Weiner was one of the main characters involved in the conceptual movement in the 1960's and works mainly in text. His work consists mostly of big text on large walls that make some observation about life. Nevertheless, Weiner works in a wide variety of media, including video, film, books, sound art using audio tape, sculpture, performance art, installation art and graphic art.
The work by Weiner is something that i think would stimulate my own practice, to take common sayings and understandings and put them in different contexts that question the meaning behind them and the intentions. i think this would keep me intrigued in my practice if i took a more critical look on language and how we use it.
Reference:
Salvo, D et al. 2007. Lawrence Weiner: As Far as the Eye Can See. Whitney Museum of American Art: New York
I then decided to work with a saying and i thought keeping in with the theme of exploring things that relate directly to my situation, rather then question of the world, i wrote a sentence and re-mixed the words around and came up with this:
"good enough, good enough again"
i then came across my favorite piece of music that i've seen in a film, it's a soundtrack that gets played often and always moves me but i could never find it. today i did, it's in 28 Days Later (a great film) and is from my favorite scene. it moves me every time, however, i only used the start of it in this work, but it may pop up in future works of mine.
this video i think is still effective in away as it makes me feel awkward/uncomfortable which is what happens (to me) when i cry or see someone else crying. personally i do not like to cry in front of people, the only emotion i really want anyone to see form me is happiness or even frustration but never me crying, as in the past i have had it held against me as weakness. i do like crying by myself though, so i thought it appropriate, as this work will be viewed by others, to make them feel how i'd be if they saw me crying. i say all this to give insight into the work and my thought behind it, as now i go into my video making with the vision of making people feel about the words as i would. so i give you my film CRY.
the video actually came out quite nice, i was surprised with how well the final film worked out but i really like it and think it's quite effective in it's message about the word BAD.
for me it's a word that surrounds all things we do (or i do) will someone think me doing this is BAD? will someone think my art is BAD? will i look back on this and think of it as being BAD?
it is something all human morals are based on, no one ever thinks of will it be good? but will it be BAD?
that is why this film has a pulsing rhythm to it, as it is a pulsating question in human minds.
This is my Appropriation video. it is based on Mel Ramsden's Secret Painting.
Mel Ramsden's Painting:
And my video:
I think it adds an interesting quality to what Ramsden did in the secret painting, as in a video the content is infact the text and therefore contradicts the message it is communicating to the viewer and then plays on what is real, what is intended and what is art.
Bob and Roberta Smith is a alias used by artist Patrick Brill. Brill is a British contemporary artist that uses text in his work to tackle issues about art, politics, pop culture and the world in general. the style of his art varies in font size and shape, but bright colours are used in each that compliment the text he has chosen.
Brill's art is something i can see my text work progressing into if it was 2-D, this being in respect to the play on words and font. it inspires me to also concentrate on colour and how it's interplay with text and text layout is also very important, not only visually but to effectively convey meaning behind something.
references: Bob and Roberta Smith, 2011. The Official Bob and Roberta Smith Website. Accessed October 15, 2011 http://bobandrobertasmith.zxq.net/
Y0UNG-HAE CHANG HEAVY INDUSTRIES creates text based work that in each work can tell a different story by only using text and sound and can range from information on the internet and art to the political situation in Korea. the works are web browser based so i'll provide a link rather than a video, but i recommend that you look at it.
http://www.yhchang.com/ it is an engaging example of how text in art can be effective by using simple text and good timing, my first three videos i recently blogged are inspired by these works and i hope that my future works will be as well constructed as these.
reference : Young-Hae Chang 2011. New and Improved Young-Hae Chang Presents. Accessed October 15, 2011
I had been producing videos that i wasn't happy with, just plain old didn't work for me at all.
however, it's been that way for everything with me and i realise that it's not my work i don't like but myself and my lack of faith. I found that i am a people pleaser, but apparently i don't count as people to me.
So I was shown a site that uses text and sound only. I like it (will blog about the artist after this) and it inspired me to pull myself up and do something, something that is mine, something that i can relate to.
so in context to my current feeling and mood of myself and my work i wrote down various things i could work with.
People Pleaser
I'm only human
Fuck You
Fat Bitch
Small town, small minds, small dicks
I'm not even kidding
CRY CRY
I get sad sometimes
The past never goes away
It never feels any less
BAD BAD
Good enough agian
These are just things that i wrote down one day, and i think if i work with text interesting ways, playing with text alignment and rearranging sentences i write, that i can keep myself interested in what i am doing.
The first one that i wanted to work with was "people pleaser" as it was what i'm tackling in my life.
I like the first three i made and got somewhat bored by the forth video, however, i enjoy the colour i used in it as i don't use colour often in my work.
This is what i wrote the other day in my visual diary on the train after the making of these videos:
I'm finding that my practice has been very stilted this term. i am very happy with my 2-D work, however, i found it hard to get back into making. i think this is due to my lack of confidence in both myself and my practice. i never thought that questions of identity would bother me, as i have always known who i am and what i do. Nonetheless, this has happened and over this term i have had to try and find myself again. it has helped me to think of myself and my practice in terms of 'conceptual art'. with my research into both conceptual and text artists i have managed to regain my feet and create video art again; a medium that i enjoy and like the results of. i'm glad that i had this period of loss now, in my first year, so i can recognise my pattern and how i can overcome it in the future.
This i think is an important refection to document, as i think it was a light bulb moment for me to look at myself rather than my art for 'why' i am unhappy with the results of my work. I have to trust myself and my judgement over others and take my mistakes in my stride, otherwise i will never be happy and never grow into who i can and want to be-a successful artist in MY eyes. I also now realise that i should be creating, not because someone told me to or for a good mark, but for myself as i should be the most important thing in my life and practice and people that don't support me are not important and will only hold me back. I hope this has given a good insight into my scattered mind and explains my art and why i haven't been on blogger in a while, one ranting post is enough for me thank you :)
