The Paint and Bake

What's in a name?

2011-03-25T18:00:00.000-07:00

(Documented some naming brilliance from the town council in Savusavu, Fiji)

So after a stagnant year of too much work and little else, things have started a moving 'n' shaking.

For a number of months I have been meeting with a group of other AUT graduates in the hope of setting up a studio and artist run space together. After much jumping through hoops with trying to find a space and a sixth member, we finally have both thanks to Gemma and Lisa's efforts. The signing of the lease for the space on Karangahape Road is in it's final stages and we can now turn our attention to practicalities - painting, desks, lighting etc.

I have already started thinking about potential combinations for group shows - am getting a bit ahead of myself whoopsie. We want the space to function not as a exercise of self-promotion but rather an opportunity to turn our hand at the differing roles of practicing outside the institution and a space that is accesible to recent graduates and students.

The thing that is stumping us all at this point is a name. So many impressions can be taken from word association and what you choose to work under. There's the route of going with something simple and related to the location or what we want it to function as, and there is always going with terms that are unrelated and seemingly random ala Blue Oyster or Gambia Castle; both have their pros and cons. Nothing seems to fit yet, flicking through dictionaries has even been attempted. Jeepers it's kind of like naming a child no one wants it to be burdoned with a stupid name that it will be stuck with for the rest of its life before it becomes bitter and changes its name by deed poll. Sigh.

We are waiting for inspiration to strike, but I have a feeling that we will actually have to be in the space before we can decide on what fits.

Here's to the beginning of something good hopefully.

Claud

Discovery

2010-10-23T03:05:00.000-07:00

Recently I've been discovering a lot of websites and blogs which are not of English descent. One of these websites is of a person who likes to take pictures of things stacked and arranged on top of their cat. However, one site more art specific (although I am probably one to argue that a whole art practice could very much be documented on the 'things I put on my cat' site) is pictured above which I believe is called Art-Ba-Ba. I am hooked already on the one page that I managed to stumble across. However, I also have no idea how to navigate myself towards other pages in the blog...will commence clicking on various parts of the page until I have achieved the desirable goal.

- Agnes

(And one for good luck)

Points Lost

2010-10-12T01:45:00.000-07:00

Alas.

I repent for my failure and avoidance of all things art related.

Sorry Jignes.

I offer up my first two attempts to become schooled in the art of icing.

Claufailure.

Thinking about Furnitures

2010-10-05T20:14:00.000-07:00

I am gearing up to move flats for the third time this year which will see me transitioning into a smaller apartment block in the city. Because of this, I have become obsessed with small space solutions and furniture. I also understand that these sorts of obsessions are best directed towards my art practice before I become a crazy furniture hoarder and start dreaming in all things particleboard.

Thus, upon my research, I came across this post which outlines 19 space saving furniture concepts for making the most out of a tiny apartment space. The overwhelming consensus on this list is that to save space, things must turn into other things (barring the bed which is stored against the ceiling, although that too turns into an optional lighting system for your open plan loft apartment...). Also, the things that these things turn into would either be other furniture, or art. The above picture shows a concept which would turn four cushions and a coffee table into a fantastic 'contemporary piece of art' whereby you can even choose the colours of each individual piece. This made me wonder whether the 'artist' is the person choosing or the original designer?

But it also got me thinking about my own exploration of objects and their performative functions. While I'm interested in the point at which an object has the potential to be perceived as something else, such as an anthropomorphic body, essentially I am doing the same as these transformative furniture concepts; turning things into other things, or at least laying open the potentials of a thing being another thing...

But perhaps the difference between my practice and a piece of space saving furniture lies in the allowance of an object to be both one thing and another at the same time. A dining table cannot be used as both a dining table while someone is playing billiards on it (see no. 4 on the list) and a bunch of chairs cannot exist as both a chair and a table, you are instead made to choose one function or the other during one usage (see above).

Within my own practice however, I am aware that I am only really interested in objects which do not deny what they are even when they are transformed into something else. A plastic sheet is still a plastic sheet even when it exercising a performative value. However, I am also allowed this luxury because often the range of transformations exist purely in the viewer's change of perception, not in physical space.

I remember reading Jeremy Millar's book on Der Lauf der Dinge (an art piece which seems to come up a lot on this blog...) and his theory on an object and its level of automatism. An object only had the ability to be performatively adaptable when it had a lesser degree of automatism eg. a table or a chair in comparison to a iphone 4 which is programmed to be more automatic/have more automatism. But what is interesting in the inflexibility of these supposed flexible space saving options is that they only have the options given to you by the designer. Even though they pass themselves off as a chair or a table, they still have more automatism then a standalone chair or table due to their design being programmed to work and transform a specific way. Which also makes me wonder the irony in how much space one is actually saving when they need to purchase a chair to use for their table which folds into chairs, and the trouble one must go to if they want to sit down eg. 3+ minutes of unfolding a chinese screen (see no. 17)

Below is my favourite of the 19, which requires you to build your own furniture. I have always compared IKEA to lego for adults, but this takes it one more step. This particular concept also probably has the least amount of automatism out of the list.

And a video I came across which is close to my heart, having been born in Hong Kong and knowing that fitting a family of 5+ into a 600 square metre apartment is very normal.

- Agnes

Spring

2010-09-21T04:11:00.000-07:00

After taking a short hiatus (the bitter Melbourne cold left me uninterested in anything other than getting over disease and hot water bottles...) I am emerging semi-victorious into Spring, and ready to share a few things which have been exciting me recently:

1: Isamu Noguchi, the Noguchi Museum and his playground proposals:

2: Edward Tufte's Gallery in Chelsea

3. Manuel DeLanda's A Thousand Years of Nonlinear History and Jörg Heiser's All of a Sudden: Things that Matter in Contemporary Art.

4. Gestures and Procedures and Bianca Hester at ACCA and their public program talks.

5. My 2011 IKEA Catalogue

6. My Ellsworth Kelley Panda Dome Birthday Cake

Eight months into my course, and I am still fuelling my art practice with cake. As you can see, not much has changed. Paint = Cake?

Photos from Peter Nencini, Edward Tufte and ACCA.

Workshop Pt.1

2010-06-13T23:55:00.000-07:00

David Thomas giving introductions

The leftovers of Wolfgang's evolution drawing lecture

Oak Wedge (a part of the University of the Trees kit)

The rest of the kit

Beuys' presence in the form of a cardboard box Fat Corner

I have spent an intensive three days being two things:

1. Sick
2. An attendee of the first half of the Social Sculpture Workshop led by Shelley Sacks and Wolfgang Zumdick.

Having been less than impressed with my practice of late, I was hoping that through attending this workshop, I would be able to open up new avenues of thought and perhaps feed some energy back into how I make and think about art.

A few theories were touched on, the most important being Joseph Beuys' Theory of Sculpture and his statement that 'Everybody is an Artist'. Shelley talked of the use of 'invisible materials' and the new organs of perception. Wolfgang gave us a multi-media Beuys lecture where the only words spoken were those read from a German book. We spent time with trees and made gesture drawings, debated philosophical ideas and contemplated our own transformative powers in society.

Turns out, through the experience of the last three days, I've come to realise that it is less about a change in how I make and think about art as a change in how I am conscious of myself and the world around me. Perhaps it is only with a change in attitude and mindset, through coming out of a stagnant rut in my life, that I can continue to progress with my art practice.

The knowledge I had of Beuys before this workshop was merely superficial. To hear from two people who had spent time with him and continue to carry on his work today is a huge privilege. I look forward to this weekend, when the workshop continues...

In the meantime, I will also be calling upon the transformative powers of getting well (vitamin C?).

Gesture Drawings of my relationship to a Person (left) and my relationship to the State (right)

Vicarious Living

2010-06-04T21:18:00.000-07:00

Procrastination on my Semester One Documentation Powerpoint has led me to fantasize a little about what it is like back at the old AUT. Luckily, via email, Amber informed me that Talk Week had just been and even let me have a small taste through a few images of a performance she gave for critting. In true Amber spirit, she has upholstered many an ambiguous object to engage with and I am interested to see where the performance leads her...

Thus, I share this with you as blogging is also another adequate thing one can do when mastering the art of putting things-I-must-do off.

- Agnes

fillingtheblanks

2010-05-17T05:13:00.000-07:00

The past month has flown by leaving a large hole in this blog. Trying to keep up with it has been difficult but I will now attempt to enlighten on happenings from where I last left off:

3am last minute installation decisions driven by wantwant crackers and lukewarm Starbucks.

Final Win and a Wine at the opening

A few pics of the final show

Back in Melbourne contemplating architectural site for inter-disciplinary critique

Taking pictures on the run of RMIT in a state of their own install/colour chunkage on their building on Swanston.

Add to the list:

- Finding a new place to live
- Moving into said place
- Getting jiggy with IKEA (lego for adults!)
- Entertaining the parental unit in AUS

I am exhausted and hoping that the rest of May is less stress and more settle.

In the meantime, I have just discovered (ridiculously behind the times I am...) Claire Bishop's blog and record of webcasts and various things she has written. This is now fueling my Monday night alongside episodes of How I Met Your Mother. Good combo.

- Agnes

Hometime

2010-04-17T22:36:00.000-07:00

Elliptical shadows on my coffee cup at 4am, Melbourne Airport.

Am back in Auckland for a brief couple of weeks to install a show. So far it has been nice escaping the rat race of Australia and have probably produced more in the last two days than in the last two months. Art Win. Looking forward to perusing the Triennial. Will update on install period when possible.

- Agnes

And while we're at it...

2010-04-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

Nearness from timo on Vimeo.

Another video from Berg London inspired by ol Fischli Weiss on the idea of 'interacting without touching' as we can do so readily nowadays with the various amounts of technological advance at our fingertips...

- Agnes

Chain Reaction

2010-04-01T15:19:00.000-07:00

A music video from OK Go that bears resemblance to Der Lauf der Dinge with more added frills than your average. Speaking of which, the abundant RMIT library had Der Lauf der Dinge
for borrowing, which allowed me to show the piece to my flatmate for the first time. On some levels, he prefers the slickness and apparent ending of the Honda advert. What blasphemy.

Have been holed up in studio for past few weeks. Nothing exciting to report other than my new obsession with 'Mono-ha'.

- Agnes

Couldn't Help Myself

2010-03-14T16:12:00.000-07:00

In the grips of GaGa fever this weekend, the Lady herself debuted the new Telephone video last Friday and let me tell you what, I cannot stop watching this video. I really can't. It has been viewed over 13 million times by now and I'm pretty sure a good chunk of that amount was from me alone!

But what's even more awesome is that literary and artistic analysis of said video has already begun. What with it being so steeped in pop culture references and what not, it was only a matter of (short) time. An example is this link posted on GaGa's twitter, where people have a discussion around themes that this video addresses:

- Prison Identity!
- The role of the Cyborg in our current contemporary climate (this one is for you Simon!)
- Masculine and Feminine roles!
- Product Placement issues!
- Modern Mass Media!
- Technology! (the role of the Telephone as an object of support, annoyance, performance...)
- Americana!

The list goes on and on. But my point is, that as much as I like subtlety and not hitting ye viewer over the head, Lady GaGa does the exact opposite (direct Tarantino, Madonna, Michael Jackson references, excessive product placement and high density colour and image) and yet it still works itself into becoming an interesting catalyst for dialogue amongst people who may or may not care much about contemporary art. GaGa reaches the masses. But what do the masses get out of her? Evidence of above shows that not all her fans are silly followers of media nowadays. After all, GaGa has always been very clear about her parody-ness of the spoon fed media culture. It is all intentional no? Bottom line: This girl is smart! (my opinion, of course)

This post also has too many exclamation marks! I will leave you with the video itself, the best nine minutes and thirty two seconds you'll spend today! I'm too excited for you!

- Agnes

p.s. Claudia: On further research, it IS GaGa's sister in the prison!! All intentional again of course! We knew it!

Lonely...

2010-03-01T15:58:00.000-08:00

in the studio. Am currently battling large headache and gathering motivation to get into the studio where I predict it will once again be empty. However, as a recap, at the end of last week i had:

- seen two faces in studio
- had one advisoral meeting
- attended one post-graduate talk
- Made zero artworks

I spend my studio hours trawling facebook, reading in the library and dreaming of the other side of the tasman. GAAAAAh I must get more productive.

- Agnes

IP

2010-03-01T15:04:00.000-08:00

Whipped by the Ian Potter in the weekend for the last day of the Ricky Swallow exhibition (no photos allowed). Favourite part was the entire back room where they showed a small selection of works in a slightly darkened environment including the skeletal watercolours he painted from postcards in conjunction with the large still life table and an ambiguous wrapped skull sculpture on a plinth.

In other Ian Potter goodness, I stumbled across three things of interest to me. First picture above is a collection of photos shown with an audio of the Bonita Ely performance of Murray River Punch which seemed more funny given the whole Julie/Julia craze that happened recently.

Also picked out a painting that might be of interest to Claud (second photo down) and last but not least, THE Jeffrey Smart painting (third picture) which, if I were to trace the trajectory of my practice to date, would probably be placed around the beginning, if not, at the very start. Oh the hours I spent pastiching this painting and staring at it through the window of books. I did briefly see it when I last came to Melbourne, but it seems so much more relevant now with a bit of distance and having just started my new course...

In other news, forgot my camera at the Ron Mueck, major failage. Have also planned a gallery hop on Thursday where I'm hoping to blitz out a few o' the artist run spaces.

- Agnes

Studio Blues

2010-02-23T16:51:00.000-08:00

Alone in a new studio which is very similar in size to that of Claudia's Pittsburgh one. It even has a privacy curtain. And will be shared with another person.

Oh the joys of making art in confined spaces! AUT I miss thee.

- Agnes

p.s Ron Mueck at the NGV!! Excitement factor to the max.

Hello Goodbye

2010-02-11T16:33:00.001-08:00

An awkward photograph of the Paper Noticeboard by Nick Spratt, available for FREEEEEEEE if you visit the Sculpture Season at St Paul Street Gallery Three, which I highly recommend you do. It has been lasercut with crescent/fingernail shapes which are fun to pick out and leave around places pretending that they are actually fingernails...William Hsu is showing right now and there will be a new show opening every two weeks charting contemporary sculpture practice from a dematerialisation of sorts to a material production (of sorts).

Onto other news, you may have noticed that the blog has undergone a change! I (Agnes) am no longer lone wolf and instead, am one half of a two part unit that is Claudia and myself. Reasons for this include a shift in circumstances which has rendered us living vastly different lives than that of the last two/three years at AUT. A crossroads of sorts which left me unable to blog regularly for a while now...so it kind of made sense to change the way in which this blog is run in order for it to essentially keep running(and after much thought and prompting from others, I came to the conclusion that I would like to keep it running).

Having communicated this with Claudia, we came up with a new plan (as she has outlined below). I, Agnes, am moving to Melbourne, Australia to higher educate myself in the Arts of the Fine variety, while Claudia, is staying put in Auckland to look for a Job in the Arts category. In a way, we thought it would be nice to document what happens after Art School (what does happen after art school exactly?) and do a compare/contrast scenario. It's the fork in the journey that everyone wondered about upon graduating and this is an experiment that might lend some insight into those who may have to make a similar decision in the future. It's also an experiment that I hope we will both win at. And more importantly, have fun with.

This experiment is commencing around about now. Wish us luck.

- Agnes

Team Time

2010-02-10T00:59:00.001-08:00

So Agnes is abandoning our fair shores for the bright lights of Melbourne (some may call this preference of Australia over NZ an almost traitorous act humph).

Anywho a plan was hatched where I would as a now free agent from the institution take up the role of New Zealand represent-or while Agnes covers the Oz side of things. This is also by proxy a way of keeping in contact, as I am a notoriously bad implementer of this and a way of keeping dibs on Agnes.

Thus a glass is raised to Agnes' travels and further education, along with a new joint blog attack.

I will miss you Jignes don't forget us down here in Godzone.
Over and out.

- Claudia

Hong Kong Hustle

2010-01-18T15:35:00.001-08:00

Sidewalk Sculpture

Colour Chunks: Macau

The 'First Art Mall'

Right Angle Double Takes

Some of the best of from my short trip abroad.

You can literally hear the exchange of money in Hong Kong but this time round, the city's shiny veneer seemed less attractive than I had previously remembered.

Tried tapping into the local art scene but it proved more elusive than I had hoped, especially over the holiday period, with most events I was interested in attending happening after my presence in the city. The 'art museum' was as I remembered it, chinese antiquities and the like so all in all my HK Art hunt was a complete fail.

Better luck next time?

- Agnes

VW

2009-12-29T15:22:00.000-08:00

Perspective Perspective Perspective!

Have been taking mini hiatus' from blogging to figure out some stuffs and tend to other things...it will pick up again in 2010 when things have settled a little.

In forseeable future news, i'm off to Hong Kong (aka the Motherland) for a short while. Does anyone know much about contemporary Hong Kong art? My research thus far has turned up very little. Will do my best to report on what I do find.

In the meantime, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. 2009, you've been too kind.

- Agnes

pop-up

2009-12-21T00:57:00.000-08:00

Exciting news! Our fellow painter Kate Bedford (as well as masters student Stella and printmaker Natalia) is showing RIGHT NOW at the Pop-Up Gallery. It's a temporary seven day space in Newmarket, two doors down from a bridal boutique. Interesting choice of location in the newly developed apartment block/train station area which kind of look like prison cells and make me wonder whether at some point someone could have hired a better architect...

Newmarket, I've always envisioned as a somewhat monocultural hub of desperate housewives and consumers, and in the past has housed many Pop-Up fashion stores of similar concept (short-lived, in a bid to sell stuffs). The difference here is that although the artworks are on sale, they aren't on sale (buy two get one free deals etc) which is not only strange but would make the Pop-Up Gallery a desperate christmas shopping destination given it's context. Mind you, I wouldn't mind one of Kate's paintings for christmas...but I digress here. I guess what I'm trying to say is that all the work in the show is very good, don't get me wrong, but perhaps it is let down a little by the package. It is simple, straight up art on wall and lots of it. But what makes it go beyond that? I ask this not only of this particular gallery/idea but of, I guess, the idea of a gallery in general.

However, I'm glad Kate is showing her little bendy painting. It's too special to describe so go along and see for yourself. The Pop-Up gallery resides at 36 Remuera Road. It's open from the 18th to the 24th, 9am-6pm. Come with cash, I wonder if they giftwrap...

- Agnes

Cakes Pt.2

2009-12-11T15:41:00.000-08:00

Via Design*Sponge

Painting + Baking = Mondrian Cake

- Agnes

Grad-Eve

2009-12-09T02:31:00.000-08:00

Hanging up ze gown in preparation for tomorrow. Wearing it is like piggybacking a small child. Excellence.

- Agnes

Fake I.D

2009-12-01T01:18:00.000-08:00

This time last year I was prepping to go to the States. Alas those times are over and all I have left is this nugget of goodness that came up on where else but my facebook news feed. Lindsay Merrill was one of Claudia and Ahi's flatmates and was extraordinarily good at rendering. This was one of her Carnegie projects in which she made a hand made fake american passport for Claudia, where each page was painstakingly drawn with coloured pencil. It was pretty awesome in the flesh and it is somewhat bittersweet to see it again...I don't know whether it's graduate slump or the horrid humidity but think I left my heart in the USA!

Read an interview about this work and Lindsay here.

- Agnes

p.s. Elam show up soon but no Whitecliffe unfortunately as I stupidly misread the opening date, thus resulting in missing it like two ships passing in the night. Ultimate fail. Did anyone go? How was it??

AUT Grad Exhibition (oh yeah FINALLY)

2009-11-22T20:18:00.000-08:00

Claudia Jowitt and Myself

Clare Keegan

Lainy Fleming

Josh Harvey

Sarah Whiteside

Natasha Pearl

Emma Mcfarlane

Maila Urale

Laxmi Jhunjhnuwala

Clinton Cardozo

Nick Berry

Alan Joy

Emma Fraser

Simon Stuart

Thomas Finn Stewart

Ahilapalapa Rands

Stella Castle

Phillip Good

Ena Kosovac

Carolyn Lawrence

Linda T.

Amber Claire Pearson

Elliot Collis

Anthony Cribb

I realised it's been two weeks since this exhibition and I haven't blogged about it for various reasons:

a) I've been lazy.
b) I've taken up a nasty Glee habit which means that watching episodes many times on the internet and trying to emulate the accompanying soundtrack has suddenly become my number one priority.
c) The pictures I took were crapola so I've been embarassed to post them.

Nevertheless, would be a shame not to show those who could not make it to the ol' WM Block the work that most of us have been spending the last 3+ years developing.

Opening night was huge, with a guestimate of close to a thousand people showing up as this year, it was a combination of not only third year graduates but the post-grad people as well. To top that off, the Fashion department were having some hoopla opening of their own which meant the whole building was filled to the brim. Note to self, Fashion sure know how to feed a crowd as their hors d'oeuvres trumped ours to boot.

But back to the art, my favourites this year were:

- Victoria Sheldon's photographs. Vinnie and I have been friends since first year and we've probably always had that painter versus photographer edge to our relationship. With that being said, her final works ended up being a huge surprise, five large prints of moody landscape photography were a far step forward from her pilot work. I liked how she thought about the way in which they were hung, one group of two and a group of three. Sometimes it's nice when photographs are given a little punctuation. Unfortunately i do not have any documentation as her works were hard to photograph and I just ended up with a black frame with my own reflection. Sorry Vinnie!

- Ahilapalapa Rands' installation of booty shaking Beyonce moves. It made me want to learn how to krump and wear leotards and ball dresses all day every day. She also had a quirky accompanying catalogue with a small piece written by her mum (awwwww) and some risque still shots. Extra sexy points for that.

- Clinton Cardozo's mask series coz no one does large format like Clint.

- Claudia Jowitt's painting. Finally finished and on display. So large that small bugs would get confused, fly into it and then eventually die. So large that you wouldn't believe that half of it was painted in the tiniest throughway that was about a metre in width. So epic that I don't think I could have asked for a better person to share my exhibiting space with.

It's always funny watching people behave in these exhibitions, which act as one part zoo cage, two parts family/friend reunion with a dash of 'I dont get it' or 'can I touch/take/consume that' in the mix. These were some things which I thought were obvious but obviously were not and shall act as a guide for the next grad show:

- Sometimes, we want you to step on the art work and sometimes we don't. However, all of the time, we do not wish for a trolley to be rolled over an artwork. Case being with Thomas' install, where he spent a long time laying a corridor of plaster on the floor only for someone to do obscene things with it. Trolleys = no, don't do it.

- Do not take catalogues which say 'Display Only', especially when there was a pile next to it which you were more than free to take from...

- If you trip over a prominent cord and in turn, knocked it out of it's power extension, it's not too hard to put it back, or at least inform someone of it. This is also extended to sculptures that have been accidentally kicked. Ta.

Aside from the above chuckles, I spent most of the night showing people around and receiving a hard to obtain 'I think I get it!' from my parentals. Yussssssss. Talking to friends though, I felt that most were only disappointed by the lack of accompanying material. The consensus seems to be that horrid business cards don't cut it and that some thought into a piece of writing or even a nicely presented catalogue would have been appreciated by the viewer. Things to think about for those exhibiting next year...

But our turn is over so we're outta here and onto the next grad show to check out the competition. Ahoy Elam!

- Agnes

p.s. Check out the grad website for better documentation of work

For Claud

2009-11-20T15:10:00.000-08:00

Just been perusing this blog, mayhaps you like to do so as well?

End of Year gauntlet/graduate show posts up soon. Don't you just love this time of year?

- Agnes

notoveryet

2009-11-10T02:07:00.001-08:00

Catalogue-ing at my crib. With two days left until opening night, Claudia and I have gone into publishing mode, handmaking 50 limited edition catalogues for the show. Each one has about six different types of paper and four or so types of printing. Needless to say, they take a long time to make and even more patience with computer interfaces and temperamental printers. Lesson learnt: yelling at machines doesn't make them do what you want.

- Agnes

Done and Dusted

2009-11-04T03:15:00.002-08:00

I have to admit that there was something rather poignant about watching the sun rise on the last day of our degree, still frantically working to pull the threads of things together before the time it was all due. It felt like a fitting testament to the last three years we spent at this one space together and the years that we will spend on our seperate ways.

But after the all-nighter and a flurry of drama in the morning (unexpected wonky hangs, equipment not working, accidentally throwing out the dvd you were going to project...etc etc), things finally came to a close. Those of us who finished setting up left the building in a manner of dazed and confusedness. In the complete consumption that was graduating project, we forgot that it was exactly that, the end of our undergraduate degree.

So before we don our graduation gowns, we'll be showing aforementioned projects in an exhibition that opens next Thursday night. All info on poster. Celebrations ahoy. In the meantime however, hibernation-mode.

- Agnes

4.44am

2009-11-03T07:35:00.000-08:00

Bloggin from studio where in approximately four and a half hours we will be handing in all our graduating work. Obviously since both Claudia and I are still here, we are not ready. Fuelled by 'Pocket Rocket', hob nobs and Beyonce, we are becoming rather desperate. To Be Continued...

- Agnes

Found

2009-10-23T12:21:00.000-07:00

Snapped from a drycleaners somewhere out in the eastern burbs. Thought it was fitting as of the coming wednesday we will be entering install week, and most of us will be furiously cleaning the terrible mess of both floor and wall space that we've been given.

Recent life happenings have not been very exciting as a result of spending every waking moment preparing for this week. This normally involves a lot of time consuming caffienated beverages and spending a lot of money on materials/developing/framing/living/aforementioned caffienated beverages. I think at this point, most of us have the fear of God in us. Nope? Just me then?

Hap-hap happenings will occur in the meantime through the first and second year exhibition this tuesday from 12-8pm at our WM studios on St Paul Street. They have all finished, goddamn you.

- Agnes

Happenings

2009-10-05T04:20:00.000-07:00

D.A.N.C.E is back on for 2009! Join us tonight at Cassette 9 for some art and dancing, both of which go well together.

Amber is also doing a performance at RM Gallery at 5.30pm. Woweeee!

- Ag

Breakables

2009-09-27T04:50:00.001-07:00

A small respite from the slowcooking pressures of studio led Elliot and me to his parental unit's exhibition opening at Essence Gallery in Parnell.

Peter and Julie Collis are ceramic and glass artists, Peter mostly known for his familiar shaped ceramic vases. But I think it's funny to see the aesthetic similarities between parent and child. Elliot is also fond of organic shapes and strong pigmented colour (mostly with his paint works from last year...)

As for the haps with graduating exhibition preparations, everyone seems to be bunkering down for the upcoming stress-storm, hence the noticeable increase in tumbleweeds on this blog and the tepid writing. For that I apologise, but I do promise that a little bit of silence is necessary in the meantime. From picking up tidbits on the studio floor about what people have got planned for end of year, it sounds like the show is going to be huge. Five Weeks...

Keep Calm and Carry On time.

- Agnes

art of the free variety

2009-09-14T03:03:00.000-07:00

Have been busying myself with non-art stuffs for the last week or so. In between watching all seven seasons of Gilmore Girls back to back, I've also been collecting free art things around Auckland. A newsprint off the stacks at Simon Glaister's latest show at St Paul Street and a piece from Elliot Collins and Linden Simmons' show at Rm, which is on right now. However, I lost my copy of Matters 3 from the new artists show at Artspace somewhere...bother.

Graduation count down = Six and a Half Weeks. For now, back to Lorelai and Rory.

- Agnes

Musical Paintings

2009-09-03T04:34:00.000-07:00

Music Painting by JUL & MAT from JUL & MAT on Vimeo.

Sweet Jeebus, Elliot, if you are reading, let's attempt something similar with your new high gadgetry video camera?

- Agnes

Cake

2009-08-20T23:14:00.000-07:00

On wednesday was the annual meet and greet between the new painting students from year one and those in years two and three. In previous times, it just meant a cup of tea and a biscuit, however, for some strange reason (maybe recession prompted?), this year drew forth a much larger contribution of cake, more cake, tartlets, Amber's famous cheese straws and a trip down memory lane in form of cheerios and tomato sauce (big ups to whoever brought that along).

Although I have no photos of this baking exchange (I had not anticipated such a turn out), I was reminded of it when I discoverd this site today.

Favourite cakes were the ones that involved some sort of serra verb list performance. The pink one above was pushed off a building ledge, while the blue icing on the one below it was filmed in a state of painterly pouring (you can watch the accompanying videos on the site). Also liked the Kafka 'cake' and 'Tracy Emin's entry' (as in the REAL Tracey Emin??)

Cake is art.

- Agnes

p.s. The new first year painters are a friendly bunch, making me nostalgic for my first year experiences...

No Common Sense

2009-08-17T04:39:00.000-07:00

Having hermited myself in my house for over a week now, flu-contagious and developing OOS symptoms from staring at laptop screen for hours on end, I thought perhaps it be best to treat myself to natural light by heading to the first of the Year Two exhibitions.

Those of you who remember, it was my year that were the first guinea pigs for this exhibition endeavour and although the work I scrambled to make for my own show last year was absolute crap, I learnt a lot about what not to do for Pilot this year, which means that the Year Two shows allow a greater learning experience for our professional practice paper which is good no??

The shows are also an easy way of acquainting myself with the practices of those in the year below us (like a taster course). And being the first to admit that I'm not familiar with most of these practices, a lot of what I saw came as a huge surprise.

This particular exhibition in Gallery Three called No Common Sense was exactly that, a showing of eleven disparate practices. But in remembering the purpose for these shows is to provide a space for the students to test out what they're doing in studio in a public space, plus the time that they are given to put the show together (a couple of weeks or so), I don't blame them for not aiming for cohesiveness. Nor do I think that it takes away from the quality of the work.

Please forgive me, this is less a review than a noting of observations as there were so many people around, sometimes I couldn't get close to specific works!

Favourites from this show

- The smaller cardboard projection screen structure (4th photo down). Interesting install technique of letting the viewer decide how much information they get through the choice of either full view (front) or partial view (back). This worked well in this small one, not so much in the larger one though.

- Crazy crystalline rock structure things covered in fabric, a surprise from a promising painting student.

- And although I think these were hung a little too high, the Mt Wellington Quarry photos (biased opinion as I used to live close to the area and am therefore very attached to it). Lainy and I were remarking on how terrifying the acidity of the colour green was. Absolutely toxic.

This show is on for one day only!! That day is tomorrow. So have a looksie if you be in the neighbourhood. Also, there are two more shows opening on Thursday, one at Gallery Three 5pm and the other at Cross Street Studios at 6pm.

Am signing off to write more theory. Brain is consistency of mush. Until the next time I feel like procrastinating? Yeah it's a date.

- Agnes

Two Words

2009-08-17T04:26:00.000-07:00

I'm Sorry.

For not blogging

On a regular basis.

But will instead

Present you with

Sporadic updates in

Between

Theory Essay Writing.

Such as the short lived life of a pink wall...am in mourning for pink wall.

But at least they were looking white and spiffy for the Year Two shows. Which I attended today. Details in next post.

- Agnes

Opening Night

2009-08-06T18:25:00.000-07:00

Photos from opening night of One Hand Clap/Four Walls

Am currently gallery minding and listening to Ahi's Lady GaGa album for the 50th time this week. Sanity is close to being destroyed.

Aside from that opening night went off without a hitch, to the point where we had to shoo people out by the end of the night. Lots of laughs and people bumping into art, with my own Dad destroying my television install in one fell swoop!

The show really only came together in the three days before opening, where a new concept was proposed to the group in order to make use of the changed gallery space. Instead of fighting the two spaces in one, we decided to do one show under the facade of two, hence the second poster that came pretty late in the game.

I also noted that the walls were very object like, so we painted one of them a pastel pink (a colour that seems to come up in all our practices) rendering it even more so and also like a middle no mans land between the two galleries. From there, we installed with the idea that one space was dealer-like, and the other more artist run. The two shows would inform each other and ideally, come together to be seen as a whole. We also opened up two different entrances and had two different drink/food tables on the night to suit each space (thanks to Andy who discretely brought along cheezels for our 'casual gallery' table, they were enjoyed by many).

We had always wanted from the beginning to see how our works could be installed collaboratively to work with the space. Lots of decision making and politics, stepping around egos and what not. But we came out unscathed and with a new found respect for everyone in the group. I guess those wondering whether the pilot project actually works in developing skills for putting together a public exhibition (and trust me I was initially a doubter) can be rest assured, I learnt more about the finer details of assembling a show than I thought I ever could...

But mostly we just had a lot of fun with everything even though the situation was pressing (late nights, wall paint not drying enough, and Claudia with a bacterial throat infection and fever). It was important that we didn't let go of that side of our practices, that play and humour was still evident as a flipside to our more serious concerns. And as hellish as it became at some points, I would happily do it all again.

As for now, am still trying to catch up on sleep (failing miserably) and trying to pen the accompanying 'pilot essay' that needs to be handed in by monday (failing even more miserably).

Those of you with a weekend, come say hi. It is on till Saturday, 10am-5pm. Those of you who've already seen it, thanks for coming along!

- Agnes

Day 3

2009-08-04T05:05:00.000-07:00

What we do instead of installing work.

We be openings tomorrows. gaaaa

- Agnes

Day 2

2009-08-03T04:27:00.000-07:00

As you can see, day two has rolled by and there are approximately four tins of paint, three rollers, too many to count paint brushes, a cardboard box and a bike in the gallery amongst other things. Number of works installed so far: Zero.

Crap.

Tensions are running high, copious amounts of coffee is being consumed on a regular basis, people are starting to get desperate. Oh drama drama drama llama.

Crunch time anyone??

- Agnes

p.s. Do you like the spiffy poster?

Surprise

2009-08-03T04:19:00.000-07:00

Four Walls

Pilot Project

Nick Berry
Lainy Fleming
Claudia Jowitt
Amber Claire Pearson
Ahilapalapa Rands
Agnes So

St Paul Street Gallery Three (Entrance Two)
39 Symonds Street

6-8 August

Opening 5 August @ 5pm

- Agnes

Day 1

2009-08-02T03:57:00.001-07:00

So starts the three day marathon of install. We have been furiously juggling work (that of the part-time money making kind) and painting (that of the resene colour chart kind) in an effort to claim the space as ours.

The gallery is also very cold so we have been appreciating God's gift of heating devices.

Gallery Three is starting to grow on us. That is all for now.

- Agnes

Timid Applause

2009-07-31T14:32:00.000-07:00

Months of toiling and days of toiling yet to go! Yes this is it, probably the most paint heavy pilot group with the most faces who have graced this blog!

The process has been plenty curveball dramarama rest assured with the lovely London Lainy joining us halfway through and now the change of space two days before install. Yes, Pilot group six's newly built wall is our new group member! Through no decision of our own, it is staying in that space. So since group six nicknamed it St Paul Street Gallery Four, we're calling it St Paul Street Gallery Four Point Two. But there will still be many coats of paint before it is anywhere near satisfactory. Those of you who have experienced the new space will know how it is now practically two galleries. A box within a box...spatially awkward. Will be interesting to see how it all comes together. Truth be told even I don't know at this point.

For the next few days we'll be giving inside scoop on the install. I'll do my best to bring pictures, maybe even videos if i'm feeling technologically inclined! Stay tuned.

Welcome to our pilot. Launching Wednesday night. You are most definately invited.

One Hand Clap

Nick Berry
Lainy Fleming
Claudia Jowitt
Amber Claire Pearson
Ahilapalapa Rands
Agnes So

St Paul Street Gallery Three
39 Symonds Street

6-8 August
Opening 5 August @ 5pm

Apparently we're promising strong language and partial nudity. You have been warned.

- Agnes

Life. In General.

2009-07-31T06:30:00.000-07:00

The view from my studio window late at night showing two glowing neon signs that signify what my life is orbiting around right now...

Art (AUT) and money, or lack thereof, (ASB).

It has been a funny (funny as in weird) week. I'm hoping it is the fall before the rise.

- Agnes

D.T.P part two

2009-07-31T06:11:00.000-07:00

All was revealed wednesday night! First of all, less construction than I was expecting (for some reason I had envisioned the whole gallery covered in new wall) and the rumours of 'artist talks' and 'performances' were laid to rest. Instead, what we had was a few walls in the upper half of the gallery with six sound works (one for each artist) where that particular artist detailed their art practices via spoken language.

I've been trying to get my head around the show. Part of me is still asking why they didn't just show their work? That in itself isn't a simple task, I think most people who've gone through pilot know that. But then they ask me to listen with my eyes and look with my ears and i'm all worried that I'm being too conceptually narrow-minded...Mind you, that's probably the point. To be pushed to think differently, isnt' that what art is about??

What intrigues me most though is the decisions around the show. Like the theatre references (backs of walls painted black), Alan's description of the work sounding like an orchestra tuning up, the empty gallery space at the end for contemplation, even the passageway into the gallery is like breathing space, or mental preparation for what's to come.

Pros:

- The hard work done to physically change the gallery space (they lovingly nicknamed it 'st paul street gallery four').
- The build up to it (via posters and red herrings) was half the fun!

Cons:

- The height of the speakers being too high for shorter people (well, for me)!!

Barring the heightist nature (which is nothing but me wishing to be taller), I'm so very proud of the six artists behind the show. So much hard work, and it really shows! To completely come through to the other side from vision to actual conception...I can only hope that our group can do that too.

- Agnes

J.D

2009-07-29T23:53:00.000-07:00

To the man who taught us about pink walls, the intricacies of art storage and blogging. Thank you.

We miss you already.

- PnB

DTP

2009-07-26T16:40:00.000-07:00

All we've been talking about lately is pilot this pilot that...my rants especially about the lack of decent wall and the terrible gallery three space that we have to work with. But someone has finally done something about it!!!

Yes, pilot group six may have been lucky enough to get a week and a half to install and they've used it wisely. There's top secret construction going on in there. We've heard the words 'professional builder' and 'big design firm' being thrown around. We're not allowed in, but we sent our secret spy over to peek in through the windows and low and behold, something of mammoth garangutan proportion is happening...anyway, this is what they have to say about their own show. Make of it what you will but I say come along because gallery three is going to be like gallery three never has been before...

Dare.
Truth.
Promise.

One Dare. Six Truths. One Promise.
A Collaboration

Natalia Birgel
Alan Joy
Sam Leitch
Lee McGarva
Seilala Sini
Vaimaila Urale

July 29 – August 1, 2009
Opening July 29, 2009 @ 5pm
St Paul Street Gallery Three
39 Symonds St (corner of Mount St)
Auckland

Everything begins with the individual.
As an audience we dare you to switch from objective bystander to collaborator.
We dare you to clear your mind and use your mind’s eye to complete the work.

Look with your ears. Listen with your eyes. The shadow of our inner voices echoes the truth of who we are.
This is the promise.
Dare. Truth. Promise. presents a collaborative work showcasing the art practices of six artists.
The collective voice provides a dialogue about the realities of making art today.

- Agnes

July Update

2009-07-22T14:45:00.000-07:00

Where are we...

Oh yes July! Beginning of semester two...the last semester until we're plucked from the safety of the AUT womb and thrown into the world, still bruising from the hit of the recession. Yusss cannot wait, can you feel my excitement? Ha! oh christ, walking along the studios, you can see the same look in every third year's face. We aint gonna lie. We're scared. Especially since AUT likes to be so different and is making us all graduate in December, so we don't even have all high degreed summer to mosey around because we technically haven't got our piece of paper degreeeeeeees yet. Nope, it's off to the real world for us...

But until that time, the present means that we'll be reaping the rewards of our procrastinating selves. You can probably pick us out like ants in the sun, scrambling to finish writing our essays while those of us with pilots still to do are battling mean-spirited printers (why oh God why will you not print double sided A2????), lack of sponsorship (what do you meeeeean you won't give us free money?)and dwindling money supplies! Oh real/hybrid art world of art school, you are too cruel.

Three months till the end. Shall we start the countdown? Who will make it out alive? Who won't graduate (omg!). Three months later, all will be revealed...

- Agnes

AmberClairePearson

2009-07-22T14:10:00.000-07:00

Another busy bee who's also been tackling as much stress as Alan is Amber who last night opened a show at we'ar yoga clothing store on Cross Street.

I've been watching and conversing with Amber over the last few months since this all started, while old ideas were scrapped and new ones came to play. It got me thinking about how this show was an interesting foil to the one that we're planning together (along with four others) for pilot. She's had to really come at it from a commercial slant, which is a slant that isn't as relevant in pilot since we're given free reign of the space without having to negotiate merchandising and customers.

The best example is the blanket banner with the projections (and probably my favourite). So Amber Claire, yet so very not. The photographs are too slick for what she'd normally do. But at the same time, they've been carefully considered to fit into the vibe of the store. I wonder whether she would ever consider doing such a thing again in her normal studio habit? Despite this, she's still managed to sneak dirty blankets into a cleanly aestheticised space without anyone giving too much of a double take. I wonder how well her costumes would hang here!

Talking with Kiki, she mentioned that Amber is the first person in our year (that she can think of) who's had a solo show so far. This is a feat in itself. Either way, I'm more than proud of Amber who's really grown to balance thinking and making (we always joke that she does too much making, not enough thinking, while I do too much thinking and too little making).

Speaking of making, must make work for pilot...any ideas? Can you feel my desperation? Can ya?

- Agnes

Alberto

2009-07-20T00:52:00.000-07:00

Between Pilot planning and Theory doom, Alan managed to put this show together with Leonard. Don't know how he did it but it's a fan-bloody-tastic job.

Because I'm in between Pilot planning and Theory doomage as well this post will have to be short. Instead, read Hurrell's review here of it.

- Agnes

Where it all began...

2009-07-14T03:43:00.000-07:00

A picture in the rain of a work in the upcoming exhibition at St Paul Street, co-curated by our very own painter, Alan Joy.

Mostly we're just bloody happy to see another paint show downstairs again. Last one I remember was Sigmar Polke in the beginning of 2008...and even better, this one is of painting recluse, Alberto Garcia-Alvarez!

Alan was telling me how fitting it was that the above piece hung in the window, because that particular work(owned by Judy Millar) is what caught the eye of Leonard Emmerling and in turn, went on to spawn this show. Coming full circle and all...

From what I've seen so far, it's a really good lookin' show.

Opens this Thursday at St Paul Street, 5.30? 6pm? God knows...my brain turneth to mush in semester break. See yous there.

- Agnes

Pacifier

2009-07-06T01:45:00.000-07:00

David Sun

Seek

Claudia Jowitt

Untitled

Ahilapalapa Rands
Getting Closer

Sam Atasani
Irreplaceable

The plentiful food table on opening night and a few certain tutors hovering...

A few AUT students are a part of the Tautai exhibition at St Paul Street. Despite the slightly cringe name, Don't Pacify Me, it turned out to be better than some of the Tautai shows I had been to in the past. Painters Claudia and Sam had some work in as well as Ahi from sculpture who did a little install.

Favourites:

- Jeremy Leatinu'u's Cutting the Grass, a 15 minute video of just that, cutting grass. A little tongue-in-cheek and talks about pacific issues without being overt.

- Claudia's painting, even though i've seen it from its conception to finish practically every day this year, I haven't gotten sick of it yet! I like how Claudia's practice (clearly not pacific) can be curated in an exhibition like this.

I was talking with Clinton about ideas surround identity and culture (he is Indian and I was born in Hong Kong) and he raised an interesting point. What about the people with some sort of grounding in another cultural heritage, but who isn't interested in exploring these issues in their own practice? What becomes of those of us first generation New Zealanders making seemingly 'western' art in a western country? Perhaps it's a non-issue. I'd like to think no one looks at the colour of my hair or skin anymore and I know that my art has never been viewed in any sort of cultural skew either. New Zealand is also a giant mix bag of cultures as it is.

However, Clinton doesn't think so. He thinks there is something interesting about this idea. That our take on generating art is quite different and he's wanting to cultivate it a little...

The culture thing has come up in small doses over my art school years. I've had my practice called many things before...masculine, feminine, calculated, constructed, but only once has it ever been called 'asian', and when I recently asked that person if they still thought they way, they said they had since changed their mind.

During a crit with a visiting lecturer, they asked if I'd ever considered painting large realist works as there's a big movement of very successful Chinese artists doing so. I asked him if he thought I could hop on the bandwagon, that if I changed my practice now, I could potentially make a lot of money. He said he didn't know, that I didn't seem interested in such possibilities. I told him he was right but that I'd keep it in the back of my mind as Plan B.

Julian once told me that if I was at art school 15 years or so ago, I'd be asked to take a stance, whether it be on myself as a woman or as an immigrant, or better yet, a Chinese woman immigrant.

I don't really know my stance on either.

- Agnes

Read...

2009-07-03T15:15:00.000-07:00

John Hurrell's review of Bypassed Territory.

- Agnes

PaintandBakery: Cuppacake

2009-06-28T01:42:00.001-07:00

I've recently gotten back in the baking groove due to an acquisition in the form of 'giant awesome electric kitchen mixer'. Thus when Thomas asked if I would bake for his opening, I happily obliged. These are chocolate cheesecake cupcakes. A coronary in a paper baking cup. But sooooo bloody worth it. I promise there will be more fruits of the electric mixer at my own Pilot opening. August 5th. Be there.

- Agnes

Passing By

2009-06-28T01:27:00.000-07:00

Lyn Guinibert

Caitlyn Porteous

Emma Fraser

Natasha Pearl

Thomas Stewart

Emma Macfarlane

Ze Groupe.

I arrived at the opening of Bypassed Territory a little bit more refreshed after the stress of mid-years being over and the greater amount of sleep that I had managed to catch. This made for a good art seeing mood. So far so good?

Group five decided to do a similar thing as the last show in which they too closed off the other end of the gallery. That poor end is probably feeling slightly under utilised. Fair enough though, it's an awkward space. With that being said, there were six people instead of the sparse four we had before, and surprisingly, it was just as clean as the previous exhibition.

It was noted from the very beginning that each member in this particular group had a very neat aesthetic with the exception being Emma F's work, but even here, her gestural mapping was slightly understated. It could be easy then to 'bypass' a lot of the work, seeing as at least half of it blended in with the architecture. Colour wise, there really was none, only the worn out hues of Lyn's towels (which wasn't important in the reading) versus Natasha's photography (where colour was important). The cleanliness made for a visually cohesive show.

Like I had mentioned in a previous post, Thomas had set himself some building tasks, and the fruits of such were clearly successful in the space. His pared back constructions garnered a lot of interaction, with people having to go inside and outside the gallery in order to view the work in its entirety. Even then, his ability to place things in your way, so you were just that bit too far out to get a closer look, was a clever manipulation of bodily relationships between viewer, architecture and sculpture. It could almost be a ridicule of the space in a way. Kind of like he knows that Gallery 3’s railings are both an optical and physical annoyance. It also worked nicely in conversation with Emma Macfarlane’s boxes. She talks of similar ideas (inner/outer space) yet with a different type of meticulousness, more fragile.

Caitlyn’s works are always made from a culmination of an obsessive spending of one’s time. I admire her work ethic, having watched her painstakingly laying down white thread last year for three days straight, only to have it ruined by opening night (she didn’t even cry!), goes to show how her work is very much about the process of art-making, with the product being a testament to such. Although I felt this piece was a little too static in that particular corner of the gallery, I do see it as another extension of the ‘bypassing’ theme they have going here. It was hard to get a good look of it with the light silver marker pen and the bloody railings in the way (yet again!).

Lyn’s towel sculpture were probably too contained. I understood that it used the idea of balance to exist the way it does, yet its presence was not as flimsy as it seemed. There was a lack of danger with it falling down due to it’s positioning in the gallery, leaving it hard to interact with, kept safely enclosed instead in its corner. Coming back the next day, Thomas did remark that it seemed a little ‘flatter’. Maybe its undoing is in the sense of time rather than that of a physical body. However, resin is still a very permanent material. I wonder whether the towels could have been starched in shape, then left to slowly fall. This could have been a further play on her interests in memory and time.

I liked the role Natasha's photographs had in guiding the viewer through the gallery and around other works. It made for a good 'glue' and mental breathing space.

Overall, this was a well thought out show. Five down, Two to go!

- Agnes

SH*T?

2009-06-28T01:21:00.000-07:00

Fristar Viliamu
Tefflon

Sarah Whiteside
Birds Sylvanian series

Kirsty Oliver

Indoor Outdoor flow

John Vea
Untitled

Ship In High Transition was the fourth instalment of the Pilot series. From the get go, this was an interesting bunch, having one person switching groups due to travel commitments and then a few weeks later, another dropping out completely. This led to just four people left and that rather large Gallery 3 space...

What to do? The clever people closed off a good section of the gallery (which wan't admitting defeat so much as a simple way to make do) and even filled it with a band on opening night (nice touch). There wasn't a lot of clutter, just four strong sets of works.

Favourites would be John's plank sculpture and Fristars attempt at copying it (above). Fristar always seems to pull something strangely different out of the bag. Being a part of his Talk Week crit group, we were exposed to a large, painted art cupboard filled with video works (one of which was a naked man running through bush) and sketches. I had assumed he would go down a similar path for this show (especially with the video), but instead decided to one up my expectations and do a double take on each other person in the show. I'm impressed with his funny sensibility such as shown in his photos of dead animal heads, mimicking Sarah's photography style. This is a poke for those who know that Sarah is a boldly steadfast vegan. A talk with Kirsty revealed that most people couldn't discern between her photography and Fristar's photography (again copied). It's these qualities that made this work interesting, that even when you're let in on the joke, the repercussions continue...

I also enjoyed Sarah's photographs, which were reminiscent of Iconography in its hanging. The alcove in which they were installed seemed very much like a curious domestic altar. I like this extra bit of reading that we can get from her photographs which add onto other concerns such as relationships between viewer and the viewed (the gaaaaze) and the idea of power play, who's in charge here?

The catalogue accompanying this show was also excellent (bar the terrible formatting and spelling/grammar). It was an informal look into each person's views on each other's works. Simple, easy and to the point and again, funny enough to still take it seriously.

People are getting better at using the Gallery space, as well as thinking bout the show as a whole. I think that was the success of this exhibition and the rolling with the fact that they only had four members in the team. It was cohesive. It worked.

- Agnes

Yeeeeeeeeea

2009-06-22T01:26:00.000-07:00

Last pilot before the semester break. Will. Be. Fab.

- Agnes

Dead

2009-06-16T02:37:00.000-07:00

we are not!

Instead we have been busy doing many non-arty things as well as many very arty but very boring and stressful things (such as prepping for mid-year assessment). Hence the lackage of postage. However, as proof that the last couple of weeks weren't just sucked in some kind of mid-year vacuum, here is documentation of various non-painterly thaaaangs that we have busied ourselves with:

1. Mammoth trip to Paeroa

2. Attending design openings at St Paul Street

Note: Interesting to see how the designers attempted using the Gallery 3 space to their advantage. I'm not so sure it is much of an advantage in the case of the photo above but at least some other clever guy decided to hang their work away from the given architectural surfaces of the gallery (see other photo above).

Another note: As I was ranting about building your own surface in the gallery as a way of getting around the minimum of wall space, Thomas from sculpture had a similar idea and informed me of some mega constructions happening for next week's pilot. Mega Constructions = Mega Excitement.

3. Searching for mega fails (or a mega win in this case?)

Truth is, this post is really just a way to procrastinate doing more mid-year prep (reading/writing/trying to make new work and failing miserably). As you can see, wasting time seems to be our forte.

Back to reading/writing/tryingtomakenewworkandfailingmiserablygoddammit)

In the mean time:

Pilot 4: Ship High in Transition
Wednesday 16 June
5-6.30pm
Gallery 3
See. You there.

- Agnes

Hold

2009-06-06T13:41:00.000-07:00

Brigette Norcross
Untitled

Laxmi Jhunjhnuwala
Untitled

Victoria Sheldon

The land series

Clinton Cardozo
Untitled 1 and 2

Charlie McLean

A dark world turns light

Simon Stuart

Grid

Woman in Grid series 2; Homage to the horizontal axes

It was recognised a long time ago that this particular group (being made up of three photographers and three painters) would have trouble getting enough wall space to share around. I was curious to see how dramatastic this show would be especially when I heard about a painting being wrapped around windows...

Which really only turned out to be hearsay as Charlie’s painting was yes, hung in front of windows, but most certainly was not wrapped around them. Good way of using Gallery 3 space. However, issues of lighting and hanging rendered it hard to read with my interest going towards the set of drawings opposite instead.

But I view Charlie’s works as a pivotal point in the show. It is the first piece you experience as you walk into the gallery and to me, sets the tone for the rest of it. Charlie talks of emotionalism, which automatically stirs up thoughts of social responsibility. At least four of the six wishes the viewer to experience some sort of emotion when interacting with their work. But what of this emotion? What kind of emotion were they striving for?

I do not believe it was a yearning towards humanitarianism that they really wanted us to feel. Instead, I see this show as six individual works, perhaps wishing us to ‘take a breather’, directing us towards an inner space.

Laxmi’s piece was successful with generating some sort of visually overwhelming nature. But the longer you spent with it, the less you felt that you could interact with it. This is mainly due to its positioning. In the past, Laxmi would place these works in areas where there was a higher danger of being disturbed. I feel as though the alcove was safer and created a piece that was more zoo-like, too easy to look from behind the architectural cage. I do find this an interesting relationship to painting, especially the hard-edged geometric painting that Laxmi is so interested in. With a piece so reliant on perspective, what happens when you restrict the viewer’s ability to...view?

Simon’s paintings may highlight the need to take time away from a larger, virtual whole, the blurring between public and private. Although I feel he was probably the last person to decide what space he wanted to place his work (I told you to fight for your right!!), I see it has almost worked in his favour as he played with the notion of axis in his install.

Clinton’s photographs were probably the most engaging in the show. He has really taken an idea that could potentially be really naf (people wearing masks) and has pushed it to an area that is more hazy than clear. I like the openness of his work showing sensitivity towards the viewer. He was probably the luckiest in terms of getting a space that was generous to his work and this showed in his install.

The issues with the space did reveal themselves, mostly due to the sidelining of Victoria’s photographs and Brigette’s placement of paper over the windows. The punctuation of the windows is starting to grate at the reading of pieces in pilot shows and I’ve yet to see anyone actually attempt to build walls in order to create a more uniform surface to work with.

Something to think about perhaps?

- Agnes

Post TW

2009-06-03T03:05:00.000-07:00

Laxmi's annihilated install...

Some gems from the Talk Week exhibition uploaded while procrastinating my Post Talk Week write up...

Pilot 3 photos to come.

- Agnes

Mixed and Varied

2009-05-27T15:21:00.000-07:00

Clare Keegan 'Untitled' series of 3

Keyelee Lawler-Dormer 'Untitled' Sound Work

Jacqui Seymour 1992/2009, Untitled Bach Series

Tias Fristiasa 'Untitled' (White Works)

Josh Harvey 'Untitled' Tanks Series

Elliot Collis Soft Space

Question: Why so many seemingly untitled works? What happened to the art of naming? Perhaps it isn't relevant in this show, and the artists feel as though their works do not need proper names...only secondary ones following the word untitled...

But this got me thinking about the role of titling. Recently in my Talk Week crit, a masters student deliberately withheld the titles of her works as an experiment to see whether the installation itself was enough information in a cold reading. Perhaps this is what is happening here in this show? A clever ploy to make us think harder, or perhaps, make us think more linear.

Yet the title of the show is Kaleidoscope, and the accompanying catalogue states that it means 'looking at beautiful forms'. So perhaps this show is really more about visual aesthetic as opposed to concept or narrative, hence why there is no need for a title? Sure the show provides a lot of optical interest through means of largely printed photographs, delicate print work and a giant 'soft space'. But then there's also Josh's disgustingly abject tanks and Keyelee's strange perspex contraption blasting noise, sound and other sorts of interactive confusion. Her work is not working with vision, but that of aural sensation and that of touch.

So it leaves me to ponder how mixed this show is. On one hand, we have the comfortable (Clare's photographs reminded some of the softness of domestic placemats from the 70s) and on the other, jarring.

Kaleidoscopes are essentially different broken particles being manipulated through reflection to create a whole vision. And that's how I see this show. A strange mix of pieces coming together to do something...but I'm not sure what yet. I also refuse to accept that they are only coming together to delight in the aesthetic.

Further reflection (the kind that occurs mentally) is needed but in the meantime, go see the show at St Paul Street Gallery 3.

- Agnes

p.s. To keep in mind the actual purpose for the Pilot programme is that it is a professional practice paper, and that the actual brief states that we do not need to be striving towards creating links or a thematically cohesive show, only that we need to put on a show and that our work needs to be in it. In fact, we are discouraged from adopting overt themes.

This is probably why people can be perplexed when entering a Pilot show, we automatically try to look for links that we have been perhaps conditioned to expect, and we are sorely disappointed when we do not find it. This should not be a sadness towards the artists creating the show as we are only conceding to the brief.

Sometimes though, there is a thin thread that connects a Pilot together. When this thread has been identified and pushed with clever subtlety, a show can be more than an ordinary fulfilment of brief. I think something along these lines could be happening within this show but I also think it that it is something that nobody has put their finger on quite yet. Maybe such a thread is too clever to reveal itself to me in ravaged post talk week state. I also question whether the artists themselves know this thread, only because the catalogue seems more concerned with individual, isolated ideas than that of a greater whole.

The rambling must stop.

End.

For now.

Pilot 2

2009-05-25T23:49:00.000-07:00

Kaleidoscope
St Paul Street Gallery 3
Opening Wednesday 27 May 5.00-6.30

Yeeeeea the second installment of the pilot series.

- Agnes

Pimp my Wall

2009-05-23T03:42:00.000-07:00

From this:

To this:

It came up in crits that those terrible floating walls that we have in studio were distracting when it comes to reading object based work (such as mine). Therefore, for talk week, I embarked on a mission to fix that issue. Who knew it would take 3 days, 2 nervous breakdowns and $50 of wasted materials that I didn't even need.

Major wall reconstructions = newly lowered pimped out wall

All the other walls are jealous.

Not really.

- Agnes

Talk Week

2009-05-20T01:30:00.001-07:00

Next week most of the Visual Arts crew will be heading into intense crittage with leading curators, artists, gallery directors and designers in New Zealand. Some of us are prepared. Some, not so much (oh dear jeezus is it Talk Week already?).

There will be an open day on Friday 29 may from 11-6. Come along! It'll be like graduation come early!

Hopefully most of us won't be reduced to piles of diminished artist dust by the end of the gauntlet. That way, we might actually be able to involve ourselves in some intelligent conversation with visitors. Apologies otherwise.

Alas, back to making work...gaaaaaaablahjeebus. Only God can save me now.

- Agnes (pre diminished artist dust state)

Take Off

2009-05-20T00:57:00.000-07:00

Aleesha Darling

Michelle Lee

Chelsea Bews

Helen Ancliffe

Kate Bedford

Sam Atasani

First Pilot opening of the year and what is one to think of a large curved painting, photos of dogs in costume, hanging things, stacking things and shrine things...dot dot dot indeed?

Interesting pieces were Kate's small painting, a last minute surprise that I wasn't expecting. We had also spent the last few weeks joking about the clumsy large piece that she was working on and how she was possibly going to install it, but it ended up looking so elegant. I was impressed with how she pulled it off.

I am also always intrigued with Michelle's ability to grasp the feminine, delicate and the difficulties of display and install. Her works never looked laboured over, instead hanging in that difficult space between consideration and play.

However, I did have issues with some install of work, mainly the lighting (too light in some areas, much too dark in others as well as yellow and white light)and the strange wires poking out of walls. However, I also know of the difficulties of working with Gallery 3 as a space, with it's OSH regulation ramps, holey walls and random alcoves. There's much learning from other people to be done before my own show I guess! There's also a lot of time to figure out how one can possibly get around the new alcohol restriction placed on that space...any ideas?

In the mean time, will be stressing about talk week and looking forward to next week's show. There's a bouncy castle involved. Yes. Please.

- Agnes

Carrying the Load

2009-05-16T01:29:00.000-07:00

Alicia Frankovich at Artspace, Friday night where the top secret performance took place.

We like her intense shin pads.

- Agnes

PILOT

2009-05-16T01:18:00.000-07:00

OH jeeeezus it's Pilot time again. This year, we are the participants, putting on seven shows from now until early August. Group one are kicking things off this week so come along, have a drink, a yarn and look at some art.

dot.dot.dot
St Paul Street Gallery 3
Opening Wednesday 20 May, 5.00-6.30

Do it. Do it like a Nike ad.

- Agnes

Wellin' Town

2009-05-14T01:20:00.000-07:00

hot jiggedy-dawg

Unintentional jenga at Simon Morris' studio

Colour Chunk at Massey

John Ward Knox's gains on losses at Enjoy

5/8ths of Da Crew + bucket fountain

One day in Wellington isn't nearly enough time to experience all of its joy. But it is most definately enough to convert me to it's awesomeness. After waking up at an ungodly hour to catch our flight, we managed to procure enough energy to last us through a busy day, starting in Lyall Bay with Simon Morris' studio.

Morris has now officially become a legend here at AUT due to, not only his generous hospitality and admirable skills of the painting kind, but his beachside studio with views that look like Isaac Julien films. We gawked at some recent paintings, as well as the large rolls of expensive linen that he has at his expense, and indulged in absorbing his brain as much as possible. He was even kind enough to give some of us a ride into town, as well as showing us around the Massey studios.

After Andy's 'scenic' (read: took the wrong turn and ended up going on massive detour) route to Cuba Street we then visited Enjoy where John Ward Knox was having a show and Siv talked to us about the highs and lows of artist run spaces. Claudia then tried re-enacting Ward Knox's performance piece, only to realise that she has a very similar arm-span to the artist. Things like this are always good to know.

The group then disbanded with some of us paying Peter McLeavy a visit. We had been told that he too is a living legend and he lived up to the hype by showing us a Toole painting and then launching into an impromptu reading. Being read to by Mcleavy is like being put to bed by your Mum with a hottie and a glass of milk, too precious. Needless to say, he's a real darling and we heart him (and his typewriter) very much.

We then met up for a coffee with Heather Galbraith from City Galleries who was lovely enough to reveal to us the final selection of works that she curated for the Venice Biennale and talk so vividly about her journey to curatorship.

Fails:

- Getting harassed by a man in a loin cloth (a very small loin cloth) who we later learned is refered to as 'blanket man'. Thank you.

- The guy with the mirror blanket (what's with all the blanket allusions?) who blinded us and oncoming traffic. Thank you very much.

- Trying to check in at Air New Zealand when we were really flying Pacific Blue. That, I admit, was my fault.

Thanks to everyone we met and who showed us a good time. We are in debt.

- Agnes

Uniform

2009-05-11T23:58:00.000-07:00

Photo: Spike Jonze's blog (it has info and pics about the upcoming Where the Wild Things Are movie oooooo!)

Stumbled across this site called Uniform 2008 where three artists are participating in a social experiment where they wear the same custom designed clothes for six months...

Here they log their intentions and monthly diaries. So far, two months in, and no one is commenting on the consistency of their clothing choices. I wonder what that says about people? Whether we're not very observant or just too polite? Or maybe, six months later, we'll realise it's not even a big deal.

- Agnes

p.s. Watch out for our sneaky selves in Wellington tomorrow. We could only spare a day trip but have many a place to go and see. Thank you to those who helped/offered us things to do. Will update you on our adventures...

WJ

2009-05-08T23:39:00.001-07:00

WJ block has long been the home of spatial design here at the AU of T, until we heard rumours that it was going to be bulldozed and rebuilt into new awesomeness (horridness? How bout that rennovated design block? Sterile much?). That was last year, and those rumours still haven't come true yet...

Which is O.K because Chris Fitzgerald has decided to turn a part of it into a temporary space for art and kicked things off on Friday with a show. Above are evidence of such.

The space really got me thinking...there's something really interesting about where WJ sits at the moment. Its fate hanging off of the decisions of people who perhaps don't even inhabit it. WJ is positioned between functions, intended or not. Whether it is anticipating something bigger and better, a moving on with times, or mourning the imminent death of what it used to be...where is its glory to be found now?

I bet all the other buildings are taking note. After all, WJ could very well just be an architectural foreshadowing of their own futures...

- Agnes

Ballin' with Ballen

2009-05-07T01:24:00.000-07:00

Snaps from the Roger Ballen opening, St Paul Street. We be the clumsy ones spilling wine behind the bar. Oops.

Come see the show if you're game for drooling inbred-like twinnigans and skin crawly, exorcist children. You know, your everyday haps.

- Agnes

Feature Friday: Dress Ups

2009-05-01T04:55:00.000-07:00

Amber is doing some works involving performance and costumes made from old blankets. She has just finished Claudia's costume, a spongebob/underwater diving suit contraption. We've been told it's not exactly breathable...but it's bloody cute yes?

Amber has also made me a costume from a fluorescent pink sleeping bag. Enough said.

- Agnes

Zines

2009-04-30T02:09:00.000-07:00

St Paul Street 3 was host to a Zine Launch by the 3rd year Design students (those studying across the rooooad).
Being partial to a good zine and having a good friend of mine’s efforts on show, I headed along to see whether or not my faith in local design could be re-ignited after last year's disappointing grad show...

And it was! Perhaps it was the zine format that design kiddos could grip onto. Perhaps it’s the fact that so many of them are already entrenched in specific sub-cultures and groups to be able to represent them authentically. Or maybe I was just slightly overwhelmed by all the free publications being thrown at me left, right and centre, it wouldn’t be the first time I tell you... Either way, most zines were well thought through, with witty pieces of writing, encapsulating the lightness and uncensored joys of the zine format.

To my surprise, a few from the Visual Arts crew (Maila, Ahi, Linda T and Chris) were representing with their D.A.N.C.E publication, one of the only colour zines there. Inside boasts plenty of pictures of their social gatherings/art installations and even a few of the mug of yours truly + co...

Will be spending the rest of the night trawling through my zine-haul. Good times.

- Agnes

Ze Fair

2009-04-30T01:34:00.000-07:00

Spotted: Linden Simmons and Elliot Collins at the Tim Mellville stand oh yeeeeah

And a bit of Saskia Leek at Ivan Anthony

And Anna's beautifully set up stand...

Sneaky preview of the Auckland Art Fair before it opens tomorrow morn.

Have been helping out being general slave girl for the Fair, and it has been surprisingly fun...they take good care of us, giving us free pizza and snacks. In return we make up VIP lanyards for a couple of hours. I'm cheap and have nothing in my fridge at the moment so it's a fair deal for me. I very much heart them.

It's rather strange to be seeing art from the commercial side. Things such as the strict organisation of the Fair and the importance placed on buying and selling are thoughts that don't normally run through my head as I'm making work...Not to say that one doesn't think about the preservation of self once they leave art school, but volunteering in the last couple of days has been enough to rouse a silly art student like me out of their institutional reverie. I guess I can't be pilfering free pizza everyday now can I?

Speaking of such matters, there were a few pieces I spotted that were enough for me to try and survive off of a diet of air chips for the next few months in order to afford. I wonder if they do lay-by...

- Agnes

Chunks

2009-04-26T14:41:00.000-07:00

Photo: Color Chunks

Following on our coloured-construction obsession (we've been told we can't get help for it until we admit it's a problem) is this lovely tidbit called Color Chunks sent to me by Nick B this morn.

Far out, they're even worse than we are! A whole blog full of coloured material found anywhere and everywhere. I think we need to up our game...

- Agnes

Cookin'

2009-04-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

Theory procrastination led to watching Top Chef this week where the contestants were challenged to whip up last suppers for famous celebrity chef people I do not know. The setting reminded me of Urbahn's The Sacred Heart to the point where I was trying to match chefs and judges to Urbahn's participants.

Shagger with Glasses? Oh yeeeeeah??

- Agnes

Gifts from 103

2009-04-20T00:56:00.000-07:00

Photos: Nick Berry

Cheap art students are suckers for things of the free nature, so when we heard that Rm103 was giving away stuff from their cupboards, we were sold. Seeing as most of us need to work during non-school hours to fund the not so free stuff that we need for everyday life-battles, we sent our minion Nick to go along and scoop up what he could for us.

So the wins of the day were:

- 1x Harry Potter biscuit tin
- 1x random purple disc reader
- 1x Japanese Maneki Neko

Thanks Nick! Points have been allocated to your name accordingly.

But what's one to do with such objects? God knows...I will start musing on their artistic potential...

Good luck for the move to K Road!!

- Agnes

Procrastination

2009-04-19T03:09:00.000-07:00

Passion Pit
Sleepyhead
Directed by The Wilderness

Something slightly Gary Hillish about this video, non?

- Agnes

Sculpture Trailer

2009-04-18T23:16:00.000-07:00

Brick Bay Sculpture Trail
Arabella Lane(off Mahurangi East) RD2 Warkworth

I wanted to share my discovery of a wonderful sculpture trail over the Easter break. It is called Brick Bay Sculpture trail which is in Warkworth, only an hour drive from the city. It has some magnificent sculpture by some popular artists such as Dane Mitchell, Gretchen Albretch, Judy Darrah and Jeff Thompson. All these artists work in response to the beautiful landscape. The works that jumped out to me were the ones sitting or floating in the peaceful beautiful lake .They were making a perfect reflection. Maybe because i am working with mirror image or reflections in my own practice. The experience of these works cannot be seen in these photographs you have to be there be have a conversation with them.

- Laxmi Jhunjhnuwala

Help A Brotha Owt?

2009-04-17T17:07:00.000-07:00

The Paintn'Bakers, led by Andy T. are planning a trip to Wellytown for a few days in the next couple of months or so...

Anything interesting happening down there art-wise during that time? We do not want to travel there only to find that Te Papa is our one-stop shop. Have been casting some research lines but not many catches so far...can you help us out? If you know of anything send us an email. Our reward will be US entertaining YOU with a free cooling beverage of your choice in our studio* (exceptions being Vitamin Water, NO to the Vitamin Water!)

- Agnes

* winners must be present to collect prize obviously.

Fieldwork Central- Barbara Tuck

2009-04-15T20:52:00.000-07:00

herekia rosetta
2008
800x800mm

Li Bo's Breath

2008
800x800mm

Barbara Tucks show at Anna Miles Gallery is full of whimsy and inspired brush strokes. She’s in her 60’s but has the eye of a young enquirer. She paints in oil on board and has achieved a technical brilliance in these works that’s hard to replicate even in professional reproductions like these. I really recommend visiting. Tuck takes you on a child’s adventure trail through intricate landscapes, floating islands of pattern and great globules of sweaty colour. I just love this show…It reminds me there’s still so much to discover in paint.

Show runs till 2nd may 09

- Amber Claire Pearson

We Can Be Heroes

2009-04-10T16:08:00.000-07:00

A while ago, we did a post about the Pirate Store in San Francisco. These are photos I found recently showing the other similar shops, all set up by Dave Eggers and his 826National programme promoting literacy and writing in public schools and the community.

I bring this particular post up again as a small thought for people, as I've had so many talks recently with fellow students who feel they have difficulty with writing and theory. Perhaps it's the looming due dates we have with annotated bibliographies and what not, but the general consensus is that people are still fighting the same fight (or what they think is a fight) with the written word.

The 826National programme takes back the power from the difficulties of literacy and gives it back to the author. Through the guise of superheroes, spies and pirates, Eggers is able to communicate the idea that writing isn't something to be scared of, that things only have power when you are ready to give it power.

I think that perhaps, it isn't until we can do this ourselves, that we can fully realise our own writing capacities. Perhaps instead, a knocking down of pedastals is needed. Too much pressure on oneself to perform at a high standard all of the time just wears on the spirit. Take the classic example of the sophomore album, musicians cracking under the pressure of producing something better and more spectacular. You, however, are not asked to be writing masterpieces. Only to be writing at the best of your ability. More often than not, that is much more than good enough.

The 826National programme is something I like to keep in the back of my mind as a way of keeping pressure at bay. Sometimes, you just need to be reminded that writing (and perhaps other things in life), is only as 'serious and difficult' (oh yeah I went there...) as you make it to be.

Writing is your Friend. Don't be fightin' with it. O.K.

- Agnes

p.s. This post is dedicated to those stressing about their a.b. Yes. You.

Update

2009-04-05T23:09:00.000-07:00

Some quick photos from the studio to show we are still alive and functioning. Just. I have been moving houses (twice!) and living in a state of suitcase so I have had little access to internet lately. Coming up this week: Bildwissenschaft, intense crittage, pilot talks, Photobooth and God knows what else...keep in touch.

- Agnes

Open House

2009-04-01T18:54:00.000-07:00

I travelled to Agnes So’s Family Home last night in a big group of friends. We all arrived in a noisy boom of jokes and slamming doors, but So’s exhibition, titled ‘Open House’, hit me with such a force of silence, I felt embarrassed.
So and her family recently moved out of their town house in Ellerslie, Auckland. Using the empty shell as an opportunity to stage an exhibition of her recent work, she responded to the void with pieces that reflected the delicate balance of passing and anticipation, held like a breath in the vacant space.

Upon entering the house we were greeted by a slip of paper requesting that we remove our shoes and delivering a sensitive menu of spacial prose. This quiet offering preceded a warm light emanating from the cave like space of the front room. This was no space for a noisy opening of sorts. A beeline for the drinks table out the back of the house would defile the atmosphere.

The show, spanning through several rooms of the house, took the form of an installation, including video, found objects, planks of new pine, sound and rolls of typed graph paper. The most interesting of which was the show’s opener, where brilliant use of the light fittings illuminated an elegant stack of carefully balanced objects. This prompted close scrutiny by all.

The rooms upstairs proved harder to read, with some complicated relationships developing between the rooms. A wireless headset in what seemed to be a 2nd bedroom was linked up to an analogue recorder in the main bedroom. The soundtrack featured tack tacking of a type writer being worked, presumably on the rolls of typed graph paper included in various works around the house. This linked it all together for me. A cacophony of machinations and process’s, emanated through the house, filled the vacant hole with life. Though outside the headset, everything was silent again. A house waiting to be known.

- Amber Claire Pearson

Wild Thing

2009-03-28T01:11:00.000-07:00

The art of Maurice Sendak brought to life.

With the Arcade Fire. Yes.

- Agnes

I promise...

2009-03-26T23:12:00.000-07:00

this is the last of them...actually no, no I can't promise that.

Construction meets minimalism, again.

This one was spotted on Mayoral Drive.

- Agnes

Cut and Paste

2009-03-26T22:30:00.000-07:00

Photos from Trish's "Is there anybody here who'll listen to my story?" exhibition at Artstation, an experiment in storytelling through images. You may remember her as our old theory teacher and from this show that she had last year.

I was, unfortuantely, too tired to participate wholeheartedly as we had spent the day trekking through Gibb's Sculpture Park, climbing Sol Lewitts and fondling Anish Kapoors.

However, I do hope that you have more energy when you visit the show. It is on till April 8. Ch-ch-check it out.

- Agnes

Feature Friday: Fluoroflatables

2009-03-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

A video from the studios.

Elliot is working on creating atmospheres and spaces at the moment. He's also been getting friendly with the air gun. Enjoy.

- Agnes

Globetrotting

2009-03-23T01:39:00.000-07:00

Although Claudia and I visited the United States over the break, one of our own, Laxmi, went on a very different route of holiday. She traversed back home to India. Asia is an interesting place to be looking at in terms of contemporary art so I was keen to get my hands on her documentation. After enough nagging, I managed to procure some photographs of her visit, including a trip to an Indian Contemporary Art Gallery.

Laxmi always talks about the beautiful saturation of colour in India, something that she continues to explore in her own painting practice. And it's also interesting to see the sculpture being produced as well. The precarious angle of the giant boulder in the 5th picture is my favourite of the bunch, something that I'm exploring in my own drawings as of late. So there you have it, India seems to have something for everyone!

- Agnes

Wheels on the Bus...

2009-03-22T01:11:00.000-07:00

The Artlink aka the 'pretty bus' (as coined by a passenger who looked about four yeras old), designed by Sara Hughes

Simon getting off after a long shift

The Peace Marchers, yet another surprise we did not know about

Last year, I had expressed once that if all this art stuff didn't really pan out for me, I would go and be a bus driver instead. I imagined I would be one of those super-awesome-cool bus drivers that people actually liked, you know, the ones that people did the thumbs up to when they drove past and was always friendly and asked how your day was. I thought it would be a good way of meeting all sorts of people, and getting to know their stories. And I do like to drive.

With this in mind, I had my dreams realised when I was asked to help out with the Artlink, a bus that takes people to galleries around the CBD for the Auckland Festival. This was my chance to get a feel for the bus in a way which was not that of a passenger. I didn't get to drive the Artlink, but that's really only a minor hiccup in my testing theory...plus the fact that we got to utilise these sweet walkie talkies made up for that.

Thus our day began. And with a giant crane blocking the front of Sue Crockford, we had to relocate to another departing point. Nothing that a seasoned driver would have difficulty dealing with of course. Go with the flow etc.

Then came the peace marchers, causing blockage. Yet another day on Queen Street for a Bussie, right?

But finally, the conversing with people. A man from Tauraunga, a music graduate from Kaitaia...story upon story of why people were where they were, what they thought of the exhibitions etc. Interesting people, all of whom, obviously, were active pursuers of art discussion.

Karena's 'Orchestra'

In between shifts on the bus, I was able to catch the beginning performance/artist's talk/workshop by Karena Way. She talked about being drawn to specific sounds and the ways in which she collects and manipulates it. Highlights were learning about electromagnetic pencils, where the graphite is used to conduct and produce frequency sounds depending on where you completed the connection. It's like playing the keyboard on a piece of paper! So, so clever! Why are you not already in my life?

I also got talking with the actual driver of the Artlink, who had a very positive outlook on his job. He seemed very easy going, parting wise words of wisdom about how to deal with the naughties and bad days on the road.

But by the end of the day, I was slightly dehydrated and starting to rethink the possibilities of enjoying being employed by MAXX...

In hindsight, my fantasy of bus driving was slightly naïve. Obviously I had not thought about the hours of traffic (queue the Queen Street Marchers) and the regular angries who like to think bus drivers and parking wardens are on a similar low-life level. But it wasn't until after spending 6 hours riding the ARTlink over and over again, that I realised, it wasn't so much those reasons, as it was the absolute repetitiveness of the job. In the 25 degree heat. Although I did have fun talking to people, it really wasn't as glamorous as I thought it would be. And in reality, there's no way I would be a cool bus driver, because I would be more inclined to being the kind that gets pleasure from soaking pedestrians by driving through puddles and throwing change angrily at passengers who give me $20 notes. Kudos to bus drivers though, you guys rock.

In the meantime, I'll devise another Plan B of 'Jobs I could do if art doesn't work out for me'. Any suggestions??

- Agnes

Get me to Christchurch on Time

2009-03-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

In the flurry of the last two weeks, I had only briefly glanced at an email informing me of a new space opening up in Christchurch. It wasn't until today that it nabbed my eye again and I'm glad it did because I've now placed it on the 'Official reasons why I need to visit Christchurch this year' list.

It is opened by Paintlust who describes themselves as so:

Paintlust is a painting project. Paintlust is a group of international artists and curators whose practices show the possibilities of contemporary painting, in a time when location and nationality do not neccessarily go hand in hand. These are artists and curators whose practices exist everywhere and anywhere, during a time where painting can be anything and everything. Paintlust will take the form of exhibitions, temporary project spaces, and participate in curatorial projects around the world.

A paint collective promoting contemporary practices across nations? Sounds good to me! Another source I can leech research from? Oh. Yes.

This space is only temporary, open till mid-July. Right now, they're hosting The Cooking Show which is a collab between Japanese artists Limocon and NZ artist Seung Yul Oh. Looks like a sweet sweet show and if anyone has visited and would like to tell us (painters stuck in Auckland in the meantime) how it is, muchos appreciation.

Preferably, this really needs to go on the 'Official reasons why I need to visit Christchurch before July' list, just slightly above the 'Class Trip to Wellington' possibility and the 'Get me to Melbourne in September!' project. Too many places, not enough monetary funds.

- Agnes

Construction continued...

2009-03-21T14:20:00.000-07:00

Ariane alerted me to a wonderful construction site at the bottom of High street via a pxt titled 'Painting in Architecture'. I didn't really know how awesome it was until I went past it yesterday. It's draped beautifully. Yellow now trumps orange. Agreed. We are also construction crazy. Double Agreed.

- Agnes

Leonardo

2009-03-20T01:41:00.000-07:00

As a farming country, this video puts us to shaaaame. Where's our extreme sheephearding??

Oh-my-goodness.

- Agnes

Hands

2009-03-19T02:40:00.000-07:00

After attending a full lecture theatre of people (some of whom had traversed far and wide, or really, just over the road from Elam) listening to Gary Hill talk about his practice, I was seriously anticipating the opening of this show. Mostly because the artist talk was less about the ideas surrounding his practice, and more a 'show and tell' of works he had done over the years. Not that I'm complaining too much, as I wasn't so familiar with his work (and the talk proved to be a good introduction into the empire of Gary Hill) but I was hoping to get more of a feel of his practice through the exhibition and this, being the commencing show for St Paul Street this year, was bound to be a goodie.

Gallery One is host to a disorientating work projected onto different walls at breakneck speed. It is a place where you can't really stay for long, lest you wish to get ill. Gallery Two, on the other hand, is slightly more comforting, pitch black with a viewing sofa and a changing roster of works depending on the day of the week. Many of these works were done up to two decades ago. My favourite so far is the one pictured above, Site Recite which screened at the opening and on Fridays.

The one thing I particularly enjoy about Hill's videos tend to be the marrying of language and video. When the two come together to create what seems like a whole entity, particularly when he moves or changes the video according to the syncopation and syllables of the verbal word. Alan has since introduced me to Laurie Anderson, whom apparently is friends with Hill. They run along similar linguistical pathways. We now happily blast her tunes in studio. Check out Walking and Falling and White Lilly.

- Agnes

eh-kay-oh-nine

2009-03-15T23:19:00.000-07:00

The Auckland Festival is already half over so we thought we'd share our favourites so far. Mind you, we've only had the chance to catch a tiny percentage of the whole thing (I am yet to even step foot in the Spiegeltent) but the stuff we have seen so far has been impressive. These are my top 3 picks:

1. Art Crazy Nation at Seed Gallery is the kind of exhibition you can bring the kids to. Which saves on babysitting costs. Nice. It's also a growing hub for bringing out the lego enthusiast in people. And we all know that everyone, at some point in their life, has felt an affinity towards the colourful pieces of buildable plastic. I used to make marble tracks and model houses. The Little Artists, however, get their pleasure from lobster phones and the YBA's. Much cooler. Apparently they spend a lot of time on ebay searching for that particular Star Wars or Harry Potter Lego piece that they need to make up someone like Andy Warhol. I didn't even know ebay sold individual pieces of lego. Apparently it's a thriving market.

2. The Arrival was also another show you could bring the kids to. See, the festival is child-friendly. This is based on the book by Shaun Tan, and for a theatre show with practically no dialogue, it succeeds in communicating instead, with movement, puppets, shadow, limbs, planks of wood, sound, rolls of paper and anything else etc. etc. etc. Criticism has been that perhaps, instead of actors, they should have hired dancers. But the Red Leap Theatre was able to bypass such a need because the show was seamless. Each actor had the task of having to switch from character to object to even embodying the weather in a matter of seconds. The convincing and inventive natures of whatever they were at any given point was the success of the show. You didn't doubt that they could have been a vacuum cleaner in one scene and then a raindrop in another.

3. Artspace's Mash Up is probably the favourite from the Visual Arts bunch. There's a great video work from the artist Shimabuku, who rips an octopus from the comforting bosom of the sea in order to force on it a tour around Tokyo. He then returns it to the sea, looking a little worse for wear. The funny thing is that the octopus ends up spending most of it's time in a polystyrene box, unable to view Tokyo properly. Such is the precious failure of the artist as tour guide.

Voila! AK09 happening at a theatre, art gallery, aotea square near you.

- Agnes

Pickle

2009-03-15T22:31:00.000-07:00

Linda T. and Darren in front of the photograph Linda claims she is 'going to purchase'.

The Vostok May 15, 1960

Anna Miles, being our theory tutor this year, informed us of an opening at her gallery last wednesday via group email. Something which i'm glad she did because somehow I seemed to have dropped off the mailing list. Nevertheless, Glass' Confusus turbatus is a showing of 10 works with some pieces going back as far as the early nineties till more recently, last year.

Those familiar with Glass' work knows that he is a crafter of all things camera. A handout showing text from his soon to be released book A Field Guide to Camera Species provides interesting notes on the make of such cameras (which in the past have been displayed as sculptures) and the resulting photographs. I like that Darren isn't afraid to use the words 'Fantastically fuzzy' when describing his work showing once again that alliteration is your friend.

My favourite piece, shown above, was conceived from a stereoscopic camera meaning you can make like an idiot and cross your eyes in order to see it in 3d. Funky Fact: the Vostok is a particular kind of spacecraft built by the Russians that funnily enough, was built to be used as a camera platform.

Our photographer friend, Natasha, is lucky enough to actually own an original Darren Glass pinhole camera. She told us about how she has been saving it all summer, till uni started and she is able to become more involved in her own practice, before using it. But I'm curious to see what she does with it. We will have to be patient. There may be updates on this front...

In the meantime, check out the real Darren Glass prints, on till the 4th of April.

- Agnes

Feature Friday: Oh It's Back

2009-03-13T01:11:00.000-07:00

Photographs from Amber's studio space taken on a Friday morning while waiting for late running tutorials. Oh Ian.

Copycats

2009-03-13T00:51:00.000-07:00

Remember this post back in October? Well turns out orange and blue is the way things go in the construction world. Lookie here, Auckland Art Gallery flies the flag for generic construction colours. It's always the same shade of orange and blue too. Who exactly decides these things? Pantone? Fulton Hogan? Oh my....FH are too adorning the blu-orange colouring.

Meanwhile, Plaster Tech Systems Ltd. in an attempt to be different and in-deeeevidu-owwwwwl have added some complementary coloured constructions into the mix:

Pink and Yellow. I'm forecasting these as the new building colours for 2009. Yes it's veeery Fash.

- Agnes

Stag Duties

2009-03-10T02:48:00.000-07:00

A few of us have been largely familiarising ourselves with Terry Urbahn's The Sacred Hart in an effort to become good Auckland Festival attendants. The installation is open from 10am-10pm which means that those of us doing night shifts have had an interesting time observing in-church happenings such as bellringing rehearsals and 'Graham' the homeless man who always has a plethora of tea mugs that he likes to leave peppered around St. Matts.

Tidbits:

- The Stag for this installation isn't the original (as it was in the Govett Brewster) but instead, a mould of the original with a human leg. Story goes that the original stag used to have only three legs, but one day, someone replaced it with a leg that according to Urbahn, looked like that of a human. This rumour spread like wildfire and it wasn't until Urbahn went up to inspect the stag a few years back, that he realised he was completely wrong. It was merely a badly whittled stag leg. His bad.

- The stained glass window looking down onto the installation was designed by Phillip Trusttum, Urbahn's tutor back at Ilam.

- A video showing the movements of the stag's shadow on the revolving plinth. Urbahn commented on the turning as a way of showing a passage of time. We noticed, when lit at the right angles, the stag turned into a faux sun-dial. How appropriate.

While we were closing up tonight, we had a slightly frazzled girl rush in carrying a parrot on her shoulder. Only in the City.

- Agnes

Making Up

2009-03-10T02:41:00.000-07:00

Spotted outside WE lecture theatres. Seeing as we didn't get to spend much time with Magritte's The Treachery of Images, this will have to do for now.

Is or is this not a pipe? Any plumbers in the house?

- Agnes

A Timely Post

2009-03-06T00:45:00.000-08:00

So many of us here are lovers of the humble postcard. Claudia was vigilant enough to pick up one or five from every place, museum, tourist attraction and city we visited in America. I myself, am always on the lookout for the random ones that have already been through a ride in the post, preferably to someone else that is not me. Call it a sneaky voyeurism on my part...Not to mention, I'm a wee fangirlie for the 'I Got Up' series. Plus, I've been using one sent from my holidaying friend in Cambodia as a bookmarking alternative recently.

But when I came across these on the net today, I couldn't help but wish someone was awesome enough to send one to me. It's a postcard with a timer for recording the time it took to send and receive! Oh dear, I think I just died.

The idea is from Dag Design Lab. They do a mean salt shaker and milk bottle as well.

Time and measures of time...

If time were measured in blog posts, they would tell me that this is our 100th post and that 100 posts earlier, back in August, we were just a few people sitting around a computer listening to Julian rave about the wonders of art blogging.

100 posts later and we're a still just a bunch of people, except this time, we're sitting around studio watching the Backstreet Boys on VHS.

Oh evolution. What a difference 100 posts make.

- Agnes