Sunday, September 26, 2010

Thursday, September 2, 2010






THE WALTERS AWARD
The Walters award is a New Zealand visual arts award started in menory of Gordon Walters (1919-1995). Gordon was a N.Z artist who contributed alot to N.Z arts. This prize includes a $50,000 cash prize as well as a all expences paid trip to New York for the saatchi and saatchi's exhibition.
Artist who participated in the eehibition this year are, Saskia Leek who did mesh paintings using only semi bright coloures, Fiona did architectual piece where she repeated thi iron bars holding up the ceiling on the ground, i liked her work it was cool, Dan arp's played with the fine line between the art world and the normal world. where he used a ramge of materials in a unusual way. some of his work look like random pieces of rubbise lol. Alex monieth's work was my favourite, hers was a film piece where she recorded from two different angles (front and back) elegantly moving through noisy hectic traffic as well as doing it illegally.
The walters award jury members for 2010 consist of jon Bywater - Progame leader, Critical Studies at Elam School of fine arts, The University of Auckland. Rhana Devenport - Director, Govett - Brewster Art gallery, New Plymouth. Leonhard Emmerling - Visual Arts Adviser, Goethe Intsitute, Munich, Former Director, ST PAUL St University. Kate Montgomery - Director, Physics room, Christ church.
The judge for the 2010 Walters award is Venice Todoli Which is in discussion with the Auckland Art Gallery director Chris Saines as well an AUT lecturer.
This year i voted for alex Monieth because her film oiece was interesting and stood out the most to me. I like how she made i really nice work of art by breaking the law. her work interest me through how she broke the law for her art. I am a big fan of how art in all its forms is constantly pushing boundaries and constantly evolving and never boring. Who knows, the next big art form might be breaking the law haha.
Not many people reliesed that Alex's work was actually two different bikes with cameras attached to the front of ona and the back o the other.


Hussein Chalayan
Hussein Chalayan is a well known fashion designer who is well know in the art world as well as the fashion world for his artistic flare in fashion aswell as his traditional modern style. Chalayans work may be challenging for the wearer as well as the viewer simply because his unusual style in fashion is unique and very different form what people usually see and wear. Two of most famous pieces are the 'Afterwords" and the 'Burka'. The Burka is a modern twist on Chalayan's traditional garments, worn by muslim women. It is Muslim tradition to cover their skin by wearing Burka's and is a big offence in their culture to leave skin uncovered, Chalayans Burka designs are very revealing which can make it challenging for some 'especially Muslim's' due to culture and traditions. The piece 'Afterwords' is also challenging for the wearer as well as the viewer but for different reasons. Chalayan continues to move forward in the art world experimenting with unusual materials and technologies. This work may stun viewers because it is unlike anything out their, futuristic and conventional and is obviously challenging for the wearer because it is made of a heavey metal material that does'nt move well with the body. The difference between 'Burka' and 'Afterwords' is that Burka is modernizing a old school traditional garment and afterword's is more pushing modern trends to a futuristic era. Fashion is like art. not all drawings and paintings may be masterpieces or works of art but some pieces can affect people, inspiring them or even causing the viewer to precieve life differently. understanding the meaning behind art works may make a complex piece understandable and beautiful.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Nathalie Djurberg’s ‘Claymations’



Claymation is another word for clay animation. Clay animation is the art form of making animated films by stop motion filming with deformable materials, like clay. Although this technique of filming is known as clay animation plasticine is often used for calymation.


The term 'surrealistic Garden of Eden'? and 'all the natural goes awry?' may mean that Nathalie's works on the Garden of Eden may be misleading and may not be what they seems to be. she has worked on natural, organic objects and twisted them unnaturally. her work may surprise viewers.


The ' complexity of emotion' that Djurberg confronts us with is the fear of not understanding. where the tool of clay animation is often used for more innocent use, Djurberg's works are not so innocent and explores adult themes causing mixed emotions. Her works may send viewers into a intense emotional state where they may experience alot of different emotions at once.


Djurberg plays with the idea of children's stories and innocence in some of her works through the filming technique of clamation 'wich is often used for childrens animation' with adult themes. her filming style is also very innocent with background music used. she has twisted child like clamation into films that some may find disturbing.


The current facination with some designers and artist turning the innocent and sweet into something disturbing has come about due to the constant evolution and change in the world. these day's artist and designers works are more influenced by current events and what is happening around them in there worlds. As the world changes so does the art scene. i guess the world has reached a point where the disturbing is beutiful in its uniqueness, and the beutiful may sometimes be disturbing. Artist continually push the boundaries of what is natural and what is unnatural. who knows what the future holds


By my opinion, i think that Djurberg's works in clay animation were chosen for the Venice Bienale because the venice Biennale is one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world. For generations the institution has been promoting new and different artistic trends and holding international contemporary art events. The venice Biennale covers a range of art forms from film and architecture, to dance and music. The Biennale is different every year it's held, Djurberg's interesting works in claymation is new and different and pushes artistic boundaries. therefore her works were chosen for the Venice Biennale because she has done something new and unique and that her work could be the starting point and inspiration for future artist.


I woudn't share Djurbergs work with friends and family simply because her work is very graphic and they may find it offensive due to there lack of understanding on her work. but i actually kinda like her work and admire the creative and artistic side of her work. i like how she is pushing boundaries in the art world and how she explores new ways to show the world her ideas.





Monday, June 21, 2010

Monday, June 14, 2010

Nha Tang


In the year 2001 an artist by the name of Nha Trang filmed a 13 minute video of six Viatnamese fishermen pulling richskaws across the bottom of the Souteast coast of Vietnam. Actors were not hired for this event, actual fisherman participated in this film, the fact that the struggle under water is all real heightens every minute of the film. This film also consist of ambient electronic sounds of flutes and bells.


The unique and weird film symbolizes the hard and difficult lives that the majority of the Vietnam society live . The harsh, task of dragging the rickshaws across the sea bed represents the burden of the past in modenization and as the fisherman come up for air, he only does this bcause he must in order to over come obstacles he faces. Progress underwater is very slow due to the weight of the rickshaw and the friction of the water which could symbolize the Viatnamese people's hard battle to live their lives, progress is being made but at a slow pace. The fisherman's faces still remain calm underwater until they need air this symbolize that these people can live naturally under these harsh conditions until conditions are so bad that they have to take action by push there physical limitations. Then at the end of the film the fishermen are forced to leave the richshaws at the bottom of the ocean and swim together to the surface, which could symbolize the economy and conditions have become so bad that the Viatnamese people cannot survive therefore only means of survival is to immigrate to a more prosperous and fruitful land. This can only be done by working together to over come obsticles like the harsh conditions.


The idea behind this film connects to the subject of the 'enlightenment' through how 'enlightenment' is a combination of ideas used to push boundaries of how people think and progress in evolution. Where the idea of the Vietnamese people, being pushed to there limit of survival under the harsh social and economical conditions are forced to progress in order to survive.


The title 'Towards the complex - For the Courageous, the Curious and the Cowards reflects Nha Trang's intentions because his film explores themes of survival and progress. In order for the Vietnamse people to survive and proegress they needed to be curious in having new ideas of moving to survive, they also needed courage to take action to progress and to be a coward is to never step outside your circle and in not taking a risk in progressing you will not progress and survival will become weak and there will be no evolution.


Claude Monet


Industrial Revolution can be defined as the period between the 18th and 19th century where the progress in the fields of agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and transport had a big effect on social economic and cultural conditions through machine based manfacturing in Europe. Industralism was the continuous spread of Industrial Revolution all over the world in the 19th century.


2. Research Monet's painting 'Impression Sunrise' (1873) to analyze the work in relation to Industrialisation.


In the 18th-19th century an artist by the name of Claude Monet and other painters developed a new method of painting known as Impressionism by contemporaries. Monet's painting 'Impression Sunrise' (1873) is a great example of this particular painting technique. By using fluttery brush strokes to blur images and quick distinctive brush strokes with the smart use of light makes the sunrise more alive and brings the painting to life. The industrial revolution and impressionist painting era begun around the same time in the 18th-19th century and both had positive effects on society where the science of both era's progressed society economically and culturally.


3. Olafur Eliasson's Weather Project' (2006) is a contemporary work that relates to Monet's


Research the project to identify the artist's intentions, as well as the site (space or venue) chosen for the project, to provide depth for your answer


Olafur Eliasson is another artist who explores the themes of light spectrum to bring his works to life. Olafur's work the 'weather project', this work is located London's tate modern, this piece uses a humidifiers to create a fine mist, aswell as a semi circular disk made of hundreds of monochromatic lamos, which illuminate frequencies of yellow light. Unlike Monet's landscape paintings Eliasson's work covers a large area (turbine hall) but like Monet's landscape paintings the use of light and mist visually gives the works depth in bring the works to life by using unique and new methods of creating art. Eliasson's key intention was to make the visitors the subject of the work bringing to work to life, while looking up into the mirror on the ceiling there reflections were blurred due to the colored mist from the humidifiers. The half gave the hall depth and prespective.