Week 6 - Steve Lovett

How has Steve Lovett's practice evolved over the period of his professional career, ie from political, social & historical concerns to issues of colour and form?

Steve Lovett's work encompasses many layers of thought and physical construction, and although it has developed and evolved in style and content throughout his career, a running theme is how poignantly deep, passionate and personal it is to himself, his life and his beliefs. His work is layered and lost to the point where I feel quite overwhelmed and at sea in its depths!

Lovett is interested in the use of time and movement within a space in his artworks. He has always lived in the same area, and has observed the changes it has undertaken over the years. Coming from a single parent family combines with this to explain early exploration of themes such as the home space and loss. He is interested in providing his subjects with a voice, his early works utilising typography to convey this. Time is illustrated in these works in blurred images and backgrounds, multiple images and abstract colours and forms. The personal and policital are inseperable and indistinguishable to Lovett, the larger political picture relating directly and immediately to the present state of society. He considers in these works the political movement in the past 25 years, the priority given to private companies, and the rich/poor divide. These works are layered in meaning, as well as layered visually - literally, type upon images.

It seems to me a natural progression from typography to the use of sound to convey a personal monolgue for the subject, given his interest in time and creating a voice, or record, of the individual. Combining still images and sound allowed Lovett to create a vividly temporal representation of a subject, as well as spacial, and invites the audience to consider the past, present and future of the subjects. This 'record' he has created challenges the public record of events & history, providing his own record for the future, which he believes to be closer to the truth and less tainted/biased. His theory is that a person's recording is incontestable. This relates to his rejection of faith in the powers which hold the official records, empowering him in this way, allowing him to contribute to history & indirectly dispel some of his anger anger towards the situation of the world.

I posed this question to Dion Hitchens' after his lecture; why, if he is Chinese-Maori and so interested in cultural art, is his work so dominated by Maori culture as opposed to to his Chinese background? One reason he gave was that he took the opportunities he was offered in order to further his career, and there was a high demand for Maori art in New Zealand, which he could provide. Lovett commented in his lecture that galleries were not so favourable towards his complicated sound works which took a long time to install, and this pressure from the artworld changed the direction of his medium. His works from this point have veered more in the direction of print making, and this is the style of Lovett's work which I personally favour.

Lovett quotes Sylvie Blocher as an influence and this is especially evident to me in his creation of diptyches. Her work also seems to influence Lovett's sound work. "Blocher's videos reveal the humanness of these "living picture" ". She invites the audience to identify with the subject by delving below the obvious surface of an image. Lovett also seeks to create an intimate, human relationship between the audience and the subject.

Sylvie Blocher, La sauteuse (lapsus n¡ 1), 2002, video installation (courtesy of Casino Luxembourg; photo: Sylvie Blocher)

Living Pictures/Men In Gold, Sylvie Blocher, 2007, video installation with sound

Bambi/Darren 1997 - 2009 © Steve Lovett, 7 colour screen print on board

These works by Lovett and Blocher both invite the viewer to encounter different aspects of the same subject, allowing a certain level of intimacy. This work of Lovett is poignant in that it is a 7 colour screen print - here, we see a shift towards the physical building of layers within the artwork being an important factor in itself, and the study of colour, although it also seems to relate to the many layers of meaning within the image.

His use of diptyches also reflects a style depicted in Patrick Keiller's London, 1994. This film strongly conveys temporal elements, as demonstrated in Lovett's work. It can be compared with his use of triptych in several ways; the contrasting scenes places one after the other, the way the scenery is often visually divided into close ups/far away landscapes, cutting back and forth between the same scenes, and two very similar scenes places one after the other. The film echoes Lovett's consideration of political events of the past few years, and the direct relation of the political powers to the negative effects of the lower class societies. It shares Lovett's confused/angered stance in relation to the state of society, and wondering how it became the way it is.

Still from London, Patrick Keiller, 1994. This frame interested me as immediately after the camera spent several seconds watching the remainds of the building blow in the breeze, it cut to exactly the same shot, but with plastic bags blowing across the screen. This lingering watching combined with the cutting from one shot to the next emphasises the sense of 'real time'

I was unable to find any stills of London which portray the near/far elements within the same image, but feel that this is directly linked to Steve's work, and creates an idea of two things happening at the same time. The scenes featured of the still camera watching pedestrians walking consider this theme of real time, and relate directly to Lovett's work Intersection, which encompass many stills of pedestrians he has montaged into one large work, contemplating movement in space at different times. It also shares his interest in using a voiceover to transform an artwork and convey a very personal/political slant.

Intersection 1214307845
© Steve Lovett
2007

It would be easy to discuss the relation of Lovett's practice to London in great depth, but I feel it would detract from the theme of the development of his work. Suffice to say, the film is depressing & heartfelt in it's political opinions, as well as artistic on its take of the world. Lovett commented in his lecture that he was not sure why he moved more towards the issues of colour and form, but that he was tired of being so angry at the world, and perhaps needed a break from all this angst he was conveying. If we look back to his previous work, it is evident that this physical building of layers was always a theme (eg the 7 layer screen print), it is only more recently that is had become the dominating theme over political/social/historical issues.

His more recent works are more secretive in their depth - at first, they may appear to the viewer to be simple constructions of lines/shapes. Lovett is interested in this idea. This practice places value on time, in that it takes time to construct the work, rather than portraying images to depict time. At this stage, his practice has evolved from politically driven images, to social & historical sound works and prints to a place where the emphasis is directly on the print. His recent works invite the viewer to look twice and notice what may easily go unnoticed, a theme comparable to the unnoticed repercussions in everyday life of political decisions, perhaps a specific shade of colour, or the careful complexity of a multi layered screen print. This unexpected surprise from a print which might otherwise look 'normal' is what he wishes to convey in his current focus on colour & form. We have this recurring theme of layers, yet rather then carefully considered policial layers, we see carefully constructed physical layers.

Lovett quotes Wunderlust: A History of Walking by Rebecca Solnit as an inspiration to him. "[this] book captures, in the ease and cadences of its prose, the rhythms of a good walk." His work is built slowly and thoughtfully, contemplating the finer details that one might not notice whilst rushing around.

Although these more recent works concentrate more on colour & form, the political connotations are still there - however, explored in perhaps a more abstract way. It is as though Lovett is taking time out to enjoy a less angsty creation of artwork after a long career of politically driven work. Billboards are an inspiration here - physically punching holes into images allows the audience to view what is behind, or what was hidden. This relates to his interest in layers of messages, and also ties in with his work which is based more on layers of colour/form, lying somewhere in between the two.

www.sfmoma.org/artwork/125519
Slides on emit


Chatting to Dion


London, 1994, Patrick Keiller

www.artpapers.org/.../2005_1112/F1.4.jpg


http://cookylamoo.com/boringlikeadrill/blogpix/keiller02.jpg

http://books.google.co.nz/books?id=2HaKPwAACAAJ&dq=wanderlust+rebecca&hl=en&ei=GRZ6TPu6EJCcsQPk9NDsCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA

Week 5 - Frances Hansen

Frances Hansen conveys themes of environmentalism and domesticity through her practice. The materials she gathers and her ideas are heavily influenced by her lifestyle as a mother and her household environment, particularly throughout times of maternity leave and the artwork of her children.

Collecting is an important aspect of Hansen's practice. She collects materials & transforms them into new collections, creating excitement from normality. I loved her work based on Bill Bryson's Short History of Everything, which she was reading at the time and appropriated words she was attracted to, relating to macro & micro elements of life and the universe which she considers important, such as 'atmospheric' and 'galactic'. These words were painted onto various trays which she had collected and agglomerated for display, although sold seperately. Her process involves compiling inspiration from anything around her which she is attracted to, noting it down, making lists or photographing it, and recycling it in her artwork at a later date. Hansen states John Reynolds as an influence, and I think this is strongly illustrated in his work Cloud, 2006.

Cloud, 2006, John Reynolds

In the above work, Reynolds uses words from Harry Orsman’s Oxford Dictionary of New Zealand English, words which are typical 'isms' of the New Zealand vocabulary, and groups them together almost haphazardly to create a general idea of Kiwiana through text. In Hansen's comparable work, she groups trays together to create an effect of consideration of the greater contempations of life, the universe and everything.

A strong visual theme throughout Hansen's work is the inclusion of the silhouette. Removing all information except the outline allows Hansen to remove the brand, recycle the use of the product and allow the audience to guess as to its identity as per the outline of the form. She is constantly sourcing material from noticing elements in her surroundings, and her domestic life has influenced her to include elements such as cleaning products in her works, reflecting her interest in environmental issues with regard to waste, and, in particular, packaging.

Patrick Pound, Index 2005

This work by Patrick Pound reminded me in particular of Hansen's trays of silhouetted cleaning products, when arranged in a group. Visually, there is a strong connection here and Pound is evidently an influence on Hansen in this way. The theme of haphazardly arranged repetition of smaller works with individualities is exemplified here. Pound removes much of the visual information of individuals' faces to examine how much information is necessary to in order to retain individuality. In Hansen's work, the viewer is invited to guess at which cleaning product might be portrayed, and consider how branding/capitalism affects our culture. What is the real difference between two different brands other than price? Here, we see the domestic element of her work.

Hansen has commented that she strongly admires and identifies with Pound's work, and in particular the way in which he takes everyday objects and manipulates them to becoming something interesting. Another artist who does this is Eve Armstrong. Armstrong directly relates to Hansen in her use of materials.

Both works by Eve Armstrong. Left to right: Gush, 2007. Clear Out, 2007

Hansen has cited these works as strong influences on her practice. This is evident in her use of packaging and other materials which are generally considered to be rubbish. Armstrong "reuses and reconfigures cast-off material within new contexts", emphasising issues of waste & consumerism. She "upcycles" everyday materials, creating a new life for objects which would otherwise be throw away. Hansen treates materials in the same way, constructing works from left over packaging, plastic bags, plant tags sourced from a garden centre floor, scrubbers and old lists people have discarded around her suburb, as well as purchasing materials from $2 stores & transforming them into objects of value. One of her works presents rubbish created week by week, inviting the viewer to consider what the aspects of the waste might convey with regard to the consumer and his/her lifestyle, as well as reflecting environmental issues. One week, for example, contained the discarded packaging from products utilised on a flight to Australia. Upon collecting and noticing packaging, Hansen was shocked by the sheer volume of waste and the impact this would have on the environment, highlighting this as a theme in her work.

The Homely Frontier, Frances Hansen

Robert Rauschenberg, Untitled, Combine painting, 1955

Robert Rauschenberg demonstrates a compositional style favoured by Hansen. Subjects and objects are compiled together whilst occupying their own space, discarding traditional compositional arrangements. Each is carefully replicated & valued - this is evident, for example, in one of Hansen's works which contains a direct copy of a drawing by her daughter. This form of presentation and arrangement transplants each smaller element of the artwork into a new context, inviting the viewer to see it in a new light. Rauschenberg "considered the combining of parts as itself a significant phenomenon, producing new results and effects not present in the elements that were being brought together. He was also attentive to the image quality of the entities with which he was working; for him they were not just constructs or prosaically factual entities." Hansen arranges her paintings as collages, experimenting with comparing various compositions, before refining and creating a final piece. This notion of compiling, laying out and arranging smaller art pieces to constitute a larger artwork is an ongoing theme throughout her practice. Her paintings may contain imagery of anything she has noticed and taken a shine too; perhaps she has noticed a pattern on a letterbox and taken a photograph, or a sticker on a second hand headboard from a handmade bed, or a design on a carpet. These personal touches are valued by Hansen and transformed, merged and celebrated within her own works, again reflecting her interest in themes of domesticity.

One may consider Hansen's current project, writing and illustrating a book of family recipes, the epitome of many of the features I have discussed - domesticity, collecting recipes, lists and illustrations, creating, personal touches, experimenting and merging this all together into 232 pages, many small creations becoming one larger artwork.

http://www.portrait.gov.au/exhibit/truth/pound.html?pagenum=

www.robgarrettcfa.com/walkingwithletters.htm
http://www.chartwell.org.nz/images/imagelibrary/public/cruisecollection/evearsmtrong.jpg
http://sauer-thompson.com/conversations/archives/2007/11/post-349.html

www.coca.org.nz

Week 4 - Eldon Booth

Eldon Booth creates films which experiment with traditional ideas of reality & illusion via the techniques and editing processes he employs. He is interested in the idea of television portraying a 'reality', whereas, in actual fact, it portrays an illusion of a reality. He considers and draws attention to the line between reality & illusion. This is a strong theme throughout his work.

John Fiske comments that "television is seen either as a transparent window on the world or as a mirror reflecting our own reality back to us." Booth considers here the contrast between seeing 'reality' on television through a window, and the concept of creating a world, a reflection. Various techniques highlight the difference between these two perceptions, and his work is strongly influenced by low budget, reality tv of the 90's, reflecting these techniques in his film Withdrawal, 2001. Booth comments in his blog "I’m interested in our perception of reality via the media, including the camera ‘persona’ that reality television or documentary subjects inhabit and ethical concerns regarding the potential exploitation of those participants for entertainment purposes – especially if a programme documents the actual death of a real person."

He encompasses the "camera 'persona'" and denies traditional cinematic conventions via use of amateur techniques & technologies such as hand held cameras, low quality equipment, purposefully roughly editing, panning and blurred focus. These are evident in Withdrawal, 2001. Booth creates a non linear storyline and films with cheap VHS tape. This reflects a medium which would be available to the society portrayed in his films, emphasising elements of realism. The film is written, directed & edited by Booth, yet it displays intentional characteristics of an amateur production. The characters are filmed in mundane situations of transition. They are being directed, yet interact with the public in reality, who are not acting. The grandfather is in hospital in reality, yet he is playing a character who is in hospital. These further blur the lines between reality and illusion. A split screen forces the viewer to consider the lives of both characters at once, and the supposed reality of their everyday actions, rather than sensationalised storylines. Booth says of his characters in his blog "these aren't imaginary friends, they ARE real people.."

Although there is not much information available on 90's TV shows referenced by Booth such as When Animals Attack! and World's Dumbest Criminals, and reality TV has changed dramatically over recent years, one can compare this viewing of a mundane activity to portray realism in more recent Reality TV shows such as Big Brother - this is more available due websites such as youtube.com now being widely used. The official premise is that the show is a 'social experiment' but it provides sensationalised entertainment for the public. This is an interesting portrayal of the theme of reality versus the illusion of reality. It attempts to portray a reality in that the characters are not 'actors', they are real people in a real situation. However, it is an unnatural social situation and they are aware of the cameras, this awareness is reflected in their behaviour, hence it becomes an illusion of reality. The show is edited at the whim of the creators. The techniques employed are not similar to Booths in all aspects. However, the viewer is very aware of the fact that they are almost spying on the actors, from the angles and positions at which the cameras are placed, similar to a CCTV setup (referencing the shows inspiration - George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four). The viewer is always looking on, never included. This reflects Booth's manner of following his actors in Withdrawal, rather than interacting with them. Such use of camera angles & lack of interaction with the characters are evident in Gus Van Sant's Elephant, 2003, a movie also looking to create realism. The Big Brother characters are screened to the public performing mundane acts such as cooking, cleaning, chatting, etc., & this conveys a realistic element, mirrored in the work of Booth when his characters wait for the bus, smoke a cigarette, etc.

Big Brother 3, 2006 (UK) - Alex brushing his teeth

Big Brother 3, 2006 (UK) - Jade & Jonny talking in the garden

Still from Elephant (Gus Van Sant) 2003 - a CCTV style high angle shot conveys realism through lack of interaction, as though the viewer is looking in on the characters, who are unaware of the presence. Booth employs this technique of following the characters in Withdrawal, 2001.

Elephant - the characters are followed by the camera/viewer

Big Brother demonstrates an interesting contrast between reality/the illusion of reality as the lines are blurred & the audience is invited to buy into the truth of the happenings on screen, even though the 'reality' they view has been created by the programme's creators. There is also this interaction between direction of the characters through tasks created by Big Brother, and their improvised/natural reactions. The characters are not actors, and in Elephant, Van Sant uses amateur actors. Booth uses his family to play characters in Withdrawal, adding to the realism.

Sensationalism of mundane events in reality TV is a theme he explores in Five Good Reasons, 2006. Effective techniques which convey this are close ups and montage. Both these are conveyed in the TV show Big Brother, for example in the images I have included above. However, I think a more relevant example of effective use of montage & panning is evident in the TV show Ghost Hunters. As in Booth's work, the viewer is invited to watch a montage of various scenes which create a dramatic effect, combined with interviews. These scenes would otherwise be mundane clips of the inside of a building. This clip also relates back to Booth's reference to amateur production in hand held techniques to convey realism, when the characters are seeking ghosts in the dark. I think his attitude to the characters & interviews can also be referenced here - he enjoys the natural element of the dialogue, & captured this by filming the entire interview without breaks each time, before editing. Ghost Hunters is also very much about the reactions of the actors, their personalities adding to the sensationalism of otherwise ordinary situations.

Celebrity Big Brother 5 - Best Bits montage, screened in Jade's final eviction episode. Use of montage here sensationalises events & creates excitement & nostalgia

Ghost Hunters, 2010. Booths use of montage & sensationalism is reflected here. The style is much more similar to his in the camera panning & zooming adding to the effect, & editing to cut between the interviews and the action. However, it does not portray the level intimacy that Booth achieves through use of shots & countershots.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWP7Oeo7ACk

Fiske, John. Television Culture. Taylor & Francis e-library, 2009.

Booth, Eldon. Finding Honk. http://findhonk.blogspot.com/ 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chhA2b5wayU

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Brother_(TV_series)

http://moviecultists.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/elephant-shooters.jpg

www.reverseshot.com/article/elephant

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvsUm9XDSks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWP7Oeo7ACk

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shot_reverse_shot

Week 3 - Dion Hitchens

Select at least 2 of the following terms & discuss in relation to Hitchens' practice:
- Interaction
- Collaboration
- Site
- Cultural/History
- Technology

Hitchens is interested in Art as a continuum, and the participating in the process of drawing on previous art movements to create contemporary pieces, which will in turn be drawn on by future artists. A particular movement of importance to Hitchens in the post-modernist movement, as this was the first time art was not dominated by white, middle class males, and themes of feminism (and I use the word feminism as a general term to implicate the empowerment of minority/repressed societies) emerged, creating windows for previously repressed artists of non Western backgrounds to produce work. Hitchens' culture is an integral element of his practice. He draws strongly on his Maori background to create pieces with poignant statements about society, history and culture.

History is referenced both in the history of his materials and the history of the locations in which his work is situated. For example, he has utilised in one of his works a log from a tree which floated down the river as a result of the Mount Tarawera eruption. The history of this material is an integral element of the work, and reflects the importance in Maori belief of tangata whenua, and ideas of iwi having a direct relationship to the land. He uses physical documentation of an integral element of the history of the whenua of NZ - the wood even had a burnt smell. Hitchens states Richard Long as one of his influences. A similar theme is evident in Long's work. With reference to the image below, Long has stated that the mud he uses is tidal - its history is that it was created by the moon interacting with the stones over centuries. This encourages the viewer to consider the life of the material prior to its positioning in the gallery, and the significance of this. He has also exhibited work whilst expressly pointing out that he arrived at the location empty handed, thus using local materials, although this is perhaps less in direct relation to culture than in the work of Hitchens.

Throwing Muddy Water, Richard Long, 1967

His culture is reflected in his use of materiality & site within the work. Many of his works directly reference the space they are situated in. This could be in situating work in the window of an art gallery, not quite inside but not outside, and considering 'the space between'. This references the atea of the marae, the place between the physical world and the spiritual.

Another of his pieces which directly combines elements of site, history and culture is his current project, situated in Resolution Drive, Hamilton. This references the HMS Resolution, a ship used by Cook on his voyages around the Pacific. Acknowledging this place name as a reference to the colonial history of the site, Hitchens uses his symbolism to map out stories & represent the Maori history of the land - he creates a new piece of art to keep old stories alive. This work can only exist at this site. He quotes Robert Smithson as a strong influence - he also uses local materials & creates works which are site specific.

Spiral Jetty by Robert Smithson, 1970

Interaction within his work again comments on culture, in his use of materials. A viewer might not expect a sculpture made from local land gathered materials to move, as technology is often assumed a part of Western as opposed to Maori design. Hitchens challenges this dated idea by surprising the viewer. He imposes interaction with his use of space within a gallery - the viewer must either walk directly through his work or make an effort to move around it. The eerie experience he creates reminded me of The Room with a Bird by Bundith Phunsombatlert, another work which forces direct interaction on the viewer and creates an unusual experience.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3666254/Mud-mud-glorious-mud.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Resolution_(Cook)
http://www.listener.co.nz/issue/3648/artsbooks/15244/riding_the_lead_balloon.html

http://www.portlandart.net/archives/smithson_spiraljetty.jpg