Victoria and Albert Museum

Disobedient Objects

This exhibition surprises in many ways. Firstly in contrast to the rest of the exhibitions that are on display which look very ordered, defined and mainly in brightly lit glass cases, the disobedient objects exhibition is placed on one side of the museum and as you enter, it feels as if you have arrived in your worst nightmare. The exhibits look disorganised and a mix and match of items that do not look as if they belong in the same place. The silver bars going from floor to ceiling looked as if the objects were imprisoned.

I was confused on first look but as I read the text on each exhibit I finally understood what this exhibition was about and was fascinated by the politics, history and the struggles of people trying to bring about change in various situations and making their voices heard using objects to put their points across.

Nike Blanket 

 The Nike blanket exhibit was a protest against cheap labour used for Nike garments. It was placed on the wall quite high and though the blanket in its size and colour made an impact to understand the protest, its position was hard to notice. The text was placed nearer eye level and therefore you know that there is an exhibit somewhere.

Solidarity

Another exhibit celebrated solidarity. It was a mix of slogans, logos, printed t-shirts, leaflets and more. I was astounded with the amount of things on display and the strong messages that scream from the walls. The display is a muddle of objects but because of this muddle you are captivated by it and feel like “sticking together” with the people of these struggles.

Going through each object you feel more and more like you are part of each struggle. They have a strong impact on you and when you come out of the disobedient objects exhibition back into the orderly structure of the museum you feel exhausted but inspired to look for the next struggle and play a part in its movement.

Disobedient Objects: About the Exhibition

Inflatable cobblestone, action of Eclectic Electric Collective in cooperation with Enmedio collective during the General Strike in Barcelona 2012. © Oriana Eliçabe/Enmedio.info

26 July 2014 – 1 February 2015

From a Suffragette tea service to protest robots, this exhibition is the first to examine the powerful role of objects in movements for social change. It demonstrates how political activism drives a wealth of design ingenuity and collective creativity that defy standard definitions of art and design. Disobedient Objects focuses on the period from the late 1970s to now, a time that has brought new technologies and political challenges. On display are arts of rebellion from around the world that illuminate the role of making in grassroots movements for social change: finely woven banners; defaced currency; changing designs for barricades and blockades; political video games; an inflatable general assembly to facilitate consensus decision-making; experimental activist-bicycles; and textiles bearing witness to political murders.

 

 

Burning Desire-Mariko Mori

 

Burning desire is a glass print photograph of five images that are dressed in religious clothes. They seem to be worshipping in a desert with four of the figures dressed similarly and each engulfed in flames.

Why are they sitting and worshipping and above all why is one figure raised and floating above the others not in flames but wearing clothes that look like she is a goddess and has a ring of rainbow around her?

This image goes back to the artists strong religious and Japanese background. It shows peoples strength in their faith and religion that even in flames they are sitting calmly as Buddhism is a religion for your soul and is known for its peace and tranquility. The burning figures seem to be worshipping to the floating goddess that they aspire to become. The flaming figures could represent the journey to “nirvana” which is the highest state a person can attain after burning away all their human desires. This art work is Mori’s vision of reaching paradise, therefore the image of the pure goddess type figure with the halo of colours above and after burning away your desires and sins in this world.

On the other hand if you view this piece without knowledge of the artist it can be seen that if you commit evil you will burn forever in flames but if you are good in life you will rise to heaven. The image is taken in an isolated desert as if judgement is going to be passed on their life and either they will be risen or explode in flames.

The image is printed on five large glass panels which creates a huge cinema like image. You feel totally immersed in the image and it feels as if you are also going to be judged.

 

 

Mirror City Image Analysis

Black Hole-Mohammad Qasim Ashfaq

Mohammed Qasim Ashfaqs art piece Black Hole III, 2012-2013 is simple in its design and colour and on initial view looks like a circle simply coloured black. However close up you become astounded at the hundreds of detailed precise lines and dark tones that seem to create a star from out of this world. The design of the lines as they disappear into a central vanishing point makes the viewer feel as if they are being swallowed up by a black hole fulfilling the desire of the artist as the title of this piece shows.

Ashfaq artworks are inspired by his interest in space and science fiction and are very exact and precise in nature. This perfection is opposite to the chaos of the real world and as you view the Black Hole you become curious as to what life could hold in an orderly and disciplined world as the precise nature and perfection of the art piece demonstrates. On further inspection and by looking at the work from different angles the shades and tones of the art changes very slightly and you really do feel as if you are falling through a hole and may or may not land at some destination.

The first impression of the Black Hole is of peace and tranquility as all you see is a round black circle but as you take your time over the piece the hole takes on a life of its own and seems to be moving ever so slowly through space swallowing up everyone who dares to take their time staring at the Black hole.

Photo Montages-John Stezaker

John Stezakers photo montages are created from photos of Hollywood stills and seem to create a story within a story. They are not just two photos put together for the sake of art but the photo montages feel as if it is the original photo. The photos are cut using what seems like a surgeons knife and cut with straight angular lines. They are easy on the eye and without any thought process it is easy to interpret the photo montages.

Stezaker has a number of photo montages on display and the way he decides which photos should become part of one photo montage shows the sense of humour of the artist. Each montage is amusing, entertaining and very clever.

Choosing black and white photos also enhances the mystery surrounding the originality of the photo as much of the audience today will be unaware of the films these stills are taken from. Also by using black and white photos the photo montages are sharp and distinctive and feel they have more of a story to tell than simply a photo stuck on the wall.

Stezakers work is one of the easier pieces on the eye at Mirrorcity and definitely easier to interpret. Placed in one horizontal line on a white background you become immersed in the work and feel there should be many more montages on display for the audience to appreciate and be further entertained.

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright

The Four Factor Fair Test

Fair use protects those who want to use copyrighted works without the owners permission.

The courts decide if the copyright has been breached or infringed but there are tests to see whether this has happened.

The four factor fair test helps solve this problem and determine if the work has been copyrighted fairly or not.

 

The tests are:

• The reason to use the copyrighted material.
• The type of copyrighted work.
• The amount of the work compared to the whole work to be used.
• The effect on the value of the copyrighted work.

 

Combined together these tests help decide if the copyright has been infringed or breached. The laws protect things like writing, music, song lyrics, photos, drawings and films.

 

A copyright infringement or a breach of a copyright means when the rights of the copyright holder are misused and the law for copyright is broken.

 

Rolex watches are the most elegant and expensive watches. The markets around the world have been flooded with cheap imitations of these. They look exactly the same as the originals with the same logos, watch faces and colours but on very close inspection they are not as refined as the original Rolex even though they claim to be the original Rolex.

 

An example of this was when a Danish man purchased a Rolex watch online from China but on arrival to Denmark customs determined it was a fake. The matter was taken to court by the Rolex company and it was determined the copyright had been breached and the watch destroyed. This was a huge case and was a success for brand owners in their battle against counterfeit goods because it meant goods bought online from non EU countries would breach copyright laws when the goods arrived within the EU and could be destroyed by customs.

 

Apple versus Samsung was another example of copyright breach. Samsung was found guilty of copying some of the designs of the iphone and ipad including the shape, corners and screen and was fined millions of dollars. This is an ongoing battle with each side accusing the other of copyright infringement.

You can use some parts of copyrighted materials but again there is no set rule as to how much constitutes a copyright infringement or for exactly what purpose it will be used for. Each case has to be investigated on an individual basis.

 

 

 

 

kinetica art fair 2014

I went to the Kinetica art fair at the Old Truman Brewery on Friday 17th October 2014 and it was very interesting and all about the digital stuff. It combines the new arts, science and technology and as the name suggests is all about movement.

On display were fascinating artworks like interactive holograms, 3D projections, hanging mobiles, kinetic sculptures and light shows. The artists were from around the world.

The exhibition was a mix of everything and there did not seem to be any narrative as you walked through. Depending on the artwork some areas were well lit and other areas quite dark.

It was a mix that made all your senses feel alive.

Definitely an exhibition that visually makes you feel you are in a kaleidoscope being shaken around from all sides!

Art of the Brick Exhibition

I went to the Art of The Brick Exhibition at the Old Truman Brewery on Thursday 16th October and it was very exhilarating and inspiring viewing the creations made just with plastic bricks. Who would have thought the blocks I played with as a child could be turned into beautiful pieces of artwork.

Art of The Brick Exhibition is all about lego 3d sculptures created with thousands and thousands of bricks of lego. An American artist, Nathan Sawaya is the brilliant and artistic creator of these jaw dropping creations.

He created 3D models of people, portrait images, animals, objects, food, the environment, sports, planets, etc. and everything is mind boggling.

The artworks are placed on different stands and some similar pieces are grouped together. The area was dimly lit and had spotlights directed on each piece, however the sculptures are not so easily viewed. You want to see each brick gone into making them but I think because the bricks are brightly coloured the curators have gone with the darkness.

The exhibition evokes a lot of emotions as you can be happy viewing some pieces and then there is a piece of a man holding a dead woman. It is definitely a roller coast of emotions!

I feel like getting out my lego again!

Some of the photos I took.

 

  

 

This exhibition is definitely worth the ticket price and appeals to all age groups. Excited to see what pieces of artwork the artist will create next with lego….

Mirror City – exhibition critical response

“MIRROR CITY” explores the effect the digital revolution has had on our experiences” This is the tag line for this exhibition.

This exhibition is at the Hayward Gallery on the Southbank and showcasing new artists.

The artists exhibiting believe reality, science fiction and the digital age have combined to create this Mirrorcity, therefore an imaginery space what they believe is the London of today.

Even this description is quite confusing and complex as was the exhibition. You have to leave any pre-conceived ideas about the artwork outside the exhibition and walk in and really let the works take over you otherwise you will feel lost and wonder what has hit all your senses.

The space inside the gallery was huge and brightly lit. The art works were placed at great distances from each other and because of this it felt like there were some pieces missing.

Artworks included paintings, film and video, sculptures, drawing, sound and performance.

The walls were white and the captions were also written on white backgrounds with black text. These were easy enough to read but the text was lengthy without giving enough information about the artist or clear understanding of the idea behind the works.

At the time of my visit there were around 100 visitors and most of them as I watched them had a confused and bewildered expression on their faces. There were a few mumbles as people were trying to decipher the art pieces.

Some artworks were performances or films. Headphones were required for this. The videos ranged from 15-30 minutes and apart from one show I did not see anyone stay for the full duration of the shows. Some spectators did not even bother with the headphones. These shows were not like watching a film down at your local cinema but required an understanding of the piece on a completely different level and also the patience to remain interested.

As a deaf person I really struggled with the headphones and of course there were no sub-titles. Normally I just about get the idea about what I am watching even if I can not understand the speech but these performances were beyond understanding as a visual alone, I suppose these were like bad dreams that you try to figure out when you awake.

This exhibition claims to be about “the shifting, complex and multi-faceted nature of London itself” which it does as London is a very mixed, confusing and complex city which changes all the time but I felt it was more negative than positive in its representation of the city.

Would I recommend the exhibition? Yes if you like to be confused and enjoy mayhem and No if you want an easy life. The choice is yours!

 

 

Margot Lovejoy (2004) Digital Currents, Art in the Electronic Age – Critical response

Margot Lovejoy (2004) Digital Currents, Art in the Electronic Age

This book is about the connection between art and technology and the cultural and social changes throughout history. It follows different art movements and there development around the world. This chapter refers to the machine age and especially photography and the moving image starting in early 1900s.

It is a comprehensive read and the writer knows her art history.

The images are relevant to the writing and break up the text quite well. The images alone give the reader something to think about as the text can get lengthy; however you don’t feel like you get lost in the text as she uses plain English.

It would be helpful if the writer gave a short explanation about each movement as she wrote about them as it would help the reader. The writer presumes the reader is knowlegable about art history.

 

Abstract Digital Art: Image Analysis

Abstract art is independent from reality and is a visual language that portrays the artists ideas and feelings. Geometric shapes, lines, different colours, textures and tones come together to form an artwork that is not a recognised image.

 

This artwork is created by Nicolas Monin-Baroille, a German digital artist.

The title Project X does not give you any idea about what the image represents. It makes you wonder and question the image and look at it from different angles to try and interpret it.

The visual effect is of energy and movement and it feels as if a piece of coloured glass has shattered and frozen in time. This piece is made of geometric shapes and the colours are the most commonly used and compliment each other.

The image can be interpreted in any manner and there is no right or wrong. Sometimes it looks like a bomb has exploded in town and when I look again it looks like fireworks exploding or a light show. If you long enough you feel like you are going to get swallowed up by the image.

I feel excited by this image as it can talk to you in different ways.

Abstract Digital Art: Image Analysis – Frieder Nake, Hommage a Paul Klee

Frieder Nake, Hommage a Paul Klee

Abstract Digital Art Analysis

 

This artwork is inspired by an oil painting by Paul Klee called “Highroads and Byroads” (1929).

Nake was mathematician and a pioneer in computer art. He wrote computer programmes and was inspired by the vertical and horizontal lines in Klee’s painting to create his version of the same (1965).

Nake programmed the computer plotter to form different shapes following the original painting and once the plotter started drawing it turned out different geometric shapes forming an image to look like abstract art.

The visual effect looks like scribbles by a child but once you understand the history of the piece and the pioneering methods used to draw this image you have to respect the intelligence of the people to bring computers and art together.

The image today looks very simple but 50 years ago this image drawn by a computer would have been groundbreaking and looked extremely complex.

 

Computer abstract art has come a long way but like its beginnings it is still created with simple geometric lines, shapes, colours and interpretation of the art is left to the viewer.