TRACEY EMIN DOCUMENTARY

We watched a documentary on the work of Tracey Emin.

Emin said her work are statements. She uses both literal written statements, with her neon signs and textile wall hangings, as well as graphic statements with her intricate mono-prints and installations.

She talked about how the subject of the piece has to fit and match the medium used to create it, or else the meaning changes or in some cases, is completely lost.

Emin proposed that the statement is the work she makes, as opposed to the work she creates being the statement.

People are polarised on Emin's work. Some adore her outrageous pieces, whilst others mock her more unusual statements. Her sculptures and installations in particular cause conflict among viewers, however Emin argues that a gallery gives work it's context. Something ordinary can be removed from it's original setting or purpose and can be re-proposed in a gallery.

RON MUECK DOCUMENTARY

We watched a documentary about the Australian sculptor Ron Mueck.

Photographs taken from here.

From the Tate website - 'Mueck sculpts in clay, makes a plaster mould around it and finally replaces the clay with a mixture of fibreglass, silicone and resin; the technical skill involved has often been foregrounded by critics to the detriment of its content.'

Mueck plays with scale, however not in the way others do, his over-sized pieces aren't intimidating - they are just as delicate and realistic as the small scale pieces.

The different scales within Mueck's work changes the preposition, as does placing the sculptures in a gallery space. Because they are so lifelike it is almost uncomfortable to view them.

Couple Under An Umbrella, 2013. Matériaux divers, 300 x 400 x 500 cm (environ), Courtesy Caldic Collectie, Wassenaar.
photo © Thomas Salva / Lumento pour la Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, 2013.

"Dressed in a plain, navy one-piece swimming suit, a short-haired elderly woman is sitting beneath a colour-blocked sun umbrella, affectionately contemplating her male companion whose head rests peacefully on her thigh. Frozen in time and shaded from the sun, the anonymous pair could easily be enjoying a leisurely day on the beach but instead, their pale, motionless bodies rest atop the concrete floor of the Jean Nouvel-designed pavilion at the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain in Paris, France." - Malgorzata Stankiewicz (taken from here).

3D ROUNDABOUT: WIRE

TASK: PRODUCE A WIRE DRAWING EXPLORING THE THEME OF INTERPRETATION, THIS CAN BE BASED ON THE WORK FROM THE MUSEUM, MINI PROJECTS OR THE RESIDENTIAL TRIP. THE OUTCOME PRODUCED NEEDS TO EXPLORE THE IDEA OF REPRODUCING A PRIMARY PHOTOGRAPH, DRAWING, PAINTING, OBJECT ETC, USING WIRE AS A CREATIVE MEDIUM. THE FINAL OUTCOME CAN BE 2D, A RELIEF PANEL OR A 3D STRUCTURE.

For this particular roundabout, we were given a brief safety demonstration before we began practical work, as some of the equipment we were using could be dangerous if not used properly. Our tutor showed us how to correctly use the spot-welder and wire-cutting pliers.



I decided to produce a piece based on a photograph I took from the residential trip to Dolphinholme, however rather than construct a 2D line drawing of my photograph, I wanted to recreate the subject of the image: a river plant. I chose a medium thickness wire, and created the stem and 4 branches off it, on which to build up the shape of the plant. From each of the 4 branches, I added 3 perpendicular pieces of wire, which were then bent into shape. I then used a second, more pliant wire to create loops on the end of each protruding piece, slowing building up the shape of the plant. At this point I was concerned it looked more like an aerial than a flower, so I used more of the thinner wire to give the piece roots, instantly transforming the piece into a plant. During the next session, I began covering the individual loops with tissue paper using pva glue, then cutting around them to keep the circular shape. To build up the piece even more I added individual pieces of wire, which I had glued tissue paper on, to the centre of the plant.

Rather than make a stand for the piece, I decided to leave it in a horizontal position, because it looks more like an uprooted plant this way. When light is shone on the top of the plant, it gives the impression the 'petals' (tissue paper loops) are illuminated.