Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Essay #1:
Arman and Allan McCollum: Repetition and The Objectification of Identity
The Reputation of objects in any situation provokes a conversation about reproduction. How the object is made directly influences how we place value upon it. The handmade, the mass produced, or the personally nostalgic object, all hold value to us as individuals. This value is upheld by societal reinforcement, a universal perception of there worth. Throughout history that value system has changed drastically due to advances in technology. The Sheer number of things that are produced around the world, in a given day, is astronomical. As these “things” accumulate around us, they begin to create a larger picture. Everything from the car we drive to the clothes we wear have become a physical representation of the person we believe ourselves to be. Everyone’s ultimate goal in life is to define themselves as an individual to the people they love and the community in which they live. Both Arman and Alan McCollum wrestle with the role of the physical object and the people who produce them, in the objectification of our identity.
Arman was a French born American artist who is known most notably for his “Accumulations”. These were a collection of similar objects, usually mass produced and distressed, that were positioned in relationship to each other . Many of them were cast in polyester, placed in boxes or fixed together in an aesthetically pleasing way. Historically, Arman is associated with Neo Realism, a movement in French contemporary art, that happened in conjunction with the emergence of Pop Art in America. Arman dealt with the idea of humans possessing a species specific trait of accumulating objects. Essentially, we define ourselves as individuals by the objects that we collect. These objects that accumulate in our lives more often than not have no meaning or value to anyone but ourselves. American psychoanalyst Werener Muensterberger attributes the action of collecting to a child using a secondary object for relief of separation anxiety from their mother. With the use of the found and discarded, he addresses issues of mass production and the literal accumulation of waste. As a child Arman bore witness to the biggest technological boom in the history of our species. The Industrial Revolution gave birth to factories and machines that created an endless stream of products. He said, “ As a historical statement you are the fruit of your environment, but as an artist I am a witness of my time. Before it became an explosion, I sensed the invasion of objects.” Paralleling his Accumulations was a series of work called “Tantrums” or “Slices”. In These works he explored the deconstruction and fragmentation of objects. For example, in Chopins Waterloo (1962), he destroyed a piano in front of violinist Yehudi Menuhin then fastened its fragmented pieces to a large panel of painted wood for presentation in the gallery. In these “Tantrums” he dealt with the idea of creating precious objects by destroying them.
Allan McCollum is a contemporary American artist that focuses on how objects and communities accumulate value. McCollum’s investigation of how communities create identities through objects, symbols and geography, is evident in his piece “Shapes from Maine”(2009). This show was part of an ongoing series of work that focuses on specific regions of the world and how their communities can be defined by the objects they produce or place value on. In this particular piece he collaborated with 4 companies who offer custom home craft goods to illustrate his fascination with Maine’s connections to craft. Each of these companies were commissioned to create shapes designed by McCollum in materials specific to craft, such as cookie cutters and rubber stamps. All four companies created 2200 individual objects that were then installed in the Friedrich Gallery in New York. He also explores objects that occur naturally in contrast to the hand made. These were specific to geographical regions, like the sand spikes of Mount Signal California or the petrified lightning of central Florida. In his work “Plaster Surrogates” (1983), He used repetition to illustrate the serial production of objects and its effect on human or communal individuality. he created 551 cast surrogate paintings that consisted of a matte, a frame, and a void. The objects were virtually identical except for variations in scale and the frame. This piece spoke to the production of consumer products that can be accessorized to create the illusion of individuality, even though they are technically the same object. This raises the question, can we ever truly be unique? What happens when the people who pull the strings of our market economy control the production of objects that we use to define ourselves as individuals?
Arman and McCollum use repetition in their work as a vehicle for content. In the reproduction of a singular object, they draw attention to the way that material things are manipulated and how they manipulate us. I am particularly interested in Armans association with the human psychological need to collect. McCollums piece “Surrogate Paintings”, is a subtly powerful representation of the objectification of our identity. In Richard Sennetts book ,“The Craftsman”, he uses the Greek myth of Pandora’s casket to illustrate the danger of culture founded on man made things. Pandoras casket contained gifts from all the gods but when it is opened, the wondrous gifts would spill forth scattering, “pains and evils among men“. In McCollums, “Surrogate Paintings” and a large portion of Armans work, grapple with the darker side of our material culture and the dichotomy created between advancement and destruction. I find it interesting that we are all culturally influenced into manifesting our psychological selves by consuming and therefore feeding the machine that could potentially cause our demise.
Arman and Allan McCollum: Repetition and The Objectification of Identity
The Reputation of objects in any situation provokes a conversation about reproduction. How the object is made directly influences how we place value upon it. The handmade, the mass produced, or the personally nostalgic object, all hold value to us as individuals. This value is upheld by societal reinforcement, a universal perception of there worth. Throughout history that value system has changed drastically due to advances in technology. The Sheer number of things that are produced around the world, in a given day, is astronomical. As these “things” accumulate around us, they begin to create a larger picture. Everything from the car we drive to the clothes we wear have become a physical representation of the person we believe ourselves to be. Everyone’s ultimate goal in life is to define themselves as an individual to the people they love and the community in which they live. Both Arman and Alan McCollum wrestle with the role of the physical object and the people who produce them, in the objectification of our identity.
Arman was a French born American artist who is known most notably for his “Accumulations”. These were a collection of similar objects, usually mass produced and distressed, that were positioned in relationship to each other . Many of them were cast in polyester, placed in boxes or fixed together in an aesthetically pleasing way. Historically, Arman is associated with Neo Realism, a movement in French contemporary art, that happened in conjunction with the emergence of Pop Art in America. Arman dealt with the idea of humans possessing a species specific trait of accumulating objects. Essentially, we define ourselves as individuals by the objects that we collect. These objects that accumulate in our lives more often than not have no meaning or value to anyone but ourselves. American psychoanalyst Werener Muensterberger attributes the action of collecting to a child using a secondary object for relief of separation anxiety from their mother. With the use of the found and discarded, he addresses issues of mass production and the literal accumulation of waste. As a child Arman bore witness to the biggest technological boom in the history of our species. The Industrial Revolution gave birth to factories and machines that created an endless stream of products. He said, “ As a historical statement you are the fruit of your environment, but as an artist I am a witness of my time. Before it became an explosion, I sensed the invasion of objects.” Paralleling his Accumulations was a series of work called “Tantrums” or “Slices”. In These works he explored the deconstruction and fragmentation of objects. For example, in Chopins Waterloo (1962), he destroyed a piano in front of violinist Yehudi Menuhin then fastened its fragmented pieces to a large panel of painted wood for presentation in the gallery. In these “Tantrums” he dealt with the idea of creating precious objects by destroying them.
Allan McCollum is a contemporary American artist that focuses on how objects and communities accumulate value. McCollum’s investigation of how communities create identities through objects, symbols and geography, is evident in his piece “Shapes from Maine”(2009). This show was part of an ongoing series of work that focuses on specific regions of the world and how their communities can be defined by the objects they produce or place value on. In this particular piece he collaborated with 4 companies who offer custom home craft goods to illustrate his fascination with Maine’s connections to craft. Each of these companies were commissioned to create shapes designed by McCollum in materials specific to craft, such as cookie cutters and rubber stamps. All four companies created 2200 individual objects that were then installed in the Friedrich Gallery in New York. He also explores objects that occur naturally in contrast to the hand made. These were specific to geographical regions, like the sand spikes of Mount Signal California or the petrified lightning of central Florida. In his work “Plaster Surrogates” (1983), He used repetition to illustrate the serial production of objects and its effect on human or communal individuality. he created 551 cast surrogate paintings that consisted of a matte, a frame, and a void. The objects were virtually identical except for variations in scale and the frame. This piece spoke to the production of consumer products that can be accessorized to create the illusion of individuality, even though they are technically the same object. This raises the question, can we ever truly be unique? What happens when the people who pull the strings of our market economy control the production of objects that we use to define ourselves as individuals?
Arman and McCollum use repetition in their work as a vehicle for content. In the reproduction of a singular object, they draw attention to the way that material things are manipulated and how they manipulate us. I am particularly interested in Armans association with the human psychological need to collect. McCollums piece “Surrogate Paintings”, is a subtly powerful representation of the objectification of our identity. In Richard Sennetts book ,“The Craftsman”, he uses the Greek myth of Pandora’s casket to illustrate the danger of culture founded on man made things. Pandoras casket contained gifts from all the gods but when it is opened, the wondrous gifts would spill forth scattering, “pains and evils among men“. In McCollums, “Surrogate Paintings” and a large portion of Armans work, grapple with the darker side of our material culture and the dichotomy created between advancement and destruction. I find it interesting that we are all culturally influenced into manifesting our psychological selves by consuming and therefore feeding the machine that could potentially cause our demise.
I would like to mention the new book that i am reading. Richard Sennett,"The Craftsman". I think that it would be an interesting read for any artist. Robert B. Reich , professor of Public Policy, University of California at Berkeley says, "As Richard Sennett makes clear in this lucid and compelling book, craftsmanship once connected people to their work by conferring pride and meaning. The loss of craftsmanship has impovershed us in ways we have long forgotten."
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
Last night i went to the Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockport to watch the art critic Jerry Saltz give a talk called "Art and the Art World Today: How They Got That Way an What We Do About It. An Art Critic Unloads." I was excited to get some insight on things that are happening in galleries but instead I was made to feel crazy for attempting to be an artist. He called artist big babies and said the reason he writes so many bad reviews is because 85% of the work he See's sucks. The one tid-bit of the talk that resonated with me was when he compared artists behavior to that of a cat. Saying that unlike dogs cats usually put a third object in play to show their affection. Oh, and his final nugget of advice was to "work, work, work." Thanks for the insight Jerry, maybe you should just go back to driving truck.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
The reason for this project comes from my childhood, that is clear to
me. I did not have any toys. So, I played in the bricks of ruined
buildings around me and with which I built houses.
Anselm Kiefer
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
I met with my mentor Aaron Stephan on sunday afternoon and i think it went well. He was saying
things very similar to Things that were said in critiques during the residency.
I think the conversation also revolved around my space and how may not be
ideal for what im doing. He gave me
ten artists names, some i have been looking at already and some i need
to research. This exercise is intended to force me to make a position
for myself in relationship to practicing artists. Our next visit we are
going to look at each artist together and talk about my relationship to
them and the direction i want to go. Also i Attended a visiting artist
lecture at MECA last night given by Anne Wilson that was very
interesting. I purchased a book she mentioned called "The Craftsman" by
Richard Sennett that speaks to the reemergence of the craftsman. She also spoke about the digital age demanding it opposite. She talked about the troves of artist starting art school now that are returning to the material as a way of rebelling from the glowing screen of technology.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Here are some examples of body castings that I'm working on. They are the beginning of an accumulation of castings that i intend to cull from, manipulate, and reproduce. The portion of the torso and hand impression are examples of castings without the support of a mother mold. A process that allows me to manipulate the form before casting.
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