Archive for April, 2012
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!
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…
Space Within 