Research Methodologies Tasks, Sept 2019 -
One minute presentation, 8.10.19
| lou_baker_mafa_presentation_8.10.19.pdf |
Task 1: Reflective writing exercise, 15.10.19
Louise Baker
Fine art P/T
230482
Reflective writing exercise: Chapters 1 and 4 Suzi Gablik’s 1990’s text, The reenchantment of art
Chapter 1:
It’s interesting to think how prescient Gablik is in writing this in the 1990s! Observing the changes in approaches to art now, almost 20 years later, she was right; much contemporary art now has much more political and social meaning. It also makes me think that although artists are a product of their culture and society, they can also be part of change and it reminds me of the ways in which history and politics influence art and how movements change in parallel throughout that history.
Gablik is writing this at the beginning of an era of globalisation and multiculturalism, fuelled by introduction in common usage of the internet, mobile phones and cable TV. She suggests that art needs to embrace a broader sphere, the social and environmental, rather than the individualistic approach of modernism.
Her all-encompassing optimism at that time seems naïve in retrospect. She talks about ‘the collective task of “reenchanting” our whole culture’ and bringing ‘head and heart together in an ethic of care, as part of the healing of the world.’ (p10) Although it reminds me of the current XR protests, hopefulness coming out of desperation, and maybe too of the rise of artivism and craftivism.
As an artist who works with cloth and stitch I appreciate her use of the language of textiles on pp9 & 10. She talks about ‘ideas I have embroidered with’ and says ‘so many voices weaves a much richer tapestry’. Great metaphors.
And being asked to consider what a ‘successful’ artist looks like makes me smile!
Chapter 4:
I think there’s generally a far greater acceptance today of what Gablik describes as ‘magical, mythical and feminine modes’ (p44) than when she was writing. However, her discussion of soul, both in this chapter and at the end of Chapter 1 reminds me of the language of my youth, where in a conservative Christian family we were brought up to believe that each person held within themselves their own trinity – body, mind and spirit. Maybe in the current, largely secularised, west we have lost some of that sense of a spiritual, or soul, dimension, or as Gablik calls it, ‘enchantment’? Without religion are we left without something outside ourselves to believe in? Without meaning and purpose? (p46)
So much hopefulness in the language she uses: ‘the gift of vision’, ‘magical world’ ‘myth and symbol’, ‘Dreamtime’, ‘dreambody’ ( p46, 47).
‘Repetitive movements’ (p47) reminds me of my knitting; the psychologist Csíkszentmihályi describes the state of flow, a meditative timelessness, which is induced by certain activities where levels of skill match levels of challenge. He says that the state is often associated with repetitive movements. I have long realised that many of the processes I use in my art lead me to that blissful place. Csikszentmihalyi also maintains that it’s often linked to creativity and ultimately to happiness!
The idea of reintroducing ritual (p48) makes me think of my participatory installations where I ask visitors to reflect on a question and then add their thoughts plus an object to the structure. I already recognise that there is an element of ritual in this, a sense of being part of a collective consciousness, as each individual adds their own offering. Interesting in the light of this reading! Something to think of further.
What is still mythical in the 21st century? ‘Crossing invisible thresholds into the unseen’ (p49)
Dutton’s experience of sculpting as ritual (p52) definitely resonates with my experience of making. Thought provoking!
LeBourdais, G.P, 2015, The most iconic artists if the 1990s, [online] Available from: https://www.artsy.net/series/iconic-artists-time/artsy-editorial-the-most-iconic-artists-of-the-1990s, [Accessed 14 Oct 2019]
Sotheby’s, 2019, The art of an era, the 1990s in pictures, [online] Available from: https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/art-of-an-era-the-1990s-in-pictures, [Accessed 14 Oct 2019]
Oppland, M, 2019, 8 ways to create flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi [online] Available from: https://positivepsychology.com/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi-father-of-flow/ [Accessed 14 Oct 2019]
Fine art P/T
230482
Reflective writing exercise: Chapters 1 and 4 Suzi Gablik’s 1990’s text, The reenchantment of art
Chapter 1:
It’s interesting to think how prescient Gablik is in writing this in the 1990s! Observing the changes in approaches to art now, almost 20 years later, she was right; much contemporary art now has much more political and social meaning. It also makes me think that although artists are a product of their culture and society, they can also be part of change and it reminds me of the ways in which history and politics influence art and how movements change in parallel throughout that history.
Gablik is writing this at the beginning of an era of globalisation and multiculturalism, fuelled by introduction in common usage of the internet, mobile phones and cable TV. She suggests that art needs to embrace a broader sphere, the social and environmental, rather than the individualistic approach of modernism.
Her all-encompassing optimism at that time seems naïve in retrospect. She talks about ‘the collective task of “reenchanting” our whole culture’ and bringing ‘head and heart together in an ethic of care, as part of the healing of the world.’ (p10) Although it reminds me of the current XR protests, hopefulness coming out of desperation, and maybe too of the rise of artivism and craftivism.
As an artist who works with cloth and stitch I appreciate her use of the language of textiles on pp9 & 10. She talks about ‘ideas I have embroidered with’ and says ‘so many voices weaves a much richer tapestry’. Great metaphors.
And being asked to consider what a ‘successful’ artist looks like makes me smile!
Chapter 4:
I think there’s generally a far greater acceptance today of what Gablik describes as ‘magical, mythical and feminine modes’ (p44) than when she was writing. However, her discussion of soul, both in this chapter and at the end of Chapter 1 reminds me of the language of my youth, where in a conservative Christian family we were brought up to believe that each person held within themselves their own trinity – body, mind and spirit. Maybe in the current, largely secularised, west we have lost some of that sense of a spiritual, or soul, dimension, or as Gablik calls it, ‘enchantment’? Without religion are we left without something outside ourselves to believe in? Without meaning and purpose? (p46)
So much hopefulness in the language she uses: ‘the gift of vision’, ‘magical world’ ‘myth and symbol’, ‘Dreamtime’, ‘dreambody’ ( p46, 47).
‘Repetitive movements’ (p47) reminds me of my knitting; the psychologist Csíkszentmihályi describes the state of flow, a meditative timelessness, which is induced by certain activities where levels of skill match levels of challenge. He says that the state is often associated with repetitive movements. I have long realised that many of the processes I use in my art lead me to that blissful place. Csikszentmihalyi also maintains that it’s often linked to creativity and ultimately to happiness!
The idea of reintroducing ritual (p48) makes me think of my participatory installations where I ask visitors to reflect on a question and then add their thoughts plus an object to the structure. I already recognise that there is an element of ritual in this, a sense of being part of a collective consciousness, as each individual adds their own offering. Interesting in the light of this reading! Something to think of further.
What is still mythical in the 21st century? ‘Crossing invisible thresholds into the unseen’ (p49)
Dutton’s experience of sculpting as ritual (p52) definitely resonates with my experience of making. Thought provoking!
LeBourdais, G.P, 2015, The most iconic artists if the 1990s, [online] Available from: https://www.artsy.net/series/iconic-artists-time/artsy-editorial-the-most-iconic-artists-of-the-1990s, [Accessed 14 Oct 2019]
Sotheby’s, 2019, The art of an era, the 1990s in pictures, [online] Available from: https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/art-of-an-era-the-1990s-in-pictures, [Accessed 14 Oct 2019]
Oppland, M, 2019, 8 ways to create flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi [online] Available from: https://positivepsychology.com/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi-father-of-flow/ [Accessed 14 Oct 2019]
Task 2: What shall I research?, 15.10.19
(Word count max 200)
Aims:
In the context of the recent upsurge in major exhibitions of artists using textiles in their work, I will research the particular meanings that textiles bring to Fine Art; I will explore questions of gender, materiality and history in relation to cloth and stitch in the context of Fine Art.
Objectives:
Aims:
In the context of the recent upsurge in major exhibitions of artists using textiles in their work, I will research the particular meanings that textiles bring to Fine Art; I will explore questions of gender, materiality and history in relation to cloth and stitch in the context of Fine Art.
Objectives:
- To experiment with ways to communicate meaning in my practice, using knitting and stitch, through form, colour, surface, methods of installation and context.
- To analyse the history and theories of the use of textiles, as craft and as fine art
- To find out more about the femininities associated with textiles and textile processes
Task 3: Primary research report, 5.11.19
(Max word count 500- actual word count 949!)
The introduction and aim
I will discuss Hrafnhildur Arnardottir (aka Shoplifter)’s immersive installation, Chromo Sapiens, considering the ways in which it communicates meaning through her choice of materials, through colour, touch and sound.
Exhibition, object or artefact? Place of encounter. When?
Chromo sapiens is this year’s Icelandic Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. It’s not based in either of the two main Biennale venues but is situated in a converted warehouse, which is now an art gallery, Spazio Punch, on Giudecca, one of the other islands. It’s one of just 2 Biennale interventions on Giudecca, which is a short waterbus ride from the main part of Venice. Giudecca seems to be much more mixed than San Marco, with many rather run down blocks of flats and empty warehouses, vestiges of its industrial past. Some of the warehouses, such as this venue, have obviously been repurposed and gentrified – galleries, luxury flats, smart hotels. The Biennale runs from 11 May to 24 Nov. 2019. I visited it on 2 Nov.
Brief description of the subject/object
Chromo sapiens is a multi-sensory, site-responsive immersive installation. It’s made with multi-coloured polyester hair pieces which have been arranged so that, as the visitor walks through the space, they transition from dark to pale through a rainbow spectrum of vibrant colour. Visitors are invited to sit inside the installation and to touch it. In addition to the visual and tactile experience, the specially commissioned soundtrack from a cult Icelandic band, HAM, adds auditory stimulation.
The introduction and aim
I will discuss Hrafnhildur Arnardottir (aka Shoplifter)’s immersive installation, Chromo Sapiens, considering the ways in which it communicates meaning through her choice of materials, through colour, touch and sound.
Exhibition, object or artefact? Place of encounter. When?
Chromo sapiens is this year’s Icelandic Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. It’s not based in either of the two main Biennale venues but is situated in a converted warehouse, which is now an art gallery, Spazio Punch, on Giudecca, one of the other islands. It’s one of just 2 Biennale interventions on Giudecca, which is a short waterbus ride from the main part of Venice. Giudecca seems to be much more mixed than San Marco, with many rather run down blocks of flats and empty warehouses, vestiges of its industrial past. Some of the warehouses, such as this venue, have obviously been repurposed and gentrified – galleries, luxury flats, smart hotels. The Biennale runs from 11 May to 24 Nov. 2019. I visited it on 2 Nov.
Brief description of the subject/object
Chromo sapiens is a multi-sensory, site-responsive immersive installation. It’s made with multi-coloured polyester hair pieces which have been arranged so that, as the visitor walks through the space, they transition from dark to pale through a rainbow spectrum of vibrant colour. Visitors are invited to sit inside the installation and to touch it. In addition to the visual and tactile experience, the specially commissioned soundtrack from a cult Icelandic band, HAM, adds auditory stimulation.
Fig. 1 Hrafnhildur Arnardottir (aka Shoplifter), 2019, Chromo sapiens
Describing key attributes
I think that Shoplifter’s Chromo sapiens communicates multiple meanings. Andrew describes textiles as ‘"cultural signifiers" … suggesting communication as a paradigm in which textiles can be critically located and discussed.’ (2008, p32)
Shoplifter’s use of materials is unusual and intriguing; she uses artificial hair. Hair is often associated with self-image and she says that:
‘Hair fascinates (me) in part because of its association with vanity… (I see) hair as a fundamental signifier for identity and its performance. In a positive sense, vanity can be a creative force of self-expression… In art history, vanity has been traditionally associated with mortality: the fleeting versus the eternal. In this context, hair is a ‘vanitas’ symbol for death, growth and decay.’ (in Phaidon, 2019)
For these reasons, real human hair often has associations with abjection. Julia Kristeva describes ‘the abject’ as ‘the human reaction (horror, vomit) to a threatened breakdown in meaning caused by the loss of the distinction between subject and object or between self and other’ (in Felluga 2011). Mary Douglas maintains that it can produce a form of ‘contamination anxiety’ when it’s ‘out of place’. (Sorkin, 2001, p 60) Using hair that is synthetic, however, adds different meanings.
I think that Shoplifter’s Chromo sapiens communicates multiple meanings. Andrew describes textiles as ‘"cultural signifiers" … suggesting communication as a paradigm in which textiles can be critically located and discussed.’ (2008, p32)
Shoplifter’s use of materials is unusual and intriguing; she uses artificial hair. Hair is often associated with self-image and she says that:
‘Hair fascinates (me) in part because of its association with vanity… (I see) hair as a fundamental signifier for identity and its performance. In a positive sense, vanity can be a creative force of self-expression… In art history, vanity has been traditionally associated with mortality: the fleeting versus the eternal. In this context, hair is a ‘vanitas’ symbol for death, growth and decay.’ (in Phaidon, 2019)
For these reasons, real human hair often has associations with abjection. Julia Kristeva describes ‘the abject’ as ‘the human reaction (horror, vomit) to a threatened breakdown in meaning caused by the loss of the distinction between subject and object or between self and other’ (in Felluga 2011). Mary Douglas maintains that it can produce a form of ‘contamination anxiety’ when it’s ‘out of place’. (Sorkin, 2001, p 60) Using hair that is synthetic, however, adds different meanings.
The visitor is invited to touch, to sit, indeed, to lie, in this exuberant space and Miliani suggests that the visitor is ‘contaminated’ (2019) by being the experience. I suggest that it’s a very different kind of contamination to Douglas’ though. The Icelandic Pavilion’s curator, Birta Guðjónsdóttir, invites visitors ‘to enter a sensory cavern from which they will exit transformed.’ (ibid). Instead of abjection, the mix of colour and hairiness produce something joyous, mood-enhancing and humorous. Although I did come away with multiple strands of artificial hair attached to my clothing!
Shoplifter says ‘tactility is everything to me’ and suggests that
‘we wear woven garments against our skin … and therefore people can easily relate to art made of fibres and fabric. It activates and affects us in its analogue form alongside our rich online reality where we travel through the untouchable mental fabrication of the digital realm.’ (in Phaidon, no date)
Textile surfaces also often blur the senses of touch and sight. ‘The eye…does not simply look. It also feels. Its response is both visual and tactile…’ the senses are ‘…each enfolded in the other’ (Barnett, 1999, p185). We often know how something feels just by looking at it and Shoplifter’s hairy installation is a good example of this.
However, actually being invited to touch these surfaces ‘defies our societal limitation on touching art’ and ‘allows participants to absorb a new level of meaning.’ (Artsy, 2016) Combining the auditory, visual and tactile stimuli this becomes a truly immersive experience.
What is the purpose of the artifact/exhibition/object?
Chromo sapiens was commissioned by the Icelandic Arts Centre, the commissioner for the Icelandic Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. The Icelandic Art Centre’s role is to introduce and support Icelandic visual arts abroad.
Shoplifter says ‘tactility is everything to me’ and suggests that
‘we wear woven garments against our skin … and therefore people can easily relate to art made of fibres and fabric. It activates and affects us in its analogue form alongside our rich online reality where we travel through the untouchable mental fabrication of the digital realm.’ (in Phaidon, no date)
Textile surfaces also often blur the senses of touch and sight. ‘The eye…does not simply look. It also feels. Its response is both visual and tactile…’ the senses are ‘…each enfolded in the other’ (Barnett, 1999, p185). We often know how something feels just by looking at it and Shoplifter’s hairy installation is a good example of this.
However, actually being invited to touch these surfaces ‘defies our societal limitation on touching art’ and ‘allows participants to absorb a new level of meaning.’ (Artsy, 2016) Combining the auditory, visual and tactile stimuli this becomes a truly immersive experience.
What is the purpose of the artifact/exhibition/object?
Chromo sapiens was commissioned by the Icelandic Arts Centre, the commissioner for the Icelandic Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. The Icelandic Art Centre’s role is to introduce and support Icelandic visual arts abroad.
Fig.2. Hrafnhildur Arnardottir (aka Shoplifter), Chromo sapiens, 2019, dark to light
Research questions
In what ways can colour be used in art to provoke a range of responses?
What is the history of art that can be touched and what impact does touching have on the viewer’s experience and on the perceived status of that art?
Conclusion
I have considered a number of ways that Shoplifter has created particular meanings in this installation using textiles, through visual, tactile and auditory experience.
Reflection
Writing this report has definitely broadened my understanding of my experiences in Chromo sapiens. It has been useful to have to analyse why I felt what I felt, but also to discover other people’s reactions. Different people will respond to this in different ways. It makes me think of learning styles; I recognise that I am a kinaesthetic learner, and also an artist who use textiles, so a multi-sensory, immersive installation of synthetic hair like Chromo sapiens suits me very well. Some people would possibly dismiss it as frivolous because of the materials and the colour palette, but I feel that it has some depth to it. It interests me to compare it with my response to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition which I remember describing as ‘sensory overload’. Was that because I couldn’t touch so had to rely exclusively on sight?
In what ways can colour be used in art to provoke a range of responses?
What is the history of art that can be touched and what impact does touching have on the viewer’s experience and on the perceived status of that art?
Conclusion
I have considered a number of ways that Shoplifter has created particular meanings in this installation using textiles, through visual, tactile and auditory experience.
Reflection
Writing this report has definitely broadened my understanding of my experiences in Chromo sapiens. It has been useful to have to analyse why I felt what I felt, but also to discover other people’s reactions. Different people will respond to this in different ways. It makes me think of learning styles; I recognise that I am a kinaesthetic learner, and also an artist who use textiles, so a multi-sensory, immersive installation of synthetic hair like Chromo sapiens suits me very well. Some people would possibly dismiss it as frivolous because of the materials and the colour palette, but I feel that it has some depth to it. It interests me to compare it with my response to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition which I remember describing as ‘sensory overload’. Was that because I couldn’t touch so had to rely exclusively on sight?
References
Books
Barnett, P. (1999) ‘Folds, fragments and surfaces: towards a poetics of cloth’ in Hemmings, J. (ed.) (2012) The Textile Reader, Berg: London, New York pp 182 -190
Sorkin, J. (2001) ‘Stain: on cloth, stigma and shame’ in Hemmings, J.(ed.) (2012) The Textile Reader, Berg: London, New York pp 60-63
Journals
Dormor, Catherine, 2008, ‘skin: textile: film’ in Textile, Volume 6, Issue 3, pp 238-253
Online Journal articles
Andrew, S. (2008) ‘Textile Semantics: Considering a Communication-based Reading of Textiles’, Textile: the journal of cloth and culture 6 (1), p 32-65 | Published online: 01 May 2015 Available from: https://eds-a-ebscohost-com.bathspa.idm.oclc.org/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=c11dde67-fda7-4a1d-b962-0ab3d037d37b%40sdc-v-sessmgr03 (Accessed 4 November 2019)
Websites
Artsy (2016) Please touch the art, Available from: https://www.artsy.net/show/cantor-fine-art-please-touch-the-art
Felluga, D. (2011) Modules on Kristeva, Introductory guide to Critical Theory, Available from: http://www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/psychoanalysis/kristevaabject.html (Accessed: 27 September 2013)
Miliani, J. (2019) ‘The Chromo Sapiens cavern in the Icelandic pavilion is a volcano of hair’ Domus Magazine 24 May Available from: https://www.domusweb.it/en/speciali/venice-art-biennale/2019/the-chromo-sapiens-cavern-in-the-icelandic-pavilion-is-a-volcano-of-hair.html (Accessed: 4 November 2019)
Phaidon (No date) Talking textiles with Shoplifter Available at: https://uk.phaidon.com/agenda/art/articles/2019/may/09/talking-textiles-with-shoplifter/ (Accessed: 4 November 2019)
Images
Fig 1. Chromo sapiens (2019) Installation 5, Available at: https://www.chromosapiens.us/ (Accessed: 4 November 2019)
Fig 2. Chromo sapiens (2019) Installation 1, Available at: https://www.chromosapiens.us/ (Accessed: 4 November 2019)
Books
Barnett, P. (1999) ‘Folds, fragments and surfaces: towards a poetics of cloth’ in Hemmings, J. (ed.) (2012) The Textile Reader, Berg: London, New York pp 182 -190
Sorkin, J. (2001) ‘Stain: on cloth, stigma and shame’ in Hemmings, J.(ed.) (2012) The Textile Reader, Berg: London, New York pp 60-63
Journals
Dormor, Catherine, 2008, ‘skin: textile: film’ in Textile, Volume 6, Issue 3, pp 238-253
Online Journal articles
Andrew, S. (2008) ‘Textile Semantics: Considering a Communication-based Reading of Textiles’, Textile: the journal of cloth and culture 6 (1), p 32-65 | Published online: 01 May 2015 Available from: https://eds-a-ebscohost-com.bathspa.idm.oclc.org/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=c11dde67-fda7-4a1d-b962-0ab3d037d37b%40sdc-v-sessmgr03 (Accessed 4 November 2019)
Websites
Artsy (2016) Please touch the art, Available from: https://www.artsy.net/show/cantor-fine-art-please-touch-the-art
Felluga, D. (2011) Modules on Kristeva, Introductory guide to Critical Theory, Available from: http://www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/psychoanalysis/kristevaabject.html (Accessed: 27 September 2013)
Miliani, J. (2019) ‘The Chromo Sapiens cavern in the Icelandic pavilion is a volcano of hair’ Domus Magazine 24 May Available from: https://www.domusweb.it/en/speciali/venice-art-biennale/2019/the-chromo-sapiens-cavern-in-the-icelandic-pavilion-is-a-volcano-of-hair.html (Accessed: 4 November 2019)
Phaidon (No date) Talking textiles with Shoplifter Available at: https://uk.phaidon.com/agenda/art/articles/2019/may/09/talking-textiles-with-shoplifter/ (Accessed: 4 November 2019)
Images
Fig 1. Chromo sapiens (2019) Installation 5, Available at: https://www.chromosapiens.us/ (Accessed: 4 November 2019)
Fig 2. Chromo sapiens (2019) Installation 1, Available at: https://www.chromosapiens.us/ (Accessed: 4 November 2019)
