Nathalie Djurberg 'THE EXPERIMENT'

WEEK 1- Nathalie Djurberg's 'Claymations'. 

Nathalie Djurberg's 'Claymations'.

Swedish artist Nathalie Djurberg's intricately constructed claymation films are both terrifyingly
disturbing and artlessly sweet.

The new works created for the Venice Biennale explore a surrealistic Garden of Eden in which all that is natural goes awry.

She exposes the innate fear of what is not understood and confronts viewers with the complexity of emotions.

Nathalie Djurberg was awarded the silver lion for a promising young artist at the Venice
Art Biennale 09.

(http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/10/view/6886/nathalie-djurberg)

Research Djurberg's work in order to answer the following questions;

1. What do you understand by the word 'claymation'?
Claymation is a form of stop motion animation. Its a number of still images of the characters and the background put together to create a moving picture. Each piece is made of a malleable substance such as plasticine clay and is moved bit by bit to capture the movement of the character or background. Nathalie Djurberg is famous for using claymation to create short films such as: Camels Drink Water, 2007, We are not two, we are one, 2008, Turn into me, 2008 and many more.

2. What is meant by the term 'surrealistic Garden of Eden'? and 'all that is natural goes awry'?
The Surrealistic Garden of Eden can be described as weird in the way that it looks and feels. It confronts the viewer with the 'complexity of emotions' in a terrifying and artistic way. (Towering Clay Flowers, n.d) 'Awry' means not functioning properly, turned or twisted to one side and can also be defined by the words wrong, haywire, malfunctioning, etc. In this case when they describe the garden 'all that is 'natural goes awry', it means that its gone wrong or not what it seems to be. So when 'surrealistic Garden of Eden' and 'all that is natural goes awry' is used to describe her work, it relates to the idea that she is trying to portray. The surrealism of her clay models of different flowers but also how she wanted them to seem dark and terrifying, where you experience the emotion behind her works.

3. What are the 'complexity of emotions' that Djurberg confronts us with?
It can be described as 'Great, gruesome and wonderful'. (Nisbet.N, 2009). She exposes the the innate fear of what is not understood by creating a Garden which portrays a sense of fear where the 'complexity of emotions' is created by the sub-conscience, so its what she feels without giving it any thought and expresses it through her creativity and imagination. The way that it is presented in the Venice Biennale Art Show also helps emphasize the idea of fear by dimly lighting the room with shadows being cast enhancing the whole perception of the artwork.

4. How does Djurberg play with the ideas of children's stories, and innocence in some of her work?
Djurberg's stories have a lot in common with traditional folktales. They deal with archetypical themes and involve traditional roles as the good, the bad and the kind helper. The films also have animals as characters e.g. the wolf, the bear and the tiger. As in tales strange and magical things happen in Djurberg's films; animals speak, trees walk and humans fly and talk with animals. Like in traditional tales the films have shocking and gruesome elements which occur after the narrative turning-point in the story. After this turn of events the films no longer look like children's TV ­ but rather as a scary x-rated fantasy without any moral. (Nathalie Djurbrg, n.d)

Djurber likes to focus on the contradicting side of things. She often takes things that are known as one thing and change it so that it contradicts what we know. For example, in the film Florentine (2004), it starts off with two young girls playing with an adult man. The scene then turns violent where the man starts to spank the girls. In the end they get back at him by molesting him and jumping on him laughing. This shows that the victims end up with the power over the man.

5. There is a current fascination by some designers with turning the innocent and sweet into something disturbing. Why do you think this has come about?
 Because of us, the idea of turning the innocent and sweet into something disturbing is fascinating because we, as humans, remember what we are scared of and because of that we are always cautious and aware.In this case, Djurberg's art is more expressive in the sense of darkness and fear and therefore is more memorable because of that.

6. In your opinion, why do you think Djurberg's work is so interesting that it was chosen for the Venice Biennale?
I think that her work was chosen for the Venice Biennale because of her intresting idea that she portrayed in the 'Experiment'. In the Bible, the 'Garden of Eden' is described as peaceful and beautiful, whereas her interpretation of the 'Garden of Eden' is the opposite of what we know of. This intrigues me because I, myself, am a religious person and when I saw her work it made me question her intentions. I further researched her work and she was trying to portray deep emotion such as: fear, scared, terrifying, dark and gruesome-wonderful flowers bled wax onto the ground. This is probably one of the reasons why it was chosen for the Venice Biennale because it would intrest people in a way where they would be able to see and feel her contradiction of what the Garden of Eden is known as and her perception of it.


7. Add some of your own personal comments on her work.


Reference list:

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nathalie-djurberg

Nisbet, H. (2009). Slashtroke Magazine: "EXPERIMENT" by Natalie Djuberg, Swedish Pavillion at the Venice Biennale. London, England
http://slashstrokemagazine.com/blog/?p=195

http://artnews.org/artist.php?i=1211

Yablonski, L (2010). The New York Times Style Magazine: Clay Mates. New York, NY

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/t-magazine/22talk-yablonsky-t.html?scp=3&sq=nathalie%20djurberg&st=cse

Modernism and Post Modernism

Chuck Close-Maggie(1996)


Claude Monet-waterlilies(1920)

1. Outline the intentions of each artist.

Around the time Claude Monet painted this, he was losing his eyesight, so he painted what he saw and how he saw it. He wanted people to view his work and experience how he sees things.

Chuck Close translates a photograph that he has taken and paints over it in a pixelwise manner using various techniques. The artist chooses those that are interesting to him artistically, as well as the faces of his family and friends. he sees them as his major source of inspiration and this painting is of his daughter.

2. Describe the techniques of each artist

Monet uses very rough and fast brushstrokes to give the painting a rough and blury look, it gives the painting the effect that he intended on. Close paints over photographs and puts a grid over it diagonally and paints each square differently to give his painting the pixelated effect that he intends on. Each square is painted different colours and is blended towards the center of each square.

3. Find 2 quotes about each artists work, and reference them correctly.

"It took me time to understand my waterlilies. I had planted them for the pleasure of it; I grew them without ever thinking of painting them."

"Water Lilies is an extension of my life. Without the water, the lilies cannot live, as I am without art."-Claude Monet (Claude Monet watterlilies painting, n.d)

"Some people wonder whether what I do is inspired by a computer and whether or not that kind of imaging is a part of what makes this work contemporary. I absolutely hate technology, and I'm computer illiterate, and I never use any labor-saving devices although I'm not convinced that a computer is a labor-saving device." -Chuck Close (Chuck Close Biography, n.d)

4. Note 3 similarities of the work of both artists.

-They both don't pay attention to detail, there not finely detailed paintings
-Both paintings use bright clolours
-They both have to be viewed from afar in order to see the image properly

5. What are some differences between the artist's work. (at least 3)

-Monet paints landscapes and most of his paintings are about nature, whereas Close paints portraits of the people that inspires him (mostly family)

-there painting techniques are completely different, Monet is more of a rough painter and Close is more into his illusion-like paintings but detailed in a way.

-Monet concentrates more on the detail of his surroundings and the true colour of things, Close blends different colours in each square to create his images.

6. Describe your response to the work of both artists.

Both artists interest me in an artistic kinda view. There style of painting is different to what i would normally do. Close' style of putting a grid over a photo and painting each square individually is unique because of how it gives the viewer a whole different look at the painting as a whole because each square, if looked at individually, is different but together creates an amazing piece of artwork. Monet's style is different because he paints what he sees, he started to lose his eye sight and this think is how his style came about. He paints very roughly and almost rushed and his blending of his paint is visible with no fine detail which gives the painting that look.

7. Add any other comments you would like.

www.artquotes.net/masters/monet/water-lilies.htm

http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=95934

http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/04/2008/hm4_1_191.html
http://metroartwork.com/chuck-close-biography-artwork-m-59.html 

The Industrial Revolution

1. What and when was the Industrial Revolution?


The era known as the Industrial Revolution was a period in which fundamental changes occurred in agriculture, textile and metal manufacture, transportation, economic policies and the social structure in England. This period is appropriately labeled "revolution," for it thoroughly destroyed the old manner of doing things; yet the term is simultaneously inappropriate, for it connotes abrupt change. The changes that occurred during this period (1760-1850), in fact, occurred gradually. The year 1760 is generally accepted as the "eve" of the Industrial Revolution. In reality, this eve began more than two centuries before this date. The late 18th century and the early l9th century brought to fruition the ideas and discoveries of those who had long passed on, such as, Galileo, Bacon, Descartes and others. (The Industrial Revolution by Joseph A. Montagna, n.d)
2. Research both Modernist paintings in order to comment on the subject matter, form and style used to celebrate the machine and motion in each painting. Answer the question in 2 parts for each painting.


Giacomo Balla, Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash, Oil on canvas, (89.9 x 109.9).  a dog on a leash running potraying movement, inspired by leonardo da vinci's drawing 'vitruvian man'.A diagram, showing possible alternative positions for a man's limbs. This image is designed to demonstrate how the human frame can be made to fit within both a circle and a square – just as Vitruvius, the Roman architectural theorist, said it could. Note that this is a drawing. At Da Vinci's date, you wouldn't find this kind of behaviour in a painting. (Great Works: Dynamism of A Dog on a Leash (1912) Giacomo Balla by Tom Bullock,2009).


Umberto Boccioni, The City Rises, Oil on canvas (6 ft 6 1/2 ins x 9 ft 10 1/2 ins). Rough, fast brush strokes, no fine detail. Warm colours used (Red, Orange, Yellows) shows how busy the painting is. Buildings in construction can be seen in the background with smoke coming out of the chimenys but most of the space is occupied by men and horses in the foreground. He emphasises some of the typical elements of futurism. this painting portrays the construction of a new city.




3. Research Cao Fei's RMB City (2007-9)  in order to comment on this work in more depth.
i.e what images has she used in her digital collage that refer to China's present and history, and why has she used these.


4. RMB City is described as a utopia/dystopia. Comment on what these terms mean, and how they can be applied to the work.

UTOPIA: literally it means <<place that does not exist>> and describes an imaginary world in which it is effective the social justice and where are underlined the rules and the principles that could guarantee it.

The utopistic narrative involves the descriptions of societies similar to the the author’s one but based on better principles. The author tries to stimulate the reflection of the readers about the differences between reality and fiction with the final purpose of improving reality itself.

DYSTOPIA: the term was coined in the late 19th century by some British philosophers in contraposition with UTOPIA and, like this, it indicates an indefinite world, in which the contradictions of the author’s society brings to a pessimistic vision of the future.

The characteristic elements of this kind of literature are: (Utopia and Dystopia by Matteo, Qian Shuo, and  Yu Lan, n.d)

Utopia and Dystopia are simply imaginary futuristic wolrds. RMB city by Cao Fei can be seen as some kind of Utopia beacause of its futuristic outlook of the future and what it may end up as. The statue in the water shows that the world is flooded, maybe after some massive tsunami or the end of the world. A futuristic city on a small island can also be seen as the re-building of a new world or 'Utopia'.


5. Although the Modernist paintings and the contemporary digital work have emerged from
different contexts, there are also many similarities. Comment on the similarities that you can see in the work. Look at the moving digital image at vimeo.com/4272260, if you have not
already researched it.



 

In the digital work we can see that its busy because of its layout and how it looks and in the painting, the artist use of rough and fast brush strokes to show the busyness and the feel of the painting. Some other similarities are the steam chimneys in the background that can be seen as a typical structure in a city.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/great-works/great-works-dynamism-of-a-dog-on-a-leash-1912-giacomo-balla-1781174.html
http://www.itiscannizzaro.net/Ianni/booksweb/sito1984/papers/utopiadystopia.htm

Science and Reason.

Week 5- Science and reason- Video art by Pipilotti Rist 

Pipilotti Rist's video art- how can we link this to science and reason?

1. Define the 17th century 'Scientific Revolution', and say how it changed European thought and world view. 

Its an epistemological transformation that we associate with natural science and technological change. it was a series of changes in the structure of european thought itself: systematic doubt, empirial and sensory verification, the abstraction of human knowledge into seperate sciences such as: physics, astronomy, biology, human anatomy, chemistry, and other sciences, and the view that the world functions like a machine. this continued through to the middle ages and laid the foundation to modern science. since then, technology has advanced so much and still is. from the splitting of the atom to the invention of the atom bomb, the invention of the microchip to the invention of computers and laptops and touch screen technologhy. it has changed the way we live and has given us a whole lot more than what it used to be like back in the renaissance era.

2. Give examples of how we can we still see evidence of the 'Scientific Revolution' in the world today.

technology has advanced so much in the past few years, eg. phones, computers, television. the technology is getting so advanced that i wonder if they'll have any more ideas in the future. our way of living has also been more simpler because of washing machines, dryers and every day household items. the cars that we drive around these days are becoming more and more complex aswell.

Research Pipilotti Rist's video installations to answer the following;

3. From your research, do you think that the contemporary art world values art work

that uses new media/technology over traditional media?

yes they do, because it brings a new kind of contemporary art to the world and it alows us to explore the new media/technology rather than just using traditional media. art can be anything, if it is percieved as art, then it is art.

4. How has Pipilotti Rist used new media/technology to enhance the audience's experience of her work.

New media/technology art differs from paitntings and sculptures. The use of the video installation interacts with the viewer more than a painting or a sculpture would.

5. Comment on how the installation, sound and scale of 'Ever is Over All' (1997) could impact on the audience's experience of the work.

The installation comprises two sharply contrasting projections on 2 adjacent walls accompanied by a melancholic melody. The projection of the video on the wall is bigger than the average person so that when the viewer is watching the video its as if they are in the video.

6. Comment on the notion of 'reason' within the content of the video. Is the woman's behaviour reasonable or unreasonable?

Her behaviour in the video is unreasonable because her actions are illegal but it then seems legal when the police officer, who is also female, just walks past and waves at her as if she isn't doing anything wrong.

7. Comment on your 'reading' (understanding) of the work by discussion the aesthetic (look), experience and the ideologies (ideas, theories) of the work.

The scale of the projections helps the effect of the video installations and it helps interact with the viewers emotions. The girl in the video comes off as a kind and caring girl but when she stars smashing the windows it contrasts with the video of the flowers and how it shows anger and happiness side by side. Also with the police officer being okay with her actions, this also contradicts with her being reasonable or unreasonable.

 http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?object_id=81191

Ron Meuck's sculpture and humanism

1. Mueck's sculpture is described as 'hyper-real'. Define the meaning of this term and apply it to his work.

The word "hyper-real" or "hyper-realism" is used in the art world to denote the activity of a group of artists who make paintings "look just like photographs" or in Ron Mueck's case, making the sculptures look like real people.

2. Mueck is not interested in making life size sculpture. Find out why he is more interested

in working with the scale of the figure which is not life size, and mention 2 works which use 

scale that is either larger or smaller than life.

Mueck is interested in the "psychological confrontation for the viewer to recognize and assimilate two contradictory realities". one of his works that made Mueck famous was 'dead dad', a silicone and mixed media sculpture of the corpse of Mueck's father reduced to about two thirds of its natural scale. Another sculpture which plays with scale is 'Mask 2' a large scupture of Mueck's face.

3. Define Renaissance Humanism , and analyze the term in order to apply it to an example of Mueck's work. Note that the contemporary definition of Humanism is much broader than the Renaissance definition.

Many writers suggest that the rise of 'humanism' is responsible for the beginning of the renaissance. Humanism is a system of thought that considers human beings, rather than the church, as able to decide their own morals, truths and behaviors. As a result, scholars in the renaissance began to study and books, poetry, grammar and histories of classical (Greek and Roman) authors, rather than being forced to study those of the church.(ALVC resource book 2011)

The idea of humanism can be related to Ron Mueck's work in a way where he makes sculptures to show human features in detail and how "humanism is a system that considers human beings, rather than the church."

4. Research and discuss one of Mueck's sculptures that you might find challenging or exciting to experience in an art gallery. Describe the work, upload an image of the work, and explain your personal response to the work. Comment on other student blogs to develop the discussion around the variety of our own personal and individual responses to art and design.

Dead dad was a hyper-realistic nude sculpture of Mueck’s father lying on the floor and is reduced to about two thirds of his actual size. Made of silicone and mixed media, this sculpture was made after the death of his father and is the only sculpture where he uses his own hair. I would find this very interesting to experience in an art gallery. It would be an awkward experience because of its small size i would have to bend down and take a closer look at it and since its a sculpture of his 'dead' father, i would get the feeling of disrespect because he's dead.

http://www.dgp.toronto.edu/~stam/suomi/stam/hyperreal.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Mueck

http://blog.kavefish.com/archive/art/ron-mueck-hyperrealist-sculptor.html


http://hubpages.com/hub/Awesome_Sculptures_Of_Ron_Mueck