Friday 27 May 2011

Degree Shows

In the last week i have been to two degree shows in two different countries. One in Scotland at Dundee University DJCAD and the other in Sweden at Konstfack. Examining the fine art shows at both exhibitions i find it very interesting to see the end results the students produce. My main observation was the choice of medium, as i have noted before. In scotland the work was more tactile with expressions made through paint and sculpture. Where as in Sweden at Konstfack the students favour more media based mediums such as film and photography. Another point which also struck me was that in Scotland alot of the work is based on self reflection referring to their surrounding landscape, upbringing or their own body/appearance. Where as it seems to me the students of Konstfack are more interested in conceptual work which in some cases is less self explanatory. I wonder where this separation stems from, if being educated in such different cities; Dundee and Stockholm is the cause of the drastic difference of work.
Bellow are some pieces that i particularly liked and also reflect some of my above thoughts.
Konstfack (Spring Exhibition) Degree show:

Above are afew pieces which i found quiet interesting, unfortunately i do not remember the name of the artists. I found the bottom image of the above three fascinating, the artist had built a shed showing projections inside and outside and placed several glass bottles filled with plants inside the structure, i did not quiet understand the piece to me it suggested reference to a fairy tale. But otherwise aesthetically it intrigued me, and i liked the materials used.

My favourite piece from the Konstfack show... there is just something fantastic about this video wether it is the lovely simple pencil drawings or the tune who knows! The artist Olof Svenblad also was giving away the stills from the video, so now i am a proud owner of part of the film! Very much worth a watch!

Duncan of Jordanstone Degree show:

Rosslyn MacKinnon Oman. So she may be my best friend but i adore her plaster heads, there is something sad about them, and this impression is not just formed from the connotations that the red paint gives, but they lie in solitude in the white space, one lying whole and rest smashed up leaving fragments of her face lying around. She currated her show cleverly, each piece leading into each other well. Her show certainly raised questions in my mind about what are her personal thoughts are.


I especially liked Yvonne Billimore's work, probably as it relates to my own work, looking at the natural environment. I liked her combination of mediums, photography, sculpture with natural materials and print.

Hannah Imlach, has always been producing fantastic work, and always so beautifully constructed and carefully thought through. Her shelter clearly reflects this. I also really like her mini camera paper obscura, so simple yet affective!

Monday 16 May 2011

3rd year portfolio
View more presentations from jecasey.
This is my portfolio from my Swedish exchange at Konstfack. If i am being completely honest i think it is poor quality, but i will learn from my creative mistakes!!

Thursday 5 May 2011

Bark Colographs

Ok so these are maybe not the best prints i have ever done... but i like the idea behind them, and the idea of the technique. I have printed birch bark, and want to continue on doing a series, bigger and far better with more of a variation of materials. But its just an idea so far!



The Turner Prize



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13283000


So the turner prize, controversial i think. For many young artists still at art school such as my self, it may be slightly frowned upon, or possibly schools where the "old fashioned" artists skills are still valued. The traditional artisan methods do not seem to feature in the turner prize anymore, and the good old argument of why should someone be awarded £25, 000 for some plastic bags with vaseline on them, or singing some some songs under a bridge arises again. Studying at three different art schools, i see how greatly different schools value different skills, and i see what kind of art is being produced by the students which i feel is influenced by the school greatly. Interestingly enough the two scottish artist who have shortlisted for the turner prize are from Glasgow School of art, which i think is known in scotland now not to live up to its fabulous name anymore.

So maybe i am slightly of topic here and a bit to judgmental and cynical and should be more open to these possibilities of art, there four artists will have be shortlisted for many reasons and do not get me wrong i am not rubbishing them just questioning peoples idea of art and why it is favoured. I am interested to know opinions on the four pieces produced, from both artists and non-artists! Maybe i favour aesthetical value to much and thats the reason i feel that this art is not so deserving, i see many fantastic pieces of art being produced and shown everyday, many in my opinion far more deserving of £25, 000 that the turner prize winner will recieve. For example, Dundee Universities DJCAD degree show opens in two weeks, and i can guarantee there will be fantastic pieces to see!


Wednesday 4 May 2011

WestSide

Conflicting Landscapes

So soon i shall be back in the big bosom of Scotland for a flying eight day visit...and cant wait! I have braved the longest coldest nordic winter of my life and now ready for some rainy westerly wind times... Kintyre/Dundee are most defiantly calling! The natural environment concealed in the urban space of Stockholm has sadly not inspired me, as beautiful and interesting as it is for a city. However i have never seen so much natural space in a city, and its something i really embrace and appreciate being such a country girl at heart.

The top image is one of my favourite and one of the most breathtaking locations in Kintyre. The image bellow it is of Lake Malaren, a 15 minute walk from where i live in a very urban surrounding.




The frozen landscape of Stockholm was particularly enchanting, for me the interest was that frozen water could causing such beauty (and a pain in the arse when trying to walk on it). Some images bellow from different locations which captures its beauty and vairity.






Tuesday 3 May 2011

Inspiring!

This is also another favourite TED talk ...

"if you are not prepared to be wrong you will never come up with anything original"

TED

I have recently got back into watching TED films, spent the other morning watching many of them, so many interesting ideas and thoughts to be heard. Espically liked this video on Manufactured Landscapes, as it is relevant for my dissertation.

Morning Pages

A few weeks back i did a sculpture course with a Berlin Based artist Veronica Brovall


At the start of the day she got everyone on the course to write three mindless pages of notes...maybe a silly idea. But i found it got me thinking about maybe not so mindless ideas, but inspirational instead! I guess i need to follow up on this, but maybe in sketchbooks. A drawing/new idea every morning, would benefit me greatly!!!

My morning pages...



Monday 2 May 2011

Pinhole Photography

Since being in Sweden i have become very interested in exploring different aspects of photography. For me one of the most alluring aspects of it is really the basics of how the light travels and forms an image so simply. The idea of a pinhole camera or camera obscura has been noted about as early as 300 BC in China. Its such a simple technique that one small hole can create images. Artist have been blacking out room with just one single pinhole to create the outside image inside...so many fascinating possibilities with these simple optic techniques. Bellow are two very basic images i took with just a tin can and some light sensitive paper.






Work in progress

There is something nice about recording work in process... i like seeing the progression, so i record it, here are some images of my current incomplete work.

(two image sets bellow) working progress of making latex mould from tree bark. You can see the step by step process of making the mould. The last two images are the casts produced from the mould. The first one of plaster and the second jesmonite (a new material for me).


(two bellow images) these images are of my working progression towards making a pinhole camera, the pictures show the basic seed like structure, continuing on to the bark surface using the above latex mould.



This Is A Given This Is Unknown


So my latest creation was made for an exhibition i did here at Konstfact in Stockholm "This is a give, This is unknown". I went back to my old routes of plaster blocks, but just a little different, i have been feeling slightly lost and uninspired here in sweden without my good old west coast of Scotland! I started exploring the idea of "impressions" and my impressions of my surrounding environment. These thoughts link back to a MA visual anthropology course i did "fieldwork in Sweden". I started to explore the natural environment within an urban space. I took my visual research and incorporated them into the bellow pieces. Each of the items or natural matter used in the pieces are taken from different locations around Stockholm.

(above) working method.

(two above pictures) Each plaster block and detail.
1st block- Birch bark inset with sand surface.
2nd block - bark sketch with sand surface.
3rd block - ink bark colograph in plaster with sand surface.

(two above pictures) pieces in situ at exhibition.


Large Format Photography

So for the last two weeks i had the opportunity to take a large format photography course, very interesting and makes me want to invest in one of these extremely expensive pieces of equipment! Here are a few (pretty poor) examples of the photos i took. Experimenting with the different plates for depth of the field and focal areas. Plan to take some more photos while i am still in sweden with the opportunity to use this camera....starting on the roof!