Portfolio NW

Following the previous two blog posts, Islington Mill Art Academy members Jenny Walden and Rachel Newsome critically respond to Jared Szpakowski’s visual blog:

http://threeteabagsinanenvelope.tumblr.com

Jenny Walden, 23 August 2013 10:48 –

I know the works assembled on the blog are referencing questions of value, but I am also reminded of artists who collect things as part of what they do, such as Mark Dion, or who reflect upon their ‘stuff’ both in terms of their identity but also in terms of wider world questions about why we accumulate and why we identify with and why we value certain things/objects, like Michael Landy’s ‘destructive’ reflection.

Collecting and keeping, is a huge part of what we do as human beings. Much of this is indeed the crucial stuff informing our collective history, which then also might still form a huge part of what gets thrown away when we are no longer here. I randomly opened a book on contemporary art and memory and I found this quote which resonates somehow. Its from artist Rabih Mroue for a performance piece Make me Stop Smoking:

“I have been collecting worthless material for almost ten years now, taking good care arranging it, documenting it, indexing it, and preserving it from any possible damage…Today I possess what resembles an archive….that relates only to me; a kind of added memory that occupies different corners of my domestic space, despite the fact that I do not actually need it. It is an invented memory that is exhausting me, and which I cannot liberate myself from. For this reason I will uncover some parts of my archive, hoping that-by making it public-I can get rid of its weight. This will be my attempt to destroy a memory that doesn’t know how to erase itself.”

Rachel Newsome, 23 August 2013 12:14 –

What immediately struck me was the cleaness of the images, as if to suggest they had been removed not only from their context but from the dirt and mess of everyday life and placed in a controlled environment (the blog) in the way museum objects are placed in vitrines. And yet not. Museum objects are displayed according to (on the whole) objective classification systems. Yet the criteria for classification of these images is unclear.

The story of why these images are here in this order on these days is a hidden, inferred story, telling itself in the gaps and spaces. The second thing that struck me about the images was the way they are framed, often to present everyday objects as unusual, abstract and surreal, focussing on pattern, structure, colour and shape. Although the occasional text displays emotion, I feel the images as a whole don’t – they feel clinical to me. Or perhaps a better way of saying it is that they feel Zen – transcending emotion than perhaps evading it. Both the asethetic and the framing could be said to be autobiographical, in that they tell us something about Jared; it is not only what Jared sees but also how he sees, processes and presents his collection (as other comments have mentioned).

In response to Jenny’s comments on the collection and memory, it’s interesting to note that neurologists are beginning to claim that the more we store images online, the more our own capacity for memory is diminished. The blog, facebook page etc becomes an externalised memory bank in place of our own. We are controlling our memories and archiving them for both ourselves and others to see. This resonates with the suggestion that somehow in the process we become more godlike. It reminds me of a thought by Slavo Zizek who has suggested that the private has not so much become public, as it has hi-jacked the public for private use. The universe revolves around us and we are the masters of it.

The final post concluding the experimental text, including Jared’s response, will be posted tomorrow.

Following on from yesterday’s post, this entry continues the collaborative text by Islington Mill Art Academy members in which they critically respond to Jared Szpakowski’s visual blog:

Jackie Hayes, 21 August 2013 09.32 –

I headed straight for Google to translate the Polish words for city centre and communication system whilst considering the autobiographical relevance of these words and images to Jared, which he posted in response to the crit group discussion, as a blog entry.

http://threeteabagsinanenvelope.tumblr.com/post/58…

The speed of the flickering photographic book illustrations made viewing difficult. It had a similar effect to an uncomfortable strobe light or how rapid eye movement (REM) might be imagined before waking up or even semi-consciously trying to pin down an image whilst dreaming.

The threshold between sleeping and waking has parallels to Rachel Newsome’s current writing upon waking exercise and her reference to Jeanette Winterson’s metaphorical use of the household threshold. This sense of movement continues to Natalie’s remark about the backwards and forwards, non-linear progression of time. This could be envisaged as a cyclical sequence, reminiscent of the kind of internal circular discussions which hinder sleep, illustrated in a similar way by Beckett’s ‘Play.’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJSENSF_pes

Maurice Carlin, 21 August 2013 23:53 –

Jackie translates languages in the previous post, and this seems relevant when looking at Jared’s blog, which appears to stride at once the highly personal and completely casual, and so I find myself trying to decode what I see into something I can relate to between these distanced points.

I find myself repeatedly clicking the ‘random post’ link, bringing up various blog entries: the colour of driving licence forms, a rail bridge remembered from childhood, wasps outside the window and then, finally, a post about finding some old photographs, which turn out to be too personal for art appropriation, and this somehow seems to echo my experience of viewing the blog, a sense of looking where you’re not supposed to.

Each image has a ‘© IMAGE Jared Szpakowski 2013’ underpinning it, and perhaps this reinforces the sense of nosing into someone else’s private material. It brings up a question pertinent to the digital age, about how much of ourselves we ‘give away’ versus what we retain, and for whom?

Christa Harris, 22 August 2013, 12:17 –

To me, this conflict between the personal and impersonal is at the heart of the blog. Maybe it is the mundane made personal, an exploration of the moment. Ideas surrounding collecting and collections seem to be salient when viewing a blog, and maybe this one in particular. Collections of objects or experiences, moments pulled out of life and given significance by context. Collections can be seen as facets of the self, a public re-definition of who we are in the moment, at once highly personal and an outward statement. Collections can also betray a fear of letting things slip past; each photograph somehow seeming muted and melancholy, as if it already has the benefit of hindsight. IN this case it seems to be the care and attention to background and emphasis, the image becomes a sigh in the clutter if the internet. The idea of ‘giving away’ parts of ourselves, or retaining them seems interesting. One argument could be that by sharing, we are incorporating, making ourselves larger and more god-like.

The latest post in the Portfolio NW artists talking blog is a collaborative text written by members of Islington Mill Art Academy.

IMAA is a peer-led experiment into alternative modes of art education. Founded in 2007, it emphasises shared responsibility, and its nature changes with its membership. It is underpinned by sharing ideas and each members skills and knowledge.

The text is a response to IMAA’s recent open crit, themed around auto-biography. Held regularly, these crits act as platforms for critical discussion and debate.

The catalyst for the text is an artwork by Art Academy member Jared Szpakowski, a blog as a daily visual diary:

http://threeteabagsinanenvelope.tumblr.com/

Lauren Velvick, 16 August 2013 16:15 –

Browsing through Jared’s blog what strikes me initially, bearing in mind our previous discussion around autobiography, is a sense of long sentences. A long sentence can draw you in, and along with it, so that your understanding of the subject is richer. Although, it’s difficult to maintain focus and rolling understanding throughout the reading of a very long sentence, even if it’s gramatically correct, and you don’t lose you breath. I find the images – photographs, digital collages, gifs, and screengrabs – along with the snippets of text on threeteabagsinanenvelope to be immersive in this way. Knowing what I do of Jared’s practice from previous I.M.A.A discussions I noticed the recurrence of waiting room chairs, either in their natural environment or bundled up into weird pom poms, and wonder about their significance to him. The bits of text matched with images are descriptive and sensory, what makes those images in particular need or warrant text?

Natalie Bradbury, 19 August 2013 10:49

Further to what Lauren said about previous conversations on autobiography, Jared’s blog also made me think of a recent discussion we had about the conventions of art criticism and the tendency among critics to over-explain everything and set up their reviews and interviews with context about an artist’s previous work and biography. We questioned whether this is necessary in the age of the internet, where we can head to google with a mental list of things we’ve seen fleetingly referenced elsewhere. Web criticism enables the author to add hyperlinks to other sites and images, avoiding the need to explain everything in full. To bring this back to Jared’s blog, I found its self-referentiality interesting: it creates an online web of his practice through internal hyperlinks (for an example see http://threeteabagsinanenvelope.tumblr.com/post/56…), which take you backwards and forwards in time on a non-sequential journey rather than presenting a purely linear progression of thoughts and images.

Jackie Haynes, 21 August 2013, 09.32

I headed straight for Google to translate the Polish words for city centre and communication system whilst considering the autobiographical relevance of these words and images to Jared, which he posted in response to the crit group discussion, as a blog entry. http://threeteabagsinanenvelope.tumblr.com/post/58…
The speed of the flickering photographic book illustrations made viewing difficult. It had a similar effect to an uncomfortable strobe light or how rapid eye movement (REM) might be imagined before waking up or even semi-consciously trying to pin down an image whilst dreaming.
The threshold between sleeping and waking has parallels to Rachel Newsome’s current writing upon waking exercise and her reference to Jeanette Winterson’s metaphorical use of the household threshold. This sense of movement continues to Natalie’s remark about the backwards and forwards, non-linear progression of time. This could be envisaged as a cyclical sequence, reminiscent of the kind of internal circular discussions which hinder sleep, illustrated in a similar way by Beckett’s ‘Play.’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJSENSF_pes

Further extracts will be published throughout this week.

Linda Pittwood – The Importance of Doing Something and Discussing Everything: critical writing in Liverpool

Talking at Art Basel Hong Kong earlier this year, Jan Dalley, Arts Editor for the Financial Times, defined critical writing about art as being “aesthetic judgements that are not commercially motivated, and therefore are inherently separate to the art market.” The publishing platform for critical writing could be, she went on to say, “a critic writing in a broadsheet, a blogger, someone’s PhD – anywhere that is not part of the market.”

Although there are many definitions of critical writing, I have selected this one because of that separation of the critic from the commercial side of artistic production. This suggests two things: 1. Blogging, as it is democratic and largely undertaken by writers for no financial recompense, is the ideal platform for critical writing and 2. Artists (especially those at the early stages of their careers, who are unrepresented and less locked into ‘the market’) and critical writers have an important relationship.

In Liverpool, there are many artists living and working in the city despite the lack of galleries to represent them and the often media-reported ‘graduate brain drain.’ Their activities are documented and discussed through many good local blogs, both multi-voiced and produced by individuals, as well as through the websites of artist-led groups, via social media and national platforms such as Interface.

To look at the issue of snobbishness related to blogging, what better source to turn to than Oscar Wilde? Specifically his essay of 1891 ‘The Critic as Artist: Upon the Importance of Doing Nothing and Discussing Everything’. The essay takes the form of an intense conversation between two fictitious characters as they discuss the nature and motivation of the critic and criticism. Although written over 120 years ago, the issues Wilde raises and the arguments he makes are resonant in the context of the discourse about online art criticism.

Wilde makes a distinction between journalists and critics. Of the former he says, “Some limitation might well, and will soon, I hope, be placed upon some of our newspapers and newspaper writers. For they give us the bald, sordid, disgusting facts of life.” Whereas, of critics he remarks, “Temperament is the primary requisite for the critic–a temperament exquisitely susceptible to beauty, and to the various impressions that beauty gives us.”

Blog content varies wildly, which is part of its charm. The quality of blogs can fall (very broadly) into these two categories: those that ‘give us the bald, sordid facts of life’ and those that examine ‘the various impressions that beauty gives us.’ The ways in which we share and signpost content online helps to create a discussion that is far more ephemeral and complex than simply a string of comments under a provocative article. The conversations that start online will inevitably seep into and enhance our daily lives and artistic practices.

Recently I contributed to the exhibition ‘Processing’ at Cornerstone Gallery, Liverpool and to a workshop called ‘creative thinking’ which was part of the Love your Blog event series coordinated by The Double Negative. To the Love your Blog participants I reaffirmed that bloggers shouldn’t be frightened of publishing content that is of exceptional quality. Blogging can help a critical writer to develop, take ownership of and maintain their identity, which is more valuable in terms of developing a career and influence than any financial reward. In addition, blog posts are highly subjective, and even emotional, which far from being a bad thing, is also a requirement of good critique (as I discuss in my essay The potential of ergodic literature as a format for art criticism in the accompanying Processing publication.

Blogs are unique in their dual role of providing information and facilitating discussion. That is what makes them such a useful tool for the critical writer, and an important part of the support network for emerging artists. Liverpool isn’t alone in creating opportunities for writers and artists. However, the events I have mentioned, along with exhibitions such as Portfolio NW at one of the city’s key venues, demonstrate Liverpool understands that by doing something and discussing everything, there is the potential for very interesting things to occur.

lindapittwood.org

For the second contribution to the Portfolio NW Artists talking blog, writer and artist Darren Murphy considers the attempt to create a critical framework around the exhibition:

“An interest in dialogue is the main drive behind my work … the conversation [in all its forms] is the integral part of my work.” Darren Murphy (2013)

“A theorist is one who has been undone by theory.” – Irit Rogoff, What is a theorist? (2006)

Through Portfolio NW, the Bluecoat is constructing the framework around the exhibition for critical discussion to take place: Jack Welsh’s text, this blog and a critical writing event to be held by The Double Negative. How, though, can an institution be involved in the development and presentation of work, then expect to have a say in how it is spoken about?

An artist’s statement, such as the extract of my own at the head of this article, is intended for an audience to help them engage with the artist’s work. The artist’s statement is commonly believed to follow this definition, but I see it serving a greater purpose. Statements help the artist understand their own practice; they help the artist place their work within the extended ecosystem of the art world, and help the artist understand why they are doing what they are doing.

My statement explains that my practice is the pursuit of both creating and understanding dialogue. I recently completed a programme of discussion as my contribution to the Manchester School of Art Degree Show 2013; I saw it as the first opportunity to expose the mechanisms of my practice as well as to explore its potential. A question (which remains largely unanswered) was lying below the surface of the discussions: ‘What is the potential of the discursive framework?’ When this question came towards the surface, people opposed it, but rather than answer the question we explored it. We needed to mutually understand what each word meant in order to move forward, yet the experiences of each interlocutor affected their own understanding of the words, and the conversation would often wander. It seemed the potential of the discursive framework was unfathomable, endless. Could it not be a means to an end?

In her essay What is a theorist?, Irit Rogoff questions the theorist and reaches the conclusion that they have become undone by their own research. In a pursuit of understanding the role of theory, the theorist has fulfilled that phrase attributed to Socrates by Plato, “The more you learn, the more you realise how little you know” and placed themselves in disarray. The theorist is one who has become undone by theory. Rogoff’s text dismantles the theorist, and then encourages each of us to do the same with our own practices. She advocates a present where we dismantle the platforms we stand on, a world where we consider the current and the future more than the past, a criticality. Portfolio NW is creating an opportunity to do what Rogoff asks of us.

Through Portfolio NW, the Bluecoat is becoming the framework for discussion; it is providing not only the content for a discussion but the people to have it with and also the venue for it to happen. It is encouraging an exploration of the present and encouraging a critical analysis of itself.

Darren Murphy, recent graduate of Manchester School of Art, has written for and exhibited at a number of the North West’s cultural institutions. His work, regardless of how it manifests, explores the interplay of art and how we regard it.

www.about.me/murphydarren

@bonesmurphy