Week 6 Anish Kapoor Sculpture

1. Conceptual art can be singled out as “art designed to present an idea rather than to be appreciated for its creative skill or beauty.” Anish Kapoor has said to be “one of Britain’s leading talents in Conceptual Art.” “Kapoor combines thoughtfulness, creativity and a traditional respect for beauty.” I feel as though his work is more about thinking through the processes and ideas behind it as oppose to something which is solely about admiring the overall beauty. However, saying this I still find his works very interesting to admire. Just the shapes and material behind each of his pieces is so unique and pleasing to the eye.

-Words on Art and the Art of Words. (n.d) Retrieved 30 August, 2011 from http://www.nigelhalliday.org/anish-kapoor-ra-2009/

-Encarta World English Dictionary. (n.d) Retrieved 30 August, 2011 from http://www.bing.com/Dictionary/search?q=define+conceptual+art&FORM=DTPDIA

2. ‘Tall tree and the eye’ is a sculpture by Kapoor which was displayed in 2009 at “the courtyard of The Royal Academy of Arts” which is located in London.  He has put together 76 very shiny spheres “which bubble up to the level of the surrounding Palladian buildings.” This concept of his was “inspired by the words of the German poet Rainer Maria Rilke.” “It is a conjunction of images I have always loved in his Sonnets to Orpheus and this work is, in a way, a kind of eye which is reflecting images endlessly," said Kapoor. Being 15 metres high it has an amazing effect due to the reflections on the spheres. The overall shape of it looks like a tower as it seems to be nearly as tall if not taller than the gallery. Though looking at it, straight away I am very intrigued as to how this was built so seamlessly.

- Guardian. (20 September, 2009). Retrieved August 27, 2011 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/sep/20/anish-kapoor-sculpture-royal-academy

Hive, by Kapoor dominates the central hall at The Royal Academy. This piece “invites the viewer to place their heads inside its internal space yet we are forbidden to do so in very strict terms.” The idea behind it is to spark the mind “to imagine the flight of the bee through some crevice into the obliterating darkness of that immense vessel, the hive: origin of both maker and honey.” However you also “see two colossal shapes like open thighs exposing a dark oval. Even innocents will see a vagina.” We start to put the two together and try figure out what the resemblance is and in what sense is the sculpture a ‘hive’. The piece itself triggers an anxious worry that it might burst through the ceiling and the doors as it may grow even bigger.

- Guardian. (27 September, 2009). Retrieved August 27, 2011 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/sep/27/anish-kapoor-royal-academy-cumming

- A World to Win. (11 December, 2009). Retrieved August 27, 2011 from http://www.aworldtowin.net/reviews/AnishKapoor.html

- The Economist. (24 September, 2009). Retrieved August 27, 2011 from http://www.economist.com/node/14492363

Another installation piece that Kapoor has done is ‘Dismemberment of Jeanne D'arc’ which was for the Brighton Festival in 2009 in UK. “Kapoor has turned the hedonistic seaside town into his personal playland. A dog-legged trail leads you around a series of sites in the city, and then takes you, in a last arduous pilgrimage, to the summit of the South Downs. On the way, you are free to devise a connective plot to link the disparate objects; you can also pause to have your head and shoulders massaged in a basement while you bathe in a blur of monochrome light designed by Kapoor.” He through this piece questions “the anaemia of the Christian myth in the chapel's stained-glass windows.” Also he plays with ideas such as where is the blood of the lamb which was supposedly meant to wash us clean?

- Guardian. (3 May, 2009). Retrieved August 27, 2011 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/sep/27/anish-kapoor-royal-academy-cumming

3. ‘The farm’ is site specific because it has simply been named after its site. On this site is Kapoor’s combination of fabric and steel. He tries to manipulate “the viewer into a specific relationship with both space and time” by stretching fabric and steel to manipulate “views of the New Zealand seascape.” Kapoor’s piece is “related to earlier temporary installations at the BALTIC and the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall.” However this time it is in a different context as it is “conceived for a wild and unconfined landscape.” I find that the chosen site really elevates Kapoor’s work into view. In the artists own words he describes it to be “rather like a flayed skin.”

- Structurflex. (January, 2010). Retrieved August 28, 2011 from http://www.structurflex.co.nz/index.asp?s1=news&s3=Anish%20Kapoor%20sculpture%20blends%20fabric%20and%20steel%20in%20New%20Zealand

- RGCFA. (n.d). Retrieved August 28, 2011 from http://www.robgarrettcfa.com/thefarm.htm

4. ‘The farm’ by Anish Kapoor is an installation located in a “private estate outdoor art gallery in Kaipara Bay, north of Auckland.” It is his first outdoor sculpture which has been made using fabric. The installation itself has been named after its site. This piece has been made to withstand the “high winds that blow inland from the Tasman Sea.” It has been made using a deep red PVC-coated polyester fabric made by Ferrari Textiles. This is supported by two very identical matching red structural steel ellipses that weigh 42,750kg each. The ellipses are orientated one horizontal, the other vertical. “The fabric alone weighs 7,200kg.” “The sculpture, which passes through a carefully cut hillside, provides a kaleidoscopic view of the beautiful Kaipara Harbour at the vertical ellipse end and the hand contoured rolling valleys and hills of “The Farm” from the horizontal ellipse.” The idea behind this piece is to flaunt the Kaipara Harbour to its visitors. The colour is so contrasting in comparison to the site itself which really helps the sculpture to stand out and dominate from a distance.

- Fabric Architecture. (January, 2010). Retrieved August 28, 2011 from http://fabricarchitecturemag.com/articles/0110_sk_sculpture.html

5. Every year the French ministry of culture and communication invites a leading artist to make a work that really responds to the architectural space of the grand palais in Paris. This year it was Anish Kapoor himself who was specifically chosen for this role. For the project assigned he created a “temporary, site-specific installation inside the nave of the glass-domed hall” which was to be viewed from May 11 to June 23rd, 2011. The space was also not easy to work with as it was an enormous 13,500 m2 space. It had been so time consuming that Kapoor stated it felt like he had “been working on it since almost 20 years.” The piece ‘Leviathan’ is my favourite because I find it visually appealing in terms of the structural shape and also the materials he has used for this piece. I find it so dynamic when Kapoor introduces P.V.C into his sculptures as it is such a unique material to use for an architectural sculpture. Another element that drew me to it was the fact that you can literally walk in it and really interact with the sculpture so you can get the full experience. I think interaction is the key when it comes to sculptural pieces.

I personally find that it is the aesthetics to this piece that really attract me to it. I truly appreciate the beauty behind this piece and also the attention to detail as you can walk up and really examine this sculpture and yet find it difficult to find a flaw.

- Design Boom. (n.d). Retrieved August 28, 2011 from http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/10/view/14562/anish-kapoor-monumenta-2011-leviathan.html

Week 5 - Pluralism and the Treat of Waitangi

1. In simple terms pluralism is “a theory that there is more than one basic substance or principle.”

- Dictionary.Com. (n.d). Retrieved August 20, 2011 from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pluralism

2. To me New Zealand’s dominant culture is the look of wearing shorts and jandals and watching the All Blacks game with a bottle of either Steinlager or Heineken. People from other countries rapidly grasp our drinking culture and love for rugby as a nation. It is also recreational activities such as bungy jumping and playing sports. In today’s day and age most kiwis have moved away from the farm life and have gained the love of this American inspired ‘city life.’ The love of the arts is also ever growing in New Zealand now.

3. “Māori culture has predominated for most of New Zealand's history of human habitation.” Te Reo Maori was the common language heard among this country before the 1840’s. It was then when young ones respected the elders and women had no say in important meetings. It was a women’s job be a wife and a mother rather than pursuing to be the future Helen Clark. This was a period before the Maori started “borrowing from Pākehā culture.” Although, it was towards about 1830 when the Maori people started to experiment with the European religion Christianity. We also experienced Maori hierarchy which is something quiet unknown today. “Māori society has traditionally been one based on rank, which derived from ancestry (whakapapa). Present-day Māori society is far less hierarchical than it traditionally was.”

- Wikipedia. (n.d). Retrieved August 23, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_New_Zealand#M.C4.81ori_borrowing_from_P.C4.81keh.C4.81_culture

4. I think it relates to us in the sense that we can’t be ignorant towards it and not acknowledge our country’s heritage when it comes to referencing them in our artworks. We as artists constantly perform various research’s before developing a final idea and I think it is important that when it comes to presenting a piece - which may in some aspects relate to the Maori culture- it is important that we present it in an appropriate manner. We don’t want to be like game designers today who place a moko on a man’s chin when it is largely disrespectful as only a woman wears a moko on her chin.

The Treaty of Waitangi is our country’s history and till this day there are various controversies in regards to this. It is very important that we as New Zealanders familiarize ourselves with these especially as artists as it would be shameful if we were to reference it wrong.

5. Globalization can have a negative effect on regional diversity in New Zealand in the sense that many companies who use aspects from the New Zealand or Maori culture many times fail to do their research.  They put forward something that they really have no clue about and try selling it. They lack understanding of what a diverse nation we are and despite this we are all familiar with the roots of this country. A good example would be of another modern video game which showed a warrior with a taiaha which was very disrespectfully positioned pointing towards the ground. The failure of having done their research meant offending the Maori as this position insisted on the idea of pointing the taiaha towards the earth god.

Many though agree that “New Zealand culture has been broadened by globalization.” They agree that it is beneficial that we are reaching out to the world and focusing on the “transition from national and regional economies to global economies.” We are now thinking in terms of what it beneficial for us when it comes to our countries future and mass producing into other countries seems to be doing exactly that.

- Wikipedia. (n.d). Retrieved August 23, 2011 from http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:SnOivA55MCcJ:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_New_Zealand+How+can+globalization+be+seen+as+having+a+negative+effect+on+regional+diversity+in+New+Zealand+in+particular&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=nz&client=safari&source=www.google.co.nz

- Google. (n.d). Retrieved August 23, 2011 from http://www.google.co.nz/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=globalizatio&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&redir_esc=&ei=OVJTTqTKOM7YiALvj_jGDA#sclient=psy&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&tbs=dfn:1&source=hp&q=globalisation&pbx=1&oq=globalisation&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=33929l34087l2l34215l2l2l0l0l0l1l273l273l2-1l1l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=9d0d5f7a60b1d045&biw=1366&bih=554

6. Cotton through these works is trying to step away from presenting a visual narrative and moves towards conveying a “sense of the way landscape and objects are repositories of memory.” “These memories in turn develop into our individual and collective cultural landscapes.”

The piece forked tongue has the “letters O/I” which combines faded maps and words is a statement about the ways in which mapping and naming is a record of ownership and control of land in traditional European culture whereas for Maori it was other factors which determined ownership.” This strongly relates to the treaty of Waitangi as it was the Europeans who wanted it on paper to claim the ownership of this land whereas the Maori understood it to be of something different. In the Maori treaty it says that the land still belongs to the Maori whereas in the English version it states that it belongs to the British. Cotton here is trying to portray the insignificance of words on a piece of paper as it can be deceiving as the treaty was.

In the piece ‘welcome’, Cotton is referencing the “controversial motif of "upoko tuhituhi" or “marked heads”, and his iconic birds.” I find this work to be related to colonization in the sense that he is trying to present to the world the Maori colony. He is also trying to represent his ancestors and their after-life through this piece and the importance towards this in the Maori culture. The idea of an after-life or heaven has been expressed by putting an image of Jesus on his piece. It places an idea of the dead. It also seems that Cotton commonly references Christianity through his recent works as he even “often quotes lines from The Lord’s Prayer .”

You also examine that he is trying to present to the world our native birds and familiarising them with what can be accepted to be seen in our colony. He is trying put forward our colonies believes which have very much been shaped by our history.

- Eye Contact. (n.d). Retrieved August 23, 2011 from http://eyecontactsite.com/2010/07/pondering-the-marks-and-symbols-of-shane-cotton

- The National Business Review. (n.d). Retrieved August 23, 2011 from http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/shane-cotton-paintings-examine-cultural-landscape-126412

7. On 13 February 2008, “Prime Minister Kevin Rudd offered a formal apology to Indigenous Australians.” Through the installation ‘Sorry’ Albert is trying to capture an “outpouring of emotion” due to this major event in the Australian history. He is reminding the world what the aborigines had to go through for far too long and yet despite a formal apology from the former prime minister, we still agree that actions speak louder than words.

In this installation Albert has simply used kitsch objects and applied them to vinyl letters. Kitsch is “art, objects, or design considered to be in poor taste because of excessive garishness or sentimentality, but sometimes appreciated in an ironic or knowing way.” Through the use of Kitsch objects Albert puts forward a “forest of face[s]” which represent everything that was stolen from his people and his land.  “Each [Kitsch] represents a false identity, manufactured black faces made to fit white society.” Albert “revels in the sense of irony in the work, with the impetus of such a momentous and joyous event being an apology.”

I personally think his intentions with this piece were to express that it would take a lot more than a formal apology from a politician to make up for the years of pain and disrespect which was brought upon the aborigines.

- Queensland Art Gallery. (n.d). Retrieved August 20, 2011 from http://qag.qld.gov.au/collection/indigenous_australian_art/tony_albert

- Google. (n.d). Retrieved August 20, 2011 from http://www.google.co.nz/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=define+kitsch&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&redir_esc=&ei=5X5PTqPtJOX7mAWqxvW-Bg

8. I find that both Albert and Cotton express the idea of pluralism in their artworks by continuously expressing their cultural background through their works. They are not ashamed to express where they come from and they most definitely aren’t afraid to express their opinions on actions related to their cultures especially Albert. They remind us there is more than just “one basic substance or principle,” or more specifically in this case more than one culture. We understand that this world is a multicultural society now and it would be ignorant not to appreciate works which express cultural identity such as ‘Sorry’ and ‘Welcome’. 

Week 4 - Kehinde Wiley and inter-textuality

1.    1.  “Intertextuality is the shaping of texts' meanings by other texts.”

-Wikipedia. (n.d). Retrieved August 6, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intertextuality

Intertextuality is when you look at a piece of artwork or writing and try relate it to something you are familiar with in order to understand it better. We are constantly doing this and it is most common among critiques. They are continuously comparing how a new artist is trying to replicate a previous well known artist.

2.      2. Wiley takes photographs of young African American men that he sees on the streets and then places them in a scene where they are “depicted in a heroic manner.” He is also continuously trying to portray the idea of masculinity through his contemporary paintings. In his own words Wiley suggests that his paintings “quote historical sources and position young black men within that field of power.” Intertextuality is present in the sense that when we see his work we immediately think of the historic segregated society where it was the “white men” of the world who were in high positions as oppose to “black people.” A time when the so called “black people” were ordered to stand at the back of the bus so “white people” could sit at the front. Also I find that we start to think about how we seem to class young men who dress the way that the man does in this picture to be a “thug” and it is contradictory for him to be an important and powerful man. Not only does Wiley make us think about the historical context but also about today’s society in general.

      

      -Wikipedia. (n.d). Retrieved August 6, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intertextuality

 

3. Wiley’s work relates to pluralism because he is reminding us that men from a cultural background which isn’t European are just as equal. They are just as powerful and have the same rights because the post-modern belief is that we are all equal. There is no cultural segregation in the post-modern world. Wiley is among the many “visual communicators [who] critically integrate concepts of pluralism” into their artworks to get this message across.

- AUT University. (2011). Academic Literacies in Visual Communications 2: Resource Book. New Zealand, Auckland: Lyceum Press

4. Wiley's work raises questions around social/cultural hierarchies in the sense that he diminishes the hierarchical lines present. He questions why we only see “white men” to be powerful and not “black men.” He reminds us that we have a “black” president which further emphasises that these lines are slowly diminishing for good. He challenges the stereotypical people from our society and makes them realise that we are no longer living in a day and age where the colour of your skin matters. As for the politics which govern a western worldview, well the politically correct would agree that gone are the days where everything was based on your racial background even things such as whether you deserved to live or die. We now accept that there are multiple cultures in today’s world. I think it also relates to colonisation in the sense that other people are also starting to follow and express his way of thinking about “black people” being just as important and powerful. It also relates to globalization as artists are following his lead around the world and placing the same trademark as Wiley is which is pluralism. The idea that we are all equal despite our skin colour.

5. I find that Wiley’s artworks “often blur the boundaries between traditional and contemporary modes of representation.” Just the poses he gets his models to do is so heroic yet historical. It is the type of pose you would expect a Lord to compose for his painter to portray. Yet the colours and backgrounds he uses are so post-modern and appealing to the eye. I also find Wiley to be a very “out-there” artist as he is expressing a questioned idea through his paintings. He really demands second glances from his audience with the ideas he is putting forward. It is unusual that young ‘thuggish looking’ men are portrayed in such a heroic manner which definitely raises some eyebrows. I truly admire his courage and just how brave he is to put forward such a strong idea.

- Wikipedia. (n.d). Retrieved August 6, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kehinde_Wiley

Hussein Chalayan

1.     1.  I find Hussein Chalayan’s ‘Burka’ to be more art than fashion. He challenges ‘ideas such as modesty, identity and feminity’ by presenting ‘models wearing different length burka inspired creations with nothing underneath them, with some of the model's being completely naked except for a mask and sandals.’ The garment is usually the main attraction in a runway show although in Chalayan’s case it was simply burkas and masks that was the ‘garment.’ When looking at these pieces you don’t think of whether you like the garment but you are more trying to depict what Chalayan is trying say with this piece. It isn’t something a buyer would purchase or any celebrity for that matter to wear to a red carpet event. The contyraversal piece Chalayan’s ‘Burka’ to me is more of a piece of art rather the next big thing in the fashion industry.

-Misanthrope. (n.d). Retrieved July 31, 2011 from

http://ilikecatsmorethanpeople.blogspot.com/2010/11/hussein-chalayan-burka-1996.html

‘Afterwords’ on the other hand something which I would label as fashion. This piece is unique and ‘showstopping’ even 11 years later. Chalayan is “renowned for his innovative use of materials.” Certain works such as Afterwords fall into the wearable arts category as Chalayan “explores the notion of wearable, portable architecture in which furniture literally transforms itself into garments.” This to me is fashion and fashion to me is garments which are made to amaze. Accessories which enhance your body shape and style. A garment which can be placed in the fashion category is something which will be the new current trend that the world will follow. Fashion isn’t something you would wonder about trying to figure out the meaning behind it but is more about the appreciation of the garment itself.

-Art Tattler.  (n.d). Retrieved July 31, 2011 from http://arttattler.com/designhusseinchalayan.html

2.      2.  By creating an installation piece which is purely for advertising purposes is still accounted as art for me. It doesn’t change the meaning of art for me either. Most art works are trying to present an idea Chalayan is also trying to convey an idea with The Level Tunnel. He is trying to “give the visitor a full body experience of the LEVEL vodka brand.” He is trying to present to his audience the idea and experience of this new product rather than say something about today’s society as most artists tend to do. By collaborating with a company it affected Chalayan’s work in the sense that he had to incorporate the promoting company. For eample in ‘Repose’ Chalayan had to incorporate “long strip of Swarovski Elements lit by LEDs.”

- Behance. (n.d). Retrieved July 31, 2011 from http://www.behance.net/gallery/The-LEVEL-Tunnel-(Absolut-Vodka-Hussein-Chalayan)/701114

- Swarovski. (n.d). Retrieved July 31, 2011 from http://brand.swarovski.com/Content.Node/ourinitiatives/fashion/hussein/Swarovski-Hussein-Chalayan-FINAL-Release.pdf

3. I think ‘postmodern art’ would be one. This film is postmodern because it explores technical ideas such as extracting cells from garments belonging to various women in order to “examine their DNA sequences.” I think this concept of ‘modern art’ inspired Chalayan to further evolve his ideas about his film so that it is as contemporary as his designs are.

I also find that ‘pop art’ played a role in influencing Chalayan’s film. “The Independent Group (IG), founded in London in 1952, is regarded as the precursor to the pop art movement. They were a gathering of young painters, sculptors, architects, writers and critics who were challenging prevailing modernist approaches to culture as well as traditional views of Fine Art. The group discussions centered on popular culture implications from such elements as mass advertising, movies, product design, comic strips, science fiction and technology.” I feel that this exact influence was what led Chalayan to explore so many different areas in art and design such as making this film.

-Wikipedia. (n.d). Retrieved July 31, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_art

-Hussein Chalayan. (n.d). Retrieved July 31, 2011 from http://www.husseinchalayan.com/#/art_projects.absent_presence.overview/

4. I think in fashion design it is ok if the designer didn’t personally make the garment without any help as Julia stated that it is “standard practise,” although I think the opposite when it comes to paintings. Fashion is an industry where there are secondary people who nearly have just as much input as the designer does, people such as the assistant designer or perhaps the sample machinist has a better way to go about making the perfect French seam. Paintings on the other hand I find to be very personall in the sense that you are usually creating a piece which expresses your own idea therefore you understand it the best. Also there is usually only one piece being produced rather than various samples like in fashion. I feel like there is no excuse for having a group of people work on an art work unless of course it a massive project or an installation then it would be unfortunate to only work by yourself. I also feel that it is important that when the artist has personally made an art work it coveys their idea better as like I said before only the artist fully understands the ideas you don’t expect an assistant to be on the exact page as the artist.