p r e t e n d i n g t o p r e t e n d

Last week we went to a symposium at the ICA titled ‘Utopian Realism Today: The Aesthetics and Politics of Hope’. It began with Sarah Turner (artist and film director) and David Bell (researcher and writer) who discussed the more abstract concepts of utopianism. Very often radicalism and extremism are lumped together giving people the impression that they are one and the same. This is the same with regards to idealism and utopianism. However, there can be realistic utopianism and idealistic utopianism and this is where the confusion begins and where negative connotations come into play. This is due to idealistic utopianism being associated with organizations such as ISIS who attempt to govern their ideals through violence. David Bell used an interesting phrase during this discussion, allegorical mirroring, which I took to mean a familiar thing imagined slightly different. He also responded in a relatable way when asked about Labour’s current political position. He said that he was hopeful, but that being hope is disappoint-able, hope is not to be confused with optimism. Sarah Turner showed an extract from her new film ‘Public House’, which explores the centrality of pubs and social spaces to communal narrative and memory. She spoke about how community is a form of creative expression and it made me consider Theaster Gates’ organisation, ‘Rebuild Foundation’ which restructures the cultural foundations and incites movements of community revitalisation within underinvested neighbourhoods. She spoke in depth about the nature of these communal areas and defined ‘space’ as something which is meaningless, empty. Where-as she believed that ‘place’ was a meaningful space, so in the space/place Venn diagram all spaces are places but not all places are spaces. It made us think about Foucault’s ‘Of Other Spaces: Utopias and Heterotopias’ and how he writes about utopias being ‘placeless places’ and how mirrors fit this description since he is able to see himself someone that he is not. However this is counteracted by the fact that the mirror, as an object, does exist in reality, as we know it. How does this then relate to Facebook; a place where we exist but do not reside, a place that ‘opens up behind the surface’? Finally they discussed experiences how we experience certain things. It was described to us that the way we believe we experience happenings are that two things come together and create something new (an experience) that exists as a separate entity. However, they proposed that in fact two things come together and share an experience, which changes both parties. This reminded me of various methods of combining metal, brazing and welding; one being the bringing together of two materials with the aid of another and one utilising the original material.

We also attended a talk with Tom McCarthy and Jon Rafman at the Zabludowicz Collection. They began with discussing notion of the screen, as a portal between the virtual and the real, and how the various screens which Rafman’s work alludes to but doesn’t necessarily inhabit. This included a romantic screen since a lot of the characters in his work often reflect a collapse of the sublime in a Frankenstein-esque fashion; making ones own world or being based on what you know, in this case the Internet and its culture. A further screen that was discussed was a heroic one. They spoke about how we liberate ourselves through celebration and the mastering of capitalist products, which eventually become obsolete; this is of course referring to video games. This was expanded upon to include thoughts on the idea of a beta-male and how, in tangible reality, he’s a loser but when it comes to the subculture of the Internet he’s a hero! Here the Internet is presented as a tool, for the weak to control the strong since the ‘survival of the fittest’ model appears to be all but out-dated. Cyborgs were brought up in relation to this point since ‘you are what you eat’ and therefore if all you consume are video game are you, by definition, a cyborg. Rafman also made a clever comparison between the digital and physical world. He suggested that in the Greek myth involving the Minotaur, when Daedalus advises that Theseus unwind a spool of string behind him as he searches for the Minotaur he is essentially giving him a ‘cheat code’ for completing the ‘level’. Technology does appear to change the way we remember and therefore how we see others and ourselves. He touched on this when talking about nostalgia, suggesting that nostalgia isn’t really how we remember the past but how we want to future to be.

We’ve visited quite a few galleries recently, one of them being Prem Sahib’s show at the ICA. Initially Sahib’s work appears to relate to American minimalism – it’s precise execution and functional materials bring to mind the work of Donald Judd or Robert Morris. But when one moves closer there are other elements or pieces of detail that aren’t originally noticed such as the cast eggs which feature in the puffer jacket works that imply a human element to the otherwise very structured and architectural pieces. The cast bits of popcorn situated on one of the tiled works are another beautiful piece of detail, being used as an indication towards the idea of the consumption of image (being associated with both, simultaneously). A selection of works that really stood out were the thin pieces of metal which appeared to have drops of condensation running down them, which had been smeared by an unknown party, similar to what one would see on their bedroom window on a frosty winter’s morning. However, this effect is not merely rendered by leaving the panels outside but by painstakingly distributing each and every droplet on by hand using resin. There’s a sense of loss with these works; there’s a suggestion of a being or some sort of life. This aspect is mirrored beautifully with the fact that condensation or sweat is indicative of nature but since the material is resin there is no life to it, it is forced to sit in limbo forever. As obvious as it might be, Hans Haacke’s ‘Condensation Cube’ comes to mind. However, even though they are linked figuratively, conceptually they could not be further apart. Haacke’s piece is about creating life and a life that’s genuine; the ‘Condensation Cube’ is a constantly altering piece of art that is evocative of the Pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, who famously said ‘no man ever steps in the same river twice’. Sahib’s piece is one that appears to also propose life and presence but this is quickly stolen away when the truth surfaces that in fact there was never any life there to begin with.

The Jonathon Viner Gallery is another gallery that we’ve attended, which had an exhibition titled ‘Island Theory’. To being with the title, the definition of what constitutes an island can be extrapolated and used to formulate understandings of artistic practice and exhibition. The conceptualization of this, as a manner of survival of ideas, images and their movement between and within the individual can be understood as some ideas ripple onwards while others are stilled. There’s an installation by Grear Patterson, bringing an image of childhood innocence; there is a kite that flies high towards to ceiling of the gallery but instead of being put there by the wind it’s being kept up artificially by an assembly of fans. On the walls were two shapes, which appeared to resemble tanks and have ben constructed from an assortment of stretched materials gathered on the artist’s travels. They also feel referential to works like Jasper Johns’ American fags or Frank Stella’s shaped canvas. The Hales Gallery was close by and so we went to see the Frank Bowling paintings. The pieces appeared to be about celebrating paint as a medium in its own right as opposed to a tool with which to create works. Some of the later works by John Hoyland are things that come to mind. 

Attending the MFA/MA Interim Show private view at the Slade was an enjoyable evening. The highlight piece probably being when we came across a human sized black smudge on the wall and then realising that a naked woman covered in black paint running into it had caused this. This was revealed by a film situation just to the right of it. The reference to the rejection of Yves Klein’s use of women, merely as tools, feels prominent here but there can be no confirmation of this. A point that would have perhaps given a slight element of mystery and then declaration would have been if the mark on the wall and the film had been separate so that the viewer encounters the mark first. This would create a sense of uncertainty but one that would be cured once the film was revealed.

Seeing the Ryan Gander exhibition at Lisson gallery has been something we’ve been looking forward to for quite a while. When one walks into the gallery, the first thing that is visible is a chair and a hole in a wall that allows various items to be viewed on a conveyer belt, one at a time. There’s a nice sense of mystery and expectation about this; waiting and wondering what the next object might be. They included some of our favourites of Gander’s works – the chess set he designed based on car motor parts, the two watches that had been clasped together to create an infinity sign and the muddied trainers, which he produced in collaboration with Adidas. The fiberglass tent continues this analytical yet voyeuristic theme. When one progresses through the gallery, the downstairs of the gallery is found to be full to the brim with stones and pebbles. To add to the humorous nature of this action, the text stating that the ‘exhibition continues downstairs’ is still up. This piece has a strong, autobiographical link to ‘Preparation is Everything (There Will Come a Slowness and We Should Prepare for That Also)’. It consists of a mirror covered in 365 daily attempts to mix the exact colour of the sky over Saxmundham in Suffolk (where Gander lives). In the same room, the marble clothing of imaginary statues covers mirrors and plinths making the viewer indulge their imagination by deliberating over who they might be. These pieces which blur the boundaries between reality and fantasy are ones which we want to mirror in our own work; using fictional stories but exploring them employing indicators from the factual world. The discovery of the black helium hiding in the corner of the ceiling of the entrance and the second room was a reminder of Gander’s occasional playful mocking of the audience. Gander’s phone number is also on display on the outside of the gallery, suggesting and openness but never quite giving the audience of this one-on-one performance the satisfaction and connection they want from the dialogue.  Broomberg & Chanarin were also exhibiting at Lisson at this time. Their new show explores the tension that arises between discipline and chaos; we’re shown films of soldiers in training, marching and chanting. An exciting and intense feature of this exhibition was a live performance with two drummers, one snare drum, one chair, two clocks and a lead carpet, in which the drummers play a drum roll for the 6-week duration of the exhibition, without interruption. However, mixed into this film of formation and routine there’s also intermittent appearances of a character seemingly straight out of medieval, burlesque theatre: a sinister, jester-like figure played by a woman wearing a grotesquely padded, hunchbacked white leotard. Performing buffoonish antics or lewd sex mimes, she acts as an agent of misrule and mischief whose emotional excesses disrupt the atmosphere of buttoned-up authority.

An issue that we wanted to combat this week was how we ensure that the audience was aware of the process behind the Sims paintings. One idea came from revisiting the work of Cornelia Parker who has a variety of works, which rely heavily upon the titles to complete them. For example, ‘Measuring Liberty with a Dollar’ is a work where a silver dollar is drawn to a wire the height of the Statue of Liberty. Without such descriptive information, the poetic intelligence of the work might remain obscured within the understated minimalism of its presentation. However, when taken together as intended, the message is at once poignant, funny, and knowing. Another idea was one that was brought about by a way we thought we could enhance a work at the Slade show we went to see. By positioning a film, disclosing the process, to be seen after the products (of said process) we would be informing people without the aid of an explanation. Here is a plan of how he thought it would work.

An artist we were recommended to take a look at was Becky Shaw. Most of her works manifest themselves as live art in care, education and production contexts and generally amongst others. Works are made through careful response to a situation with no prior known outcome. The relation to our current work appears to how she often focuses on the value we place on art and other forms of making and production. Joshua Sofaer was someone else who was mentioned. His film ‘What is Live Art?’ is an excellent way of introducing humour to something which is usually associated with a more serious attitude, whilst also questioning what art has become. The launch of his biography was along the same lines; a book that is entirely blank aside from the front and back covers. Sofaer employed an actress to play the part of the author and signed copies of the book to audience members who attended the event. It’s the uncertainty of truth and deception in these pieces that we want to mirror in our own work.  

t h e u n i v e r s a l i n d i v i d u a l

We finally started uni again this week and, aside from the odd dull lecture regarding the structure of the course it was very interesting. On Thursday we had our first tutorial as a group and explained the Sims 3 piece and spoke about the Brighton show that got pulled during the summer. Surprisingly we managed to speak for quite a while uninterrupted, the group enjoyed the story about the show in Brighton and seemed to register the idea about the Sims work and the Performance, but we think it may have been hard to react and interpret it without a physical manifestation of the ideas. We had a sketch up version of the Sims plan, but forgot to show it, perhaps that would’ve helped.

It was suggested that we consider our method of realisation, and to be sure that there is a continuous strain of ideas running throughout our practice. This concern may have been voiced because we mentioned that the Sims work is still relatively new, and therefore slightly unresolved as an idea. We should take care not to get held back by the piece, she mentioned this because the arduous nature of creating the videos may take a while, haltering our progress in the process. We aren't not worried about this to be honest and feel that we proved last year that we have the ability to run multiple strands of work alongside each other and see no reason why this would not happen this year.

An example of this style of audience emersion can be seen in ‘Stoner’ by John Williams, it is a novel that offers such a detailed and textured portrait of a man’s life that one is almost tricked into thinking that another’s thought could speak for themselves. The subject of the book, William Stoner, was not remembered when he died, but his life was full of victories and defeat. He leads a relatively bland life; he marries the wrong woman, teaches at a university and has a daughter that, in the latter stages of her childhood, rarely makes contact with him. William’s delves into Stoner revealing the struggles and conflicts of life that go unrecorded through the passing of time, thus highlighting the importance and significance of the individual. William Stoner is all of us, and each of us is William Stoner; his surface life is dull, yet inside his life is kaleidoscopic; an ever shifting tide of mass that can sometimes be passive and other times passionate and forceful. Microscopic shifts of self-awareness and understanding briefly connect him to himself, to others and to the world. 

The novel is about the universal value of human life, a type of inner life that does not need external valuations. A life that is possessed and understood only by the individual, ‘Stoner’ somehow manages to materialise these values and present them unto us in such a manner that the reader experiences a form of self-realisation that resonates with William Stoner’s discovery of his own self-awareness. ‘You Me Bum Bum Train’ and ‘Stoner’ both press complete emersion upon the viewer/reader, the audience experiences a unique displacement from an everyday exterior that has become their normality. They are reminded that an essential part of life is acceptance of their individuality, and a necessary step towards this is self-awareness, understanding and reflection.

e v e r y t h i n g ' s a c o p y o f a c o p y

We have recently begun to re-investigate the use of the ‘Sims 3’ to act as a model for the real world, and how the real world (or someone’s opinion of the real world) represents the arts, in particular ‘the artist’. Sims 3’s perception of an artist is a painter, as the Sim becomes a more accomplished painter he/she produces works that objectively resemble the ‘real’ world, each time ‘improving’ on the previous painting. These improvements are predominately governed by the painting’s accuracy in relation to existing objects. So as the Sim’s painting level increases their paintings become more lifelike and the childish fictions that the Sim used to paint when they first started begin to fade out being replaced by a less superior view of their own world. Someone has programmed the game to do this; a decision has been made by an individual to portray the artist as an entity that can only create fiction-less scene. The Sim, as if stuck on a loop, now only has the capacity to copy repeatedly until they die. In a way this is actually a fairly accurate comment on the world exterior to the game; the habitual actions of a human is based upon common archetypes; everything is a copy.

Objects that exist within the game are only accurate representations of objects exterior to the game, thus rendering the Sim’s painting a copy of that copy. The Sim appears to paint a manipulated reality.   The 3D rendering of such objects within the game mirrors the rendering of a Sim artist and the work they produce; an individual’s opinion has been expanded to represent the real world. This opinion is conveyed as if it is the only true reality of a specific object/idea/profession.

The game gives the user the ability to control their own world and create fictions within this world, however, they are still merely creating these within someone else’s idea of a world; the freedom that the game advertises is only a freedom within the opinion of the creators of the game. An ability to create and manipulate within the game is therefore an illusion. Such an illusion is also mirrored with the life of an artist within the game; the work they produce is pre-programmed and based upon a relatively complex system that takes the Sim’s characteristics and interests into consideration, but however complex this system may be, there will still always be a limited amount of work one Sim is able to produce; sooner or later the work produced will begin to repeat itself, to copy itself.

The creative freedom of an artist within the Sims is therefore the same as a person playing the game; the artist is limited by the player’s world, which in itself is limited by the parameters that the game designers have decided. This is not a new occurrence; parameters define and limit everything that has ever existed; human communication is limited by one’s ability to converse, and one’s ability to converse can be limited by social and cultural influences; these expansions can carry on infinitely and are constantly present. As a consequence of this, the representation of an artist within ‘The Sims’ could be seen as relatively accurate; this is seen less so in the actual work that they produce, but if one considers the notion that everything that exists is operating within certain parameters then they may draw some parallels with the act of making art. Everything that the Sim appears to produce is limited and defined by the world that he/she exists in. Everything that the Sim appears to produce is a copy of a copy.