kaarina2018-blog

[kaarina2018-blog]

Final Work. 

[kaarina2018-blog]

Group Statement

Our work lay balanced somewhat between movement, form and chaos. Through the investigation of body politics and failure, our group devised a work consisting of the spreading of colour upon a canvas through the chaotic yet logical movement guide that we created. The guide was comprised of two spinning wheels which provided each member of the group with a body limitation and challenge such as walking on knees, balancing on one limb, touching other people’s earlobes and leapfrogging over another person. This performance had an underlying structure but was intended to appear without to an ignorant eye. From research into Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen’s extreme paintings which incorporated hair as well as other body parts as tools and Japanese artist Kazuo Shiraga using his feet to smear paint across a sheet, we devised a game that harnessed element of these works in twister-esque performance. There were many challenges to creating this work, including the material that we used to put as a canvas. Whilst doing a practice with a textured plastic, the final work was performed on a slippery plastic. Although somewhat terrifying, this material merely added to the chaotic effect of the work, heightening its comical appeal similar to Melati Suryodarmo’s butter dance. This work, whilst based on failure and chaos, was an overall success. There was a sense of disjointed harmony within our movement, combining with the paint to create a comical and engaging event.

[kaarina2018-blog]

Our event is art 

Our event produces art

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Experiment Three

We experimented with classical/symphony music to see how it alters the atmosphere 

Adding paint really elevated the event to become more chaotic and ‘failure’ focused. 

Feedback:

- Reconfirmed the need for a larger space

- Was entertaining 

- After a certain point or even just the initial wheel spin, audience should be able to choose actions assigned 

- Potential to allow people to join 

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Having finalised our method of choice we practiced with Anna acting as our audience and command giver. 

Main feedback for improvement: - Work on a bigger space - Having to continuously decide our new commands was distracting as an audience member but was fun at first - Need to stick down mat so it doesn’t lift, move, seperate and distract - Need to consider what room we will do real event - Should project the wheel

Our changes: - Will double the size of our mat - We will try and do it in the black box or similar room - Will stick down mat - Will project the wheel - Will leave the audience to nominate themselves to spin the wheel

[kaarina2018-blog]

Experiment One: 

We tested to see how the actions played out when actually practiced. 

We were intending to trial the different methods but it became quickly apparent it was obvious we didn’t need to not know each others command and that a continuous game with no pauses was most effective. 

Music is ‘techno’ rhythmic and upbeat and informed the energy. 

[kaarina2018-blog]

Making the game

‘Actions’

We discussed different types of actions we could be instructed to do:

- We initially thought of imitations that are, to differing degrees, impossible to truly achieve e.g. behaving like a dog, swim, make a sandwich etc. 

- We then thought to have it be phrased as an objective e.g. hug everyone, hop etc. 

- To ensure interaction, an eventful chaotic game (inspired by the atmosphere of twister) and promoting that idea of ‘failure’ or ‘the game of impossibilities’ we decided to categorise the objectives: personal and interactive 

- Different energies and level of achievability are created with different pairings 

Presentation of actions: 

- Initially was going to be a hand held cardboard twist circle. With personal actions on the outer and interactive on the inner, the twisting of the outer and inner circle would randomly match different actions 

- We then thought to remove choice more effectively and have it randomly selected by an automated generator 

- Originally the spinner was not a visual feature 

- We have chosen, for the final event, for the wheel to be projected on the wall, adding to the atmosphere and sensationalising the event 

Rules of Game

- Start in four corners - Each person is given a personal and interactive command - No verbal communication - Each participant is a different colour - Each participant places paint on their hands and feet before the beginning of the game - Participants may add paint to their hands and feet at any point in the game

Chosen method: - Each participant is given a personal and interactive action chosen randomly by the digital wheel - Music signifies the start, participants strive to simultaneously achieve their personal and interactive actions - Throughout the game audience members nominate themselves to spin the wheel again and change participants actions - The game ends when the music stops

Considered ruled that were altered or eradicated after experimentation: - Method option 1: Game is comprised of 5 1-minute intervals with different actions each round - Method option 2: continuous game, freeze frame and everyone shuts eye and one-person receives new commands - Method option 3: continuous game, freeze frame and everyone shuts eye and every person receives new commands - Each participant is unaware of each other’s command

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Kaarina 1 

Glorification of the undesirable 

In fashion the idea of boxy, hard lined, cheap clothing is the opposite of what is considered desirable fashion. We bring to the forefront the idea of high and low fashion, we also want to experiment with form and shape and how it can alter the way we see an image

We also wanted to be playful with colour just like we are with form so we experimented with hue and saturation which gave the image more life. We also added the white boarders to imitate a magazine spread specifically vogue.

[kaarina2018-blog]

Classwork

Re-conceptualising the notion of desire. Taking typically undesirable characteristics of the human body, straight lines, box form and presenting them in a glorified and desirable manner reminiscent of a fashion article. 

Whilst also incorporating phallic symbolism, challenging gender ideologies 

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RESEARCH: twister 

- created in 1964

- produced by Milton Bradley Company and Winning Moves 

- in American National Toy Hall of Fame (loved and widely used)

- conventionally played on a large plastic matt, blue, red, yellow and green circles are lined up in rows, a spinner which has not only the colours but a selected body part as well is then spun, you then proceed to place that body part on the corresponding colour and the game moves on from here

- played with 2 or more people

- the idea is that people will get tangled and twisted together 

-  A person is eliminated when they fall or when their elbow or knee touches the mat. There is no limit to how many can play at once, but more than four is a tight fit

- game is meant to be silly, make people laugh and strengthen friendships

Game development:

People have created parodies of the game to make it more extreme such as the two displayed above. I personally love the bouncy castle twister due to it being somewhat impossible and hence no one can win the game. 

[kaarina2018-blog]

Artist: Jackson Pollock

Paul Jackson Pollock was an American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. He was well known for his unique style of drip painting.

His technique is explored in the video below. 

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-1010/abstract-exp-nyschool/abstract-expressionism/v/moma-painting-technique-pollock 

In relation to our group idea of a more participatory and collaborative event, one based on a game of Twister, Pollock serves an artist of inspiration. We want to explore the different ways in which we can engage with the ‘canvas’ or game board, including the class or audience in the process. One way this could be completed 

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IMAGE 1:

Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen’s extreme paintings take on a performance quality: great sweeping actions as hair is dipped in ink; her whole body a painting tool. This work is an interpretation of Janine Antoni’s ‘Loving Care’, in which Antoni soaked her hair with dye and mopped the floor with it.

IMAGE 2:

Swinging from a rope suspended from his studio roof, Japanese artist Kazuo Shiraga used his feet to smear oil paint dramatically across a canvas.

Painting with the body:

Our group wishes to embrace the physical act of painting (removing the boundary between the maker and the artwork) allowing us to become a part of the artwork itself. This way our bodies become the instruments of our mind and we no longer are contained to what paint pushing tools limit us to. Instead we can create huge works that are dictated by our individual body movements making the art piece more individual to our group. 

[kaarina2018-blog]

Marina Abramovic

Sleeping Exercise, 2014

in this performance work, Marina created a space for people to escape the commotion of life for a while with noise cancelling headphones and eyemasks, while reclining. this work is really interesting as it plays on many of her other works that test the human endurance such as the work below.

The Artist is Present , 2010. Performance, 736 hours

this work tested the limits of human endurance, as she sat there for 7 hours a day for the duration of the exhibition. she did not eat, drink or use the bathroom during this time.

Marina explores the body and its capabilities in these works as well as the many others she has produced throughout her career. i think this simplistic approach that has such a deep impact on audiences is a really interesting idea.

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The Life and Times by Andy Warhol, 1928-1987

I really like this work and its capture of the ordinary. there is a sense of both enjoyment and disgust at watching this both via the sense of watching someone eat and seeing it as a performance piece. i feel that it taps into the anxiety people often expiereince about eating in public and adresses this head on. this relates back to the topic of body politics and negative body image. 

i think as a group we can inforporate some of this ‘ordinary’ into our work, presenting a form of an organic action and making it a work of art.

[kaarina2018-blog]

Initial brainstorming.

in the newly formed groups, we decided that we might explore body politics in the next assessment. to get started on this I created a Pinterest board that explored this topic. to start with there was a lot of political works that were questioning certain things, but as i went deeper there was a wealth of simple creativity and exploration of the human form which i found facinating. the line crawings and images with overlaying hpeople was creally great and something i would like to see more of.

[kaarina2018-blog]

[kaarina2018-blog]

Final Work