Carla's Reflective Blog

Contemporary Art and Illustration: A documentation of all things artistic, imaginative and nonsense.

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New blog

Check out my new blog with my latest work on it!

http://carlataylorillustration.blogspot.co.uk/

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Reflective Writing: Term 2

At the end of Term 2 I feel I have greatly improved and achieved some of my aims after Term 1. In my projects, I have done a lot more research and development than last term and feel I have developed more as an artist/ illustrator.

It has become apparent to me that I want to follow the path of illustration as I do not agree with a lot of the ideals within contemporary art: including  putting work in a gallery and not always completing artwork with effective aesthetic values.

In year 2, I wish to continue finding my own personal style but improve on reading books from the reading list and being able to define myself within my own practice. From this year as a whole, I have learnt that I enjoy working with traditional materials in Photoshop and desire to explore this further in my second year.

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'A Manifesto to Avoid the Void' by Carla Taylor.

Avoid the void by setting your work free of the gallery/ museum space to be seen by the public eye.

Avoid the void by filling the void with appropriate and talented artwork with purpose beyond the gallery space.

Avoid the void with the intention of communicating to the world.

Avoid the void by enhancing your artwork in a place which isn't confined by the white walls of a gallery space, a place thriving with vibrancy and creativity.

Avoid the void with the creation of work that speaks for itself and doesn't need a gallery to define its completion.

Simplicity is key to dictating a message with the use of language every viewer can understand. This is how to Avoid the Void.

Initially, I wanted to devise a set of rules to make my points stronger. This was inspired by the 'riot grrrl' manifesto who used the word 'BECAUSE' at the start of each point which I feel made thier overall manifesto stronger and serious, making a statement that could make a change. (http://onewarart.org/riot_grrrl_manifesto.htm)

After reading 'Inside the White Cube: The Ideology of the Gallery Space' by Brian O'doherty, I was fascinated in particular by the work of Yves Klein who used an empty gallery space as his installation piece. This caused me to question the boundaries of art and whether there should actually be any boundaries set at all until art becomes a ridiculous idea and people start to ignore it.

This gave me the idea to use 'Avoid the Void' as a starter for the majority of my points as a statement that artists shouldn't forget the value of traditional paintings or mixed media pieces which contain much more aesthetic appeal than an empty gallery. Also, my points came from personal beliefs in a sense that I desire my own artwork to be seen everywhere in a commercial way, as an illustrator. Part of my belief leads me to think of a gallery space as an ancient idea and art and their artwork should move on from such a sterile environment.

In the design and presentation of my manifesto, I had to take into account that, beyond my choice, it was going to be viewed within an exhibition. Therefore, I decided to form my text as though it was on the outside of a cube to contradict the book's title 'Inside the White Cube'. Aswell as this, I added a tint of colour, green to reflect a natural environment, to 'avoid the white walls of the gallery space'.

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Contemporary Practice in Context 1: Book Review

                            'Inside the White Cube: The Ideology of the Gallery Space' was written by Brian O'Doherty, a.k.a Patrick Ireland, a practicing artist and writer. Thomas McEvilley (1986) begins with a short introduction which explores some background history of the gallery space and explains the general thesis within the book. He explains: the book includes a series of essays by O'Doherty, first published as a series of three articles in 'Artforum' in 1976. This sets the tone before the reader starts to view the rest of the book, creating a guideline for them to follow with the index included as well so the reader knows the topic of each chapter.

O'Doherty interests the reader by introducing his first chapter with a so-called 'fable', this seems to be a tactic to draw in the reader at the beginning of each section. As a reader, it is understood that a fable has an inevitable moral. I appreciate the authors attempt to create a sense of understanding to initialise his research and opinions, though 'morals' are defined as being the correct way of things, therefore is the author stating that all of his claims are true?

Early on in O'Doherty's book, the reader finds certain illustrations which match up with his text. After studying his book, it became evident that the authors technique was to talk about an artwork or gallery style initially, followed by the image. The reader can value his efforts to place illustrations within his book as it allows them to formulate the correct image which may have otherwise been unknown or misinterpreted. Even so, as the audience is aimed at art-types, it would have been thought that the imagery the author explained would have at least been recognised. This was often not the case for me personally.

Throughout the entire essay, I felt that the author used far too complex language. He seemed to skirt around the main points quite frequently, using metaphor and simile to make his writing sound more sophisticated and pretentious than it needed to be. When occurring this particular language, I found that I couldn't take his writing as seriously as he intended it to be, as I was looking for factual statements, not 'floaty' language which normally appears in fiction. This complexity often found in art essays and critical writing is exactly  what makes understanding art difficult- is this a means of disguising simple thoughts and meanings to meet the formal hierarchy of the modern world? O'Doherty certainly meets this standard.

Furthermore, the author does keep his essay in a neatly formed chronological order, beginning his gallery research as early as the 17th century. This makes the book easier to follow and understand. O'Doherty's comments on the transformation of the gallery space: from how it originally was a practical place for art to be held and sold, to the 18th century where artists began to incorporate this space to complete their work. Interesting artists works he included were Marcel Duchamp's 'Mile of String' 1942 which literally took over the gallery space, and Yve Klein's 'Void 1957', a work which requires the gallery space to exist.

  Marcel Duchamp, Mile of String, 1942

Yve Klein, The Void, 1957

Overall, I found that Brian O'Doherty presented the balance of image and text effectively throughout his book.  However, a main criticism of his writing would be his over-use of complex language which I do not believe are completely necessary. This made the book a difficult and droning read. Even so, his efforts of analysis and knowledge must be applauded as his research involves much detail intense understanding.

  Review by Carla Taylor

  O'Doherty, B. (1999). Inside the White Cube: The Ideology of the Gallery Space. 1st. ed. San Fransisco: University of California Press.

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S.C.U.M (Society for Cutting Up Men) Manifesto Review

                                      S.C.U.M: the society for cutting up men. At first glance the prospect of "cutting" up men is a shocking statement hidden with the abbreviation of 'Scum', a vulgar insult given a new destructive meaning against MEN.

Valerie Solanas wrote the SCUM manifesto in 1967 whilst working for Andy Warhol, a man she claimed had too much control over her. This could explain her viscous attitudes towards men in her SCUM manifesto, calling them offensive names such as "faggots", "worthless piece of shit" and "turd". As well as this, her inability to erase the fact that Warhol was trying to control her life (resulting in her shooting at the artist and ending up in prison for several years) made people question her sanity and mental health. This could be derived from her unfortunate childhood when "her father sexually molested her; sometime in the 1940's her parents divorced" and her "grandfather whipped her" when she refused to go to Catholic school. Her mental health condition was understandable given these awful facts about her past, but the way she hated men was unnatural even for someone with her background. In her manifesto most of what she has stated is absurd and completely irrational. If you thought you hated men, you might reconsider after reading Solanas' contribution to the population of men-hating women.

Immediately within the first couple of paragraphs, Solanas doesn't hold back her views on the male sex ("destroy the male sex") which is a very extreme view but sets the topic of her overall manifesto. In the initial stages of the manifesto, Solanas seems intent on destroying the male as a gender in a degrading way questioning whether males are even needed in the human race ("Retaining the male has not even the dubious purpose of reproduction. The male is a biological accident"). This is a very controversial view to state in her manifesto which is shocking to say the least and expresses her harsh attitude towards men.

Furthermore, Solanas carries on to say the male is "an inoffensive blob" and how "he can't relate to anything other than his own physical sensations". This indicates how she was sexually abused as a child and the memories of this traumatic experience have been left embedded into her mind. This also could suggest how throughout her life she has never really had a good male role model or relationship so has not been able to change her views of the male gender. Her time as a prostitute in her early life did not help her hate for men as effectively she was being used by them.

A shocking statement Solanas made regarding the male sex was: "that doesn't explain screwing corpes and babies." To say this is completely horrific, especially to even think that males could be associated with this. As well as this offensive statement, Solanas appears obsessed with the idea that men are incomplete females ("Being an incomplete female, the male spends his life attempting to complete himself, to become female"). This idea comes from Solanas' extreme feminist views and a 'need' to dominate the male sex and have a sense of control. This comes from her own experiences with men when she, herself, was controlled. However, is it fair to blame all men for the actions of those who treated her badly? This anger really comes forth when she states: "Emotionally diseased Daddy doesn't love his kids; he approves of them". The use of the word "Daddy" brings forward Solanas' childhood memories when she was molested by her own father. Her Manifesto really seems like an emotional cry out for help rather than a statement that men should be destroyed; she is trying to destroy her memories.

"SCUM will kill all men who are not in the Men's Auxilliary": what is SCUM? SCUM is merely a fictional society which gave Valerie Solanas an ounce of hope that she could recover from her traumatic past. No one other than Solanas herself would even consider being part of SCUM. This Manifesto is a rant which explodes out every thought she ever had about her traumatic past. She is finally taking back her individuality and making a stand against violent, controlling men.

So men, please don't take this Manifesto personally, sympathise for Solanas- the woman who made a stand for her own identity, the woman who took a risk for what she believed, the woman who was once vulnerable, finally becoming strong and independent.

  Review by Carla Taylor

  Solanas, V. (1967). S.C.U.M. Manifesto (Society for Cutting Up Men) [online]. Available from: <http://www.womynkind.org/scum.htm>. [Accessed 21 February 2013].

Solanas, V. About Valerie Solanas [online]. Available from: <http://www.womynkind.org/valbio.htm>. [Accessed 21 February 2013].

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The Stuckists Manifesto Review

                                                       In the words of Tracey Emin,

                               "Your paintings are stuck,

                               you are stuck!

                              Stuck! Stuck! Stuck!"

    The Stuckists play on Emin's quote relating to co-founder, Billy Childish, taking the juxtaposing word "stuck" to form 'Stuckism'. This is a clear comment on how his work is "stuck" and those artists of similar works are also "stuck". In order to challenge this idea, Childish, along with co-founder Charles Thomson created their own manifesto. Using the term 'Stuckism' is almost mocking Emin's words as the 'Stuckists' clearly believe they are not stuck and embrace their own personal practice. Thompson and Chilldish's manifesto defends the 'Stuckists' through mockery and sometimes comical forms ("e.g. a dead sheep") to comment on conceptual, pretentious art and express the 'correct' form of art, or what it should be.

  Firstly, one of the most well-known controversial claims in the Stuckists manifesto is

"4. Artists who don't paint aren't artists" (Thomson and Childish, 1999).

  This is an extremely strong statement to make, even for the 20th Century time period where art was evolving rapidly and the modernist art movement prevailed. Different forms of media other than painting were acceptable, and big names such as Damien Hirst were rapidly evolving into legendary artists through their new, innovative and original ideas they brought to the art world. The Stuckists, however, do not believe in this kind of conceptualist art. Their beliefs lie in traditional painting techniques which they claim is "the medium of self-discovery". This could be seen as authentic and true to 'real art', but what if this perception of art was only formed due to ancient methods used in art which were limiting at the time? Are the Stuckists really 'stuck' in the past as Tracey Emin suggests? Are they unable to accept a new wave of exceptional contemporary art? Painting is true in all its forms, but why should one's creative expression be limited to one form of media? It may not be realistic to paint an idea if an artist wishes to create a piece which involves and engages the viewer to a greater extent.

  Another issue raised in the Stuckists manifesto is yet another controversial declaration:

"5. Art that has to be in galleries to be art isn't art" (Thomson and Childish, 1999).

  This statement is quite true. Art should be able to be enjoyed wherever it is placed. The confinements of a white walled gallery limits how the artwork can be viewed. Galleries are in specific places, set up by those who are part of the art world, and are mainly known by those of similar tastes. This kind of art that can only be seen in galleries is hidden away from the public eye; it cannot be moved or bought. Therefore, what is the point of this art if it is just to stay in a confined room of lifeless white walls? It is impossible to understand why any artist wouldn't want to share their talent to a wider audience, only to be viewed within the walls of the pretentious art world. Art for the sake of being art is simply ridiculous. If an artist does not even express a personal emotion or convey some kind of meaning then what, exactly, is the point?

  The Stuckists are very set in their own ways; "6. The Stuckist paints pictures because painting pictures is what matters." (Thompson and Childish, 1999). They should be praised for their commitment to art and a desire to express themselves through painting, not for anyone else, just for the love of art. Even so, perhaps the Stuckists are really stuck. Perhaps they need to loosen the term 'art' and find out that art is not just about painting pictures, but it is also a way to communicate and change the world- artists have their own creative voice through their work, they might as well use it!

   Review by Carla Taylor.  

        Childish, B. and Thomson, C. (1999). The Stuckists [online]. Available from: <http://www.stuckism.com/stuckistmanifesto.html>. [Accessed 8 February 2013].

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Contemporary Practice in Context 1: Deconstruction

"There is nothing outside the text" (J,Derrida, 1967)

Stanford Presidential Lectures in the Humanities and the Arts [online]. (n.d.). Available from: <http://prelectur.stanford.edu/lecturers/derrida/deconstruction.html>. [Accessed February 7th 2013].

 Deconstruction is often seen as another form of analysis, a way to 'undo' a piece of text or image. This is usual done looking into the history of an artwork and looking into the semiotics of a piece.

As an example I deconstructed a piece of work by Barbara Kruger who I am researching for the 'Deconstructing the Grand Master' project.

'You are not Yourself' 1984, Barbara Kruger.

Smashed mirror- representative of a loss of identity/ hatred of oneself.

Typography- less emphasis on word 'not' causing the viewer to see the word last. By using small text, Kruger evokes a sense of sarcasm and less importance.

Black and white focuses on the seriousness of the content.

Kruger uses images from magazines in her work so she can re-contextualise them from a 'real' perspective with 'real' people to emphasis the message she is trying to portray.

Her main focus in this image is feminism which she explores with the use of a distraught woman in her poster.

Possible connotation of domestic violence in the image, though the viewer cannot be fully sure as the history of the woman is not revealed.

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Contemporary Practice in Context 1: Intertextuality

“Bakhtin articulated any discourse is always already a patchwork of quotations. As far as discourse is concerned, there is nothing new under the sun.”

- Mieke Bal (1985/1994)

McAra C. (2012) Powerpoint Presentation. [Lecture to Narrative Art and Intertextuality] n.d.

It is often criticised when an artist is 'influenced' by another or uses a similar style in their own work. However this cross-reference is known as 'Intertextuality'.

A good example of this is Leonardo DaVinci's 'Mona Lisa' which was re-worked by the contemporary artist Marcel DuChamp. DaVinci's iconic and well known painting has influenced artists since. While one may say it's plagiarism, another may state it is influenced.

'L.H.O.O.Q, a cheap postcard-sized reproduction of the Mona Lisa, upon which Duchamp drew a moustache and a goatee. The "readymade" done in 1919, is one of the most well known act of degrading a famous work of art. The title when pronounced in French, puns the phrase "Elle a chaud au cul", translating colloquially in "She has a hot ass"."

Marcel Duchamp World Community[online]. (2013). Available from: <http://www.marcelduchamp.net/L.H.O.O.Q.php>. [Accessed January 3rd 2013].

Whilst this piece appears to mock the original Mona Lisa, Duchamp was trying to make such a famous painting into something which could be viewed without the seriousness of many art critics. Perhaps this use of intertextuality enhances traditional famous artworks by re-contextualising them and helping a modern audience view it in a light-hearted manner.

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Reflective Writing: Term 1

As a completely new student it was a challenge to create new innovative work to start to progress as an individual and as an artist. 

Initially, I was not excited for the first project brief, visible cities, as I hadn't really make anything sculptural on a large scale before. By the end of the project it was clear to me that I am a 2-D artist and could clarify that I would avoid 3-D model making in the future as a University student. This was my most weak area, in my opinion though I was only just beginning to fit into the role as a University student so could have used my known strengths to create a better outcome.

  A strength of the term was my alter ego project. This is where I began to experiment more fluidly and create original, innovative art with ideas to give my work some support. Therefore, one of my main strengths is the desire to challenge myself and create new artwork and try new styles rather than sticking to one.

  Admittedly, more exploration within the projects would have been desirable, but for my first term I believe I managed it well and by the end I was in a position which would allow me to research more and do more development.

  Improvements I main in the final project of the term, and the exhibition, was a larger body of work which was original and innovative. Improvements to make for term 2 would be more ideas, better time management and to develop my skills when creating artwork. I need to be more focused and also present ideas with supportive research in the form of books, theories and other artists.

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Contemporary Art in Context 1: Reflecting Writing

"Our knowing is in our action" - Schon, 1983, p. 49

Reflection comes in many forms in art terms. These include annotation in sketchbooks, evaluating, experimenting, describing and reflecting in process.

In my personal work, I usually take on methods of annotation and evaluation of how I can improve so I can make the decision of what to do next.

In Dr Amanda Tinker's lecture on reflection I found some of the theorists very useful and could relate to many of them. In particular, Kold (1983) and Pedlar's (2001) theory about experimental learning I feel related to my own personal method of working.

Throughout my work I often review the positive and negative outcomes of my work so it can allow me to move forward into a new idea or improve an original one. 

Based upon my entire first term, I will write a review based on what I have learned about reflection from the lecture.

Main points I will consider when writing my personal reflection are:

- Basic Observation/ describing situations

- Standing back/ analysing from a different perspective

- Identifying strengths

- Identifying problems, weak areas

- Considering alternatives

- Action planning/ setting targets

- Revisiting to evaluate improvements

Tinker, A. (2012) Powerpoint Presentation. [Lecture to Reflective Writing and Blogs] n.d.

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Contemporary Art in Context 1: Narratology and Visualising Stories

"Narratology studies the forms, structure, functions, media, spaces, style and meanings of narratives with a view to understanding the 'stories' we create and consume in our lifetime."

  Catherine Lee (2012). Narratology. October 15 2012. celeeblog [online]. [Accessed Decemeber 14 2012]. Available from: <http://celeeblog.wordpress.com/2012/10/15/narratology/>.

Narratology is mainly based around the idea of 'telling a story'. Within art, this can be divided in various subcategories:

Simultaneous narrative - This kind of narrative involves two or more scenes within a narrative in an artwork.

Mono-scenic narrative - 'Mono' meaning'one' clearly states how one scene is depicted in this kind of narrative.

  Continuous narrative - This kind of narrative technique was typically used in the Renaissance period to tell an entire story within one artwork. Scenes were often shown side by side, becoming the origin of what we know as comic strips today.

  Synoptic narrative - A character appears multiple times in a single scene. In art terms, I can relate to this through my own piece for the alter ego project on 'Doppelgangers'. 

Here, I have captured the same image opposing one other which fits the idea of the synoptic narrative.

Pan-optic narrative - Depicts multiple scenes and actions without the repetition of characters.

Progressive narrative - Depicts a single scene, but with multiple actions without the repetition of characters.

Sequential narrative - This is very similar to continuous narrative however the scenes a segregated into frames.

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Contemporary Practice in Context 1: Drawing as Writing

Lee, C. Drawing as Writing. [Lecture to Drawing as Writing module] 9th October 2012.

Drawing as writing comes in many forms:

Narratology- telling a story through the narrative of imagery. This could be through comics, graphic novels, films/ animation or storyboards for example.

Pictorial Symbols- Visual communication through symbols. My initial thoughts led me to a good example of this- an airplane safety card.

As most people tend to remember things visually, a card in used in airplanes to communicate safety instructions to the passenger in case of an emergency.

Drawing for design- Interior design/ architecture, graphics. Visuals are needed to communicate an idea clearly to the client in order for them to gain a clear view of the proposal.

Drawing and writing in scientific subjects- Illustrations of the anatomy for example, to help the reader understand the human body in greater detail. Could also reflect on diagrams used in experiments to demonstrate the various stages.

Drawing as research, or subsidiary- Subsidiary- often held from public display and research into a painting for example. Imagery helps the artist gain inspiration through looking at other artists work.

Drawing as a tool for creative exploration-This includes methods such as recording in a sketchbook for visual exploration, or creating a visual mind map. Although I have used the image below in my own blog previously, this is a good example of how I have personally recorded my own thoughts through drawings initially to gain inspiration.

Above, these were my initially sketches I made once given the brief, visible cities. Along side them I have included my own interpretation about what they mean, but they clearly present my first thoughts on the projects in a visual sense.

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After experimenting with ink in tea stains, I photographed a detailed section of one my prints. Looking back at it, I found a woman looking over her shoulder. This deveops my thinking into more detail, interpreting my ink prints to find meaning behind them in comnparision with the spirit form of the doppelganger.

For example, in the original ink print I see a human figure, not yet defined by their gender. What is clear to me, however, is that the figure is looking over their shoulder. This initially made me think of a woman elegantly looking over her shoulder, as this seems to be a stereotypical feminine pose. I also see the start of a hairline, clearly defining the figure as human though the ink print detail hints at a more fairy-like, supernatural form.

After I made this discovery, I used photoshop to manipulate the original ink print, defining the figure's features to enhance the clarity of the female gender. This included adding eyelashes, shaping the nose and defining the lips- all features I consider important when emphasising the female figure. I was then able to alter the hues and vibrance to make the detail in the ink print stand out, but also to experiment with different tones and see how the original tones affect the ways the colours merge together, contrast and compliment one another.

The final image made from this ink print is vibrant and strong. In the detail on the female figure, the markings almost give the woman a supernatural pixie-like quality. Her persona emits the essence of an elegant woman- she is the alter ego of a woman in another reality, not one of this world. This makes me think of the idea that there are other realities aside from the one we live in, what if our doppelgangers were situated in a time which cannot be reached by our original selves?

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Print left over once excess water from tea bag ink print was soaked up.

The stain is minimal with subtle dark marks which define the shape of the print. I think that the process of this print was much more successful than the outcome, however it is still interesting in the sense that delicate marks have been created which traditional drawing techniques may find difficult to re-create. 

The idea behind this was to portray the spirit form of the doppelganger as an Alter Ego form of oneself. This form could take the shape of anything. Personally, I believe that since this print was drawn from my own sub-conscience  this could reflect on a 'double' of myself, or spiritual doppelganger, which is trying to reach out of my human form and represent itself through my imagination and the art I create. 

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Freedom of Speech

by Phil Jones

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I came across this piece and loved the style the artist has used. This links to the Google Street View Project. I value how a message is being conveyed through the simple use of a metaphorically released speech bubble 'balloon' to clearly communicate the idea of 'freedom of speech'. 

Furthermore, I value the detail in the buildings which the artist has kept through perspective drawing, as well as the portrayal of a simple narrative which is a common theme in modern society, 'freedom of speech'. This idea could be applied to my own work so that it communicates a message to the public, therefore giving the brief a more personal meaning.

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Experimenting with effects on Windows Movie Maker.

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An experimentation with ink in a tea stained pool of water. The patterns are completely random and constructed by myself.

The idea of the 'Alter Ego' in what patterns we draw from total imagination, and capturing the spirit of the Doppelganger. The ink flows on the surface of the water and in between; the temporary patterns highlight the natural flow of the ink and how spiritual entities linking with the Doppelganger are forms which can take any shape, space or tone.