John Moores Painting Prize

Upon entering this part of the Walker Art Gallery I was washed with disappointment. Badly curated. That just about sums it up. the favourite 'Spectrum of Jesus' by Keith Coventry is just about understandable compared to the others. A blue portrait, not fabulously painted behind a glass frame in such a light it is difficult to see past your own reflection, and I get that, the artist has requested that positioning, he wanted the viewer to work to see past themselves in the reflection so it is understandable though some may say there is a sense of it being a last minute idea when the artist was looking for a solution to make a crap painting look good and win favour over the others...which wouldn't have been too difficult.

Alright there is a display of talent, skill and such in other entries, but that's all I can see, there is no meaning or purpose of the work other than to try and put across some skill as if the artists are focused on looking for commissions rather than the pleasure of creating the art.

Nicholas Middleton 'Protest, 1st April 2009' has amazing detail and is photo realistic considering to short period it was painted, to win visitor's choice is understandable because the public identifies the skill, but, as always I find a flaw, I don't see a focus, is it the violin player? Plinth? Who? What? and WHY??? I don't see purpose other than for the artist to dissect a scene and paint it with intention of selling. I hate this lack of love, it's depressing to witness the painters fall from grace from revolutionary to profit. Maybe it's because I didn't read or listen to the critics or artist reviews but i feel that taints perspective into thinking one way, this show has really upset me...

It feels like the Turner Prize when it was hosted in Liverpool Tate, only there I understood that it could have had something to do with Tate Modern not wanting the show to be even more of a success than its own therefore giving Tate Liverpool the confidence to hold an even better exhibition in the future.

Look on the bright side, I can do better.

Now the Shanghai Contemporary Painting Prize was amazing in comparison. My favourite piece was by Zou Tao called 'Excretion Factory'.

I found this hilarious in my own way. the piece itself looks beautiful, the machine is painted with precision to the angles cleanly executed adding to this sterile cleanliness as one would expect in a science facility. Now we see the scientist in the corner, a mechanic for the machine to by the looks of it, now we see what he is examining...crap, literally. I find this suggests a number of things, is he addressing the viewer? suggesting we are also examining crap...In which case I agree with the room 'Spectrum Jesus' is housed in. Or is it more political? Cultural? Maybe a suggestion to how we are so finicky that even what comes out of us as waste is examined to make sure all is well with our health...

This painting really tickled my fancy for the hilarity within it, others seem to see it too, but it does annoy me to see people look at the title first then the painting, I feel it ruins paintings somehow if you don't stop to examine the painting first, then look at the title with a completely new understanding than you would have otherwise.

This in turn has really gotten me to think how I want my own work to interpret to the viewer, how it would be presented, I would certain pieces to remain together as a group in a smaller room whilst others could be hung on a wall, though I would want the surrounding pieces of other works to compliment my own. I think pieces with a focus on identity would work as well as space...

The following is an Extended edition of my Paper Hands using a different pen and paper type. I think this works just as well though I am unsure about the extended music box soundtrack. Anyway, this piece I believe would work well on a simple flat screen though if the space was offered I would have the video large on one wall, the small sculpture on the floor in a large boxed off space and A3 photos of the letter writing set up on the opposite wall.

A-Foundation

Sachiko Abe 'Cut Papers'.

This performance is the most memorable of the Biennial because of its' setting in a dis-used warehouse brought back to life through the creation of the gallery. Abe exercises patience and discipline through the continuous snipping of A4 paper to create long thin strips. The paper tower is a result of seven years of cutting. The sound of the scissors is amplified in an otherwise silent space where the viewer is obliged to respect the silence (something a high school group had to be reminded of upon entering). Many thought this was a very spiritual experience and I was reminded of classic fairy tales where a hero is set a task that could last years.

In the room below her, there are drawings also exercising discipline through repetition on various sizes of paper where the viewer can see the changes in pencil pressure in a sort of time scale of where she relaxed into a rhythm then left for a while before returning.

Pablo Wendel 'Terracotta Warrior' 2006

One more hilarious piece. The German artist presents us with eight minutes of himself disguised as a terracotta warrior making it hard for the guards and public to distinguish him, though once they do, they are so startled by this living warrior the poor should is confused on what to do when the warrior does not respond to him. And so we watch as the guard uses his red phone to call for back up, a group comes from no where, surround Wendel, and seem to attempt a relaxed negotiation, or at least attempt to as Wendel refuses to move. And so we find hilarious as the guards suddenly pounce him, pick him up and rush by all the tourists who by now have heavily accumulated to get a better look.

Greta Alfaro 'In Ictu Oculi' 2009.

This reminded me of something I attempted in my first year, only my target was seagulls. I set up a V E Day party on the top floor of the University and left it...it wasn't successful though, not a peck, I think the decoration put them off. This is basically what I wanted to happen, the table being ripped apart by birds looking for food, maybe I should have planted fish there to like Greta planted raw meat here. I think we were both looking for the same comments on society today only I wanted to have the viewer overwhelmed by the lack of community after posters were put up advertising my little bird fest... She is on Blog spot though, check it out. The video is there too.

http://gretalfaro.blogspot.com/search/label/2009%20-%20In%20Ictu%20Oculi.%20%20Video

My video is too long to be put up...or at least I think it is as an error keeps popping up when I try to put it here... I'll try a few different methods in the coming days...

'No Longer Empty'

The following are installations that were housed in A-Foundation, I thought only to add these two brief comments mostly because they are memorable pieces completely different to one another yet I enjoy both the political piece and the video piece as they are both mediums I use and think about throughout my work.

Giuseppe Stampone 'Play'

Five custom made amps in the shapes of coffins playing the American National Anthem. A comment perhaps on the countries that have led the world into the economic depression?

I would mostly like to comment on the installation itself. Firstly the sound piece is activated through a donation of ten pence from the public, further encouraging this idea that our pouring money into the economy is supposed to activate this sense of patriotism and responsibility...however...the mechanism can play if a two pence coin is inserted...

Joe Diebes 'Scherzo'

This piece explores the limits of human virtuosity. The video uses random repetition of exhilarated and fragmented cello music creating a link between mechanical and humanoid. I find no fault in the editing making the piece seamless, something I aspire to achieve!

I want to continue video use in the next semester as I think it could work really well in the development of my work. I also like to think my work brings up the questions of what the piece actually stands for like the effect 'Play' has upon the viewer.

Biennial 'Touched'

As part of the semester, the Liverpool Biennial is played a major part for our development. Starting with the 'Touched Talks' some of the artists from the biennial came to talk about their work, one of which was Song Dong who exhibited at the Renshaw street base of the Biennial. He talked about the trials he faced as a homeless person in New York morphing it into along progressing tale of additional information he does not believe is necessary for when his work is published as his work is a performance of the reality of the world and complex lives. The Video piece in Renshaw street called 'Touching People' 2010 refers directly to the theme of the Biennial using a ghost like hand to reach out and caress the solid people within the recording with people turning to look into the camera curiously directly at the viewer as if they have sensed the touch of this ghostly hand.

Another piece within the old hardware store is Zbynek Sedlecky's 'Offices' 2008.though I did not understand the relevance at first, I found the expressive, loose, repetitive terracotta brick wall forces a sort of formality within the painting reminding me of imprisonment and oppression though others have disagreed saying it is rebellion against such things.

Video

I've not updated for a while but I've had inspiration for situation for my hands. I've now made seven in various positions each taking 3 to 4 hours to complete and now I'm posting a draft of a short film I made of them.

Now the narrative for this piece continues from the personal history of my family, in particular of Air Gunner Les. The story behind it is that whilst in the process of replying to a letter, it was known for relatives to learn of the soldiers' death. I have chosen the jewelry box chime because of it's narrative "How I wonder where you are." Which I feel is a significant emotion felt by all wartime civilians. I particularly enjoy the fragility of the paper hands almost falling apart, yet another aspect of life the viewer comes to realise.

I have also began experimenting with location and another body part...

This one above is an experiment with effects...newsprint if you couldn't tell, I'm not sure what to make of it but I do like it.

You can't see it but this is a leaflet handed to me on Church Street about 'Change'. I have arranged it so it can be read though with words missing, hidden or divided. I think this could be a strong religious piece especially with the white acrylic spread on the black surface like split ink or blood though suggesting more of the material it's written on, the paper, therefore the 'evidence' of the preacher.

I may not update for a while again, but these are experiments I am using to study the response, hopefully after the assessment I will present a more finesse piece.

Experimentation.

The following are experiments I've been dabbling in...
First here is my metal hand restraint, I'm not sure on what to do with it but it is very effective on limiting my finger movement. Almost as though it is a torture device, being unable to use that hand as normal is very unsettling and frustrating.
Then I made paper hands casted from my own. These are very delicate in their structure and are very powerful as an image if presented by themselves creating, in my opinion, a sense of decay. This week I have been searching for narrative as mentioned in my previous post, and so I've creating experimental situations for them. Any comments would be appreciated.

The letters are personalised with either 'Dear Les' or 'Dear John'. Dear Les refers to a relative on my father's side, a Halifax gunner and was shot down over Germany. John would be on my mother's side who was in the merchant Navy and was a fatality when the ship was sunk en-route to Singapore. The small copper plane we assume to have been made by John and is a treasured piece of family for my dad. In the photo's there is the MV Eurymedon, and the 158 squad in which Les is in...somewhere...unfortunatly it is the only photo of the squad that can be found so far so that blue sticker has to stay...I would have to raid my grandparents for any more...

The foot made of newspaper is incomplete and will be placed in situation such as one foot in the door and such referring the way newspapers are thrust into our lives...such as the one used here 'The new I' from the Independent 20p from the newsagents or free if you walk by Lime Street on Fridays around about 4.30pm.

The clenched fist is made of a religious hand out once again thrust into my hand as I walked down Church street funnily enough... I cut the hand out and organised it to be able to read chronologically though slightly obscure as words are divided or missing making it not so coherent. I really like this piece because I like the suggestions it makes on religion...determination, anger and confusion are the emotions I feel towards it. I also stuffed it with shredded paper influenced by Sachiko Abe employing discipline to further influence the responses of the viewer.

Navy

National Archives website is rubbish, can't understand it at all, I'd be better off just booking an appointment to go there.

Briefly, what I have discovered so far with only J. Rogers to go on...

John Alfred Rogers, Able Seaman, Merchant Navy, MV Eurymedon, Age 44, died 25/o9/1940, Inscribed on Tower Hill Memorial, Log book found.

Sunk by U-29 torpedo on route from Singapore to Liverpool.

Location of Wreckage; Lat 53'34'OX''N, Long 020'23'OX''W system WGS84 Division 1'=60''

(roughly 300 miles west of Ireland).

Now I'm going to go on a portrait hunt but I know that there weren't many pictures of my family in this era and a majority of photos have been destroyed in a fire when my Mum was little. But I'm optimistic, my Mum's dad was a waiter on a long voyage ship travelling to Singapore, New York, Australia and New Zealand, I think a wedding photo survived...I'm pretty damn sure I've seen it and they looks like my Uncle and sister...

Narrative

Just been taking on Miguel's advice on a search for narrative and figured the idea of letter writing is "old fashioned" to some therefore pre-millennium. Then it sort of clicked whist I glanced at the glass cabinet, some of it's contains is a copper plane hand crafted by my Dad's relative in WW2, also some plane models of a magazine that's out issuing every 2 wks a new warplane...so that can be a narrative...wartime letters.

Just out of curiosity I began some research started by my dad, so far I have 52 pages of squad and aircraft details of Leslie Victor Moran, a flight Sergeant Air Gunner of Squadron 158 and was in Halifax HX342 when it was shot down in action. Below is a squad photo unfortunately I don't know which one he is!

I have printed 4 of the pages which I have read and skimmed the history of his squadron but all this info is overload and I can't copy it here because computer says no! It's going in my sketchbook and is being saved as I type! Now...what can I learn of my Mum's Navel family...

Breaking News

Aside from the terrorist threat in Egypt, I have my own giddiness. The self portrait everyone seems to like is this...

Trust me it looks better than it appears there even though in reality the background is just a wash and I was intensely focused on the portrait. Anyway this says a lot about me, vast background small image in the corner, I'm an observer, I people watch though I add my own soundtrack (lately The Eagles, Noisettes and Andre Rieu). Anyway tutors have said it's a very powerful image and Miguel suggested an interesting use of space which I had only ever so lightly brushed upon in the project. As a result I think it is this image which has brought about a turning point and concentration for my mass of thoughts which has brought on many stalling points.

Say hello to a morphed mug shot of me. once this is dry I will incorporate it into a series of experiments involving models of my own hand made of paper and wire. So far I am sitting in a collection of items I have horded for sentimental reasons because they belonged to my Nana Benji (Benji being a Scottie dog she had and how I identified her when I was little, this case being my Mothers' Mother). Again Miguel's fault as he implanted the Narrative concept in my head, if I have the hands on a desk, a pen, a letter with a name and a photo frame, what messages does that send? Well I intend to discover that in the coming week! For now though I leave you with a couple of hands.

Friday's for Painting

Every Friday I go to Ricks painting workshop to... ... well... ...paint.

This was how the apple thing started. anyways the following is a bad one though with certain interesting elements...

The concept of surveillance with the all seeing eye in the centre, gesture of a hand above and perverseness of a male figure with an arm on female legs. Also the layout as I wanted to suggest a sort of jigsaw badly composed, how we see majority, conclude and condemn without the whole piece.

Next is the self portrait day. We came in with photographs (or rather mug shots) edited by computer which we would then work on. I like these two in particular because I think they work well side by side and the one on the left reminds me of the Mona Lisa...though others suggested The Spectrum of Jesus...I think that's because we went to the Walker gallery the week before.

Obviously I was feeling a little blue in the morning which eventually led to my own 'Spectrum of Me'. Funnily enough this then led onto yesterday's painting as we all did our own 'Spectrum of Simon'.

We picked a colour theme then were basically let loose on doing what we wanted with his image. I chose a candy floss pink because of the idea of dissolving sugar and the event. The X-Factor for example interested me for the first series but like everything else it gets overdone soooooooooooooooo much that it's boring and the sense of castration creeps up on me when people talk about watching the latest.

Red was the first one I did because basically that's all I see when Simon Cowell appears on the news. I GET IT! HE'S A TALENT HUNTER YET HE HASN'T BEEN DOING THAT FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS HAS HE! IT'S FIVE MINUTES OF FAME BEFORE WE FORGET THEM AGAIN! This people is why I was so happy Rage Against the Machine hopped to Christmas number 1.

Life Drawing

I have been attending Jagjit's life drawing class so here are what I think are my best (also favorites). Why didn't I bring these up in my review!?!?!

To the left we have a cut out of what I consider an incredibly exposed view (after several attempts and 45min). And yes I am quite proud of my patience.

And finally above two of my latest where the easel decided to collapse and as a result got put in the background. I'm so glad I moved my hands just before it did!

Anyway I've been attending these mainly because I didn't last year and I want to explore and exercise my visual understanding of shape and space. Hopefully this will contribute to my project, if not then at least execution of a sketch.

1st bits of painting

As I have not started this blog as soon as I probably should have I am adding it in stages started from the beginning of the semester by just posting what work I have done.

I began this project incredibly confused about what I was doing but since last Thursday I am really clear on the direction I heading or the materials I wanted to use. So I began with an exercise before the semester began painting a portrait from a photograph using acrylics.

I have left the painting incomplete because I started the project looking at Port Sunlight and it contained society, this portrait became irrelevant as I began my research.

I have also explored the use of oil paints. The subject here being apples which I viewed with religious connotations referring to the Garden of Eden also the isolation the apples have received in my home. They are home grown apples from a tree planted fifteen years ago; though the produce is ever increasing in quantity and taste, many of the apples remain isolated from sight in a cold cupboard where they are forgotten and so decay slowly until they are thrown away or salvaged for a curry. I thought this significant in the development of ideas for my project due to the narrative behind it and the rejection of the new which is mirrored in Port Sunlight.

I have also completed a smaller painting of a singular apple in a deep set frame in which pieces of apple are cut up and allowed to rot. I will add this to the blog along with all it's stages of decay once the process is complete.