Don't fuck with the planet, it's where I keep all my stuff...

"Scientists have confirmed that there are millions of tonnes of plastic floating in an area of ocean known as the North Pacific Gyre....currents have carried millions of tonnes of rubbish into the centre of the gyre, which now covers an area estimated to be larger than the US state of Texas."
This upsets me! no end. Seriously, we're f**king the planet! Ah well, I have heaps of plastic baby bottles, so maybe I can make something with them which represents my disgust more eloquently than words...


this is an installation which I made last year: 'Don't fuck with the planet, it's where I keep all my stuff!' (below) which was about air quality pollution... and our temporary cover measures... and that was pretty well a turning point for my work, which has been on an environmental bent ever since...

I'm having a frustrating day, where it feels like there is little I can do. I know, changing myself and my immediate circle is the best I can do...
but some days even that seems too hard, and like all humans, I get wrapped up in my own little world; having a cry about my fucked up hair cut (I got 'jackassed'... a large strip of no hair, so I'm now down to a grade one all over again...) seemed more immediate yesterday than the effect my existance has on the natural environment. I feel guilty about it, but that's the way life is sometimes. I have to continually remind myself that if I'm doing my best, I can't ask anymore of myself.

In other news...
Green Peace is using ice sculptures too... must be something in that eh? I have something somewhat like this planned for Wanganui, although, not on such a massive scale, and also to do with the RIVER as much as the global warming.. interesting.

One hundred days before governments meet in Copenhagen to decide what they will do to stop climate change.
One billion men, women and children in Asia facing drought from climate change.
Time is running out.
We need that climate summit to take fair and effective action to stop climate change, or like these ice children, our futures will melt away. These melting statues represent the melting glaciers in the Greater Himalayan region which are melting faster than ever before because of climate change.And without these glaciers more than one billion people will go thirsty.Western scientists and Chinese scientists agree on the accelerated melting.

HOW COOL IS THIS? pretty damn cool if you ask me, new technology meets old masterpieces and makes them Interactive. So cool that my S.O wants to go to Beijing to see it!

Good on em!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/8221283.stm
Maybe we should do something like that here...

Weathering the Perfect Storm? What can I do?

Yeah, I've been on BBC's Science/Environment page again. At least they're reporting something, not many other media groups even bother. I'm well aware of the fact that all media releases are biased in one way or another, but the scientific community has been unanimous in telling us, "you're fucking the planet," for years!

"The UK's chief scientist John Beddington has warned that by 2030 the rising global population will create a 'perfect storm' of food, energy and water shortages - unless the world changes its ways.

But despite virtually unanimous academic opinion, half of us still believe science is divided on whether mankind's activities contribute to climate change, and more than a quarter of us don't think our individual behaviour makes any difference to the environmental crisis."

These few articles have got me wondering, just how we're going to survive cause it's one thing to talk about changing lifestyles and habits, it's another thing to actually do it. I've been trying to get my family into a meat+dairy free day a week, but resistance to change from the carnivorous males of the pride is fierce. Especially from the alpha male, who is passive-aggressively stuck in his ways. Maybe I need to get him a 'smart meter' so he can measure what he's saving on electricity/energy if he changes things. But even the suggestion that we use my partner Becca's new model Fridge instead of our ten-year-old-with-leaky-seals one in the kitchen have been met with stubborn resistance.

The more I read about the state of the planet, and the more I discuss it with those that are working in Ecology or Conservation, the more I want to be able to make a difference. This is the driving force behind my art work at the moment. Science is so vital to our existence, but the communication between scientific communities and the rest of the world is often not as effective as it needs to be.

I think if more artists can push into making art 'environmentally' or making art which is conceptually charged about important climate/political issues, people will get a higher dose of exposure to the same message. We're living in a fundamentally visual culture, people have shorter attention spans due to television and new media, so why not show them images/artworks that challenge them to think about the state of things, which might prompt them into doing their own reading on the subject, which may inspire change.

I know there's a lot of maybes and mights, but I think sensationalism. globalisation and the media have made people feel like the problems are so huge, that they can't actually do anything about them. This goes for so many things.

I remember as a child watching Save the Children Fund adverts showing hundreds of children that were starving, these adverts were overwhelming, the poverty and sickness such huge things that it felt inaccessible. But when they changed to having the story of a single child, it became accessible, and more people felt like there was something they could do. This is the kind of model that needs to be applied to climate change.

Yoko Ono was saying on twitter the other day, that everyone should try and do 'Meat free Mondays' because the impact of that alone on the level of methane etc. released into the environment. It was good to know I'm not the only one trying to encourage that. And I'm sure she has a lot more clout than I do! It's little things like this that everyone needs to start doing. Even remember to turn the lights off. Scientists are already calling this the age of waste! That's not a name I want to be branded with.

I was speaking to Marty Vreede about my Waiora piece the other day, and my concern for the fresh water systems in this country. He told me that he's been saying to people for years that the wars in 100years time are going to be over water, and as such, NZ is in deep trouble - there is huge rainfall on the West Coast of the South Island, war could come here.

Surely it's better to act now than reach times where things like that, and the predicted food, energy and water shortage of 2030 which is being branded 'Perfect Storm'.

From my point of view, I've got reason to fight for a better future that I never really had before. After years of depression and uncertainty about whether I'd be around much longer, I've come to a place where I'm very settled, grounded, and sure of what I'm doing with my life. A lot of that is down to meeting my partner Becca.

The impact that having her in my life has been profound. The love and support she gives me allow me the freedom to pursue anything, secure in the knowledge that even if it doesnt all go to plan, I'll still have stability.

The exposure I've had through her, and her passion for Ecology, to the academic/scientific community in Massey's Ecology department has really influenced my work. It has given me artistic direction for this year and probably the foreseeable future.

Having the stability to plan a future with her has allowed me to push my work in ways that I may not have had the courage to otherwise. It's something that I can not thank her enough for. But the great part about our relationship is that she's found similar inspiration in my passion for Art, and my pushing through to forge my career. It does feel like together we can make changes. Together we've found a future that's worth fighting for, for us and our children...

BTW if you missed it 60minutes on NZ's Freshwater.

All reading, no comments

http://www.artrabbit.com/has been keeping me entertained this morning. I don't have many other gems to add. I'm writing an essay comparing the 'Environmental Artists' Andy Goldsworthy and Olafur Eliasson for public art. So more on that later.

I go where the party takes me...

Well, sometimes I do. Was in Palmy on Saturday night, so decided to drop into the opening for I go where the party takes me photo exhibition at thermostat gallery. We didn't have much time, as we had an appointment at 18:00 with Mr.B, but we went in at 17:30, so got a good half hour to peruse the work and chat with others there. Becca and I both really liked Leigh Mitchell Anyon's work, I thought the circular format worked really well with the subject. The video piece was fun, because I knew a lot of the people in it, but I'm not sure I would have liked it as much if they were unfamiliar faces. It was good to see student work getting out there, and good to see that there was a fair few people that had travelled over to Palmy to see it. Was a shame we couldn't stay longer, but there's always other times...

A DATE!!! OMG

So the launch of my Waiora work is going to be on September 4th at the Page Blackie Gallery in Wellington :D
Exciting Much?

60 Minutes on NZ's freshwater systems

Dr Mike Joy was on 60 minutes tonight explaining in layman's terms that we're screwing our freshwater systems. His seminar at Massey was a major factor in my Waiora entry, and hopefully, if as many people as possible keep pushing the message, it'll get out there and positive things will start to happen!

"Sorry mate. Some pants or something. Thank you."

So, (if you're Marc Quinn*), you can put a naked statue of a pregnant woman with physical disabilities on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square. (I know, I was there when it was put up :) ). But if you're Joe Public, taking part in Antony Gormleys One&Other** project you are not allowed to be naked, because that's just indecent exposure... sorry what?!
Art has always contained nudity, what's the big deal, it's not like he was having a wank, although that's ok/art if you're Vito Acconci! Each of the 2400 people that get to stand on the plinth for an hour were supposed to be able to have their say about whatever they want, if you're a nudist, why should you be banned? Ah well, negative publicity is better than no publicity right?

*Speaking of Marc Quinn, I've been looking at his Bloodhead presentation and thinking about my Venus work, and whether or not I'll use refrigeration or dry ice... leaning toward dry ice I think..

**the one&other website has a livestreaming video, and when I was searching round this today there was a young chap playing his drum kit on the plinth, and he was pretty damn good! Good to hear the public getting behind him too... yay performance art!

Twitt...er?

As loathed as I am, group instructed me to set up a twitter for our exhibition: so here it is.
http://twitter.com/HalfaConvo
We're having an exhibition for studio dissertation, and we're looking for as many opinions/comments as possible! They will be exhibited :) You know you want to!!!

FAD newsletter and early morning ramblings.

So I subscribe to the FAD newsletter, which sends me a daily update of random things going on in the art world. This morning there was a video interview with D*Face about street art, and a link about Antony Gormely (who I've mentioned before) whose Domain Fields is at The Garage Space for Contemporary Culture in Moscow.It is reportedly "a huge installation of 287 sculptures made from the body moulds of 200 volunteers." Gormley loves his multiples! I really like the ephemeral quality of this work. The space in and around the figures, but how long did this take to make? and how many assistants!?
The mind boggles.

But perhaps more importantly, the FAD post about Gormley linked back to Art Observed, which has news about contemporary and modern art exhibitions, mostly based in New York... it seems pretty similar to Daily Serving well, at least in format, and both can be found in my links bar as well.

I also found on my meanderings (on a Russian Art News site) reference to a recently discovered Venus figure in Germany.
This "Venus" - Venus of Hohle Fel-is reportedly 35000 years old. As with most of the other ancient 'Venus' figurines that have been found, the most emphasised areas are the breasts and genitalia, and the ring carved above its shoulders suggests it was worn as a pendant.

I've been researching the Venus figurines for quite a while now, and have found many conflicting view points as to what they were for. One Dr has even suggested they were carved in the shape of psychedelic mushrooms. Others have suggested they were self portraits, although I'm not sure how much clout this argument has, because even if you're looking down at your own body, you know what other women look like!

The most realistic options in my opinion, are either the 'earth mother/goddess' theories - where the land was looked on as a plentiful 'mother' and worshiped as such, or as a fertility symbol, why else would you emphasise the breasts/stomach/genitalia? It's hard to discount or agree with any theory though, because the best we have are guesses, and we can't but help project our modern day perspective onto things from the past.

Having said that, from what research/archeology has shown us, the climate at the time of the creation of these figurines was pretty harsh, and human technology was still evolving,
people of that time would have been living on the edge - so if they had women as large as that, it meant that they'd had plentiful food for quite some time.

Although, a friend recently pointed out, it may have just been a depiction of a particular woman by someone who was fond of her, I'm not sure they would have found so many with similar features if that was the case.

This paper, has interesting analysis of the Willendorf Venus, and ponders whether it was carved by a male or female. (The Willendorf Venus is perhaps the most universally recognised of all the Venus figurines, and it's the one I'm using in a piece currently.)

Whatever the Venus figurines were used for then, in a modern context, they come to mean something else entirely. Obesity of the developed world, greed, capitalism, the time of waste...dying from hunger,

and dying from hunger....

makes mapping my research seem pretty insignificant! Some how justifying my existence by getting an education and making artwork that speaks to the current global instability, most days I feel like it's a worthwhile thing to do. Not every day though. And what can I possibly know, what perspective can I bring from my middle-class upbringing, that can change the perspective of those around me?

when the media sensationalises things, and you feel like you're helpless to do anything, I think the only thing you can do is change yourself, and those in your immediate circle if you can. We've been encouraging recycling and turning things off at wall at my house, it's not much, but it's a start. I've been trying to get one 'vegetarian' night a week, but separating the men from their meat is quite tricky!

We were told recently to make art that speaks to other things, not just self referential art. I'm not sure where my Venus will sit in that, it speaks to lots of things, but it requires knowledge of the Venus figurines... so is it self referential?

I remember my Mother knew about the Willendorf Venus, and she's my Joe-Public meter: if she gets it, then most people will be able to relate to it on some level, if she goes "huh?" I'm pitching too high, and it's too much of an 'in-joke' for the art institution. So hopefully, it'll sit right.

The longer I wait to do this waiora thing the less confident I am in the art piece. I mean, the concept is ok. I just feel like.. it could have been more, maybe.
Ah well. Moving on to better things. (end ramble)

Bill Culbert Opening @ the Sarjeant Gallery

In the speeches they spoke about this piece. Which I really like. I think it's a beautiful photograph, and there's a subtlety about it which appeals to me.

A web search for Bill Culbert + light sculptures produces MANY hits, and lots of them are like this one, simple, yet very effective.

So it was exciting to be going to a Bill Culbert exhibition opening.

From outside the dome, looking in, from each perspective, the Wanganui 180Degrees installation is like this, the seemingly simple structure of lights, composed perfectly to change your perception of the space. Inside the dome, it was another story. I felt like I was being patronised as a viewer in a local gallery. Here's photos of your place, it's specific to you, you can relate to it. I related to it without the photos! and I'm sure most people would. It just felt like over kill. I didn't really respond to any of them, particularly the vista of Wanganui. I know they were in pairs, and hung on their sides, but it just didn't do it for me. I wanted to like it, to be wowed. I know that I wasn't the only one there who felt the same way; spoke to a few people that also made similar comments.

It was an interesting experience though, there were not many students, mostly the Art-elite of Wanganui and surrounding regions, which made for a more formal environment than I'm used to at openings. All in all, only slightly anticlimatical.

This site is genius. Public Art in the UK and internationally, with lots of resources, links and pictures!

Bahaha

"Ron English’s iconic Ronald McDonald inspired character gets the X-Ray treatment with the help of Japan’s Secret Base. The translucent orange exterior figure houses a glow in the dark inner skeleton and comes packaged in a Popaganda-labeled french fry box. I guess maybe he’s just big-boned?"

Class notes: Curatorial Process

Guest Speaker: Peter Ireland

• Practising Artist since 1968
• self taught
• 1981-now 46 solo shows, 85 group shows approx.
• work in lots of collections
• has been freelance curating since 1974
• photography writer/curator
• published in various journals and magazines
• currently in Te Papa Catalogue
• writing book 'Loaded shots'
• chooses to keep a low profile, however can be found on the web here, and here, and here.

CURATORIAL PROCESS:
Two Parts: Theoretical/Philosophical and Practical.

Past two decades has seen artists increasingly more involved in the curatorial process, fulltime artists have to curate, as well as practise, these days.
Art practise feeds curatorial practise which feeds the art practise.

Starting point/Hub:

WHAT IS THE POINT OF THE SHOW?
WHO IS THIS SHOW FOR?

The IDEA is very important.

Who is the show for? For you?
For your mates?
For arts professionals?
For the wider public?

Joe Public - someone from a small town with no art background needs to be considered as well as those from within the art world.

To be a successful exhibition it must be engaging.

If you show outside/above just "for you" it will show a level of unknow, where you will learn new things.Art is about what you don't know.

Arts Professionals - exhibitions aimed purely at this group often flop because they have no relations to Joe Public. Try not to exclude any viewers.

Modernism was about authenticity and originality, postmodernism is questioning those concepts.

Art - Art is either about a lot of things, or just about other art. 80% of contemporary art is only about other art. The 20% of contemporary art that is about a lot of things is the art that will most probably survive its own period.

Overly self referential art is generally not as successful.

Curator - Responsible for the idea - which should provoke thought in Art Professionals, whilst engaging Joe Public.

Don't get trapped in the institution.

Think rigorously, stay mentally alert, think outside the square!

There are different levels of engagement, theory is a galaxy of ideas, try to focus on one idea.

Theory- intellectualism - connotations.

Don't have to impress everyone/anyone. The artist's job is making good art.

Always.....

Fiona Hall | Australia b.1953 | Medicine bundle for the non-born child (detail) 1993–94 | Aluminium, rubber, plastic Layette comprising matinee jacket: 27.5 x 47.5 x 10cm, bootees: 7 x 5 x 8.5cm and bonnet: 13 x 13 x 6cm; rattle: 32 x 8.5 x 6cm; six-pack of baby bottles: 17 x 20 x 13cm | Purchased 2000. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation Grant | Collection: Queensland Art Gallery

Ai Weiwei: Han Dynasty Urn with Coca-Cola Logo, 1995; clay and paint; 12 x 12 x 12 in.; Sigg Collection.

Robert Rauschenberg (American, 1925-2008). Coca Cola Plan, 1958. Combine painting. 68 x 64 x 14 cm. (26 3/4 x 25 1/4 x 5 1/2 in.). The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, The Panza Collection.
Welcome to the World Famous Brand, the Luo Brothers, 2007

Also see Sharmila Shamant's work here.

So the coca-cola icon is by no means a stranger to contemporary art.
And it's not always being satirised, sometimes it's about recycling.
Although, that particular piece and the four related landmark sculptures, which, even I have to admit are pretty cool, were commissioned by coca-cola.. *twitch*
Coca-cola is a pet hate for me at the moment, though it is fairly hypocritical, because occasionally I still drink the stuff. What irrates me about it, however, is that it is cheaper than milk and bottled water! (not that we should be selling bottled water, but that's another issue/blog entirely...**) And with the developed world getting increasingly fatter... well.. you can see where I'm going with this.
It's not just the product, it's the way the corporation works, and its lack of ethics, particularly in developing countries. But it is also, in a sad way, symbolic of our times...


**Water is something we have a fundamental right to, and we shouldnt be charged almost 1000 times more for a bottle of the stuff than for tap water, but we shouldnt be exporting it at all. Production of the bottles costs more water than they hold, about 4 litres, and fucks the planet.