Space experiment: Notes from the Lecture with Les Bicknell.

Space experiment: Notes from the Lecture with Les Bicknell.

Space exploration has always been one of my leitmotif and Les presentation showed me this whole topic in a new light. Some of the striking features that have come forward that are so worth considering. Here are some notes from this lecture:

1.            How the work is experienced.

2.          Where the work is experienced.

3.          Context frames an audience’s reading/Understanding of work.

4.          Example of a net- purpose, 1^st picture: net used for fishing, 2^nd picture: net used for sports

5.          Example of towel- different functions: 1^st picture: towels drying, 2^nd picture: towel stretched on a long chair, suggesting this whole system of a particular society... lying out to control the space…

6.          Example of doormat- questions the commodity and the purpose: 1^st picture: the doormat is being sold, it has not served its purpose yet, 2^nd picture: doormat used as a doormat…

7.           Example of Cardboard. How the cardboard is served as stocking (useful, practical, protect) and in the other hand, cardboards are thrown as litter, the social aspect of this cardboard…

8.          Plastic used for covering buildings for construction purposes; same material used by the artist Christo.

9.          Rethink the idea.

10.        Context frames a maker’s reading/Understanding of work.

11.           Mediated by systems/structures

12.         Piece of work situated at different context

13.         Different context, different sense of presenting; a bundle of thread presented in different ways…

14.         The Museum: what is your relationship to these places…

15.         The Library: A place for reading, a place for learning, who are the people who visit these places..

16.         The Gallery: particular set of codes, sparseness, separateness, particular place.

17.         Hanging: in space, floating, interaction, within the space..

18.         Wall: where in the wall? Eye level.., conventional, placing up, dialogue with the room. Malevich: painting-“Black on Black” placing of the painting on the wall…

19.         The Plinth: elevation, why this element of elevation? Trafalgar Square:” the Fourth Plinth”- National Gallery… Mark Quinn

20.      Spotlight: element of light. Putting an object under the light changes its perception of the object.

21.         The Vitrine: separateness, presentation, a message that emanates from that: “you cannot touch, this is separate…”

22.       Idea of the desk.

23.       Table: Makes us think of the domestic.

24.       Shelf: domestic, usually when visualising from a shelf, you need to have your back to the room, intimacy…

25.       Online: interaction with people, where there can also be the risk of manipulation, computer and the internet, viewed by around 4 billion people, online gallery, only through screen, access to the internet, excluding people who does not have these facilities, from the home, within other systems…

26.       Artist’s book.

27.       Television- live transmission

28.       Video/DVD: Is “objectness” important?

29.       Idea of the monitor: digital projection

30.      The photography: Erwin Wurm, 1 minute photograph, engage in your audience, the artist has created a system, collaborative nature

31.         Documentation-art

32.       Performance.. Marina Abranovich

33.       Installation-everything in the room is considered. Joseph Beuys-holistic nature of installation

34.       Intervention: graffiti, site-specific

35.       Maurizio Cattelan, Ceal Floyd

36.       Stephen Willats

37.       Mel Chin- Melrose Place... Clever, knowingness embedded in the space… Who is the audience?

Reflections:

Some words that have really clicked me at the moment are: homeliness, domesticity, connectivity. I started my research with some photographs and continued with documentations. I think this interaction with people is becoming more and more important. On my second and third meeting when people stated to open up, I was able to explain my project and received very interesting ideas and views. I think people who regularly go to the “baitka” now are the ones who understand the meaning of identity and would want to safeguard and promote this fading culture. I also remarked that the youngsters are sparse as compared to older persons, who will most willingly share their nostalgia of an almost lost past. (Most of the old people talk in “Bhojpuri”-a language that was develop from a mixture of Hindi and French when they came to Mauritius. I think this is what “context” is, I mean there is definitely not going to be spotlights and vitrines around my work, I absolutely want to link. I think my work can be site-specific- I still have not decided yet- the idea of the floor is interesting as I am interested in “mandalas”. However, what is finally decided is that I will be making the whole thing there where people around will have the opportunity to interact…