This weekend I went back home to Nottingham and while I was in town after getting in at the station I went over to the Nottingham Contemporary to see what was on at the moment. Although my decision to go to the gallery was random and I had no idea what to expect however there were a few pieces that were rather poignant in relation to my current work, in particular to material and space. The exhibit is entitled ‘Somewhat Abstract’ [1]and is on from the 12th of April to the 29th of June showing the work of 70 artists.
The first artist whose work caught my attention is that of Barry Flanagan[2]. Entitled ‘Sand/Muslin 1’ (1966) this piece is visible from the long window as you walk past the outside of the building, situated in the corner of a long room the piece is displayed alongside two other pieces but is not crowded. Consisting of two simple materials, sand and muslin, the piece has a great simplicity to it. The natural sag and weight of the sand creates great form within its materiality, and the bulge of the muslin under the weight of the sand gives focus to the two materials used is such a simple way. Also as the muslin is white and the work is sat in a white room, the piece is derived of any colour and intensifies the objects within the space.
Flanagan has a second piece on display in one of the main rooms, again situated in one of the corners the piece is entitled ‘Heap 4’ (1967) that consist of similar materials, sand and muslin, and a similar compositional style. The long tubular sacks ley ‘heaped’ on top of each other, sagging and sprawling against the other sacks. This piece the attraction me because of the way that the materials used worked so well together. The weight of the bags forced the objects to interact with the space it was in, with the weight of the sand forcing the muslin to push outwards and bulge, engaging and reacting against the floor. The friction and the weighted pressure between the materials and surfaces engaged me with interest.
Although the use of weight and pressure do not appear in my material use, it is always good to see a piece of work that explores materials in such a way. Before I actually began making work this year I did consider using soil, and I do have a large bag of compost soil in my studio space at the moment. Like the rope I would have explored its physical properties, predominantly weight and texture, so in seeing Flanagan’s work it has reminded me of a material I had forgotten. I believe that any two of the three materials (wood, rope and soil) would work well together in combination, as the wood and the rope do, but using all three in one piece might well be a problem for me personally. Over complication the amount of parts in a piece, or diluting the focus is something I want to avoid.
However, I am beginning to see that the wooden aspect of my work at the moment is merely a platform or a stage in which to engage the rope, focusing more on the rope aspect of the work rather than the wooden objects. So using compost soil or a substance that has bulk like the sand and muslin would inevitably be more than just a platform as simply using the substance would require physical interaction. Unlike wood the soil couldn’t simple be ‘placed’ or ‘propped up’ and would need to be ‘piled’, ‘spread’ or ‘shovelled’.
[1] Nottingham Contemporary: Somewhat Abstract
http://www.nottinghamcontemporary.org/art/somewhat…
[2] Barry Flanagan: http://barryflanagan.com/artworks/browse/type/scul…
