Illuminating the Self - Andrew Carnie

Andrew Carnie’s work for Illuminating the Self "reflects on the CANDO project’s scientific and engineering aspects whilst also considering some of the ethical and moral questions surrounding it. 

At Vane, Carnie is showing the video work, A Tale of Two (2019), which consists of a series of ‘bouquets’ of USB programmable word fans, each with texts in blue and red that reflect different aspects of implants and implantation. The texts are in part taken from documents on the legal, ethical, and emotional aspects of implantation: they are in part derived from texts on ‘Everyday Cyborgs’ – people with attached and implanted medical devices such as artificial joint replacements, pacemakers, total artificial hearts, and limb prostheses – as well as Carnie’s own writing."


It is this work that I am particularly interested in, probably because of the potential for me to use this kind of technology for text work. I'm thinking of the possibility of being able to create word clusters that resemble mind maps that would grow and trigger further word clusters.

https://www.andrewcarnie.uk/

http://vane.org.uk/

https://hattongallery.org.uk/whats-on/illuminating-the-self

Out of The Blue - Susan Aldworth as part of Illuminating the Self

"On display at Newcastle University’s Hatton Gallery (18 January – 9 May 2020) Aldworth’s principal work, Out of the Blue, represents the experiences of people living with epilepsy through art and the cutting-edge brain implants being developed by the CANDO project to try and control focal epilepsy."

Over fifty people living with epilepsy contributed their highly personal experiences to Out of the Blue. They came from all ages, diverse backgrounds, and from as far afield as Kenya, the USA and, of course, the UK. For many, it is the first time they have publicly shared their feelings, either as a sufferer, or carer of someone living with epilepsy.

This was followed by a successful national appeal, which found 100 experienced embroiderers and needlework specialists who volunteered to assist Aldworth sewing the testimonies of people living with epilepsy onto 100 items of Victorian underwear using UV threads; to represent the hidden nature of epilepsy, now made public through the embroidered words.

Inside the space, the garments have been attached to pulleys and motors, which shake in the manner of an epileptic seizure, while UV and blue lights shine onto the work to illuminate the wording.

“The idea is to present the hidden experience of epilepsy on garments usually obscured beneath our clothes,” explains Susan. “The installation brings the experience into the public domain. The threads fluoresce under UV light, effectively mirroring and representing the optogenetics employed in CANDO’s remarkable work.”

“The entire piece is programmed to move in the neural patterns and pathways associated with epilepsy. The movement will become increasingly synchronised and, once fully aligned, they will collapse onto the floor. Slowly, the clothes will start to move again, and restore themselves into their original configuration,” Aldworth adds.

The significance of the 100 embroiderers and 100 items of clothing is also poignant, as epilepsy affects 1 in 100 people and uncontrolled seizures can have devastating effects on people’s lives. Out of the Blue seeks to highlight the experience of living with epilepsy and create a discourse about the ethical and personal implications of the CANDO implants."

Despite there being a slight technical problem with the mechanics of the pulleys, meaning that they were not moving at the time I saw the exhibition, I found this installation visually stimulating and thought provoking.

The garments had a ghostly presence in the space, unified by their lack of pattern or colour. This placed emphasis on the words. The careful and intricate labour that went into producing the work is suggestive of an onerous time-consuming task, one that is challenging and overwhelming in itself, rather like how I imagine the experience of living with epilepsy is. Each embroiderer interpreted the words (written by someone living with epilepsy) in their own way and created unique designs for each and every garment. The UV light literally illuminates our awareness of the condition and references the CANDO research in a non-overly scientific manner. I really respect the way that Aldworth has respectfully used the experiences and personal responses of others to form a very powerful installation.

The limited edition Artist’s book containing the full text of the testimonies alongside 64 photographs by Peter Abrahams of the embroidered garments, is a beautiful document providing a deeper level of understanding about the experience of epilepsy. Similarly, the embroiderers' notes that can be read in the gallery also offers us an insight into the experience of another group of individuals who are fundamental to the project. It is clear from these accounts that being involved in this artwork has had a profound effect on them.

Illuminating the Self - Susan Aldworth and Andrew Carnie - Hatton Gallery and Vane Gallery

Illuminating The Self began in 2017 when artists Susan Aldworth and Andrew Carnie were invited to make an artistic response to the research being conducted at Newcastle University, namely the CANDO (Controlling Abnormal Network Dynamics using Optogenetics) Project. 

In the brain, nerve cells generate rhythmic activity or ‘brain waves’. In many neurological diseases these rhythms are disrupted, producing abnormal patterns of activity. In epilepsy, abnormal activity can often be localised to a small ‘focus’, which then spreads causing a seizure. Epilepsy affects 600,000 people in the UK and uncontrolled seizures have devastating effects on patients’ lives. Nearly a third of cases fail to respond to conventional drug treatments and may require surgical removal of the focus. However, surgery may not be suitable for all patients due to irreversible damage to necessary brain functions.

This CANDO project proposes an alternative treatment using a small implant to modulate abnormal activity and so prevent seizure development. The implant provides precisely timed stimulation by continuously monitoring brain waves via implanted electrodes and modifying them via implanted light sources. This requires that some cells within the focus are genetically altered using a safe virus to make them sensitive to light. The goal of this project is to create a successful first-in-human trial in epilepsy patients.

http://www.cando.ac.uk/aboutcando/

The exhibition is the artists' response to spending time studying the complex computer modelling that tests thousands of different scenarios, observing the animal experiments that are essential ahead of any human trials, and lengthy discussions with legal experts about the ethical implications of this kind of technology and what it might mean for all of us.

"The question of how we construct our sense of self and how it might be changed by the integration of biotechnology within the body has been central to discussions for Illuminating the Self. The artworks in the exhibition navigate the scientific and technological aspects of the project alongside the intensely human experience of epilepsy."

"For Andrew carnie this has meant focussing on the inner workings of the brain, how they are disrupted during a seizure and how gene therapy and the CANDO implant might modulate this disruption. Susan Aldworth has responded to the inner feelings and experiences of those living with epilepsy."

"The exhibitions of Illuminating the Self attempt to give us insight into cutting edge and complex neuroscience, and convey a sense of pioneering research on the brink of breakthrough. They also aim to increase our understanding of what epilepsy is and what it means to live with the condition. Their main concern however remains to encourage visitors to ask their own questions - about the science, the technology, the art and about themselves."

Lucy Jenkins, Curator of Illuminating the Self


Hatton Gallery
18th January - 9th May

Vane Gallery
16th January - 29th February

Conference for the Birds by Marcus Coates at Out of place at the Hatton Gallery

'In the summer of 2018 the research project Mapping Contemporary Art in the Heritage Experience commissioned five new contemporary artworks for heritage sites in North East England. Out of Place re-presents these artworks within the context of the Hatton Gallery, prompting a questioning of how art changes when it is relocated from its original site. Out of Place features commissioned sound-works, installation, painting and sculpture by Susan Philipsz, Matt Stokes, Fiona Curran, Andrew Burton, Marcus Coates and Mark Fairnington.'

I was enthralled by Conference for the Birds by Marcus Coates. 




The main installation takes place at Cherryburn, the birthplace of Thomas Bewick. It responds specifically to Thomas Bewick’s publication the History of British Birds (1797) which bought his detailed wood engravings and information about the bird’s lives to a mass audience for the first time. Visitors to Cherryburn can experience seven of Bewick’s engravings depicted as life-size birds gathered round the fireplace discussing their lives, knowledge and culture.

Taking inspiration from the birds Bewick immortalised in his engravings and recorded in his ground breaking book 'A History of British Birds', Conference for the Birds brings to life Bewick’s work for visitors in a new and contemporary way; shining a spotlight on the historical significance of Cherryburn and challenges facing wildlife and nature today.


The work is presented in a slightly different fashion in the Hatton Gallery. Several seats are positioned around a large table, on which are placards with the names of a number of bird species. Visitors are invited to take a seat among the birds for a unique insight into a bird’s perspective of the world. The birds, each researched and played by wildlife experts, discuss topics from migration to predation, with each species recounting their day to day experiences.

By exploring the lives of the birds that Bewick studied and recorded, Conference of the Birds reveals how many of the experiences and challenges faced by wildlife relate to our own, and how relevant they are today as when the Bewick’s book was first published over 200 years ago.

Marcus comments “I think there is value in this attempted shift in outlook as it creates unexpected lines of questioning and enquiry. This 'play' can also reveal just as much about us to ourselves than it does about the birds.”

Newcastle University Undergraduate Degree Show - part 2

The last time I went to look round the Newcastle University Undergraduate Degree Show I was unable to see it all, and so on Saturday I went to view the rest of the works prior to the exhibition closing and being exhibited in London.

It just so happened that on this viewing of the exhibition I saw most of the video work. I was impressed by the confidence of the students whose work involves them performing to camera. I was disappointed to have missed the live performances that happened on the preview night, but was pleased that the work presented in the gallery held it's own even without the performance. 

Katy Bentham's installation in the Hatton Gallery appealed to my aesthetic sensibilities. Her articulate voice accompanied the actions in the film; polishing shoes; folding a shirt. The precise layout of the components of the installation echoed the content of the film and made for a cohesive work, even without seeing the performance.

Fergus Carmichael's two-screen projection was filmed in Greece during a trip funded by the Bartlett Travel Award. The sound alone was outstanding.

There are certainly some artists that will go far if they continue to make work of this standard, and I look forward to following their progression. I wish them the best of luck for life beyond the University.

http://newcastledegreeshow.com/

Sean Scully: 1970 - Artist Talk at Newcastle University

To mark the opening of the exhibition, Sean Scully: 1970, Newcastle University and Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums hosted an artist talk with Sean Scully.

As ever, Professor Chris Jones offered his considered thoughts, on, in this instance, the work of Sean Scully. He spoke about how Scully was able to evidence the humanising potential of painting. He also mentioned a couple of anecdotes that explained Scully's significance to Newcastle, in particular to the fight to keep the Hatton Gallery at Newcastle University. It therefore seems fitting that Scully's exhibition is one of the first after the major renovation.

Scully spoke simply, honestly, with humour and in a way that allowed his strong character to shine through. "Born in Dublin, Ireland in 1945, Scully moved to Newcastle in 1968 to study Fine Art at Newcastle University. During this time, he began to develop his iconic style of technically flawless paintings, consisting of a complicated grid system of intersecting bands and lines." He was keen to refer back to times as a child and memories of activities that had an impact on his future artwork. For instance, when he was a youngster, he used to darn socks and engaged in more feminine activities such as sewing and weaving. This influence is evidenced in his weaving sculptures and grid patterns.

Scully spent time in Morocco where he was inspired by the visuals of Islam. "The world of Islam is a world of rhythm as opposed to image". It was after his trip to Morocco that he began painting in lines. He created grid paintings that acted as portraits of bridges in Newcastle showing layers of simultaneous activity, layers of order. He liked to fight between formalism and informalism, and was attempting to break order with order.

Scully believes that there is nothing pure about his art, and embraces impurity. He regards himself as a fusionist; an integrationist.

Later, when he moved to America, his paintings became stripped down to the essentials - lines and stripes. Working on aluminium sheets, he slices paintings, making them seem unstable.

Scully also spoke about his sculptures, but I don't think that these are as powerful as his paintings. Perhaps that is because he does not make them, but has a team of people who make them for him. I was surprised to hear that they even go against his colour choices, and this makes me question is role as an artist.



It was a fascinating insight into the development of a significant body of work over a substantial period of time, and his entertaining delivery of the talk made it all the more enjoyable.

Hatton gallery to reopen after £3.8m refurbishment

This article in the Guardian outlines the importance of the Hatton Gallery and reveals some of what we have to look forward to when the gallery reopens on Friday.

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/sep/28/newcastle-hatton-gallery-reopen-pioneers-of-pop-art

A gallery that contains what for some is the most thrilling, important and influential piece of postwar modernist art ever made in Britain is about to reopen after nearly two years of closure.

The Hatton gallery, founded in 1925 and part of Newcastle University, has undergone a £3.8m refurbishment ushering in what should be a new era. While the gallery is internationally important, it has for decades been hard to love and difficult to find.

It will finally reopen to the public on Friday next week with an exhibition exploring the role Newcastle played in the rise of pop art. But for many art lovers, the chief draw will be the chance to see Kurt Schwitters’s restored Merz Barn wall, a modernist masterpiece that was rescued and installed at the Hatton in 1965.

The 20-month redevelopment, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, has created bigger spaces that are airy, bright and pleasant – a far cry from the old Hatton. “There were no environmental controls; the lighting was terrible,” said Richard Talbot, head of fine art at the university. “The fittings were such you couldn’t even get the bulbs for them.”

Julie Milne, chief curator of the city’s art galleries, recalled the complaints from visitors. She said: “Most of the feedback we got was about the gallery’s gloominess. There were wires all over the place and lumpy walls, which were difficult to hang on. Intrinsically, the building is beautiful – it was just very shabby and run down.”

In the days before instant access to maps, the gallery was also difficult to find, something that has also been addressed by better signage. “It has been a real problem,” said Talbot. “We’ve had meetings for years talking about it, but it is a lot more visible now.”

The lack of proper environmental controls often meant borrowing works for exhibitions was tricky. It also posed huge problems for Hatton’s star work, the Merz Barn wall.

The wall was created by Schwitters, an artist who is today considered a giant of modern art. It is based on the idea of collage, with found objects incorporated with paint and plaster swirled in to the wall to create an artwork that the Observer’s Rachel Cooke described as “part cave painting, part modernist fantasia.”

The wall is from his dadaist Merzbau project, one that dominated Schwitters’s life. He created his first Merzbau between 1923-33 in his family home in Hanover, but it was destroyed by an RAF bomb in 1943.

Courtesy of Guardian News & Media Ltd

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Newcastle University MFA 2015 Summer Exhibition - Mirela Bistram

Mirela Bistran

is a Romanian artist living in the UK.

In her “

Unfolded Dowry

” she explores the cultural significance of objects

.

The imagined space of the installation is a layerin

g of references alluding to

Romanian cultural heritage and veiling Bistran’s ow

n memories.

In seeming together old and new fabrics - hand fini

shed and machine fabricated –

the past and the present, the real and the artifici

al combine.

The installation is a journey out of time, it is ab

out past traditions – though traditions

which have become increasingly alien – and it is th

rough memory: but it is a memory

re-imagined, remembered and manufactured.

Mirela Bistran is a Romanian artist living in the UK.

In her “Unfolded Dowry” she explores the cultural significance of objects.

The imagined space of the installation is a layering of references alluding to Romanian cultural heritage and veiling Bistran’s own memories.

In seeming together old and new fabrics - hand finished and machine fabricated – the past and the present, the real and the artificial combine.

Mirela Bistran

is a Romanian artist living in the UK.

In her “

Unfolded Dowry

” she explores the cultural significance of objects

.

The imagined space of the installation is a layerin

g of references alluding to

Romanian cultural heritage and veiling Bistran’s ow

n memories.

In seeming together old and new fabrics - hand fini

shed and machine fabricated –

the past and the present, the real and the artifici

al combine.

The installation is a journey out of time, it is ab

out past traditions – though traditions

which have become increasingly alien – and it is th

rough memory: but it is a memory

re-imagined, remembered and manufactured.

The installation is a journey out of time, it is about past traditions – though traditions which have become increasingly alien – and it is through memory: but it is a memory re-imagined, remembered and manufactured.

http://www.mirelabistran.blogspot.co.uk

Newcastle University MFA 2015 Summer Exhibition - Sofija Sutton

Sofija Sutton has created a large installation utilizing the room’s architecture to construct an oversized diagram linking multiple short stories. 

"Text, audio, space, and video unite through flash fiction to express various notions of ‘low mood’ and, in contrast, combatant methods. Ticks consuming bus passengers, dawn and dusk as lovers, a bear with a yellow tongue, a woman bleaching her hair, and other fantasies each use absurdities with the mundane as metaphors for mental health shortcomings. "

Sutton writes "I hope my work will compel the viewer to physically interact with the mind map, so that the story points may thread together a work that is both thought-provoking and entertaining."

http://www.srlsutton.com

Newcastle University MFA 2015 Summer Exhibition - Liying Zhao

Liying's exhibition features three projections that explore the notion of the in-between. She states, "I am interested in creating ambiguous visual effects with multi-media." 

"My current work tends to explore the grey space which is ‘there or not there’, ‘real or imagined’, ‘moving or still’, ‘visible or invisible’, ‘at the present or in the past/future’."

"In this overlap, a part is tangible and can be touched and the other part could only be imaged or felt. In other words, my work is questioning how to visualize the overlap which is ‘inhabiting’ or interacting in a paradox."

Newcastle University MFA 2015 Summer Exhibition - Ute Kirkwood

Ute works with a variety of media including drawing, painting, printmaking and video. Her work deals with issues of women and mental health. This year she became a mother for the first time, and her recent work tracks the journey through pregnancy to motherhood. 

abyss, cavity, chasm, emptiness, gap, gulf, hiatus, hole, hollow, hollowness, interstice, interval, lacuna, nihility, nothingness, nullity, omission , opening, preterition, pretermission, abyss, cavity, chasm, emptiness, gap, gulf, hiatus, hole, hollow, hollowness, interstice, interval, lacuna, nihility, nothingness, nullity, omission , opening, preterition, pretermission, skip, tabula rasa, vacancy, vacuity, vacuum, void, wombskip, tabula rasa, vacancy, vacuity, vacuum, void, wom

For more information please visit

http://www.utekirkwood.com