#unspatially

[the-chomsky-hash]

[The Underground - cont'd] [What goes on there is absolutely unseen, but there reigns an unavoidable gaze that contrasts, in its erotic structure, with the oblique and luminous gaze of the mirror - cont'd] [The mirror has two modes, near and far - cont'd] b. In its near mode, it is a tricked gaze. The observer:   i. Surreptitiously occupies the camera obscura that the looking glass harbors   ii. Slips into immediate self-satisfaction   iii. Places themselves there where the closed volume of the body has just opened up, but only to close again immediately from the other side of that surface it inhabits by making itself    - as unspatial as possible    - a cunning geometer    - a two-dimensional Cartesian devil that now lodges its invisible presence in the visibility of the observed to himself.

Michel Foucault, So Cruel A Knowledge, July 1962

[seperis]

So I should point out that I am relentlessly unspatial; I can and have and do get lost in my own apartment building and have to find the elevator to get back to my apartment because they also dont ‘have the numbers in order just to fuck with me I think.  I have zero sense of direction and cannot tell left from right to save my life. I have, in fact, picked up a pen with my left hand and tried to write with it before I realized something was wrong.  Which yes, does mean I sometimes have a prereader go through after my final edit to make sure I didn’t accidentally reverse every direction and put everyone in the ocean. And yes, I have done that.

I legit almost cried when I downloaded this and could finally see where everything is and just guess by ordinals, relativity and math in excel.  LOOK WHERE EVERYTHING ISSSSSSSSSSSS!

hello dta enjoyers, please look at this insane map of the town of ichabod with key locations, by friendly neighborhood cartographer noviembre. she has another HUGE map including the wall, a little joe (beloved) pov fic, and cas' pov of lights 13 - all are located here.

(she gave me permission to post this god bless)

[iusedtobeazbutnowimay]

Critical evaluation- May interim assessment

Evaluation & Reflection

Interim, Formative Assessment Friday 5th May 2017

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* reflection on the 3 wool tufting pieces (left) + visual evolution of the large black piece (right)

Process and materials

The large black textural wall piece could be considered as the back of a wool tuft, or the back of a rug. On pressing the piece you will realise there is a lot of ‘give’  - this is because the dense wool strands are compressed behind the work. These pieces are made with a wool tufting gun, which pierces the back of fabric that is stretched around a frame. It shoots strands through to create tufts at the front. Pastel chalk colours have been applied to the whole surface, mainly in between the tight tufted strands, followed by latex and black acrylic paint. Initially there were more identifiable shapes, separated by different colour wools and line formations. The overall pattern was generated by aligning 6 laser cut boards and transposing the negative spaces to the base material. There were around 50 boards to pick from. It is important to note that the boards were initially used for a different purpose and were due to be scrapped. The positive shapes that were removed belonged to students within the Parkside building and were probably used in architecture or product design projects. In a similar vein the white plastic parts that make up the frame were also due to be scrapped. They are all printing errors sourced from the 3D printing studio in Parkside.

The 3D printed form on the plinth was meant to be one solid shape but unfortunately it broke down into 6 sections, hence the discrepancies in the surface where I had to reconstruct the elements with super glue. Initially this shape was a cone (shown in the box to the right of the work) when attempting to digitally enlarge the object, sections of the shape slid out of synch. The shape was enlarged in a different programme in which it was created, this may explain the occurrence of the altered image.

The Aesthetic

I became interested in the visual qualities of the ‘back’ when working on my first tuft (the middle one to the left) I was especially interested in the quality of line that could be achieved and also that the back has less of an associated identity to that of the front. The back offered more potential to create a unique process and style. One of the underlying aims of my work is to create unfamiliar forms via the formulation of new processes.

The texture of the material when coated with latex also pointed towards the opportunity for further experimentation; painting it almost all one colour brought the attention back onto the surface as opposed to the colour and patterns. I had intended to incorporate some of the plastic elements into the material by removing sections and building in the plastic chunks. Overall there may have been too many elements for the piece to be cohesive. Furthermore I had recently read ‘Donald Judd’s’ comments on ‘Yves Klein’s’ blue paintings. In which he describes the work as ‘unspatial.’ He elaborates on this, stating that the unspatial painting has the ability to become an object which can bring ‘a new intensity.’   

I had a discussion with the textiles technician regarding the best method to attach the plastic segments. Whilst holding up various pieces against the textiles I noticed the possibility of using them to frame the piece as opposed to being embedded into the surface. I had pieced together plastic elements which seemed to naturally connect  - examples can be seen on the blog . at this point I noted that  future work could take advantage of these off cuts in a different fashion, by 3D scanning the errors and making them into pure forms.

I was very inspired by ‘The night in the museum’ exhibition curated by Ryan Gander. The exhibition celebrates the diversity and materiality of the art object. Most interestingly he positioned figurative pieces in the role of the spectator, with their gaze resting on what could be referred to as an ‘abstract’ work. It was at this point I considered positioning the 3D print in front of the black textiles, to be considered as one whole piece.

Scale

The first three wool tufts became an on-going, in-action battle to preserve a visual balance via colour, shape and tuft length. Scales could be planned and amended if necessary. This obsession with balance comes from working as a graphic designer, arranging text and image. I allowed my latest work to be at the whims of scale. For example the boards that I used to creation of the design are of a set size which is a lot smaller that the tufting frame. As a designer my natural instincts are to position something large against something small to secure a visual balance. Using the method described above I was left with many smaller elements on a large piece. To some extent I liked the freedom of this process, perhaps as a result the final image is more art like as opposed to design or decoration?The 3D print off cuts are also at a set size; as discussed above, they could be 3D scanned and reprinted to alter the scale. There are many variables and constraints that come into play here regarding the size of the printing bed, prices etc. However it is important to reflect on this and consider options for future developments.

Ideally I would like the object on the plinth to be three times the size and be positioned in front / to the right hand side of the textile wall piece as shown in my proposal. The current 3D print  is the largest print I could do within the university.

Communication

qualities I appreciate in Art and Design: unusual manipulation of materials - unique aesthetic - delphic / qualia / cabalistic / mysterious properties - potential to heighten communication through an extended visual experience - to synchronously appear both ancient and futuristic. (taken from a recent blog extract)  

Why do I appreciate these properties?

I have recently become concerned with this question. On reflection, I believe the decorative & design objects I experienced primary contact with as a child are fundamental to my current interest in surfaces and textures. It is fascinating that my artwork can influence and educate people in a similar way to how learned from objects as a child. I distinctly remember specific objects from my family homes: An orange lamp with a bulbous lacquered glossy base and tall shade. A bakelite desk tidy with three compartments in a flowing triangular shape, made as one form. The weird and wonderful textures on the buttons found in my Nans button tin.

Similarly, material memories such as blowing up black balloons in my grandparents home at Christmas time are important. The decorations fascinated me in terms of colour and movement but what really stuck in my memory were the black balloons. They were at odds with the rest of the decorations and seemed to have a thicker texture to the other balloons. When I initially painted the latex black, the visual and tangible properties took me back to the moment discussed above, therefore there is scope for elaboration. For example, I considered calling this piece “Black Balloons at Tithe Barn Road - Christmas 1985.” The connection between the ‘forming’ sculpture and the wall piece could be interpreted as a child learning from the world around him/her. Potentially the work could be bracketed under a name such as: ‘my material memory’ / ‘memory is a texture’/ ‘material memories’

This idea is in its infancy, there is a lot more research to continue with. I will be searching through old photos, looking for examples that include my younger self and key objects. I would be most interested to get feedback on this concept; it is suitable to accompany the presentation of my work or should it be the driving force behind the creation?

Advanced practice aims

A rigorous exploration of formalism….touchpoints to re-wild - opposite to ‘smart’ environments - slow - thick - durable -  ancient/modern - random geometry - stretching time -  future primitive - portals - doors - totems - entrance points - re-engagement - balance - creating balance - restoring balance - harmony - reflected through materials - reflected through process…

Most recently, my work has focussed on ‘materials lead design.’ There are also clear links to abstraction and appreciation of a modernist aesthetic. I am currently learning more about ‘abstract’ art and drawing connections with my own work. I am interested in processes. My concern is to create objects. Although the work presented here is mainly made from wool, my blog evidences engagement with various other materials.

My next step is to explore the making of the cone like shapes through materials such as resin and glass. There is a material test using Glass Wax on the floor to the right of the work. I have also been working on a ‘modular manipulation’ technique using small segments of off cut steel from an ironmongers. I have learnt that the unique forms I hope to create can only be achieved with a modular structure as opposed to cutting from one larger piece. In essence, I do not want to be defined by one material, the thematic ambiguity found in abstract art suits my working methods.

The first year of the MA is being used to identify key processes that can be elaborated on, cross-pollinated and perfected during the second year.