Art and Architecture: Glow

This is the Glow Longue from GLOW: Forum of Light in Art and Architecture, an event in the Netherlands. I liked this piece, the bizarre, uneven, slightly squeezed bubble, just sitting amongst the trees. It almost resembles of snow globe, with the tiny city inside, and the light show makes it look alive. The interactivity made it even better, a fully immersive piece.
From the perspective inside it looks like much more of an enclosed atmospheren than you'd expect in a solid architectural structure, because of the need to keep it closed to ensure the bubble stays inflated. Also because of the flexible, translucent walls. With a house, you look for a door or window to escape, a balloon you need to burst out of.
Fun times by the look of it.

http://www.raumlabor.net/?p=1282

PLEASE NOTE: RESEARCH WEEK

Hi All,

Please note - next week is research week.

This means the Art & Globalisation will be presented on the same day as Art & Architecture as follows:
15th SEPT:

ART & Globalisation ART & Architecture

Kendall+Gwen+ Donald Karina+ Liz L+Rachel

If there is any confusion - please contact me.

In addition, those students who missed the Library Research class - please check your email as I have forwarded on the 'catch up' details.

A.

Kandinsky - Concerning Spirituality in Art

Introduction Overview

Kandinsky firstly establishes that each art has its own time and place, and its authenticity cannot be restored in any manner. Such efforts to reproduce a work, style or method of art practice would only be artificial and imitation. He describes the thoughts, feelings and lifestyles in any particular time can never be replicated and as such, the art that is produced from this time can never be true as to have the same intent. Kandinsky places an importance on the inner feelings driving the art period, and goes on to make an exception to the above.

A revival of the external situations which fostered the inner feelings of the former time can be achieved through a similarity of ‘inner tendency in the whole moral and spiritual atmosphere,’ of the ideals and response, and as such, the reproductions of a former period and thus current. While seeming to be a contradiction, it somehow draws a parallel.

Kandinsky quotes Schumann and Tolstoi’s opposing views on the underlying purpose of the artist - as enlightener and inspirer or merely practicer. There, forms a great tension between the materialistic nature of the world today and the indifference of the heart and soul of a man. He denounces ‘art for art’s sake as a ‘squandering of artistic power,’ as aimless and materialistic. Kandinsky believes that the artist should look toward the higher ideals and engage in the inner feeling, as the spiritual life to which art belongs, transcends the fluctuations of the ‘moment’ and proves to influence and create a ‘deep and powerful prophetic strength.’

Kandinsky implies that the materialistic side of the art world produces the more inhumane natures of man, and divides society and indeed the art world, into those who appreciate only the external beauty and those who strive further for the inner thought. Both forms of art are consequently derived from the present as all art takes into account the feelings of its own time and place. But the art which creates further movement of thought and aims for spiritual inner thought and purpose stands constant.

Art and Sprituality- Fabrizio Corneli.

DAS NOCHMAL 2007

Fabrizio Corneli.

permanent installation, alluminio, sunlight, lamp

To do with spirituality in art I feel that light is an important element as in James Turrells Crater. It's amazing that just a few simple shapes of metal attached to a wall can create such an elaborate picture.

Turrells Crater relates to Stonehenge but I realised it really reminds me of this passage tomb in Ireland called Newgrange. It was built so at the entrance theres a 'roofbox' where on the winter solstice every year at sunrise the light travels through the passage and hits the wall at the back of the tomb. It boggles me how they figured out how to make that work (5000 years ago) and that it still works! but it shows that light has always been used to represent spirituality.

http://www.newgrange.com/

impermanence

Impermanence is, i believe, an important concept that relates to both art and spirituality.
As i understand it, its key to the idea of making a fantastic sand mandala and then brushing it away. With art this impermanence allows new ideas(art) to be considered as part of the historical canon. Your personal art language is relevant because it is part of the 'nowness' of the world we live in. Styles of art will change to reflect human evolution although this can not necessarily be considered progress, but thats a idea for another time.
In my next blog I'm going to attempt to link spirituality to sound as it is impermanent in its natural environment, a lot like ideas.

Wolfgang Laib: Returning to what is.

The interview with Wolfgang provides a perception within his art practice, different materials he uses within his art making, the how and what that’s has helped him complete his following works through the process and materials. The interview also gives us an insight on his life times experiences within the art practice he chose to start and where it has lead him today.

Different processes of his practice include pollen, bees wax and milk all from nature. He talks about how important these different materials are in his practice as opposed to other materials. Wolfgang mentions he is interested in materials that he hasn’t created such as the above and how important it is to have chosen these materials within his work.

Further on he mentions how it was so important to him as it would be to any other artist to have the opportunity and open doors to show his work across many museums around the world. He goes further talking about spiritual aspects of himself as an artist. Mentioning his village where is from, the home how easy it is to have access to his materials due to where he lives Southern Germany and for the motivation it has impacted and the influences he has and got towards his practice.

He speaks about how his art practice reflects all upon his life experiences and still hasn’t changed up until now. Overall Wolfgang speaks of himself, his art practice, how he makes the works, materials he uses, his life times experiences that’s has driven him to be a successful artist today.

wolfgang laib: returning to what is

Darren jorgensen's interview with german artist wolfgang laib provides insight into laibs life, personal beliefs and artistic practise. Laib discusses with jorgensen the long process of his works, his philosophical approach to art making, originality and what laib believes is truthful art. Laib expresses great passion for overall artistic practise and demonstates his belief that art can be powerful enough to 'change the world'.

During the interview, its very clear that laib has a very strong connection with art and his works. Although his works are very simple and use minimal material, during the course of the interview laib explains the time consuming and laborious process that he undertakes to create his beautiful works (in particular the collection of the bee pollen). It is obvious that this process has become laibs everyday and his life "my life is my work, i have nothing else".

While Laibs materials reflect the natural environment in which he has grown up in, laib mentions various misunderstood interpretations of the concepts are based upon nature for the obvious choice of materials. Laib explains that he is interested in all materials that he did not create and taking them out of context.

jorgensen further mentions the obvious spirtual interpretations that can be taken from laibs work, while laib acknowledges this he also adds that his practise of his works is beyond the spirtual. He further explains that the process changes the idea of what a day is and ultimately what your life is about. Jorgensen also states in the abstract that some would consider minimalism to be the movement that enabled Laibs success. However, laib dettaches himself from the mainstream, and discusses originality and the importance of pushing different ideas to stand out amongst trends.

Overall, the interview is very informal which allows the reader personal insight into Laibs life, practise and to a small extent his mind and way of thinking.

LIBRARY TODAY (Tuesday)

See you all in the library at 2 for our research class!

Overview: Wolfgang Laib: Returning to What Is

The interview by Jorgensen gives an insight on Wolfgang Laib art practice and the truth of his work, that of it being his life and evoking his life. It is an intimate discussion on his art practice and how he naively- as Laib describes it- believes that art can change the world. He as an artist has a real utopian view on art, how if it is real good it can include everything in life and humanity, art, as he describes it is important. His art practice and his studio evoke this sense that it is his life’s work, it is incredibly methodical and engulfing in his day to day life, and his studio reflect on his work completely and is a big influence on his what he does for his studio is mostly glass and he lives in the middle of a landscape. As an overview the interview gives an intimate discussion with the artist, you could literally feel his presence when you read it, it is not detached rather it connects the audience with the artist and it gives his reading on his work, rather than an author or a journalist.

The interview introduces him as an artist being German and his early career beginning in the 1970’s and how he has been immensely successful since this time, it introduces the movements he was affiliated with and what people of said about his work and then discussed further with the man himself on his opinions of this. The interview begins with discussing the mediums he uses and why. He describes his work as having an abstract quality by taking materials of nature out of nature attaining purity. The pollen for example, is intensified and abstracted when it moves from the natural environment into the gallery. It is intense for you see the pollen away from the meadow and nature into artificial light making it about the pollen itself, which makes it also abstract for it is in an unnatural environment. He as an artist has been described as nature artist, and in this way, as his practice has been briefly described goes against this view for though he uses material of nature, his work is not about the environment its about the detachment of the materials environment- it is not about the meadows it is about the pollen itself.

The interview goes on further to discuss his views on the art world and his detachment from it; it also discusses his beliefs and why he became an artist. He is detached from the art world mainly because of his art practice and his studio, he was isolated from the beginning and his studio has remained constant throughout his practice, his studio being in the meadows of a small village of Southern Germany. He describes his studio as I said of being of big influence to his work “the windows go all around to the floor and you can just sit even while there is snow outside” it is involving but in the same way isolating him from the art world, but not from what he believes art to be which he stresses in the interview, for he believes art can change the world. This is the reason why he became an artist because he believes Art is the most important thing, because it can evoke everything in life (if it is good), it involves everything and is the now in society, and this way he challenges himself in his art to create good artwork.

In conclusion the interview is insightful and gives a personal account on Wolfgang Laib as an artist and provides the audience with an inside perspective on his art practise and his “thoughts on the function of art in the world”.

Overview: Wolfgang Laib: Returning to What Is

Darren James Jorgensen’s interview with German artist, Wolfgang Laib, entitled Returning to What Is provides an insight into Laib’s personal philosophy on his art and practice.

Jorgensen provides us with an overview of Laib’s work, which is embedded in the use of organic materials such as beeswax, milk and pollen. Simultaneously he probes out the motivations behind Laib’s practice, which is grounded in the rhetoric of abstract concepts like purity but also in the experience of process.

Having access to Laib’s direct transcribed voice allows readers a real sense of the artist behind the works. The often open-ended nature of Laib’s language in statements like “its about the pollen” or “how the milk is” provides a complete reflection of the simplicity of his works and his insistence on letting the materials speak for themselves. Both his language and his art allow their audiences to encode their own experiences when responding.

Jorgensen covers a number of the topical features of Laib’s work including the spiritual aspects of his practice, Laib’s connection to and understanding of the concept of art, his self-professed ‘non-european’ cultural influences and a description of his studio. He also goes into details of Laibs upcoming exhibition in Perth and queries his response to traditional indigenous Australian art practices in the contemporary art scene. It is interesting to note that again Laib’s primary focus is on materials, expressing concern over the move away from traditional natural paints to acrylics.

The article also includes a number of images of his work, including examples of his work with beeswax and pollen.

Overall, Jorgensen presents an insightful and personal account of the artists practice and beliefs about art.

Wolfgang Laib: Returning to What Is (overview)

This interview discusses with Laib his views on his practice, the art world and how he is viewed by his audiences. Laib appears to have a bold character, in that he is unafraid to refute comments made by others about his work, and although he believes he may be seen as naive, he does not waver in his opinion to satisfy others. The interview focuses mainly on his works; what his influences are and what the final pieces mean to him. He discusses how his works are often mistaken, or have ideas read into them that he would not necessarily apply, such as ideas of spirituality and nature as concept and comparisons to painting in style.

Laib maintains that his work is very indicative of himself. He states clearly that the work stems from his personal experiences; his previous work, his home, his physical space. (“My life is my work.”) He stated that studying medicine he had the same drive as now when creating art. He is confident in his abilities, and believes that art, including his own, has the ability to change the world. This suggests that his art, although set firmly in its personal origins, is very much directed to others for their ability of insight to then direct themselves.

Laib states that he prefers his works to be viewed in a gallery space, as they most often are. This appears to be due to a desire to obtain a neutral space. Explaining his choice of materials he refers to his purpose, to show the material as it is, without placement in its usual space. His practice involves isolating the material from its regular environment to allow a greater understanding of the material itself. As a social, cultural or spiritual reading, this seclusion from the restraints of the usual view opens up new interpretations on the nature of the material, why and what it is. Regardless of what it is meant to be, what might it actually have the potential to be?

A question during this interview uses the term ‘austerity’, which can be defined as severity. This could be viewed in his work, particularly in the strict, repetitive processes involved in the creation and exhibition of the final piece. The pollen is collected meticulously over a long period of time. The milkstones must be emptied of milk, cleaned and filled again for each viewing.A word frequently used by Laib in this interview is challenge. He refers to the challenge of himself as a creator, the challenge of other views of life and the challenge to change the world with his work. His work therefore seems to be about achievement. As a human being he is challenged every day and responds with a complex artistic practice centred on embracing life.