Haptic-Tacit

Haptic:  Relating to the sense of touch, in particular relating to the perception and manipulation of objects using the senses of touch and proprioception


Tacit: Understood or implied without being stated

These two key words are for the title of two group exhibitions involving 
Myself, Jane Cairns, Thomas Appleton, Laura Grain and Grant Aston. 

www.kimnorton.co.uk 
http://www.janecairns.co.uk/ 
http://www.thosworks.com/ 
http://www.lauragrain.com/ 
http://www.grantaston.com/#0 

 Together we are working towards two exhibitions starting in 2016 following through to 2017.

 We all met on the Crafts Council development programme Hothouse in 2013. 
http://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/what-we-do/hothouse/

This programme has given us a strong peer group connection that has continued to flourish long after we finished.
 Our motivation behind this initial idea is to be able to make work that we wouldn't normally have the opportunity to explore and to be able to work on our own terms.

During these two events we are planning some networking events and possibly a Q&A


More to follow in the next few weeks. 

Week 2: Compositions with Objects.

Last week I started looking at the relationship between some of my smaller ceramic objects originally through the use or instruction of a particular word and some of the found objects that have been given to me or collected by myself. 

This week i'm extending this exploration to a series of porcelain objects originally matched up with Sasha's photography shown last year in Arthouse1. http://www.arthouse1.co.uk

Whilst I'm working on this smaller scale I'm always considering how these structures could be scaled up. 

The collection of five images below have been taken from every angle or rotating the porcelain piece around in order for me to understand the points of contact between the objects or surfaces. There are resting points here, some fit more comfortably than others. The porcelain piece has two distinct surfaces one side is glazed and the other is untouched from being wrapping in it's bag. There are varying thicknesses throughout the slice and it's possible to get a sense of that as there are small areas that the light reflects through. Another point of interest here is the space that is created in-between the two objects where light and shadow come into play. 

Here by contrast I'm looking at how the porcelain objects fit into brick and contains it.
There is a more intimate connection here where light shadow and space does not exist between the two. 

New compositions with objects.

This is really a continuation from Traces of Making. The ceramic objects initially made by myself and a selection of friends helping me along this line of experimentation where each object has been made from a simple instruction of one word. 

By giving these unmarked balls of clay to other people to interpret, when they return I am able to examine the subtle differences or similarities without making assumptions based on my own knowledge of the material. However, these have been sitting in a crate waiting for the right opportunity to move this research and develop a new collection of work. 

So! I've gathered all the found objects that have also been slowly accumulating in the studio over time and looking at how or whether these made objects have any relationship with the found objects. 

Most of the brick remnants have been given to me by two friends in Oxford often finding their way into my possession from the Norfolk coast. 

It occurred to me that I have a growing selection of materials sitting around and most of them have come from the ground in some way. Chalk is the most recent addition to this I have a bag of coal, slate, brick and my increasing fascination with geology ultimately means that they all have this connection.

Over the next few weeks I intend to continue with the photography and add to these assembled compositions to see where it takes me. 

Kettle's Yard Cambridge

Bank holiday weekends are always the perfect time to leave london and have a day out. We hopped on a train to Cambridge 45mins from Kings Cross we had arrived in the beautiful city of Cambridge. 

Kettle's Yard was our first destination after a hearty lunch. I've seen so many images of Kettle's Yard and had never been before so when we arrived we certainly were not disappointed. http://www.kettlesyard.co.uk

Having walked down a narrow walkway you are confronted with St Peter's church on the right and the gallery on the left. The house is straight in front and a small queue of people waiting outside as there is a limitation on how many visitors are allowed in at any one time.  

You enter the house through an old wooden door and the staircase is immediately on your left this space then opens out into a perfectly formed reading room and dining area, nestled in the corner with a small bedroom and bathroom at the end of the house. 

The placement of objects, prints, paintings, flowers and furniture is very much how the house was when Jim and Helen Ede had lived there.
Jim was a curator at Tate in the 1920's and the house is filled with artists works he collected such as Ben Nicholson, Henry Moore, Miro, and Lucie Rie.  

It was also refreshing to be encouraged to sit down on the many chairs scattered throughout the house. As the rooms were meant to be seen from a sitting position. 

As you climb the stairs to the first floor again you are presented with a lounge area with a piano and seating space next to a large window and a huge painting hanging on the wall at an angle that follows the line of the wall itself. 

There's an abundance of plants and greenery dedicated areas floodlit with natural sunlight where the plants are clustered together. The entire space has an instantly welcoming feel to it. 

Despite the fact it is a gallery that happens to be within a domestic setting. It feels as though Jim and Helen have just momentarily popped out.

As you walk down some steps there is the most unexpected transformation to the space. In 1970 the extension to this house was completed. Architecturally it is reminiscent of it's time, the space is light and airy, cleverly divided revealing different views as you walk though the rooms. Minimal in it's construction with clean linear structures creating and dividing the space. 

Kettles Yard is shortly going to be closed from the 22nd June 2015 for two years due to redevelopment work to open a cafe, and education centre and expand the gallery area.
I will definitely pay another visit upon it reopening in 2017.

Back to the fields Camden Arts Centre

A couple of weeks ago I paid a visit to Camden Arts Centre to see the current exhibition showing there.

Back to the fields by Ruth Ewan www.camdenartscentre.org

In one room, floodlit with sunshine the sound of water and the scent of growth I was confronted with an abundance of large trees, some in bloom others simply looking lush and green. Along side these huge structures was an awe inspiring collection of objects, raw materials and tools. 

This exhibition is based around the French Republican calendar. The calendar was introduced in 1793 and was abolished in 1806. 

The structure of time relating to the calendar consisted of twelve months, each month was 30 days long, there were three weeks in each month and one week was 10 days. I've included a link to a conversation with Ruth Ewan talking about the exhibition in more detail. It's well worth a look! I had very little idea about the French Republican calendar and it's contexulised By Ruth so eloquently.

http://www.camdenartscentre.org/whats-on/view/gpe-03

The collection of objects, plants, seeds, trees, materials such as Slate, limestone, marble, fruit, etc 

represent each day within the Republican calendar. Each month is labelled with a colour and within that month is a collection of 30 artifacts.  

Snow: 6 = Lava 26th December  7 = Topsoil 27th December  8 = Manure 28th December 

Snow: 12 = Clay 1st January  13 = Slate 2nd January  15 = Rabbit 4th January  16 = Flint 5th January 

I'm going to be back in Camden Arts on Thursday and look forward to see how or whether the space has changed much. Some of the plants were in flower and the trees were flourishing within the room but I do expect it to look slightly different on my return.

My Second Visit… 

19th March 2015 

Today I met with my friend Susan to take a look at Back to the Fields.
It wasn't such a bright day compared to my previous visit but I could definitely see a transformation in the room. The trees had grown and the space seemed to have filled out as the branches had spread and opened out. 
The quality of light within the gallery had also changed. It's noticeable to see from my images today. There is a distinct element of set focus captured. 

Fog: 5 = Goose 26th October 

Having had the opportunity to revisit the space also allowed me to focus on certain objects I may have overlooked initially. There is so much to see but I was able to absorb the smaller details, for example how certain objects had been shown. Seeds that had been simply laid directly on to the floor and others displayed in small glass jars.   

I look forward to seeing what Ruth Ewan comes up with next as I found this piece of work a true inspiration. 


Third visit

28th March 2015

My third and final visit before the exhibition closes on Monday. 
We arrived to find that there was a petting zoo to represent the days of the month named after animals.

Goat = 5th March 
Pig = 25th November 
Goose = 26th October 
Horse = 26th September 
Duck = 24th May

Which was pulling quite a crowd 

 As we headed upstairs to the gallery once again I saw a difference in the plants growth and most importantly found out that my birthday was the day of the onion! 

However, on a more serious note…  with each and every visit I've noticed something new or   a different thought triggered regarding the calendar and the structure of time.   

I think what interested me most of all was the emphasis and importance placed upon horticulture, art, and music along side the rational nature of time's structure. When you enter the gallery space what immediately faces you is something of beauty and wonder. This exhibition is multi layered and it leaves you questioning, thinking and imagining time existing at a completely different pace.  

Rain: 15 = Cow 3rd Feb  17 = Lichen 5th Feb 

Germinal: 13 =Morel 2nd April   15 = Bee 4th April   16 = Round Lettuce 5th April  

Perpendicular's ceramic pieces and photography for Arthouse1

As one exhibition sadly ends at Siobhan Davies another opens in a couple of weeks time at Arthouse1 in Bermondsey, London.

In my last post I talked about adding more images of work that will be shown in the exhibition and since then the kiln has been on pretty much continuously. I still have four or five more firings to squeeze in before completion but it's definitely coming together. 

I will be showing a series of black and white pieces along side Sasha's installations and photography. 

Sasha is working and developing a series of site specific works so I can't really show the installations at this stage until we begin to install next week. 

But here's a peek at some of the photographs and my ceramic objects.

Perpendicular at Arthouse1

In just over 6 weeks time Perpendicular my collaborative work with Sasha will be exhibited at Arthouse1 in Bermondsey London. 

This beautiful airy white space belongs to Rebecca Fairman and is dedicated to showing works of emerging and established artists. 
www.arthouse1.co.uk 

Last week we both visited to make final decisions for the curation. Each piece of work has been made or specifically designed for the space so every small detail has to be considered in advance. 

We have been exploring light, shadow, and small spaces through the medium of ceramics, photography and installation. 

The exhibition opens on Friday 10th October 2014 - 1st November 2014 
The Private is Thursday 9th October 6.30 - 8.30pm 

I will be posting more images of work in progress over the next few weeks leading up to the opening.