Bill Riley

Today we heard from Bill Riley who regards himself as a painter, who does not really like painting at all. He feels as though film 'does it better'. Riley likes to push his work, and asks himself what other processes and materials can be used to influence what the audience/viewers see, feel or experience.

After the lecture we went to the Te Tuhi gallery in Pakuranga and viewed an exhibition called "Modern Science". I found it extremely interesting to see what has been regarded as modern science. I found most of the pieces were moving image, shown with projectors and televisions. Even though I was enjoying the show, I could not help but think "why are we here?, This has nothing to do with Bill Riley's work" It was not until I got home after the gallery visit that I realised the show did connect to Riley, and quite well.

The exhibition was about pushing boundaries and stepping outside the known lines of the particular practice. Alex Monteith was one of the artists showing her work, she had a five channel piece of air force trick planes, practicing their routine over the beautiful countryside. The cameras were assembled on the back of the planes so you could see behind each plane, and the tracks that were being left by the smoke. This created an amazing effect, when the first plane was out in front creating a formation where the other four planes followed there was a layering effect in each screen, all different to the other ones. Similar to the work of Riley. Rileys' layering technique is done by casting paint onto a large sheet of glass, letting the paint dry until it is flexible enough to pull off in a big sheet, he then cuts it to the desired shape or form.

The point I'm trying to get as it Riley is a painter who paints in a non-painterly way. He still uses the mediums of a painter, but the processes he uses are different. His work and the way he makes it, is a 'modern science' in itself.

Fran Allison

Today we had Fran Allison come and talk to us about her practice as an artist and her collaborative work with a group called 'Weeds'. A collaboration is where you work jointly, especially in literacy or artistic production. Allison is a jeweller who, along with three others, formed a collaborative art group called Weeds.

Collaborations are becoming more frequent in artistic disciplines, they are sometimes seen as a production line of art, as inplied by the essay 'Production Lines' by Irit Rogoff (www.collabarts.org).

I think that working in a collaborative art practice could have some major upsides. The idea of a group of minds coming together to brainstorm for one project seems like it would have a far better chance at coming up with the most amazing ideas, rather than just one person. A group of artistic minds is always better than one singular one. Allison spoke of a collaborative group called 'Workshop 6' this group sounds to me like the royals of collaborative art thinking. In 2003 Workshop 6 has an exhibition called Tin Years to symbolise their ten year anniversary of the collaboration. This symbolises how well a collaborative group can work together to produce some beautiful works.

Working in a collaborating group would definately extend your practice and broaden your knowledge of the specific area you are working in. I would like to be able to regard myself as a designer, as that is the discipline I want to pursue. I wonder if being a designer I could work in a collaborative group? The more I think about it, it becomes more obvious that I always will be. Once finished this degree and I have a job as Graphic Designer (hopefully) I will be working for clients and addressing their needs. I will have to work with the clients, other designers and the company I work with. (One day my own :D)

Working in a business where you are completing jobs for clients, you will always be working in a collaborative group. Mechanical Enginners for example, work with the designer, the enginneer, the client, the testing companies, and all sort of other groups of people. Therefore automatically making them (or yourself) part of a collaborative group.

Richard Orjis "More photographs in the world than their are tricks"

When I think of high culture, the first that comes to mind is money, and that in order to have a piece of high culture art you need to be so filthy rich that you do not know what to spend your money on anymore. Stereotypically, a bald, dumpy man. Smoking a cigar. With his cosmetically enhanced trophy wife latched on to his left arm. I believe that High Culture arts are usually literature and visual arts, mostly paintings. The older works, that date back to the ancient Greeks, Romans, Egyptians et cetera, seem to be the most sought after works in High Culture. The ideas of ancient art works and wealth seem to go hand in hand with one another.

Pop culture on the other hand seems to be the art that fits in with the times. To me pop culture is a never ending, ever changing cycle. When I was ten the pop culture was the Backstreet Boys, Tights with a foot strap and a fluorescent pink scrunchy, now its the skinny jeans, hip-hop music and sleek straightened hair. Pop culture is also what the person finds interesting to their self. In today's lecture, Richard Orjis spoke about a magazine, I believe it was by Andy Warhol called Interview magazine. This magazine focused on pop culture. Basically made for you to rip out the pages you wanted, and to dispose of the rest.

The pages being ripped out would change, depending of the movement of pop culture at the time. Also by ripping out the page that attracted you makes the piece of art personal to you as you are singling it out from all the other works in the magazine. this is a representation of what you enjoy and take inspiration from.

With the work that we saw from Orjis' collection i would think of his work at popular culture. I think this because of the photographs he has taken look like they belong in a fashion editorial or used for advertising in a magazine, in saying that I do not want you to think his work is of a poor standard, because it truly is not. His photographs has a darkness about them which are truly exquisite and really show off his talents as a "photographer who likes to be fictional" Orjis' works have a certain darkness to them, which stems from his Roman catholic background. He works with Religion mixed with Pop Culture, which reiterates my idea of relating Orjis' art to pop culture. Grant spoke about how the materiallity of the images is important. Orjis' work is dominated with black, which absorbs all light, so everything is present but invisuble. Which is a rather intersting thought. What is in the work that we do not see? Intricate deatiling? Hidden Meanings? Subliminal messages?

Even though I see Orjis' work as pop culture, and think it would work well in an editorial magazine. I also think it would fit well into a gallery, and could be regarded as High Culture because of the dark feeling it has to it.

Rebecca Hobbs

Today our Bachelor of Visual Arts, year one leader came and spoke to us about her practise, Photography, and how she uses a technique of developing ideas, to further her practise and to push her work up to that next level.

Idea development plays a major role in my practise, and something I have only begun to start taking seriously. Through my last two years of Secondary School, and now in my first year at University of Auckland, I have been told by my teachers and lecturers that I need to go more in depth with my work. Whether it be in art design, theory based subjects or in my practise at university. This is the main reason I use idea development.

By using idea development, not only does it allow me to go more in depth with my ideas and responses, but it also pushes me to break the constraints I have set in place for myself. Like Hobbs, I choose to use a brainstorm method to try and source key words from my initial idea. It helps to create more options for me to play with when resolving my work.

I feel research is extremely important in an art practise. Although it is important to come up with your own ideas, it is also good to research artists with similar interests. Not only will that artists work be interesting to look at it can help to inspire your own ideas and designs. I constantly find myself looking at designers and anonymous street artists. David Carson, Neville Brody, Stefan Sagmeister, Banksy, Faile, Paula Scher and the list goes on.

I think that research is important to Hobbs. Today she talked to us about the path she takes when researching her work. She talked about how she liked to generate the idea of a family tree or whakapapa when doing her research. Finding the Grandparents, parents, siblings et cetera of the central idea. This was the research can stem out and branch off to many new ideas, which can help extend further practise.

Like Hobbs I find myself going off on wild tangents, one thing I find difficult with these is keeping them under control. Hobbs says to "always be critical" and ask "how does this relate to my idea".

I find the 'x-factor' in researching my favourites artists work. I find that my researching artists with similar tastes to my own, I can produce work that I feel is of a high standard. Which for me, and i am sure others as well, is quite difficult as I am my own biggest critic.

Bepen Bhana

Bepen Bhana told us he came from a design background and that students work is often influenced by their tutors, he also talked about artists that were of interest to him. During Bhanas lecture we watched an episode of The Apprentice UK, where the task was to try and sell as many art works of an up and coming artist. I really enjoyed watching this, not only because i am a reality TV freak! But also because it talked about the art sales, and the way they were being sold. The main issues of this task were what the teams chose to exhibit and the way they went about marketing the art, neither of which were done very successfully which showed in the profits made.

The two teams, Stealth and Eclipse, chose the work that was most aesthetically pleasing to them, not necessarily the ones that were cheapest or most likely to sell. Which probably was not the wisest decision. The idea of the task or 'challenge' was to see who could sell the most works and make a profit. I think the teams missed the point completely. By choosing aesthetically pleasing pieces the work was able to be appreciated but many viewers could not afford to buy it. The teams should have chosen the works that they thought would sell the best, in terms of price and the reality of them being hung up in homes and work places. The lip gloss series by Elizabeth Hoff, (www.elisabethhoff.com) were expensive and eccentric, the colours, glitter and size of each piece were quite overwhelming and were not a very good choice of art for this particular challenge. The pictures were more editorial looking, rather than fine art.

Another issue I felt the teams faced when completing this challenge was the selling strategies that they employed, one team going for the 'hard' sell approach, one team going for the 'soft' sell approach. Personally I don't think there should be either. I feel the art should speak for itself, and also I definitely do not think that the artist should be in the gallery trying to push a sale either. It is off putting and would make me feel rather uncomfortable. If you did not like the piece of art that the artist was trying to sell to you, what would you say? "I'm sorry, but I feel this art is a complete waste of space and a five year old could achieve the same outcome" ? I think not. A gallery space is set up in a way where the art complements each other, purposefully done to try and sell the art. This should be the way a gallery is run.

It is also important that the person running the gallery know the meaning behind the work, not so it can be forced onto the person viewing it, but if the viewer specifically wanted to know about the piece they could be told the truth. Not like a male member of one of the teams who thought it would be a good idea to change the meanings behind a body of work, simply because they did not like it in the first place. Like I said before art should speak for itself. The viewer should be permitted to read the piece and draw their own meaning, without figures and sales people jumping down their throats.

If I were in one of the teams, Stealth or Eclipse. I would have chosen the most cost effective body of works and also the most realistic works to sell. The horse collection by Tim Flach (www.timflach.com) were exquisite, and you would not need to have a love of horses to appreciate the beauty if the pieces.

Dion Hitchens

When undertaking a public art commission you need to be prepared to invest your time in more than just the making of the art, there are contracts, council permits and public liabilities to think about. Undertaking a public art commission can be rather stressful. When doing a private art project it is more personal to the client and also the maker, because the art piece needs to tell a story which is personal to the client. The artist also needs to invest time in getting to know what the client is about and why they are wanting this particular piece. There are similarities in both cases, like sticking to the guidelines of the client, and not putting personal influences on the pieces. The artist is being commissioned to do something, and therefore needs to abide by the guidelines set for him or her.

The participants in each case of work, whether it be Public or private, need to be taken into consideration when designing your piece. In a public art project you have to think about the people of the area, to make sure you do not offend any one and to make sure your piece is 'environment friendly'. You have to go to the council, to get permits for your work. Banks, so you can help get funding for the project. Also as the artist, you need to make sure that you can take on the workload that is being offered to you, to ensure you do not let down the client(s). In a private art commission there are not as many parties, but you still need to make sure that the relationship between the main parties (Artist and Client) is a trustworthy one and that the client will pay the deposits so you (the artist) does not have to rely on banks, contract and all the legal stuff that comes along with a public art project.

The narratives in each type of project, usually stems from a story about the land or its people. Hitchens gave us an example of a Public art commission he did in Glen Innes. The narrative from the piece was from a prophecy from a local iwi, about the return of the Kotuku (Herron) which use to pull canoes up the river (Cycle of the Moon), Hitchens also said he does a lot of Māori culture based works. The narratives develop depending on how the artist and the people involved interpret the story.

The public narrative needs to be something that is directly related to the area in which the piece is being built or the area surrounding. The narrative needs to be something everyone from the public area can relate to, so there is no bias, and the piece can be there for the community. A private narrative, is much more personal to the client and also the artist. The artist needs to draw as much information from the client as possible, so to make the narrative of the piece as true and as meaningful as possible. Hitchens says he draws inspiration from life and that private art commissions are much more interesting than public projects, as he finds it interesting to use someone elses personal narrative.

I feel the same as Hitchens, in relation to using someone elses personal narrative. It would be a great honour to be asked to create a piece of work for someone, but also having them tell you a story and allowing you to interpret a meaning of your own, to create art from would be an extraordinary feeling.

Steve Lovett

"A place or collection containing records, documents, or other materials of historical interest. Often used in the plural" http://www.thefreedictionary.com/archiving

I understand archiving to be preservation of History. Whether it be documents, objects or memories. Archiving is something people subconsciously do on a daily basis.

I see Steve Lovetts work as an archive, because of what i think Lovetts work is about. His work is mainly based around culture, identity, people and heritage. Which all relates back to himself, his life and how he was brought up.

Raised by his mother, a single parent in Ponsonby in the 1960's. Lovett is the first in his family to go to University, let alone art school.

These factors among others come through in his work.

Being a gay man, Lovett feels he needs to translate things. Being told one thing, but feeling another. An example of this in his work was the piece 'Holding the Man'. When first viewed the pieced was praised and love by many, however, once people began to read the work and realised the true meaning, the work was discarded into a sculpture storage room. I find this hard to understand. 'Holding the Man' visually appealed so so many but because of what the meaning was, the piece was removed. the politics in art come to the foreground, and you notice that art is not just accepted for what it looks like in an environment, but also the information the piece is giving to the people viewing the piece. the Social information becomes important. I think this is important to Lovett. To create conflicts in his work, to make people think and identify their own meanings for the pieces. Not to let whats is 'politically correct' be his boundaries.

I think that there is always an autobiographical element in work of all artist and designers. Whenever someone makes a work it has to stem from somewhere. Whether it be a thought, emotion or object, the artist or designer has felt or seen. The ideas behind work all have personal connections to the maker, as they are all decisions made by them. Therefore all work has been personally influenced by the maker.

Making a work that could be seen as a documentary of my life appeals to me as I feel I have a lot of interesting things I could express through art, and that people of my age or older could easily relate to. Eating psychologist, parental cancer and moving to another city away from everything your ever known. However I feel that if you want to make work of an autobiographical element you need to be able to release all information and emotions behind the piece, which can be difficult. However, making a piece like this appeals to me, because it would allow me to talk through art, rather than verbally expressing the information and emotions out loud.

Deborah Crowe

Deborah Crowe's has a major interest in Architecture, Scaffolding and Interior Space. I believe it is because of these interests she is able to work across a range of practices. Which makes it appropriate to call herself a 'Practitioner' rather than an Artist. A Fashion Designer, Drawer and 3D Constructor are just three of the things Crowe can call herself.

To call yourself a practitioner you need to have a lot of confidence in your work and in what you do (Like Crowe) I believe this because in these times you find most artists have 'labelled' themselves, whether it be as a Painter, Designer, Sculptor, or Freelance Artist. This has caused themselves to become categorised in Art.

This would cause the issue of not belonging to a particular 'group' or 'category' and would make it difficult to pitch yourself to galleries or people curious about what your practice as an artist is. By belonging to a certain 'group' you have set solid ground work for you to work with when dealing with galleries, clients and other artists. In saying that, I do believe cross disciplinary practice is a fantastic idea, as it allows you to push the boundaries of what is known as the 'norm'. Something I feel Crowe has succeeded in doing. Working with Textiles, 3D and electronic modelling and exploring issues of space in drawing has allowed Crowe to create new boundaries for herself and setting to goals, something I don't feel can be reached when you are confined to one area of art. I myself need to set these new boundaries, by choosing other areas of art, rather than sticking to Design. Even though Graphic Design is my strongest area of practice, I feel that I can become a better artist or 'practitioner' by branching out and including other art forms in my work.

The idea of Interior Space and things being contained is of a huge interest to Crowe, she likes to explore what Henri Lefebvre coined as Spatiology. The re-establishment of relations between, physical space (Nature), Mental Space (Emotions and Abstractions) and Social Space (The idea of the humans actions and the natural actions which accompany them). Crowe likes what is behind the wall, and how it was constructed. What belongs in this space, and how does it relate? As a young girl, her elder sister used to lock her in the cupboard, which she "really didn't mind at all, in fact [I] rather enjoyed it" something Crowe believes helped to ignite this love for containment and Spatiology. Because of her interdisciplinary practice, Crowe can also relate this to her textile works, (example; "Dual Outlook" a collaborative work with Fashion Designer Kim Fraser). Architecture and textiles relate to each other as the are both housing or containing the body.

After Crowe's lecture, it lead me to think about what I would call myself in the future. I know that I want to major in Graphic Design and to head into the Marketing and Advertising area. This would cause me to call myself a 'Graphic Designer'. However I do know for a fact, that if I dabble in other disciplines of art, and allow myself to create new boundaries so I can strengthen the level of my works I will become more successful in my future. But I am not positive that I would ultimately call myself a practitioner. I want to be a Graphic Designer who has strengths in other areas of art. So I'm not sure the title of Practitioner would be suitable for me.

Mary Curtis

Mary Curtis has a the idea of looking back to historical art periods to source visual inspiration for her own work. So she can develop and gather new ideas to explore in her jewellery making practice. This is a great idea, and something I would personally try.

I think Curtis has caught onto a good idea. By looking back in time, and gathering information for new ideas from existing art works, she is developing her own style through the use of others before her. By doing so she is allowing herself to go back and look upon what was probably what interested her in the first place. Whether she is using the historic jewellery to inspire her in terms of form or function, Curtis finds a way to incorporate her findings into a contemporary piece of work of her own.

I feel that this strategy is a very useful way of approaching research and the development of new ideas because not only does it allow you to gather inspiration from other time periods but it also allows you to see what was in fashion then, and if you can relate to the rends an fashions of today.

I would definitely use this approach to generating new ideas and processes in my work because I feel it allows you to draw inspiration from generations before you who were also interested in the same things. Otherwise you would not be looking at them in the first place! If I were to use this process in my work I would be looking at the way text is conveyed through out the different time periods, how the text is composed and how its the letters are formed on the page. I would look at old books, magazines, bibles. I like the way the text in the Bible is composed on the pages, and how sometimes uppercase and lowercase letters are the same size.

I would also go back and look and old graphic design advertisements from the late 70's/80's, as it would be interesting to see how the cultures of then and the cultures of today are coming together in advertising.

Frances Hansen

Frances Hansen's reasons for using the materials she does, is as simple as wanting to save the earth..

It sounds like a long shot, but Hansen believes that by doing her part and recycling materials to use in her practice, she is achieving this.

''Rescuing' Rubbish - Extending its 'life''

In today's lecture we saw Hansen's works through a slide show, which did not really allow us to see much detail but gave us an overall feel or her work. Also as she spoke, we gained an insight as to what materials she uses in her work, where they're from and why she uses them.

Domestic household objects are a favourite of Hansens. Two Litre milk bottles, cleaning products, and old cane baskets. Her Daughters drawings from creche are also something she likes to use in her works, one even features in on of Hansens works in the MSVA library!

As said before, Hansen uses recycled objects in her work, because she wants to extends its (rubbish) life, and by producing art from this rubbish, she is renewing its life.

In my practice, I do not really look at materials in that way, i usually choose the materials based on the look I am trying to achieve. My main field of interest is Graphic Design/Typography, getting a lot of inspiration from David Carson, Banksy and looking through design books and magazines. Ideas for materials come from these sources as well. I like to use glass to use as a base material, to screen print on or to simply mark make using markers. I like to use glass as it can be interpreted into many different meanings, Layers to represent generations, history, age. Transparency to represent the idea of loss, forgetfulness, seeing through things no one else can see. Ideas like that. I also like to use photographic paper to print on. Not only it is neat to print, but it gives my work an overall feel of professionally produced contemporary work.

The words professional and contemporary do not really spring to mind when i think of Hansen's work. Because at first glance it looks messy and rushed. This however is my personal opinion, so to others this may seem different. But when you learn of the process Hansen employs when making her work, you realise it is rather contemporary and professional.

So ultimately Hansen uses the materials she does, to help the rubbish have an extended life and so its get a chance to renew its itself.

Emma McLellan

Emma McLellan is a lecturer here at MSVA and teaches the DVA students. Her interest in Animals, Patterns and Genetic Engineering is evident in her works we saw today. A strong influence from William Morris and Konrad Gesner help add the fantasy element to her unique "painted prints"

Layering is a technique that McLellan uses in each of her works we saw today. Layering of media, pattern and colour. This connects to McLellans interest of Genetic Engineering (as she told us in our lecture today). Animal modification and the creation of fanatical beasts is made from layering one animal with another. A Chickens head, with a Rats tails on a Sheep's body. Much like how genetically modified animals are created. This is typical of the McLellan style and taste we witnessed today, McLellan herself saying she "loves fantasy creatures"

Konrad Gesners 'book of beasties' is a book McLellan uses a lot in research for her works. Sometimes also uses Gesners images as found images to use in her work. Cutting and pasting to create new and improved beasties from his ones

Another aspect McLellan is fond of is the idea of cloning, which I guess fits in well with Genetic Engineering and McLellans love of pattern (William Morris) Cloning is much like pattern, our genetic makeup is a code, which could also be referred to as a pattern. So in a way, us as people are connected with wallpaper and genetically modified animals..?

William Morris was an English furniture and textiles designer mostly famous for his wallpaper designs, which most were based on nature, looking intricately at the detail is natures plants. He is a big influence in McLellans works, and this is evident when looking at her art works of which we saw today. McLellan uses Morris' style of subtle colours which are allowed to fade into the background.Creating a muteable setting. McLellan uses imagery much like Morris. Creating patterns based from natures objects and overlaying then with fanatical beasts.

What I like about McLellans work, is how she has taken objects and design from the 1800's, and created futuristic pieces of art. With McLellans interest in animals, genetics and cloning, it is no wonder her works are so incredibly intriguing.

SEMESTER TWO!

Our blogs this semester are on different lecturers who will be coming to talk to us about their own individual practises. I think this semesters lectures are going to incredibly interesting!

-Emma

Psychology

"Tears make the world go round"

Louise Bourgeois

During today's lecture we viewed a range of artists who create psychological art. I was captivated by Louis Bourgeois, a insomniac sculpture.

Bourgeois's father was an anglophile, meaning he loved all things English. Lucky or Unlucky for Bourgeois's father, the family nanny was English. Ultimately causing her father to have an affair with her (the nanny).

We are told that this is what caused Bourgeois's Insomnia, the hatred and betrayal she feels about what her father did, leaves her unable to rest.

This however is the cause of her art.

Bourgeois's work explores the psychological concerns of emotions. It almost seems Bourgeois is trying to rid herself of the hatred and betrayal caused by her father, by creating art pieces, which cause the viewer to feel her emotion, and by producing it in a very rough and strong way.

She uses the band saw in a lot of her work, this is because she can be aggressive and it allows her to be in control.

By producing work about her emotional states it is full of meaning and is very symbolic to her. She (Bourgeois) can only trust her unconscious.

By producing work that is highlighting her own psychological concerns and feelings, she is creating a very personal and deep work. That only she can really understand but it open enough for viewers to interpret their own understanding of.

"I'm a wild beast some of the time"

Said by Bourgeois, this shows how she thinks in terms of herself, and how she can create raw emotion through art.

I feel that the reason Bourgeois creates art is too release herself of her hurt and to try get on with things, however when watching the way she lives her life and how shes goes about daily routines, some may think she is happy how she is. She gives off that impression.

She very abrupt and upfront saying what she needs to say to get the job done.

"At this level we are in business. You can talk to me"

Andy Warhol and Multiples

Multiples

Andy Warhol's use of multiples in his work is evident through his silkscreen process. It was his use of multiples that generated most of his income towards the late 1960's.

Andy Warhol's multiples were commodities. Things that were produced, with there sole purpose being, to be either sold or exchanged.

Warhol's 'The Marilyn's' are great examples of multiples. 'The Marilyn's' are silkscreen prints, that are all the same. (Multiples).

Walter Benjamin talked about the aura that one would feel when looking at the original of a piece of art. The aura, referred to as the sense of awe and reverence one would presumably experience when in the presence of a unique piece of art.

So therefore you cannot experience the aura of an art piece if it is a reproduction of itself.

This makes me wonder.

Warhol's work is consider as multiples. But they are still all individual art pieces. So if what Walter Benjamin is saying that you cannot experience the 'aura' of a piece if it is a reproduction, then can you experience the aura of a piece of from Warhol's 'The Marliyns' collection?

They are all individual pieces, all made the same way, printed from the same screen using the same ink, but at individual times. They are not photocopies, scans or photographs of the original. They are all original pieces of art but they just look the same. So can you experience 'aura' from each piece or not?

I think in this case you can. Even though the pieces may look exactly the same. They are not exactly the same. Each piece may have a slight difference from the one before.

So I feel that in this case, Benjamin is wrong. In the case of Warhol's silkscreen prints you can experience an 'aura' from a multiple.

Spike Lee

"Do the Right Thing"

The 1989 film Do the Right thing by Spike Lee had many key elements that contributed to the overall structure and development of the film. One of these was 'Sal's Wall' which is really the main reason why Radio Raheem was murdered by the police.

Sal is an Italian-American who runs the local Pizzeria, it is a hot spot in the town. He runs the business with his two sons, Vido (who is pro-community) and Pino (who is against the inter-racial community). Sal's wall is made up of only Italian-Americans who Sal feels paved the way for the the Italian-Americans of their time. Since Sal's Pizzeria was the local food stop and attracted much attention, when one black male starts questioning Sal about his wall it divides the two cultures straight down the middle.

Its it Sal's defensiveness and not wanting to change his wall that ultimately leads to the murder of Radio Raheem.

Sal's wall developed the movie from the very start. The film starts out with a happy feel, like its a nice community to live it, but as the film continues to develop, we see how the wall truly cause the dramatic ending.

Was Sal right, not to put up pictures of African-Americans? taking into consideration that 90% of the community were black. There is no real answer, only personal opinions. Sal was pro-community, so it would make sense that he would try and please the community by hanging up pictures of Malcolm X, or Martin Luther King Jr. On the other hand, Sal created 'Sal's Wall' to honour the Italian-Americans who he believes are great achievers. The wall was created to honour his heritage and to portray what is personal to him, not necessarily the community.

It seems Ironic that at the end of the film, Sal's wall it burnt down to the ground, and a memeber of the community puts a piuctures of Martin Luther King Jr. and malcom x. Two men who were for Black civil rights, but went about it in a very differnet manner.

Without 'Sal's Wall' there would be no conflicts between the two culturts, which is really what this film is all about.

Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright

June 8 1867 - April 9 1959

Frank Lloyd Wright was an American born Architect who produced over 500 completed works.

He produced a diverse range of works, from houses, to churches even school buildings. Sometimes also designing the interior furniture and stained glass

Frank Lloyd Wrights 'Falling water' was one of his most significant buildings.

The 'Falling water' design concept was conceived of Lloyd Wright asking Edgar Kaufman Jr. (The man whose house he was designing), what his favourite spot was.

"The Waterfall. "

Lloyd Wright quickly drew up some drawing for the Kaufman's to look at, and pitched his idea of having the house, above the waterfall rather than below.

The fact that Frank Lloyd Wright, 'falling water' design was based purely on the elements and the materials in and surrounding the site of design, and built directly into the landscape, heightens the viewers awareness of the reality of materials he employed in his art making.

Frank Lloyd Wright's field of practise was Architecture. An area of design which he was exceptionally good at. Architecture has always been a passion of mine.

I spent 10 years of my life dedicating my studies to architecture, when it came to head to University I chose Graphic Design over Architecture. I did not realise until it was time to apply that I preferred the design part of Architecture, but not the physics and calculus that goes along with it.

Frank Lloyd Wrights 'Falling water' makes me realise why I spent over half my life fascinated with Architecture. The pure beauty and elegance of this design is truly stunning. They way Lloyd Wright had Incorporated the local, native surroundings into his work is phenomenal

When I look at 'Falling water' by Frank Lloyd Wright, it does not necessarily make me think differently about Architecture, it just reinforces my feelings towards Architecture. What an amazing and beautiful discipline it is.

It is no wonder why Frank Lloyd Wright was considered

"The greatest American architect of all time"

(American institute of architects 1991)

Commodity Culture

Commodity:

Something you make to sell or exchange

Commodification:

We attach monetary value to things

ANDY WARHOL

Andrew Warhola 1928-1987

A Homosexual Artist.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, whose parents were immigrants from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Often stuck in bed as a child, due to his St. Vitus Dance' (a nervous system disease) he became a hypo-chondriac, which caused him to be out-casted by his peers and helped to create Warhol and his mothers strong bond.

Warhol was a literal artist. He started out doing paintings personally, each one hand painted and sold as individuals. He used to call his studio a factory, this was not a bad idea as Warhol soon realised. Warhol found his works to be selling well, so made the decision to commodify himself.

Andy Warhol started mass productions of his artworks in the 1960's just after he started making his famous paintings of iconic American products, like the infamous Campbell's soup can, and coca-cola bottles.

The 1960's were also the years when he started producing his artworks of famous Americans, such as, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Troy Donahue.

Which to me look as though Warhol has been inspired by Roy Lichtenstein

He turned his 'Factory' into a literal factory, hiring a wide and diverse range of artists, musicians and underground celebrities. Using these people to help him produce these commodities. Andy had a job for everyone, whether it be cutting out stencils, or to print the pictures. Andy Warhol had an assembly line, so he was ably to produce a large quantity of works.

Andy Warhol was a great business man.

Through commodifying himself, Andy Warhol also showcases conviviality and manaakitanga.

When Andy Warhol commodified himself he enlisted the help of others to help him meet demands. His artwork went from only being produced by himself, locked away in his 'factory', to literally becoming a factory, igniting the social boundaries that Warhol had never really experienced

By the 1970's Warhol was criticised, as was being labelled a 'business artist' nothing more

On February 22nd 1987, Andy Warhol died i his sleep, after 'routine gallbladder surgery' where he went into cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat)

Andy Warhol had stalled his visits to get his re-occurring gallbladder problems checked as he was afraid to see the doctors and even to enter hospitals.

A somewhat ordinary death ending such a difficult yet successful life.

Mana!

Manaakitanga, Conviviality and Relational Art

Manaakitanga

"Behaviour that acknowledges the mana of others as having equal or greater importance than ones own, through the expression of aroha, hospitality and mutual respect. Displaying Manaakitanga elevated the status of all, building unity through the humility and the act of giving"

(Tau, 2005)

-Professor Whatarangi Winiata, Ngati Raukawa rangatira and president of the Maori Party

(Taken from note from Lecture 5, Grant Thompson)

'Mana' a word derived from manaakitanga, is how most people now-a-days refer to manaakitanga. Mana meaning authority/power. Youth of today use it more informally compared to elders. Ones mana being how tough one is, compared with the more traditional definitions.

My understanding of manaakitanga is what I refer to as Mana. The idea of strength, authority and the aura of power you exude.

Conviviality is defined as being 'the experience of being in a company who eat together' Illich connected the English word 'convivial' and the French 'convive' and came up with the word Conviviere that defines 'a member of a company who eat together'

(The new shorter Oxford English Dictionary 1993:504)

I understand conviviality to be something that you do/create/consume by yourself, that brings a social connection with others.

Relational Aesthetics (Art) relates well to the idea of Manaakitanga and Conviviality as it is the idea of Art being it's own form of strength and power, while having a social element which brings an audience to socialise or actively participate in the art.

By producing Art, both full of Mana(akitanga) and Conviviality you are successfully creating an environment where human beings are forced to socialise.

Whether be it by choice... or not.

Elam School Of Fine Arts

Preserve

Today we visited the prestigious Elam Library at the University of Auckland in Auckland City. The book "Preserve 'Des Moines Art Center'" by Ellen Gallagher immediately caught my eye. Edited by Sheila Schwartz, distributed by D.A.P, New York and Printed in Canada by AMCE Limited.

(All works courtesy of the artist and Anthony d'Offay Gallery, London)

Ellen Gallagher is known for her racial stereotypes of African Americans. Wide Lips, Large Eyes and 'Afro' like hair

The piece of work I looked into was:

'Falls and Flips'

Oil, pencil and plasticine with text on magazine page

131/8 x 10 Inches

What I like most about this piece of art was the grid like composition, even though i usually tend to like more organic feeling art work, the way the grid wasn't perfect but you could tell the piece was based on a grid, was really visually appealing.

Ellen Gallagher's work, Falls and Flips also features an extensive use of repetition and collage, this because it was a magazine cover that she had altered. The repetition of the glamourous black ladies, with their make-up and costume, was almost a stereotypical thing, which is something she is renowned for.

Also the blurb above here work reinforced the idea of racial stereotypes, and discrimination that was going on at the time of her making this piece of art

"Jack Johnson, first black heavyweight champion of the world, towers over a dazed Jim Jefferies, 'The great white hope', July 4 1910, Several persons were killed in race riots in American cities following the fight"

An interesting thing about Ellen Gallagher's piece, Falls and Flips, is that the ladies in the work, have no eyes, and there are no captions below their photos. Which were there before Gallagher altered it.

"Eyes are the windows to your soul"

If this statement were true then would these beautiful have no soul? Would they have no sense of feeling, belonging, wanting..?

How can we tell that these woman are everyday woman if they lack the natural instinctive qualities you and I possess today.

By Ellen Gallagher obliterating these pictures, the woman featured inthem go from being individuals, to be all the same.

Clones of one another.

When really, at the time of making this piece, Ellen gallagher and people of her colour, were going through one of the tougest times for African-Americans in America.

I found I could also relates this piece of work to my current art Studies.

As part of my studio brief I am required to present four photos, that are to be put up for exhibition, at our school of Visual Arts.

The Elegance of Boxing, which is my chosen topic, is one that pushes people out of their ordinary comfort zone, and are made to think outside the boundaries as to what their perception of boxing is. Similar to what Gallagher is doing with her magazine works.

With the use of collage and repitition, also taken from David Hockney, another artist who deals with collage, Gallaghers work can be shown through my recent works as a Year 1 Bachelor of Visual Arts Student.

Boxing is seen as a violent and masculine sport, and somewhat predominantly black, Stereotypically speaking. But with the use of Ellen Gallaghers work, "Falls and Flips", Which has a blurb about boxing at the top, I can try to break that stereotype, to bring in a new feel towards boxing.

Speak, Speaker, err, ah, a voice..

"Mediation's"

This piece of work 'Mediation's' by Gary Hill is based around three of our major senses, visual, oral and aural.

As you as you walk into the exhibition you are greeted with a huge black projector screen, with a continuous tape playing, this and a black chair are the only 3D objects in this room.

By only playing up three of our major senses, Gary Hill captures our attention 100%.

Visually attracting us in this piece of art, is the use of the artists hand. Something we an all identify as our own. We watch as the hand slowly drops handfuls of sand onto the sub woofer speaker, while he orally and aurally grasps our attention by speaking into a microphone, which makes the sub woofer speaker move. This connects the three senses, and together creates and interesting art piece.

When we see the sub-woofer, you expect to her a 'doof doof' noice that many associate with 'Boy racer cars'. However, this is not exactly the noice we hear.

So the idea of the sub-woofer and what humans connect it to (semiotics) plays with the viewers mind. If a different speaker were used, say a small car speaker, the same effect would not and colud not have been achieved.

The pressure behind the sub-woofer is what causes the sand to jump and vibrate.

Repetition also plays a major part in this piece. Orally, Visually and Aurally.

When the speaker speaks, we are told exactly what is happening, the word 'voice' is said repeatedly throughout the entire piece

"...buried voices underground, voices buried underground, a voice from the underground, a voice is noisy ground, a voice is lost and found underground, a bare voice lies in the sand. Barely a voice can be said to be heard. One heard of wild voices kicking up the ground."

Visually,we see his hand constantly bringing in handfuls of sand, and slowly releasing it onto the sub woofer.

As the sand mass get greater, the feedback on the voice becomes less, and slowly is drowned out until it is just a quiet voice in the background.

If there are no viewers in the room to receive the sound or to see the moving picture, the artwork still goes on. The artwork is not neccesarily just the projector screen, the artwork is the whole room which a viewer walks into and becomes part of.

vs.

If I compared this with my last blog entry on the short film 'O Tamaiti' the way the senses have been used in each piece are quite different. 'O Tamaiti' is predominately sound. No words are spoken (except for a few in Samoan tongue) and sounds such as combing of hair, and drinking are played up, rather than the usual sounds in movies/art work pieces. In contrast to Gary Hills 'Mediation's' where is is mostly oral and visual.

To me 'O Tamaiti' was used to portray the harsh life that Samoan Children are put through, by not speaking it almost seemed as though they were not permitted to do so, or they chose not to in fear of being scolded at or punished for saying something inappropriate or offensive. In 'Mediation's' however, the used of the oral and visual senses show tell us more of an abstract story about sand. How it is heavy and able to cover up many things, and in this example, voices.

"...barely a voice can be said to be heard..."

In this case the sub woofer speaker is the signifier. It stands for something else. The voice?

So if the sub woofer is the signifier for the voice, what is the voice? Is it the signifier for the person or is it simply just the voice

Oh Tino!

"O Tamaiti"

Directed by Sima Urale

Recently I watched the short film 'O Tamaiti' directed by New Zealands own Sima Urale, who just so happens to be the sister of the rapper 'King Kapisi'.

O Tamaiti AKA The Children is a short film about Samoan life through Tinos eyes, who is the eldest of five children.

O Tamaiti opens with a birth of another child, which is when we are introduced to Tino and his family, and realise this film is going to be dramatic and heart wrenching.

I couldn't help but notice how all adult figures in the film were shot without a head. This to me was really rather strange, not only did it cause you to be more intrigued as to whether you would actually ever see the face of the parents or any other adult for that matter, but it highlighted just how much responsibility was placed on Tino, as the eldest of five children

What is interesting about 'O Tamaiti', is that there is not one English spoken word throughout the entire film, everyday noises such as a comb through hair, the rustling of blankets and a babies cry have all be brought to the surface, which plays up your aural sense making you more aware of what is around Tino.

The film is all in black and white, which makes this Samoan life seem very simple and plain. Being in black and white, it allows us to see all that is going on around them, highlighting any major events throughout their day. It also allows us to get rid of any stereotypical thoughts we may have had about samoan culture, for example the colourful Lava lavas they traditionally wear, which are often hung up as art works in rooms.

The Black and White tones are very harsh, possibly to signify thae harsh reality, that is, growing up in the Samoan Culture? It seems very different to if you watched a movie about an upper class European family, which are usually in bright colours, with lots of laughter and happiness.

By having no racialally discrimiable ideas already in our minds, it enables us to have a clear conscience when viewing this film.

None of the adults in the film seem to realise just how much strain these responsibilities are putting on young Tino. The end of the film is also the ending of the new born babies life. Tino has washed, feed and cared for his youngest sibling. He puts her to bed, because his parents are not around to do so. We see Tino wake up like a strange feeling has overcome him. He rushes to the babies bassinet.

The baby is dead.

Tino's parents rush in to see what he is screaming about, when they find out, you see a very emotional family scrambling around trying to do all they can for their child, hoping their is some way they can save her.

While all this is going on, not one person checks to see if Tino is alright. No one thinks about Tino and all his hard work he has done for this baby. No one thinks to tell him it is okay, it is not his fault.

Desirable Exaggeration

"More Human than Human?"

When looking at Scarlett Johansson in the Louis Vuitton advertising campaign for the Spring/Summer collection of 2007, I could not help but notice the exaggeration of her features, making her more desirable to the viewer of the ad, which ultimately ends in the purchase of a Louis Vuitton product.

Extension of the legs and arms create the look of a lean tall body. Slim legs and elegantly posed arms are desirable to any human. In picture above and below, she (Scarlett) is wearing 1950's lingerie that accentuates her breasts and the curves of her body. Some may say that there is an attempt to pose the models figure to look like a 'Venus'- an idealistic portrayal of the female figure. Not necessarily realistic. Which gives a look of perfection, something the Louis Vuitton franchise would definately want when trying to market their product.


The cultural values that have been expressed in these pictures show a woman in her lingerie posing for public display. Usually this is deemed as politically and culturally incorrect throughout all cultures of the world. Just like it would be if a woman walked down the road in her bra and underwear. It is just really not right. However in today's society and the many diverse cultures we have here in this world, advertising can push the boundaries of many cultural values .

Joquain Alberto Vargas y Chávaz or Alberto Vargas as many know him, was a Peruian born artist, who studied Art in Europe prior to WWI before moving to the United States in 1916.

His work was usually a combination of Airbrush and Watercolours. His artwork was typically of, near-nude, elegantly dressed woman. Idealistic figures, with slim toes and fingernails, often painted red.

Albertos artwork of Pin-up girls, and erotic scenes were more directed to the male audience, in contrast with Louis Vuittons campaign being directed to women.

Is it possible that women in lingerie have always been accepted or was Alberto Vargas pushing the boundries some 70 years ago?

Exaggeration:

Describing of something and making it more than it really is.

Why do humans feel the need to make something as beautiful as the human body so perfect its imperfect?

....

Are we as humans, really that shallow?