As an artist,I need my works to be viewed by an audience and my voice to be heard .I increasingly aspire to reproduce the immaterial quality of a moment in public for an audience.Setting out the creative process outdoors, weaves the artist and the public straight into the tissues of life on a very basic level. It can make us part of a place and breech personal with social consciousness.
The question for me is not so much what or when it is art since that usually separates it from the context of reality in an already compartmentalized world. But how can the built environment and the interfaces between our lives become more permeable and receptive for transformation by their audience. Public places like life itself are full of contradictions. Rather than focusing on single issues it is increasingly important to me to understand the story and the unfolding narrative, which is linking things and creating new insights. An artist who is not only in touch with herself but the surroundings can make art an integrated and radiating part of life.
Audience’, to us, is a different concept to what it was in Van Gogh and Rembrandt portrits for example, in the Middle Ages. Then, a largely illiterate audience understood art through an oral tradition. They viewed and “read” the stained glass windows of the medieval cathedrals as a means of learning the Christian way of life.
In one of our sessions , we were encouraged by Tutor Les Bicknell to reflect upon our relationship between us, the maker and the audience.
Nowadays the audience is mass educated; they have mass communication, mass tourism, mass advertising and are continuously and relentlessly exposed to images.The contemporary audience have a wide range of knowledge, experiences, interests and viewpoints and therefore art produced eliciting the inputs of varied audiences lead to different sets of results.
The audience is assuming a new role of participating in the process of creating content and both artist and audience are jointly engaging in creating art.
Audience Engagement
There are various ways by which an artist can engage with the audience.
Artists can meet the audiences before or after an art event, explain his work and process through presentations and field questions about their work through question and answer sessions.This has the effect of humanizing the artist and look at the art through the eyes of the maker.
Taking art to new population centers or places where people did not have the opportunity to experience a particular genre of art.This could entail showing art in different cities or smaller cities, towns, rural areas or could also mean exposing a set of populace with an art tradition they have never been exposed to before.
Art can be exhibited in alternate venues like foyers of public buildings, shopping malls, shop windows, construction sites, airports,restaurants and bars, or schools, hospitals , parks or libraries.This involves taking art to people in their comfort zones anther than taking people to art in galleries and museums can lead to establishing strong relationships with the audience.
The format of the art can be altered to make it more culturally relatable to a certain audience which would help permeate everyday life of a society.For instance a performance, a game , graffiti or projection can be more acceptable than a painting or sculpture .
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| My current relationship with the audience.I weave stories which I share with the audience.The audience response and feedback feeds my imagination and inspires me to create more of my stories for the audience. |
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| I aspire that in future I will have a deeper connection with the audience and other artists and collaborate with them to create new stories which are not my stories alone but their stories. |
Sunday, 9 November, 2014
The exhibition of my Story Boxes in the library were viewed by around 50 people over a period of a week.
AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
Positive Comments
1.The clues were a good way to notice the tiny little details in the works and reflect on what they were about
2. Liked the way the boxes were hidden among the books.Had never encountered art in a library in this form
3.It was exciting to discover all the boxes slowly.a bit like a whodunit thriller!!
4.It was interesting to note all the diverse material that has gone into making this beautiful boxes.Very creative!!
Negative Comments
1.Made me think too hard.The clues were complicated an confusing.
2.I would rather read books in a library than look at art and solve puzzles.
3.No ideas!!
MY REFLECTIONS
- A change in context can change an ordinary object into art.
- We can engage with the audience, draw out ideas and make a collaborative piece with audience engagement.
- Usually big works attract people but small works can be successful in intimate settings.
- I liked reaching out to people ,interacting with the audience and taking them by surprise.
- This project changed my approach to exhibiting art.Galleries are not the only exhibition space.I would exhibit in public spaces in future.
- The questions could have been multiple choice.Open ended questions may be a deterrent.
Sunday, 9 November, 2014
Installing the works
I wrote an introductory note in English and French and placed these at the entrance of the library with the first box and a clue about the subsequent box hidden in its vicinity.
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| Box 1 :Underwater but Breathing Fine Clue 1:Why can't a leopard be camouflaged? Because its always spotted! |
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| Box 2: Camouflage Clue 2:Me , myself , my pretty face To take a selfie or not to take a selfie, That is the question |
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| Box 3:Selfie-:With my love's picture, my eyes doth feast Clue 3:Sitting by the lake what do I see?A butterfly or a hummingbird, what could it be? |
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| Box 4: A Fluttering Mind Clue 4:Real or fake,Tears are the things I make. |
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| Box 5:Crocodile Tears Clue 5: If I look inside your brain I would find lots of things, Clothes, shoes diamond rings Stuff that's driving me insane |
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| Box 6: I Want Clue 6: Chocolate, wax and cheese, Ice-cream snowmen, popsicles please, These are the things that don't stay, They soften and then MELT away. |
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| Box 7: his melting heart Clue 7: Far away I smile at you, Come closer I bite at you. |
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| Box 8:nice from far, far from nice Clue 8:Trapped within me, Is a songbird waiting to be set free |
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| Box 9: Dying to be me Clue 9:These butterflies ain't got a clue, What they are putting my stomach through |
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| Box 10:Butterflies in my stomach Clue 10:Hello, Hi, How are you? |
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| Box 11:I am fine and you? Clue 11:There is an uncombed tree, slowly growing inside me |
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Box 12: where wild things grow |
"WHAT IS THIS THING AND WHAT IS IT DOING HERE? "
Wednesday, 5 November, 2014
The underglaze pencils for ceramic drawings did not arrive in time afterall so I decided to go the story boxes way.I chose to place these in a library.Why a library?Because these boxes require close examination.They are small, intimate pieces with text and a relaxed setting of a library is best suited for viewing them.
The library that I spoke with was a small, cozy library at the Centre Franco Omanais a Arabic and French language Centre set up by the French Embassy in Muscat.It is visited by students,mostly teenagers and also adults most of who are parents of students who
visit the library at drop off and pick up timings.
The Game:TREASURE HUNT
GAME PLAN
People would come into the library unaware of what to expect and be invited to play a game of locating the boxes.The game would carry a certain humour. The audience would be provoked to self reflect with the help of an intervention .The intervention would be slotted playfully and accessibly so as to make it self reflexive and ready for engagement. |
| First set of clues |
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| Second set of clues |
Wednesday , October 15, 2014
I have completed my series of 12 story boxes.The series is named SEEING THE INVISIBLE.I have tried to capture things imperceptible to us because they are hidden from view.
I am interested in invisible things.What is hidden from view?
1.things that are too small seen only under the electron
microscope.bacteria, scales on a moth's wing
2.Things that happen too slowly to be noticed-:the opening of a flower,the movement of the earth
3.Things that happen too fast-:water droplets splashing into a puddle, the firing of a bullet
4.Things that are buried inside like our internal organs, human emotions,unexpressed thoughts,unspoken words
5.Things that are in our BLIND SPOT.They are there but invisible.
6.They do not exist at all and therefore dreamed up or imagined.
I have tried to explore 4 in a playful way.I feel this series can be developed further.The works seem too provisional like initial sketches of a bigger idea.I have only scratched the surface.I need to delve deeper,play some more.I was happy with the three dimensional aspect of the work.I have attempted 3D papercuts for the first time.
Monday,29 September 2014
Tutorial with Les Bicknel-:
I have to reflect upon what is my role as an artist in the community?What do I want to achieve as an artist?
An artist does not makes work to be enjoyed only by himself/herself but engages with an audience to achieve any of the following purposes :
- to be a change agent-:to direct the attention of viewers to the current state of the world we live in and initiate dialogue on socio -political/environmental issues which could lead to creating awareness on various issues and the possibility for change
- to document history
- to provide an escape from reality by making surreal pieces or abstraction
- to baffle the viewer-to make the viewer look at ordinary things/everyday material in a new way .This can also be achieved by increasing the size or making a miniature.
- to transfer an emotion
- My idea is to tell a story and provoke thought.To draw viewers to the work ..….once they are drawn to the work I want them to discover that there is a twist in the tale.I want them to reinterpret the stories I have created and make their own stories.I can create a game based on this knowledge.
Tuesday, 23 September, 2014
Research
source-:National Geographic Magazine-August 2009
Camouflage-the art of deception
We are drawn to mimicry and disturbed by it too.As children, we play dress up and lets pretend and we understand our fellow humans through private enactment .Our most elaborate masquerades for Halloween are often tangled with our deepest fears.
Mimicry in nature can charm or repel us,but whatever our human judgements this much is true:Scamming works and the natural world abounds with creatures who use deception to challenge our senses.Sometimes the deception serves as camouflage allowing its bearer to elude detection by predators or as a cloaking device for stealth hunters or quite often both.....
The sensory form that an act of mimicry takes varies according to the sensory talents of the mimic's target audience.Most familiar to us visual primates are the visual mimics,the ones apapted to fool the eye,like the riprarian frogs that crouch in riverbeds and look as slick and round and inorganic as the polished stones around them or the caterpillar that, when frightened will hold up its front end to flash a florescent salmon pink face with a pair of scary snake eyes.But there are vocal mimics too, like a palatable species of tiger moth that deters bats by parodying the ultrasonic clicks of a toxic moth the bats detest,or like the greater racket tailed drongo of Sri Lanka, which mimics the calls of other birds to drum up a mixed species flock in which the drongos can be more safely and efficiently foraged.
Then there are olfactory mimics such as the mad parfumier,the bola spider,which can lure male moths by secreting perfect knockoffs of the counterpart females' eaux de toilette.There are even tactile mimics ,including a parasitic fungis that lives in the inner chambers of termite mounds,where it is kept warm, moist and competitor free.Termites are notoriously zealous housekeepers.How does the fungus elicit indulgence rather than expulsion?By assuming the shape and texture of ripe termite eggs.
TESTING THE BOUNDARIES PROPOSAL
PLAN A
THE SITES
Muscat is a conservative, ancient port city in Oman which has retained its old world charm .It has a strong Islamic influence in its culture and architecture.80% of the population is local Omani and 20% are expats.
Muscat is a conservative, ancient port city in Oman which has retained its old world charm .It has a strong Islamic influence in its culture and architecture.80% of the population is local Omani and 20% are expats.
The cafe has lamps using embroidered fabric Omani caps worn by local Omani men and I found that interesting.
I am also talking to the owners of a contemporary cafe More Cafe which serves International cuisine and is located next to the Royal Opera House of Muscat,a central location in the city .It is frequented by office goers for business lunches or the urban elite- mostly expatriates.The owners are based in Dubai and though I have written to them but they have yet to take a decision.I like this space because of its central location.If this gets approved I will like to exhibit my works in both spaces.
THE PROPOSED PROJECT
I plan to draw on ceramic plates with underglaze pencils to create a set of detailed monochromatic drawings.The core of my work is drawing but I have never drawn on ceramic plates before (underglaze pencil drawings cannot be erased once drawn)and this will be a new exploration for me .There is always an element of surprise in ceramics since they will be fired creating a different effect. There is a certain risk which I enjoy.
I am researching human psychology and natural history for this project and would like to make a series of work ,drawing a parallel between human behavior and animal instincts.These ceramic plates will be hung on a wall.I have ordered wire hangers to install ceramic plates onto the wall These might look ungainly.I have also ordered invisible hanging stickers which have a little hook and adhesive to attach to the plates.These look neat but will have to test whether the hooks will adhere securely to the plates.I plan to draw on 10-15 , 10 inch plates and arrange them in a random order on the wall.
Drawing on a Ceramic Plate
PLAN B
To exhibit a new series of illustrative works SEEING THE INVISIBLE in ABA (American British Academy-a IB school in Muscat) .These will have papercuts in 3D layers inside card board boxes-10-12 cardboard boxes of the size 6 inches x 6 inches . The cardboard lids of the boxes will be replaced with acrylic lids.They will look like whimsical childrens' illustration. .Have written to the school principal and am awaiting a response.I can either hang them from the ceiling or place them on the library tables of the secondary library.
WHAT I HOPE TO ACHIEVE:
- To create a site specific work which I have never attempted
- To take out my work from a gallery space and let people engage with the work
- To target a new audience -of Omani locals/school children
- To create an installation using drawing as a medium so a set of small works can be fitted together to create a large scale piece
- To realize that an art is ubiquitous and can be seen in the everyday spaces.This would help me explore ideas about transforming everyday places into alternative venues for exhibiting art instead of regular gallery spaces
TIMELINE
Make the works by end October, install them in the first week of November .
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Thursday, 18th September 2014
Tuesday,16 September 2014
I am thinking of going ahead with the ceramic plates idea.Have already spoken to the Coffee shop adjoining the Bait Zubair Museum ,Muscat and they seemed interested in lending me a wall space in November.Bait Zubair Museum is a Omani Heritage Museum and therefore the people who visit the cafe are mostly tourists who are interested in the culture of the place they are visiting.Groups of school children also visit the Museum and cafe on their school trips.The staff comprises of local Omanis.The decore of the cafe is traditional Omani and it is very located in the old district of the city.It has a very relaxed ,old world charm.
Am discussing this idea with another cafe- Cafe More adjoining the Opera House in Muscat.This cafe has a British cuisine .It is a high end cafe,very contemporary and it is located in the heart of city.The people who visit this cafe are the urban elite or brisk office goers entertaining their clients.There is a buzz about this place.More Cafe has its board of Directors in Dubai and they have to discuss my proposal with their top management.Lets us see what comes out of it.Fingers crossed.
In the meantime I have started researching ideas about the human world and the natural world which will help me make my drawings.
Watched a TD Talk is by nature nerd Janine Benyus .Her talk made me think about how we can emulate Nature and use Nature as a mentor to find solutions to our ailing world. BIOMIMICRY Though this talk was about design solutions I am considering solutions to emotional,psychological issues.....
http://www.ted.com/speakers/janine_benyus Talk
Also inspired by Rachel Goodyear's Nature Notes in which she has explored animal characteristics,animal relationships-relationships within Nature.The harmonious relationships and parasitic relationships,destructive as well.....I love Rachel Goodyear's work because they are simple,direct, thought provoking,hard hitting, beautiful,figurative, abstract.Rachel Goodyear says" My works contain a notion of tenderness and violence which is present in many of my drawings.The two go hand in hand within my work.I like to explore this precarious path,where it could tip either way....." I am interested in the same things.
"Finding New Ways to Torment Her" Rachel Goodyear
"Chin Strap"Rachel Goodyear
Sunday, 14th September 2014
The first project assigned to us in year 2 MA is Testing the Boundaries.As I understand it,this task is meant for making us, the student cohort move out of our comfort zones and create a piece /site specific installation in the public domain, outside of our studio or regular gallery spaces.
The objectives of this activity -:
1.to have a dialogue with a different set of audience who normally might be intimidated by a gallery and therefore might not have access to our work
2.To draw out, surprise and engage our new audience
3. to extend ourselves and attempt to do something we might not have tried before in terms of scale or medium or technique
4.documenting the process of making and installation and writing a report on our learnings, experiences and reflections
My initial ideas on this task -:
1. a metal wind spinner -:using the image of one of my papercuts to be hung from a tree in a park.I would need the help of metal workers for this one.I always wanted to make a large windspinner but have never attempted it.
2. story boxes-:using many small cardboard boxes to make 3D papercuts with some text and placing these in a library space.This seems to be a playful project which I will enjoy making.
3. drawing on ceramic plates-: using underglaze pencils and installing these in a cafe/restaurant perhaps on the wall.I could use the concept of biomimicry for these drawings.I am researching biomimicry as a concept to draw a parallel between human beings and the natural world and deals with the exploration of the human psychology.This will entail trips to Cafe Ceramique where earthenware plates and colours are provided.I have to go there regularly and draw on 15-20 plates at least to make an impact.
Ceramic plate by Tuesday Bassen
4. making a hanging paper installation using the concept "My Home" and placing this in an Embassy foyer.I have an idea of cutting out 50-100 sycamore seeds and suspending them from the ceiling using fishnet wires.
This piece will be in line with my Perfume Cloud installation in which I used 500 slip cast attar perfume bottles from the Middle East ...only this is a paper not a ceramic installation.I can use a light acrylic medium instead of paper for greater durability.The idea is to show the ephemeral nature of an immigrant's life who is always relocating at regular intervals and therefore "floating" in a sense.
Exhibition "Infusion of Impossible Things"
Perfume Cloud-:2013 XVA Gallery,Dubai
5. Alexander Calder style mobile-:American sculptor Alexander Calder invented kinetic mobiles and I want to create a large scale one using metal and paper which would be very challenging. It involves delicately balancing suspended components which move in response to motor power or air currents .This could be installed in a foyer of a public building and test my engineering capabilities .....if at all I possess any I do not know.
Alexander Calder kinetic mobile
6.Painting on a large kite and flying it in the sky
7.Attaching my artwork to the side of a bus or a delivery van
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I have attempted something of this nature before and am excited by the numerous possibilities this project has to offer.
I had written a site specific children's story at a design workshop in Boisbuchet,France in 2012.This story was staged on the windows of a tent using the concept of a shadow puppet theatre.I created several panels using natural material from the area(tree bark,acorn,grass,seeds,leaves ) and the character moved from panel to panel .The story was read out and performed to a live audience sitting inside the tent at dusk.A spotlight was used to create shadows.
The tent exterior with the panels
Casting shadows, moving puppet character from scene to scene
A shadow visible inside the tent
The tent from the inside
The panel shows snowflakes screen made using leaves
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What is the common in all these ideas-:All of my ideas involve drawing ,cutting , aerial suspension and also kinetic movement in a few of them.I love the play of light and shadows as well as movement.
