Exhibtion: James Turrell

artist research: David Prior

Reasearching british sound artists, came across soundfjord website with links to liminal website: official website of collaboration between David Prior (Sound artist and composer) his partner Frances Crow (architect and designer).
I came across mention of a project completed during a residency for  binaural media 
called 'Of this parish'

a film explaining a live soundart recording made on a residency for binaural in Portugal.
the concept was of delineating in a real time recording, the geographical boundaries of a parish. 
Where bells tolling ceased to be heard at a parish boundary, meant you were within the adjacent parish.

At the time I was researching ideas and symbolism for a sound piece for a project for Theaster Gates's Sanctum November 2015.

Already had ideas around
->timeline
->repeated stories of the parishioners
->the church was dedicated to weavers of Bristol, repetitive mechanic sounds...
->using more repetitive elements of sounds to create meditative pattern and series of noises

 
I'd started with an idea of referencing the historical timeline of the Temple church where the final sound piece would be played.


The film produced for liminal was more about using 

using sound as a means to articulate space

rather than time, but I was really struck and taken by the calm thoughtful, simple concept. 
 'The film is both a sonic portrait'
Coincidentally, the film then showed at the Arnolfini, I was able to go and hear David Prior speak about the ideas and logistics of the recording and video editing.
The actual recording in live time that was done of the church bells wasn't included in the film which I was disappointed about.
But I came away excited and energised by hearing about contemporary artists work that I felt touched on some of the themes/content I'm enjoying exploring on the course:
How and what media to use to communicate an idea and feeling

How does this relate to my work?
Interesting the comments on liminal website that the preparation
for the project.

Unlike gathering field-recordings for future use in an edited work, these recordings are made in a single take. Like Aleksandr Sokurov’s film Russian Ark (2002), or indeed our work Another Poisonous Sunset (1998) or Janet Cardiff’s The Forty Part Motet (2001), Of This Parish is dependant upon real time rendering of space. For this reason, a significant portion of the residency was devoted to devising and preparing these simultaneous walks. Each walk was undertaken by two recordists providing equipment backup and ensuring that the primary recordist is not disturbed by the need to communicate, map-read or negotiate other practicalities.

 Ideas first, preparation, then controlled but spontaneous process that results in finished piece.

For final Sanctum piece, the sound recording, was edited live during the performance. Thus, the timeline and concept remained unchanged, but controlling and altering which elements allowed spontaneous editing during the performance eg altering volume or what sounds took 'centrestage' aurally.

from Liminal website,link below my italics

Of this parish Review

the talk given by David Prior was articulate, succinct and unpretentious. He spoke warmly and with interest about the themes in the work, the voiceover script and subsequent projects.
The film, was beautifully and simply edited but with a few additional effects eg children appearing/disappearing.
I will be interested to keep an eye on further projects by Liminal and I've also been looking into the binaural media links and other projects.





Links:
http://www.soundfjord.org/listeningpost.htm 
http://www.arnolfini.org.uk/whatson/film-screening-of-this-parish
http://www.liminal.org.uk/contact/
http://binauralmedia.org/news/en/about
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/mar/28/sound-art-radio-4
http://www.quietmark.com/

food for thought, sol le witt

Sentences on Conceptual Art

by Sol Lewitt 

1. Conceptual artists are mystics rather than rationalists. They leap to conclusions that logic cannot reach.
2. Rational judgements repeat rational judgements.
3. Irrational judgements lead to new experience.
4. Formal art is essentially rational.
5. Irrational thoughts should be followed absolutely and logically.
6. If the artist changes his mind midway through the execution of the piece he compromises the result and repeats past results.
7. The artist's will is secondary to the process he initiates from idea to completion. His wilfulness may only be ego.
8. When words such as painting and sculpture are used, they connote a whole tradition and imply a consequent acceptance of this tradition, thus placing limitations on the artist who would be reluctant to make art that goes beyond the limitations.
9. The concept and idea are different. The former implies a general direction while the latter is the component. Ideas implement the concept.
10. Ideas can be works of art; they are in a chain of development that may eventually find some form. All ideas need not be made physical.
11. Ideas do not necessarily proceed in logical order. They may set one off in unexpected directions, but an idea must necessarily be completed in the mind before the next one is formed.
12. For each work of art that becomes physical there are many variations that do not.
13. A work of art may be understood as a conductor from the artist's mind to the viewer's. But it may never reach the viewer, or it may never leave the artist's mind.
14. The words of one artist to another may induce an idea chain, if they share the same concept.
15. Since no form is intrinsically superior to another, the artist may use any form, from an expression of words (written or spoken) to physical reality, equally.
16. If words are used, and they proceed from ideas about art, then they are art and not literature; numbers are not mathematics.
17. All ideas are art if they are concerned with art and fall within the conventions of art.
18. One usually understands the art of the past by applying the convention of the present, thus misunderstanding the art of the past.
19. The conventions of art are altered by works of art.
20. Successful art changes our understanding of the conventions by altering our perceptions.
21. Perception of ideas leads to new ideas.
22. The artist cannot imagine his art, and cannot perceive it until it is complete.
23. The artist may misperceive (understand it differently from the artist) a work of art but still be set off in his own chain of thought by that misconstrual.
24. Perception is subjective.
25. The artist may not necessarily understand his own art. His perception is neither better nor worse than that of others.
26. An artist may perceive the art of others better than his own.
27. The concept of a work of art may involve the matter of the piece or the process in which it is made.
28. Once the idea of the piece is established in the artist's mind and the final form is decided, the process is carried out blindly. There are many side effects that the artist cannot imagine. These may be used as ideas for new works.
29. The process is mechanical and should not be tampered with. It should run its course.
30. There are many elements involved in a work of art. The most important are the most obvious.
31. If an artist uses the same form in a group of works, and changes the material, one would assume the artist's concept involved the material.
32. Banal ideas cannot be rescued by beautiful execution.
33. It is difficult to bungle a good idea.
34. When an artist learns his craft too well he makes slick art.
35. These sentences comment on art, but are not art.

---

First published in 0-9 (New York), 1969, and Art-Language (England), May 1969

Residency: lessons learnt

Lessons learnt from residency

Asking for residency

-be confident, succinct, explain that not knowing what you will produce is normal and not a reflection of not being serious about the process.

-show examples of previous work

-provide and artists statement

-set and be clear about specific dates of events, eg when you will be attending, handing over statements, available for talks, hand out contact details to improve trust and transparency. Provide references if needed- I said I was part of known art school which leant credibility and local interest to the project

-offer something, make it clear you intend the public/involved parties will get something out of it, I suggested a mosaic photobook

-ask to be mentioned in newsletters so that interested parties know what is going on

-if you ask for input from building users/public, be specific about what you’re interested in knowing, it helps them open up (I asked to know personal stories about what the church meant to them as a place of reflection, this was too broad)

-ask directly why people like a space, people like opening up about where they choose to spend their time. What’s special about it?

-Expect the unexpected: people will want to know what you’re doing, don’t really on people looking on blog

-Leaving business cards doesn’t work

-Ask if people would like to see your workings/experiments, what you see as rubbish/mistakes, interests others and helps them understand how you develop ideas

-taking photos not only helps record but helps you identify what your themes/interests are

- people like to see things BIG, not just photocopied in a note book

Developing ideas

-wikipedia!! This links from one page to another, this way I ended up learning about liturgical calendars, women bishop laws, coming across all kinds of terminology I’d never heard of and imagery linked to the church that stimulated ideas.

-don’t feel bad about spending lots of time researching, ideas came out of this Agnus Dei->I then came across a music script in a

-the process will come, daft scribbles or making a mess will leave things to settle and ideas and experiments will come. Making bad uncomfortable pieces helps clarify what feels right

-ask feedback from others about what they like/don’t like about a piece

-asking people/friends if they would like see what you’re doing helps you practice explaining in different ways what you’re doing, how you’re working and the ideas behind it, doing this lots of times, helps clarify and improve confidence in what you’re doing

-trial and error- eg using go pro too complicated, risk of theft, looked even though small too intrusive and ‘’blinking’, be sensitive to other users, this meant I had to find alternative ways of recording photos/footage

-get expert help but also wing it, I looked up a stop-motion app that my phone could use, it could do square format that I like, turns out there are forums for sharing work, that I then used the imotion to record in other places which has ended up giving me enough footage for a mini-film

Starting point:

Circles in tree of life photo, circle in hallway entranceway, baptismal font,

Arches: baldaccino,

Lines: organ,

Light/dark: columns, acoustic ceiling, wood panelling vs concrete,

Contrast: boiled sweet colours-primary, strong, simple

Colour and symbolism: blue (sea/sky)

Senses affected: smell (fragrance of dust- reminiscent and evocative of grandparents house-memory), incense- frankincense, sight: has to adjust from dark to light, touch: cool not cold on skin- constance of temperature,

What did I produce?:

a series of experimental drawings, with regular geometric patterns from circles