First Year Exhibition - Collections and Obsessions

First Year Exhibition - Collections and Obsessions 

                                                                                                                                               

Reflection

When choosing a category for the show, I felt it was only natural that my work fit into the collections and obsession category as I have been collecting artefacts throughout my practise, trying to push things to breaking point, to better learn the limits of the objects. I didn't know who else was exhibition in the same section, until the day the show was being hung. So the first thing I did was invite everyone to sit down and get out their work so that we could discuss it as a group. It was evident straight away that small groups were emerging connected by potential links. Once we established which pieces were being hung, I started allocating potential spaces and invited people to comment on any changes that might suit the the flow of the exhibition better. We agreed on using the space, which was in fact a corridor to its advantage and sectioned work up so that it would create a narrative, allowing the viewer to be part of a journey. The first section, was comprised of mine and Helen's work, since we both had tall structures, I felt it would be most effective if we mirrored them. Themes of heritage from natural to family feed into  each other as the views pasted the first arch, which then opened up to reveal work about celebrity, superficially and city shapes. At the very end of the corridor, lurking in the shadows, a wire scull sat surveying the space. It was decided that the sculpture would be best placed there as it conjured up metaphors of deaths waiting in the wings, being this great force that would catch up with you in the end. 

                                                                                                                                                     

Madrid - Accordion street music

Madrid Street accordion 

Comparing the street music of Madrid with the street music from Britain, the atmosphere is noticeable different. In Madrid street music is more embedded into the culture, musicians with play in front of restaurants and then go around with a hat asking for money for there performance. Whereas in Britain musicians play in the street to passer by and allow people to approach them to give money. This I believe creates a more open vibe to the music.




Recorded by Emily Gardiner

Madrid birds - Sound Installation

Madrid Sound Instillation 

I got to visit a sound instillation situated in a Victorian Orangery in the botanical gardens of Madrid. The structure was light and open when I visited, speakers were set up along the beams, from each one a different bird song played creating the sensation you were looking into the past and standing in the present simultaneously. This reminded my of a passage I read describing sound as a ghost with the power to bring back memory's and even summon the dead through frequency. This exhibition filled me with wonderment, and I would like to return again to soak in the location in more depth.

Madrid Park

Madrid Park 

Experimenting with stacking sounds, as I consider describing locations through sound. The spinning nature to the video reflects the movement of a carousel. 



Music, filming and editing by Emily Gardiner

Waterfall in Madrid - Worry Knots

                                                                                                                                                

Reflection 

I took my knots out of the country to visit Madrid, on an trip lead by my university. It was important for me to start to experiment with placement of the finished sculpture. Since there is a definite connection between the knotted forms and plant life, I took the sculptures to a local park and displayed it alongside other ferns and water based plants. The form blended in perfectly it was only that colour that stood out immediately, it was then that I realised that although I was adding something in pictures I was appearing that I was taking something out, either by photo-shopping it out or by tippexing over it. This changed the reading of the work for me a great deal. Regardless of meaning however, the form sprawls naturally over any surface it is placed onto, as if the worrying is trapped inside and attempting to take over. 

                                                                                                                                                 

Worry Knot sculptural forms

                                                                                                                                                  

Reflection

I started using knots to make structural forms, I found that as I tied the knots I would forget about anything that was worrying me, or at least it would aid in calming me down a bit. The first knots I made I tried to print, after the mixed success of that, I concentrated on letting the knots grow and transform into any shape they wanted. The natural plant like roots are accidental but tie in well with reoccurring themes of nature that pop up through out my practice. I found making these tactile sculptures highly therapeutic, to the point where I would work on them night and day, whenever I had something on my mind. I often find myself having a highly obsessive personality, where I like to fixate on lots of mini projects until I run out of gas. I feel that by making these sculptural forms, I am channelling that energy into something constructive. The quality of the string is soft and when knotted resembles a bandage, it is suggestible then that I am using these knots to bandage myself together again. The term worry knot is a play on words that adds a sense of humour to the work. Mental health can often been seen as a serious subject, where a light hearted attitude is discouraged. But since laughter is said to be one of the best medicines, I feel that it is appropriate to laugh as it is part of the journey to wellness.

                                                                                                                                                  

Bronze Scrying Sculptures and Performance

Bronze Scrying Sculptures and Performance 

Performed by Emily Gardiner

                                                                                                                                                 

Reflection 

I was a little unsure as to how these sculptures would come out since I have never worked with bronze before, I was very pleasantly surprised with the quality of the pieces. As I bashed the sculptures loose from the plaster, I noticed all the details of the work had remained in-tacked, which was critical for the work keeping its mirroring quality. I have had to sacrifice the original wax pieces to birth these bronze ones, by preserving the forms in bronze I am commenting on the worth of the prediction, affirming its truth.  After cleaning the pieces up, I began filing them down with power tools, until I got them to a finished state. There is something so tactile about bronze, the weight on your palm feels significant yet not overly heavy.  I chose to film the finished pieces being dropped into water, to unite them with there origins. The clang of the glass bowl once the pieces have fallen is ceremonial, like the ring of a bell. The ripples, and sound communicate the beginning of a ritual. As the water reflects the bronze, a phantom sculpture appears on the top of the water, this could be seen to suggest the spiritual side of the work hovering above it. 

                                                                                                                                                 

Scrying Divination Origins

Scrying Divination Origins 

"The practice of scrying dates as far back (documented) as 3000 BC in China where cracked eggs were used as a form of scrying and divination. From the Oracles of Delphi to the Cradle of Mankind in Africa. It’s so well documented and such a common practice that even the buttoned up Victorians of a beautiful bygone era had their method even before the Spiritualist movement...Scrying comes from the Old English word descry meaning "to make out dimly" or "to reveal." 

The history of scrying is a little murky. Many try to connect the art of scrying with other methods of divination such as dowsing, tea leaves or the Chinese methods of reading lines and faces. While these methods are historical, they are not the precursors to traditional scrying. In order for an object to be related to an older object it must have some type of evolutionary connection that can be traced through validated records. Scrying simply does not have this connection to these other methods of divination. But that shouldn't lessen the historical value of those methods, nor the value and historical uses of scrying. We know scrying was used by ancient Celts, probably by way of the Germanic invasions of the Norse. Scrying plates have been found in several archaeological sites around Celtic lands that are known to have been Norse influenced settlements. Druids are one of the earliest known peoples to have used crystals for divination in the form of scrying plates.

The purpose of a mirror as a ‘magical’ tool, contrary to popular belief, is not to summon spirits and have them give you answers, place curses or even spells. It is a tool used for self-reflection. In basic psychological terms, it can best be described as a form of psychoanalysis whereby an individual attempts to create a direct connection with the subconscious by suppressing the id and ego. Rather than restricting the unconscious to the confines within the mind, a seer is able to visually project the unconscious within the mirror. And thus by projecting the unconscious visually, the desired subject of analysis becomes tangible and less mentally abstract.

                                                                                                                                                 

Sources 

https://associationofparanormalstudy.wordpress.com/2013/11/14/mirror-mirror-on-the-wall-the-art-and-history-of-scrying/

https://www.paganspath.com/meta/scrying.htm

http://www.templeoftheola.org/scrying.html

http://www.exploringtraditions.com/the-art-of-scrying/

Fye Bridge - Returning sculpture in location

Placing Sculpture in location 

                                                                                                                                                   

Reflection 

When approaching the site to install the sculptural work, I felt nervous as it is always uncertain how the public will react to the sculpture. As I was lowing the piece into the river people seemed generally interested as to what I was doing. As I was holding the work and watching the hands semi submerged in the river, I felt like I was doing a good deed or at least like I was part of something bigger then just me. The longer the piece soaked in the water the higher the chance that the modrock would start degrading. I thought there was something ritualistic about the work being dissolved by the water, as if the water was washing away the sins of the past. 

                                                                                                                                                    

Fye Bridge Location Investigation

                                                                                                                                                 

Reflection

As I started investigating this location I found the first thing I picked up on was the feeling of the area. I could feel an unsettling feeling of persecution, as if the bridge it's self was condemning me. I then started feeling like I had to explain myself, which made me in turn feel quite drained. As well as reflected on feelings, I took photos of the physical state of the bridge, looking for clues as to how to install my sculptures. I originally was hoping to use the point of the bridge, however it soon became apparent that that wouldn't be possible as the roped wouldn't hang there.