Today I've been mapping out the plans for my plinths. I have decided to make triangular ones, as this will work well with my angular sculptures.
 Hopefully it will give my work an added sense of individuality, as the majority of works are displayed on rectangular plinths.

Degree show!!

lincodegreeshow2012.wordpress.com

Follow the link and you can find out a bit more about the show and the participating artists!

Tateshot: Matt Collishaw

"Repulsion to contrast sexual allure" is an quote that I have picked out from this short interview. To an extent it makes me consider the way my own art work is viewed. The imagery that I create is very visceral and can be seen as innards, or a womans womb, however at the same time the imagery is very seductive and romantic.

I really like how Collishaw works; firstly by gathering a range of imagery and research to creat a mood board of some sorts. Then rather than sticking to the one meduim and idea, he varies it.

Printing for the degree show

Rough sketches showing current ideas for plinths. So far I have decided to have the three at different heights, this will force the viewer to look at the sculptures from various angles, also as my exhibition space is really bright, the varied heights of the plinths will mean that each sculpture will capture and react to the natural light differently.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/372238982827031/

Follow the link to the event page!!

Willem de Kooning - "Woman in a Garden"

Although y currrent practice does not focus on painting, when I came across "Woman in a Garden" by Willem de Kooning I felt there was a strong relationship between his work and my own. The resin sculptures that I have been creating and the imagery to follow, have a strong painterly feel. The soft seductive strokes and curves of colour are particularly similar to those found in the above painting.

Plinths

As I will be exhibting sculptures as well as prints I need to consider...
*what size of plinth
*shape
* heights (as there will be more than one, do I want them all on the same level)

https://lincolndegreeshow2012.wordpress.com/

Catalogue Statement

"Deep Sensual colours and soft painterly folds, plunge the viewer into a silken depth of femininity and desire"

 

I decided I wanted my catalogue statement to be quite short and to the point. Rather than writing to describe by work and thought it would be much more effective to have a short evocative peice. My work is very seductive and provocative so hopefully my statement will convey that.

Sculpture

Third Degree Poster

3rd Degree Poster
Promoting our exhibition!
Designed by: Aislinn Ritchie

2nd Year Feed Back

The "Mini Exhibtion" in Greenstone was put up so that we could see what we'd need to develope and change in prep for the main degree show. So the 2nd years went round giving feed back. From this I have come to realise that scale is going to be an important aspect of my work. To gain the full impact of intense colours and depths I really want print my Images much larger.
Overall I am pleased, It was really interesting to see what peoples interpretations of the images, the photograhs are so ambiguous and removed from the raw material.
I am also starting to reconsider my decision to leave the resin panels out of the exhibition. They have a such a raw seductive beauty that it would be a shame to completely dismiss them. I will revisit them and re-address there unfinished quality.

 

Following the previous set of Images I've found  I need to try and balance the red and amber tones as this set has become flat and lacking depth, the red tones have become over exagerated. As a result the liquid merging of colours that was particularly suggestive in the earlier images is also missing. Another aspect which should be addressed is the lack of texture, it was the fine detail of fabrics that previously added to the ambiguity of the imagery. 

Considering Colour

 I decided to experiment with colour, removing some of the red tones. Overall I think the colouring in these images looks a little dirty, I prefer how the previous photographs I've been working with are much more suggestive of innards, blood and wombs etc.

Catalogue

As part of the degree show there will be a catalogue, within this each artist will have a page in which they can have a short statement desciribing their practice and image of thier artwork. As my previous projections have been so successful I have decided to use an image of them to document my practice. I will be entering both photography and sculptural work into the dgree show therefore  by having documentation of the  projections I feel I can show the pure scale and intensity of the imagery and the diversity of my work.

Printing on Fabric

Yesterday I spent the day in the print room. After seeing how successful the printed images worked  in the Mini Exhibition I decided to experiment with printing on a larger scale. By Printing on fabric I am also able to return to the original raw material that I worked with in my scultpures.

I trailed printing on two different images on silk and cotton. I found the silk to be much more affective in capturing and reflecting the vivid colours of the resin images.

Sculpture work

Recently I have been focusing on the Images that I have taken from the resin pannels that I've previously made. However on reflection I feel that It would be a shame to completey loose the original resin works from the degree show. The combintion of the rigid resin, delicate folds of fabric and the rich sensual colours is really quite magical when seen first hand. I have therefore decided to join panels of resin so that they become free standing sculptures. Here are some images of experimentation of possible compositions.

The sculptures will run alongside the printed images of the work in the exhibition.

Open publication - Free publishing - More 3-d

Cathy DeMonchaux

Whilst researching the work of Cathy DeMonchaux I came across an article on her work from an issue of frieze, I felt the following quote to be particularly relevant in describing her work and although my work is by no means as bold or suggestive I have found there are similar seductive elements to our work.

"Like good sex, the best of the work in the show is playful, occassionally comical, and flirts with danger. You don't notice when it hurts and when you do, it just makes it better" (louisa Buck, Frieze, Issue 14, jan 1994)

Deconstructing

• Work is atmospheric- removed from the original medium/ object creating a sense of ambiguity.
• The sense of ambiguity allows the viewer to interpret the work in there own individual way.
• Strong visceral elements throughout results in the work have a very feminine nature. 
• Creates an immediate emotional impact on the viewer.
• Is important that my work shows how I enjoy the sensuality of colour.
• Through combining rich colours with seductive folds of material the work can be very provocative and suggestive.

In More Than One Space

Alongside my blog I am also running a tumblr page for the In More Than One Space Elective. It shows a range of work that explores space and making marks in a way which we may not previously considered.

http://roisin-vance-imtos.tumblr.com/

Projections

As I have been interested in Immersive artwork I thought it would be interesting to project my images into a space and see how they effected it. Due to the intensity of there colour and the strong visceral element; what impact could they have on a clean white gallery space?

 The results were really exciting. By enlarging the images so that they completely filled the space, one could appreciate the details captured in the photographs. The fine weave of the material against the fluid merging of colours exaggerated the feminine element of the work. One begins to question what it is that they are being engulfed by. The rich warm colours radiate of the surronding walls creating an environment warm and comforting; its begins to resemble the womb.

Tateshots: Charline Von Heyl

What stood out from this clip was how von Heyl doesn't want to spoon feed her audience with ideas about her work. Like my own work hers has a certain sense of ambiguity where she wants the viewer to put themselves into the work and discover their own ideas.
I am continually interested in the space in which a piece of work occupies, Charline von Heyls approach to it is really intriguing; here she talks about the charge between the art work and the viewer, It is this space between the two that she believes the art work actually begins.

Maurice Sendak

"Artists have to take a dive, and either you hit your head on a rock and you split your skull and you die, or, that blow to the head is so inspiring that you come back up and do the best work you ever did, but you have to take the dive. And you do not know what the result will be."
A quote I have taken from a Maurice Sendak interview on Tate Online.
As my degree show creeps closer and closer I think this is an improtant quote to keep in mind.

Tateshots.

Piece for Mini Exhibition held in Greesnstone.

For the Mini Exhibition I have decided to display a series of the images that I have taken from the Resin structures that I have been working on. Currently I feel that the resin panels are not yet refined enough to have in an exhibition. The images however are much more successful. They have a strong sense of ambiguity and the rich seductive colours invite the viewer to take a closer look and discover their own ideas on what they may represent. It will be particulary useful getting the fed back from this exhibtion as It will give me a clear idea on what needs to e refined fot the degree show.

Printing

• Artwork is presented to the viewer in an ambigious state as they are removed from there original form.
• Images are very abstract; strong suggestive element
• Could be really interesting to print onto material, this way I would be returning back to the original raw material.
• Prints could be large high res strips hung around the space. If there hung loose they could have a rather fluid feel to them.
• Another option would be to strech the material, if they taut then it could intensify the colour and the visceral element they have.
• Title is something I really need to consider. The images are very suggestive so it sould be very useful in leading the viewers.

I have decided to take a step back from my work today and really try and see where I am going with it. Photography has always played a strong role in the documentation of the resin panels. However what is becoming more apparent is that they are as much a part of the work as the original material object. I feel the atmospheric qualitites they capture  is really interesting. The soft rich colours and the seductive painterly folds really begin to occupy the imagintation. The Images become so abstract that they become completely removed from the original resin panels, transforming the resin panels into something rich with suggestion. Photography could therefore be the best way to exhibit the resin. The images have a high professional finish which the resin strucutres lack. I will therefore develope the photography further and view the resin structures as a means to a finished piece.
I feel my work is much more about caputring an immersive, seductive moment, rather than creating it as an installation peice.
As the images of resin are presented to the viewer in such an ambiguous state, it will be worth while considering whether or not I want to title the images as this would be useful in leading the viewer into a particluar way of viewing the work.

Yayoi Kusama

Ephemeral

Definition
Beginning and ending in a day; existing only, or no longer than a day.
*short lived, exisiting or counting for a shot time only.
Synonyms
brief, deciduous, momentary, evanescent, flash, fleeting, fagacious

Liz Rideal

"Pigs Ear"
Li Rideal

My Inital work with fabric which led me to work with resin.

I find Rideals work to be very delicate and feminine. The images have a strong painterly quality, the soft fluid folds and creases in the fabric show movement and a fleeting moment. Captured in a photobooth the images remind me of my early imagery of fabric.
Currently my work  (both the resin structures and the photography)  have a strong sense of delicacy. The subtle and the gradual blending of colour and the soft yet dramatic lighting. To move forward I feel it would be useful to look at the "ephemeral" and also consider whether it is my photography work that is the artwork which I would choose to exhibit, and that as the resin structures lack professionalism, they are simply a means to a "finished" piece of artwork.

Framing the acrylic pannels

As the resin panels previously lacked professionalism I decided to try a different technique. Rather than masking off the edges with tape before setting the resin I cut small lengths of acrylic which I then attached to the base sheets. This forms a tray like structure keeping the resin in and avoiding unfinished edges. If I decide to take the light boxes further this would be a good way to progress. However at the moment I'm considering moving in a different direction with my work.To left you can see a clear transformation from the original resin panels.

Cornelia Parker "Neither From Nor Towards"

Richard Long/ Cornelia Parker
Sculpture Out of Landscape
Usher Gallery
I found "Neither From Nor Towards" By Cornelia Parker to be a really useful peice to look at as I am currently considering how to display the resin panels I have been  making. Parker has hung the weathered bricks from delicate strands of wire, this gives the work a really magical feel, it's as though the structure is stuck in limbo and at any moment could drop to the ground.
If I were to hang my resin panels in a similar way it could have quite a magical effect on the space. If for example the panels were hung in such a way that as people moved around them they sway and turn, the colours that they cast on the surronding space would constantly be in flux, moving and filling the space with a range of soft subtle colours.

Considering space...

Up until this point I have been focusing on creating installation art work. Focusing on the immersive qualities of light and colour. Something I feel I need to consider at this point is the space in which I would display my work. Would the resin peices be made for a specific site? or could they be displayed in a range of different environments.

Glass Structures

With the previous success of the resin on glass I progressed forward to constructing structures. What work really well is the contrast between the two sides, on the one there’s the combination of the rigid resin and the soft delicate folds of the fabric emerging from the deep red tones. Where as on the other side it’s a sheet of merging fluid colours. Almost resembling a painting. There is still however the joins of the glass sides that is untidy and awkward looking.

Visit to Nottingham Contemporary.

Nottingham Contemporary.
Thoams Demand
Model Studies.
These peices of work really caught my attention, the rich warm glow of the coppers is truly beautiful. What also grabbed me was the sense of layering and texture, it was almost as though if I were to go up and touch the image I would feel the deep crinkles of the cardboard or the rough grainy texture of the solid copper structure.
By focusing in on small parts of the architecture models the images are abstract and removed from there original form.

Resin on glass

After testing a small section of resin on glass I have found it to be very successful! not only does it strengthen the thin layer of resin and material but the high shine finish of the glass intensifies the deep tones of the reds and burgundys. The peices look much more developed and professional. The next step to take will be to trial on a larger scale.

Tom Fruin

What I've found particularly interesting about this piece of work is that the installation isn't just the plexi glass house but also the colours and shadows that are cast around the space. The ground around the art work has been transformed into something colourful and truly beautiful. This is what I want to acheive with my resin panels. The realtionship between the object and the space in which it occupys is really important to me. How one can influence the other.

Although the acrylic panels work well as a base for the resin, as you can see from above, the resin is still very brittle, to strengthen the resin it may be worth considering other materials to use as a base.

By reducing the size of the structures the combiniation of colour and material is much more intense, there is a certain delicacy to the folds of fabric which seems to be much better suited to the smaller form.
Through using a florescent light I have been able to light the resin so that it can stand freely. However due to the strength of the white light all the sublte colours of the resin are lost.

considering scale

As the previous light box I constrcuted was to big, I have trailed a much smaller version. I feel this one to be much more sucessful as the colours and fabric are much more intense and refined. However consideration still needs to go into the way in which I construct the forms. At the moment they lack professionalism and would not be appropriate for a gallery environment.

Experimentation with colour

Lighting

By using a desk lamp I've been shinning a light through the structures to get an idea of how the colours and fabrics light the space. The translucent resin pigment works well in casting colour, however the fabric does not cast shadows in the way in which I had foreseen.

From here onwards it will be important to consider.... firstly; the light source. If I plan on this being an installation peice I will need a fixed source of light that could possibly sit within the resin structure. Secondly; the addition of fabric needs to revised. Do I want it set within the resin with the aim that it will cast shadows or is it rather an asthetic addition to the structure. After all the peice of artwork is not only the way in which the resin affects its surronding space but also the actual structure itself.

Constructing light boxes.

Previously i have been working with panels of resin on acrylic, through experimenting with hanging and displaying the panels I thought the next appropriate step to take would be to begin constructing three dimensional forms with the intention of turning them into light boxes. Currently they are successful in bringing various panels together, however they lack professionalism. I need to further consider materials and the way in which I intend to present the pieces in a gallery environment.

Resin combined with fabric and colour pigment.

By combining resin and material I have been exploring how I can use colour and light  to create and environment that is immersive, seductive and suggestive. I had initially intended to do that by creating light boxes out of the resin pannels. However after taking a series of development photos I have found that they explore the fluid patterns and sensual colours much more effectively.

"Understanding Installation" By Mark Rosenthal

"An Installation can transport its viewer into a state of awe, providing also a sense of physical smallness vis-a-vis the all consuming vision of the installation.."

I thought this was quite an interesting quote to take from the book "Understanding Installation" My work aims for the viewer to become immersed and engrossed to be able to successfully acheive this with my art work I feel it is important to see how other installation artists acheive this.

Resin and Colour pigment.

By using a thin sheet of acrylic as a base layer to the resin I am able to produce panels that are free from any indentations caused by pre made casts.
As you can see I have also begun to experiment with adding colour pigment to the resin. This could give the resin an added depth, as I also found in my earlier work colour pigment has a huge impact on the effect of light passing through the structures on the surronding space. Allowing the space to be influenced by the resin structures.
With the re introduction of material into the resin there could be a really exciting visual and sensory result.