Week 8 - Fran Allison

1) Define Collaboration and how it differs from a Collective.

2) How have these terms influenced Allison's practice?

3) Give another example of a collaborative art practice.

This is how dictionary.com defines a collaboration:


collaboration (kəˌlæbəˈreɪʃən)
— n (often foll by on, with, etc )
1. The act of working with another or others on a joint project
2. Something created by working jointly with another or others

A collective and a collaboration, in an artistic sense, both involve a group of artists working together to produce work. A collaborative artwork, however, is distinct in that there is a lack of authorship - it does not matter who produces which elements of the creation, the final artowork will be presented as a piece equally created in concept & physicality by all participants of the collaboration - joint authorship. Each artist bring skills towards the final outcome and the audience will not be informed as to who submitted what. A collaborative work can be created without the artists seeing each other or sharing the same space, and some collaborations involve artists contributing in various ways from all over the world.

A collective, according to wikipedia, is 'a group of entities that share or are motivated by at least one common issue or interest'. The key word here is entities - a collective as an agglomeration of individuals. The online dictionary defines a collective as 'of or characteristic of a group of individuals taken together: the collective wishes of the membership.' Again, the concept of individuality is highlighted. It also comments 'teams that work collaboratively can obtain greater resources, recognition and reward when facing competition for finite resources'. The online dictionary states a collective as 'forming a whole; combined: and a business, farm, etc., jointly owned and operated by the members of a group.' Therefore, a collective, in an artistic sense, is a group of artists who work together to support each other individually, perhaps benefiting from shared resources, studio space and opinions, to aid the development of each person's separate practice.

Fran Allison's earliest experience within a collective was for a 5 year duration whilst she was establishing herself in London. She highlights works produced within the collective such as a set of swords for an Arab prince, perhaps influencing her towards the path she took of becoming a silversmith for many years. It was also during that period that she developed an interest in the domestic, a theme which has underpinned her work for years to come.

Allison is currently a member of the collaborative group of artists, who call themselves Weeds. Weeds encompasses herself, Lisa Walker, Andrea Daly & Shelley Norton, and each artist brings different skills & techniques to to the group. Collaboratives are often formed as a result of a common interest or passion - Weeds was drawn together by a common frustration at the stereotypical views of kiwi jewellery as perceived by overseas audiences, and they aim to establish a clearer communication between New Zealand and the rest of the world, subverting outdated perceptions.

Allison has commented that “For me ‘Weeds’ is a platform for experimentation. Each ‘weed’ is different from the one before, and each could be cultivated into a body of work. Each piece is a new beginning, an exploration into new materials sourced from the domestic urban environment. The pieces explore the decorative possibilities of op shop discoveries, all containing previous histories and meanings. The added advantage of working in this way is that any discards become compost….” Participating & contributing towards Weeds creates an environment in which Allison is able to experiment and pusher her ideas, as they strive to stretch their ideas to the limit, enabling them to consider methods & concepts they may otherwise not have - the wackier, the better. Allison creates experimentations within Weeds which she then personally explores further in her spare time, thus advancing her own individual practice. She states that Weeds is a 'cataylst' for this, allowing her to divert onto many tangents, playing with materials in almost a childlike sense, and work closely with other artists who inspire her - in particular, Lisa Walker and her fearless approach to creating.

Grant Thompson has commented "I wonder why someone would choose to be a weed in the garden of jewellery. The answer seems to have something to do with a desire to intensify awareness of everyday things as things in them selves rather than as signs of something else." This observation emphasises Weeds' desire to create jewellery which represents the diversity in New Zealand and challenge the definitive idea of jewellery, using second hand materials & transforming them into new works. This is a common goal for Weeds as well as Allison in her own work, which ties in neatly with Allison's interest in Walker's confident approach to materials and exploration. She also values ideas of lack of control, which materialises in techniques such as breaking & smashing her work, and would be an aspect of working as apart of a collaborative, referencing other group members' ideas, rather than exercising complete control over a work.

Plastic is a materialin which Allison is particularly interested, and is demonstrated here in Walker's Brooch, 2007. She has recycled objects of low value and transformed them into an art piece. I was attracted to this piece personally as to me it has connotations of environmental issues. This work seems to encompass the themes Allison & Weeds wish to convey - a contemporary approach using materials which would otherwise be considered to have a low value, challenging traditional concepts of jewellery and preciousness.

Brooch, 2007, Lisa Walker, Plastic & glue

Allison's work here is similar to Walkers in its agglomoration of found plastic materials, perhaps sources from opshops or $2 stores, which seem to have been grouped together as a result of playful exploration. It is from Allison's chapter of a Weeds catalogue & demonstrates typical values of the group.

Random Findings pins, Fran Allison

Allison has been influenced by other artists who work in collaborations & collectives. She states the Swedish collaborative group We Work in Fragile Material as an influence on her artwork created within Weeds. She references in particular their wacky and absurd nature, and their ability to create works within a group which they would be unable to as individual artists, pushing their ideas as far as possible, encouraging each other as they are driven by a common intereste - much like Weeds.

American Craft magazine has commented that We Work in Fragile Material 'finds its strength in numbers', creating 'rambunctious projects'. The group of artists and designers are trained in various specialities but combine their skills to create works which they would be individually unable to. The ceramist Pontus Lindvall states "we don't have a manifesto - we have some kind of feeling or having a view of the world in common, but it's not in writing or even agreed upon." The collaborative allows these artists to work together to push these ideas to the extreme, as demonstrated in this huge troll creation below.

Happy Campers, We Work in Fragile Material

References



My lecture notes

The Collective Conscious by Holland Cotter, New York Times, March 5, 2006.

http://www.dictionary.com/

http://www.wikipedia.org/

http://www.quoil.co.nz/artists/fran_allison/


http://www.fingers.co.nz/exhibitors/Weeds_05.htm


http://www.dhub.org/articles/1151

http://www.weworkinafragilematerial.com/Fragglarna/project06/12_06_Troll.htm

http://www.americancraftmag.org/toc.php?id=7233

http://www.sixpm.net/wwiafm-show.htm