Monday, November 23, 2015

DECEMBER 1st 2015 - Advisor Meeting Report

Meeting with Studio Advisor Linda Montano.

As Linda's focus with me is about "Life" & Life-as-Art, she was concerned about my present life as care-giver for my Mother. Mum is 81 & her health has been deteriorating over the past year - just over a month ago she had a very bad fall & got concussion. Since then there has had to be some life-style changes & she needs constant assistance with pretty much everything. So since returning to North Carolina I have adopted the role of care-giver in collaboration with my Dad.
Linda has also had the experience of taking care of an elderly parent. She said she made a lot of work about her Dad during the time she was taking care of him.
She planted seeds in my mind of how to approach incorporating this new area of my life into my work.
As I am working in the context of a journal, this form is very allowing & encompassing.
My journal entries take the form of daily writing, moving, vocalizing, interactions with nature & the environment - both in the studio & out in nature locations. Linda & I discussed ways of utilizing this format - that I already have in place for the project - to include explorations into my new role of Self.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

600 WORD CRIT GROUP RESPONSE - Oct 15 - Nov 15




600 WORD CRITIQUE GROUP RESPONSE – October 15 – November 15 2015

Crit Group D decided to present in two shifts so that there wasn’t a situation where the first person doesn’t have the opportunity to present much progress on their project – while the last person doesn’t have much time to consider & apply any of the group member’s comments. So we went in two groups of three people – first presenting an introduction to the project & receiving feedback … then presenting again to show progress on the work & receive feedback.

My Introduction post – October 15th

My Progress post – November 6th


Feedback on Introduction:

Michelle gave a very poetic response – pure poetry, in fact! And commented that the idea of RAW is limitless & extreme. She also suggested that I pursue more photography with an emotional/visceral use of the camera  -as she had seen hints of it in some of my images. I did this & was pleased with the results.

Johannes detected a sense of pilgrimage & process – with a hint of “Nordic Tropicana”. He also planted a seed to think in terms of “experimental journalism”.
My Hay Bales made him think of Van Gough. He suggested I look at Anselm Kiefer, Beuys writing & the film Chronos.

Asher had thoughts of Ana Mendieta & Herman de Vries. He wants to see me exploring & discovering without the confidence of an experienced performer.
He commented on the idea of “evidence” … some evidence of my having interacted with the raw materials of nature – like the bottles of elderberry wine, baskets of apples, gaps in the wheat-field.

Analia noted that RAW = potential for Transformation – using raw material to make something. The transformation could be something as simple as the “silhouettes” (gaps) in the wheat. She suggested looking at Pina Bausch “Complaint of an Empress” – for the body repeatedly falling due to surface of ground.

Oliver noted my project statement & my fusing the self with nature – he commented on how humans have separated ourselves from the environment & my fusing with nature draws attention to this problem – but does my poetic focus take away from the serious message?

Feedback on Progress:

Michelle gives another poetic poetry response & comments that she sees much potential & possibilities in the footage I presented.

Analia comments on the video footage saying that, although the timing does need tightening up – not to pander to the modern demand for fast pace – she thinks that contemplation & observation is important for this work. She asks what is the difference between Raw & Nature? & again emphasizes that Transformation is the key … taking the raw & using it to create … & / or stripping everything down to the raw material (as in my performance at somos)
She also comments that I have found an individual aesthetic to avoid the potential clichés of my subject matter.

Oliver said the video of my performance at somos caused him to reflect on body politics in art. Also on the dehumanization & defeminization of women prisoners who had their hair shaved. He sees an integration of my body Studies work with my Nature work in that it’s all raw materials. He also comments on the fact that raw materials are for making something (selling of hair, making apple jam)

Johannes sees my process in the context of art history – he sees that it’s a very personal process, (which is why I’m not repeating past historical tropes.)
Suggests: book – Andrea Fraser  -Why does Fred Sandbacks work make me cry?”, Deleuze essay – Body without Organs, Jan Svankmajer’s stop-motion.
He understands that the concept of Rawness unites all the facets of my project.
Suggests careful editing to show material well.

Asher refers to the feeling of “gravitas” in my live performance that he doesn’t sense so much in my videos. Comments on my use of the word Interrogation & suggests I pursue that into self-scrutinization. Likes the “radial” motion still images. Finds some of my video editing distracting (in its current stage) – thinks of how to frame nature & body in the same aesthetic.

The common thread I pick up on most in the commentary is the idea of Raw Material becoming / transforming into something else – or being affected. Whether it’s about “transformation” of a raw material … or “evidence” of something having happened to the raw material – or the idea that the material has a “purpose” to become.
This is GOOD … as Transformation is an underlying theme of my work - & although I have not yet pursued this theme with great deliberation to expose it yet, apparently it is coming through in the work anyway!
Most of my peers also commented on how I have found a way to avoid clichés of nature through my very personal approach of investigation via the body-self.





Friday, November 13, 2015

NOVEMBER 15th 2015 - PROCESS / PROGRESS REPORT

Over the past month I have been creating new journal entries in the RAW-(Material) series, since returning to North Carolina - as well as working on editing the journal entries from my time in Nottinghamshire UK.
The editing process is gradual - I go from one piece to another, working a little at a time on each ... much in the same way that a painter might work on several pieces at once - each informing the other so that they remain consistent as a body of work.
I have also written a first draft of a project description.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION (first draft)


BODY STUDIES 1 2 3 
http://transartcebtransart.blogspot.com/2015/11/body-studies-1-2-3-first-edits.html 


NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTRYSIDE
http://transartcebtransart.blogspot.com/2015/11/nottinghamshire-countryside.html


SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN AUTUMN
http://transartcebtransart.blogspot.com/2015/11/southern-appalachian-autumn.html


Recent reading has included:
Subjectivity: Theories of the Self - Nick Mansfield
The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying - Sogyal Rinpoche
Angry Women - Andrea Juno
Against Interpretation & other essays - Susan Sontag

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTRYSIDE

During my stay in the UK, I was based in the rural agricultural Nottinghamshire countryside. It was harvest time & I was compelled to interact with the harvests of wheat, apples & elderberries. As well as artistic interaction, the use of these raw materials took on the practical aspects of making apple chutney & elderberry wine!



WHEAT













IMAGES
#2 – Wheat
date – August 27 2015
location – Farnsfield, Nottinghamshire

VIDEO
#2: Wheat
date – August 27 2015
location – wheat field, Farnsfield, Nottinghamshire
camera – Ana MacArthur

TEXT
Wheat – journal entry
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4cHBYnXHpXzQzZQc1BXbGVIRFE/view?usp=sharing

 

APPLES



 








IMAGES
#3 – Apples
date – September 3 2015
location – Osmanthorpe Orchard Nature Reserve, Nottinghamshire

VIDEO
#3: Apples
date – September 3 2015
location – Osmanthorpe Orchard Nature Reserve, Nottinghamshire
camera – tied to tree branches

TEXT
Apples – journal entry



HAY BALE 









 

IMAGES
#4 - Haybale
date – September 11 2015
location – Farnsfield, Nottinghamshire

VIDEO
#4 - Haybale
date – September 11 2015
location – Farnsfield, Nottinghamshire
camera – held by wheat-stalks

TEXT
Hay Bale – journal entry
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4cHBYnXHpXzRVB0b3E4UHpMcDQ/view?usp=sharing



ELDERBERRIES

 









IMAGES
#5 - Elderberries
date – September 6 to September 30 2015 (picking fruit to bottling wine)
location – Southwell Trail, Nottinghamshire

VIDEO
#5 – Elderberries
date – September 21 2015
location – Southwell Trail, Nottinghamshire
camera - tripod set-up

TEXT
Elderberries – journal entry

 


 

Sunday, November 8, 2015

SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN AUTUMN

On returning to the states in time for the beautiful Southern Appalachian Autumn season, I was compelled to respond. How to do this without producing a cliche? One of the most renowned beauty spots in the world in the height of “leaf” season – where tourists from all over the world come to take pictures & videos – along with National Geographic & everyone else!
The only way was to respond to the raw material of “mountains” & of “leaves” with the raw material of “self”.



MOUNTAINS










In Mountains, my response is tri-fold … to embrace, to salute & simply to be present:


VIDEO:
Mountains
date – October 28 2015
location – Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville NC
camera – tripod set-up
first edit: https://youtu.be/9lLF-yByY2c


LAKE EDEN










In Lake Eden, this place calms my spirit - my response is to drift with the leaves in the water.
The former site of Black Mountain College, I feel it grounding me in the deep roots of creativity.

IMAGES:
Lake Eden
date – October 30 2015
location – Lake Eden (former BMC) Black Mountain NC 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/114531261@N02/albums/72157660694277211

VIDEO:
Lake Eden
date – October 30 2015
location – Lake Eden (former BMC) Black Mountain NC
camera – hand-held & tripod set-up
first edit: https://youtu.be/_S4gOlowlzw 


AUTUMN LEAVES - dancing










In Autumn Leaves, my response is to dance with the leaves … to swirl & spin:

IMAGES:
Autumn Leaves – dancing
date – October 31 2015
location – Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville NC 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/114531261@N02/albums/72157658358090543 


VIDEO:
Autumn Leaves
date -  October 31 2015
location – Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville NC
camera – hand held & hung from tree
first edit: https://youtu.be/EVSBkyDPNaY


PLEASE NOTE: The videos are all first edits - meaning that the footage has been narrowed down to clips I am considering using. The order, length & sound are all yet to be set.

 










 

 

 

Friday, November 6, 2015

BODY STUDIES 1 2 3 (first edits)



These three Body Studies show a process that continues directly on from my ritual "stripping down" performance at Somos gallery in Berlin.
... Once stripped of superfluous baggage (or at least, as much of it as that ritual helped me to strip) - what was I left with? What do I consist of?
The questioning felt like an interrogation.

The following three videos show the process of my response.

They are first edits containing the footage I have narrowed down to use from the original recording.



1) Body Parts

First of all, I asked myself …. “so now what are you?” ….. The answer seemed to be “I am nothing” – then looking at my assemblage of body-parts … “I am my hands” … “I am my feet” … “I am my legs” … “I am my back” … “I am my head” … “I am my breasts” …. etc etc

Here is the first edit of this interrogation:

Body Study #1 – Body Parts / date – September 30 2015 & October 9 2015 / location – Tozer Dance Studios, Hockerwood Farm, Nottinghamshire / camera – tripod set-up

https://youtu.be/hSpELyiKw04


2) Body Folding

After this interrogation, my initial response was to “fold in” on myself – a hiding or disappearing by becoming smaller in space, covering my body parts ….. however, the only thing available to cover body parts with were other body parts – thus exposing them …….. for every folding that closes & hides – something else is revealed, left open & vulnerable:

Body Study #2 – Body Folding / date – September 30 2015 / location – Tozer Dance Studios, Hockerwood Farm, Nottinghamshire / camera – tripod set-up

https://youtu.be/Crkb1hSYZdE


3) Body Dashing

From here comes the urge to escape …. but there is nowhere to go besides dashing around within the confinement of the self:

Body Study #3 – Body Dashing / date – October 9 2015 / location – Tozer Dance Studios, Hockerwood Farm, / Nottinghamshire / camera – tripod set-up

https://youtu.be/nWq_s6RIZYo


These three studies feel extremely vulnerable - they are part of a necessary process for this stage of my life & art.


Monday, November 2, 2015

NOVEMBER 2nd - Problems & Images

I am having MAJOR problems with video editing software at the moment ..........
exactly at the most inconvenient time - just when I'm preparing work to show for my Crit Group presentation ...... also trying to start putting together a proposal to exhibit the work in the Spring.
GREAT!

Anyway ........
I do have some recent images up-loaded onto flickr:











Lake Eden
date – October 30 2015
location – Lake Eden (former BMC) Black Mountain NC













Autumn Leaves – dancing
date – October 31 2015
location – Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville NC


The image from Lake Eden is the old Black Mountain College dining hall where all the legendary BMC Happenings occurred!