ARTISTIC RESEARCH- Process
DAY 1- THOUGHTS ON RESEARCH & TEXTILE ART
THOUGHTS ON RESEARCH - lecture with Merete Røstad
- how does art contribute to knowledge that scientists cannot.
- artists are increasingly encouraged to present their work as research to get funding.
- art exemplifies research.
gap between science and art= anthropology ?
- artists can define themselves as explorers.
- Merete case study: scientists didn’t feel like explorers anymore, the facts were already known before they started the trip. antrhopologists looked at spaces through the eyes of previous generations. Sailors and artist (Merete) were amazed at the changed/ever changing landscape, it was an ongoing exploration, never stopped looking around. (a bit like curious children? seeing the world through children’s eyes).
- which vision of exploration looks at research best ? collaborative effort to sustain life, endless search for truth.
- Research= a second search, a re-evaluation of what we know, taking us through a journey without a final destination
- truth is illusive, always changing, so search for truth will be continuous.
- research is a way of living curiously.
-pursuit of illusive quality of truth.
- acknowledge what we can never fully process.
-research doesn’t seek to bring out facts and ideas but ensures that marginalized narratives have a voice.
-public spaces= backdrop for narrative research
- textile art= contextualizes research
- research= artistic endeavours
- feminism and artistic research= challenges male dominated artworks. - redefine spaces for artistic expression and where all voices find their place in this tapestry of human experience.
- constantly ask yourself: what am I doing? what are others doing? How are they doing it? How am I doing it? How are we doing it together?
- sustainable researcher
- artist= see, question, be curious, be different, within the means of what we do that we can be different.
- not about discovery, EXPLORING IS A NEW WAY OF SEEING!
THOUGHTS ON TEXTILE ART - with textile artist Bente Strang
- 1969 a conservative leadership at school
-a time of socialism, protests, discussion, feminism filling the studies, united the disciplines.
- 1962 Lausanne Biennale influenced the textile art situation in the 60s. Britt Fuglevåg.
- exchange scholarships at Academy of Fine arts in Poland where Abakanowicz was a teacher.
- School in Poland = same as Bauhaus system, even more conservative no room for protest and rebellion (it was not visible, underground probably).
- not easy getting material to work with, that’s why they started with Sisal- this was easy to see something new, easy to construct with as it was harder.
- Abakanowicz: ‘what do you want? why do you do this? How can you work to analyse this? I always go to nature, it’s the most logical thing.’
- what did Abakanowicz pass on: she taught intensity, focus on work, you can take a break but keep working, doing art in big sizes, one-to-one method with the part.
- drawing pencil on pressening - when she was interested in drapes and the themes (drapes associated with feministicness vs the masculinity of the pressening)
- 1974 - negociations with the government - artists wanted money for stipend, paid for having exhibitions, paid for working as artists. (what we have now basically).
- it was a time of solidarity, fun time, fundament for support system for artists.
- Abakanowicz wasn’t so political because she wanted to go abroad, she had to take care of her interests.
- it was natural to work ‘big’ when the materials you are given are ‘big’ (you have a big rope you have to make something ‘big’).
- she isn’t so good at analyzing space so prefers to work with the ideas.
- indigo sol dyes - interesting intensity (Kokebok for indigosol - a book of all samples she used to hit/get the right colour).
- why was Abakanowicz so influential in Norway? Alf Bø article that ‘imposed’ the view of her work, possibility of scholarship to study abroad (?).
- she didn’t do the work alone, since the pieces were so big, she must have had a lot of assistance and strong people. and she had a lot of opportunities from the government which shows how important it is to have their help.
THOUGHTS ON TEXTILE ART - with textile artist Elise Storsven
- her experience of the Abakans - sissal isn’t very nice to touch for small children.
- friends and family to help her put up the work
- group shows are more interesting than solo shows.
- the people and the places : relies on help but likes to do everything herself. but hand sewing is nice to do in group :) stitches are different depending on who does it, know that a lot of people have been involved in it.
- when doing public work, there’s always rules: please don’t use red because... please don’t use dark colours because... have little control over the art when it is handed over.
- the space makes her work (’it was the space that made me work’).
- ‘transparency’: a work that are meant to see from both sides. thin cotton prepared with rice water.looked like a “D work but had to walk around (layers of layers in front of each other).
- a place between 2D and 3D - the work in process is very different from the exhibition
- working in smaller, dirtier, problematic spaces and exhibiting in amazing, white big rooms - duality of it. she thinks its a problem, that we should have more problematic spaces to work (and also exhibit in?).
- friends and family to help her put up the work
- group shows are more interesting than solo shows.
- the people and the places : relies on help but likes to do everything herself. but hand sewing is nice to do in group :) stitches are different depending on who does it, know that a lot of people have been involved in it.
- when doing public work, there’s always rules: please don’t use red because... please don’t use dark colours because... have little control over the art when it is handed over.
- the space makes her work (’it was the space that made me work’).
- ‘transparency’: a work that are meant to see from both sides. thin cotton prepared with rice water.looked like a “D work but had to walk around (layers of layers in front of each other).
- a place between 2D and 3D - the work in process is very different from the exhibition
- working in smaller, dirtier, problematic spaces and exhibiting in amazing, white big rooms - duality of it. she thinks its a problem, that we should have more problematic spaces to work (and also exhibit in?).