University Campus Suffolk

This month I have my second exhibition at The Freudian Sheep gallery[1] in Ipswich. I have two pieces in the show again made from the combination of wood and rope. They are visually similar to a lot of my pieces that make use of the same bits of wood, but this is because the long planks of wood are in my opinion very visually pleasing and I seem to use them over and over again. Using the wood as a base to involve the rope around I have continually been using the same wood but trying to find new and interesting ways to interact with the rope.

Curling the rope around itself into a spiral was my very first and initial process so in this piece I have tried to find alternative methods of using the rope, piling it up against the wall, knotting the rope into a messy pile and curling it around the wood in a different shape or pattern. I may consider platting the rope and weaving it into something like the rope ladder I made last year.

So far in this project I have restricted myself to just the two materials to focus the attention of a really specific element, and to focus the attention on simplicity, but I have recently bought two large bags of soil. I have been looking at materials that I could add to the composition and I have decided that soil would be a perfect material and substance to use with wood and rope.
The composition between the rope and the wood is well balanced and if I am to find a third compositional element it has to complement the wood and rope. My initial thoughts were soil/dirt or stone. Stone is a material often used by Minimalists but I felt that it was too ridged and would simple carry the same role as the wood (to be a structural element in which to build the rope around), so I felt that soil would me a more flexible material, that can be moulded and ‘placed’ into different compositions.

An Artist that uses materials like soil, dirt and other materials found on the land is Robert Smithson. I remembered seeing his work last year at the Tate Modern, a piece entitled ‘, Rocks and mirror square II’ ( 1971) and his uses the compositing between mirrors and earth materials.
So far I have simply been creating mounds of dirt around the wooden planks and a few other bits of wood to see how his effect looks and how it interacts with other materials, and Smithson has a few pieces that carry the same visual effect such as ‘Gravel Mirrors with Cracks and Dust’ ( 1968) and ‘Leaning Mirror’ (1969). Firstly his 1968 piece is a wonderful composition that interacts with the edge of the gallery wall, and for me the main interest is the situation the gravel close to, but not touching the wall, and the preciseness of the placing of the two elements I find visually satisfying. The second piece is perhaps more interesting in relation to my intentions for my own work, the mirror propped up and balanced by a small mound of sand. One rectangular and ridged material supported by another, structurally unstable material. This is exactly the compositional effect I had in mind when considering soil as a usable material. The soil supporting the wood and in turn the wood supporting the rope, providing a continuity and flow between all three materials.

[1] The Freudian Sheep Gallery http://freudiansheep.co.uk/

My initial intention is to create a piece of work that is visually and perhaps physically sufficient enough in its wholeness to sustain an interest from a viewer. Through the materials of wood and rope I have begun to explore this idea, creating something that can hold itself as an art object with the use of pattern and identifiable shapes. Giving focus to the simplicity of the work and its constructed materials, I am trying to create a visual depth to the raw materials through process and reduction.

Behind the finished object and its intent to be sufficient in itself, I have also developed an interest in the process of making that object. Because of the minimalistic and reductive approach that I have given to the work, the use of material has been really reductive, meaning that a natural attention to process has developed. This is primarily due to the natural properties of rope. Rope is a very ‘usable’ material in that it can be used for many things, but these uses are often repetitive. To wrap, to knot or to pull the rope, these are all repetitive actions and through making work I have inevitably been performing these actions time and time again. These physical interactions bring me closer to the material, but they also focus my attention of performing these actions.

Richard Serra’s list of process words has highlighted the significance of my working process. In order for me to create work I become very involved in the material, and working with its physical properties I begin working in a very repetitive motion. This is a continuous use and is reflective of Richard Serra’s list of actions. ‘To twist, to curl, to bend’ are a few actions that I incessantly go through the motion of doing, and this physical handling of the material (in particular to the rope) brings me closer to fulfilling my intention to experience a material.

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 12^th of April to the 29^th 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…

At this point in time I believe that I know have a clear understanding of what my work is, and is going to be in the coming months. Through the process of making work and writing this blog I feel that I have come to understand and begin to define my work. My basic and initial intention is to create a piece of work that is visually and perhaps physically sufficient enough in its wholeness to sustain an interest from a viewer. Through the materials of wood and rope I have begun to explore this idea, creating something that can hold itself as an art object with the use of pattern and identifiable shapes. Giving focus to the simplicity of the work and its constructed materials, I am trying to create a visual depth the raw materials through process and reduction.

Behind the finished object and its intent to be sufficient in itself, I have also developed an interest in the process of making that object. Because of the minimalistic and reductive approach that I have given to the work, the use of material has been really reductive, meaning that a natural attention to process has developed. This is primarily due to the natural properties of rope. Rope is a very ‘usable’ material in that it can be used for many things, but these uses are often repetitive. To wrap, to knot or to pull the rope, these are all repetitive actions and through making work I have inevitably been performing these actions time and time again. These physical interactions bring me closer to the material, but they also focus my attention of performing these actions. Initially it had not occurred to me but over time I began to realise how repetitive my working process was.

The rope and its combination with the wooden objects are also important as the wooden object provides the space for the rope. The wooden shapes and their placing within a space give the rope an area to interact with. In conjunction with Judd’s opinion of the whole and construction of work, I like to use fewer parts and fewer aspects in my work. Keeping the number of parts reductive and again giving focus to the few parts that remain, the wood interacts well with the rope, showing little separation of parts. Having a solid object that flows and interacts well with a malleable material helps secure the piece within a space and also gives the work a unity and a sense of the whole and ‘wholeness’ reducing the temptation to examine the work in individual parts.

One aspect I am still considering is viewer interaction. I initially rejected the idea of making an interaction piece as I believed that making interactive work detracts from the primary concept of my work. I am worried that the viewer will see the work as an interactive piece and nothing else. However I am beginning to see the logic in an interactive piece, as my work is partly about experiencing the materials visual as well as physically. The extent of the interaction is now my main consideration. If I am to attempt collaboration between the work and the viewer it needs to be a subtle one. I need to avoid detracting from the physicality of the work but at the same time need people to physically experience the material. Because of my positioning of the rope at the moment is floor based I am inclined to simple give the viewer the opportunity to walk across the rope. This actively gets the viewer to feel the repetition of process of ‘To Curl’ the rope under their feet. I am still considering ideas at the moment.

I currently have my latest creation in The Freudian Sheep gallery in Ipswich that is owned and run by a fellow course member. [1] The gallery is a collection of work from an artist collective called ‘DIG’ that I am a member of, consisting of local and emerging artists in the Suffolk area.

The work that I have exhibiting in the gallery consists of two large planks of wood and a total of fifty meters of rope. This piece is slightly different from my last pieces as the wood used in it remains in its original form. Found and reused wood that I have left in its original condition. In my previous pieces I have always created the wooden objects, carving simplistic shapes out of pieces of wood and manipulating the wood as I manipulate the rope. The long wooden planks have a series of wholes down the centre and I have used them to thread the rope through, and I believed that the wood was interesting enough without me having to do anything to them.

Although leaving the wood as I found it removes any process of creating, and removes my ability to interact with the material I felt that in this case that if I had interacted with the material, and changed its appearance it would have detracted from the visual aesthetic of the object. Also because of their visual appeal to me I strongly believe that their visual appearance is sufficient enough in its visual interaction. After all, visual communication for me is equally as important as physical communication.

The balance between leaving the wood in its natural form, and repetitive and continues manipulation of the rope are equal, they balance each other out very well. It appears as if the wood had been stationary and motionless and the rope had formed around it. This equilibrium between material, visual and physical interaction create a visual depth to the work, giving much more of a link between the parts and attention to the joining of parts.

[1] The Freudian Sheep gallery: https://www.facebook.com/freudiansheep