Author: Adrian

In this last week, we have been challenged to create our own brief based on what we’ve enjoyed working on so far. I really enjoyed the space and site interventions, while meshmixing wasn’t really my thing. Looking back through my blogs, I took away a handful of ideas:

• Create one-minute sculpture sketches for people in my bubble to interpret
• Hold a soup kitchen or other public food event
• Reinterpret a scene with fake food made from everyday objects
• Install a fake food item on a supermarket shelf

I’d like to create a work that emulates our non-lockdown reality, or challenges the idea of what a sculptural action should look like.

Brief Title: Verisimilitude ‘Real Life‘

Introduction: Allen Ruppersberg is an American Conceptual Artist, his site specific work “Al’s Cafe” stood out to me. He developed a surreal menu to serve customers such as “Toast and Leaves”, “Al’s Burger” – composed of Sky, Land, and Water, and the “Patti Melt” – a photo of singer Patti Page covered in toasted marshmellows. The customers would then be given an equally bizarre receipt. He later made a surreal “Al’s Grand Hotel”.

Matt Stromberg, “Allen Ruppersberg, a Conceptual Artist in Love With The Physical World”, Hyperallergic, 27th March 2019, https://hyperallergic.com/492121/allen-ruppersberg-intellectual-property-hammer-museum/

• 

• 

• 

• 

Provocation: I would like to explore a relationship between our usual non-lockdown life and our current conditions. How can I involve others without breaking lockdown rules? How can I ‘feed’ the world around me like Ruppersberg when food cannot be served? I would love to be do something performative that has a public audience, but how will I do this in Level 3?

Material/Process: Rather than feeding people, I’d like to feed nature, so bird food, crumbs and sugar water are some important materials. In terms of set up, emulating a pre-lockdown restaurant table would require cutlery, a tablecloth, glassware and obviously a table. I will also use my phone to capture the work.

Presentation: This work will be temporary, I will film and photograph it to capture the work, and post these to my blog.

The Idea

After a bit of thinking, I realised I wanted to combine two major ideas. The ‘cafe’ sculpture combined with Wurm’s one minute sculptures to create an “animal cafe”. The restaurant setting can be played out through the use of body rather than bringing out furniture. I have three participants to work with, so will draw a position for them to hold until an animal feeds from them. Seeds for the birds, sugar water for bees and crumbs for ants, the posers will become the restaurant.

• 

• 

• 

• 

The posers did very well and held their positions excellently. It was very interesting to see how people interpreted the poses from the sketches. We had success in feeding the ants, however there were no bees around and the birds weren’t interested while people were nearby, so we sprinkled some on the grass for them and left them to it.

I think this was a successful experiment and a really fun way to combine the work I was most interested in. I would have liked to do this work outside of lockdown (I’m sure we all would) and done a project involving the public for more interpretations of poses.

Stephen Mcmennamy

Mcmennamy’s works named “ComboPhotos” use digital collage to create wacky surrealist images. His work is very similar to assemblage, but focused more on images than 3D objects.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Mcmennamy started his career in advertising which developed into a hobby of photo manipulation. By splicing familiar objects together, he is able to create a new and unusual image, very much like our 3D modelling work developing familiar objects into an unfamiliar form.

Stephen Mcmennamy Portfolio http://www.s-mcmennamy.com/#intro

Adam Harvey

Harvey is an artist interested in how digital tools have been developed for facial recognition and surveillance purposes. His work involved the digital and real world manipulation of people’s faces and bodies to become unrecognisable to intelligent surveillance software.

“The American artist discovered that by applying paint in a contrasting color to your skin tone at points where the planes of your face intersect—nose, forehead, eyes—you can effectively foil the predominant facial-identification technology, which relies on color shading and patterns to pinpoint a facial identity.”

Chloe Malle, Makeup in the Age of Surveillance, Garage Magazine, February 16th 2020, https://garage.vice.com/en_us/article/bvgdzv/under-cover

Although the final result of this art work is not in a digital format, the development of it was. Harvey had to manipulate and collage facial features in 3D modelling software to develop this form of art. He’s also used this knowledge to develop technology in conflict zones that disrupt data and create synthetic data.

• 

• 

• 

Use his interactive modelling map here: https://exposing.ai/

Emily and I have decided to do a collaborative exhibition in Art Steps. We have learnt to navigate the Meshmixer program together and want to continue this learning collaboration into the Art Steps environment. We have chosen to display our works on different sides of the exhibition, coming together in a collaborative work that people can walk through. This tunnel is composed of two halves with subject matter from each of our meshes. After exiting the tunnel, visitors can turn left to visit my work or right to visit Em’s.

Or at least this was the plan…. When it came to uploading to Art Steps, we encountered an issue. The maximum file size is 4MB, this tunnel file…. was 235MB. Even when trying to reduce the polygon count, there was no chance of it being below this 4MB limit.

Okay, New Plan: To share the 3D model on the blog (the media file upload limit is just bigger than the file) and add the smaller sculptures into the Art Steps Walkthrough…. except all of my sculptures were too big (even the ‘small’ ones).

It is likely I am overlooking an easy solution, but my lack of tech smarts means my new New Plan is to simply add them to my blog for now, and beg James to help me work out how to get the files under 4MB for an ArtSpace layout.

Update: Even after reducing polygon count and slicing the work up into small chunks of under 4 MB to piece together in artsteps, the final result was about 50 tiny pieces that were nearly impossible to get in their original formation. I would have loved to display the work in this exhibition space, but it simply was not practical with the size of this file.

Collaborative work between Emily and Adrian

As I slowly get the hang of meshmixer, I find new things to get frustrated with. I’ve managed to get more objects, but found the sites I used crashed regularly over the weekend, or were only offering .rar files, which cannot be accessed by meshmixer. I managed to download 12 objects.

I then used these to create the below assemblages.

When James told us we’d be moving to a digital platform for our assemblages, I was one of those people thinking “I can’t do computers”. Mesh Mixer is the program we’d be experimenting with, and while the instructions sounded easy enough, I was in way over my head.

I faced countless frustrations and challenges trying to get this to work for me. Initially, I downloaded all my objects and had high hopes, but couldn’t open them in Mesh Mixer. The files were grayed out to say they were incompatible with the platform. My only option was to use the limited selection on the program and try again with the downloads the next day,

This morning in our studio class, Harriet reassured me that she had also had issues with some object downloads, along with some other members of the group. Taking their tips about which websites are more reliable and where to download the files to, I was finally able to get some usable objects.

• 

• 

• 

Here I’ve managed to manipulate orientation, size, proportions and managed to merge some objects together. I also worked out how to duplicate items. I’m still learning my way around this and this simple mix is a big learning curve for me. I still can’t get the objects to become one object but I’m sure I’ll find that tutorial eventually!

Using our initial experiments and new research, we were tasked to develop some new assemblages. Below are some of my developments.

Unfortunately my partner and I had a stomach bug over the weekend and we weren’t able to commit as much time to these developments as we’d hoped, but I think the process was successful.

Eddie Clemens

I was directed towards Clemens by Ziggy as I experimented with a broom in this week’s explorations. Clemens has used brooms in his works combined with fibre optics to create glowing bristles. I really liked this piece and chose to look at other works of his too. Clemens works tend to involved hanging or installing works on the wall with materials that droop.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Betye Saar

Saar works with collage and combines flat images with sculptural elements. She makes work based on her family and shared black history, discussing slavery, the occult, shamanism etc. Working from old faded photos and pieces of fabric passed down, Saar calls these objects ‘relics’. She uses these to then build her works from. In ‘Black Girl’s Window’, she discusses the ability to look both outwards and inwards through glass, suggesting the work is looking out at the viewer. I really like that she has combined many different parts of her identity and heritage in the formation of her works.

Alder, Esther, MoMA, “Art and Artists: Betye Saar”, 2019, https://www.moma.org/artists/5102

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Daniel Spoerri

Spoerri creates “snare-pictures” which is a collection of silverware, glasses and plates post-mealtime. He secures the objects to the table or a board for display on a wall. He then records the work by mapping the table and including a written recount of his experience with the tableware. Another interesting work he has done is a lithograph print of every page of his passport, however this isn’t an assemblage so I have chosen not to include it.

Tate, “Daniel Spoerri”, Accessed 1st October 2021, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/daniel-spoerri-1979

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

This week, we are challenged to create assemblages of materials sculptures. The goal is to assemble objects into new forms, taking apart and putting together pieces to create a sculpture. Today we were instructed to focus on junctions or the connections between materials. We will then use these experiments to develop work later in the week.

I found it easiest to consider the verb list again while creating. I had all my materials gathered then needed to work out how to assemble them, so words like ‘stack’, ‘balance’, ‘hang’ etc helped with this.

Assemblage One

• 

• 

An unusual bringing together of objects, relying on each other to hold their position. I prefer the second angle, I feel like it gives more context to the audience, however the busy background distracts from the assemblage.

Assemblage Two

• 

Composed of old rusting trampoline springs hooked together, with the addition of an artificial flower stem, the final result looks like a sad bouquet. This is why I decided to hold it this way.

Assemblage Three

• 

• 

With the verbs of ‘stack’ and ‘balance’ on my mind, I took game pieces and cards which are designed for stacking. This assemblage result was simple and a little underwhelming but an interesting experiment.

Assemblage Four

• 

• 

I was handling this netting to brainstorms ways to interact with it and noticed the way it puts pressure on skin. I was excited to see what else I could squeeze through the netting. Materials I considered were jelly and toothpaste, as they have the right consistency, but I didn’t have jelly on hand. Here is my experiment with toothpaste, and I hope to experiment with jelly later.

Assemblage Five

During my making process, I wanted to focus in on the connections. My connections so far have been through just touching or holding each other. In this piece I experiment with a connections that is more secure or has a lasting impact on the material. I took sewing machine needles and forced them through a plastic container. Each needle was a different width and experienced different resistance during the puncturing connection. I then used twine to entangle the pieces, the twine being obsolete given that the needles were securely embedded in the plastic. I liked exploring these connections, both with purpose and without one.

Assemblage Six

• 

• 

• 

• 

My final experiment involved an old broom that had been rotting outside and some beads. I threaded the beads onto the bristles of the broom. This created a connection that was not secured in any way, but while in this orientation, gravity would keep them in place. I tried my best to space them evenly across and backwards through the bristles.

Reflection

I think my experiments were successful. By exploring many different connections with a range of materials I was able to make some interesting assemblages. I think by exploring these connections, I can use multiple different types in one piece to create an unstable and temporary result. In the next stage, I would like to increase the number of materials and types of connections in each assemblage. This is because I think my two to three material assemblages I made today are a little simple.

Reading One

“Art Beyond Representation : The Performative Power of the Image” by Barbara Bolt was our first piece of required reading. I was relieved that we only had to tackle the introduction because it was a very complicated work. The idea is simple – at some point a work crosses the boundary of representation into performance. The work stops being a representation of life and is formed into a performance of life unfolding. The discussion however, was far from simple. I really struggled to get through the jargon of the text and even upon finishing the text, realised I still didn’t quite understand the theory being discussed.

Although this was an interesting read, I much preferred our second text which was far more comprehensible.

Reading Two

“The Interventionists : Users’ Manual for the Creative Disruption of Everyday Life” discusses the ways in which artists stage their interventions. The artists are divided into categories relating to their art practice – ‘Nomads’, ‘Reclaim The Streets’. ‘The Experimental University’ and ‘Ready to Wear’. Then, they deep dive into each category discussing the artists relevant to it and their interventions. I really liked this text as it was very readable and provides visual examples of the work. The relationship between our studies and the text are clear and helped me to find artist models for my own work.

Artist Research

New York artist Michael Rakowitz is a ‘Nomad’ interventionist, defined as Artists who produce work that encourages individual autonomy by The Interventionists Users’ Guide. I was intrigued to research this artist from the hand out because of the bodily involvement. The 1998 work “Parasite” provided an inflatable shelter to homeless, filled with the outgoing air from ventilation systems of nearby buildings.

• 

• 

• 

I really liked this project for it’s coexisting causes – to intervene with a space but also to protest and raise awareness around homelessness. Furthermore, his practice is sustainable, being made from recycled plastic bags. To me, this project is more of an act of kindness than an art project, as he spent hours designing and building personalised shelters for every homeless person he spoke with.

“…my mentor Krzysztof Wodiczko talks about the bandage as a metaphor for the kind of work that we do. A bandage can simultaneously heal and broadcast. It heals a wound but it also broadcasts something that’s unacceptable. Philosophically, if we’re going to talk about an idealistic perspective on society, people should not have bandages because they should not have wounds. I insist on continuing to make the bandage, because the problem is only getting worse.” – Interview with Rakowitz

Julia Ingales, “paraSITE: the bandage over the normadic wound”, Archinet Features, 27th May 2016

Today’s task took us from an inside ‘space’ intervention to an outside ‘site’ intervention. We were tasked to create 3-5 interventions that wouldn’t have the same impact without the site context. Under Alert Level 3, the site needed to be within the property. I utilised as many outdoor areas I could.

Intervention One

Working with Emily in my bubble, we created a series called “No Playing”. We used chalk on the play area in Em’s backyard to enforce rules that wouldn’t usually be in place in a private play space.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

With this series we chose to impose an adult authority on a kids space. The intervention interrupts the space as it contradicts what is supposed to happen in these spaces. Without the context of this being a private tree house play area, this may not have had the same impact. Public places wouldn’t be able or want to enforce these frivolous rules.

Playgrounds currently cannot be accessed due to Covid-19 so a private play space would be the only option for many kids, making these interventions unnecessary and almost cruel.

Intervention Two

We were really enjoying the experiments with chalk and we decided to make the next intervention using chalk as well. The trampoline inspired us to create a clock. By drawing the numbers on and placing sticks at our current time, the trampoline had the final appearance of a clock face.

• 

• 

• 

This intervention was very site specific, but furthermore time specific. This clock is non functioning and with the sticks in place will forever tell the time of 12:08, making it correct only twice a day. We decided not to move the ladder that was lying on it or clean up the leaves. This further specifies the work to this site. The ‘5’ is interrupted by the ladder and if this clock face were made on another surface, the ‘5’ would look broken up without the context of what is interrupting the number.

Intervention Three

Moving to the front of the house, my next intervention was on the driveway. Using chalk, I laid down a ‘parking space’. I then gave the rest of the driveway broken yellow lines, indicating that the rest of the driveway was a no parking zone.

• 

• 

This intervention is nonsensical in the context of the site. A driveway is private property and therefore the residents can park wherever on that driveway they’d like. By imposing a public parking management system, I am forcing the site to exist as private property under public rules.

Observations

I found this brief easier to create for. With the extra time and the expanded area to work in, I was able to execute my ideas. I really liked working with chalk, especially when walking out the next day to discover everything had washed away with the rain overnight. It really reinforced the idea of site specificity as it only existed temporarily in a certain spot.

I would have loved to intervene with some public spaces if we were out of Level 3, as I would have been curious to see how the public interacts with strange site installations.