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Stream of Consciousness incorporated into luggage tags
with wool. - the same sense - a train of thought - the physical process of winding wool could be a literal visualisation of the mind at work, writing, line by line

Drawing ideas from Smith's way of working has proved an effective way of taking the idea of Arte Povera forward, exploring ways of creating art in non traditional manners with non-convectional materials. 

From my previous post, I have wanted to explore more this idea of working artistically with the idea of a stream of consciousness.

In looking back at the artist, I also wanted to explore another element of her "Archive" project and exhibition: 

Security, 2012
Discarded brass and steel keys

Security, 2012

Discarded brass and steel keys purchased on Ebay

40 x 35 x 27 inches

Lost and discarded keys were cut and soldered end to end to emphasise the terrain of the key. The resultant linear elements were formed, twisted, and tangled to create moments of tension and release. The line that describes this form has no clear beginning or end. 

When I first saw this photo, I had no idea what the work was: I liked the shape and placement, but could not work it out. Of course the description helped me and I was definitely even more enticed and excited by it. A collection of keys - they tell their own story.
Smith herself believes that "the keys begin to read as landscapes, heartbeats, and a time line" which is an interesting idea, the links to my own idea of stories. It would be interesting to create something that works like this, with collected items.

Security, 2012

Security, 2012

Security, 2012
(corner piece)

In looking at the keys purchased from eBay, I began considering how I could develop this idea of a story within my own work. I like the thought of considering story-telling as I have wanted to find a way to incorporate literature into my work, so these non-conventional narrative could be developed through objects.
I thought about how I could go about a similar idea and came across postcards. The idea seems relevant to me because of the idea of the stories they tell. I went to eBay and managed to find countless packs of postcards for sale - used and unused.

I purchased a pack of 20, with the intention of experimenting with ideas once they arrive. It will prove interesting to see if I can gather some useful information. Even if there is nothing necessarily on any of the postcards, I am sure there will be a number of ways I could explore and experiment with the idea. The postcards themselves could work as an alternative to a canvas in order to create small paintings, or could even be grouped together to produce a large scale piece.

There is definitely a lot of scope and opportunity within this idea so it will be interesting to continue to explore and experiment; looking at Smith as a source of inspiration, along with others who may be of use to me and my experimentation.

It could also be interesting to continue to explore the ideas spoken about in my Southampton entry, working with colour from different images in order to create a final piece: I could create a painting (or at least a work of some sort) out of the postcards alone without the need for using any paint myself. 

Stream of Consciousness

Stream of consciousness is something I have looked into before, as an English Literature and Creative Writing A Level student.
An activity I once had to carry out in a creative writing class was writing repeatedly and not stopping. Rather than stopping, one would instead have to keep on writing - anything, whatever came to mind. If you got to the point at which you felt you should stop, instead of doing so, in order to keep the pen going, a word would be rewritten and rewritten, for example, table, until an idea came. Of course the extra word would be removed in a final edit of the piece, but the idea was of course to remain in a state of writing.
I feel that writing on and on gets the thoughts down on paper, if you pause to think, the train of thought is lost and the sense of an internal monologue has gone because these thoughts have been broken up. It keeps the writing flowing, and besides, the more 'tables' scattered about your work, the more obvious it is how easily you can lose your train of thought and concentration. In a way, it could shame you into motivating yourself a little more, to keep the number at a minimum.

"Consciousness, then, does not appear to itself as chopped up in bits... it is nothing joined; it flows. A 'river' or a 'stream' are the metaphors by which it is most naturally described. In talking of it hereafter, let's call it the stream of thought, consciousness, or subjective life. "
- The Principles of Psychology (1890) by William James

I have found it interesting looking at the likes of Barbara Smith, in regard to this psychological idea, for many of her works seem rather meticulous. For instance, the copious luggage tags, or the extended parking lot lines. It is as though she is tying up loose ends in a way - those of her own and those of others.

Barbara Smith

Stream of Consciousness incorporated into luggage tags
with wool. - the same sense - a train of thought - the physical process of winding wool could be a literal visualisation of the mind at work, writing, line by line

Drawing ideas from Smith's way of working has proved an effective way of taking the idea of Arte Povera forward, exploring ways of creating art in non traditional manners with non-convectional materials. 

Commonplace Materials

http://www.theartstory.org/movement-arte-povera.htm

"Assemblage is art that is made by assembling disparate elements which are often scavenged by the artist, or sometimes bought specially."

http://www.crafthouston.org/exhibition/commonplace-objects-by-barbara-smith-ryan-takaba/ led me to Barbara Smith who, for one particular work, Bundles, in which she worked with solely luggage tags. I often use luggage tags, not as the final piece, but within my work and sketchbook so I instantly liked the look of Smith's work. 
However, the exciting thing about this idea is that the tags are not ordinary, they are instead crafted out of metal:
"Through repetition and accumulation of handcrafted replicas, metalsmith Barbara Smith creates work that references utilitarian items found in our daily routines. Her piece, Bundles "334", "1110", "1124", "1125" and "1915", mimic tags - like those ripped from luggage or clothing - and is created from more durable and valuable materials: copper, sterling silver, steel and vitreous enamel. By mining the commonplace as her course of inspiration, Smith suggests viewers reconsider their daily routines and the items that exist in those everyday moments."

Bundles by Barbara Smith
There is something satisfying here
(and most definitely
within this photo of the work). 

I then went on further to explore the artist, however it is rather difficult to find much about her (one link sent me to Bristol pensioner, 72, who stabbed husband John...). I was led to http://local-artists.org/node/88926 but even this direct link was limited. 

However, the website did offer more of her work and once again, there is something definitely satisfying  in her use of commonplace items; hair grips, keys, hooks (all found in her portfolio).

I have gone on to find a link to the artists own website: http://www.barbarasmithart.com and was so excited by the artist!

Bundles consists of copper, sterling silver, steel, vitreous enamel, cotton, paper, masonite, pine, paint, dust.
"Archive tags were translated into copper and etched enamel. Each tag was torn along a perforated line, causing the copper to record the form of that gesture. Re-collected into bundles organised by colour, they become a new archive."

I feel there is rather a lot I could explore with this idea and also many more of the works produced by the unique artist, primarily focusing on Archive the project in which these works feature. 

http://www.barbarasmithart.com/modern-canadacana/

Hair Grips formed in a line
drawing inspired manner. 

Duct tape used to continue white lines
of the parking spaces. 

Hair collected from clothing over a week and reapplied.

(Full captions and exhibition/project details on http://www.barbarasmithart.com.)

Characteristics of Arte Povera

"Arte Povera - "poor art" or "impoverished art" - was the most significant and influential avant-garde movement to emerge in Europe in the 1960s. It grouped the work of around a dozen Italian artists whose most distinctly recognizable trait was their use of commonplace materials that might evoke a pre-industrial age, such as earth, rocks, clothing, paper and rope. Their work marked a reaction against the modernist abstract painting that had dominated European art in the 1950s, hence much of the group's work is sculptural. But the group also rejected American Minimalism, in particular what they perceived as its enthusiasm for technology. In this respect Arte Povera echoes Post-Minimalist tendencies in American art of the 1960s. But in its opposition to modernism and technology, and its evocations of the past, locality and memory, the movement is distinctly Italian."  http://www.theartstory.org/movement-arte-povera.htm

From the research I have gathered, I have compiled a list of characteristics that make up Arte Povera:

• Commonplace materials
• Pre-Industrial 
• Earth and Elements
• Simple
• Juxtapositions 
• Conceptual
• Assemblage (an art form - "art that is made by assembling disparate elements which are often scavenged by the artist, or sometimes bought specially" - Tate)

http://www.theartstory.org/movement-arte-povera.htm

http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-of-art/arte-povera.htm

Southampton - What is it?

Monday, 15th February.

I had an interview today at Winchester School of Art within the University of Southampton. As well as the interview, a couple more events were presented; one being a programme talk/programme activity. 

It was felt that there was not much that could be said for a Fine Art course - it is rather self-explanatory - and so we focused on the activity. 

This activity entailed two small groups of interviewees say around two tables in the middle of the campus library, amongst the working students. We were told that we should go to the books on a particular shelf and between us, find all green (my group) and all brown (the second group) pages and position them all together on the tables. This process of searching for the pages went on for about 20 minutes, all while a camera set up in the corner documented with sporadic snapshots (no one could get it to photograph automatically on a logical timing). 

Once the tables were filled we sat back down and evaluated what we had created between us.

Research? A collage? A painting? Eventually it was decided that what we had produced was all these things and more. Naturally the haphazard books sprawled out across tables did look like manic research and the inclusion of numerous different photographs and paintings collated together gave the sense of a collage. Even classing the outcome as a painting was true to an extent, if you were to see the amalgamation of paintings that were sorted together. What was interesting was that the piece had also become a performance piece because of the sporadic camera: there was evidence of the process and because of the constant shots, the 20 minutes could be complied together into a film, showing the decisions made by the bookshelves as well as the decisions made on how the books would be positioned among the rest. 

As a final touch, plastic toy animals were situated across the spread of the two tables, concluding in one of many, endless ways, where the activity could lead. This addition made for a landscape.

The idea that this simple idea could become so many different things was very intriguing. This did not even need to be the final outcome, a photograph from a distance could become a final piece, as could a painting of the setting. So many possibilities arose from this. 

Unfortunately I did not think to photograph the final outcome but I would assume it would be fairly easy to visualise. In a way, the idea reminded me of Tony Cragg, an artist who works a lot with colour and decision making. I was particularly reminded of the colour coordinated pieces. 

He looks a lot at the same colours when working, be it in an installation or in a sculpture. 

Tony Cragg

Tony Cragg

Tony Cragg

Tony Cragg

I did try to recreate the idea, using photos from art magazines, but they all seemed to be similar types of painting so there was not much variation, unlike that which was created with the variety of books (photographs, realist, abstract, sculpture, etc), not enough full-bleed images and too much text. 

An idea of how the process worked. 

Evidently, there is too much text here. 

While it is not brilliant, this close up photo of a quick recreation
does give a better idea of the sort of thing produced.

I did find this activity very interesting and it is definitely something I would like to consider again. I also felt it was very relevant to my current idea of Arte Povera in creating art out of the mundane. 

"Arte povera means literally ‘poor art’ "

"Arte povera was a radical Italian art movement from the late 1960s to 1970s whose artists explored a range of unconventional processes and non traditional ‘everyday’ materials"
http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/a/arte-povera

"An artistic movement that originated in Italy in the 1960s, combining aspects of conceptual, minimalist, and performance art, and making use of worthless or common materials such as earth or newspaper, in the hope of subverting the commercialisation of art."
"1960s: Italian, literally 'impoverished art', from arte 'art' + paver (feminine of paver 'needy').
- Google Definitions 

When I work, I will typically work in oil paints and primarily onto canvas or fabric.
The idea of Arte Povera is very intriguing to me, for it is possibly a way in which I can develop my way of exploring my craft and specialism.
Exploring artists who work in unconventional ways will definitely be of use to me, for it will allow me to experiment in ways I would possibly disregard ordinarily. Also exploring theory alongside this will be of much use to me for I will be able to back up new ways of painting and creating, by studying the work and technique of others.

Jannis Kounellis 

Jannis Kounellis has created a very intriguing work, made by dying wool. This idea of combining the natural world with the man made is something I could explore within my own experimentation. I have worked with wool and knitting on previous projects and this could be a way to take it further.

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/kounellis-untitled-t07074

Brief

Brief for Self Initiated Project 

"Like Socrates I only graze on the slopes of
the summit of my own ignorance."
-Enter Shikari "Never Let Go of The Microscope"

I am excited to explore the possibilities with this project. I definitely want to explore theory in writing and film for the are areas I am passionate about and enjoy greatly. 

It will be good to go maintain this research also in a blog: keeping all my digital and online research in one place.
Also, from the spider diagram that we collectively created, I did pick out a number of theories and movements to explore.