I was very happy with my tutor feedback for Part Two.
Reading ‘The Toymakers’ again for the Assignment was an absolute pleasure so I will gladly revisit it to apply the suggestions made by my tutor.
My other main areas to work on are; primary research on something of interest which relates to the topics of time and place, and to just generally get out and looking at exhibitions more. I absolutely agree that I do not do enough primary research either online or in person. This cant be blamed entirely on my job, when I do get time at home the prospect of going out to visit a gallery often slips down my list of things to do…..after sitting on the sofa and catching up with Great British Bake Off….
One area which I would like to learn more about is Typography so I might use this as my theme to investigate.
I do have a quite easily accessible local gallery, so I do need to get myself down there more to check out the different exhibitions that travel through the town. I would also like to visit the gallery ‘House of MinaLima’ in London which is owned by the two graphic designers who worked on the Potter/Fantastic Beasts franchise. It was this duo which made me realise that graphic designers can also work in film, which I find very appealing. Reading abut their work has led me on further to artists such as Annie Atkins who worked on ‘Grand Budapest Hotel’ amongst other things.
The article then went on to further break
down the 12 archetypes into ego types, self types and soul types.
The Four Ego Archetypes
1. The Innocent
Motto: Free to be you and me Core desire: to get to paradise Goal: to be happy Greatest fear: to be punished for doing something bad or wrong Strategy: to do things right Weakness: boring for all their naive innocence Talent: faith and optimism
The Innocent is
also known as the: utopian, traditionalist, naive, mystic, saint, romantic,
dreamer.
Examples of The
Innocent that I could think of; Nancy(Oliver Twist), Mrs Barnum (The Greatest
Showman), Neville Longbottom (Harry Potter)
2. The
Orphan/Regular Guy or Gal
Motto: All men and women are created equal Core Desire: connecting with others Goal: to belong Greatest fear: to be left out or to stand out from the crowd Strategy: develop ordinary solid virtues, be down to earth, the common
touch Weakness: losing one’s own self in an effort to blend in or for the
sake of superficial relationships Talent: realism, empathy, lack of pretence
The Regular Person
is also known as the: good old boy, everyman, the person next door, the realist,
the working stiff, the solid citizen, the good neighbour, the silent majority.
Examples of The
Orphan/ Regular Guy or Gal that I could think of; Ron Weasley (Harry Potter),
Superintendent Hastings (Line of Duty), Robin Ellacourt (Cormoran Strike books)
3. The Hero
Motto: Where there’s a will, there’s a way Core desire: to prove one’s worth through courageous acts Goal: expert mastery in a way that improves the world Greatest fear: weakness, vulnerability, being a “chicken” Strategy: to be as strong and competent as possible Weakness: arrogance, always needing another battle to fight Talent: competence and courage
The Hero is also
known as the: warrior, crusader, rescuer, superhero, the soldier, dragon
slayer, the winner and the team player.
Examples of The
Hero that I could think of; Rob Stark (Game of Thrones), Thomas Shelby (Peaky
Blinders), Simba (The Lion King), Harry Potter (Potter franchise)
4. The Caregiver
Motto: Love your neighbour as yourself Core desire: to protect and care for others Goal: to help others Greatest fear: selfishness and ingratitude Strategy: doing things for others Weakness: martyrdom and being exploited Talent: compassion, generosity
The Caregiver is
also known as the: saint, altruist, parent, helper, supporter.
Examples of the
Caregiver that I could think of; Sybil Ramsbottom (Discworld series), Molly
(Rivers of London series), Alfred the butler (Batman)
The Four Soul
Archetypes
5. The Explorer
Motto: Don’t fence me in Core desire: the freedom to find out who you are through exploring
the world Goal: to experience a better, more authentic, more fulfilling life Biggest fear: getting trapped, conformity, and inner emptiness Strategy: journey, seeking out and experiencing new things, escape
from boredom Weakness: aimless wandering, becoming a misfit Talent: autonomy, ambition, being true to one’s soul
The Explorer is
also known as the: seeker, iconoclast, wanderer, individualist, pilgrim.
Examples of the
Explorer that I could think of; Neo (The Matrix), Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray,
Love), Jon Snow (Game of Thrones)
6. The Rebel
Motto: Rules are made to be broken Core desire: revenge or revolution Goal: to overturn what isn’t working Greatest fear: to be powerless or ineffectual Strategy: disrupt, destroy, or shock Weakness: crossing over to the dark side, crime Talent: outrageousness, radical freedom
The Outlaw is also
known as the: rebel, revolutionary, wild man, the misfit, or iconoclast.
Examples of the
Rebel that I could think of; all social superheroes ie Batman/Superman, Weasley
Twins (Harry Potter), Timone+Pumba (Lion King)
7. The Lover
Motto: You’re the only one Core desire: intimacy and experience Goal: being in a relationship with the people, work and
surroundings they love Greatest fear: being alone, a wallflower, unwanted, unloved Strategy: to become more and more physically and emotionally attractive Weakness: outward-directed desire to please others at risk of losing
own identity Talent: passion, gratitude, appreciation, and commitment
The Lover is also
known as the: partner, friend, intimate, enthusiast, sensualist, spouse,
team-builder.
Examples of the
Lover that I can think of; Romeo+Juliet, Lewis Litt (Suits), Emil (The
Toymakers)
8. The Creator
Motto: If you can imagine it, it can be done Core desire: to create things of enduring value Goal: to realize a vision Greatest fear: mediocre vision or execution Strategy: develop artistic control and skill Task: to create culture, express own vision Weakness: perfectionism, bad solutions Talent: creativity and imagination
The Creator is also
known as the: artist, inventor, innovator, musician, writer or dreamer.
Examples of the
Creator that I could think of; Kaspar (The Toymakers), Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio
character in Inception), Granny Weatherwax (Discworld series)
The Four Self
Archetypes
9. The Jester
Motto: You only live once Core desire: to live in the moment with full enjoyment Goal: to have a great time and lighten up the world Greatest fear: being bored or boring others Strategy: play, make jokes, be funny Weakness: frivolity, wasting time Talent: joy
The Jester is also
known as the: fool, trickster, joker, practical joker or comedian.
Examples of the
Jester that I can think of; Weasley twins (Harry Potter), Nimitz (Honor
Harrington series), Jeremy Osbourne (The Peep Show)
10. The Sage
Motto: The truth will set you free Core desire: to find the truth. Goal: to use intelligence and analysis to understand the world. Biggest fear: being duped, misled—or ignorance. Strategy: seeking out information and knowledge; self-reflection
and understanding thought processes. Weakness: can study details forever and never act. Talent: wisdom, intelligence.
The Sage is also
known as the: expert, scholar, detective, advisor, thinker, philosopher,
academic, researcher, thinker, planner, professional, mentor, teacher,
contemplative.
Examples of the
Sage that I could think of; Dumbledore (Harry Potter), Cormoran Strike
(Cormoran Strike series), Mark Darcy (Bridget Jones Diary)
11. The Magician
Motto: I make things happen. Core desire: understanding the fundamental laws of the universe Goal: to make dreams come true Greatest fear: unintended negative consequences Strategy: develop a vision and live by it Weakness: becoming manipulative Talent: finding win-win solutions
The Magician is
also known as the: visionary, catalyst, inventor, charismatic leader, shaman,
healer, medicine man.
Examples of the
Magician that I could think of; Harvey Spectre (Suits), Thomas Shelby (Peaky
Blinders), Samuel Vimes (Discworld Series)
12. The Ruler
Motto: Power isn’t everything, it’s the only thing. Core desire: control Goal: create a prosperous, successful family or community Strategy: exercise power Greatest fear: chaos, being overthrown Weakness: being authoritarian, unable to delegate Talent: responsibility, leadership
The Ruler is also known
as the: boss, leader, aristocrat, king, queen, politician, role model, manager
or administrator.
Note: There are four cardinal orientations: freedom, social, ego, order.
The types have a place on these orientations.
Examples of The
Ruler that I could think of; Cersei (Game of Thrones), Voldemort (Harry
Potter), Emperor Palpatine (Star Wars)
The article then
led me to another table with a longer list of Character archetypes.
In total this then gave me quite an extensive list for which I was to then come up with an example for each from an existing story and describe their function whether psychological or dramatic for the next part of the exercise.
The way I am interpreting the function of the character is
to think about whether their purpose is merely to add to the action of the
moment (dramatic), or if their actions satisfy some expectation of or provoke a
reaction within the reader/viewer.
Archetype
Example
Function
Hero
Harry Potter (Harry Potter)
Psychological. For the reader to cheer on to victory.
Villain
Voldemort (Harry Potter)
Psychological. For the reader to want to see thwarted by the Hero.
Sidekick
Ron Weasley (Harry Potter)
Psychological. To support the Hero, often with their own obstacles to
overcome such as Loyalty.
Mentor
Obi Wan Kenobi (Star Wars)
Psychological/Dramatic. To guide the Hero on the Quest. Often used as
a dramatic object such as a Martyr.
Narrator
Narrator in non-fiction
“Often achieves its momentum not just through narrative -but also
through the meditative intelligence behind the story”
www.thoughtco.com
‘Narrators in Creative Nonfiction’
Accessed 02/06/2019
Collateral Damage
Anyone wearing a red security team vest who goes on an Away Mission
in Star Trek
Dramatic. Often nameless victims to add to a body count.
Doomed Lover
Bellatrix LeStrange (Harry Potter)
Psychological. Engages with emotions of the reader.
Ladies Man
Sir Lancelot
Psychological/Dramatic. Often provides an obstacle for the Hero to
overcome. Can also be the basis of a storyline in their own right, for
example ‘Redemption’.
Ne’er do Well
Mungdungus Fletcher (Harry Potter)
Psychological. Engages with emotions of the reader in negative
manner.
Creator
Kaspar Goodman (The Toymakers)
Psychological. Engages with the emotions of the reader. Promotes the
idea that anything is possible, anything can be created with enough belief.
Caregiver
Molly Weasley (Harry Potter)
Psychological. Engages with emotions of the reader in a positive
manner.
Ruler
Lord Vetenari
Psychological. Wields authority over a situation involving the Hero.
Jester
Fred and George Weasley (Harry Potter)
Dramatic. Amusing side-line character with often no substantial
contribution to the main plot.
Regular Guy/Gal
Dean Thomas (Harry Potter)
Dramatic. Additional low-level character with no substantial plot involvement.
Lover
Lavender Brown (Harry Potter)
Dramatic/Psychological. Dependent on their place in the plot. For
example, in Wuthering Heights this character archetype has substantial
contribution to make and would be more Psychological than Dramatic.
Outlaw
Sirius Black (Harry Potter)
Psychological. Engages with the emotions of the reader/viewer often
in appositive manner. Outlaws are often pitched as a figure to admire.
Magician
Jacques Goodman (The Toymakers)
Dramatic. Has powers beyond that deemed ordinary or explainable by the
confines of the story.
Innocent
Neville Longbottom (Harry Potter)
Psychological. Can be used as a tool for delivering justice. A
champion for the innocent and unsullied.
Explorer
Lara Croft
Psychological. Engages with the emotions of the reader who can relate
to the urge to explore and adventure into the unknown, often restricted by
available resources in the real-world.
Rebel
Fred and George Weasley (Harry Potter)
Psychological. Much like ‘Outlaw’. Engages with the emotions of the
reader/viewer often in appositive manner. Rebels are often pitched as a
figure to admire.
Sage
Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter)
Psychological/Dramatic. The wise all-knowing character that assists
the Hero with the delivery of warnings/wisdom/information.
Analyst
Sherlock Holmes
Psychological. A methodically thinking character that delivers
logical explanations for dramatic situations.
Anti-hero
Newt Scamander
Psychological. Relatable to a lot of readers. The Hero who is forced
into becoming so through situational requirements.
Benefactor
Tony Stark
Psychological. A resource character who enables the actions of the
Hero.
Bully
Dudley Dursley (Harry Potter)
Psychological. A character that will provoke negative reaction in the
reader and unite them with the Hero/victim.
Beaurocrat
Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)
Undecided. A character designed to follow the rules. Possible use as
Psychological when the character is lured into new behaviour?
Catalyst
Princess Leah (Star Wars)
Dramatic. A character who is the key to events progressing throughout
the plot.
Child
Peter Pan
Psycological. Relatable to all readers, everyone can remember the
optimism and imagination of youth.
Coward
Wormtail (Harry Potter)
Psychological. Stimulates the emotions of the reader in either a
positive (redemption/showing courage) or negative (betrayal of the Hero)
manner.
Curmudgeon
Ebenezer Scrooge
Dramatic.
Dreamer
Walter Mitty
Psychological. Engages the positive emotions of the reader. Everyone
has a dream that they aspire to accomplish. Empathy with this character is
simple.
Extraordinary Man
James Bond
Psychological/Dramatic. Engages with the aspirational emotions of the
reader.
Gossip
Unable to think of one.
Dramatic. Secondary device that can be used in plot progression.
Guardian
Newt Scamander (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them)
Psychological. Protects the weak, provokes positive reactions from
the reader/viewer.
Thrill Seeker
Unable to think of one.
Dramatic.
Messenger/Herald
Hermit/Loner
Mad Eye Moody (Harry Potter)
Dramatic
Hunter/Predator
Terminator/Alien
Psychological/Dramatic. Archetype that could either be the main focus
of a story or a secondary device used to advance the plot.
Introvert
Walter Mitty
Psychological. Could be used in an investigation of the psche or used
as an ‘Awakening’ storyline.
Investigator
Cormoran Strike
Psychological. Often also the Hero.
Judge/Mediator
Unable to think of one.
Leader
Margaret Thatcher – The Iron Lady
Psychological. Can be used to show the many different facets required
in being an effective leader.
Manipulator
Harvey Spectre (Suits)
Psychological. Often relatable to the audience.
Martyr
William Wallace – Braveheart
Dramatic. Often a sacrificial character frequently for a noble cause
as seen by the character.
Masochist
Unable to think of one.
Masquerader
Unable to think of one.
Monster
The Incredible Hulk
Dramatic. Can be good or evil dependant on the storyline. For
example, zombies vs Frankenstein.
Penitent
Dr Bruce Banner
Psychological. Penitent or remorseful character who wishes to atone
for previous actions/constant character flaws.
Perfectionist
Unable to think of one.
Pleaser/Show-Off
PT Barnum (The Greatest Showman)
Psychological. Seeks admiration/applause from the masses.
Poet
Unable to think of one.
Rogue
Han Solo (Star Wars)
Psychological. Rogues often prove highly relatable. Can be Side-Kicks
to the Hero or be of general assistance in the plot.
Saboteur/Betrayer
Wormtail (Harry Potter)
Dramatic. Can betray for either redemption back to the side of the
good guys or fall victim to greed and betray the Hero. Not often the sole
subject of a plot line.
Samaritan
Unable to think of one.
Scholar
Unable to think of one.
Sensualist
Christian Grey (50 Shades of Grey)
Slave
Dobby the House Elf (Harry Potter)
Psychological. Can be used to provoke sympathy within the
reader/viewer.
Survivor
Sycophant
Bellatrix LeStrange (Harry Potter)
Psychological. Slavish devotion
Temptress
The Red Witch Melisandre (Game of Thrones)
Dramatic. A temptation or obstacle for the Hero on the Quest.
Thief
Artful Dodger (Oliver Twist)
Dramatic. A character that takes whatever they require for personal
gain. Depending on the pitch of the story could be seen in either a positive
or negative light. For example in Oliver Twist the Artful Dodger provokes
more sympathy than Bill Sykes.
Trickster/Jester
Fred and George Weasley (Harry Potter)
Psychological. An archetype that lightens the mood or brings levity
to intense situations.
Victim
Unable to think of one.
Waif
Puss in Boots (Shrek)
Psychological. Appearing innocent and weak often as a deception.
Make a list of everything you’ve read or written or seen or heard in the last 24 hours
What I consider to be stories I have
highlighted in bold.
What I consider to be art I have highlighted in italics.
I have read –
Start Late and Finish Rich (finance book)
Place (set textbook)
Creative Arts Today (OCA course PDF)
A food menu
I have written –
Assignment for Part 1 Contemporary Arts
The first exercises in this Part 2
A text message to a friend complaining about my boss (haha)
A to-do list
A passcode for the internet
I have seen –
Adult Life Skills (Film)
The Great British Sewing Bee (TV)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Film)
Thor : Ragnorak (Film)
Total Recall (Film)
News
I have heard –
A story about a fight
Information about someone else’s marathon
How do you, personally, define a creative artistic piece of writing?
Until I read the essay by Hazel Smith I
would have read this question and thought that it applied only to writing
fiction and possibly poetry. Now however I am uncomfortably aware that it
probably means something a lot more arty and abstract than I want it too!
Because of this my definition is now a little les specific than it would have
been.
I define a creative, artistic piece of writing as one in which the
author takes the reader away from their current situation and into another
moment either remembered or imagined. The words must flow from the page without
tripping the eye to allow subconscious transportation.
What happens to a story when you take it from its source, make it permanent in print, and disseminate it to a wide audience?
When a story is taken from it’s source
it becomes entirely self reliant, it must contain all the context required to
make sense if it is to succeed. When a story is limited to word of mouth in a
certain area there may be subtleties or nuances that do not need to be
explained.
A story made permanent in print now becomes frozen in time and will
survive in it’s original form. As time passes language may evolve, everyday
routines and activities as referred to in the story will change but the story
itself will not. Instead it will become a form of a time capsule for future
readers. One example of this could be Pride and Prejudice which is still a
popular classic.
When a story is disseminated to a wide audience, particularly far
overseas, it carries with it it’s sense of place. It can also then begin to
gain mass popularity and traction in the market. One example of this could be
the Harry Potter books by JK Rowling, despite being about a boy at school in
Scotland they are read worldwide and have been translated into several
different languages.
Write a list of implications arising from the printing press. For example, think about who has control/authority over the text, the meaning of the text, and the relationship between the source of the text and it’s recipient.
In
a country where all the printing press is subject to central control (ie North
Korea) the only available news is heavily biased and can lead to misplaced
public beliefs. Potential for censoring is high.
Freedom
of the press, and preferably competing ones at that are required to allow the
full range of views to be heard by the general public.
General
Public are required to look at the source of the information and check for it’s
credentials and therefore bias, not just accept whatever they read to be fact.
One example of this are the frequent fake news stories on social media website
Facebook.
The
recipient is also required to consider what outcome the originator of the text
may have, for example, are they attempting to ignite a social situation or are
they reporting facts.
Printed
words now have the freedom to be sent and received all over the world radically
improving communication
Educational
power. Printed words have the power to educate even when a recipient does not
have access to educational facilities (distance learning!)
Longevity.
Printed words will last for as long as a physical copy of them remains
undamaged by misuse or elements.
What is your initial reaction to the
idea of this piece?
My initial reaction was to wonder how on earth they think that they can
guarantee that something will play for 1000 years. My next reaction was to
wonder why they would set this up in the first place. Is it for any substantial
reason or just another act of humankind attempting to do something that will
outlive them?
What do you think about the sounds in
this piece?
I think the sounds are very basic, I imagine that this is to form a
connection between the early music practitioners who used bowls in this way and
to ensure that no matter how technology evolves the music can be continued. As
the musicians on the video demonstrate, it is a music which can be created by
hand.
Why do you think Finer has chosen
these particular sounds?
I would take a guess that Finer chose these particular sounds because
they do not form any obvious pattern or tune. It is the kind of background
noise with which it is very easy to switch off and start daydreaming. Again
looking at the ‘spectators’ on the video who, the longplayer website tells me’
are directed on where they may sit’ I can see that many are meditating and some
are in fact asleep.
I’m really struggling with this module. The module textbook says ‘This
is quite a mind blowing piece’. The internet shows me that there are legions of
rabidly fanatical Longplayer fans, musicians are playing it on video with such
a degree of seriousness, it was commissioned
by an arts agency. Going back to Grayson Perrys Reith lectures at the beginning
of the module he states a series of tests that something must pass for it to be
successful art. I look at Longplayer and I see it passing these tests so I know
that it must be classed as good, but
for the life of me I can’t see why. If someone presented the concept of
Longplayer to me on April the 1st I would put (and lose it seems) my
house on it being a prank, a mad imagining of a brain addled by drugs over the
course of a music career.
I understand that it’s a cool idea thinking that in decades to come
people of a different generation will be listening to or maybe even still
performing the composition but it’s not something that I can get all warm and
fuzzy about.
‘The term site-specific refers to a work of art designed specifically for a particular location and that has an interrelationship with the location’
Longplayer is not a site-specific installation. It is performed in various locations and is continually broadcast online. For something which Finer produced as a result of philosophical, cosmological and a physics perspective it would be wrong for the Longplayer to only have one home.
Analyse the performance of the piece,
looking at how it is presented to the audience. Think about;
the quality of the sound used
The sound used has an ethereal
quality. This echoes both backwards and forwards through time. The lack of
human influence in the quality of sound produced, by which I mean they are
ringing metal bowls as opposed to blowing into a woodwind instrument, ensures a
consistency which may not otherwise have been achieved.
The choice of singing bowls
I would guess that Finer chose
singing bowls as a matter of continuity. They have a long history, and with
their very basic nature, should be around for years to come. There is also less
room for artistic interpretation of Finers composition, less room for
character. It is just a relentless clinical march of exactly what he wanted
being played for the next 80 years. Another reason for the choice of singing
bowls may have been for their ethereal quality, t is easy to space out or
meditate when listening to their background noise.
the positioning of the singing bowls
The positioning of the bowls in
circles reflects the circular nature of time such as the life cycle. It also
physically resembles the rings of the Solar System which have long been
associated with the passage of time, when shall we colonise Mars etc.
the positioning of the spectator
Spectators are allowed to circle the
installation either around the periphery or within the rings. The rings keep
reminding me o the life cycle and how humans keep rotating through it.
the time length of the piece
The piece is due to run for 1000
years and then it is intended that it should run again. The Longplayer site
tells me that it is associated with the movement of planets, it seems that they
only ever line up once every 1000 years and that Longplayer is designed to
reflect this. Currently there are six pieces of music, the computer is choosing
to play different parts of each piece at the same time which ensures that there
will be different music with no repetitions until the next run through.
how the piece is performed
Players taking part in performances
move within the rigs of the Longplayer set-up. This resembles a life cycle, the
Solar System and the intended ongoing cycle of the Longplayer performance. Most
of the time the piece is played by a computer but knowing that at some point
this will become obsolete, a Trust has been established to ensure that new
methods of continuing the composition are found as technology evolves.
Write a short interpretation of
Longplayer
Longplayer is a 1000 year long musical composition composed by Jem Finer of The Pogues. It started playing at the turn of the millennium in 1999 and is currently officially based at a listening post in a lighthouse in Trinity Buoy Wharf London. Though performances are played in a variety of locations, in addition the whole thing is broadcast live on the Internet constantly. The Longplayer set up is of 234 singing bowls set around six concentric circles. It is comprised of a series of six pieces of music, one for each physical circle of the composition which are all played at the same time. Each of the six pieces of music is broken down into a further si pieces/ The timing of each of the six pieces on each circle is staggered and picked at random by the computer (which usually controls the playing of the music) to ensure that nothing is repeated for a one thousand year cycle. The Longplayer composition is based on perspectives taken from physics, philosophy and cosmology as opposed to just music. The siting of the bowls in concentric circles echoes the movement of the planets. Once in a thousand years all the planets align, Circle One’s composition within the Longplayer piece takes 1000 years to complete, unlike the other circles ‘parts’ to play, it will not repeat itself. Finer has created a work which, if the Longplayer Trust is successful, will outlive generations to come.
For my research into Longplayer I used the following source;
Time, most often I think about how
I’d like more of it! I think the most interesting idea about time for me is
time travel. Ideas brought up by various sci-fi films/series make me wonder
about what time travel would be like, whether going against the kill-your-own-grandfather
stratagem would create a radical new future or if time is more like a river and
it would just find a way around the obstacle.
I’d love to travel forward in time,
just to see what mankind does with the technology of today, do we continue
destroying the planet or do we find a way to save it? I’d love to pop back in
time too and see things like Roman roads being built and compare them to say
the M1 now or the National Trust castles when they were at the height of their
power.
I find it pretty cool looking at
something really old and just imagining all the hundreds of years that an
object has been through and all the various people that might have seen and
handled it.
I also find it sad when people want
to rewrite the past for a better story. For example the current movement to
make history taught in schools less ‘imperialistic’ and ‘colonial’. Guess what,
we were an Empire, we ruled vast swathes of the planet and we did it using some
pretty questionable techniques in some cases but it happened. Whether you love
it or hate it, that is our history
and we need to learn from it. Statues to great heroes from the past are
vandalised by people who read social media fake news about things they don’t
understand. Churchill saved our nation from assimilation by a German war
machine, yet you see students on the news frantically screaming that he was a
right wing oppressor of liberties.
People either do not know or choose
to ignore what has happened before and that is the easiest way for our country
to get dragged into making the same mistakes all over again.
Have you thought about time in relation to art before?
The only real way in which I have
thought about art before is in terms of how it can transport you to a different
time and place either of imagination or creation.
A well crafted image/TV series set in
a different time can detach you from where you are so completely that looking
away from it/coming to the end of a series feels like resurfacing.
An image of a scene from somewhere
you have previously experienced can take you back there in an instant. You can
smell things, hear and taste things, sensations that may have been lost in a
memory until that moment.
Have you already come across pieces that explore what time is?
I have not yet come across any pieces
of art that specifically explore what time is. To be honest I generally only
look at illustrations related to children’s books or photography on the theme
of nature/portraiture.
In a way you could use almost
anything and link it to the exploration of time. There is an artist who uses
toy Etch-a-Sketch’s to produce portraits of celebrity’s and recreate famous
paintings. You could argue that one of his finished Etch-A-Sketches represents
time, the time he invested into creating each piece. If you wanted to get
philosophical about it you could say that shaking the Etch-a-Sketch and
destroying the image on the screen is representative of how time once gone is
gone forever.
I had a look around online and discovered an interesting artist called Raghava KK. He creates a lot of works based on the idea of Evolution. Evolution could be applied in several contexts, the one which I think is most common is that of the passing of time.
In the article entitled ‘Exploring
evolution through a surreal blend of pop culture’ from 26th August
2015 he explains about his drawing style and the ideas behind his pieces. It
was all reading very well until the end when I read a quote that makes me
cringe “My
paintings are not new media – they are very much the traditional paint on
canvas. But the way I see the world is extremely avant-garde.” . With that
last line he reminds me of Damien Hirst. This is very likely just as a result
of my bias against modern art but what I find myself asking is ‘why do they all
want to be some kind of special snowflake?!’
The course folder talks a little about an artist called Tacita
Dean who displays animal noises captured on physical tape as a length of tape
within a frame. This explores time in several ways. Initially the length of the
tape shows the length of the noise that the animal was making. The display of
the tape without the accompanying noise means that he viewers mind takes them
back to a place where they last heard that noise and plays it for them. From
yet another angle the choice to display the tape, a variety which is no longer
printed in the UK is a statement on the passing of time as technology has
rendered it obsolete. Where would you even start in the quest to play a 16mm
tape if you found one at a boot fair?
So yes, Tacita Deans work explores the passage of time from
several different angles. Displaying time as a thing which can actually be
measured by something physical is an interesting approach. Again though, again
I’m struck by how daft I find it that this is called art. I could put my workboots
on a pedestal in a gallery and call them ‘war and peace’ (the different injurys
the boots have picked up being souvenirs from such destinations as Afghaistan
etc, the road to peace being measured in the tread worn away from their soles)
but that wouldn’t be art either!
Creative Arts Today 