I have been a member of the V&A for over 4 years and, till now, only been able to realise the benefits occasionally. One of the best bits about lockdown has been the museum's increased online accessibility and Membership Mondays. This weeks focus included a piece on Althea McNish, a painter and textile designer who moved to London from Trinidad as an adult. She brought colour with her! These images are from the V&A collection. They inspire me to explore different patterns and colours on my impressed pieces -but I need access to my glazes.
Cant wait to get back in the UCLan studio.
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Anna was a previous MA student and then a lecturer at UCLan. Invited by Dave, she kindly came into the studios to talk to us when I had just started the MA, and subsequently gave took part in the Arts and Media Friday Lecture programme. You'd think she'd had enough of us but no - like the star she is, she joined a Teams meeting last Thursday to answer questions. Anna had outlined her career path to us, describing her training, influences, memorable advice (good and bad) and the development of her practice. She hand builds in earthenware and uses coloured slips made from stains and oxides. She is influenced by the local landscape around her, the natural world, climate change and environmental concerns, and uses her library of sketches accumulated over many years. She described her path from functional wares such as these, made by coiling, pinching and modelling through slab building and more landscape vessels with texture and complicated forms and using the slips in a more abstract way to these more recent pieces with much simpler shapes, using the pot as three dimensional canvas . This also allows her to alter the design as she goes along. Anna's work is very different from my current MA project but she was generous in sharing insights and knowledge -all of that always comes in handy! She made some comments which resonated with our group's discussions: "Its important for all artists to connect with people.......thats the point of art" When asked to elaborate she explained that the work needs to be seen in order for it to be taken forward and that " its deadening not to get any feedback" "Make what you enjoy ...and be prepared to say no to commissions that you dont want to do" During the MA she experimented "a lot" with colour in slips and now has a library of annotated test tiles. She has settled (as I have with glazes) on a combination of commercial stains and oxides. People can be put off by climate change messages - they like it kept light. At present she seems to be using grey a lot but thinks that as Covid restrictions lift, people need cheer and will want brighter colours. Memorable (positive) advice she handed on : start by approaching the best galleries with your work - they can only say no. More practical tips:
Thank you Anna! This may be my last blog inspired by my reading of Udo Weilacher's book. Ian Hamilton Finlay (1925-2006) was a Scottish writer then 'concrete' poet and artist, best known perhaps for 'Little Sparta', the garden around his home near the Pentland Hills. He and his young family moved to Stoneypath (later renamed 'Little Sparta') in 1966, as their previous home north of Inverness had no water supply. Stoneypath was little better but did have one and a half hectares of bleak moorland. Finlay set about digging two ponds and Sue, his wife, dug out flower beds, weeded and planted the garden. The house was very basic and they had little money so the garden was developed gradually, initially with donated plants and cuttings, learning as they went along and adding garden structures such as windbreaks, paths trellises and walls. As a poet, Finlay added words; poems, quotes and aphorisms cut into stone or wood in addition to sculptural pieces. Some of these arose in response to experiences in the garden such as hearing the curlew or wind in the trees; others to classical literature or to the turmoil of the French revolution. Later he was commissioned to design outdoor spaces and sculpture elsewhere. Weilacher (p90) says 'the works which Finlay has realised throughout the world....increase our perceptive ability also in as far as our own cultural history is concerned'. Finlay was consciously rebelling against what he saw as a decline in cultural values- by which I assume he meant classical education and referencing. Indeed the renaming of 'Stoneypath' as 'Little Sparta' was apparently a direct response to conflict with the art establishment in Edinburgh -the 'Athens of the North'. His references were not all classical however; the capitals on the gateposts above look remarkably like hand grenades. Finlay started his artistic career as a Concrete Poet. I had to look up what this is and for those similarly ignorant, here is one of his as an example. Unfortunately I still don't understand the the difference between concrete and visual poetry which Finlay said was 'completely different'. Little Sparta is now (usually ) open to the public 4 afternoons a week over the summer months. I do plan to visit and make up my mind 'in person' and maybe I will find more meaning in the multiple words with a guide book in my hand. I start from a position however of disliking labels on visual art, or on clothing, though factual labels (discreetly) giving the name of a plant are always welcome! I first read about the garden in 'The Making of Place'. I found the classical referencing (emphasised by Hunt) a real bar to appreciation; it struck me as elitist and pretentious. Since then I have come across the official guide book, critiques and accounts by Weilacher and by others. The one I found most helpful was a YouTube video by the Tate galleries. In it, his son Alec, also a poet and artist, talks about how his parents created the garden together, and about his father's poetry. The (written) poems he said were minimal because the garden itself (the flowers, the fall of the light, the sounds) was part of them. The placement of each piece is therefore crucial. This is taking concrete poetry to a new level. Alec went on to say that the house and land had been gifted to his parents by his mother, Sue Finlay's family, and that in response his parents had created something for everyone, not simply to appreciate it as it is, but that 'anyone with even a small garden can think of it and experience it as a work of art' Little Sparta was clearly an intensely personal creation for Finlay, who suffered from agoraphobia. Though he could work in the garden he rarely went elsewhere. From that base he could write and design other gardens and installations. He is quoted as saying that one really has to understand the landscape before making a garden; the accounts of his wife and son however do not suggest any advance deliberations or a fixed overall plan for Little Sparta, more a willingness to respond and develop. Although Finlay composed the poetry, the lettering whether on stone or wood was executed by others; a collaboration. Little Sparta is not a sculpture garden, or simply a personal domestic space of retreat. It seems to me to be a piece of concrete nature poetry. I am looking forward to that visit. Campbell, J 'Ian Hamilton Finlay:The Concrete Poet as an Avant Gardener'. The Guardian, Manchester . Published online 16th November 2012
Finlay, S. 'The Planting of a Hillside Garden' New Arcadian Journal (No 61/62, 2007), also now on the Little Sparta website Hunt, J. D. The Making of Place: Modern and Contemporary Gardens. United Kingdom: Reaktion Books 2015 Tate Shots Ian Hamilton Finlay:Little Sparta. Youtube. Published on line 8th November 2012 Weilacher, U, "Between Landscape Architecture and Land Art". Birkhauser. Basel Berlin Boston 1999 This blog entry is again on one of the practitioners highlighted in 'Between Landscape Architecture and Land Art'. Professor Peter Latz (b 1939) is the son of an Architect and grew up in the ruins of postwar Germany. This, together with the imperative to grow food for the family (he developed an orchard then sold it to fund his studies), has clearly influenced him. This is a landscape architect truly interested and knowledgeable about plants. His work could be seen as merely rehabilitating industrial sites, but is it more transformative than that. To quote Weilacher (p121)he 'rejects ideas which seek to portray in terms of a bygone Arcadian ideal. Instead he points out the value of everyday nature, claiming it has much to offer our day to day life -more than cultivated sterility which forever has to fulfill functional criteria' Latz claims to embrace natural processes -for instance the erosion of a slag heap rather than preserving the form, and in two of his most prominent early projects (' Hafeninsel' or 'Harbour Island' and 'Duisburg North Landscape Park' has actively incorporated remaining structures and materials as well as celebrating the (sometimes quite rare) plants that had come to flourish on the contaminated sites. The latter was a 200 hectare iron and steel plant which closed in 1985. During its redevelopment former employees and their families were employed and involved. It opened 25 years ago and has now become an international attraction, included by Rowan Moore in his 2015 'Guardian' article as one of the ten best urban gardens, alongside parks in Sao Paulo, Paris, Florence and the Summer Palace gardens in Beijing. 'Duisburg Nord' however also includes a climbing wall, cycle tracks, a scuba diving pool and a concert venue. Most of the many visitors are there to enjoy the varied garden areas within the historical site. In the 2020 interview Latz said that keeping those traces of the past was important "there are many stories from the past, all very different....this gives them room to be told" These images are all of 'Duisburg Nord' . This park is not, at over 400 acres, on a domestic scale but it is made up of a number of smaller areas (almost garden rooms). He has worked within these to create a huge variety of spaces responding to what was already there - the 'syntax of landscape'. I particularly liked his discussion with Weilacher, when he refers to "using the whole repertoire of garden art", and his use of temporary planting whilst another (such as a ribbon of roses) matures and takes its place in the design. There are over 700 plant species in the park - this is no manicured landscape where plants are incidental. He quotes influences such as Italian Renaissance gardens - good examples of both structure and planting - in his work. No wonder 'Duisburg Nord' has also featured in BBC Gardeners World, when Peter Latz was interviewed and gave the second quote above. I look forward to visiting. Gardeners World BBC 2. broadcast 3rd October 2020, now available to view on Facebook.
Moore, R. The 10 best. The Guardian. Manchester. 7th August 2015 Weilacher, U, "Between Landscape Architecture and Land Art". Birkhauser. Basel Berlin Boston 1999 I have gone back to 'Between Landscape Architecture and Land Art' to consider more of these artists and their work. The interviews recounted were followed up with further reading. Hannsjorg Voth is a German artist born 1940, who has according to one website: 'desire to investigate the elementary relationships in nature and their fundamental connections with man'. He is particularly known for the works he has created in the Moroccan Desert. The first of these, 'Himmel Streppe' Sky Stairway, was built 1985-87. It has echos of ancient calendars and pyramids, and stands alone 'marking a place' in the desert and (according to Weilacher) linking the earth and the infinity of the sky. It is constructed of mud bricks and contains living quarters. There is a well nearby and seen on his wife's photograph' 'Goldene Spirale' (Golden Spiral built 1993-97), can be seen from the first. It is 3m tall at the centre, but from there there is a staircase descending 27 steps to two areas for working and living, then a further 100 to a well on which floats a symbolic boat 'protected by a shrine' (p58), and 'immersed in meditative contemplation of the origin of life' 'Stadt des Orion' (City of Orion 1998 - 2003) is the 3rd of his major works in the desert, seen on the left as a plan, relating to the stars and completed (R). The towers are built in proportion to the size and brightness of the stars in Orion. Like the other two, it has a well so is of use to the local population. In contrast, Voth has also created urban public works . 'Zwischen Sonnentor und Mondplatz' (Between Gate of the Sun and Court of the Moon ) is in the street area linking the different parts of the European Patent Office. He was initially reluctant to accept the commission in Munich because it involved tailoring his design to a particular site and to a human scale. It is likely that without the title many passers by would appreciate it significance, but as street art it certainly seems to add quality to a previously dull space. At noon the suns rays travel through the 'gate' across the pool of shallow water which contains representations of the phases of the moon. The work reminds me strongly of the Chinese Temple of Heaven seen in this image (taken as a photo of my postcard montage). The Temple was built in the reign of the Yongle Emperor as a place of ritual animal sacrifice, where the Emperor as representative of the sun, twice a year implored the heavens for a good harvest. Voth uses ancient religious imagery and symbols from the Egyptians, Phoenicians and the Aztecs. He seems to be positioning the artist - and perhaps himself - in the position of a priest, intervening and interpreting for society. On page 65 of 'Landscape Architecture' Weilacher quotes him as saying "Art has basically -like religion- always been a means of overcoming fears. Abstract, not tangible things were given artistic form. The ensuing objects were used in rituals. Whoever was best able to give material form to these fears, was an artist. In other words artists only gave visual expression to what was culturally and essentially necessary for people . The interaction can be traced through the history of all religions. " He uses symbols which have spiritual meaning and and is disappointed when people do not understand. " I dont see why I have to provide a visual work with words of explanation" but if he submits work for a competition " I can understand if and explanation is required; the people who have to make the decisions usually use words....and what is purely visual is not very accessible to them" and " people can only understand art if they confront it continually" Hannsjorg Voth creates work which is between Sculpture and Land Art with themes which relate to the physical universe, but he still has something to offer to those operating on a more human scale. https://www.sensesatlas.com/territory/architecture/hannsjorg-voth-connecting-the-earth-to-the-stars/ Weilacher, U, Between Landscape Architecture and Land Art. Birkhauser. Basel Berlin Boston 1999 I came accros this 2016 BBC film while I was looking for background information on Land and Nature Art (see blog from 17/1/21). We discussed it during our informal student chat today (12 March). This blog post is based on the film, plus my other internet researches on the featured artists, and enriched by our discussion. Thank you all! The film is presented by James Fox, an Art Historian from Emanuel College, Cambridge. Dr Fox specialises in modern art. He discussed art made outside, of Nature, and from Nature. The range of topics was wide, provoking quite a bit of student discussion about the nature of Art. For instance:
Back to Dr Fox: "the greatest Art makes the familiar seem unfamiliar and makes us look at the world in an entirely new way" The selected artists and artworks were all interesting. However, to my mind, not all of it really comes under the umbrella of "Land Art" or "Nature Art". We discussed how important (or not) these labels are; particularly as the categories can be a bit vague. I would suggest that they are useful in organising our thinking. Here is my previous diagram, with the addition of gardens as "Creative Gardening". James Fox did include gardens; indeed, his introduction to the subject was in a traditional walled flower garden. However, the discussion focussed on Henry Hoare's Stourhead estate. Developed from 1744 onwards, that garden was thought to have been inspired by French landscape painting and to embody 'fantasy made real'. Fox states 'all gardens are worlds within worlds' and that they are our attempt to shape and posses nature. Fox also quoted Alexander Pope (1688 –1744) who asserted that "all gardening is landscape painting". In addition to being a poet and essayist, Pope was an authority on garden design, basing his style on what he understood of Classical gardens and architecture. His ideas must have influenced the garden at Stourhead, which includes altered landscape, architectural features and statues with allegorical meaning, perhaps belonging near 'a' on the plan above. Fox then went on to discuss 'the Garden of Cosmic Speculation' created by Charles Jencks, a Landscape Architect. I have not visited that garden, but have seen a number of images. To me, this is not so much a garden but more land art. It is outside, but the living elements are mainly grass. Almost the same effect could be produced by bare red clay (while also avoiding the mowing). The environment and nature are tightly controlled here; the 'stars' are the sculpted mounds and the way they interplay with light. I therefore think it belongs at 'b' in my diagram. In the film Jencks makes the point that these structures need to be bigger than people in order for them to have the effect, and we agreed that this was a place very difficult to judge through images -we should visit then assess. Both these gardens are attached to what are or were private houses and were created for the owners pleasure. However, neither really relate to the more domestic setting and scale that I am aiming my garden ceramics towards. The film started with 'forest' and the work of David Nash. (see also 17th Jan). As a group we discussed the artist's other works, which are made from felled wood and which are subject to more immediate decay than 'Ash Dome'. Nash prefers to use rough hewn wood, and to allow natural processes to take their course, as in 'Cracking Box', which has shrunk and split as the wood dried out . The piece is displayed inside, and is more of a classical sculpture. Another well known work, 'Boulder' , is a nature art sculpture; carved from a large tree trunk it has been set free from its landscape to float towards the sea and disintegrate. Returning to the open air, Fox then focused on Andy Goldsworthy whose work is, I suggest, Nature Art or Environmental Art. He showed the 'Tilberthwaite Fold' and other sheepfolds rebuilt across Cumbria; each one re-using local stone to give new life and meaning to the structures. The artist was shown attempting to build a wall against a dead oak tree trunk -and not achieving it, as the wall collapsed on each occasion. For Goldsworthy at least, who talks about failing to make a work, completion of the art work however fleeting, is the important act, rather than the attempts. Some of Goldsworthy's work is intended to be much more transient than a wall. For example he has made sculptures in ice, nettle stems or this one made with leaves and petals. The themes appeared to vary widely. One, a wall that wandered on and off the boundary with a farmer so that they each were using 'each others' land, challenged 'ownership'. Another was the process of creating out of destruction, ('The Spire', a 90ft tower constructed from felled tree trunks in Golden Gate National Park), yet another was simply raising awareness of the wonderful colours all around us in natural woodland. Goldsworthy explained this in his illustrated Glenmorangie lecture, which is well worth a watch. Dr Fox (and his team!) took a trip to the Outer Hebrides to consider the fire stacks constructed by Julie Brook.(c) These may be unseen by anyone but the artist and prompted interesting discussions on 'does a performance need to be observed ? It was clear that although Fox knew about the fire stacks prior to filming, actually being present was very powerful. The camera crew captured some memorable images. Another artist whose work is mainly in the creation is Richard Long (b1945). In addition to his 1967 work 'A Line Made by Walking' he has also made semi-permanent works in the landscape ('Tame Buzzard Line' 2001) and museum installations. Works such as this one, called 'Granite Crossing' are also for sale on Artnet. To quote a clip in the BBC film "its Art if Richard Long says it is" . The final artist to be featured was the American, James Turrell b1943, whose Quaker grandmother is reported to have told him 'Look within yourself and welcome the light'. Turrell's 'Skyspace' sculpture can be seen at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. It is a frame through which to contemplate the sky. The plain frame may be land art, but the effect surely verges on mindfulness. The film tells us that James Fox was entranced and stayed for many hours, until the light faded. Maybe art is in the experience. Goldsworthy, A. The Glenmorangie Annual Lecture. National Museums of Scotland. 2012 Youtube
Parker, E POET AND… GARDEN DESIGNER? ALEXANDER POPE AT CHISWICK HOUSE AND MARBLE HILL History Uncovered. English Heritage Blog Post 19 May 2018 |
AuthorI am indulging my passion for ceramics by undertaking studies for an MA at UCLAN Archives
August 2021
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