Low down, Lego and lots of walking - Part 3.

Part 3: Art Crazy Nation

After making the half hour treck over to Newmarket, Judit and Ryan go in search of what may tap into a long lost part of childhood, complete with some random encounters along the way.

An antidote to an art world that has long taken itself too seriously...
As part of the Auckland Festival, The Seed Gallery exhibited the works of John Cake and Darren Neave, or The Little Artists. It was a nice parallel to our first studio project where we had been introduced to the concepts of programming through the Lego Mindstorm kits. In a simliar sort of approach, this exhibition used "un-manipulated Lego to immortalise modern art masterpieces and personalities in miniature," taking the Lego as an element a lot of people are familiar with from childhood and drawing on this playful and positive familiarity to help create meaning in the works.

One such idea is that of authenticity and reproduction. By representing other artists' artworks in Lego, they have appropriated that work and made it their own as many artists have done in the past. Especially well known for this was the pop artists who took imagery from the everday and the mundane, from the society around them and one such iconic artist was Andy Warhol. In fact, Warhol himself was not spared with a piece representing him and his work Front and Back Dollar Bills. The idea is further enforced in their use of Lego as a medium as the pieces are prefabricated and replaceable, taken straight from existing lego kits and unaltered to fit the purpose. In a strange sort of parallel also to abstract art, some might approach it with the 'I could've done that' sort of attitude.

However, I liked this particular approach to representation as it extends works which are originally 2D, into a 3D sculpture which you can approach and observe from different angles to see it in different ways. They also mange to create a strange sort of juxtaposition in the combination of the small lego sculptures and the large scale photographic prints where the lego pieces have been photographed and blown up to such a scale which you would never encounter the humble pieces. On one hand, you feel like an almighty creator, while on the other hand you see the pieces in such striking detail, the sheen and texture of the lego, that by forcing you to encounter it in such as way, it is almost like once again you are a child when the toys seemed some how bigger. It reminded me of a New Zealand artist Michael Parekowhai who takes chilhood toys such as Pick-Up-Sticks in his work They Comfort Me and creates large scale sculptures so the audience can reengage with that childhood nostalgia of fun and play by engaging with the piece.


One such photographic print, Art Crazier Nation, was a cleverly composed piece combining many of the artists and art works they refence in their sculptures to "comment on the art world in its entirety, including gallerists and curators, as much as they do the artists and artworks themselves." I loved how they manage to bring out a curious sense of personality in the inanimate lego piece, in their facial expressions and poses which made you wonder who was observing who. It was almost uncanny in the nature of the sculpure that the pictures of the pieces in the catalogue weren't exactly positioned like those before you which for me was reminiscent of the childish daydream that your toys came to life when you left the room or you weren't looking and you always felt they were up to something.

I do however feel that the shift in medium wasn't the most successful for some of the works chosen to represent. Hirst's Shark Tank (Renovated) is based on Damien Hirst's The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living. Hirst's works are often highly controversial for his choice of materials, as with this work where he placed a shark in a glass tank of formaldehyde to represent the idea of death immortalised. I believe much of this impact is lost in the transfer over to lego as one not familiar with the work would not understand the significance of it, assuming it was only a shark in a tank. Though on the flipside, one familiar with the original work would find it perhaps a very sinister juxtaposition represented insteasd in what is more often a child's plaything.

Essentially, back in terms of 'the creator', I believe it is that notion that given the same pieces, we can all create so many different things. Like with the NXT robots, we all had the same kits and software and limited only by our creativity and grasp of the pieces. It was evident that this exhibition had a strong tug on the childhood nostalgia for toys and play on both the young and young at heart and we encountered several others from the BCT. Like many artists and art morevements, this exhibition was fun and playful on the surface but with deeper meaning below.

Epilogue: The afternoon was concluded with some more walking, eventually winding up back in the city with a few stops along the way at the domain, the Winter Gardens and a duck pond. The day can be summed up in terms of much artistic enlightenment and a few blisters.

Low down, Lego and lots of walking - Part 2.

Part 2: Trans-Form

Judit gets stupidly excited when she realized that the gallery at which the art history lecture they were at was also exhibiting works by her favourite New Zealand artist.

The Abstract Art of Milan Mrkusich
Now, I know abstract art is not everyone's cup of tea but I personally love it. From the very first time my art history teacher last year presented us with an abstract work and told us to analyze it, I was hooked. I believe that very work was The Deep by iconic American Abstract Expressionist, Jackson Pollock. I love finding meaning beyond any recognizable subject matter in the shapes, colours, texture and scale of the work and how all these element interrellate to create coherency and meaning. Held at the Gus Fisher Gallery as part of the Auckland Festival, this particular exhibition aimed to "[provide] a unique opportunity to study first-hand the deployment of symbolic form, line and colour in Mrkusich's painting over four decades."

Image: Chromatic Meta-Grey No. 2

Ryan and I gravitated around the gallery, stopping to engage with and analyse each work. Though I'd studied Mrkusich quite a bit last year, I had not studied any of these particular works though I recognised some of the series' they were from. Painting Ochre was from a series I recognized with the corners of the work containing it. Like many abstract works, they are large scale pieces you have to encounter face to face to get the full impact. What looks like just a simple coloured field with a coloured corners, was in fact a turbulent mass of texture which writhes in front of your eyes while the solid coloured corners seemed to struggle to contain it within the confines of the canvas. All the works provoked similar responses where flat colour competed against thick texture, circles contrasted crisp lines and edges, bright primary colours interplayed in large expanses, squares, lines and rectangles to lead the eye around a certain way, all in a constant mood of movement and turbulence.

Each work we discussed in terms of how these elements interplayed and what feelings these reltationships evoked. Mrkusich's works can be compared to the likes of another iconic American artist, colour field painter Mark Rothko whose large scale canvases contained large washes of colour with floating and pulsating rectangles and squares. The purpose of these works is to set up a space for the viewer to stand in front of and mediate, relflecting upon the emotions evoked by the colours to create a very personal repsonse based on what each individual brings to the work and such an effect was the same when we encountered Mrkusich's works. By removal of any recognisable figure or even a title, the viewer is forced to bring their own meaning to the work and that is why I love absract art.

I was thrilled to see this exhibition as it was the first time I saw his works, previously only learning from small colour reproductions which hugely reduce the impact. I always find it unfortunate that people approach abstract art with a very narrow mind and the attitude of 'oh, I could've done that.' Perhaps that is true that anyone can grab a canvas, fling paint at it and call it abstract art but the purpose of that is in fact only to fling paint at a canvas. Where the incentive to create and evoke drives the creation, that is what I feel justifies abstract art.

Coming up in Part 3: Ryan and Judit wander across town on foot to Newmarket...tune in next installment to see what hilarity ensues. May contain traces of Lego and geese.

Low down, Lego and lots of walking - Part 1.

Part 1: The Low Down on High Art
Judit and Ryan's journey begins from Britomart on a sunny Saturday midday...

The Therapeutic Hour: Art History Explained.
Having studied and fallen in love with art history last year, I knew this was an event not to miss. My passion is not often shared and yet it was easy to get Ryan to come along with, even with the risk of me starting to babble on about art, which was guaranteed to happen.

I've been to many art history lectures in the past year with varying degrees of success and this particular one promised "an illustrated lecture in rhyming verse" complete with "explosive deconstruction of Art Historical Theories - there may be fireworks", presented as part of the Auckland Fringe Festival. Yet nothing could've prepared me for the presenter, Kristelle Plimmer, M.A,, walking in on stilts. Mind you, I didn't really think the entire thing would be in rhyming verse either.

It was definitely a unique way to discuss art history, though some of the theories discussed were even a little complex for me, and I like to think I have a bit of a grasp on art history. The unique nature of the presentation made it very easy to listen to as the poetic verse kept a consistent rhythm throughout which was easy to get swept up in, even if you lost the thread of the theories being explained, hence easy enough to get drawn back into it. This rhythm was accentuated by and reflected in the presenter's constant yet gentle and mesmerizing movement on the stilts, both to keep balance and emphasize the point she was trying to make, involving her whole self in the presentation. One couldn't help but be drawn in and engaged by her body language, even if the topic went a little over one's head.

In terms of content, some of the ideas she discussed were familiar from many hours of our art history scholarship discussion group last year. Familiarity with some of the art works she presented in the slides also helped in my understanding, in particular the feminist art works from the late 1970s to late 1980s by the likes of Barbara Kruger and Judy Chicago. I'd studied these artists in depth so could relate more to the points she was making around them.

She brought up the idea that the study art history as a narrative or linear was not comprehensive and instead used the analogy of a maze, filled with many possible entry points, pathways and dead ends. Essentially, art is a reaction to and reflection of what has come before it, as well as serving as a representative of time, place and personal quirk. I will take this moment to shamelessly admit that I have a terrible head for history but art I can understand. Hence, it has been very useful that most of what I know about history, has been learnt through my study of art and the contexts in which it is created. We can learn about a society by the art work which comes out of it, as sort of a place marker. However, even where a work can be placed and read in this context, we can extrapolate in search of universal truths.

When presented with any art work, we will look automatically for meaning, understanding. The best thing I took away from a year of studying art history was how to look for this meaning. As with something like the Yinka Shinobare exhibition where I mentioned I didn't know a lot of the historical references behind the work, I could still look for other ways I could approach the work and bring meaning to it for me using what I know about art. The presenter discussed individual judgement based on taste and sensory experience, are aesthetic pleasures universal? Anyone can judge beauty and aesthetics based on their personal reaction.

I think that the many different interpretations people have of art and hence the many theories which have formed around it are a reflection as such, a catalyst or "locus for discussion". In the same sort of way Charles talked about architecture, I believe art is best out in the public sphere where different interpretations bring many layers of discussion and meaning. I enjoyed this lecture as it made me think again about the elusive meaning of art. The reason art can be so controversial and this truth so elusive is in fact because it is not a simple linear narrative, and it can't be a simple linear narrative because we keep going back to study it, making links, forming new opinions and ideas through discussion. I always found last year that after discussion a quote, theory or artwork, my opinion of it would often change.

Which brings me nicely to a quote to sum up on: "Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions." - Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Art history has in one year broadened my way of thinking so drastically, and one day I hope to go back and study more extensively to understand more about history and the human emotions, thoughts and feelings expressed in art.

Coming up in Part 2: Ryan and Judit make meaningful commentary on abstract art.

Acrobats, Belly Dancers, Pirates, oh my!

It is good to interact and engage with any performance, exhibition or display you go to , but at times you'd rather crawl under the table that be picked as an audience participant. I went along of my own will to 1001 Knights, another show as part of The Auckland Fringe Festival yet Iwalked into the Gelatos with no idea what to expect. Right from when I set foot in the door, I was surprised. It was a small theater with seats around tables rather than in rows and it was evident that there would be plenty of interaction between the performers and the audience. The program boasted an upcoming Slave Auction at some point during the show with user instructions on caring for said slaves, helpful information such as that they .were safe for use around pets and small children but it was not recommended that you do not iron them. I was quick to make sure I was flanked on both sides by two people.

From beginning to end, the peformers were all alive, vibrant and dynamic. In the small space, there was always action and movement, never a passive character. They took you on a journey through the Bazaar of Bizarre Temptations (there is a reason this show only started at 9:30pm!) in a display of acrobatics, dancing, sword fighting and a string of particularly bad pirate jokes. For a cast of about 20, they managed to pull of a wide array of characters and settings aided by stunning costumes rich in colour and well thought out to reflect the character archetypes. Huge respect for some of the pirate girls who managed to dance in stiletto heeled boots!

The acrobatics were perhaps a little shaking but to say that every performer had heart would be an understatement. They used the space well, moving off the stage into the audiences' space and did in fact auction off two slaves while donating two others for use as canvasses to be painted during intermission. The entire show conlcuded with a humorous twist and the entire cast coming into the audiences space and managed to get most of the crowd up and dancing with them.

Okay, perhaps I am a little biased as I am friends with most of the performers which is mostly why I went along in the first place, not really one for the burlesque and riske style of entertainment. This is the part where I would try read some deeper meaning or message into the performance but on this rare occassion, I can't find one. It was light hearted and humourous, deeming no joke as inappropriate, shamelesly suggestive and unsubtle, with some plot which got swept up in an all dancing "experience of savage beauty." I enjoyed this show and like most of the audience, was captivated by the graceful and mesmerizing movements of the bellydancers at the end.

Not however something you'd go see with your parents.

Colour and Movement

As with the Suitcase Show, Yinka Shonibare's exhibition over at the Auckland Art Gallery was similarly interactive. The exhibition included several life sized sculptures of human figures, so accurate in recreation and detail down to the intricate costuming in vibrant colours that you were automatically drawn to them when you entered the room. They were suspended in motion, so perfectly balanced that it seemed that they were to come to life any moment and start moving. The catch? They were all headless so as to remove any identity. I circled around them, taking in every careful detail, every angle giving a different viewpoint and visually powerful image. One is so completely tempted to step in and touch and physically interact with the sculpture.

Image: Reverend on Ice

The exhibition covers a vast range of media, including large scale photography and film as well as the sculptures. He explores ideas around social class, culture, identity and authenticity while making references back to art history. The entire exhibition is linked as a coherent whole by the stunning costuming and fabric which remains consistent throughout the works.

There were two works which drew me in the most. One work took up an entire gallery wall with a large scale black single paint splatter which spread even onto the ceiling. In the middle of it were several protruding circles of different sizes, covered in thick paint and the same coloured fabric. The sheer scale of it meant that you could couldn't walk past it, it was a work you had to stand in front of and engage with. It was reminiscent of an in fact, a reference to the large scale drip paintings by the like of Jackson Pollock. It wasn't quite as dynamic or visually complex as a Pollock but it had the same sort of level of engagement and gave the impression that it extended beyond the boundaries of any canvas or frame. As with a Pollock painting, it if one of those works you have to experience by being in front of it as a small colour reproduction in a book or pamphlet would lose most of the impact.

Image: Black Gold I.

The second work was one of the films which featured two ballerinas dancing in front of an empty frame, mirroring each others movements perfectly in synchronization so that one would not even know that the frame was not actually a mirror except that one ballerina was white and the other black. They were situated in completely dark void which seemed to go on forever around them, empty besides the frame and the dancers. It had no music and the only sounds were that of the dancers' breathing, the ruffle of their clothing and their shoes on the ground. I did not understand a lot of the historical meanings behind his works but especially in this work, the messages which came through to me were that of duality and identity. History is rich with cultural disagreements and the message which came through the film sequence was that where the focus was on the dancers' movements and how they were perfectly identical but one was always drawn to the fact that even though they were the same, there would always be tensions for the colour of their skin. It was the paradoxical 'same but not the same.'

Image: Still from moving media

I enjoyed this exhibition in an artistic sense but if I were to go again, would try go in with a bit more background understanding on the issues he explores around history. Even though I've studied art history, a lot of the supposed references were lost on me, bar a few renown paintings in the background of his photographs. Though I personally use photography as my own strongest artistic medium, I was not as drawn by his photographs. They were visually striking like all of the works and again, the sheer large scale of them and the surreal nature of the manipulated images made them impossible to bypass but there was nothing to keep you drawn in and engaged. Perhaps that was because I lacked the knowledge of the historical context which would've enable me to look for meaning and symbolism and the 2D nature of it, unlike the sculptures, left me more passive in response to it. I would've liked to see more of the sculptures as they were the works that I engaged with the most. Overall, I did enjoy the exhibition I would recommend this exhibition to anyone interested in fashion and dance as he manages to very successfully incorporate these strains of the arts into his works.

I left the gallery feeling artistically inspired, wanting to go sew a colourful costume and dance.

The suitcases are on the move again!

Excess: The Suitcase Show
Why just view a performance, when you can interact with it and participate? As intended by the performers, of course. As part of the Auckland Fringe Festival, Conrad Coom and Ed made their way down Queen Street with 100 suitcases in tow. I took their word for it as I lost count at 80.

Upon stumbling across their stack of suitcases, I couldn't resist, I had to join in this piece of interactive art. They'd stopped briefly just outside Aotea Square with the suitcases lined up in almost a grid but as they were all different shapes, sizes and colours, it was visually very interesting: each time you looked, you saw something new.

I chatted to Ed for a while, inquiring of their journey. They hoped to eventually make their way down to Britomart and catch a train back home to Wellington but for now, they wanted to lock up the suitcases in the Town Hall for safekeeping overnight.

So with the help of many interested passerbys like myself, we then carried on the journey creating a line of suitcases up the stairs, along the footpath and the road (which was closed off at the time). So at once the suitcases were transformed into what was yet another very visually attractive arrangement snaking it's way up Queen Street. Once the chain was completed, they were compiled again, this time upwards into a circluar shaped fort.

At it's simplest level, it can be read as the commonly used metaphor of emotional and personal 'baggage' which we each carry with us which for whatever reason at times go into 'Excess'. Where the two lone men were overwhelmed by the vast quantity of suitcases, it was the interactive aspect of the performance which enabled the performance to happen and the baggage to be shifted. That is to say, it is easier to deal with our troubles with the help of those who are willing to share the load.

Another message which is good to take away is that of altruism. A selfless deed to help out even a complete stranger in need can have far reaching effects and is a quality perhaps not exercised enough. Even when just one person joined in to help out, other viewers then felt compelled to make the shift from viewer to participant and by doing so, is forced to engage with the work, think about it, and take away meaning, however they choose to interpret it.

This seemed to fit so perfectly following the previous weeks' acitivities of the first week of the BCT. We explored different ways of exploring, navigating and interacting with the city and with each other and this was yet another example of the infinite ways to journey from point A to B and meet people along the way. When we made the journey from Britomart to Aotea square, our route was defined by the protocol we had created. Likewise, the route Conrad and Ed take from Aotea Square to Britomart is defined by the protocol required to transport their suitcases also.

I have found that a lot of people don't actively make an effort to view art, arguing that they have never studied it and don't understand it so can't engage with it. I studied art history last year and rather than learning how to understand art, I learnt how to approach and read it. Exactly what constitutes as art is a heated and ongoing debate but what I like is that these temporary sculpture and interactive art exhibits help break down traditional mindsets of people that art should just be something you see in a gallery and can't physically interact with. I think that to overcome this mindset, people need to be shown different ways to approach and interact with art. So this fittingly brings me to a quote by one of my favourite artists, Claes Oldenburg, "I am for an art...that does something other than sit on its ass in a museum."

I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this event, it was definitely something a little out of the ordinary. I will add that, thankfully, the bags were in fact empty. And they say that girls overpack!