Cornelia Parker

Source: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/parker-thirty-pieces-of-silver-t07461

Cornelia Parker: Thirty Pieces Of Silver, 1988-9

• As Andrew recommended I research in a previous tutorial, I looked at this piece by Cornelia Parker.
• Material & Form: The silver objects have all been flattened, and some of the pieces look slightly like my own work with the creases from flattening.
• Placement: The way they are suspended by thin wire to float just above the ground at even height is something to consider.

Reflection:

• Flattening found metal could be a route to explore, especially if has a value like silver. However this doesn't connect that well with my aesthetic theme, other than the silver metal.

A breakdown of the costs

While writing my research methods report, it provoked me to think more about the plans I had next for my art, and exhibition. I remembered something that was brought up in either a crit or tutorial a while ago ago about breaking down the costs of a piece of art, to show production costs and value in that sense. I decided to have a go at doing this for my own pieces I have made so far.

First in Microsoft Word:

Once I had worked out what I wanted to put, I continued in Photoshop where I had control over the leading of the type.

These three posters are a3 in size. I chose to use red as this is becoming a standard colour for me and joins my colour scale, along with silver,  due to its connotation with 'sale'. I wanted the text to look more messy and condensed as it reflects the purchasing process which can be rushed, stressful, anxiety provoking. 

'Artists brand identity: £1,000,000' is inspired from 'Naive young artist tries to sell balloons for £1,000,000', when a commercial London gallery refused to put a price tag of £1,000,000 on my work within their gallery. 

Reflection & Development:

• I want to place these in my studio/gallery window on top of the pieces of work that they relate to. 

Reflective Log: Reflection from this time last year

A video I completed this time last year during my BA degree, was a digitally manipulated image of tin foil, where I had enhanced the material's contrast and brightness to give it a material style that was close to stainless steel or a strong silver metal.

The video is below:

Key Points & Reflections:

• The curves and lines of the material here is very similar to what I am trying to do with my current metal work. 
• I feel like although what I am doing now is a slight step back (from the realm of digital) it is a progression in terms of my sculpture, and I feel my art has adopted a more material framework now. 

Designs for Stainless Steel & Researching/ Testing Stainless Steel Initially

Reflective update:

I have yet to call TR Weston for a price on stainless steel, or about outsourcing my work but I have been reflecting a lot about how this would take away from the process of me making, and how I feel about this.

I feel somewhat entirely disconnected with the work if someone else was to shape my design, and I suppose that artists like Koons, Hirst and Murakami must have also felt this within their career. This de-personalisaiton is a part of this commercial art that I feel I need to experience in order to comment on commercialisation of art.

Designs for Stainless Steel:

Can you design a process based artwork? 
Is outsourcing a complete juxtaposition of the materiality/ process of the piece? 

Through designing I realised, you can't really design a process based piece of work, that has to be moulded randomly and it's more like a conversation between maker and metal. I have a rough idea of where I want the curves and lines and folds to be on the piece of metal when I work with it, but the outcome will always be different each time.

Perhaps it would be easier to produce a mould that could be reproduced and then stainless steel could be cast from it?

Further research:

• Ask technicians if I can some how create a mould for stainless steel.
• Ask fabricators if I can create this mould, then they fill it with stainless steel and make a cast from it for me? This would feel like more of a connection with the work. 
• The mould could be the piece of aluminium I have already created?

Developments & Further Work:

As a result of this panic about the disconnection with my own work if I chose to out-source, I bought a sample of stainless steel sheet metal from eBay, 200mm x 300mm and hope to find some way of working with it in one of the workshops, although Ann Povey advised against this idea because the university didn't have the facilities.

The video below shows how to bend stainless steel using strong power-tools and I'm hoping there will be some way of working with it.

Jeff Koons A Retrospective by Scott Rothkopf

Key Points & reflections:

• Pages 17-30 were the most relevant. 

• Koons has taken the reflective quality of this everyday material to connect it with luxury. ‘Shiny objects are attractive… because they provoke joy and promote energy…Living beings gravitate towards shiny surfaces.’ (Rothkopf, 2014, 17)  The psychology behind the viewers appeal to objects of this nature, one I am taking advantage of within this project. 

• "Their [Koons' objects] primary quality is their appeal, their look, their design, instead of the work they are expected to perform and thus they are highly charged and meant to fulfil emotional and psychological needs or desires." (Rothkopf, 2014, 19). This quote is talking about his the object being perceived as art rather than its use value.

• " Koons threw these attributes into high relief by casting his models in glistening stainless steel, a material that makes them even more enchanting and literally reflective of their covetous consumers." (Rothkopf, 2014, 19). The material of stainless steel is ironic due to the fact everything from appliances to knives and forks are made out of it. Yet, when Koons dips these everyday objects into stainless steel, suddenly it becomes a luxury artwork. 

• Koons referred to his sculpture, ‘Balloon Dog’, as a ‘Trojan horse’. (Rothkopf, 2014, 29). ‘Its cold shiny surfaces seem to condense the hothouse flows of capital and desire that both bring it into being’ (Rothkopf, 2014, 29).

Reflective Log: Artnet News Articles

The above article by Artnet news was not useful when I read further into the text, it spoke about spotting the difference between fakes and real photographs of women. However, it led me to find similar suggested articles below:

Source: Artnet News Skye Arundhati Thomas, September 21, 2016. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/study-reveals-that-we-are-more-tolerant-of-art-659891 

Key points:

• In a study, people were shown images of art and their brain activity was monitored, being asked to evaluated whether it was a pleasant image or unpleasant, and whether they were art, or real events. "Et Voilà: the study showed that the subjects showed a preference for the images labeled as “art.”"(Thomas, 2016). This shows how art is a pleasant experience for the viewer (even if the art may appear to shock or be mundane, the fact it is art adds this aura to it). 

• In the article above it states how viewers are desensitised to life if they perceive it as art, for example real blood in a gallery could be mistaken as fake blood for a performance. They also accept anything as being art. 

• "Jonathan Jones, unsurprisingly, has picked up on the study to justify a societal interest in works that he deems to be of a lesser-aesthetic quality (say: Tracey Emin’s My Bed) and asks the question in a recent column for the Guardian, “Can you turn ordinary objects into art simply by saying so?”"(Thomas, 2016)

• "Being the post-De Bordian “Society of Spectacle” that we are now, all is convincing, all is likeable, even, as long as it is art."(Thomas, 2016). 

The next suggested article also had some valid points of interest:

Source: Brian Boucher, May 23, 2016. https://news.artnet.com/market/millennial-art-collection-study-us-trust-502013 

Key Points:

• "Some of the study’s findings might be comforting to those who believe that art’s principal worth is aesthetic, intellectual, or cultural. For example, three-quarters of collectors surveyed say their primary reason for collecting is art’s aesthetic value." (Boucher, 2016). This conforms to the themes within my work and the threads that underpin its aesthetic value.
• 
• A generational survey of value and art above. 

Further research:

• Conduct a research into the value of my own artwork. Record peoples responses to what they think my art objects are worth. Show them photos of the art rather than the real thing, this could add to the arts perception and help ameliorate it - a selling point. 

Zhan Wang

Focusing more on materiality recently, I wanted to focus on the importance of why my work is silver, and why I'm so interested in this material form.

I went to Frieze Fair in 2013 and the two pieces that changed my perspective of art and paved my aesthetic style today, was 'Decline of Western Civilization' (2013) by Joel Morrison, and Zhan Wang's 'Artificial Rocks' (2007). Both of which were made to look exquisite, cast from a shiny material that was stainless steel.

Artificial Rock A-63, 2007, stainless steel

Artificial Rock #10, 2001, stainless steel, H. 29 1/2 in. (75 cm); W. 17 11/16 in. (45 cm); D. 7 1/2 in. (19 cm)

Zhan Wang, Ornamental Rock No. 71, 2006-2008, polished stainless steel, 170.2 x 157.5 x 106.7 cm

Key points:

• The natural curves of the forms drew me too them, not to mention the high shine surface and reflective qualities. The rocks resemble something natural, yet are something entirely man made. 
• Stainless Steel is a man made material, and these sculptures have also been polished to perfection. 
• "Zhan created his sculpture by moulding a flat sheet of metal to a natural rock formation; once removed, this shiny skin is reformed to create a hollow and abstract representation of nature." (Saatchi Gallery, 2016). It explains on the Saatchi website that this high shine aspect in Wang's work connects with the 'spiritual emblem, merging their associative connotations of stability, prosperity, and wealth.' Therefore, a high shine surface symbolises this connection with wealth and value. 

Reflections:

• This relates back to the book 'Jeff Koons a Retrospective' as there is a paragraph that explains Jeff Koons' reasonings behind choosing the high shine surface for his Balloon figures, is similar to Wang's, that we are attracted to shiny objects because they connect with health and wealth. 

Futher Research

• Experiment with Stainless steel 

Sources: Saatchi Gallery (2016) http://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/artpages/zhan_wang_ornamental_rock.htm

Inspiration for work after exhibiting at Unit London for Hix Award

Over the summer I was given the opportunity to exhibit my degree show work at Unit London Gallery as part of the Hix award:

‘Naïve young artist tries to sell balloons for £1,000,000’[1]. It was exploring the appropriation of Jeff Koons’ ‘Balloon Dog’ (Orange)[2] within my BA degree show, using less-than-precious materials, that formed the basis for my current practise. After my BA, my work[3] was ironically selected to form part of a group show within a commercial London gallery. When asked by the curator for the price of my work, I responded with ‘£1,000,000’. How could it be any less? After all, I was appropriating the highest selling work to be sold by a living artist.[4] It was in this moment that I discovered I was enthralled by the art market, and correspondingly, developed a profound interest for the buying and selling of art, and the reasons behind its value.

I think the £1,000,000 number is important to my project for this reason, and could connect to my artist brand identity, ironically. 

---

[1] This was the headline I gave myself after trying to set the price at £1,000,000 for my ‘Balloon Dog’ piece within Unit London Gallery, which was primarily made from real balloons.

[2] Jeff Koons, Balloon Dog (Orange) (London: Anthony d’Offay Gallery, 1994-2000).

[3] Alexandria Frances Clow, Balloon Dog (Lincoln: University of Lincoln Apex Degree Show, 2016).

[4] Daisy Wyatt, ‘Jeff Koons' Balloon Dog sells for record $58m along with Francis Bacon's Freud portraits.’ Independent [online] (13 November 2013) http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/jeff-koons-balloon-dog-sells-for-record-58m-along-with-francis-bacons-freud-portraits-8936712.html [accessed 28/11/16].

Alexandria Frances Clow, Balloon Dog (Lincoln: University of Lincoln Apex Degree Show, 2016).

Alexandria Frances Clow, Balloon Dog (London: Unit London Gallery 2016).

Sotheby's Sales Prices, Market Trends Research

Researching market trends. Source: http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/results.html

Auction results at Sotheby's, ranging in date newest first. 

Scanning the Sotheby's website for what has been selling shows me some of the market trends. The contemporary day auction which made the most money in recent times, sold works by Hirst, and other successful artists, ranging from paintings to sculpture. 

Something within the Contemporary day auction that caught my eye was by Gerhard Richter, the materials used for this was polished stainless steel. 

Further research into stainless steel.  

Putting my work in the window: Studio as a Gallery/ Shop

Passers by can't miss it! Just need the FOR SALE signs now...

Reflective Log: Ways of Curating by Hans Ulrich Obrist

Key Points:

• "But in addition, we also create more material goods each year than the previous one.  Today we awash in cheaply produced objects to a degree that would have been difficult to imagine a century ago. The result, arguably, has been a shift in the ratio of importance between making new objects and choosing from what is already there." (page 24) Commenting on curating.
• Curating a gallery, curating a shop, curating a business....

Reflections

• material goods, cheaply produced, 

Aluminium Developments

After Andrews feedback where he suggested experimenting with scale, I ordered a meter long 0.5mm thick strip of aluminium.

Photos of work in progress:

Final Photos After polishing

Reflections

• This time when I moulded the Aluminium, I had to use larger tools such as an anvil, and other shaped tools that I could bend the metal around, rather than just use the small circular moulds. This meant I was more focused on bending the metal with my hands, and I could fold the metal more easily with larger tools.
• I still used the circular moulds and hammer for smaller areas, and to give the texture of the creases, and spread these concentrated details out evenly across the sheet.
• I noticed that when I forced the metal to bend in ways it didn't want to go, I got these fantastic creases in the material. 
• With this larger piece, I noticed it was more prone to scratches and dents from the tools. 

Feedback & Development

• Although silver has been, and is my style, Anne suggested that this would look amazing in bronze. This is perhaps something to consider, why does my work have to stay silver?
• Frustrated with the scratches and dents I incurred, Anne suggested a place I could outsource my work if I wanted it moulding or casting using stainless steel (as the university doesn't have the facilities to work with stainless steel here). 
• This could be another route to explore - the outsourcing of work. If I get it manufactured to the highest quality with absolutely no imperfections it would be perfect and look as immaculate as it could be. It would also connect with the idea of production, and mass production, outsourcing of labour which Koons, Hirst and other artists do. 
• Anne suggested fabricators: TR Weston & Son, Westminster. Ind Est. Station Rd, Lincoln, LN6 3QY, 01522 688436. 

Reflective Log: Hands: What We Do with Them – and Why Book by Darian Leader

Preparing for the discourse seminar, this weeks text was 'Hands: What We Do with Them – and Why' by Darian Leader.

Though, the majority of the text was interesting, I didn't find it too relative to my subject. The final page of the extract however, did connect more with me and commented on mass consumption and consumerism.

On page 14, Leader compares the act of art to being almost sacred in itself, a delicate craft or precious talent. But this idea of art is juxtaposed with the outcome or product of art, with its mass production, goods-focused and business minded organisations. It is an oxymoron, an antithesis. It explains and exploits the negative aspects, how art can be made into a product purely to feed wealth and greed. 

Cath Tutorial/ Development

In a recent tutorial with Cath I got some ideas about where to take my work next through research. With my current objects I am interested with the form and the making of them.

I could develop this by:

• Trying to sell objects to see what people pay for things. Put them on eBay?
• Research Sotheby's sales prices
• Market prices or trends, Koons sales prices
• Sell shares in yourself
• Create the auction for the work. 

This has got me thinking about the business side of my own art, are the objects themselves enough? Or do they need an approach behind them that would really integrate the two sides I am interested with. 

Testing Aluminium Placement/ Adding Silver Leaf

Placing the object in the bins. This sort of camouflaged in with the rest of the rubbish due to its reflective qualities. 

Testing placement - discarding the aluminium as though it were litter on the floor. 

The silver leaf added value to the aluminium, but took away a lot from the form of the metal and make it look a lot more tacky. Though, the details within the leaf create more texture, I feel it takes away from the purer, simplistic element that I wish to focus on, which is the material itself. 

Tutorial: Andrew

Key points & developments for work:

• The silver metal piece - it can be the same object but different setting, for example see what it looks like when it's placed in the bin (as it resembles the form of litter) and in other places.
• Bin and shop comparison 
• I could try to roll out the silver until there is nothing left, experimenting with the aspect of materiality as that is what i'm really interested in here - the materials and the form itself. I need to try to exploit this now. 
• Try and experiment with photoshopping the piece, or playing around with a model person to change the perspective of the form itself, to see what it would look like if it was a larger scale. 
• Play more with materials

Further Research:

• Research Cornelia Parker - 50 pieces of silver, steam roller, explores transformation of material. 
• Research Frank Gehry - Guggenheim - library documentary. 

Artist Connection: Donald Judd

I remembered from a previous lecture a few years ago that Donald Judd wrote somewhere about 'the beauty of the materials themselves'. This inspired me to re look at Judd's work, particularly as I'm working with metal in a sculptural way, and I'm increasingly concerned with the materials I'm using.

Donald Judd was an American sculptor and writer and mainly worked with metals like stainless steel and plexiglass. His work focuses on materiality and he formed part of the minimalist movement which spanned from the 1950s through to the 1970s.

"His work in extreme visual reduction explored the specific natures of objects, their spatiality, and their relationship to the viewer" (Artnet, 2016) This has a connection with my own work as I do consider the viewer in my own work, and the arts affect on them. “Actual space is intrinsically more powerful and specific than paint on a flat surface.” (Judd, 1965).

Looking at these two sculptures by Judd, it is their scale that controls their relationship with the viewer. It is also their material which is a strong shiny metal. Judd works a lot with the form of a cube or square and this could be due to the fact it's even, symmetrical and therefore, pleases the viewer visually. The details within 'untitled - 1966' are quite mesmerising to look at. The curved indentations in the steel creates a subtle reflection, causing lines to appear from the reflective qualities in the metal. This could be what Judd meant by the beauty of the materials themselves, when they can cause this kind of response from the viewer, simply by showing them what the material can do, or allowing it to be viewed in a different way. 

The placement of many of Judds work, including those featured above, is something to consider. They look like they are floating in the middle of the wall, almost as if they shouldn't be able to do that. It is this placement that I believe also controls the relationship between the viewer and the object, causing them to wonder and be captivated.

In the Tate book 'Donald Judd' by Nicholas Serota, it states "(after 1964, Judd no longer crafted works himself but employed artisans and manufacturers with highly specialised skills and knowledge.)" So in a way Judd isn't too distant from other commercially successful artists like Koons, Hirst and Murakami who employ others to make their work for them.

Reflection

Recent metal experimentation of my own has formed the shape of a square and I feel satisfied working with the equal formation of a square - there is something soothing about the cube as an object. And this minimal approach I am working with also allows the details within the materials to be shown at the maximum quality, rather than overworking the concept with video or interactive art work.

I will also consider how Judd places his sculpture when it comes to the placement of my own, especially if I am to have multiple objects like Judd.

Bibliography:

Artnet, http://www.artnet.com/artists/donald-judd/ 

Judd Foundation, http://juddfoundation.org