Matthew Sutherland @matthewsutherland - Tumblr Blog

Satisfaction (2018)

Reclamation (2018)

Here is the end result of ‘Reclamation (2018)’, a side project that supports the performance piece held at Stryx Gallery. I feel that within the G04 space, the colour of the wooden frame stands out against the beige/green coloured walls and fits perfectly within the corner, almost giving a bespoke feel. Within the last few days of this project, I decided not to bother with using a projector - as it would not give a lasting impact on the piece and would not have been effective within a bight, open space during our 12pm submission date. The ways in which the acetate sheets fold under pressure and does not hold it’s original shape whilst being held in place was slightly disappointing, but could be argued that it is similar to that of temporary makeshift windows, after having a glass window smashed or damaged. Dueto the condition of the wooden frame, it seems to belong together and ‘fit in’. From further afield, it it not so clear that it is acetate within the window panes, as the text is so small. It really enquires the audience to get ‘up close and personal’ and to inspect it further in order to figure out what they are looking at. This piece comments on preservation of material of one may consider obsolete in terms of today’s technological standards.

Initial ideas for Displaying ‘Reclamation (2018)’

Alongside advice and guidance from my father, who is a mechanical engineer, I looked into how I will be able to present my work in the most effective way possible. After discussing my initial ideas and after fruitless attempts to procure the microfilm, it was decided that it would be ill-efficient to use such materiall, as it is so small without somehow using strong magnification. It was decided to simply use A4 acetate, which slots perfectly within the window panes. The image that I will project will also be of A4 size and magnified, which should effectively become projected against the wall a few feet away.

We also looked into the most effective ways of displaying the window frame. We discussed propping it up like an easel, placing it fully upright ad using cardboard as a base, laying it on it’s heaviest side etc. I decided to have the frame laying down on it’s heaviest side with the window panes angled horizontally, meaning that the A4 acetate sheets will be vertical and upright. The projector can then be placed on the floor with ease.

My workstation at the Stryx Gallery, Minerva Works, Digbeth, Birmingham.

MacBook Pro with Ableton Live Software, Keystation Keyboard and Dual Speakers.

Studio_LAB - Flat Pack Film Festival

So far, I have looked into the use of acoustics and the ways in which sound can be manipulated and with the removal of context, can transition into something new.

One Monday, I was given a keyboard and tried to learn how to use the paino and effectively and competently as I possibly can within a day. There is a piece called ‘Going Home’ by Izumi Tanaka I tried to learn from youtube tutorials and online apps which could help me learn how to play this song by piano; though the only issue was that this song is no niche and is not widely known at all so there are little to no tutorials or instructional videos. I was relying solely on my limited ability to identify notes and keys.

On Tuesday, I travelled to archive centre of the Library of Birmingham, recording my commute and the use of scanning through microfilm on microfilm readers. The sounds that I received were fascinating and gave the audience an audio-visual representation of the process of using analogue technology. For example, you could perfectly hear myself getting up from the desk chair, walking to the archive storage, opening the drawers, taking out a reel of film, closing the drawers and walking back to my seat. Once I had collected enough recordings, I returned to the studio and downloaded a software called Ableton Live. Ableton Live is a way in which to create and compose music from music that you make yourself or downloadable sounds.

‘Twenty-Four carat Magic (2018)’

Inspired by the works of Jeff Koons and ‘Value Theory’, I looked into what was a priceless and vital key to my recovery. I remembered how a simple, fifty pence Pot Noodle seriously aided my recovery. The Pot Noodle was the first meal I was able to consume and digest, for it’s mild and familiar taste; as well as the noodle and broth combination bringing energy and hydration to my body. At that moment in time, food was worth more to me than any items made of bronze, silver or gold. I decided to paint an ordinary Pot Noodle with Gold Spray paint in order to get an even coating with no brush strokes. I had to spray the Pot Noodle in the garden of my student accommodation, as I was not permitted to use spray paint on the School of Art premises. Though I feel that this piece is simple in both design and execution, I feel that it holds a strong narrative, as well as aesthetically catching the eye of the audience.

Exhibiting my Developing Practise Project

Whilst I was looking into how to display my work, I walked around the whole of Margaret street looking for inspiration. I then found a space within the basement area, outside the Unisex toilets and the fire exit. This space felt a lot more intimate and considerably more dim than in the studio spaces, bringing forth a slight feeling claustrophobia. the natural lighting that did enter the room was considerably little but it did come through from above, bringing even lighting into the room. The room had the feeling of ‘anti-exhibition’, as it is not an official space and is held within a space that one would consider unsanitary and the last place a person would expect to be an exhibition space.

Within this space, I took a considerable amount of time deciding where to place each component of my installation. My first thought was to have my laptop showing ‘The Wonders Of Omeprazole (Part 3) (2017)’ placed on top of a bare duvet, as if it were thrown on the floor in an unkempt fashion. The reason for this was due to the fact that I spend the majority of my time in bed, with little energy to do anything else. I would be wrapped up in my duvet watching tv shows online before falling in and out of consciousness. I didn’t bother with covering my duvet with a sheet, as I kept having to wash it over and over due to being physically sick over it during the night.

My second video, ‘The Wonders Of Omeprazole (2017) was shown on my personal iPhone. I placed the iPhone displaying the video, to the left hand side of the toilet bowl. Whilst I was physically sick, I would usually place my iPhone next to the left hand side and play music; more often than not, ‘My Way’ by Frank Sinatra. I would do this so my housemates would be less likely to hear what I would be doing in the upstairs bathroom, as well as wanting to make this seemingly uncontrollable act a little less tedious. It felt appropriate to display the video by that space, bringing a real sense of intimacy; having the audience really focus on a video so close to a seemingly unhygienic and unsanitary object, in a space that many people tend not to think about too deeply because of it’s purpose.

One part of the installation was created on the day, after thinking about how I could make the most of this space and possibly make it even more effective. I looked through my storage space in my student home and found empty packets of Nexium Gastro-resistant tablets. At the time, I found these tablets to be useless, relieving none of the gastric and abdominal pain I was experiencing. It was only until I was prescribed Omeprazole from my GP I actually started to feel better. I decided that the best way to represent the ill-effectiveness of Nexium was to have the original tablets replaced with different coloured skittles; comparing them to placebos. I decided to use skittles so the audience would be able to easily identify what they were looking at, based on the ‘S’ marked on each individual sweet. I also wanted to make a statement about ‘over the counter medication’ and how I believe these drugs are not created to actually help people’s conditions but are only produced to make a profit -

“The best studies that we have to date would suggest there’s not a lot of justification for using these medications because they haven’t been shown to work,” -

- Dr Richard Erwin, Professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts, and chairman of the cough guidelines committee for the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP).

I decided to call this piece ‘Gastro-resist (2018)’

I then placed ‘Not Tonight... (2018)’ alongside ‘Gasto-resist (2018)’ and set it out as if it were a dining set.

What I did next was produce ‘Yeah, I’m too big for ‘em… (2018)’ by six and bundled them together. I found it interesting how there were both bubbles reaching for the most northern point of the condom, as well as air bubbles hold underneath the bags, almost magnified through the water. Whilst I was preparing this piece, one large water-filled condom exploded whilst I was transporting it from the studio space to the stairwell space. It soaked the floor as well as my entire body. From then on, I learned to be considerably more careful whilst commuting with these sculptures.

I then placed ‘Grumbly Tumbly’ on the floor, beside the ‘Wonders of Omeprazole (2017)’ piece, as my original hot water bottle was always either beside or underneath the bedsheets at my student accommodation.

In between ‘Grmbly Tumbly (2018), ‘Gastro-resist (2018) and ‘Not Tonight... (2018) were the selection of instax instant photographs that I had taken; images of places and objects that I built a relationship with whilst I was sick, alongside a hospital wristband.

One of the collage images that I had scanned was then placed inside a picture frame and then framed in between two sets of pipes leading towards the ceiling. I placed the frame about two feet of the ground, giving a sense of confinement in an already restricted space.

Finally, I placed a speaker ball outside the double doors of the space, playing ‘The Wonders of Omeprazole Diary Entry (Cathedral Version) (2017)’. Whilst this piece was in motion, I had to stay close to the general proximity, as I was using bluetooth to project the audio to the portable speaker.

I would like to say that this hand-in and installation ‘exhibition’ was a success, as I truly believe that this installation was an accurate and strong demonstration of my practise being developed throughout the project, as I have demonstrated a variety of methods and materials used to convey my ideas, theme and narrative.

Jeff Koons

From many of his works, it’s obvious to see that Jeff Koons has in interest in creating sculptural pieces that have a gold, silver or chrome finish. The way in which the finish can capture the reflection of the audience within its form is captivating, engaging and interactive. One could say that it is so engaging from a rather vain perspective, seeing one’s self in the reflection.

The use of such material as gold, silver, bronze and chrome can represent wealth, power and priviledge, as those who possess such materials throughout history have always been successful in one way or another. The fact that such sculptures as balloon animals have been plated in such materials then blown up 10x it’s regular size; it seems rather ridiculous and satirical. Objects that are typically worth nothing are now suddenly worth something, based on what it is made of.

One can argue that it doesn’t matter what the material of the object is; if it brings happiness to a person, it is worth everything. For example, a child may want a balloon animal and may desire it far more than gold - therefore, to the child, it is worth more than gold.

“A lake of gold in the desert sand Is less than a cool fresh spring And to one lost sheep, a shepherd boy Is greater than the richest king”

- Jethro, The Prince of Egypt (1998)

Lack of Lube (Part 3)

This is quite simply a representation of the end of my illness and the sign of a fresh Start.

Something I wanted to capture through slow motion was the loss and collapse of structure once the condom had split, witnessing how the water would spill and how the split condom would revert back to it’s original size and shape. The way in which the condom split gave the impression that it’s structure was formed from nothing, as it split and was swept away by the water.

I think that the clear plastic fork almost connected with the clear condom filled with clear water and emphasised a feeling of sterility and almost ‘nothingness’.

#Vimeo #imovie

Lack of Lube (Part 2)

This is quite simply a representation of the end of my illness and the sign of a fresh Start.

Something I wanted to capture through slow motion was the loss and collapse of structure once the condom had split, witnessing how the water would spill and how the split condom would revert back to it’s original size and shape. The way in which the condom split gave the impression that it’s structure was formed from nothing, as it split and was swept away by the water.

I think that the clear plastic fork almost connected with the clear condom filled with clear water and emphasised a feeling of sterility and almost ‘nothingness’.

#Vimeo #imovie

Lack of Lube (Part 1)

This is quite simply a representation of the end of my illness and the sign of a fresh Start.

Something I wanted to capture through slow motion was the loss and collapse of structure once the condom had split, witnessing how the water would spill and how the split condom would revert back to it’s original size and shape. The way in which the condom split gave the impression that it’s structure was formed from nothing, as it split and was swept away by the water.

I think that the clear plastic fork almost connected with the clear condom filled with clear water and emphasised a feeling of sterility and almost ‘nothingness’.

#Vimeo #imovie

‘Yeah, I’m too big for ‘em... (2018)’

According to the internet, half a gallon of water is the average person’s recommended daily intake of water.

This is a representation of the IV bag that I was given whilst I was admitted to hospital. I had no idea just how dehydrated I was until I saw how much liquid was in that IV bag. I had so little fluid within my body that it took the nurse 5 attempts before properly inserting the syringe, leaving my arm considerably sore. I stayed in that hospital for a further hour and a half waiting for my body to accept all that water and carry it through my bloodstream. It was one of the most uncomfortable experiences of my life. I wanted to express my discomfort with a piece that looked fragile, unpredictable, toilsome to manage yet simplistic in aesthetic.

Not only did I use a condom because it is a strong, resilient and malleable material but also the sheer fact that condoms are used for sexual activity. Whilst I was unwell, I had absolutely no sex drive due to lack of food, water, blood and energy. I wanted to capture the cruel irony of using the condom to hold fluids, when, at the time, no such activity was occurring.

The Art of Kintsugi -

Most people would like damages to their broken items to be concealed and hidden by repair making the object look like new. But the Japanese art of Kintsugi follows a different philosophy. Rather than disguising the breakage, kintsugi restores the broken item incorporating the damage into the aesthetic of the restored item, making it part of the object’s history. Kintsugi uses lacquer resin mixed with powdered gold, silver, platinum, copper or bronze, resulting into something more beautiful than the original.

‘Grumbly Tumbly (2018)’

Similar to the work of ‘...Not Tonight (2018)’, this is a ready-made piece, inspired by the works of Rachel Whiteread that represents the way I felt during the time of my sickness.

This hot-water bottle is a representation of my stomach and how it felt like there was only a lining that was left behind; even the feeling that if i did try to eat, my stomach would be like this hot-water bottle and not be able to contain any of it. This was a peculiar piece to make, as is the very water-bottle I used every day during my illness to reduce and relieve the abdominal pains; I almost felt guilty for doing this to something that has helped and benefited me towards my recovery. Similar to ‘...Not Tonight (2018)’, This object has lost all sense of purpose and cannot be used for anything since it’s body has been sliced and diced. It is no longer a hot-water bottle. It cannot be repaired. It can only be replaced.

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Matthew Sutherland