My Pecha Kucha Presentation:[googleapps domain="docs" dir="presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vQYh_7uhKiDJTb0kQHGvYNcagyjvtWpjPvZblWTM2Z5JnHtAF3YnFl9IGePpDYdwQ7p7QtUAsC-Mtx9/embed" query="start=true&loop=true&delayms=15000" width="960" height="569" /] the pecha kucha - original images and patterns created using photographs taken during the break - an insight to my mind. the swirling and geometric thinking. Below you will find a brief explanation of the activities, the original photographs and the patterns created from them that were included in my presentation.I began with organisation: I colour-coded my bookcase. As you can see, at this point we hadn't mounted our artwork yet either.
Next on the list of winter break activities was to clean and organise my at home studio space. (it no longer looks like this, but it was nice while the tidiness lasted!
We had a winter concert at school, it's my daughters first year at nursery so lots of milestones, I know we have lots more winter concerts to come. We both felt the need to dress in the appropriate colours.
The day after this Maraya Art Centre in Sharjah had a private view of the Timo Nasseri show, curated by Laura Metzler. Hi work is meticulous and beautiful, a display of patience and time.
The work above is the artists, as is the square crop below, the 'flower' pattern is my patterning of the cropped image.
The exhibition included a room sized installation of mirror pieces laid out in a repeating geometric pattern. I was reflected in the work, the theme that reoccured in the other exhibitions I viewed, it felt poignant to actually see myself in the work I could relate to, finding comfort in the methodological and repeating works.
On the same day, after a coffee with artist friends and w wander around the souq, I broke off from them and viewed part of the Hassan Sharif Retrospective by the Sharjah Art Foundation in their Bait Al Serkal location. Time was running out to complete the school pick up so it was a short visit. I loved that most of these pieces had sketches accompanying them, showing how they were to be installed in to the spaces... these exact spaces as the artist had planned a show before his death.
I managed another trip to Sharjah the following week, which is unheard of for me, Sharjah has notorious traffic. The day was gloriously gloomy and moody, it rained while I was there and I absolutely loved it. On average we get around 3 days of rain a year, although that seems to be growing with the cloud seeding taking place, but thats another story. Hassan Sharifs Retrospective is monumental, taking on 6 gallery spaces in Sharjah Art Foundation as well as the Bait Al Serkal space. The pattern I created from the crop of one of Sharif's pieces is incredible, I plan to make this. My husband is an expert in knots and my fibre/weaving background should make this accomplishable.
From the Hassan Sharif Retrospective I moved on to Sharjah Art Museum to view the Sharjah Islamic Arts Festival, a lot of the artists were on site so it was nice to meet them and have a chat.
I spoke at length to the lovely Natalie Fisher (Artweave Originals) about her half cross stitch pieces, the labour intensive nature of textile art, and the hours that were displayed on the walls.
While catching up with a friend for lunch it rained, for a moment it felt like a european climate. I actually had an excuse to wear my boots and a hat!
We went back to sunshine the next day. The new neighbour we now live in has a totally different colour to the built up marina, it much warmer and less grey. There seems to be more tonal contrasts with the sky, but a lot more harmony between the dwellings. This is my neighbours house taken from the steps to my front door.
The chilly nights mean that we have an excuse to use the fire pit, my husband knows my love of pattern and found one with these hole punched sides.
On christmas eve we made an exciting trip to the snow... indoor as Ski Dubai. Father Christmas/Santa (depending on your preference) was in residence. This year they had made a gorgeous winter wonderland with so many lights and christmas trees. It was a little overwhelming... and slippery which is how this image came to be!
We had a quiet christmas of just the 3 of us at home. This was the first year that our 3yr old really understood the concept of christmas, the stories, the presents etc. It was lovely to see her excitement when she realised Santa had been.
As soon as Christmas was over I set to work in the back yard and painted our boundary wall. We live on a 4 villa compound and have an L-shaped property that neatly slots on to the back of the bigger houses. The space is great (compared to the tiny balconies we are used to) but it was very 'beige' due to the looming houses we look on to.
After finishing the wall on New Year's Eve, we celebrated with the neighbours, watching the light show from Burj Khalifa out the front and then making a made dash to our roof to watch the fireworks of Burj Al Arab.
School runs began almost immediately as my daughter wanted to be a part of the winter camp they provided. Winter mornings here have beautiful cloud formations to collect.
Later on in the break I chose unleash my inner Flâneuse (for a great article about that here), I took to my neighbourhood on foot to room the sandy thoroughfares between the villas and streets.
Unfortunately the winter break came to an end with some slightly uncomfortable changes to our home life, I'm sure ti will end up being a mere 'blip' in the grand scheme of things. I chose to deal with it how I always to, making patterns and binding books. My sketchbook has been getting overburdened by scraps of paper and photocopies so I began to collate and bind to find some calm in the storm.
Pecha kucha
16/10/2017 - Pecha Kucha Presentations - feedback
Pecha Kucha Presentation Seminar – online 5pm-8pm BST
Feedback from my presentation – notes:
Connection of private & public – domesticity – weaving/embroidery – reference to connection of everyday, layers looking through interesting – as an additional layer the light altering the work.
Shells – labour – domestic labour – subtly strong point – weaving an unexpected addition – why was the weaving added to the shell – becomes an uncanny object – common on windowsills so association present – time & attention – issue with lack of labeling – Gary Neil Kennedy, artist, dictates the label to be part of art work.
In first half of session we covered issues via the presentations, such as:
Do sales equal success?
Illustration/painting are they different?
How long will the work sustain you?
Can it be too precious?
Flattery, validation, control, association, appropriation, truth, composition, context.
Thoughts:
Feedback was useful, do need to question why weaving is important to the shells, its can be seen as quite unrelated and perhaps why its seen as decorative.
not for citation or circulation
30/09/2017 - 01/10/2017 - Pecha Kucha notes
Pecha Kucha notes
consider images of process or how to move it forward – ‘sketches of development, how you would do it now’ etc. image of studio, slide about context - research for each piece, philosophy - no text though- just image
Pick key points create/find copyright free images for illustration of ideas.
Betsy Timmer: ‘artists as cultural workers, recording and responding to the times in which we live.’ Façade – what we see vs. what’s inside, Time- passing, awareness as mother. (not a label I wish to enter my work.)
Artworks:
Divergent Resemblance:
Mind the Gap 2017
Successful: Divergent Resemblance: Mind the Gap 2017
For a brief, layers, technique, size and message. Engaged audience but subtle - critical: display, lighting - possible for future to artificially light, exhibit on center of room to see from all sides, or another viewpoint.
Expansion of project, make smaller, accompany with other works from different locations, change lighting in respect of time zones.
Retrieval Practice:
Made In Tashkeel, 2017
Unsuccessful: Retrieval Practice: Made In Tashkeel, 2017
Displayed as decorative object, text was not available in exhibition. Did not allow for explanation, accompanying text, so message was/observation was lost. Pieces are prototypes, works in progress, looking to develop further in to a series of ‘retrieved’ items but made in to fragile ceramics, linking to the retrieved clay possibly from areas/country item was retrieved.
Links to Langland’s and bell visiting uncomfortable areas. Interested in tourism, the nomad, the traveller, links to the expat thought - globalization and the aspect of ‘taking from; removing actual articles in innocent arts, removal of cultural practices from traditional settings, taking/borrowing of practices by those who wouldn’t normally practice them. Appropriation, yoga practice, religious beliefs, commercialism.
Blandness of inside of the shell, the beauty of the shell color lost, the texture retained. - Color issues, not sure where the color choice came from, unrelated to the situation. Looking in to the woven structures and creating more fragility, fragile environment, pulling apart of weaves, allowing for weave to hold together the structure. Show the other prototypes - the different colors, exploration in to clay, seek out ceramics studio, silicon mold making, using vacuum former, and no need for plaster casts.
01/10/2017
To do:
Wed: Reading for Critical Dialogues
Mon: Tutorial 8am GMT – 11am GST
Mon: Members lunch @ Tashkeel – 12noon
Wed: Critical Dialogues
Pecha Kucha presentation set up
Look in to task 2 Form Fracture Frame
not for citation or circulation