I've been looking at organising a visit to Leeds Art Gallery for us all but, unfortunately, the exhibition Changing Places that Louise thought would be relevant to our work has finished showing there.
Feedback from our London visit was that it would be good to do more trips as a Youth Forum. I am happy to organise something if youth forum can come up with suggestions of places we could go that would be relevant to our project work. Do post your suggestions and thoughts about other people's suggestions and I will try and arrange something for the New Year.
Kate
Monday, 10 November 2008
Thursday, 6 November 2008
Hannah Starkey
I've been thinking a lot about Hannah Starkey's talk at Tate and how Butterfly catchers relates to The Lady of Shallot so thought I'd add my notes (partic for those of you who couldn't make it - or fell asleep!...)
For a start I was amazed she only made 4 photos a year - I always imagine photographers to be really prolific... I thought the reasons for her making photos were really interesting - because everyone makes them and everyone understands them. How diff would it have been if she'd done the same thing in painting?
I also had no idea she was from Belfast or that that's where this photo was taken - I imagined growing up somewhere like that with such a strong political history would have made her work more overtly political (e.g. like the work of Willie Doherty or Paul Seawright). Instead it seems to have affected her work in more subtle ways. She said it makes her question the truth of images much more and also how people understand them - are they as they seem?
So, about this photo. When she took it in 1999, she was about 5 years older than the girls in the pic. It was taken on the Falls Road in Belfast - which has a strong political significance in the history of Northern Ireland (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falls_Road_(Belfast). It also has a lot of importance in her personal history of growing up and so it looks at the link between place and growing up and the importance of place on our own identity (like the Bethan Huws). This has started to make me think about my own identity and how much where I grew up, or have lived, has had an impact upon who I am.
The building in the background is a disused linen mill. Apparently this road was lined with linen mills -most of the local women worked in these. For Starkey they represent a strong sense of community between mothers and daughters, neighbours etc - quite often it was money from these mills which kept families going. Many of the women lost their hearing in these mills - it was hard, hard work. She talked a lot about how much her photos focus on the lives of women, partic on everyday activities and experiences and the monotony of these. She talked about having quite a strong mother and how she was interested in her mum's relationships with other women within her family and beyond.
The rubble the girls are walking over is one of these mills which has been flattened - this represents the destruction of this sort of community. The mountains in the background are the Black Mountains - apparently there's a lot of mythology around these which she's interested in - the ghosts of the mill workers ('millies') were said to haunt them. She also mentioned the mythology of the butterfly net and what this represents. The girls' search seems really futile - it's quite dark and looks cold, so there aren't going to be any butterflies. But it also seems to represent hope in some way - despite the weather and time of day, they're still looking for butterflies.
When Starkey makes photos she works closely with actors. So, although they a have the feel of documentary photos - it looks like she could have come across these girls wandering over rubble and snapped their pic - they're actually carefully worked out and posed.
Right, I've run out of time and this has gone on way too long, so i'll write up my thoughts about the links to The Lady of Shallot soon...
For a start I was amazed she only made 4 photos a year - I always imagine photographers to be really prolific... I thought the reasons for her making photos were really interesting - because everyone makes them and everyone understands them. How diff would it have been if she'd done the same thing in painting?
I also had no idea she was from Belfast or that that's where this photo was taken - I imagined growing up somewhere like that with such a strong political history would have made her work more overtly political (e.g. like the work of Willie Doherty or Paul Seawright). Instead it seems to have affected her work in more subtle ways. She said it makes her question the truth of images much more and also how people understand them - are they as they seem?
So, about this photo. When she took it in 1999, she was about 5 years older than the girls in the pic. It was taken on the Falls Road in Belfast - which has a strong political significance in the history of Northern Ireland (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falls_Road_(Belfast). It also has a lot of importance in her personal history of growing up and so it looks at the link between place and growing up and the importance of place on our own identity (like the Bethan Huws). This has started to make me think about my own identity and how much where I grew up, or have lived, has had an impact upon who I am.
The building in the background is a disused linen mill. Apparently this road was lined with linen mills -most of the local women worked in these. For Starkey they represent a strong sense of community between mothers and daughters, neighbours etc - quite often it was money from these mills which kept families going. Many of the women lost their hearing in these mills - it was hard, hard work. She talked a lot about how much her photos focus on the lives of women, partic on everyday activities and experiences and the monotony of these. She talked about having quite a strong mother and how she was interested in her mum's relationships with other women within her family and beyond.
The rubble the girls are walking over is one of these mills which has been flattened - this represents the destruction of this sort of community. The mountains in the background are the Black Mountains - apparently there's a lot of mythology around these which she's interested in - the ghosts of the mill workers ('millies') were said to haunt them. She also mentioned the mythology of the butterfly net and what this represents. The girls' search seems really futile - it's quite dark and looks cold, so there aren't going to be any butterflies. But it also seems to represent hope in some way - despite the weather and time of day, they're still looking for butterflies.
When Starkey makes photos she works closely with actors. So, although they a have the feel of documentary photos - it looks like she could have come across these girls wandering over rubble and snapped their pic - they're actually carefully worked out and posed.
Right, I've run out of time and this has gone on way too long, so i'll write up my thoughts about the links to The Lady of Shallot soon...
Wednesday, 5 November 2008
Still Life
Continuing from the interpretation workshop with Hedsor, the group started to consider different meanings within the work, taking inspiration from the content and context as well as their own personal feelings about the work. Using the somantic map technique they devised a number of abstract pieces constructed from coloured shapes derived from the words they had chosen. We then discussed other ways that these images could be created and which materials might be best suited to the mood of the pieces. Potential media included metal sculpture, light boxes and even stained glass.
The group were then introduced to a number of artists using still life such as Paul Cezanne and Ben Nicholson to explore how artists used objects to depict mood and the different ways in which these objects might be rendered. The results were very diverse and picked up on some of the techniques shown.
The group were then introduced to a number of artists using still life such as Paul Cezanne and Ben Nicholson to explore how artists used objects to depict mood and the different ways in which these objects might be rendered. The results were very diverse and picked up on some of the techniques shown.
Monday, 3 November 2008
visual dialogues, is a realy intresting an informative program. so far in the work shops we have explored, adapting and expressing diffrent mediums. looking at paintings for insperation to form new peices.
london was a great experience, i got to know my fellow pers, we got to share each others veiws and opinions on the Tate art work as well as the visual diolog program.I count my self very fortunate to be apart off such a unique and expressive group and i am looking forward to the diffrent outcomes people will make for are own personal exibit.
london was a great experience, i got to know my fellow pers, we got to share each others veiws and opinions on the Tate art work as well as the visual diolog program.I count my self very fortunate to be apart off such a unique and expressive group and i am looking forward to the diffrent outcomes people will make for are own personal exibit.
Modern Art?
So our trip to the Tate Modern really got me thinking about what Modern art actually is. There was a massive exhibition of red canvases namely created by Rothko. He basically paints a canvas red and then, if he feels adventurous, paints a darker red border. If you're really that interested Google it. Trust me- it's a disappointment. (Unless you're a minimalist. In which case never become an artist. Please.)
Aside from the horrors of rubbish "Art" there were actually soome good things at Tate Modern. On the ground floor there were a load of metal bunkbed frames in yellow and blue. On the bunkbeds there were various books in different languages and different genres. This instilation confused me at first and I was unsure what to think about. However, once I had sat down and stated reading I realised that I myself had become part of the art. That made me feel good :) Interactive art is the way forward in my opinion.
So, what IS Modern Art? I suppose it's a matter of opinion really. As is art in general. In my opinion a blank red canves does not constitute as art and I can think of many other artists who deserve that place in the Tate Modern.
Susie.
Aside from the horrors of rubbish "Art" there were actually soome good things at Tate Modern. On the ground floor there were a load of metal bunkbed frames in yellow and blue. On the bunkbeds there were various books in different languages and different genres. This instilation confused me at first and I was unsure what to think about. However, once I had sat down and stated reading I realised that I myself had become part of the art. That made me feel good :) Interactive art is the way forward in my opinion.
So, what IS Modern Art? I suppose it's a matter of opinion really. As is art in general. In my opinion a blank red canves does not constitute as art and I can think of many other artists who deserve that place in the Tate Modern.
Susie.
london !
On wednsday the 29th of october the visual dialogues crew of sheffield embarked on a meaningful adventure to the tate britain/modern galleries. The day began with an early start accompanied by many cups of tea and coffee. We arrived in st pancreas with our group leader, david, at 11 ish, only to realise that there was more travelling to come. This was not taken too lightly. However, we marched to the tube station in high spirits, and eagerness to meet the other visual dialogue crews to battle it out in a duel of knowledge to be the ultimate visual dialogues crew!
p.s rothko is nothing special.....
p.s rothko is nothing special.....
Sorreee
Couldn't make it tonight cause I'm feeling a little under the weather.
See you all next week
Angela X
See you all next week
Angela X
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
