Research work and Contextualising that has informed and inspired my art

We now live nature in two senses: that ancestral one of the "granted", planetary, and the modern one, of the "acquired", industrial and urban. We can chose one or the other, denying one for the other ; the important thing is that nature, in these two senses be lived and understood in the integrity of their ontological structure, under the universalization perspective of the perceptive awareness - the Self embracing the world, making it one, in agreement and harmony with emotion understood as the only reality of human language.
The above words are from http://www.frans-krajcberg.com/fkmanifesteenglish.html
QUOTE

Forests came before civilization,the deserts after them ....Chateaubriand above image I am working on for WLT landscape

TUESDAY 23


Through all the research I have done based on the artists books, song, lyrics .......
Leon Golubs work on social concerns such as protest art on the Vietnam war
Frans Krajcbergs Activist art against deforestation in Brazil
Paul Nash's war art looking at destruction on people land and forests 
Along with Bruce Cockburns Lyrics..... If a tree falls in the forest does anybody Hear......
A book based on Brazilian activist  Chico Mendes 'Fight for the forest' 
                                  
                                  ***********************

I have been able to create work and base images that have been informed by researching the above please see previous blogs for further information


Working on images based on effects of deforestation......

Mixed media based on effects of deforestation
the land forest wild life and people

 Contextualising and researching artists such as Paul Nash, Leon Golub, and Frans Krajcberg has inspired  

and informed and shown me  how art can be used as a channel/vehicle  to put a visual message across about subjects that  are not always  pleasant on the eye or restful to the soul, images that are uncomfortable, create an 

unease, disrupt  and challenge my human complacency ........In an article by Katherine Calak  she says 'Art is not truly art  unless it stands for something, gives a point of view, relays a message in some way. There is no possible way to create a  visual piece that does not involve communication . A piece of art sends out some sort of message for the viewer to process even if only for a split second '.Calak.

The imagery that I have dealt with in the latter part of my collaboration  has dealt with issues and themes of  

struggle and contestation. It confronts the viewer with aspects of  the human condition, of the inequality of one groups dominance over another. It deals with control and its consequences.

Studio space at UCS

 THE WORDS OF Frans Krajcberg  We are all born in some place  I prefer to say that I was born in this    planet thus I leave behind the reference of countries and boundaries, but I must emphasize that it was in  
   Brazil that nature caused me a huge impact and as time went by allowed the transformation of my revolt.  

Preparing work for mixed media image

Sketch prep for effects of  displacement 

  

TUESDAY GALLERY

          Tuesday 16th       

     

          Invigilating at the WLT ............ whilst there it gives me the opportunity to 

             

Sketches toward exhibition work

         Sketch  or research work towards 

         ideas that relate to the effects of 

         deforestation on indigenous people 

         and incorporating figurative images   

         into the work.

         

         A recent quote i found while    

         researching  brazilian artist Frans  

         Krajcberg........................................

         

         Quote......... Forests came before 

         civilisation and the desert came after

         

        Talking with John of WLT about his up and coming trip to Armenia where the trust 

         buys land on 25 year leases which enables the villagers in mountainous regions to  

        support school projects while at the same time enabling conservation to develop......    

Collagraph board used for printing 

experiment reduction linocut

Section from  work mixed
media acrylic

Researching other artists collaborations

• • • • 1. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/ESeL_Clegg-Guttmann_BAWAG-Contemp-img6210.jpg/220px-ESeL_Clegg-Guttmann_BAWAG-Contemp-img6210.jpg

    

CLEGG and GUTTMANN

   
     In recent weeks I did a presentation based on my research of
 
     Collaboration artists 'Clegg and Guttmann'
     The reason for doing the presentation,was to research how artists work as a team in producing art work
     Through collaborating on a project together it has been useful in COMPARING  the differences of  
     intentions and reasons for carrying out a collaboration.  This also relates to a certain degree to my own
     collaboration with the  World Land Trust, this was a  useful excersize in reflecting on how my
     collaboration was going and to reflect on if it was meeting the criteria of a collaboration that relates to my
     own practice.

     Clegg &Guttman the story........... 

• They have been an artist Duo for over 30 years 
• Met as teenagers at an art group in Isreal 
• Years later met at Joseph Kosuths studio in New York
• Guttman was Kosuths assistant at the time and Clegg a student at the school of visual arts 
• Clegg and Guttmann started working together..doing portraits of fictitious Patrons and Buisness executives ..... the portraits were based on modern day versions of 16th & 17th C  portrait poses...... can be see on You Tube ..
• In recent years these portraits were exhibited at the BAWAG  a contemporary Gallery in Vienna and recent 'Portraits and other Cognitive excersizes 
• The duo acquired the characters by placing adverts in news papers or Family and friends posed    
• Clegg and Guttmann are based in Germany and Austria 
• On researching how they have worked together successfully as a collaborative Duo seems to rest on the fact they are 'both'  focussed on their art being a representative of the Political and social dynamics.... They look at past representations of power and status and by doing this move on to depict life in the modern era based on similar themes 
• An installation called Humiliation was  placed in a plaza in Vienna.... the work was based on a 17th C form of public torture it depicted how forms punishment were given in public as a specticle and  warning to those watching.. the crimes were usually petty , drunkness, and boisterus behaviour... again this work looks at society and power structures within society
• • • 1. looking at these and other works by the duo there is an emphasise that...their collaborative partnership is based on Shared goal that motivates and inspires their work 
  • • 1. they share the same concepts and ideas based on past representations linked with power and control ..... in a paper written by Isabelle Graw she quotes the duo,....., 'we believe that good art functions like a Trojan Horse.. it should be alluring enough formally to be let in and subversive enough later, ...... Article by I Graw
  • • 
      

      • So by looking at Clegg and Guttmann and their type of collaboration.. one can gage its depth of success by noting that they have a joint purpose with similar based  ideas and themes, in interviews they always state the WE which establishes their partnership as equal. 
    • 
      

      • REFLECTING briefly on my collaboration with the world land trust so far ..................
  • • • • • 
            

            The Partnership/ Collaboration  has shared a mutual respect of the others views and ideas 

            
            

            there has been healthy negotiation of finding ways forward for both parties to gain from the partnership for the trust this came in the form of art work produced linked to the themes of exhibitions 'Birds &Bees' in February  and Hares in  March.

            
            

            I have been keen to produce this work on behalf of the trust as I respect their ethics and principles laid down in the Mission statement particularly their stance on not being Green Colonialists, when the land is bought and retrieved it is given back to the local NGO groups who work with the local people to conserve land taking away the threat of deforestation and its detrimental effects on the indigenous people ,wild life, and plantlife.

            
            

            In return I have benefitted by my work being exposed to the public via being allotted a student spot where my work has been displayed for 2months. Also the opportunity to be placed on the WLT Gallery  webbsite and advertised in the local paper, Along with gaining further experience creating art work .
            Throughout my time producing work for the Gallery themes i have been researching on the effects of Deforestation which ties in with my practice based on aspects that deal with social issues .
            
            
            

            

            Displacement the effects of Deforestation , sketch 

• • • • • 1. 1. 
                
             2. 
                

          
          

COMPLETION

 



                                         
                                                    FOCUS NOW.........................................................

Bee image etching for WLT

         COMPLETION  of essay i can focus on my collaboration now
         for the next few weeks.

         I now have to prepare for my final presentation that is  a   
         reflection based on how my time at the World Land Trust   
         has gone over the last few months. The presentation is to be  
         a 15minute presentation. The first was based on who i     
         intended to work with on a collaboration  



I have to take into consideration various aspects which i have noted below......................................

1. Keeping a diary blog on a regular basis 
2. Documenting my work through sketch books photos research based on Social Side of deforestation and its effects  , emails, conversations, meetings ,letters, voluntary work at the Trust.
3. Reflecting on the progress of the collaboration how its going any changes /alterations  made 
4. Questioning on how  progress and developments
5. Contextualising process research on social issues and what artists are infulencing my development 
6. How are my final outcomes are developing.
7. I HAVE TO FOCUS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS on developing my presentation which i will do via PREZZIE
8. 
   
9. 
   
10. 
    

    

    Image Hare linocut for WLT

IMAGES OF PREVIOUS ART WORK

Section of previous work inspired by French
Courageous Activist  Louis Michele 

Experimental work using clay and plaster

past work based on Aung San Sui Kyi Poem
Like splinterd glass in cupped hands 

 






















I recently put in a proposal for snip sending the above works on the right to show details of how i work
the Proposal is based on looking at Benjamin Brittens work War Requiem  hewas a pacifist and took the idea from War poet Wilfred Owen......poetry

                                                        ********************

      At present I am working on an Essay for contemporary art my head is filled with words such as
     detournement and appropriation i have to explore works of the artist of my choice- Barbara Kruger im
     learning SO Much i hope to do justice to the essay its a fascinating subject !! I  have to compleate it                            next monday  so having to lay aside collaboration project at present  I will be  at WTL on Tuesday
 I was there last tuesday  the Hare exhibition is now up and running my student spot has both exhibition images up

Austerity Measures effect us all lets stand together !!

       
Im hoping to add more to my blog ASAP concerning WLT collaboration just need to get my essay DONE!!!

Teacher Protests 2012 Acrylic 

Experimenting with colours

 

An experiment with colours on a hare collograph at ucs 

             

        REFLECTING on past two Exhibitions with WLT....................
     
        Having now compleated works for two successive  exhibitions Birds and Bees in
           
       Feb / March  and Hares March/April there is a need to take time and reflect on how I felt the
 
       time spent focusing on producing the works has gone so far.
     
       Up until this juncture at the present moment i have been able to produce work in conjunction with the
     
       Trusts monthly exhibitions I have been able to stay true to what was set out in my proposal working with  
       a varied range of mediums within the disciplines of printmaking and painting and focusing on producing
       work in connection with the Trusts Themes . However the contextualising of my works so far with the
      Trust has not been as strong as it could have been although in my Presentation i did focus on various
      artists who had inspired and informed me this was mainly based on their technical abilities rather than any
      conceptual ideas basicly it was nature inspired and nature driven artwork that focused more on sellable  
      imagery which is what myself and the Trust had agreed on and I was VERY happy to
      do this as I saw the work I produced  as a means and a tool to support the work of WLT .
      Reasearching and learning . My time also involved invigilating has been good experience and has been
      insightful
       the Trust has been an inspiration and has helped to inform me of the plight of indigenous people in

     the countries WLT supports, this is a positive outcome.     

                                               *********************************

 
   
      WHERE NEXT !!!!**********************


      RESEARCHING..........................continuing to collect information based on the next phase of my time
 
     in collaboration with WLT I will now focus on looking at the plight of the indiginous peoples where there
     has been deforestation so far i have been using my time at the trust to research on this subject and have
     read about Chico Mendes from Brazil and the plight of the Rubbertappers in Brasil in the 1980s having
     spoken to John  I am currently researching Frans Krajcberg a polish by birth artist who became a
     Brazilian Citizen due to leaving Poland after the 2nd world war his family all perished .
     Frans has a real passion about saving the rainforests in Brazil and has spent  his life protesting against
   deforestation he has done many sculpures and is respected greatly for is work and stand against
   deforestation see include you tube images of his work . I hope to focus my energies now into
    contextualising my work in a deeper level over the next phase of my time at WLT

 

My studio at UCS

Previous work looking at contestation  11th Hour

exploring ideas for displaced
contextualising my work in a deeper way over the next phase of my time at WLT



 www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0CDYoT4ojE

Please take a look at Frans Krajcbergs work 

Previous work that focused on contestation  called Kettled