Within a lot of our work, the end product or result sometimes doesn't reflect what we believe it to be. For example, our Just the Two of Us (couples photographs) became more about the performative aspect of dressing up and embodying the artists/iconic photographs whereas I'm not sure the completed work reflected that.
Artist Heather Phillipson gave an artists talk on Wednesday and as some of her has a duality to it (her work Taps, for example – is the work the sound made by the taps, could it become a piece of music in it's own right, or is the work the performance of her doing it, in the British Library Toilets)
One of our new video works has brought about this problem for us. In the video we both attempt to make an Origami Crane to fast, youtubed instructions. The video is a piece but so are the end results-as sculptural forms. Are they both integral to the work or must we decide what reveals what we were doing most successfully.
Documentation of an work and of events/happenings has traditonally been an issue for performative artists and is continuing to be so. In a recent inteview with Francis Alys in Art Revie, this was the only issue cited in a very complimentary review.
New video from TurnHurst. Exploring some new ideas and new elements to our collaboration. Will endevour to explain them soon but for the moment, we are really enjoying ourselves…
Please go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsbvxjK3yec
Statement from the show:
TurnHurst began in 2006 at Kingston University with the opening of The Shit Gallery, a receptacle for our fellow students' most embarrassing and clichéd works of art. Since then, we have continued to question the art establishment through video, performance and sculpture. Traditionally creativity has been described as an extraordinary (usually male) individual's solitary struggle for artistic self-expression. We have decided to work collaboratively to explore the complexities of partnerships, and of collaborations.
Just the Two of Us (ongoing)
By re enacting and re staging iconic images from popular culture and those that hold personal chemistry or energy for us, such as the work of Warhol and Basquiat, Just the Two of Us questions the nature of our collaboration. Is TurnHurst destined to be as successful as Gilbert and George or are two young female artists always destined to professionally crash and burn like the tragic ending in the film Thelma and Louise?
Just the Two of Us allows us to see how we fit in the art scene, and what we bring to it. We are able to get an insight into what the artists felt like when the picture was taken, and what the process was for them. The images become a record of a performance, and the chemistry that exists between us. By displaying them in a group it helps to realise the absurd, and the frivolous, we are not all those people.
Gam (2008-2009)
70 white porcelain whales guard the gallery floor, lined in pairs, confronting the viewer. Addressing the notion of learning, and of teaching, Gam celebrates the individual within a collaboration, we cannot do everything that the other can. By exploring the skills each of us have, and don't have, we learn more about each other. Despite all coming from the same mould each whale is hand-crafted and is unique. They represent the differences between collaborators, and how their collaborations are always more than a sum of all the parts.
Some images from the exhibition. It went really well, over 60 people came, the performances by Steve Nice and Hannah Matthews were superb!!
Just found out that we had comments on our blog – thankyou if you have left them, and sorry if we've ignored you. It is a really good way for us to contextualise much of our work, and to create some interesting debate.
Christine Gray brought up an interesting point;
How is exploring your welshness coming along now that you are in England and how it is received by the London art world?
We have been considering this a while, as being Welsh is something that initially brought us together as collaborators. Our "Welshness" seems to be stronger than ever being away from England – but we are wary of by including it in our work – it becoming trite and gimmicky.
Fellow welsh artists Bedwyr Williams, Heikie Roms and Bethan Huws manage to avoid this. Their allegiance to Wales runs throughout their work but doesn't dominate it.
A piece for our exhibition Gam is of 80 porcelain whales. What started as an initial pun on the word Whales/Wales has become so much more. As one of us could make multiples of whales moulds, and the other one couldn't – it became a learning experience for the both of us. Working collaboratively isn't just about working together, it's about working apart and learning what each of us can and can't do. I'm not sure whether the initial pun may put viewers off – it may be hard for them to see past it and to the real intention for the work. Maybe it would've worked better with elephants?!
As relatively new collaborators, there are lots of questions we are still asking ourselves. As for how the London art world is taking it, we're not entirely sure…it is definately a talking point at University!
Watch this space!
