Last Words

·         site - sight - cite

A further (perhaps ironic) implication with site is the way it phonetically links with other words with different but possibly related meanings, namely SIGHT and CITE.  You might explore this relationship as an aspect of interconnectedness:  you might examine how the siting of a work privileges looking (sight) in a particular way…. that references (or cites) for example another work of art.

I choose this aspect of the course. For me site is about the aspect of seeing. For performance art - it is very much relying on the audience to see. A split second for looking away you could miss something incredibly important. You also have to have a certain amount of open mindedness. The ability to open up your mind for a lot of opportunities. Maybe some shock, maybe so horror and just maybe some comfort.

Over this year I have struggled to find where my true self lies within the art world. Am I a photographer? Am I a painter? Or a Performance artist? I have come to the conclusion however that I will not do the excessive editing of film again - next year I will obviously film my performances but i will try and keep them as natural as possible. Editing is such a complicated process and not one for me, Its something I will have to research over the summer - incredible performance artists have used photography and film purely as their medium for their performances - Laurel Nakadate for example.. However next year I will have to gain confidence so that I can do performances in public.- just so I can feel I am getting that one step further.

Thank you for reading my blog!

Research Notes

Hennessy Youngman.
Art thoughtsz. Youtuber. Comedic Performance.

Jess Doblein,
Performs, curates and sparkles.
Humor infused art uses the body as a medium.

Michael Smith.
Baby Ikki.

Max Bartlett.
Tether between our daily internet connection
and the real world.

Wafaa Bilal
Political Performance artist.

Terence Koh.
Monochromatic mixed media.
Ritualism.

Francis Alys.
Moves actual geographical locations a few inches.

Laurel Nakadate?
Video artist. Dancing in strange men's rooms.
Recording a daily cry.
Mining sex.
Performance artist with her camera on.

Marina Abramaic.
What is performance art?
Performance - Theater is a black box. Performance is real.
Alone for the audience.

A Bigger Splash!

Günter Brus, Otto Muehl - Total Action. Ornament is a crime.

 Eleanor Antin - Representational Painting

http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/bigger-splash-painting-after-performance

"This exhibition will take a new look at the dynamic relationship between performance and painting since 1950. Contrasting key paintings by Jackson Pollock and David Hockney, the exhibition considers two different approaches to the idea of the canvas as an arena in which to act: one gestural, the other one theatrical. The paintings of the Vienna Actionists or the Shooting Pictures of Niki de St Phalle will be re-presented within the performance context that they were made, and juxtaposed with works by artists such as Cindy Sherman or Jack Smith that used the face and body as a surface, often using make-up in work dealing with gender role-play. The exhibition proposes a new way of looking at the work of a number of younger artists whose approach to painting is energised by these diverse historical sources, drawing upon action painting, drag and the idea of the stage set."

Notes from Exhibition.

Yves Klein - Anthropometries of the blue period.
1960 film.
associated with Yves Klein.

1. Total action, ornament is a crimeMaterial action no 26.
Otto Muehl with Gunter Brus 1936.

Muehl's work in the 1960's focused on the destruction of painting through actions that were like a psychosis produced on the mingling of human bodies, objects and materials - painting not as a means of coloring, but as goo, liquid, dust.

Vienna walk.
Untitled (Body print) Ana Menideta.

Inhabited painting.
Helena Almedia.

Film

https://vimeo.com/63647595

A small film that was brought together by leaving the film camera on recording the cleaning process. This was interestingly one of my most favorite of them all and i'm quite gutted we didn't film many more clips.
Edited with hue cycle and an eeiry soundtrack. This is one of my favorites  Very simple. But quite effective. 

Proceeding Problems

My first video, or performance piece were I applied paint to Tasha's face had seen such a great response, so good in fact that I started to believe this was the route to take.
Me and Tasha decided that we should set aside a day for filing. However someone had booked the darkroom for over two weeks. This meant that we couldn't do what I had originally planned. However I decided to improvise and we sent of to Tasha's.

Firstly I got Tasha to sit in  in the chair and I painted her face completely dark blue - as I wanted there to be a base to start with.

https://vimeo.com/64233739

When this had finished I set out some black paint and some white paint and directer her with what to do during the performance. They all came out really well but I wasn't a hundred percent sure if it was enough. I wanted to try something new. During my tutorial a couple of people mentioned, why don't you ever evolve yourself in your performances? Why don't YOU be the  main focus?
So I wanted to test this out. I asked Tasha if she'd mind filming me while I do my performance. I loved it. These videos not only showed process, performance and the application of paint. But where Tasha had a certain violent quality mine was a little more vulnerable. I was so happy with my performance.

We also filmed each other taking off the paint, firstly with Tasha in the shower and secondly with me using the sink. I was scared because we both needed separate work, because Tasha filmed my performance, was it her work? - Or was it mine? I asked her to film me for my work, but she did direct me in some ways as to where to apply the paint. So we were both left confused. It was my initial idea, my performance, and my project so I believed it was mine work.

Mostly I wanted to keep the first film, where I was the main focus. Because I had some many ideas for it! I told Tasha this and we both agreed that would be fine. So I told her what I had planned to do with it - get a friend of mine Stephan broad at the Chichester university music department to compose me a piece of music to go along side it, and to edit it in a way that the paint was the main focus.

Excited I set off home and we agreed to see each-other the next day.
The next day arrived and she wanted to show me a video she said she'd edited. I was so disheartened when I saw it was the video of my performance edited in the way I had originally said. Even if she had done it on accident I was still disappointed. - I felt I had lost my whole idea in a single day.

However we both proceeded to work separately from that moment on - because neither of us knew where the true situation lie.

Natural

https://vimeo.com/63733587

This is the completely natural version of the clip.

(Sadly do not have any stills of this film)

The description on Vimeo.

This is my more natural version of 'Take My Body' - In this one you can very clearly see certain imperfections. The paint is like i'm trying to cover all this and create something else.

I didn't use music in this and only a light bit of editing as i'm aware my clips are beginning to be focused more on film then a performance piece and i don't want that.

`

Stills from the edited film.
https://vimeo.com/63647593
This is the finished film.

The description on Vimeo.

I am looking into Performance Art. Particularly the application of paint on the body. This film is shot & edited with the application of paint being the main focus - not necessarily my body. I was inspired by artists such as Cindy Sherman for her self centered pieces and the most influential action artists during the Viennese Actionism movement - Such as Günter Brus, Otto Mühl, Hermann Nitsch and Rudolf Schwarzkogle. I saw a Otto Muel & Günter Brus piece featured at the "A Bigger Splash" exhibition titled: Total action. Ornament is a crime / Material Action NO 26. Which truly inspired me for this film. The raw energy and motion behind the film stills was something that I wanted to portray, Using just two basic materials: Paint and the body as canvas.

I decided to work music into this piece, because I felt that when silent, it lacked something. Originally I was going to work with purely instrumental. However I believe that this song - Take My Body by Kodaline fits perfectly. There is certain moments during the film [for example when I add the dark green to my face and the lyrics "you took my soul and wiped it clean"] blends really well.

Stills from a more naturally edited film.

https://vimeo.com/64392731

This is the reversed film.

On this one you can see how I reversed it to look like I was wiping the paint off rather then applying it. I wanted to play around a little with the editing and i'm pretty happy with the result. Its interesting, appealing and quite intriguing to see.

Films

My last Performance piece, were I applied paint to Tasha had such a good response, so good in fact that I started to believe that that was the route I should follow. Me and Tasha decided that we should set aside a date for filming  However someone had booked the darkroom for two weeks, so this means I couldn't go with what I originally had planned but I decided to improvise - I collected all my material and set off to Tasha's.

Firstly I got Tasha to sit in a chair and I painted her face completely dark blue. Just so that I had  base to work with. When I had finished this, I set aside the colors, Black and white and directed her as to what I wanted her to do in the film. I wanted her to spread the paint on her face and body freely - without any prohibitions, just to be free with the paint and not to worry with what color she had picked up. For it was most likely going to be edited anyway. I wanted some emotion to be playing in her face. To really accentuate what she was feeling at the time.

Here are some stills from the video before it got edited. I believe the stills of this piece are a lot more interesting then the actual film.

Finished Film 1.

Finished Film 2.

                                                                   Finished Film 3.

                                                       

Here are some more interesting stills from Film 1.

These videos that I directed of Tasha went really well, but I still wasn't happy with them. They really felt like she was acting and what I liked about the film before was its completely natural feel. So I decided to come back to the idea of using myself as the canvas - perhaps then it will be a lot more of what I wanted.

                                               

Quick Ideas

I started thinking about painting someone head to toe - but obviously including clothes to remain dignified and taking them out into the town - really pushing the boundaries of taking the art from the canvas. Documenting peoples expressions.

I would also like to perhaps project the painted piece upon a persons natural face - creating a new layer.
Contrasting the two images I think the projecting quality would create a create impact against the painted.

Lecture with Chris / Film as Cinema, As Art, As Cultural Text.

My notes on the lecture.

Film; the Art form of the 20c.

Walter Benjamin.
The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction.

• Aura.
• Authenticity.
• Mechanical reproduction.
• Reproducibility.
• Consumability.

- Photography - widespread - multiple.
Possibility of disregarding Aura and Authenticity.

• The grammar of the film
• How the lenses see 

Alienation process: Consider what the meaning of the artwork may be.

Bruce Nuaman? Good Boy. Bad Boy.

• Bas Jon Ader 
• Sam Taylor Wood / Still life / A little death
• Francis Alys / Railings - Life cycles, rhythm. 
• Christian Marclav / The Clock 
• Bhimj 

Film - Who's medium?

Marnie - Alfred Hitchcock.

• Subjective - Submission
• The Hunter

The Gaze - Laura Mulvrey
Visual pleasure and narrative cinema psychoanalytic.

1. Subjectivity.
2. Sexuality.
3. The Unconscious. 
4. Gender.
5. Power.

Reading the context.

• Levels.
• Diologe as well as visuals.

Symbols
Meanings
Signing
Association

Double Intensity
Classic way of story telling.

As I have focused most on portrait shots, I think I should try something new. Involving me. Whilst researching Cindy Sheerman. I began interested in using myself as the muse or model.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/arts/design/moma-to-showcase-cindy-shermans-new-and-old-characters.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Cycle - Cindy Sheerman.

I did a few quick self shots in my bathroom after I had painted my face just like the other one of the girls I had originally did. They didn't turn out as well as I would've liked, my gaze was always broken I felt I was never actually in the photo - I couldn't hold the camera in a good angle. But for quick test shots, I was pretty pleased.                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

This is one of my test shots - I have included it in here because I believe it is the most interesting.  

And lastly, here is one edited. I think this is a very striking piece.

Tutorial

I had a group tutorial which I involved Tasha with seeming as she filmed the video and was also my model you could say, for the piece. I showed the film to my the rest of the group and my tutor and they all proclaimed that the film and even the stills of the film were a lot more interesting then the still photograph itself. 

The video was also deemed more successful then my paintings and Polaroids  I should stick with my ideas of process and perhaps color but perhaps take my painting away from the canvas and start applying it to people and objects!

I should start with taking Polaroids and using videos of the people as a document.
This for me is a lot more exciting, I feel the video, seeing the process is a lot more interesting then painting from my Polaroids  My Polaroids shouldn't be the most important thing in my project, they should be a means to an end.

This doesn't mean I have sidetracked majorly from my project because I am still focusing on paint, photography, process and color. I am just viewing it in a different way.
This also means I can start looking into Performance Art, all these aims are very much about Performance. As well as the juxtaposition between traditional methods of painting and media - such as photography and film.

IDEAS:

• Taking the painting away from the canvas
• Juxtaposition between painting and photography.
• Paint onto the person - documenting using either film or photography.
  

After it went so well with Elisabeth, I decided to try it again! But this time I wanted to get it filmed, at first just generally for my enjoyment not necessarily for the project. But I got all apron-ed up and started sorting out the paints I wished to use. Then started applying the paint to her face and her neck, I was again so happy with the results! 

These are some posed photography of the final result.

This is a still from the actual film itself.

I enjoyed the film a lot more then the finished photography  getting Tasha to bring her camera was such an excellent idea. The process of applying the paint is so engaging.

This is the film.

I hope you all like it.

Elisabeth Cavell

Soon after this I had the idea of applying paint to a person - taking the paint away from the canvas outside to life. Why should paint be constricted to the canvas. I was aware that my ideas were completely different and a risk from the usual painting an Polaroids. However i was very excited about this new idea - it would still be art with or without the canvas.
For example Susan Hillers Auras, the figures in the work doesn't seem to be the most important aspect, its the colors seem to be the most important medium within these works. So I began to find someone to start applying paint to. Just to see if this idea would work and then see what others thing of it.

Firstly I took my friend Elisabeth and began applying paint to her face, just with a paint brush and some random colors. Creating tracks of colors upon her face, just like a abstract piece of art.

Unfortunately between the two of us we have misplaced the digital footage of this day and its results. This to the left of the text is one of the one surviving pictures of this day. (I have one other photo as a hard copy in my studio space.) As you can see the piece is extremely textured and full of color  (This photo has been edited so you cannot see the full scale of the colors used, but you can get a general idea)

But this day worked so well - I felt generally excited and passionate about an idea! This hadn't happened in years. So I felt it was something I should follow.

During my last Semester studying Fine Art at the University of Chichester, I would've classed myself as purely a painter and Polaroid artist. I was interested in the juxtaposition of painting particularly and Polaroids - the image that comes out of the Polaroid was really something special, I really enjoyed the surprise - the broken images and twisted faces. The unreliability of the Polaroid in my broken camera - its beauty being the unstructured, mechanic, developing liquid creating its own unique amorphous artworks. I would wonder however, does my artwork have to have intrinsic or objective meaning? Couldn't it be just about process, color and beauty? Just something to excite the senses! It was all about chance, exposure and manipulation.

Originally I was interested in what people thought about small Polaroids, however people would proclaim, "make them bigger!" So I started to make my own research just on Polaroids and found this article,

"Seeing things:Ghost Polaroids",

By Candice Winters.

A woman who claims to see ghosts and spirits through a range of Polaroids dating back from the 1990's, before the times of Photoshop and digital editing. "A mystical, hazy experience / substance permits the confines of the pictures that would otherwise be normal in construction". She believes they that leave you questioning your believes about the afterlife. The so called ghost would leave messages in the Polaroids in English and Latin.

This is a lose article to  connect with my work, for I have no interest to persuade the world of ghosts and different life forms, but just the article really made me realize the impact of Polaroid on people. Its such an underused form of art. Especially the idea of abstract photography. When I research it, nothing really tends to come up. So my mission was to make this form of art a lot more apparent to the world.

A couple of my Polaroids started to show people and whatever object I happened to be pointing the camera at (this usually never happened, as I have a broken camera and I was a keen lover of photo manipulation so this would complete destroy the photo in an abstract haze) - these Polaroids made me become interested in the human form, Could I work with these forms in an abstract way as well? My head was feeling scrambled with all these new ideas - abstraction has always been a big thing to me but these ghostly figures that I was creating due to my manipulation was terribly interesting.

These are a few of my Polaroids, some manipulated.`