Looking back on my experience of the CAT course, it’s clear that my research skills and confidence in discussing the information has improved greatly. In my opinion, I feel like my later work, particularly my assignments, show an ability to research wider themes and concepts which help me to form a more critical analysis.
Research is an integral part of all learning and is a skill I have and will keep improving throughout studying with the OCA. The ability to utilise different resources – both primary and secondary allows you to gain a better understanding of the subject, whilst allowing you to refer to wider themes, concepts and theories.
I always ensure I dedicate a large amount of time to the research I put into my work, perhaps too much time sometimes but without this research, I wouldn’t feel as confident in commenting on a subject as complex as the creative arts. Often I found it beneficial to create a mind map, outlining my initial thoughts and the areas I wanted to research further. Doing this helped me to collect my thoughts before collecting both primary and secondary research.
Visual research and investigations are just as important as the theoretical, especially in such a visual course like Creative Arts Today. I find that they prompt more contemplation because the information isn’t necessarily as obvious to it causes you to think about the subject on a deeper level. Often it may represent various concepts and themes already mentioned in other research but seeing it visually can help you to understand better or consider it from different perspectives. I think this is particularly important in a creative course because there often any wrong or right answers in art – it’s subjective and can mean something very different for each person.
You can then research the potential themes, symbolism and concepts further to develop your knowledge and gain a better understanding of context. This may be about a movement, other artists/designers, characteristics of someone’s work etc.
To begin with, I found it challenging to ensure that my points were backed up by a reference in any assignments. Although I’d done extensive research, I perhaps hadn’t organised it enough and written down the sources in which I found the information clearly. There are stages to research and the organisation of it is vital to ensuring you are able to build a well thought out essay.
Upon reflection of the work I’ve explored and analysed during this course, there are definitely some themes and concepts that are more common. Place and Time were obviously running themes but in addition, I found that concepts such as life and death could also be linked to many of the works I looked at.
Therefore, theoretical research is important and can help you to understand why an artist, writer, photographer or designer may have made a certain choice. However, it is the visual research that what develops your own opinions and connection to the work.
Christian Boltanski’s 2010 installation ‘Personnes’
Christian Boltanski, Personnes, 2010 – photo by Didier Plowy – eva-albarran.com
Art or Design – Installation art, not functional and more about the contemplation it causes. An example of contemporary art as it challenges the boundaries of art. The components only become ‘art’ when in the context of Boltanski’s installation.
Temporary or Permanent – Was open during January and February of 2010.
Large or Small scale – On view in the Grand Palais, Paris and part of the 13,500 square metre exhibition space.
Transforming and/or Defining and/or Forming – The whole space is used and transformed due to the large crane with a metal grabber, piles and the large mound of clothes, as well as the sound of heartbeats.
Immersive and/or Distant – Viewers can walk amongst the work and alongside the piles of clothes. It is a whole experience and not something viewed from a distance.
Pattern and/or Colour and/or Repetition and/or Shape – The installation uses the repetition of piles of clothes and street lights to form the grid shape and a large mound. Repeated audio of heartbeats is also used within the space.
Before answering the questions below I also read Laura Cumming’s article with The Guardian, which can be read here.
The noise of heartbeats permeates the exhibition, why do you think that is?
makes it a more immersive experience
links to the apparent themes of life and death
feels more personal (each heartbeat is unique to a person)
can be linked to the clothes (also represent a person)
adds deeper meaning and creates further questions – are the sound and visuals connected? What happened?
also adds emotion – heartbeats can be both joyful/comforting and eerie/sombre
To what extent are the textiles transformed into something other than fabric?
they are a metaphor for deeper themes – mortality, the inevitability of death, time etc.
they symbolise someone, a life and a story
represents the loss of lives and suffering
What’s the significance of the installation title and the mechanical grabber?
the title means both people and nobodies – represent people but they are anonymous and still unknown to us
highlights issues of status, people may be known in life but we are all the same at death
the mechanical grabber may signify chance or the ‘hand of God’
also links to the idea of time and how life is short
life and death is a continuous cycle
can also link it to consumerism and poor attitudes to waste – disposable
What associations does this work conjure up in your mind?
life and death
the loss of lives – particularly through violence, murder and diasters
makes me think about the holocaust, genocide and mass murders
reminds me that death does not discriminate
I also associate it with time and how we can’t control it or how much time we have to live (can manipulate and try but death is inevitable)
I know I need to spend time gathering my references when planning for my essay as this will help to ensure I find it easier to integrate them better. In doing this, my points and comments are backed up fully and readers know where I’m getting my information from.
My tutor also suggested I could analyse the ideas of time and place in greater detail. Hockney’s Joiners lend themselves well to these as he stretches the boundaries of time and place in his process of work and subject matter. I’ll try to look at this more closely to offer better analysis.
Linking to this, my tutor advised that I consider what a ‘better sense of place’ actually means. When using this phrase I know what I mean, however, I understand this isn’t always clear to the reader so I need to ensure I explain this. To me, a general sense of place means that someone can experience and become familiar with it, even if they haven’t physically visited themselves. Photography allows people to see images of places around the world in which they wouldn’t have seen otherwise.
For this exercise, I was asked to conclude my work on photography and time by reflecting on the role of photography in the work I just I’ve looked at – and similar projects.
In particular, I was prompted to think about whether the photography simply providing an authentic record of the artwork – photography as evidence, or is it part of the work itself?
Personally, I think it can be seen as both evidence and as part of the work, it really depends on the viewer and how they choose to see it.
Land art, sculptures and similar work are often temporary (place and time-specific) – therefore photographs are a way of documenting or ‘saving’ them to be viewed after the original is no longer there
Research/documentary photography is part of the process for Richard Long (and other artists), however, there is also beauty in the photos themselves as they are unique and can be seen as art and a part of the work in their own right
A photograph may be the only way that some people get the chance to see work like that of Richard Long – therefore the photo becomes significant to the work and particularly it’s accessibility and longevity
Photos allow land art and similar projects to be shared and seen on a wider scale much mere easily
It could be argued that a photo does not provide the same experience as it’s not as authentic and real
It’s also very possible that details may not be as clear when photographed and the impact or purpose of the artist may not be as apparent and successful
As part of a research point, I was asked to listen to a talk by curator Clarrie Wallis in regards to the show Richard Long: Heaven and Earth at Tate Britain in 2009. Below are some notes I made.
Richard Long was born in Bristol in 1945
Over 40-year career – began when boundaries of art were broadening
New type of art in dialogue with nature
Language and ambition of art was due for renewal
His work stems from a love of nature/walking – Britain, Sahara, Arctic
Focus on rural and far afield locations
Only uses natural organic materials
Interest in symmetry, repetition, measurement – the scale of his work depends on response to a particular landscape
Use of stones – markers of length, days
Creates work by following a straight line for a certain amount of time, following a river, by looking at rock placement etc.
Adjusts natural placement of rocks/vegetation rather than changing landscape drastically
Direct experience of the land – landscape itself became an art object
Never identified as a land artist – use landscape in way different to traditional representation and says his work has too much to do with conceptualism and minimalism
Everything in state of motion, continuous path
Uses simple/everyday materials to challenge ideas of form, medium, creative process, meaning
Sand sculptures
Made journey from London to Ben Nevis and took a photograph of the sky & face down each day
Interest in creative process rather than end product
His art is an event rather than a destination
Originally saw photographs as purely documentary material and not work itself – became an alternative art medium for him over time and now considered as work/art in its own right
Different ways to present work – photograph, postcard, sculpture, text, artist book
Uses lines, spirals, concentric circles – in fields as an example where aa diagonal line represents position of the sun in different places (168 hours different, 225 miles)
Two objects become related to each other via a third (sun), in context of time, distance, memory and travel
Extend boundaries of sculpture – still looking at material and form but also place
Position of viewer and alignment challenged
Uses himself as a measure of space, scale and time
Art is idea, art is action
Relocate sculpture from studio to natural world – making it more accessible?
Transience – won’t last forever – will become part of natural environment again
Additional land art research:
Aleksandra Mir, First Woman on the Moon, 1999 – a giant beach sculpture in which a lunar landscape was recreated using bulldozers on a beach in the Netherlands. Mir planted an American flag in the sand and called herself the first woman on the moon. The performance commented on gender equality and makes the statement that the only way a woman would have the chance to stand on the moon is if they build it themselves. www.aleksandramir.info/projects/first-woman-on-the-moon/
This goes back to the argument I discussed at the beginning of this section about the ‘mechanical’ nature of photography precludes it from being considered art.
Does this make photography a medium uniquely suited to portraying time and the passage of time?
unique in the way a photo captures a specific moment in time – no other art forms are as instant
can draw/paint from something you see but takes too long to capture one specific moment – can’t remember everything (people, animals etc.)
show duration of time – burst/blurred movement
other purposes – education, entertainment
Can other creative art forms deal with the concept of time to the same extent?
not with the same ease – but definitely can convey time through art, writing, music – possible to show history & duration etc.
concept of time so deep – artwork is useful to discuss/contemplate deeper associations – eg. life, death, control of t
Below I’ve included some examples of visual conventions from different times in history, all of which I will try to link to time, place or space in some way.
Cave paintings are one of the oldest forms of visual communication as the pictures often tell some sort of story. They’re simplistic but below you can that some of the drawings convey dancing, hunting and various animals. These drawings are a piece of time that help us to connect with history better and therefore, giving us a better sense of place. By studying art like cave paintings we can get a better idea of what society was like.
Magura Cave Painting, Bulgaria, 6300 BC – 3000 BC – oldest.org
The Bayeux Tapestry depicts the events that occurred during the Norman Conquest of England, leading up to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It is an embroidered cloth measuring 70 metres long and 50 metres high. The Tapestry is on display in Bayeux, Normandy in France. As the images represent certain events it acts as a visual timeline and therefore the theme of time is shown. Also, we can get a better sense of place in regards to the various locations that were significant during this period because they’re conveyed through the Tapestry.
Baroque paintings like this one from Jan Brueghel the Young are often known for being pieces of narrative art. We don’t need words but a story of some sort is communicated to us visually. A place of violence and conflict is presented here since both humans and animals are fighting. Also, the title itself tells us that it is conveying a story of war and the chaos of the destruction that occurs as a result. A sense of place is created by strong imagery of a burning city and also the use of symbolism (like the skulls, highlighting death) in the foreground. There is also an element of time shown because it deals with the idea of death. Particularly conveying how no living thing can live forever, especially with issues of conflict that have been prominent throughout history. We may not necessarily see scenes like this now but political conflict and turmoil is still very much a problem we have to deal with today.
Allegory of War, Jan Brueghel the Young, 1640-1649 – ranker.com
Comic/cartoon strips and graphic novels are other examples of visual communication. A sequence of images are used to tell a story, often helped with different literary devices. This Spider-Man comic strip uses speech bubbles to help communicate the action better. The illustrations create a sense of place as we can see that the events are occurring in the city due to the high rise buildings. Different perspectives are also used to show Spider-Man being high up and off the ground. Sequential images like this can be linked to time as we know to follow on as the story moves along. This is helped by references to time such as ‘finally’, ‘hours later’ and ‘meanwhile’, that are shown in the piece below.
This image comes from 3″ a detective graphic novel by Marc-Antoine Matthieu. Similarly to the comic strip above, it’s also made up of a sequence of images. He also plays with perspective as it gradually zooms in closer to the figure, until we can actually see what the camera is looking at. This allows us to get a better idea of the place and space whilst still having an element of mystery that’s so important in detective stories. We can tell that action is taking place in a sports game of sort and I expect this may be significant in relation to the rest of the narrative. Again, no text is needed but still he is able to communicate action, place and perspective.
Max Liboiron uses genuine New York souvenirs to highlight the issue of human impact, focusing on plastic found in rivers, seas and oceans. In this globe, the plastic cans from the Hudson River, South Brooklyn and shows a contrast between the aesthetic display of starfish, plant life, rocks and other fish. This may just be a piece of art in which the plastic has been placed intentionally, however it represents the damage that we, as humans are doing to water-based ecosystems. Sadly, the globe is an accurate depiction of New York’s waterfront today and this a global, environmental problem. Although it is a relatively small globe, it represents rivers, seas and oceans so provides a sense of place on a much bigger scale. To an extent, the theme of time is also portrayed because it highlights the impact humans have had on the environment over time and how the development of materials and technology is not always beneficial.
It’s clear that the ability to communicate visually has been important throughout history. It allows people from different backgrounds, cultures and locations to connect with the same things better due to the simplicity and often recognisable symbolism. Visual conventions have definitely evolved and become more complex, you just have to look at cave paintings in comparison to Liboiron’s Sea Globe to see the development. Both time and place have equally been represented through visual history. This might be to document events occurring at specific place and time or to explore the concepts in a different way. However, visual conventions offer a different method for people to put across different messages and encourage a level of deeper thinking.
In regards to my research methods, I like to make notes by hand first based on the content in the course content. When thinking about visual stories I instantly thought of Baroque paintings as a form of narrative art. I also researched different words to describe a story, message or narrative and how these have been used. Whilst looking on Bridgeman Images I came across paintings with ‘allegory’ in the title and came across various work by Jan Brueghel the Young. I then researched them further to find the piece I used above.
I found it quite easy to find different examples by using suggested search terms like cartoons and graphic novels. However, I also thought about place and times as themes which is how I discovered Liboiron’s Sea Globes.
Visual Storytelling – taking the viewer on a visual journey, ideas of time and place presented through single or multiple frame images.
Comics, animations, moving image – frame by frame narrative (happens over time
A sequence of images to cut from one view to another identify points in time – using different camera shots
Also combined with literary devices (dialogue, descriptions, third-person narration, written sounds speech bubbles, visualisation of sounds, movements & actions ( kapow! )
I copied the sketch shown in the course materials and this sequence shows movement towards building – it starts from further away and zooms in, then cutting to the interior
The Assignment for the Creative Reading section is to complete a close reading on a text of my choice. It has to be between 100-200 words and should allow me to talk about the theme of time and/or place. I thought about what sort of text I’d like to do for a while, the most obvious choices were a novel or poem of some kind, however, as I like a challenge I wanted to go down a different route. A arrived at the possibility of taking an extract from song lyrics and knew it would probably be best to choose one I was familiar with so that there is enough for me to discuss.
One of my favourite bands are Bastille and they are known for their colourful and often political lyrics. I opted to use lyrics from ‘Doom Days’ as it is full of controversial topics and also has some links to time and place.
I completed various pieces of research, starting with annotating the extract and listening to it a few times over. This helped me to begin my close reading and to start approaching it from a different perspective, also as the purpose of a song is to be listened to, it’s important not to only use the written lyrics. I then made some initial notes – including things about themes, mood, narration, plot, character, point of view and poetic devices. When planning essays I like to highlight key information so that my research and thoughts are more organised.
As I believe the discussion of the themes is what provides the most content, I also created a mind map so that I could see these more visually. In turn, this allowed me to make links between various themes and helped me to decide the main points I wanted to make in my final assignment.
Once I had established the themes I wanted to write about in my close reading (as well as ensuring I contemplated the significance of place and time), I decided to make a rough plan. This allowed me to make sure I included all the points main mentioned in the course materials but also things I’d learnt from the previous close reading exercises. For example, I wanted to think about the choices that Bastille made and how this could change the overall impact of the song if changed. In addition to this, I also made notes on structure, language and my own opinion of the song as I believe they are also important features of close reading.
I am someone who likes to research and write down notes in order to plan the final piece of writing and I think the images I’ve provided above convey my style of working. Something I also find useful is colour as this helps me to feel more organised about the points I want to convey. Overall I am pleased with my choice to use Bastille’s Doom Days for my assignment because it utilised the skills I’d learnt in this part of the course well.
The final part of the assignment is a reflective commentary piece in regards to what I’ve learnt in this part of the course and how I’ve demonstrated this in my close reading assignment. Reflecting on the knowledge and skills you’ve developed allows you to see progress and therefore I think it is an important step of studying.
Below you can see my notes from my reflection piece.
After receiving feedback from my tutor I did extra research in order to re-draft my assignment. Below are the notes I collected in order to hopefully improve my essay.
Lorna Cole: Creative Arts 