Infiltration

Elam Infiltration = Graduating Exhibition

Some visual highlights from the open evening which saw us arriving at the B block 'party' somewhat late and getting kicked out of the building by security. I blame it on Saskia's sketchy directions...

Anyway, what to say? We were rather overstimulated by the end of it all, having seen enough art to fill the 10% of brain function that we apparently use...yes art was overfloweth, and as with any exhibition like this, there was plenty that I took to and plenty that I would rather put in the 'man i really wish i didn't have to fill my petty 10% of brain function with that...'. But it is all very much personal preference anyway. V. Impressed with some of the masters stuff (at least the stuff we saw before security man/bouncer guy told us the show was over) and also a few of the 4th year students. Lots of experimentation with video (as is expected with Elam I guess) and not so much painting (which doesn't seem to be Elam's strong point anyway).

Favourite would have to be the 14th picture down, a sculpture/drawing/paint installation of sorts entitled 'Counting Backwards from Infinity'. As well as the clever dude who made the remote control hand. And the skinned cat which reminds me of a part of this book I'm reading at the moment where a man kidnaps cats and cuts them open alive, devouring their still beating hearts in order to build a flute... (On a side note, I am not condoning the skinning of cats, they are our friends.)

Presentation on most seemed to have been well considered. However, Elliot drew our attention to this painting which had been warped so much, it came at least a good three centimetres off the wall...

We then debated about whether (especially at graduating level) this artist should simply have made the chop to this painting and not have included it. What would you have done?

Looking at the Open Day website I came across this quote:

"Elam Open Days is a chance to celebrate the calibre of talent that exists within the School. It might be difficult for some people to imagine what life as a fine arts student is like. Elam Open Days can help shed light on the mysteries of such an endeavour and help people understand the challenges and rewards of earning a degree from Elam," says Professor Pretty.

Ha!!! Shed light? I don't know about that...Elam is still very much an enigma as is any art school to anyone who doesn't attend it (and I mean live/breathe it). And I highly doubt that a video of two girls rubbing a strange white liquid substance on each other in a blow up paddling pool can really lend itself to shedding light on anything other than reinforcing stereotypes about art school and it's attendees.

Is opening a studio up for two days, adequate enough light for a proper 'infiltration' of the ideas and workings of art school?

Perhaps such open days serve only as a temporary bridge between art school and everything else that is not art school, but like, one of those rickety Indiana Jones bridges where you're not too sure whether or not you will make it to the end without it disintegrating into the large lava pit of hot, steaming, molten rock below...

Perhaps such days really, in the end, serve something as simple as the basic human need for celebration, or a coming to an end. Closure, if you will...

Leaving Elam, I figured I had a slight sense of what exactly is on the pulse. What is all very 'fashionable' at the moment. I can see why people attending Elam think that they are perhaps more 'conceptual' than us AUT-ers. I could dispute that opinion but that is another argument altogether...

All in all, was an exciting (over-exciting perhaps too) show.

Whitecliffe Graduating Show on tuesday anyone?? Hella yessssss

- Agnes