art

Haptic/Tacit exhibition at the Leyden Gallery and The Old Fire Station, Oxford.



The opening paragraph from our introduction written by Bonnie Kemske


In October 2016 Haptic/Tacit opened at the Leyden Gallery for one week. http://leydengallery.com/haptictacit2
It was always our intention to have a short run for London and a longer run outside of London.

 Just as a reminder as my last blog post talking about this was back in April.

 Haptic/Tacit is a collective including five makers who met in 2013 on the Crafts Councils development programme Hothouse.

What we all have in common is an innate fascination with making and material language.
Some of us are bound through process or material others by concept or exploration.
This opportunity has enabled us to develop creative networks and to be able to involve our mentors or buddies from the programme to showcase these working partnerships.

Exhibitors

 Kim Norton http://www.kimnorton.co.uk
Laura Ellen Bacon http://lauraellenbacon.com

Jane Cairnes http://www.janecairns.co.uk
Annie Turner http://www.galeriebesson.co.uk/turner.html

Laura Grain http://www.lauragrain.com
Shelly Goldsmith http://shellygoldsmith.com

Tomas Appleton http://www.thosworks.com
Giles Macdonald http://www.gilesmacdonald.com

Grant Aston http://www.grantaston.com/#0
Bonnie Kemske http://www.bonniekemske.com

Install begins







Group discussion before opening 


Opening night 




We were given some Arts Council funding which enabled us to print an exhibition catalogue. 
We felt this was an important element to support the two exhibitions, as it helps to build a deeper understanding and greater insight into each partnership. The catalogue includes five conversations between each maker and mentor and touches upon elements around working practice that can't possibly be completely visible just by experiencing the work.

The key element that holds the catalogue together is Kimberley Chandler's essay called Material Talk. Looking at how we have come to work together and the importance of the collective voice. 
The conversations and dialogue we have ignited with Kimberley will continue in Oxford where you can hear us in conversation where Kimberley will be chairing the evenings event. 



Shelley Goldsmith


Laura Grain 


Giles MacDonald


Thomas Appleton 


Bonnie Kemske


Grant Aston


Laura Ellen Bacon


Kim Norton


Annie Turner 


Jane Cairns

Haptic/Tacit opens in Oxford on January 13th at the Old Fire Station and can be visited until March. 

During the exhibition we will be running a workshop and a Q&A. 
More information can be found on the website. please note although these events are free to attend tickets will still need to be booked in advance. http://www.oldfirestation.org.uk/exhibit/haptictacit/
The Old Fire Station, Oxford 

Setting off from Vanguard studios to pick Grant up.


We finally arrive after an epic six hour journey from London to Oxford the day of the train strike.


Day 2 of install we Laura and Giles.





The decals installed after much fear they maybe too large.



 Our catalogues ready for the opening Becki kindly made a shelf for them to be neatly displayed throughout the duration of the exhibition.


Giles MacDonald and Thomas Appleton


I changed my collection to scale it down slightly for the space. This was discussed with the gallery at the very beginning. Collection 2 was three renditions of brick ranging from the found object to fired and unfired porcelain creating small assemblages.

 Collection 3 was exhibited on grey slate instead of mirror glass showing a handmade rendition of the brick form in black and white. Made from porcelain and black clays the cracks and stresses reveal the making process and hi-light the evidence of my weight applied to the material.




Laura Ellen Bacon



Laura Grain and Shelley Goldsmith


Grant Aston showed different work in Oxford as his previous work was being exhibited overseas.


 Bonnie Kemske

Jane Cairns 
Jane remade this piece, changing the darker lines than ran through the work shown in London. 

Annie Turner 
Collaborative making workshop 




Jane and Grant ran a collaborative making workshop for adults one Saturday afternoon. 
The idea behind this was to get everyone thinking as a group. 
Architecture was given as a starting point as this lends itself to structural building methods, it immediately triggered ideas of scale.
Additional props such as wood, bamboo canes, string etc were used to help create a foundation and the clay could be introduced in and around that.

The exhibition






The Window

We were given the opportunity of having a dedicated window to introduce the exhibition from the gallery shop entrance. 
In order for this to have an impact we decided that CaCO3 was to be hung in two parts as it filled the entire space and is a piece of work that talks about material, scale and locality.
The chalk for this work was gathered from Sombourne chalk quarry in Hampshire. One of the last chalk quarries in the UK. 







The new Switch House, Tate Modern.





I finally made it to the new Switch House at Tate Modern designed by architects Herzog & de Meuron. My intention was to leave it a little while before visiting in the hope the crowds would subside. 
A late summer Sunday afternoon turned out to be the perfect time to visit. For anyone interested in materials, architecture or concrete this new extension is a real treat. As you enter the space from the Turbine room what immediately confronts you is the original wall scarred from it's former function. 
With the addition of the elegant concrete stairs you can't help but be blown away by the consideration and skill in construction that has taken place here. 



From the outside it is obvious to see the that the extension tapers in towards the top. Where a viewing platform can be experienced on the 10th floor.
Inside there are three main rooms curated according to subject each room has a dedicated floor. 

Between Object and Architecture
Performer and Participant
Living Cities
Artists Rooms Louise Bourgeois 

On the ground floor known as The Tanks there is a mix of film and installation. 
Here's one example. 


Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster Séance de Shadow II (bleu) 1998


Between Object and Architecture: 
I think it goes without saying that this was the room I had the most affinity with.
It's material led and the scale of most of the works stood beyond human scale. Showcasing the change of art and sculpture becoming more immersive.


Saloula Raouda Choucair, Infinite Structure, 1963-5 Tufa Stone.


Christina Iglesias, Pavilion suspended in room, 2005 Steel 



Tony Cragg


These rooms challenge the viewer, you have to work with some pieces and others force you to physically move beyond the usual standing position. 

I found it really inspiring, to see such a diverse range of interesting thought provoking work curated together. Creating a clear dialogue around work created during the 1960's. Minimalism was sweeping art, sculpture, music and architecture.
Art movements were crossing over and experimentation with the everyday object was becoming more prominent. 


Performance and Participant: 
Performance is something I often struggle with unless it immediately ignites an interest.
 
However, what I was immediately drawn to was this collection of works and body pieces worn by Rebecca Horn for her performance Icarus Redeemed 1970-73. 
The construction of these structures, the physicality involved whilst manoeuvring them and the elegance and flow captured in the series of photographs below. It has dance like quality to it. 

 

The final comment I want to make about my visit is the lattice style brickwork, constructed as part of the facade of the building, reminiscent of Indian brickwork to allow air flow and light. 
In this case I think it's simply for visual impact allowing light to gently glow into the interior walkways. Behind the bricks are glass windows that open and close encased between large concrete beams.
I also noticed that each brick stands on small pads positioned in each corner to hold them in place and also to avoid the use of mortar for a clean finish.

It's a stunning addition to an already breathtaking space. Bringing a focus to performance, live art and installation. During a time where it's so important to support the arts and culture and to bring about a greater understanding how this provides a truly contemporary international view of modern art. 





Chalk 10days Winchester 2015 work in progress

This is a quick update about the work I'm currently making for 10days Winchester opening in October.

 Since my last post I've managed to move it along slightly with one of the three large canvas panels almost finished. 

 After a conversation with Sasha this morning I'm still undecided about how the smaller test pieces will be hung in the space. I started photographing them outside in natural sunlight this afternoon and there are some interesting elements beginning to unfold, which has now made me think about lighting and possibly positioning them away from the wall in order to be able to see these details more clearly.

Chalk in three stages some of the process work will be on display along with some photography taken in  Sombourne chalk quarry.


As for the larger panels these are going to be hanging from the red brick wall but I can experiment with spot lights once the work in installed. It's something to consider and will give the white expanse a little more depth as the marks made through making will have a stronger resonance. 

10 Days Chalk 2015 Winchester Arts Biennial


Chalk: A white soft earthy limestone (calcium carbonate) formed from the skeletal remains  of sea creatures.

CaCO3

In October I'm showing a new piece of work called CaCO3 in Winchester for the Arts Biennial 10Days: Chalk 2015.

This can be seen in The Winchester Theatre Royal just one of the many venues hosting events exhibitions and performances across the city for the month of October - November.
http://www.10dayswinchester.org

I'm just in the process of gathering everything I need together to begin making so in the meantime here are a few images of some of the material tests I've been working on recently. 



These pieces of chalk were collected from just outside the train station in Winchester on my first visit to meet Kate Raines at the theatre to measure the space where the final works will be hung.

 It's pretty easy to find once you start to open your eyes. Chalk is very much part of Winchester's geological foundation but it will be interesting to find out how many people living in and around the city take notice of this material beneath them. 



Having collected some medium sized pieces of chalk to begin initial tests. It requires quite a lot of time and effort to crush it down into a workable state.


Here are the results of some of the tests to date. I'm also finding that different mixing mediums create contrasting finishes. Although the largest piece of canvas I've worked on so far is only 50 x 50 cm square I'm beginning to understand how far I can push it. Although, it's often a very different story once you scale it up to full size.





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  

Edge and Shore at Siobhan Davies Dance

On Friday 26th September Edge and Shore: Acts of Doing took place at Siobhan Davies Dance. 

This collaborative piece of exploratory work involved Helen Carnac a visual artist and dancer Laila Diallo. Together they have been looking at edges and boundaries.
This work was an extension of Side by Side (2012) initially a six week residency based around ideas of cross disciplinary making. 

During the afternoon two performances/ process presentations took place through a series of    movement, mark making, performance, communication and exploration. 

I arrived within the first 15mins and stayed throughout the two hours.
At the beginning of this piece I entered the top dance studio where large pieces of paper were laid out across the floor. 

In another corner was a cluster of different materials waiting to used in some way.




As an onlooker or viewer to this experience you were free to sit and observe from a distance or roam around the space as Helen and Laila were working through various processes, ideas, movements throughout the space. 
People were entering and leaving the studio throughout this time frame.

 The work was set up in such a way it wasn't necessary to sit down and watch in the same way we are often used to a conventional theatre setting. This wasn't a piece of theatre it felt very much like an insight in to a contemporary collaborative practice.  

 Where ideas were unfolding through the act of doing. 

 There were moments as the viewer that you felt that you were involved in something quite precious. 
I can only liken it to being observed within your own studio during periods where you are immersed in problem solving and the work is unresolved.




As time passed the work felt as though it was building in momentum, movements became more energised. Mark making at times became more fraught the sounds of working became slightly louder and everyone looking on became quieter. 

 I found the entire afternoon fascinating to see how two people work together with very little verbal communication but it was also clear to see that much communication was taking place through subtle changes in working methods and the rhythm of layering, gathering, tearing... 

 More work can be seen at http://edgeandshore.wordpress.com