have been taken on camera phones. This was the intention of the artist to make the process and the concept for accessible for participants, and indeed moving with the technological trends of the time, whereby camera phones are now widely available and can be used an immediate means of communication, and indeed art & expression.

A great discovery and another link to some more participatory art. Thank you Taz! :-)

Some reflective and final thoughts.

2010-05-27T12:43:00.002+01:00

I know that I have taken a great risk in doing what I have done for my art this year. But taking this risk has really allowed me to build my confidence in developing a way of working that has really allowed me to value learned experience as opposed to a final and static outcome.

Within my art, many people have participated already, and many have chosen not to which is also equally fine. The art of participation in itself is one that remains a personal preference and a choice.

My intention this year has been to facilitate art, and see myself as a facilitator rather than a 'maker'. I wanted to break participants away from understanding that the label that has been placed on 'art' means much more than the traditional aesthetic components that are commonly associated and percieved as art e.g. drawing and painting. I intended it to be more about the concept of self expression, engagement & participation.

This element of self expression has become particularly evident in this project. For example, many participants have created responses which are of a large scale, and do not fit into the sandwich bags.

However, these responses have still been included and valued within this project as they have been photographed and placed into sandwich bags which are exhibited within my installation. For example, one participant created a huge mobile to represent her identity:

McNiff (1998, p.60) explains,

"Successful expression involves the ability to let materials and unplanned gestures to lead the way."

As Roux (2007, p.3) explains,

"Many art forms require participation to some extent. After all, experiencing art by observing, listening or watching is also a kind of participation."

My intention has been to facilitate art by the concept of participatory art being artist led, but the responses created within this approach to be recognised as those of the participants of the project.

In this context, the art has become the exchange of information between the artist (facilitator - me), participants, and the viewers.

I have envisaged the audience as a community which as a result produces and generates subjective encounters. Through these encounters, meaning is elaborated both individually & collectively, rather than in individual consumption in relation to one art object.

My work elevates the concept on which it is based. I wanted to challenge perceptions on art in relation to a theme (identity) that directly influences the way we participate and engage with the world around us.

Fisher (2004, p.8) states,

"Creativity, like evolution and education, is founded on experiementation, variations that sometimes succeed, sometimes fail.

Creativity, therefore, requires the courage to take risks - the risk to be different."

The Critical Issues Module which I have also undertaken this year has completely changed the way that I value, appreciate, create, and teach art. Theoretical perspectives & ideologies have been explored, discussed, and considered that surround arts education & the development of these within my own pedagogy.

References:

Fisher, R. (2004) Unlocking Creativity. London: David Fulton Publishers.

McNiff, S. (1998) Trust the Process: An Artist's Guide to Letting Go. Massachuttets: Shambala Publishers.

Roux, X. (2007) Participation in Contemporary Art. New York: Redseeds Art.

Private view.

2010-05-27T12:23:00.000+01:00

It's private view of the 3rd and 4th ITE students' art exhibitions tonight, and I'm really excited about this!

All of the presentations and assignnments have been done and handed in.

It's now the time to celebrate all of our hard work, and share our art exhibitions with friends, and family.

I hope that my installation recieves a good response tonight, and that people will be intrigued and open to participation. It will also be interesting to directly observe the response of the viewers of my installation, and the responses to the participants that have to date participated.

If you are reading this, and have participated in this project, I would like to invite to come and celebrate your work, and that of others as well as my peers!

If you haven't participated yet, but would like to, please also come! Everyone is welcome!

Private view will take place between 4-7pm tonight in the art studio and Chapel at Newman University College, Birmingham.

See you there! :-)

My first unknown repsonse.

2010-05-27T11:39:00.000+01:00

So I was at uni today, and went to check on my installation. As I was standing in front of it, I noticed that a response had been made and placed in one of the bags & sealed by the participant! RESULT!

I was so pleased that this had happened, as somebody had taken the time to create a response and participate in the project. Thank you participant! You made my day.

Hopefully this notion will continue as more people view my work, especially during the student private view.

Here's the response that was created:

The repsonse contains a sachet of tablets which have been manipulated to incoroporate a different element of the persons identity. For example one of the tablets represents dyslexia, another represents the persons family. Could the medication symbolise and represent the participants underlying health condition that they have combined with the various facets that make up their identity?

It's really thought provoking and inspiring! Good stuff! Thank you again participant!

My installation.

2010-05-27T11:16:00.001+01:00

So I have put my installation up, and I'm really pleased wth it!

I need to say thank you to Sarah for helping me with putting it up, and advising me of if things were level and in line and straight! So thank you! :-)

I am really happy with the number of different responses that have been displayed on the boards. They really reflect a range of perceptions, in addition current affairs and issues.

For example the participant that has created this repsonse has built upon the issue that I raised a while back on this blog, about the ban of traditional Islamic clothing. The participation has identified around the central image 'Celebration or Restriction?' 'Inclusion or Exclusion?' This goes to show that this is an issue that is directly impacting this participant and her identity, and the possible compromise of it.

The filing cabinet works well within the installation. I have deliberately left the drawers open so that viewers would be drawn into looking to see what it contained.

I have also printed the labels off for the invididual responses that have been exhibited on the boards. They have turned out really well, and the font that I have used (Courier) adds to the concept of categorisation and classification.

Here's one example. So the a = female. NN = Not Newman. F = family member. Orange = symbolises a colour that reflects our religion and culture.

On the outside two boards of my installation, I have attached several empty sandwich bags. In doing this, my intention was to encourage viewers to participate in this project by creating a response and preserving & documenting their participation in addition to their responses to the word 'Identity'.

These bags have also been given a label which identifies them as 'unknown' which is identified as _. I have done this as I will not necessarily know who has contributed and participated, whilst it still being a way to document, share, and celebrate their participation.

My filing cabinet

2010-05-27T10:53:00.000+01:00

Whilst helping my mum with some of her paperwork, I remembered that she owned a filing cabinet. Upon remembering this, I thought about how I could incorporate this into my installation.

The filing cabinet has two draws and is not very big, so it would be perfect.

I thought about how I would include the responses of the participants whose work would not necessaily be exhibitied on the boards.

Using the classification system that I have devised, I created folders for each corresponding category, and filed each persons response accordingly in relation to their identities and the individual relationship that I share with them.

Within these folders I have placed all of the responses that I have to date. These include a number of responses from the packs that I have distributed, Facebook comments, images which express and celebrate my participants identities, and the Facebook profile picture of each person that has joined my group.

The reason why I have chosen to include the latter is because many people have joined my group (and participated by doing this), but they may not have necessarily written anything on the group. This is still participation. Whilst printing off all the profile pictures of my group members I have learnt that it has grown slowly but surely across the internet community, and indeed from continent to continent. This is truly brilliant, as people have participated that I know in no way whatsoever, and I have no mutual friends with them. This just goes to show that people are willing to participate in a project where they feel that they can make a positive contribution, and celebrate their right to the freedom of expression.

Roux (2007, p.2) states,

"During the 20th Century and beyond, the focus of art has shifted and a new paradigm has emerged placing inter-human relations at the centre of contemporary art creation, thus creating a fertile ground for participative art to blossom."

All of the participants responses will reside in the top drawer of the filing cabinet. This draw has been given the label of: 15.3.2010 - . This is because the project really began on this date when my first pack was distributed. An end date has not been placed on the label as the project continues to progress, develop, and evolve:

The bottom drawer I have dedicated for participation. Within my installation, I will be having a table, with a selection of materials for partitipants to use to create a response to the word 'Identity' if they choose to do so. This will be encouraged through my personal statement, and some guidance which will be placed on the table. In this drawer, I have also created several folder in which I would like to encourage participants to 'file' their response to preserve and document their participation. I felt that it was important to give the participants a choice as to where they would like to file their response based on a personal preference.

So participants could choose to file their response based on colours, feelings, emotions, or within no specific category at all. It would be completely subjective and down to the individual.

As Simon Waterfall states in The National Curriculum (1999, p.116):

"Art and design is the freedom of the individual, the freedom of expression..."

I also plan on leaving some of my packs on the table. This is if people would like to take their time with their response and bring it back when they have completed it. In addition to this, I have also prepared cards to go on my table which state the web address for both this blog and my Facebook group, so they can also participate online if this suits their needs more purposefully. It will also hopefully encourage people to see the development of this project over time.

But it's important to remember that any person who engages with my installation will be a participant. It's all starting to come together now! :-)

References:

Roux, X. (2007) Participation in Contemporary Art. New York: Redseeds Art.

DfEE (1999) The National Curriculum Handbook for Primary Teachers. London: DfEE/QCA.

Classification & Taxonomy

2010-05-27T09:34:00.000+01:00

So I have been thinking about how I can continue to exhibit the work of the participants.

Something else that I would like to include in my installation relates to an aspect of my own identity. I regard myself as being organised and systematic in the way in which I work. This trait has shaped the way in which I work, and the person that I have come to be.

I want to incorporate a sense of classification into my installation, possibly the way in which I percieve, organise, and classify the identities of the participants who have actually created responses for this project.

I have always been inspired by the way in which things around us are organised and classified. Whether this be in folders, cupboards, filing cabinets, or art in art galleries.

By reflecting on my visit to the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, in the main part of the museum, there were many stuffed animals that had been preserved and classified in relation to their hierarchy of all living things.

This has led me to the concept of The Taxonomic Classification of Living Things. I have researched into this, and it is a method which is used by biologists to group and categorise organisms by biological type. It's a system which uses a letters and symbols to represent the categorisation of these organisms.

I have decided to adapt this principle within my installation and personalise it to me, and the participants of the project.

I have classified all those who I have participated thus far in my project in the following way:

Kingdom - Animal = I. (The value of using "I" = Identity, 1, person.

Phylum - Humans = A.

Class - Mammals = 1.

Order - Gender = a, b, c. (Female, Male, Both (if both female and males have contributed to the same response).

Family = N (Newman) or NN (Not Newman). - Process become more personal here.

Genus - Subject Connection = Ed (education), AD (Art & Design) etc.

Species - conceptual in terms of how I percieve others in relation to myself = "STAFF", "STUDENT", or a block of colour to show my relationship with the participant in a way that reflects a personal experience.

Using the above system, I am going to give each of the responses that I exhibit on my boards individual labels to represent this classification of the participants responses in relation to how I regard their identities to myself.

I am planning to have 15 responses on each of the boards that I have. From a design perspective, 3's and 5's work well. I don't want my boards to be too overcrowded and too busy. A balance is needed between them. As I have decided to exhibit the participants work in sandwich bags, I would like to keep the amount of responses on each board the same to support this notion of continuity.

I am also aware that I am not going to be able to exhibit all of the responses that have been accumalated on the five boards that I will have. So I need to think about how I can incorporate all of the responses that I have recieved to date within the installation.

And some more acatateness!

2010-05-27T07:44:00.000+01:00

Following the success of the layered images (in my previous post), I have now considered the responses of my participants who have contributed in the form of text on the 'wall' of my Facebook group.

My original plan was to print off their responses on paper alongside their profile picture, and the time & date that they participated within this project.

However, after trying this, I wasn't fully satisfied. So I then considered what difference it would make if I printed these onto acetate instead.

This made such a great difference. As acetate is transparent, this means that these printed responses could also be placed within sandwich bags. The white paint on my boards will allow the viewer to read these responses fairly easily.

I also feel that by using acetate, the responses of my participants have been further embedded. E.g. the ink has absorbed into the acetate, and is now irreversible.

Their participation has been documented and preserved both within the acetate, in addition to the sandwich bags. So this is both individual and collective participation.

Layered images and commentries.

2010-05-27T07:23:00.000+01:00

So following my previous post on multi-layered images to express our identities, I have managed to purchase some acetate. In order to create 'layered' responses which participants have contributed, I have combined both their images and their commentries into one response.

I think that these pieces work really well. The contrast between the two layers in each of the responses highlights the participants philosophy/understanding of their identity, whilst also providing a visual snapshot in the form of a picture to further represent and support this.

Here are some of the participants responses that I have combined:

Contributed by: Lorraine Loveland-Armour

Contributed by: Rhiannon Walker

Contributed by: Shirley Meades

In these responses, I have ensured that I have included the participants Facebook profile picture, and the time & date that they contributed their responses. This contributes to the preserving and documentation of their participation & their responses.

I have also placed these responses within sandwich bags. Again, these really work well. Against a white background, and the images themselves, the text becomes more distinctive and adds a sense of depth to the participaants responses.

Sandwich bags.

2010-05-27T07:03:00.001+01:00

From looking at the photographs that I have taken that contain the various responses of my participants in the sandwich bags (a couple of posts back), I am really happy with how this idea works and presents itself.

This response explores the concept of identity being multi-layered - This goes back to this point that was identified by my participants on the Facebook group.

For the purpose of this experiment, I have placed a white sheet of paper behind the sandwich bags. I intend on painting my exhibition baords white to give a clean outlook to the work that is being exhibited.

I think that displaying the participants work in individual sandwich bags works really well. I like the way that each piece would stand alone, but also be a part of a wider concept.

In doing this, I would also hope that I am celebrating the positive contributions that my participants have made, especially those who may have originally been reluctant or anxious to participate, but have decided to do so.

Freire (1990) states,

"The silenced are not just incidental to the curiosity of the researcher but are the masters of inquiry into the underlying causes of the events in their world. In this context research becomes a means of moving them beyond silence into a quest to proclaim the world."

References:

Friere, P. (1972) Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: The Seabury Press.

Preserving and documenting participation.

2010-05-27T06:49:00.000+01:00

As I am creating an installation for my exhibition, I have been considering how I would display, share, and celebrate the work of my participants.

Then it came to me... sandwich bags!

I want to create an archive of the responses that have been created by my participants, in addition to documenting their participation in doing this. In order to do this, I would like to use sandwhich bags.

Many of the responses that I have currently recieved back from my pack of materials were contained within the sandwich bags that the original task was provided in. As participants have contributed to this task, it is the case that they have contributed more of their identities than they may have originally anticipated.

For example, their fingerprints, their breath, any loose hairs that may have fallen out etc. I would like to preserve these elements in addition to the responses that have been created. I feel that displaying the participants responses in individual bags would really enhance and support the idea of individuality, and that no one identity is the same as another at any one moment in time.

I am also thinking of placing all of the Facebook responses that I have recieved in sandwich bags to keep this idea consistent, and the same. In this way, my intention is to allow the response of each person to stand alone and be unique.

The word 'identity' means extremely different things to us all and this has been echoed through the diverse range of responses that have been created.

The idea of using sandwich bags has stemmed from being inspired by watching numerous episodes of CSI, where individual pieces of evidence are preserved and sealed within individual bags, and documented. Once the evidence bags have been sealed, everybody else is physically denied access inside. However due to the translucent property of the bags, the evidence can still be seen and accessed to a certain point.

If I consider the nature of sandwich bags, and placing my participants responses within them, this would achieve a similar impact. Many responses that my participants have generated are 2D, whereas on other responses, participants have created 3D responses e.g. using both sides of the materials.

I think that this would add a sense of fascination to the pieces that my participants have created, whilst also restricting how much of another persons identity can actually be accessed and interpreted.

My exhibition.

2010-05-26T21:38:00.000+01:00

For my exhibition, I have decided that I would like to create an installation. So this is where the exhibition space is used as an aesthetic component, and where the viewer enters the space in order to engage with the art.

In considering potential locations for my exhibiton, I would have considered both the chapel and the art studio. Nevertheless, I have decided that I would like to create my installation in the art studio. This is for a number of reasons.

Throughout exhibition week, there will hopefully be many people filtering through the studio from across uni. The studio also contains the work of my fellow students. Therefore, as viewers enter the studio, I would hope that they explore the studio, and engage with the different exhibitions throughout the studio, including mine.

The studio also has the number of boards available which I would like to use to create my exhibition. Having these available in this location means that there would be minimal disruption in having to adjust these boards, and that other students would still be able to use the other sides of the boards for their exhibition if required.

My intention is to create a space, which invites the viewer to directly engage with the art, and recognise the participation of my participants, whilst also encouraging them to actively participate in my art.

I am planning on doing this by showing a range of responses that I have had from my participants throughout the project on the baords, whilst also providing opportunities for the viewers of the installation to contribute to the project by creating a space where potential viewers can also participate - possibly a table with a selection of materials available to use.

Facebook group update

2010-05-26T20:55:00.000+01:00

Over the past few days, my Facebook group has recieved a phenomenal response!

In addition to asking participants for their responses on what the word identity means to them, I have also asked participants if we can represent our identities using images/photographs, and if they had any photographs/images that they would like to contribute this.

In addition to recieving several photographs via the group, participants have also emailed them to me, and provided commentries as to why they have contributed these photographs, and how they actually represent their identites.

All of the photographic responses that I have recieved are extremely informative, in addition to being liberating, and thought provoking. They have allowed me to come to an understanding and appreciate the diverse perceptions that we hold of our identities, and the way that they have manifested themselves within our everyday lifes, and why we hold these values and principles.

What has also been great is that members of the group have themselves identified that because the concept of identity is so vast and extensive, it would be difficult to represent our whole identities with one image alone. I agree with these findings and I'm pleased that I didn't have to initiate this thought, even though it did cross my mind when I originally encourgaed participants to contribute any photographs/images. This shows that the process of facilitation has contributed to its identification, and analysis.

Therefore, my participants have suggested that these images would in fact be mutli-layered to represent these different aspects of their identities. The concept of multiple layers is something that I have been inspired by. I would like to incorporate this concept into my final exhibition somehow.

Here are two of the images and commentries that I have recieved from participants that I would like to share with you as a 'taster':

Contributed by Cazz Prior:

"My identity is 'Cazz' from Newman. I have lived in halls for the last 4 years, and i'm known as 'Cazz' throughout secondary school, college, and my time at uni.

Untill I got facebook (at the end of my 2nd year at uni) no one knew my real name. My true identity?

My identity will soon change again when I start working... i'll be called Carolyn or Miss Prior, I'll be a teacher, and not living in Newman halls anymore."

Contributed by Mandy Thomas:

"Me at my happiest and how my very closest people know me."

I've been thinking, and I have considered how I could combine the participants images in addition to their commentries into one response, which considers the multi-layered approach. I have thought about printing the participants images, and then printing their commentries onto acetate, and attaching these together. This would certainly create layers to the participants responses.

The use of the acetate would allow the viewer to see through to their picture, whilst also providing further information to support the participants identification of their identity. This is something to ponder and continue to consider...

More responses to the word 'Identity'.

2010-05-26T20:08:00.000+01:00

Here are some more of the responses that I have recieved.

It's great to see that such a diverse range of responses have been created by the participants which celebrate the uniqueness of their perceptions, and the materials that have been used. Different issues surrounding identity have been addressed and represented within varying contexts.

I also really like the way that the great majority of the responses have been returned to me within the sandwich bags that the participants were originally provided with, which contained the materials and the guidance on the task. Could I somehow incorporate this element into my final exhibition?

Hello again :-)

2010-05-26T19:12:00.000+01:00

I have had the following entries saved in my drafts folder for aaages, waiting to be edited and published.

So here they are!

My packs in the staffroom

2010-05-10T12:47:00.000+01:00

Having left my packs in the staffroom at uni for a few days, I had recieved three or four responses back from this experiment.

So all in all, it wasn't a great success. But thank you to those who did participate! :-) So now I need to use this outcome and learn from it to inform the next stage of my journey.

Thinking about why this experiment wasn't a great success as it could have been could come down to the fact that the staffroom isn't used very much. It is only used by certain members of staff to check the post. So the location in itself was not maybe as prominent as I first thought it could be.

I wonder what would happen if I encouraged students to get involved and participate? Would this evoke a different response? Maybe I could look into the possibility of using a prominent location at uni e.g. outside the sanctuary or in The Hub and encourage participation in this way? Maybe if I had a table/stand? Something to definately think about...

Facebook...an update.

2010-05-08T21:13:00.000+01:00

Having checked my Facebook group fairly regularly over the past few days, it has had great success, and encouraged people to participate by offering their views, thoughts, and ideas in relation to what the word 'identity' means to them. What is even better, the group has spread slowly but surely, and friends of friends of friends have joined the group and contributed! So a massive thank you to all who have :-)

This is great, and I am pleased the medium of Facebook has generated discussion, as well as encouraging and facilitating participation.

I shall post some key comments/findings up over the next few days...

Current Affairs...In the news.

2010-05-08T20:50:00.001+01:00

In the news recently, there has been coverage of the ban of the burka in Belgium. The burka covers the entire face and body, leaving just a mesh screen to see through.

Image reference: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8658017.stm

This current affair is relevant to my art as it focuses on the 'reveal' of the identities of a particular group of people.

The ban of the burka has transpired as a result of concerns by the Belgain government that it obscures the identity of the wearer in public places. It is the first ban of its type in Europe.

The Belgian government has banned the veil as a result of fears over security, and to allow the police to identify people.

Nevertheless, Part II, Article 2 of The United Nations International Covenant On Cival And Political Rights (1994) states,

"Each State Party to the present Covenant undertakes to respect and to ensure to all individuals within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction the rights recognized in the present Covenant, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status."

http://www.hrweb.org/legal/cpr.html#Article1.1

This ban has made me consider a couple of questions in relation to the notion of identity:

Women wearing the burka and other traditional Islamic clothing is a symbol of religion and faith, and those who wear it do so as an expression of their identities and beliefs. So why should women be made to be not to wear it? Is this not going against the freedom of human rights and self expression?

Also, those who wear it, do so to conceal their bodies when in the company of males (a traditional Islamic value and custom) . So by banning the wearing of the burka, coould this mean that women could be trapped and in their own homes, and within society as a result of the 'revealing' of their visual identities?

The burka and other traditional clothing that conceals particular parts of a person may be considered as a part of their identity. So by removing this clothing, and taking this away, is this in fact taking away or removing parts from a persons identity, and the individual characteristics that contribute to who we are?

Personally, I'm not sure what I make of this decision. The wearing if the burka and other traditional clothing is a tradition amongst the Islamic tradition that has been existent for hundreds upon hundreds of years. So why has this become so much of an issue now? Is it a result of the cultural and social contexts that surrond us? But at the same time, I do appreciate the reasons as to why this ban may have come into place. It remains controversial and questionable.

It would be interesting to gain the perspective of people who this would directly affect. Something to definately pursue in relation to identity...

My Facebook group

2010-05-06T17:01:00.001+01:00

Thinking about my participatory art, and considering what I have asked people to do in terms of responding to the word 'IDENTITY' with my packs, I have been thinking about how I could continue to spread the net of my participants a further a field. As I was pondering this thought, I happened to be on Facebook.

So referring back to some tutorial notes, I decided to create a group called 'Jaz's Participatory Art'. Facebook is a medium which many of us use on a daily basis to communicate, network, and in some ways socialise.

"With the rise of social networking among schools, colleges, and professionals in the field, it has become necessary to recognize the importance of what messages you are putting out there for others to see. Social networking sites such as Facebook offer opportunites to post and share a host of personal and professional experiences, information, and even photos."

http://internships.about.com/b/2009/10/10/the-benefits-of-social-networking.htm

So I thought that this would be a perfect opportunity to me to try and get more people to participate in my art. I invited all of my Facebook friends and asked them to consider what the word 'Identity' meant to them, and if they could give me any examples to support and explain this:

Let's see what happens...

An amusing find...

2010-05-06T16:33:00.000+01:00

Whilst doing some research into the election parties manifesto's and deciding to work out who to vote for, I came across this piece of art which was projected onto The Houses of Parliment during the second leaders debate.

Image reference:

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/823012-gordon-brown-nick-clegg-and-david-cameron-are-sumo-street-fighters

In the light of all the debates that are currently happening in relation to who we think should be running the country, I found this piece of art really amusing. It shows mocked up images of the three leaders as classic Street Figher characters. The piece shows Nick Clegg, Gordon Brown and David Cameron resorting to physical violence when in fact they were trading verbal blows. Who it has been created by we just don't know.

In the past, artists have also responded to the actions of our country's leaders. Here is one example which shows Tony Blair our last PM being hung with the word 'Sorry':

Image reference: http://www.phiga.de/pic/sorry1.JPG

It will certainly be interesting to see what happens in the elections and who gets into power. Use your vote people! :-)

Will there be an aftermath? Will artists respond to and interpret the decision that we make as a society? Only time will tell...

Naren Wilks @ The Public

2010-05-06T00:46:00.000+01:00

On mine and Rachel's visit to The Public (see my earlier posts) we came across a video art exhibition on our way through the gallery called 'Screening 1' that I would like to share with you.

The exhibition shows a number of videos which were shortlisted through an open call for submission. There was one video in particular that I loved, and thought was genius. It was called 'Collide-o-scope' by Naren Wilks. Here are some stills of the video:

Image reference: http://narenwilks.freeiz.com/index.php?/ongoing/the-english-guy-and-the-dutch-guy/

The video was created using one take, using one shot, one person, and four super-8 cameras. The piece is a combination of silent comedy and digital manipulation. The charcter in the video dances around a white room, replicates himself and his actions. He and his clones have until the cartridges in the cameras run out before they disappear.

A great performance which is really interesting and intreging to watch. It could be said that the artist has been creative here as they have thought of and generated something that I certainly haven't seen done before which could be constituted as 'original and of value' (NACCCE, 1999 All Our Futures).

Here are some references to further reading which I have carried out into the field of creativity through the Critical Issues module which I feel are relevant to this piece of art.

Albert Einstein cited in Fisher and Williams (2004, p.6) states that,

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited while imagination embraces the whole world."

Fisher and Williams (2004, p.11) elucidate,

"The world, as it is presented to us, is not the only possible world. Through our imagination we can use it as a model for other possible worlds."

Cropley (2001, p.40) explains that,

"Creativity is a medium for beautifying the environment, a form of self expression and communication or a way of understanding, opening up or coping with the previously unknown."

References:

Cropley, A, J. (2001) Creativity in Education and Learning. A Guide for Teachers and Educators. London: Kogan Page Publishers.

Fisher, R. & Williams, M. (2004) Unlocking Creativity. London: David Fulton Publishers.

NACCCE (1999) All Our Futures. London: DfES.

An impromptu visit to Walsall

2010-05-06T00:09:00.000+01:00

Following a short lecture at uni, me and Rachel decided to make an impromptu visit to Walsall.

The Unwanted Giftshop exhibition by Mitra Memarzia.

This exhibition saw the artist's studio in the gallery turned into a gift shop where unwanted items have been donated and given a new lease of life.

This exhibition supports participatory art as visitors to the gallery can participate by donating their unwanted gifts/objects and observe how art can be used to transform these items and objects which then do become valuable to someone else or in fact themselves. The participants who donated their items and objects will then be invited back to the artists studio to either reclaim or swap their transformed items.

Mitra Memarzia explains,

"The Unwanted Gift shop playfully explores the values we place upon objects which we deem as unwanted and the transformative nature of art. An an old jumper may be transformed into something beautiful and valuable, blurring the boundaries between the exchange of gifts as ideas and using imagination and conversation as currency" (Mitra Memarzia, 2009).

http://www.thenewartgallerywalsall.org.uk/whats-on/event/mitra-memarzia-unwanted-gifts-exhibition

Unfortunately when we visited the gallery, the artists studio was closed, but here are some photos that were taken of the shop through the studio window:

Party! By a range of participating artists

This exhibition marked the gallery's 10th birthday, and the exhibition presented an eclectic range of works that are linked through broad reference to the word 'party'. Interpretations of the word 'party' included music, singing, dancing, food, drink, dress, and even the morning after the night before! Here are some highlights of this brilliant exhibition:

'Dangerous' by Yang Mian

This sculpture of Michael Jackson was absolutely brilliant! It's completely made out of bronze which has then been glazed. To look at, you wouldn't think that it is actually made out of bronze due to its shiny quality. I was really surprised when I was told that it was made out of bronze by one the gallery assistants.

Michael's iconic performance skills have been captured by the artist, which leaves a lasting legacy of him, his music, and his skills as a performer and an entertainer.

'Gold Fish' by Zhang Peng

I found this painting to be rather sinister and morbid. The artwork reminds me of a science fiction scene. The juxtaposition of the girls innocence and vulnerability is vividly contrasted with the premonition and the bludgeoning of the gold fish across the scene that Peng has created.

'The Dance' by Paula Rego

Image reference: http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?workid=17349&tabview=text

This is one my all time favourite pieces of art and I was thrilled that it was a part of this exhibition!

The piece represents shows and represents a dance. This is the dance of life from the perspective of Paula Rego herself. The different figures within the painting represent the stages from Rego's childhood to her older age. From engaging with the painting, I feel that there is a dreamy like feel to the piece which could refer to both Rego's childhood fears, fantasies, change, and existence.

'Disco Mecanique' by David Batchelor

This installation was the absolute highlight for me in the exhibition! This was the only place where photo's could be taken in the exhibition.

David Batchelor has used hundreds upon hundreds of plastic sunglasses and transformed them into disco balls which are suspended and turn in the air. The sunglasses were purchased from San Paulo in Brazil.

The kaleidoscopic balls of colour rotate slowly and silently, a galaxy of spinning globes is created, which throw pools of transparent colours across the room as they pass through the light.

A great exhibition which brought together and celebrates both contemporary and more historical art work.

The IKON

2010-05-05T21:29:00.000+01:00

Following our visit to the Waterhall, we decided that we would go to The IKON.

The first exhibition we went to was:

Joao Maria Gusmao and Pedro Paiva 'Movement of the Fried Egg and Other Astronomical Bodies'.

João Maria Gusmão + Pedro Paiva. 3 Suns, 2009,16mm film, colour, no sound, 0’50’’

Image reference:

http://www.ikon-gallery.co.uk/programme/past/event/355/on_the_movement_of_the_fried_egg_and_other_astronomical_bodies/

This exhibition showed a selection of short films that dealt with issues that surrond scientific studies.

I have to say that when were walking around this exhibition and watching the videos, I felt really confused as I didn't really know what the videos were representing and what their intentions actually were. They seemed to be really 'random' (sorry Sarah - I know it's your favourite word!).

As we were about to go upstairs and leave this exhibition, Bob walked in with group of students. After speaking to Bob, we all stood in the large darkened room for absolutely ages and took more time to watch the videos.

By watching the videos again, and talking about them as they were being played, things started to make a little more sense. The moving fried eggs that I could see before me on the screen began to represent and assert that the world consisted of two oppositional states. These were atoms and the void and that they were indivisible from one another. It was a surreal experience to be a part of!

The second exhibition we went to was:

Clare Rojas 'We They, We They'.

Clare Rojas's work uses a wide range of media including painting and print making. Rojas's work focuses on gender relations and the representations of these. In particular, it was interesting to note that often the males represented in her work were in fact portrayed with expressions of ridicule towards them from the females.

As I continued to explore Rojas's exhibition, I did come across particular pieces that were quite sinister and morbid. For example, characters with bleeding eyes. This really contrasted with the rest of the exhibition which was relatively 'normal'.

From looking at Rojas's work it was apparent that she is greatly influenced by subjects and themes from a range of fables and traditional tales. As we visited the resource room in the gallery, we came across a book that Clare Rojas had illustrated called 'Blue Deer and Red Fox'.

Image reference: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Clare-Rojas-Blue-Deer-Red/dp/9075883447/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273088976&sr=8-5

We read the book and we quite moved by it. It told the story of two friends who spent a lot of their time together and guiding one another through everyday life. Then one of the Red Fox sadly passes away, and the other is greatly lost without their friend and companion. At this point we learn that the Blue Deer is in fact blind, and needed their friend to support them in more ways than one.

We all thought that this story could be used within the classroom environment to address and help children with issues surrounding bereavement, and acceptance. A great link between art and PSHE/SEAL.

To end our day of arty farty adventures, we also came across a video that Clare Rojas had been involved in making.

'Manipulators' portrays and represents a sense of irony within the celebrity world and associated lifestlye, and the juxtaposition of this against themes, scences and images from everyday life. A really enjoyable and fun piece of video to watch.

Next stop, Bridget Riley at The Waterhall.

2010-05-05T19:47:00.002+01:00

As Bridget Riley was exhibiting her work locally, we had to go and see it!

Riley is well known for creating optical art (commonly known as 'op art'), art which provokes the viewer with a sense of movement as a result of the geometric compositions manifested within the work.

Having looked at Bridget Riley's work briefly last year as a part of my own practice, I was really excited about the prospect of actually being able to stand in front of her work and experience it first hand!

The exhibition contained one piece in particular that is iconic of Riley and her abstract work:

'Movement in Squares'

Image reference:

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_2C-OkfoH8iE/SmHtwyPo-FI/AAAAAAAABBw/Za3V_41eI4k/Bridget_Riley_Movement_in_Squares_1961_Tempera_on_Hardboard_48_1-2x47_3-4_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg

Riley is much more well known for her work in black and white, but this exhibition contained works which embraced and encompassed colour, and showed her experimentation and exploration with this.

I do have to say that the more time that was spent viewing the exhibition, the more my vision was becoming distorted, and the more I was developing a headache. I think that this was true of us all!

In her colour work, Riley has used lines of colour to create a flickering effect, whereas in others she has created artworks where the composition consists of tessalating patterns (a good cross curricular link between maths and art!).

'Ecclesia'

Image reference: http://www.lrb.co.uk/v31/n19/bridget-riley/at-the-end-of-my-pencil

'Shimmered Shape'

As we could not take pictures inside the gallery itself, I took a picture of the banner outside the gallery to represent the tessalation of shapes.

On a blurb within the exhibition, Riley states,

"In working on a painting I choose a small group of colours and juxtapose them in different sequences to provide various relationships and to precipiate colour reactions. These 'colour events' are delicate and elusive, they have to be organised to make them more present, more there, more real. I take for example three colours, say magenta, ochre and turquoise plus back and white a situation which then triggers airy indescent bursts of colour."

In addition to the work itself, another element of the exhibition which really appealed to me as the fact there were some pieces that Riley had included that were not fully completed, and which showed the process of her work and the level of mathematical precision and preparation that goes into her work.

Riley's work shows key measurements and notation. These indicate to the viewer that she goes through a method to create her work, and that this method changes depending on what her intentions are, and how she uses these measurements/calculations to inform and adapt her practice when creating her work. This illuminates and supports her experimental and developmental processes and ways of working. It demonstrates that there is much more involved than just being able to create shapes on a canvas and apply colour to these. There is a reason behind why everything Riley does is done in a particular way. It was like an insight into Riley's brain!

So to Riley, process is as important as outcome, if not more. This view supports my own practice within an art context, and also from a pedagogical perspective. In addition to establishing an outcome it is as important to reflect upon how this outcome has been achieved, and what steps have informed this outcome.Whether this be the understanding and a grasp of a mathematical concept, or how my exhibition has come together at the end of the year.

From a school perspective, as teachers we must take into consideration the need for an understanding of process in addition to outcome when assessing and monitoring children's learning and development in art. Koster (2009, p.67) agrees with this by explaining,

"Teachers must find ways of recording and presenting not just the final static product, but the whole process of creation."

As teachers we can come to an understanding of the individual stages that children's work has passed through and how the children percieve and understand their work. By encouraging children to record their jouneys in art, and regularly allowing them to talk about their work to their teachers and their peers, children's knowedge, understanding and skills in art can be accurately demonstrated, developed, and actively applied.

An active example of recording the process of art is through the use of sketchbooks (which I could talk about forever) and alternatives to physical sketchbooks such as this blog!

To conclude, the importance of visiting art galleries has become really apparent to me. Beal & Miller (2001, p.207) suggest that,

"They [galleries] can be a wonderful learning experience for children. It is important that children see real work whenever possible - work that artists have actually made as opposed to looking only at reproductions"

By being able to view Bridget Riley's work, I have been able to identify that we cannot recieve and re-create the same experience of standing in front an original piece of art, and experience and recognise what impact this has on our senses and perceptions at that particular moment in time.

References:

Beal, N. & Miller G,B. (2001) The Art of Teaching Art to Children. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Koster, J, B. (2009) Growing Artists.Teaching the Arts to Young Children. Delmar: Cengage Learning.

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

2010-05-05T18:28:00.000+01:00

Our first stop of the day was The Barber Institute of Fine Arts. We decided visit the Barber as it was a place that none of us had been to, and that the experience of engaging with the artworks contained within the Barber would hopefully enhance our knowledge and understanding of art history and art movements.

Prior to visiting the Barber, I did have some preconcieved ideas of what kind of art would contain and that it would just be full of 'pretty paintings' that would not interest me in the slightest. However, I kept an open mind to this thought and I was actually pleasently surprised.

The highlight of the visit for me was Rene Margitte's 'The Flavour of Tears' (1948):

Image reference: http://www.barber.org.uk/pommagritte.html

When I first came across this piece in the Barber, my first thought was 'what's this kind of work doing within a fine art gallery?' From looking at this piece of art, I immediately recognised that it was a surrealist painting, and that it seemed to be out of place in contrast to some of the other more 'traditional' fine art pieces.

After standing there looking at this piece for a while, and trying to establish its intention, I was kind of struggling so the three of us had a conversation about it. I knew it was a surrealist piece, but I didn't actually know what surrealism was. So by talking about it and discussing the objects represented within the painting whilst referring to the artwork's blurb we came up with:

"Surrealism is familiar objects in unfamiliar circumstances or situations and the juxtaposition of these." (Arty Fartys, 2010).

This became even more transparent when we added the artwork's blurb into the mix:

"Surrealist paintings stir the imagination by subverting our expectations and transgressing boundaries." (The Barber Institute of Fine Arts).

The painting was created in the aftermath of WWII and it reflects the state of ‘peace’ at a time of destruction and hostility. Destruction is represented in the painting in a rather ambiguous way as its done in both a literal and metaphorical sense.

In a literal sense we can consider the destruction of nature as a caterpillar is eating a leaf which forms the shape of a bird. By further exploring and looking into surrealism, birds were regarded as symbols of peace to surrealists whereas insects were actually associated with evil. Rene Magritte has portrayed the somewhat uncertain fate of the bird by representing it in a vulnerable state in the form of a tobacco plant leaf. This painting also depicts the metamorphosis of one object into another e.g. the image of the plant transforming its leaves into a bird. Magritte's painting also presents issues surronding human existence which remind us of the destruction of society within and during war.

I wouldn't say that I like this piece, but I definately appreciate it. I have been able to appreciate it because of the information that I have been able to decipher from engaging with it.

As Crawford (1991, p.27) states,

"Art does not exist in a vacuum. Its origins and its acceptance or rejection are intimately tied to other aspects of society and culture."

So going back to my first thought of this painting seeming to be 'out of place' within the gallery, was surrealism considered as an art form in its time and context e.g. 1920s - 1940s?

Art has reinvented itself all the time during history and within cultures and socities. As a result of this reinvention, these everchanging views of art have also helped us to renew our perceptions of our ever changing world. Context has also defined what art is and isn't. This has been very much dependent upon dates, times, and places within history e.g. The Salon des Refuses. Therefore, the value of art has also changed, and what impact it has on us in an interpretation of a society/world in the current context.

Barnes (2002, p.8) states,

"Art can help them [children] to percieve the world in a greatly extended way so that they can begin to assimilate a variety of perceptions in relation to one another."

Barnes offers a view on the value of art that is particularly helpful in an attempt to recognise and understand the cultural and enriching capacity of art. The view that Barnes offers is also true for me as an art student, and as a teaching practitoner.

So from visitng the Barber I have really been able to develop my own understanding of surrealism with thanks to Rene Magritte and interpreting the context in which the work had been created. Our visit has also really changed my perception on fine art, and that it can be and is much more than just 'pretty paintings'. Coming to this realisation will allow me to engage with art within a much wider context.

References:

Barnes, R. (2002) Teaching Art to Young Children 4-9. Oxon: RoutledgeFalmer.

Crawford, D. (1991) Aesthetics and Arts Education. University of Illionois Press

Adventures in Birmingham!

2010-05-05T16:52:00.001+01:00

Again, this a long overdue write up of a day that was spent in and around Birmingham on some more arty farty business.

Spontaneously me, Rach and Vanessa decided to go and visit some of the art galleries in and around Birmingham. It had been a while since our last visits to Birmingham, and Bridget Riley was in town so naturally we had to oblige and go see, explore, and investigate!

Leeds Art Gallery

2010-05-05T16:26:00.000+01:00

After our visit to the YSP, we decided to go into Leeds as it was only half an hour away. We never waste an opportunity :-) ! We were keen to visit the Leeds Art Gallery in the City Centre.

When we arrived, we actually found that the art gallery itself was adjoined to the Henry Moore Institute, a centre which is dedicated to the study of sculpture. However, this was closed on the day of our visit as they were changing an exhibition. So we went into the Leeds Gallery instead.

Within the gallery itself, there was only really one piece of work that really grabbed my attention and got me directly engaged with it. This piece of work was 'The Model for the Leeds Brick Man' by Anthony Gormley. I took a sneaky picture on my phone:

I was immediately drawn to Gormley's work because of its unusualness. This art obect is a life size sculpture of a man. I really like the tactile quality of the work, and the fact that it is made out of hundreds upon hundreds of tiny bricks. I wasn't sure at the time if we couldn't touch it or not, and there were no signs around it, so I did!

Orginally the sculpture was part of a proposal for a 180 feet high sculpture which was going to be erected on waste ground near Leeds Railway Station. Unfortunately the proposal and the project was not successful because planning permission wasn't granted.

Despite this sculpture project being unable to proceed, Anthony Gormley did go onto experience success with his larger than life sculpture 'The Angel of The North' in 1998.

After our visit to the YSP and Leeds Art Gallery we were all completely pooped, so we drove all the way back home after a brilliant day which was filled with lots of fun and laughter! :-)

Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield

2010-05-05T15:51:00.000+01:00

Me, Amy, Rach & Becky decided that we wanted to venture a further a field for our next arty farty adventure. We were researching places that we would like to go and decided to go to Wakefield (up north) and The Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

I drove us, and we had a brilliant, but very tiring day. Here are a collection of images from the day:

I really enjoyed our visit to the sculpture park. It was way bigger than I thought it would be, and I came to this realisation as we arrived. During our visit we only covered 2 or3 acres out of a sculpture park that is actually spread over 500 acres!

I especially enjoyed the work of Henry Moore. Having seen an exhibition at The Art Gallery of Ontario of his in Canada in Summer 2006, it was good to experience and engage with his work in the outdoors, as well as in a local context as he is originally from West Yorkshire.

Moore's work ranges from the figurative to the abstract. His sculptures vary in terms of the materials that he uses from bronze to marble. In a way this could be reagrded as a modernist movement. This cultural movement saw Moore and many others challenge their outputs in relation to the emerging economic, social, political and industrialised world.

In terms of sculpture and The National Curriculum, The Yorkshire Sculpture Park is a location that could be used to approach, investigate and embrace the NC recommendations. The YSP allows teachers and children to:

Observe - encouraging children to examone artworks and verbalise their reactions to these and find vocabulary to describe what they see in terms of size, shape, texture and colour.

Interpretation - discuss possible ideas, meanings and references contained in the work. Asking the children to say what it conveys to them or of what it reminds them, and what ideas or feelings it evokes. Does the title of the work help us to better understand it?

Techniques - exploring and considering what materials and working methods artists have used. What equipment would have been needed? Are there any signs of the tools and techniques used? How would the artist planned the work before the actual construction began?

Environment - considering and looking at the setting for the work and considering why it was placed there. What does it contribute to the environment? How might people who live or work nearby regard it?

A great visit which broadned my understanding of sculpture!

Gallery visits...long overdue

2010-05-05T15:04:00.000+01:00

I've got slightly behind with recording my gallery visits. So I thought it was time for me to update my blog with these and share them with you.

The Staffroom at Newman

2010-05-04T19:34:00.001+01:00

From reviewing all of the wonderful responses that I have recieved to my art so far, I decided that I needed to spread my art to a wider audience and community.

I had a load of my packs ready to go and decided that I would like to put them at a place where they could be accessed relatively easily, and that people could decided if they wanted to participate freely and openly.

So with this is mind, I enquired to see if it would be possible to leave some of my packs in the staffroom at uni. After speaking to Sarah, she said that it shouldn't be a problem so I got onto it. I created an email that was sent to all members of staff informing them of my project. Here's what it said:

"Dear all,

My name is Jaz Hayer and I am currently in my fourth and final year of Teacher Training with Art as my specialist subject.

My art project this year is focussed around the concept of participatory art, and getting a wide range of people actively involved within this process.

You may or may not have seen some a disposable camera around campus tied to a bench inviting you to take pictures, and me and my friend around campus with her large ball made out of bubblewrap. It is all in the name of art.

The reason I am emailing, is to ask you if you would like to participate within my art. I have consulted with my art lecturer Sarah to see if it would be possible to leave a pack of materials within the staff room located in the Chapel block.

The task that I would like to invite you to participate with is creating a response to the word 'Identity' using any of the materials that I have provided within the packs, in addition to any of your choosing. There are a selection of packs to choose from which contain a variety of materials.

I would really value your input and participation within this art project. If I could please ask you to leave your responses either in the staff room, or drop them into a member of staff within the art department, I would be most appreciative.

I would also like to invite you to come and see the end of year art shows which celebrate the hard work of my fellow peers will take place in both the Chapel and in the art studio towards the end of the semester.

Thank you. I really do appreciate your participation and input with my project.

I look forward to seeing your wonderful responses.

Yours faithfully,

Jaz Hayer."

After sending this email out, I went over with Sarah to leave my packs in the staffroom. I decided to leave them by the staff pidgeon holes so that they would be in quite a prominent place where they would be noticed. Hopefully they will be recieved well and encourage participation. Sarah has very kindly agreed to go and check my packs to see if many have been taken/returned on a daily basis.

I am also in the process of working out how I could open this up to students at uni as well. Maybe by leaving them scattered around campus or maybe even in a 'studenty' area like The Hub/Students Union?

My packs in a box with a copy of my email in the staffroom

Lets see what happens...exciting times!

Participating in Rachel's art

2010-05-03T23:18:00.000+01:00

As I continue my journey into the world of participatory art, I have been thinking about my own participation in Rachel's art and with Poppy, her giant snowball which is made out of bubblewrap and sellotape.

All of the above images have been authorised to use by Rachel.

Original source: http://rachelinartyfartyland.blogspot.com/

After our mind boggling web design lecture, me and Rachel decided to go and have some fun and take Poppy out on an adventure and create some art.

During this process, I actively participated in Rachel's art by contributing to the experimental process, allowing my friend to explore with and try out various compositions and different ideas.

In particular, I really enjoyed just observing the way in which people at uni especially interacted with Rachel's ball in curious and incquisitive ways. No one was reluctant to participate, and those who did seemed to show a genuine interest in it, and how 'unusual' and in someways how 'deliberate' it was.

It was great just to take an active role in being a part of this experience, and helping Rachel with her art. Thank you Rachel for letting me participate. :-)

Responses to the word 'IDENTITY'

2010-05-02T20:33:00.000+01:00

Having given a fair few packs of materials out to my friends, family, and people I know, I have began to recieve their responses to the task of creating a response to the word 'IDENTITY'. They could use any of the materials contained within the packs that I provided, in addition to any of their own choosing.

All of the responses that I have recieved so far are brilliant, and very different from one another!

They really reflect the diversity that is apparent within us as individual human beings, our thought processes, and the diverse ways in which we percieve, engage, and interact with the world around us.

So a massive thank you to all those who have participated so far. Keep them coming in! :-)

Here are a few that I would like to share with you:

'Me' created by using the provided record card in addition to a single hair and sellotape

Stating personal details and philosophies on life

Using the record card to print on a fingerprint - something that is individual and cannot be replicated

A pictorial representation of themselves in addition to their address which is written on the luggage tag on the reverse side

A fractured image representing one particular section of an identity. By putting all of these pieces together, a full picture of the person can be obtained, and therefore their identity can be accessed.

A liberating perception on the word 'identity'.

A holistic perception on identity. Nevertheless, the participant has identified a toe-tag representing our identities when we leave the living world. Upon speaking to the participant she also said that the 'dash' on a grave stone in between the date of birth and the date of death represents our whole life and everything this contained.

Identity is not only who a person is, but also why they are and what contributions they make to the identities of others as a result of the actions that a person takes.

Identity being defined and represented by an individuals current context

No one of these responses is the same, even though the content of some of the responses represent similar ideas and thoughts. This is what I truly find to be inspirational. The fact that we are all different, and interpret and respond to everyday life with a variety of attitudes/perceptions/views.

Barnes (2002, p.8) identifies that,

"Art can help them [children] to perceive the world in a greatly extended way so that they can begin to assimilate a variety of perceptions in relation to one another.”

I believe that this is the case for everybody. By gaining an insight into the perceptions of others through the notion of participatory art, we can begin to construct, interpret, access, and share the way in which we understand, identify, and present ourselves within our social and cultural contexts.

The next step I think is for me to get more of my packs out there into the public domain. I could never anticipate what participants may create in response to the word 'Identity', as the experience of participatory art is completely individual and underpins so much of human interaction.

For example, many forms of art require some sort of participation. E.g. experiencing art is a kind of participation as we may observe, listen, watch, or respond in some way other way to what we see or experience. It could be said that art objects have been very rarely created not to be experienced by someone.

By placing more of my packs into the public domain will hopefully allow me to gain a much wider perspective on the theme that I would like participants to respond to, in addition to actually encouraging more people to participate and make a contribution to this concept.

Roux (2007, p.2) explains,

"In participative art, participation is the project and the artist creates the framework allowing for participation with no pre-concieved ideas of the outcome."

References:

Barnes, R. (2002) Teaching Art to Young Children 4-9. Oxon: RoutledgeFalmer.

Roux, X. (2007) Participation in Contemporary Art. New York: Redseeds.

The Morrinho Project at the Venice Biennale

2010-04-19T09:21:00.002+01:00

Images taken from:

http://we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/2007/08/the-morrinho-pr.php

I also came across this finding during my tutorial with Hannah, it's absolutely brilliant!

In 1998, children from shantytowns on the hills of Rio de Janerio built up and created a minature reproduction of their favela (shantytown). The model has been created by using bricks and other materials which have been left over from building their own homes. The model covers quite a large area, approximately 300 square metres. The children have re-created scenes of everyday life within their favela, such as dance events to confrontations between rival gangs. This has been achieved by inhabiting the model with various toys such as plastic cars, various minature figurines etc.

The model of the favela was originally mistaken for a war plan because it is so accurate. Nonetheless, since 2001, the brick favela has travelled all over the world and gained recognition as a result of a documentaty that was created about it by filmaker Fabio Gaviao. One of the lastest places that a part of the brick favela has resided in is at the prestigious Venice Biennale, which is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice.

This goes to show that the children who created the model of their favela within a context where they were perhaps 'playing', has been interpreted, recognised, and appreciated as art. The product created by the children has also made an impact and contributed to the social and economical development of the region and indeed the surronding area in which the model was orginally created. For example, bringing money into the area through guided tours of the model, and other television/community projects.

I really like this piece of work. In particular, I especially admire the fact that the children were creating and participating in art without even realising it, and creating something that was meaningful and relevant to their lives, environment, and context.

A whole school mural project - Participatory art

2010-04-18T16:07:00.001+01:00

For my 3rd teaching practice, I was fortunate enough to be able to complete this within an international context at a school in Punjab, India.

The headteacher of the school was keen to draw upon my experiences from my pedagogy, particularly with regards to art education and using this as a catalyst to create a much needed change within the school's current dictatory curriculum and approaches to rote teaching and learning.

In response to this proposal, I planned, managed, and evaluated a mural project which involved the whole school community, allowing all to participate. In this sense, art was used as a facilitator to engage a community to enable and advocate change.

The process of the creating the mural allowed teachers to come to understand that children were able to learn much more meaningfully when this was placed into a context that was relevant to the diversity of the children's learning needs.

As a community, the school recognised the impact that the mural project had had upon raising levels of excellence and enjoyment within and across the school's curriculum. When conducting the mural project, opportunities to link together subjects and areas of learning were fully embraced. For example, children learned about life cycles of caterpillars and how they eventually develop into butterfiles (linking science to the mural project). Through the project, the children were also provided with opportunities to build upon skills as they help learners to improve their learning and performance in education, work and life. Speaking and listening skills were developed, as well as skills that allowed the children to work with others and problem solve. Children and teachers were also able to further develop their skills within curriculum areas. For example, the mural required us to mix paint in order to get a desired colour. In this situation, the children and the teachers were supported and encouraged to explore, experiment, and make discoveries in relation to colour mixing, and then use the knowledge and understanding gained from this and actively apply this to their mural project.

The mural project also allowed the school's teaching staff to evaluate the way in which they teach the curriculum. Towards the end of my placement, the teachers began to plan for teaching and learning that would engage the children in a variety of ways, making the curriculum for meaningful, and therefore providing children with more ownership of their learning and development. Here are some photos of the work which was started by teachers and children across the school in relation to achieving this vision:

Road Safety. Raising awareness of safety as the school is situated on a busy main road. (Created by two teachers and three 8 year old pupils from the school).

Transforming the schools stage and performance areas. Linking learning to and celebrating India's musical and cultural heritage. (Created by three 11 year old pupils from the school).

To see a process of change beginning was extremely inspiring and rewarding. From my perspective as a student teacher, recognsing the impact of my support and guidance, to the commitment and hard work of school community & their actions which resulted in an outcome and indeed an ongoing process which has facilitated a change in school development. Such an amazing experience to be a part of!

Philosophies behind participatory art...

2010-04-18T14:13:00.001+01:00

Following my art tutorial with Hannah last week, I have done some more research and exploration into participatory art. I have researched the philosophy behind the art, and I have come to learn that participatory art can be categorised into three categories.

1) Artist led

Involving participants in the art making process, where the artist creates a response to the work that has been created by the participants. For example, refer to my earlier post - 'The Art of Participation 1950-Now'. Within this type of participatory art there are certain ethical issues to take into consideration. For example, who does the work belong to? The participants, the artist or both? Also, does the artists intention potentially dictate and control the response of the participants, or does it provide scope for flexibility and the freedom of expression and opportunity?

This is a photograph of the pack of materials that I am currently distributing. My aim is to encourage participation in response to the word 'identity'. The pack does contain some guidance on the proposed task. However, participants do have the opportunity to interpret the task (in terms of materials) and indeed the word 'identity' in which ever way they wish to.

2) Engaging communities to facilitate art (art as an enabler to advocate change)

Using art as a vehicle to: change perceptions and 'open eyes' to explore and address a particular concept, theme/issue, allowing communities to take ownership of the art they produce, and recognise and appreciate the art which is made is as credible as those pieces which have been created and exhibited by contemporary artists. For example projects involving organisations such as Friction Arts. On their website they state:

"Friction Arts have been making ‘art where you live’ for over 16 years. Friction listen to people, work with them and then translate their thoughts and ideas into high quality contemporary artworks which communicate to the wider world whilst remaining true to the voices of the people they originate with. These artworks may be performances, installations, interventions, publications or whatever is appropriate to the context of the project Friction firmly believe in the transformative nature of the arts, with communities and individuals, and are committed to expanding the reach of the arts into places they have not been before.

Friction have a unique ability to engage with people, particularly those who may not have engaged with the arts before and are able to immerse themselves in a situation, in order to take those they work with on a challenging journey. We are driven by our ethics and our belief in social justice, real equality and that by working together we can all have a better quality of life, whatever our material circumstances."

The following images have also been taken from the Friction Arts website. They relate to the '1 mile squared project'. Citizens of Johannesburg in South Africa were involved in creating, developing, and exhibiting an art project which ‘mapped’ and celebrated the city's cultural, aesthetic, and bio-diversity.

3) Art that is interactive

For example, The Public. Visitors are able to actually activate the art itself within a range of different contexts. Art can be created as a result of the advancements in technology. Everywhere you go within the gallery, there is something for visitors to participate and interact with.

The next two photographs were taken from mine and Rachel's favoutie exhibit within the gallery. As a result of the developed technology, we were able to create a life size performance/animation. One person selects a prop from the table, and the other person waits in front of the screen waiting for the chosen prop to appear and strikes a pose with it. We had so much fun! It's such a great and innovative way of getting visitors to participate within the art in which they can see the outcomes that they have produced instantly.

The gallery truly is a place where visitors of all ages can interact with and engage with art by exploring, creating, investigating, and experimenting. These processes play a significant part when teaching art, and when providing children with opportunities to develop and grow as confident artists. The environment of The Public is definately one which can nurture creativity and imagination - core skills for any person to have across all fields and professions. Fisher (2004, p.8) explains, "To create is to generate something. Generating outputs such as ideas, experiments and innovations is a necessary part of creative effort."

References:

Fisher, R. (2004) Unlocking Creativity: Teaching across the Curriculum. London: David Fulton Publishers Ltd.

http://www.frictionarts.com/

Art Tutorial with Hannah

2010-04-15T17:33:00.001+01:00

I had an art tutorial with Hannah today which was extremely valuable and really insightful into the world of participatory art.Thank you Hannah! :-)

We discussed my progress so far, and Hannah has suggested some artists and pieces of research to follow up/explore which I aim to do over the next few days!

I heart art!

2010-04-15T15:13:00.002+01:00

Here is a photo that I would like to share with you that was taken by Rachel whilst we were at The Public on Monday.

It makes me chuckle and reminds me of the funtimes and shennanigans that took place! All in the name of art obviously, and I really do as the picture suggests!

The distribution of my first pack...

2010-04-15T15:05:00.001+01:00

Whilst at college today, I gave out my first pack (the one mentioned in my previous posting). I asked the participant if they wanted to participate first of all, from which the answer was yes! :-)

I wonder if I would get a different response if the packs I have put together were left in a particular location/place and then people could choose if they wanted to participate or not (like with my disposable cameras), rather than being forced to feel as if they should participate as a result of direct communication?

I provided the participant with the pack of the materials whilst explaining that there was no obligation whatsoever to use any of the materials that I had provided. They could use as many of they wished to, in addition to any others of their choosing. I asked the participant to respond to the word 'art' and encouraged them to interpret this in which ever way they wished.

I wonder if the participants interpretation of the word 'art' will have an impact on what they have been asked to do and what they create? For example, if I hadn't directly mentioned anything about interpretation, would this have had an impact on what the participant actually creates rather than what they would have created if they knew this piece of information? These are some thoughts to ponder so I will wait and see what results I get.... :)

Experiences of participatory art within the public domain...

2010-04-15T14:46:00.001+01:00

Whilst talking about my art project with a college tutor, we came across the subject of 'The Seal Soap Installation' (artist unknown) that she had seen and participated with at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Following my conversation with my tutor, I have attempted to find some reference material to this installation on the internet and on the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's website archive, but this only goes back to 2000. Nevertheless, here is a recount of her experience:

"Basically there was a very large white room that had mirrors on two sides with small white soap seals spread out all over the floor. My interpretation was to interact with the art/installation by paying $1 to move a seal. The implication of this was to take the soap seal home, which is what most people seemed to do. The money collected for the purchase/interaction with the soap seals was going to be donated towards AIDS research. It is probably significant to note that this installation, I think, was up in the late 80s/early 90s. In this installation and the context of participatory art, I thought that the message was to consider moving the seal in relation to your comfort zone with AIDS. Whether this is how closely you have been affected by AIDS, how close you would be comfortable being next to someone with AIDS, how you understand AIDS, and then move the seal to reflect this. I think the point of the seals being white was to consider themes of cleanliness and they were symbolic of harp seals who were endangered and inaccessible. AIDS of course results in decreased white blood cell counts. Nothing was written within the installation, so of course any movement of the seals was interpretative, and as I said, my experience was that most people took seals home once they paid money. Very few people actually walked amongst or near the seals unless they were 'purchasing one' when I was there."

(Lorraine, Loveland-Armour: 14th April 2010).

I have found it particularly interesting to note here that the visitors who physically participated with the installation were required to pay in order to have the opportunity to do so. Nonetheless, the money collected for participation with the soap seals and indeed the art was going towards a good and beneficial cause. From speaking to my tutor, she was also able to tell me that a fair amount of people were participating with the installation. Again, could this have been as a result of the artists intention and its relevance within a cultural context at that specific point in time? E.g. raising a greater awareness of AIDS during the late 80s/early 90s when this was a time that AIDS was beginning to become much more recognised as a prominent issue amongst our populations and global society?

From all of the participatory art that I have found and researched thus far, it appears that the great majority if not all of it has been based within an installational context. So I can identify this as a common characteristic of this art type. If my end outcome for this years art project will result in an installation, this will be a really exciting concept for me to pursue.

When I started this year, I would have never even considered that I would pursue an avenue within my art that challenges and completely changes my views on aesthetics and perceptions of final outcomes and how they should hold themselves within an exhibition. But this goes to show that exploring aesthetics as a concept through the critical issues module, and finding one inspiring artwork/concept has the scope and potential to change and influence the way that I think about and create art.

Who knows, my end of year outcome may well be an installation! But one thing I do know is that my processes, and spending the time developing and refining these processes will shape, mould, and define the way in which I choose to exhibit my work.

The next step in my journey...

2010-04-14T19:34:00.001+01:00

Following my last experiments with the disposable cameras, I have thought about how I could get people to engage in participatory art in another way, and encourage them to respond to a task/question/theme.

So with this in mind, I have put together some packs which consist of some stationary items which we often use on a daily basis. The packs consist of: various sized post it notes, an elastic band, a piece of string, a couple of paper clips, a treasury tag, a wax crayon, and an index card.

My intention is to allow those who participate within this experiment to use any of these materials, in addition to any others of their choosing to respond to a question/word/theme/issue.

But the problem is, I don't know what the question/word/theme/issue could be. There are so many things it could be. For example, art. Many people hold an opinion/perception in relation to art. I could ask the participants to respond to the word 'art', but then I am concerned that this would perhaps disengage participants who percieve themselves as 'not good at art'. Also, I have been thinking about the connotations that suggesting a theme/issue/question/word may have upon the process. Could this potentially restrict participants in the sense of the freedom of expression, or would it provide a suggested framework which could be interpreted by the individual? But at the same time if I don't give the experiment a context, I think that it will prove to be more difficult to evoke a response/reaction from potential participants. E.g. 'what should I do with the pack? I haven't got any ideas!' etc. So by actually thinking about this, I think it's conclusive that the experiment should have a theme/context attached to it.

On the flip side, this process is about trying and experimenting with different ideas and seeing what happens as a result. The result from such an experiment can then contribute to informing the next steps of my journey and development.

As McNiff (1998, p.41) discusses,

"The discipline of art requires constant experimentation, wherin errors are harbingers of original ideas because they introduce new directions for expression. The mistake is outside the intended course of action, and it may present something we never saw before, something unexpected or contradictory, an accident that can be put to use."

On a school level, I actively seek to implement this principle into my pedagogy in encourgaing children to become increasingly aware of the nature and process of art in relation to their individual needs, progress and development over sustained periods of time.

As I am writing this blog entry, I have updated my status on Facebook as: "Jaz Hayer would like to know who would like to get involved in his art project? It's nothing 'dodgy', I promise! I would really appreciate it! Thank you! :)"

Some of the responses that I have had from this status include: "I can't draw or paint!", "Matchstick men are about my limit" and "Jaz, I can't draw either". These comments go back to what I was saying before about the varying perceptions of our own expectations, abilities and capabilities towards art. Are these informed by our own experiences and perceptions of what art is and what it means to us? I believe that we can all draw and paint, and create visual representations to act as a tool our self expression. But is art just about drawing and painting? NO NO NO!!! But this is how it is commonly percieved.

It's also interesting to note that potential participants of my experiment have also automatically presumed that it will require them to draw/paint. Has a historical and cultural context imposed this view of art upon society throughout time and across generations?

So maybe through my experiment and the pack that I am intending to provide, I could encourage and explore participants to consider their perceptions towards art as a theme/issue in itself?

I have also learnt that Hannah has a participatory art background. So I will arrange an appointment for a tutorial, and hopefully gain more of an insight into some of the artists involved in this style of art, possible references to wider research/reading based on participatory art, and share & discuss my ideas and progress to date! :-)

References:

McNiff, S. (1998) Trust The Process - An Artist's Guide to Letting Go. Massachusetts: Shambala Publications Inc.

Anthony Gormley: 'One and Other'

2010-04-14T17:30:00.002+01:00

When the three arty farty's were in London back in September, we went to The National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery situated by Trafalgar Square. On our way to the square, we came across Anthony Gormley's active installation 'One and Other'.

Gormley's installation ran for a total of 100 days, 24 hours a day, with the plinth being occupied by a different person at each hour of the day. Participants were chosen at random from the near 35,000 people that had applied to be involved.

Reflecting back on viewing and experiencing this installation, we can consider this is as participatory art, as the general public were provided with opportunities to do as they wished on a plinth that would usually be reserved for statues of royalty and generals of our nation. Gormley provided opportunities for us, the general public to have access to a location that would not normally be within the realm of possibility for us. "Gormley asked the people of the UK to occupy the plinth in an image of themselves, and a representation of the whole of humanity."
http://www.london.gov.uk/fourthplinth/plinth/past.jsp

The participants had changed twice by the time that we had been to The National Gallery & National Portrait Gallery!

As the website for the One and Other project states, "People from every walk of life, and every corner of the UK have become part of history and together created a collective portrait of humanity that is richer than anyone could have imagined."

http://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20100223121754/http://www.oneandother.co.uk/about

As Alex Needham commented for The Guardian, "'What artwork has ever given 2,400 ordinary people the chance to become art itself?"

Prior to Anthony Gormley's installation, the plinth has also been used by artists including Thomas Schütte and Marc Quinn to publically exhibit their work. Having done some more research into the plinth, The fourth plinth programme is part of the vision for Trafalgar Square to be a vibrant public space and to encourage debate about the place and value of public art. This concept is really exciting, and it will be interesting to see what future developments will take place on the plinth and how the public respond to this. Will the developments/initiatives have as much success as Gormley's installation? Will the general public be provided with ownership of the space within another context/dimension? Or will the space be used to exhibit artworks that challenge and push the boundaries with art?

Anthony Gormley explained in October 2009,

"Who can be represented in art? How can we make it? How can we experience it? These are questions that have exercised me for years. Whether you see the plinth as a protest or pole-dance platform; studio or stocks; playpen or pulpit; as a frame for interrogation or for meditation, it has provided an open space of possibility for many to test their sense of self and how they might communicate this to a wider world."

http://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20100223121732/http://www.oneandother.co.uk

So thinking about the concept of the fourth plinth and Anthony Gormley's intention critically, he has actually juxtapositioned the purpose and intention of the plinth, and made it somewhat ambigous within a cultural context. The plinth pushes boundaries as a result of the placement of single human beings on there, when this is compared and contrasted to the huge statues that dominate and reside on the other plinths. As Alex Needham in his newspaper article on the project explains, "There was also something very poignant about the sight of a single human on a space designed for a massive statue. Gormley championed the little guy against the intimidating grandeur of the square's institutions – not least the National Gallery, whose director condemned the project."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/oct/09/fourth-plinth-one-and-other-gormley

Daniel Buren

2010-04-14T15:47:00.001+01:00

I have Amy to thank for this link to another artist that engages the viewer in active participation. Thanks Amy! :)

Daniel Buren has created an installation piece called 'Intervention II'. The exhibition comprises of a painted wall, with sliders that contain different coloured squares of perspex, as well as pieces of perspex which have been hung from the ceiling. The viewer of the wall installation can take an active participatory role within the experience of the art by moving the sliding components of the wall installation as they wish to, and create different colour combinations. So ultimately, the viewer can construct their own perceptions/views in response to Buren's art and the conditions and resources that he has provided in which to do so.

As Amy states on her blog, the sliders "allow the viewer to change their original perceptions and ideas about the art work." The intention of Buren's work relates to the positioning of the perspex structures within the gallery space in relation to windows, and the coloured perspex's interaction and reaction with light.

So from a participatory art perspective, would the viewer of Buren's work be able to engage with the art objects intention and purpose meaningfully without being able to manipulate how they percieve it to be and represent this within their response? Without the sliding/participation element to his work, wouldn't Buren be restricting the viewers of the work in responding to what he is expressing and exploring within his work?

I think that allowing the viewer to manipulate/co-construct how they percieve the artwork is important in being able to access and interpret its intention, and purpose. After all, we all percieve art in different ways, and as well as being objective, it can be subjective in relation to our individual knowledge, understanding, and experiences.

Image reference: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8bqZcAxaMpk/S8RUSSxZJyI/AAAAAAAAAcM/mH1a1FD384w/s1600/IMG_0056-733722.JPG

Image reference: http://www.modernartoxford.org.uk/whats-on/daniel-buren-intervention-ii/about/

The Art of Participation 1950 - Now

2010-04-13T19:03:00.001+01:00

Whilst doing some internet research, I have come across an example of participatory art that I would like to share with you.

The piece is a part of an exhibition called 'The Art of Participation 1950 - Now' and is located at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The exhibition presents an overview of participatory art practice during the past six decades, exploring strategies and situations in which the public has taken a collaborative role in the art making process.

In particular, I came across this piece which I think is absolutely brilliant:

Image reference: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lizzie009/3261494450/

The piece is called 'Communimage - a moment in time VI' The piece has been developed by a range of multimedia artists and designers from across Europe, and in particular, Austria.

Due to advances in technology, in particular the internet, new opportunities for communication and networking have been created. So with this in mind, the artists/designers wanted the internet to act as a tool in taking and applying a new meaning in 'shared authorship and collective production (communimage).

The artists/designers invited and encouraged the internet community to upload pictures onto a website. Contributions by those who participated range in varied subject matter. They include photorealistic images, animated images, to the intimate and the exhibitionist images!

When these images were put together, they created a large scale collective map, which represented the global internet community in relation to those who participated within the project. Almost 26.000 images were uploaded and used within the piece.

The Austrian Cultural Forum on their website state that, "Viewed as a whole (one encounters it in the gallery as a large-scale print), communimage forms an abstract, polymorphous shape." So does this piece of participatory art reflect on the status of the image in the public realm and domain?

This has given me something else to think about within my practice & which follows on from yesterday's visit to The Public...intention and purpose of my art in relation to public realms/domains.

The Public - West Bromwich

2010-04-12T18:45:00.001+01:00

Today me and Rachel ventured to The Public in West Bromwich. Despite some of the negative views that I had heard about it, I found the museum/gallery to be really inspiring and engaging.

During our visit, I came across 'The Public Self Portrait Project'. Having explored the exhibition, I established that it relates to the theme of participatory art. The project began in June 2009 and to date has had over 5000 people participate.

The project allows members of the general public to participate within the creation of their self portraits via a cable release from the digital photography equipment. This mechanism allows individuals to take control of how and when they want their photographs to be taken, therefore encourgaing the co-creation of the work.

Here are some of the pictures from the exhibition:

I really like these photographs. They capture a moment in time as well as recognising, celebrating, and promoting our diversity.

A great project, with an intention that allows the photographs to form an archive, which become more valuable over time as a record of who we are. I think that the intention of the project has contributed to its ongoing success, which has therefore encouraged the general public to actively participate.

From this exhibition, I have come to recognise that the intention and purpose of participatory art needs to be clear. So this is something that I need to think about, consider, and develop in relation to my own practice and its success.

Photo's from camera three

2010-03-12T08:56:00.002Z

Yesterday at lunchtime I went back to check my camera to see if it was still there, and how many photograph's had been taken. I was really pleased because it was still there and all of the exposures had been used!

I've had the photo's developed and they have turned out really well!

I'm really pleased with the quality of the photo's. Considering they were taken using a disposable camera from the pound shop, they're not half bad at all! I like the way that the photo's are not pristine and untouched/manipulated in terms of finish. I think that this really adds to the concept and process of what I am doing and placing an onus on the public to co-create the work within a given context. Why should the images be manipulated to make them look of a better quality? Would this have ethical connotations? E.g. they are not my photographs so would it be acceptable for me to manipulate them and then claim them as my own?

Thank you to all those who participated! You have created brilliant responses to my experiment! :-)

Would I get different responses documented on film if cameras were placed in different locations?

I think that the next step is for me to now to try and work out how I can develop the concept of participatory art further, and get the public thinking and exploring a question, or responding to a task

Camera number three

2010-03-11T08:57:00.001Z

So this morning, I put another camera out on a bench in the quad area at uni.

I have been observing people's participation in both using and engaging with the camera from a distance. It has been really interesting so see that some people are really inquisitive and participate with my experiment by using the camera, others have a good look and then carry on with their business, some people didn't even notice the camera, whereas I have also observed some people will go up to the camera, and then choose not to participate. This is all really interesting stuff.

I have seen people use the camera on at least 4 occasions, so hopefully when I go back to collect it, there will be some great images captured on the camera! So thank you to all those who have participated so far! Thank you muchly! :-)

Photo's as promised

2010-03-11T08:37:00.001Z

Here are the photo's from my first disposable camera as promised.

They have turned out really well so thank you to all those who participated! I really appreciate it! :-)

Photo's

2010-03-10T22:58:00.001Z

I haven't had chance to scan in the first set of photo's that were taken on my first disposable camera in the Hawkesbury Conservation Area as of yet. But I promise I will scan them in tomorrow and put them up! :-)

Camera number two

2010-03-10T22:48:00.002Z

Yesterday, I was up at 6:40am and I went out to put my second camera out.

I attached the camera to a bench in the Hawkesbury Canal Junction area, which is a much more prominent and busier area than my first location. I was hoping that as a result of the location, more people would see and use the camera to respond to my experiement.

I went back later in the afternoon to find that the camera had been taken. I was mega disheartned and annoyed that somebody would do this in the first place. I always knew this would be a risk that I would have to take with this concept, but didn't think that anyone would actually do such a thing.

It was very frustrating to come to terms with the fact that any potential responses to my experiment that had been documented on the camera so far had been compromised. So I left with the hope that somebody may have taken the camera to another location as a part of the experiment, and that they would then bring it back. But they didn't.

So this got me thinking...

The concept that I am exploring and experimenting with is participatory art i.e. providing opportunities for the general public to be involved in co-creating art. So rather ironically and ambigously, did the person/people who removed the camera from its location/context aim to be critical by excluding others from art and documenting their artistic endeavours as a response to art and my intnetion? By removing the camera, did they in fact participate in the experiment by actually not participating at all? Does this mean just because a response wasn't documented on film, that the person/people who took that camera is/are not participating?

Now that I have reflected on the situation, I'm not as frustrated as I was because I have thought about why the camera may have been taken in the first place. As Donald Crawford (1991, p.24) states, "The appreciation of an art object usually goes beyond simply enjoying looking at it and involves coming to understand its meaning as well...Consequently what one sees would also involve an interpreation of what is seen - an explanation of the work's meaning. It may be based on what is readily seen in the work but often goes beyond that by making use of information about the artist's intention, and the social or cultural context of the work." At the end of the day, if a person has chosen to participate by removing/taking the camera, who am I to question/justify their actions? Surely art should be subjective, objective, and personally interpreted by the individual?

I am now considering leaving another camera on campus at uni with exactly the same intention as before (well for now anyway). But I am considering how to develop this concept of participatory art further by encouraging those who choose to participate in my art to consider a question or complete a task and then document this via the camera. But for now, I just want to get a wider response from people by encouraging them to use the camera to take photo's of anything they wish. Maybe I could see if any common themes/issues are identified from these photographs? I just hope this endeavour will get a more positive result, which will hopefully allow me to progress and extend my ideas in the contexts of both participatory and conceptual art.

References:
Crawford, D. (1991) Aesthetics and Arts Education. University of Illionois Press

Pictures!

2010-03-08T19:42:00.001Z

I have had my first disposable camera developed and 5 out of the 7 photos that were taken have turned out really well! So I owe a massive thank you to all those who got involved with this experiment! I will scan in and post the images tomorrow so you can see how they have turned out.

I am also considering leaving another camera along the canal tomorrow morning before I leave for uni, as it's quite a busy area during the course of the day and hopefully this will encourgae more members of the general public to get involved!

Hawkesbury Conservation Area

2010-03-07T21:00:00.001Z

So I went back earlier this evening to see if my camera was still there, and it was! :-)

By looking at how many exposures have been used, it looks as if 7 photos have been taken using it! I could keep this camera undeveloped and put it back out, but this runs the risk of the camera being pinched from another location and the images that are already on there being compromised.

I was quite surprised that only 7 photos had been taken when this was deemed as a 'good' location. I now need to reconsider and evaluate the location in which the camera is placed. Maybe I should think of a more prominent position where I could get more people to use my camera. Maybe alongside the nearby canal junction?

Hopefully the photos on the camera will turn out good as it was a nice sunny day, but you never know! It's all a part of the fun and games! Let's see what happens...

First camera

2010-03-07T09:59:00.001Z

I put my first disposable camera out today for people to use. I attached to it a fence that runs alongside a pathway in the local conservation area, so it's in quite a good visual area. Hopefully when I go back later it will still be there, and people will have taken photo's. I felt a both nervous and excited putting the camera out, as I didn't want to get spotted! Fingers crossed...

Disposable camera's

2010-03-04T20:00:00.001Z

Whilst on an adventure to The Walsall Art Gallery to see the 'Party' exhibition (which was brilliant!), I ventured into a pound shop and managed to pick up some disposable camera's at a good price. Guess how much they were? :-)

I have decided I am going to use these in some way to begin the process of experimenting with and recording participatory art, but I'm not completely sure in what way as of yet. Maybe I could leave these camera's in different locations and ask the public to take photograph's (similar to The Secret Lives of Benches)? However, I am considering this purely as a starting point. I am really keen to develop an idea and a concept that is individual to my development and progress. So let's see what happens...

Progress so far

2010-03-01T20:21:00.001Z

So I know I want to explore and experiment with the concept of participatory art as my focus for my art practice.

So I now need to think about and taken into consideration a number of things:

What do I want the public to do/make/respond to? Do I need to ask a question?
How will I record this? Camera's? Cheap ones e.g. from the 99p shop?
Do I need to leave instructions in relation to my intention?
What locations am I going to use? Will these differentiate the responses?
How many times am I planning on creating and installing the conditions for this participatory art?

I'm going to think about these questions over the next few days. I plan on having something to begin this journey and prcoess by the end of the week and taking it from there.

The SOD Project

2010-03-01T20:09:00.001Z

I came across this piece of research with thanks to my fellow arty farty Rachel :)

So again, a theme which is emerging from my findings is that installations play a key role in participatory art. They create conditions which evoke responses and reactions from the viewer.

Roger Maddox, who was one of three artists working collaboratively on this project was inspired to create a crosswalk (or a crossing that is similar to a zebra crossway in England) and actually install it as a crossing by using strips of sod, otherwise known as dry grass.

Maddox stated that,

"As we observed and documented people traversing the crosswalk, we noticed that children were the most notably excited, jumping over and upon the strips of sod, and then retracing their steps. Many people walked around the strips of sod, most probably due to cultural conditioning - some may have not wanted to 'disturb' the sod. Those who are attracted to what departs from the norm were clearly impressed. No one appeared to be either upset, or annoyed, some were clearly amused, and others paid little attention."

Taken from: http://www.lukanovich.com/installations.html

So the installation recieved mixed responses from its interactees. As Maddox highlights, it was mainly children that were excited about the 'unsual' crossing whereas others were not particularly phased by it and it evoked no response whatsoever. The term 'cultural conditioning' is interesting. What does this mean? Does it refer to the context that the work had been placed into? Did certain members of the public not want to interact with it as they thought that this would explicitally identify them? Or did other members of the public interact with the sod as it temporaily replaced the crossing as required them to engage with it to allow them to safely cross the road?

But does this installation constitute participatory art even though the public didn't create the strips of sod themselves? I would say yes! I say this because the public were being documented interacting and engaging with the installation and the sod, or in some cases not at all.

There is an element of risk in this kind of art. Responses may be gained, or responses may not be gained at all. Or, the materials that are provided to create participatory art may be stolen, for example as documented in The Secret Lives of Benches blog that I am following.

So in the wider schemes of things, maybe participatory art doesn't necessarily have to be about asking the public to physically create something, but respond to something that has already been created/installed? Very interesting indeed...

Here's some interesting research!

2010-03-01T19:27:00.001Z

I've done some research into participatory art and I have found some really interesting stuff!

I have discovered that this kind of art can be manifested and linked to installation art. In 2008 at 'Sculpfest' Anne Dean who is a sculptor and ceramic artist, created an installation called 'Make a Sculpture and a Photograph'. She provided the public with clay tiles and a polaroid camera and invited viewers to create their own art in the form of sculptures and document these by taking photographs of these. Here are some images taken from the websites I have come across. These have been taken from these websites:

http://blog.openmuseum.org/2009/02/participatory-art.html

http://www.openmuseum.org/objet/show/204?facet=536

So these are the mateirals that the public were provided with to create responses to sculpture.

These are examples of art that the public had created in response to the installation and the context that was provided for participatory art.

The variety in responses from the public is great. From sculptures whichh have a distinguished subject matter e.g. pyrmaids to sculptures that are free form. It is interesting how people have named their responses to document and record the existence of their work alongside having taken a photograph of it.

So far my findings have shown me that the artists have used cameras to document the results from their intentions of allowing the public to co-create the art. Are there other ways in which this participatory role and action could be recorded and documented? If so, how could this be done?

The Secret Lives of Benches

2010-02-28T16:07:00.003Z

So when the three arty farty's were in London back in September, we came across a disposable camera which had been left on a bench by Temple Tube Station. The person who had left the camera attached to the bench had also left this note:

We all thought that was such a brilliant idea! Especially that when the camera's were developed, the photographs would go up on a blog so that the public who had taken the photos could see how they had turned out.

So we decided to get involved in this by taking some pictures of our own. This is how they had turned out: (Images taken from http://secretlivesofbenches.blogspot.com/ )

(Rach posing with the camera on the bench)

The photo of me and Amy turned out rather dark, but the photo of Amy's belly had turned out really well!

I really like the way that the general public are involved within the creation of the art as a result of the artist providing the materials. The audience is engaged directly in the creative process, allowing them to become co-creators of the work. However, this does make me question as to whether this type of art pushes boundaries with more 'traditional' and conventional ways of working. Nevertheless, as we live in a world where creativity and innovation are essential to our existence, why shouldn't participatory art play a part in the artisitic process?

I am going to start and continue to experiment with the idea of participatory art and see which directions this takes me. Thank you Secret Lives of Benches for inspiring me! Exciting times lie ahead!

A fresh start

2010-02-28T13:53:00.001Z

Let me set the scene...

Over the past few months I have been pursuing a direction within my art practice that I am not getting fullfilment and enjoyment from. I needed a new focus and direction. Something that would really inspire and motivate me. Something that I can really get my teeth into.

It was only when I was reflecting on a visit to London that took place in September, it dauned on me.

I now think I have a new direction. A fresh start.

Participatory art.