installation

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. 





Install for 10Days Winchester.

Here are a few images from the third and final canvas for 10days Chalk in Winchester. 
Yesterday was the installation for opening on Sat 10th Oct. With very little idea how these were going to look until they finally made it up on to the wall I had resigned myself to adding sections on site. 

Throughout the entire making process I had these 3m panels flat on the floor. Making it very difficult to fully see the work or understand the overall impact.



Along with the three large panels made to hang on the red brick wall originally an exterior wall within the Theatre. 
I also included some smaller test pieces and several 50x50 cm squares that I had initially worked through exploring how the chalk was reacting to the surface the differences between varnishes, matt mediums and egg. 

 Much like my exhibition at Siobhan Davies I wanted to keep the entire body of work together creating a narrative from start to finish throughout the space.


The second Canvas going up with the help from Spatz at the Theatre. Installation was complete within four hours my record time and I maintain that was down to the expert help and patience from Spatz who was a complete star from start to finish. 


These are taster images as I don't want to spoil the entire exhibition before it opens. 



I will be posting more images up in the next few weeks.
The Biennial opens on Saturday everyone is welcome. There will be a trail of openings  across the city starting at the gallery at Winchester College of Art. I will be at the theatre from 4pm where I will give a brief welcome and will be around for any questions afterwards.

 http://www.10dayswinchester.org/exhibitionlist





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. 

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 exhibiting 'Take your Time' at The Stone Space


Two years ago Sasha and myself contacted The Stone Space in Leytonstone with a proposal called 'The Winter Garden' after several changes to the date for various reasons we opened this installation in December 2014. With a slightly different title of 'Take you time'

The initial ideas came from a project we were working on called 'Lucid Space' back in 2012  for the Chelsea Fringe Festival but due to difficulties getting the design approved in time, It came to a halt and changed along the way.

With the idea on hold we managed to find a suitable space with the encouragement and   backing from the team at The Stone Space. https://thestonespace.wordpress.com

What we wanted to achieve was a quiet reflective space for passers by to stop, think or simply escape for a few moments and create an environment that would ignite the human senses.

Using fabric as the main body for the installation gave a soft fluid feel to the entire space and there was movement upon interaction. We hand dyed all the fabric with nettles collected from Epping forest as Leytonstone is very close to the edge of the forest. Sounds of bird song were recorded in the forest which was being played throughout the duration of the exhibition.
With the addition of freshly collected leaves scattered on to the floor combined with Sage and Lavender the scent began to fill the room. We had a bluebell spray made from the essence of English Bluebells misting the room to add to the sense of a woodland or garden.



Sketch book ideas and test samples 


Nettles collected and used for natural dying collected from Epping Forest.


Work in progress

Work in progress 



First day of installation beginning with a webbing system in order to hang the cones from the ceiling.





The exhibition was on for six weeks and closed throughout Christmas but remained a spectacle from the roadside. Even though, I would strongly encouraged any visitor to step inside and fully experience the space, from a purely visual point of view it also worked from simply walking by.

 I'm also including a blog post  wonderfully written by Silvia Krupinska during the exhibition and a big thank you everyone who left comments. Once you step away from a piece of work and leave it alone for a while it's always interesting to find out how it has been received so all the comments were greatly appreciated.
https://silviakrupinska.wordpress.com/tag/the-stone-space/




Opening night 

Exhibition at Arthouse1 October 2014


It's often said that simplicity requires a lot of hard work. In the case of our installation at Arthouse1 in Bermondsey Sasha and myself were setting up for about a week. 
A little longer than we both had expected but this particular exhibition required an exceptional attention to detail. We had decided to keep the ceramic works low to the ground in order for the audience to look at the work from a different perspective. 
I personally feel that a lot of galleries show work at eye level on plinths and it's too easy. It's a format we are all far too familiar with and it's not always the best way of really be able to focus on the work. 

Perpendicular opened on Thursday evening (9th October) after much help and assistance throughout from both Rebecca Fairman and Adrain Hicks. 

Here are a few images of the exhibition in natural daylight on the first day kindly taken by Adrian Hicks. 

www.arthouse1.co.uk




 Image taken by Adrian Hicks 2014


 Image taken by Adrian Hicks 2014


 Image taken by Adrian Hicks 2014

 Image taken by Adrian Hicks 2014


 Image taken by Adrian Hicks 2014

 Image taken by Adrian Hicks 2014


 Image taken by Adrian Hicks 2014



Image taken by Adrian Hicks 2014
Sasha is exhibiting two installations and a series of photographs that have been born from the installations themselves. Through the use of water, light and motion. 





These collaborative pieces titled Collection of five #1 and #2 comprise of small ceramic segments that sit along side Sasha'a photography. 
There is a strong synthesis between us both particularly through the use of mark making. 


Image Taken by Ben Winkley 2014 


Image taken by Ben Winkley 2014 

My two collections on show are titled Kuro and Shiro are looking at small intimate spaces that contain light. 
These objects are the complete opposite to Sasha'a works. They are dense, heavy and present within the space. 

There is a physical tactility to them and the process of making is evident within the traces and marks left either by my hand the tools or other processes I have undergone to achieve certain aesthetic qualities. 

Sasha's work is more transient it's continuously changing with movement, light and shadow. There is an illusion of something tangible but mark making has been created through an impermanant medium and there is an ethereal quality to the entire body of work showing here.

Perpendicular will be showing at Arthouse1 until 1st November 2014 
The gallery is open every Thursday-Sunday from 3pm - 7.30pm or by appointment 

Lines, Levels, Layers Installed.

Lines. Levels, Layers opened on Friday 18th July 2014 at Siobhan Davies dance in South London.


The week leading to this date was dedicated to the installation one of the hottest weeks to date this year. www.siobhandavies.com

 Day one was really taken up with painting and positioning the five shelves. There were to sit across four locations. 


 Location 1: The process wall 

 The purpose of this collection of images text and objects was to contextulise the body of work it's positioned in the parlour a space for gathering working or to take a moment.  
It was the perfect place to allow the visitor to quietly read through the material before embarking on the journey throughout the building. 

Lines: Positioned in the reception area.

This took a fair amount of time to lay out as it had to be perfectly positioned. 18 small rectangular containers hold every soil sample collected from Southwark. The precision to this piece was so important to the over all aesthetic quality. Ideas of order and chaos run throughout the exhibition. This installation had to mirror it's title and the relevance of the grid had to be prominent and this is conveyed through the perfect linear quality 




Drawn plans for Layers


Erik was at hand to help me all week this was the first panel to be mounted onto the wall on the 1st floor as part of Layers this space spans approx 6.5 m long this piece of work took an entire day to hang. Despite having four different hanging plans the layout did change during the process slightly. There was more overlapping that happened towards the centre and as we moved to the edge on the far end the panels needed a little more breathing space. 



Levels: This was the final piece of work laid out on Thursday afternoon. 

 Levels the second of the four installations and the purpose of this piece of work was to show  a clear break down of the materials, including a geological map a handling station with fired and unfired tests, small glass jars diluted with soil and water. Giving a clearer idea and understanding of colour before moving on to Layers 

 Mounted on to the wall are three boxes the first one shows found objects that have been extracted from the ground and soil during the collection process.
A wonderful collection of items ranging from London brick, bones, old soda or salt glazed ceramic fragments, glass, rusty metal screws and nails, roof tiles, broken shards of ceramic pipes... 

 The second box has been filled with soil collected from Peckham this has been left completely unprocessed and the third box is the same soil but sieved and watered down to a slip consistency. Over time the water residue will evaporate and this will begin to dry and possibly crack. 





The Handling Station gives the visitor the opportunity to handle the materials there's a combination of fired and unfired samples showing the transformation from clay soil to clay and also the dramatic change in colour. 
The bottles are filled with the same samples exhibited in Lines downstairs but have been diluted with water once again it shows the change of colour beginning to happen in preparation for Layers in the next room. 





Layers: Positioned on the 1st floor 

This is the first time you encounter the material that has been used as a drawing or mark making tool. Each piece of canvas has a distinct smell, texture, colour, tone to it. 
I think the only way to fully appreciate this particular piece of work is through experience. 

I wanted to keep this body of work tightly associated with the local area for many reasons. One it has lead to a more focussed enquiry but most importantly it was always about the entire Human Nature season at Siobhan Davies. A years worth of projects collaborations that have encompassed local groups such as the Mobile Garden in Elephant and Castle, the local schools planting for the living walls, the Mobile Meadow, walks in and around Southwark, Dance performances along the Southbank.

It also makes us look at what is below our feet, a material we all come into contact with every day but in most cases it's just ignored. 

Without soil nothing would grow. Gardens and green spaces would not exist. It's a simple acknowledgement to a material that provides us with such wonder. 



Pause being installed




The installation process began Monday 1st August in to Lady Margaret Hall's garden in Oxford.
After several weeks of slightly stressful organisation. Having to synchronise all the materials and machinery on site in order to begin work. I was surprised by how smoothly everything ran throughout the entire process with only a couple of minor hiccups. 

However, throughout this journey I have nothing but praise for all the companies and industrial contacts I have made. Everyone involved has been so supportive offering advice donating materials and showing a genuine interest in seeing this project through.

As the final design is installed in Oxford I wanted to involve local companies




Material sponsorship came from Tuckwells www.tuckwells.co.uk and Blanchfords www.blanchford.co.uk in the form of concrete for the foundations and cement, lime for the mortar.

It took a couple of days for the concrete to dry before the bricks could be laid which gave me a little more time to transport all the bricks from Ibstock in Bristol to Oxford. There were five palettes in total and the overall weight was approx 4 tonnes more than i had expected despite having done my calculations before the firing. This resulted in two separate journeys from Ibstock spread across three days.


Once all the bricks had arrived safely they needed to be placed in order of layer and number. This made the process alot easier when it came to laying the bricks. If you imagine every brick is completely different in size and shape it was very much like a life size jigsaw puzzle.



















Friday end of the first day of construction........... 
Darren, Pete and Dan of Creative Brickwork Oxford www.creativebrickwork.net


Monday 7th August
It was good to have a few days rest in order to allow the mortar to dry properly before adding more weight.
As I anticipated the open seating was fairly straight forward it was the secluded space that proved to as difficult to put back together as it was to build in the first place.
There are several bricks in the right hand curve with barely any base to support itself. Therefore a mini scaffolding system comprising of stacked bricks and little help from wire and mesh to hold these pieces in place long enough to dry.








 Here are some detailed sections within the design it was really important to me to have  continuity throughout the mortar. These strong lines which are integral to the piece had to be followed through. Fluidity has always been a main consideration from the very beginning of the research deriving from the large ink drawings.





The final piece my plan is to leave it a few weeks in order for the grass to recover and regrow and then begin to think about a small press launch.
It's a strange feeling I have lived with this project for over two years now it's finally reached it's destination and no one has seen it yet. It feels like a large scale secret waiting to be discovered!