Unit 3 - Critical reflection upon feed back from Unit 2.
- Sarah Chalkie Cloonan
- Aug 13, 2021
- 0 min read
Updated: Sep 22, 2021
Unit 3 feed back From unit 2 - thoughts, reflection.
I am really taken with the film that Luc Tuymans produced from these pictures. i think my film work may follow this proces.
Although I produced a wide range of works in unit two, I didn’t managed to bring together a coherent plan, I am still so attacted to the possibility of what may be and have become a lotus eater caught in a never ending cycle of possibilities.
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Lotus-Eater". Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Nov. 2007, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lotus-Eater. Accessed 9 July 2021.
This was picked up by Anna in her feed back.
General Feedback
There is a boundless energy and spirit in this practice, which is great to see. Your commitment to extended research this unit is particularly notable, with lots of collaborations with peers as well as professional opportunities undertaken.
Looking ahead, the challenge of Unit 3—Making Public—comes at an ideal time for your practice. As you reflect on how to move forward with your work, it would be useful to really centre your audience and consider their experience. How can you invite a viewer in, so that they can experience the kind of magic that you are so keen to communicate?
At the moment, there are lots of exciting strands within the practice, but we are missing a framing that allows for a coherent presentation. Moving into Unit 3, it may be useful to focus your attention on one facet of this wider enquiry and develop a body of work that emerges from this grounding. This could be a particular site, for example—Domestic Magic could be a great starting point, beginning in the home—or a central figure—like Lilith—which allows a network of connections to be made.
Place is something I have not produced to my satisfaction yet. I have tried a domestically inspired painting with ‘Satellite images’ and pasted cutouts arranged in collaboration. My collaborators seemed to enjoy arranging and making decisions on my behalf, giving sometimes quite complex reasons behind their motivation for these arrangements. This was an enjoyable and successful way of finishing a piece of work.
Maybe collaboration at the final stage of a project would be a way to synchronise the completion of my project.
Now I would like to assemble, in a more complete way, a piece with four sides and create an enclosure or canopy in which my collaborators and finally my audience may interact and consider the images and ideas I have proposed and produced. Your statement is open and generous—seeming to centre this enquiry on encounters with artworks that leave a trace. It is interesting that you refer to two installations (by Marclay and Shawcross) as having been particularly moving and inspiring. Given that these works have shaped your enquiry, it is worth reflecting on what is was about this viewing experience that was so affecting. Your own work centres on painting and print as medium, rather than installation. Have any paintings touched you in the way that those two installations did? Analyse this and think about whether you need to work more with immersive installation in order to communicate the kinds of feelings you aspire towards.
My Intrest is in the after effect, the residue that I have experienced with both these ‘shows’. Both carefully thought out, and reacted to by myself, and others in completely different ways. This reaction gave me an insight into the individuals concerned. I observed and was a little suprised, what I saw was revealing, in some cases it was an aggressive responce. Those who had reacted aggressively had done so because they had felt violated. I suggest they were in fact shocked and surprised that their lack of honesty with in their own lives had been challenged, they were called to task, they attacked. Those who just walked away without a reaction are those, I have often described before, as having blinkers, they perform their daily lives disconnected and happy or unhappy to connect - they are the living dead.
Happily I did react, curious and confused, how, what, why?
The two works can be compared to the works Leonardo Da Vinci, specifically his last supper or works by Amy Sillman, Joan Jonas and Mark Bradford, which are probably closer to my own practise as painters by training, originally, and they often produce work that is labelled as paintings. All though Shawcross works are mainly sculptural thier origins of birth are deeply rooted in and explore mythology and ’that moment’, the magic moment. Both threads I like to follow, and tease out. All Shawcrosss’work starts with a piece of paper and a pencil around a thought.
I discovered much of my material on folklore, and its application to both the domestic, and the everyday by following the lectures and publications of Marina Warner, his mother.
A new discoveries for me are the artist Luc Tuymans, and William Kentridge. Tymans dealing with the everyday during lockdown produced a short film of a painted flower which has been haunting me, his intrest in art history and the everyday resonates with my own intrests and I find it informative to see how he includes and referrers this within his work. Kentridge produced a larger than life floral image/drawing during lock down, this has raised my curiosity and I wonder why these two arists usually more concered with the figure and the narrative in the everyday turned to plants to comune with in a reflective moment of isolation. I have always been interested in the flower/female connection and in the way women are assosiated with trees and plants and the knowledge and solutions that come from nature. The lily, and its connection to both the Virgin Mary, and Lilith Adams ‘vile’ first wife is a confusing and fascinating association. I intend to explore this and include these connections and flowers somehow again in my work, along with my references to food, literature and lore. These are thongs that are often evidenced in the everyday culture, musical and domestic realm and are all aspects of what make this realm a magical place, resulting in ‘Domestic Magic.’
It would be worth taking some time to reflect on the work you have made so far, and expand the description of your own work to give more sense of what a viewer encounters. In this statement, you refer to your ‘pictures’—which seems like a quite low-key way to describe your work!
Writing up reflections on artists like Amy Silman and Joan Jonas will be valuable in developing your understanding of the language of their work. You may also find it useful to write up your tutorials and crits. There is no reflection on how your work is being received, or what responses it is provoking. Given the nature of your interests, this is vital to help shape future work. Big to dos
-audience response, Copeland and client works.
-my research on effective collaborate, synergistic, seridipaty, learning and my interviews with Fiona and Ax.
How - Process and Timetable.
Photograph and film - start the sifting process around my subject matter to create a starting point, an ideal outcome, audience and desired effect.
Create a time table working back from the submission dates.
list the precesses need and material required
Book in outside help and collaborators
Identify opportunities, funding and costs
Methods - Pentimento
The word pentimento is derived from the Italian 'pentirsi', which means to repent or change your mind. Pentimento is a change made by the artist during the process of painting. These changes are usually hidden beneath a subsequent paint layer. In some instances they become visible because the paint layer above has become transparent with time. Pentimenti (the plural) can also be detected using infra-red reflectograms and X-rays. They are interesting because they show the development of the artist's design, and sometimes are helpful in attributing paintings to particular artists
(Pentimento | Glossary | National Gallery, London. https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/glossary/pentimento. Accessed 9 July 2021.)
I think I am more interested in a film approach to this and feel need to produce ‘doing the piece animations’ as in Unit 1. Show how the painting unfolds, Im not sure I need to do a ‘Rauschenberg’ and rub it out, although Im realising Im working though thoughts and ideas while Im working, so it may be something I should experiment with.
Erased de Kooning Drawing, 1953 https://www.sfmoma.org/artwork/98.298/
Wabi sabi
The moon jar is a perfect example and I am still drawn to it - imperfection and beauty though struggle. It is most definitely a metaphore for life that resonates for me.
‘In a few words, one could say that wabi sabi is the beauty of imperfect things. Of course, that would be overly simplistic explanation for such a deep and profoundly rooted notion in the Japanese spirit. Something between an artistic concept, a philosophy of life and a personal feeling, wabi sabi is everywhere in Japanese culture.’
also kinsugi - the transformation of an object by loving repair.
patching as an art form - BORO as the result of Sashiko.
These were and still are aspects of my every day domestic life that I was bought up with to cherish and respect the making, taking care, mending, recycling, the making do and finally handing on of familar objects and clothing.
Installations and other outcomes.
I would like to create installation, images or items that could be sent out almost like tents for indoor or outdoor use, to create places to be used in the same way that books are retreaved from the shelf when that author is required to reappear and resonate.
I could include a sent that is sprayed or films that are played, to make a moment that feeds the senses and allows us to imagine and enjoy, made to feel at home, allowing domestic magic to be revisited.
Future plans
‘It is exciting to hear about your plans to study MA Arts & Learning. This is a very interesting next step. Given this context, more research into art as pedagogy will be useful for the practice now and in future. External research into decorative arts is also very exciting. Immersive painting installations feels like a great way forward for this practice. ‘ Look back at Unit 1 references, as many of these are still very relevant to your work.
Follow up these references to help develop the work moving into Unit 3:
Visit Heather Phillipson at Tate Britain—work on display in Duveen Gallery and also a video in permanent collection -x Camille Henrot – ‘Grosse Fatigue’ video work and her installations -x Sophie von Hellerman -x Grantchester Pottery -x Assemble (architectural collective, often working with communities)—x Fran Cottell – particularly her work in the home -x Whitechapel Documents of Contemporary Art: Education -x
Notes to self.
Feedback for unit 2 - Anna Bunting Bunch
I was pleased that I had managed to realise more of my work, but sad I had had to sacrifice some of my writing and critical reflection to do so.
I need to write and document while making.
When collaborating this is a process that happens naturally, as I realise we need to communicate our thoughts and ideas to prepare for the next stage each time. This often takes the shapes of drawings emails and pictures…..not the final out come but part of the process.
Im still not sure that I have set up my on line platform in a way that I can evidence and document my practice fully or in a discernible way.
I need to confirm my process to allow the critical thinking, documentaion and contextualisation while making.
By taking the advice given in the unit 2 crits to just do , not think, not evidencing and documenting in tandem reduced my critical documenting.
I internalise my process, thinking and documenting, it became stuck in my thoughts.
My final piece became the document and a critical analysis of the process which I cant unpick, evidence or discus.
Not thinking did the trick I realised something, a finished peice but couldnt get back in to explain who what why when or how.
I am back with Amy Silman on the film only evidanced in the final frame, the process, the journey, lost in time.
I ponder Louise Bousgous comment about art and artists writing about their art and I agree.
I need to find a way to scaffold my practice still.
Collaboration may prevents this or when my collaborators are good documenters with great memories, they give me markers allowing me to recall moments of critical interest in an instant perfectly.
I am reminded of Dora Marr documenting ‘Guernica’-
Tate (no date) Seven things to know: dora maar – list, Tate. Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/dora-maar-15766/seven-things-know-dora-maar (Accessed: 2 July 2021).
I really liked Dora Marr's processes and outcomes, she was not afraid to combine the processes she worked with, printmaking, photography, collarge and painting.
I believe Piccasos Practise and certainly the success of Guernica owed alot to her to her input and collaboration with excellent documentation of both the process, critical thoughts and the emotions experienced in the making.
Leonardo working with the Doctor.
Clark, K., Leonardo and Kemp, M. (1988) Leonardo da Vinci. New ed. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England ; New York: Viking.
By Collaborating Leonardo scaffolded his practice, allowing him to research, and evidence his finding within his notes and drawings. This elevated the need for him to think about collating, evidencing or documenting the process or his findings, the Dr. gave him the direction, the brief, an audience, a published outcome. This partnership was something that helped him realise a final piece.
I need two hats - one to do and one record, reflect, decide when to stop and to explain in context.
I could dictate while I work, ask and answer the questions that go around my head while I work. This would allow me to track back to contexts and the development of my ideas as I think critically as I work in context with what I have researched.
Notes taking works well, but I need them either on the wall with my pictorial references or all in a book.
On line plat form -structure - unit 3
Each question or research thing i do must result in an piece of work.
Ask research respond document
See exhibition- ask research respond-context, critical evaluation
Have a thought - ask research respond-context, critical evaluation
Tutorial - ask research respond-context, critical evaluation
Painting everyday- ask research respond-context, critical evaluation.
Or weekly or at turning points.
Place Enclosures
https://www.hauserwirth.com/hauser-wirth-exhibitions/4887-zhang-enli-the-box-2
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