Well, it will be once the other artists de-install their work.
Our trace has been removed, possession of the space made public once more!
The notion of the neutrality of the white walls and us as the artists challenging this gallery logic, marking it just with our presence was initially very intriguing. However having seen the video of the singing performance ‘Concert: The Lesson on Dis-consent’, we added to the mark making, therefore increasing the audiences curiosity and perception of our behaviour.
As you can see from the aftermath, we marked the white walls around the viewers and the artists’ work, claiming the negative space to be our own. Making the public space, private, in a sense by occupation, and also with the chalk and fluorescent post-it strip marks.
I believe we challenged the gallery logic and in doing so, may have managed to raise a few eyebrows! However maybe by just observing as watchers within the space, we could have achieved the same results.
We observed, we invaded, we interacted and we marked!
Our presence was certainly noticed and definitely bewildered some.
I thought I was out of my comfort zone, but having spent some time performing I found myself really absorbing the surroundings. A sense of merger with the negative space especially in the darkly lit room.
These negative space sculptures were created by artist Yasuaki Oishi. They are made of translucent plastic sheets and hot black glue to create a monumental sculpture that looks as if it’s floating in space. The artist stacks up a pile of cardboard boxes drapes the plastic sheeting over the scaffolding of boxes and then drips thousands of stands of hot black glue from the ceiling so that the sheet stays in place
Plastic that fills the negative space in a gallery
Posted: May 13, 2012 by christiannaw in Uncategorized
There’s a Thing Which I Can’t Remember, But I Feel Exactly Like That Now – An Exhibition by the Randomroutines.
Posted: May 13, 2012 by FaridaB in UncategorizedTalk about occupying space!
Artists: Tamas Kaszas, Krisztian Kristof, Ninni Wager.
Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich
Posted: May 13, 2012 by christiannaw in Uncategorized
A new space opens this summer, the underground oil tanks at Tate Modern, a space dedicated to performance art, ranging from public debate, live art, installations and dance. One of the first projects will feature the Choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker adapting a minimalist dance work she first performed in 1982 called Fase: Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich. A beautiful piece using shadows to dance with.
This performance happened a few years ago in London, there was also a gaint elephant that walked the streets, it was beautiful.
This performance was recorded at the Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden on October 28, 2011.
This piece continues the series of musicals (songspiels) written and produced by Chto Delat and composed by Mikhail Krutik over the past three years.
The occasion for this latest work was the Chto Delat solo show at the Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden. We could not pass up this opportunity to engage in dialogue with the legacy of Bertolt Brecht, who premiered two works,Mahagonny-Songspiel (1927) and The Baden-Baden Lesson on Consent (1929), at the new German chamber music festival in this same city. We wanted to produce a new piece in direct dialogue and debate with the work of this great master.
The piece is based on a critical reading of a number of texts produced by the anti-psychiatry movement, which emerged in the late sixties and early seventies in the Europe and US, especially those of the well-known Socialist Patients’ Collective in Heidelberg. In our performance, a “chorus of patients” that has been invited to appear at the exhibition opening becomes engaged in dialogue with the audience.
It is also noteworthy that Baden-Baden is a city with deep historical ties to Russia, and even today it is frequented by members of the Russian elite, who go there to relax and seek medical treatment. We thought it important to critically reflect this state of affairs: thus, one of the characters in our performance is a “typical” Russian businessman, who argues with the chorus and voices the values of this new class.
Our work critiques the modern concept of a healthy lifestyle and discusses how we might radicalize it and “turn illness into a weapon.”
I am not one for performing in front of others. I do not even like talking about my work. So I can only hope that there is safety in numbers. That by working in a group I become anonymous
I like the idea of using the two rooms, 1 light and 1 dark to our advantage. Unified as a group wearing the same colour, we will have a bigger impact on our surroundings and on the viewers. All wearing black in a white lit room, our presence alone marks our space and like the Observers in Fringe will create curiosity within the gallery viewers minds as to why we are there and what we intend to do.
Maybe with torches or any other kind of light ,we could mark our presence in the dark room. I think being dressed completely in black (especially in this room) is somewhat unnerving and maybe a little disconcerting too, as black is generally associated with death and funerals. Going round observing or staring in this room will definitely be confusing or bewildering for others.
I’m not sure how the pin-hole camera works in the dark room, but we’ll leave that with you Maryam to look into.
Look forward to Friday when we role play observing others in a gallery environment!
My Last post was of blue blinding lights, this was called the Breathing Room III which was exhibited in the lower floor of the White Cube. Antony Gormley’s intention with this piece of work was to try and jolt people, even frighten them by suddenly turning on blinding and disorientation white lights as visitors made their way through his work. We as a group may try and do something similar in the dark gallery space doing the exhibition.
Posted: May 1, 2012 by christiannaw in Uncategorized
Public Square, Mischa Kuball, 2007
Public Square, Mischa Kuball, 2007
Perhaps the most overt and temporal public work to date was Public Square, which Kuball orchestrated for the exhibition ’Das schwarze Quadrat. Hommage an Malewitsch’ [The Black Square, an homage to Malevich] at the Hamburg Kunsthalle in 2007. Kuball slipped across the boundaries of typical homage exhibitions with a serious, but not solemn, socially engaged action and a tongue-in-cheek poke at the pomposity of the art world. More than six hundred volunteer-participants walked in formation through the streets of Hamburg. All were dressed in black with the exception of the perimeter participants who were dressed in white, a living-and-dynamic configuration of Kasimir Malevich’s ‘Black Square’ painting, first shown in 1915 (4). The front line held a banner with the phrase ‘public sphere – every gesture in the city is politics’, and periodically the ‘living square’ chanted ‘Ma-le-witsch, Ma-le-witsch’.
The formation changed from a square to a rectangle and back again. In Kuball’s words, it referred to the ‘amorphousness of a tolerant society’, and a reference to a mid-1980s incident in Hamburg. More than 800 people demonstrating the evacuation of squatters and demolition of buildings in the Hafenstrasse district were surrounded by police and trapped in a kessel (‘kettle’) for more than a dozen hours, a strategy later used by police to contain demonstrations in other German cities. Kuball noted that the kessel and Public Square melds and melts into ever-present questions of political order and public tolerance. Press photographs of these kessel maneuvers show the white helmets of the police forming a de facto white perimeter that echoes Kuball’s ‘Malevich-ian’ black and white square, which supports the maxim that life imitates art. But it doesn’t stop there: a version of the ‘Black Square’ painting was mounted on the front of truck that carried Malevich’s coffin in the funeral procession in 1935. Kuball’s approach to work the public realm can be summarised in a comment made by the American artist-essayist Douglas Davis in 1976: ‘art is not life … it is an activity encircled by life, upon which it depends’ (5).
See Also, http://www.publicartscotland.com/features/3-Throwing-Shapes- for full description.
As discussed, I thought I would introduce you to one of the observers in the TV series: 
“September” played by Michael Cerveris.
The Observer appears to monitor Pattern events for reasons unknown to the Fringe team. (The producer has said there are no aliens in this show, so the Observer is most likely from an alternate Earth – but his origins have never been confirmed).
He is bald and has no eyebrows and is of average height. He is usually dressed in a dark gray suit with a matching narrow brim fedora, a white shirt and a dark tie. He speaks precisely, giving the impression that he chooses his statements with great care. He is generally polite and soft-spoken.
The Observer appears in every episode, even if only for a few seconds and at extremely long range. In a viral marketing campaign, Fox arranged for the actor who portrays him to appear at various “real world” events garbed as his character, and for the cameras to “find” him in the audience.
He is one of several Observers. As many as four have appeared together, at which meeting dialogue revealed that the Observers are named for calendar months. This implies (but does not state absolutely) that there are twelve of them. An Observer called “December” may be in charge; the others seem to defer to him, and he is the oldest appearing Observer seen to date. At least one Observer has died; they are not immortal.
Is The Observer a scientist? Someone from the alternative universe? Someone from our future universe? Is he Walter in the future? Is he Dr. Bell? Is he Dr. Bell in the future?
‘Space becomes a question, ceases to be self evident, ceases to be incorporated, ceases to be appropriated. Space is a doubt: I have constantly to mark it, to designate it. It’s never mine never given to me I have to conquer it’
George Perec, Species of Spaces and Other Pieces, 1974.
When I was doing some research earlier, I came across this article and found it rather interesting as its about the gallery space we will be exhibiting in but also relates to our actual project in terms of SPACE. Have a read.
Jordi Ferreiro – “Drawing the space was an action made in the Art Center La Panera from Lleida, with whom I worked together with a kids group the idea of the white cube and I proposed them to draw a new three-dimensional space inside the exhibitor space, using tape in different colours.”
Collaborative action with kids
Rubbertape
2009
I was sat on the jubilee line train and saw this poem by Imtiaz Dharker, I had to post!
Posted: April 20, 2012 by FaridaB in Uncategorized
SPACE – Condition of Existence in the material world.
Posted: April 18, 2012 by FaridaB in UncategorizedI recently read this description for a course titled: The Geometry of Structure and Space, offered by The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts, and I found it quite interesting in respect of our interest in the notion of space!
Space is one of the five conditions of existence in the material world. The remaining four conditions are: time, form, number, and substance. As ‘conditions’ they are considered ‘pre-existent’ to manifestation and become the laws by which the manifest state is held in being. Although the five conditions are interdependent, space is studied as a subject in its own right. The art of space is fundamental to all the arts. By definition, space is both the theatre of events and a participant in determining events through the word ‘direction’. Students are guided through the fundamentals of dimension, from point to line, line to plane, plane to solid (all as structure)….
In our case, in the exhibition, its interesting how we intend to occupy public space and make it our own, yet it is space itself that will determine how much we actually occupy. From point to line, line to plane, plane to solid, what kind of structure or mark will we manifest and leave behind to hold its own?
Felice Varini 
I found some shots I took of the tape placed thoughout the AVA (Architecture and Visual Arts) building of UEL. I could only find photos of the blue tape but there were various colours with different paths.
By JEROEN BEEKMANS | Published: WEDNESDAY AUGUST 5, 2009
The Pop-Up-City Blog http://popupcity.net/2009/08/tape-is-the-new-graffiti/
Today I stumbled upon the work of New York-based artist Aakash Nihalani, who invented a no-nonsense, effective and creative form of sticker art by taping up the walls and streets of his city. Nihalani’s creations add an extra layer to public space, forcing the passengers-by to stop for a moment and view walls or stoop from a different perspective. Check out the artist’s photostream on Flickr to view more of his work.
Check out Aakash Nihalani’s work, its pretty cool, http://www.aakashnihalani.com/
I know that Parkour may not be considered an art form, the French military use it as part of their training.
But when BBC ONE used it as an ad its just beautiful.
Check it out
Laurie Anderson, Trisha Brown, Gordon Matta-Clark
Posted: April 12, 2012 by FaridaB in UncategorizedChristianna, re your previous images, check out this blog describing the events of the performance:
http://bombastictelefantastic.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/laurie-anderson-trisha-brown-gordon.html
Pioneers of the Downtown Scene New York 1970’s
Posted: April 12, 2012 by christiannaw in Uncategorized
Considering the space within Site Specific Performance.
Posted: April 12, 2012 by FaridaB in Uncategorizedhttp://ssp2012caseywright.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk/
I came across this blog and found these words rather interesting in relation to our own thoughts and ideas for our project:
“We therefore decided to think about space. The space between the performers and the audience and how our performance challenges the space. We then realised that the audience effectively become our performers and us, the interviewers become the audience. These roles of performer and audience switch continuously throughout conversation which is a dynamic of our performance that I really enjoy.”
Casey Wright
Revolutionary Performance Art in the form of dance! Step Up 4: Miami Heat
Posted: April 12, 2012 by FaridaB in UncategorizedYes, I know its a film trailer but I saw this trailer at the cinema and loved the reactions of all the onlookers around the dancers in the film. But what I loved the most was the bit that showed the reaction of the gallery visitors when the sculptures in the gallery space started to move. Keep a look out for that bit!
Towards the end of the trailor, you may feel this film has been inspired by Trisha Brown’s Walking on the Wall performance at the Barbican, (image posted previously by Christianna) when you see the dancers on the wall.
Universal Pictures will be releasing Step Up 4: Miami Heat in UK cinemas on 10th August 2012.
Check it out, cool trailer but even cooler ideas for our performance!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWkkAU1RSLU
This was at the Barbican Centre last year, did not manage to see it but it must have been amazing.
Laurie Anderson singing with a lit microphone in her mouth
Posted: April 11, 2012 by christiannaw in Uncategorized
In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s Performance art was an assault on the senses produced by a combinations of different medias and disciplines, the non-narrative and the collaborations between different sorts of artists became known as ‘Happenings’
Six artists worked in Dilston Grove sequentially in a series of week-long mini-residencies. At the end of each week the artists’ sculptural engagement with the space culminated in a performance or installation that was open to the public. Each artist chose the artist to succeed him or her and each left behind their materials and structures for the following artist to inherit and build upon. Picking up where the previous artist left off, each responded to, recycled and added to what they found, gradually or radically transforming the space. The materials they used became the binding force, the DNA, creating threads as well as layers, linking the artists who knowingly inhabited each other’s past and future.
This is a great example of an artist-led space; site-specific collaborative work; temporary and negotiated space; as well as documentation as art. They also created a blog and here are photographs taken throughout the project by Hydar Dewachi that were exhibited in the space at the end of the 6 weeks.
What attracted me to performance was the possibility of mixing sound, movement, image, all the different elements to make a complex statement. What I wasn’t good at was making a single, simple statement – like a sculpture.
Joan Jonas
criticismism.com/2011/04/20/liberate-tate-performance-tate-britain/
Posted: April 7, 2012 by christiannaw in Uncategorizedhttp://www.nowpublic.com/culture/performance-art-kirstie-macleod-acted-sara-farah
Posted: April 7, 2012 by christiannaw in UncategorizedA man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1.100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a women threw the money in the till and without stopping, and continued to walk on.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. The action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musician in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing on the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theatre in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organised by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people. The outlines were; in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour; Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognise the talent in an unexpected context?
One of the possible conclusions from the experience could be;
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?
Instead of waiting to be told they’re the next big thing, artists are increasingly taking matters into their own hands by setting up DIY galleries and project spaces, often in unusual settings. Here’s how to do the same…
Enhancing Your Art with Negative Space – check out this article!
Posted: March 30, 2012 by FaridaB in UncategorizedInteresting article on the importance of negative space.
Although we are not exhibiting photography for the project, our project uses the same concept, working with the negative space around the art within the gallery, and making it our own for our version of art.
http://www.tutorial9.net/articles/design/enhancing-your-art-with-negative-space/
Space Within 