Slipstream

Documentation of Slipstream, my performance for Drafting, the exploratory performance event at Baltic 39 in which a range of artists investigated drawing through performance, and drawing as a performative process.

 

Tess Williams talks about her process

I came across a blog post in which London based artist Tess Williams discusses her working process. Williams is currently at Central Saint Martins where she will complete her MA Fine Art in June 2015. She specialises in painting and painting installation. 

I can relate to the way that she talks about:

exploring where one discipline ends and the next begins

the materiality of the work as a whole as being important 

engaging with how folds, creases and movement within the materials can act as a form of mark making, creating shadows, lines and shapes, whilst adding new tones to the colours of the paint

exploring the way folds introduce both inside and outside, in front and behind, what this evokes, compared with the emphasis on surface alone of traditional painting

preferring to be surrounded by rich and absorbent visual stimuli in order to add depth and balance to a world saturated with screen-based imagery

the physical link between artist and viewer 

creating work that engages with the space it is placed in

creating a dialogue between the install space and the work; the wall and the materiality of the painting

total immersion in a space/artwork as being enveloping and grounding

To read the blog post, visit

http://thisiscentralstation.com/my-process/my-process-tess-williams/

For more about Tess Williams visit her website

http://www.tessrachelwilliams.com

Off The Hook

It's that time of year; as undergraduate degree shows loom, hundreds of Art students wait anxiously to find out which space they will be exhibiting in. The workshops are a hive of activity with students working hard to bring their 3 or 4 year Fine Art degree to a close with an exhibition that they can be proud of and that will hopefully launch their careers as professional artists.

There is a surge in the number of exhibitions of work by final year students as they test out installation ideas, both on their own and in the context of a group exhibition.

'Off The Hook' is one such exhibition. It features sculpture, print and drawing by Rene McBrearty, Jess Thorsby and Alex Searle, whom are all final year students at Newcastle University. 

The three artists have filled both spaces of the System Gallery, Newcastle. I sense an eagerness to exhibit as much as possible. This results in the works feeling rather cramped which is a shame as the work is strong and many of the works could occupy the gallery on their own. It's a common belief, that the space needs to be filled with stuff, but this has the effect of undermining the power of the work individually. Perhaps this is particularly important in the case of sculptures which require the viewer to move around them, and this can become problematic when such movement causes the viewer to bump into other sculptures. The desire to put lots in is a tendency that I am wary of in my own practice, and when I reflect on some of my previous exhibitions, I immediately recognise that by including lots in a space, the space became cluttered and the works were compromised by having little room to breathe . A possible explanation for this cramming habit is a lack of confidence or an anxiety about needing to show the amount of work that has been produced.

I hope that each artist gets a real boost from the exhibition and takes this experience on board when installing their degree shows. I look forward to seeing what they produce. If 'Off The Hook' is anything to go by, we are in for a treat!

System Gallery, 22 Leazes Park Road, Newcastle

Going against my instinct with colours

I've been thinking about my use of colour and recognise that I usually choose colours that I think complement each other and work well together. Recently Ive been thinking about how to make my work more edgy, and one way I have thought of is to be less tasteful with colour. I am pushing this by  going against my natural colour palette, choosing colours that I wouldn't ordinarily choose, and also combining colours and materials that shouldn't (and don't) work together. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Watching silicone move

Over the past couple of days I have been filming the pouring of silicone over different surfaces.

I'm interested in the contrast of materials, the glossy surface of silicone against matt cardboard, soft foam, delicate tissue paper or shiny metal.

I have been filming the blurring of colours as the silicone forms paths down a surface, and then the dripping of silicone as it reaches the edge. These change as the silicone becomes more viscose with the passing of time.

Wire drawings

Drafting day 2

Once again the day began with a group breakfast, but today this was followed by a workshop lead by Denys Blacker. In the workshop we explored notions of personal space, interactions between individuals, eye contact, movement and sound.

Meal time

We then worked through the schedule for the performances in the evening. The event today featured the durational works, and the performances which were to be seen at the same time as other performances.

I had some really memorable conversations with different artists, and we helped each other work through ideas. It really seemed like an alternative educational model.

Props for Lee 

Dionne Mombeyarara practises

Joana Cifre-Cerda 

Michelle Follett 

Props in place for performances

Again, the evening was a big success, with a really great turnout and great performances. It was such an incredible event to be part of, with such an inspirational group of people involved. 

We all mucked in with the cleaning up, and then went down to the kitchen to celebrate with curry!

Cleaning up is a big team effort

Drafting - Day 1

What an amazing day.

This weekend I am participating in Drafting, a 2-day drawing and performance event. There are a range of artists and curators involved, coming from all over the UK and at different stages of their artistic career. Over the past couple of weeks I have been helping with the organisation of the event, and have been in email contact with all the artists involved in Drafting. This morning was the first time that I had met many of the group, and having breakfast together was an ideal way to introduce ourselves.

Discussions about the schedule

Alastair MacLennan sets up his space

We were fortunate to be able to use the project space at BALTIC 39, and close attention was paid to how we could best utilise the space given what we each wanted to do. Much effort was taken to ensure that there was movement of the audience over the evening. For instance, we programmed the evening so that after one performance, the audience had to move to a different part of the gallery.

Gillian Dyson prepares the gallery for her performance

Porcelain props in place for Denys Blacker's performance

We were also very mindful of the duration and nature of each performance, and tried to vary the pace. 

Elements of green and orange in place for Debbie Guinnane's performance

Over the course of the weekend, Sally Madge is collecting dust from people, objects and spaces, and displaying these in vitrines in the gallery. Sally notes where the sample has come from and numbers each one before placing it in a grid along with the others.

Sally gathers traces from artist Rene Mcbrearty

Samples of dust collected by Sally Madge and her lint roller

The atmosphere throughout the day has been one of encouragement, respect and support, and this continued in the evening. The audience were fantastic; attentive, quiet and engaged. Many stayed for the full 3 hours.

Debbie Guinnane and Alastair MacLennan in action

I'll be uploading photos of the performances soon.