Between the eye and the object

Construction Project Day #3

Day 3 was short but fruitful.

A simple arrangement of stacked T9 circular florescent bulbs covered with coloured filter transparencies alluded to the colour theory that when all colours (in light terms – not pigment) are combined the collective radiance is white light.

Thinking about one of my critical feedback sessions (I hosted several in my studio last summer), I though about advice from independent curator Alex Hobdy. She suggested that if I look at any work in black and white and it works formally, conceptually and aesthetically, then it would work when in colour. With this advice in mind I documented all of day 3’s work in both colour and in black and white.

Construction Project Day #2

The second day of my self-initiated project took a totally different twist from my first. I decided to further develop the work ‘Vanishing Boundaries‘, combining elements of the work ‘Dispersion of White‘ made as part of my solo presentation ‘On Brown & Violet Grounds’ at Piccadilly Place last September/October.

I started becoming much more playful in my approach, compared to the first day. I have started becoming less frightened and concerned about trialing many different ideas. I have no idea why such a huge wall had built up in front of me and therefore stopping me having this freedom, but I seem to be breaking through.

A few fellow studio members popped their head through my curtain and had a chat about my new ideas, which I found really useful. Impromptu crits are sometimes the best as everyone is looking at the work in such a raw state.
In this arrangement I reference the painterly and Albers colour theory and difference between additive and subtractive mixtures.

“Additive color is color created by mixing light of two or more different colors. Red, green, and blue are the additive primary colors normally used in additive color system. Additive color is in contrast to subtractive color, in which colors are created by subtracting (absorbing) parts of the spectrum of light present in ordinary white light, by means of colored pigments or dyes, such as those in paints, inks, and the three dye layers in typical color photographs on film. ” – Wikipedia

The humble paint pots open up a dialogue between the work and the practice of painting. However I think that there is too much information present on the pots that become a distraction and would like to re-make the work with plain aluminium or white pots, depleted of labels, etc.

I have always been interested in how my work looks when viewed from multiple angles, this work being no exception. The mirrored discs reflect corners of the space that would ordinarily be dismissed.

The coloured reflections on nearby surfaces are an integral part of the work. The closeness of the discs allowed for a much more intense mixture to occur.

Construction Project: Day 1

I have set myself a two/three week project to make a construction of my pre-existing materials in my studio everyday in order to free up some ideas and possibilities for new works. I have set myself rules as usual. These are:

1. I must construct, document and de-construct in the day. Leaving my studio clean and fresh ready for the next day.

2. The photographic or video documentation acts as a drawing would for me: to spur new ideas for further sculptural or installation work.

3. The ‘constructions’ are not meant to be permanant, therefore the emphasis is not on craftsmanship, but instead ideas and playfulness.

4. I can use whatever I see fit to make the work, this includes quick and easy methods of attaching one material to another, e.g. using tape instead of glue.

5. I have to push each idea everyday until I can’t think of anymore.

On Monday this week (3rd Feb) I went into Rogue Artists Studios after what any artist would call a dry spell. For this first day I knew I wanted to use lighting and also wood to make my construction, so set about configuring a piece as soon as I got in. I chose a green bulb, but for arguments sake, it could have been any colour. Green was simply the first I out my hand on.

I then thought about the RBG colour model and added blue and red bulbs to the mix. This arrangement was particularly exciting in terms of how I often deal with colour theory in my work. The reflections on the back wall of my studio show a representation of additive color mixing. Projecting primary coloured lights on a the wall shows secondary colors where two overlap; the combination of all three of red, green, and blue in equal intensities makes white.

“The RGB color model is an additive color model in which red, green, and blue light are added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colors. The name of the model comes from the initials of the three additive primary colors, red, green, and blue.

The main purpose of the RGB color model is for the sensing, representation, and display of images in electronic systems, such as televisions and computers, though it has also been used in conventional photography. Before the electronic age, the RGB color model already had a solid theory behind it, based in human perception of colors.”

– Wikipedia

Pushing the work further I started thinking about reflective surfaces for the lights to reflect from. This prompted me to pour a bucket of water underneath the construction; a cheap and easy reflective surface was created! Then I tried glitter.

Last but not least, I tried wrapping the construction in bubble wrap then polythene.