work in progress

The White Cube?

Its Wed 17th we are having a lecture given by Dr. Julie Sheldon. A doctor of what? you may ask and a doctor of I don't know what I will reply. I may have just fazed out when she explained but all I know is she teaches Art History.

You could tell this was an art history lecture due to the bad photos that bombarded the screen. Pixilated, glared and presented in a plain manner that lacks oomf.

I really didn't know it was possible to have an entire lecture on the colour of the walls inside a gallery space. Im sure that history wise artists and painters really did place importance on how and were they was hung in a gallery space. but personally as a modern illustrator, thinking of going freelance this really holds no importance or relevance to me. Despite this I'm more than happy to be educated.

We are being shown some vaguely interesting galleries and as this happens im wondering to myself, "should i switch to practice by Discourse?" I mean I love to go to galleries and look at all this stuff but my god im fed up at looking at awful photos of galleries with so much white that I don't want to look at the screen.

"Im not listening any more, I really should listen to her. It might be more interesting than it looks...... why am I finding it so difficult to listen?....... its too hot in here. I knew I shouldnt have sat so close to the projector.......... omg shes showing rothko rooms at tate millbank. I hate rothko, I really didnt like seeing them when they came to liverpool, I don't see why he has such a name for himself. This Isn't gonna help my state of mind....... whats the time?..... omg I've been sat here for an hour."

The lecture continues as I let my mind spill out onto the keyboard. Now we are being told about white cube theology using quotes by Brian O'Daugherty, and in the fist quote we are given a picture that shows the Mona Lisa in a negative place in the gallery. Apparently the Mona Lisa was looked at as a monstrosity once upon a time. Now thats interesting why aren't we getting told more stuff like this?

The doctor moves on to the quote. I'm not even listening to the quote, I think the Dr has missed the mark on what to teach us.

Ok here is the lowdown galleries now have white walls to deal with how art has changed over the years. Traditional artworks used to be placed upon silk wallpaper etc and that showed them at their best. they was also hung differently showing a hierarchy within the paintings. Nowadays though artists want to place unusual items into them and also some wish to paint on the walls, in order for this to work a constant is required for the traveling artist to use. This constant is a plain white flat surface on all the walls in order for this to work. I get it, this lecture is being fluffed out a little too much.

Finaly we start to get to the end of the lecture. This has been an interesting lecture but I can't help but feel like things I would want to know were missed in order to talk about small, less interesting topics within this subject and fluff them out to an extent that I lost all interest.

Holidays, holidays, holidays: Part 1

Its been a while since my last blog. Xmas and New Year, followed by a weeks holiday in Berlin and an intense group project at Uni has kept me busy.

For Christmas this year I decided to make some cards and gave them out to pretty much anyone. I was surprised to find that the local Tesco's new expansion had added a photo shop/printers. It only took them a couple of hours and £20 and i had a decent pile of self designed cards that I didn't have to do all the printing and folding for. If i would have waited a week I would have got much more value for money and could have had a full bleed page but I had left it too late and had to settle for the express service.

snap shot

MuTATE britain

Really wanted to make it down for Mutate this weekend but it looks like i might not be able to. but there is plenty of vids out there to watch =)

Uni Deadline

New Koris Design Product

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http://www.cafepress.co.uk/korisdesign.420918083

                                                            

Wayne Hemmingway: the lecture

Lecture Notes

I recently when to see Wayne Hemingway's takeover on the Tate's latest exhibition and felt his was one of the strongest layouts of the whole thing. for this reason I was interested to see the man behind the display. 

Wayne Hemmingway's lecture started the same as any other, no real inspiration and talking about design thinking.  He reiterated all the same things we have heard from every other guest speaker. Through the frustration of listening to the same stuff again I began to doodle. Still listening my frustration began to deepen due to the what Wayne was now saying "I tell my children to put down their pencils and think instead of drawing" WHAT! how is an artist supposed to work out their thoughts without drawing down what they are thinking? I completely understand that 'design thinking' is what separates the boys from the men in our industry. but my god, you carn't expect us to completely leave the sheet of paper in order to do it.

At this point I really felt like dropping an anvil on his head, Wayne had come to an art school and told us not to draw out our ideas as we think.

Unexpectedly from this point onwards though Wayne began to talk sense, debating on the way consumerism is changing design for the worse. This i could relate to and understand. Even though he was using archetecture as an example, I see this kind of thing every day. i have respect for what he has done, breaking the mold and changing the way people think about modern practices. his work made a small spark of inspiration well up inside me.

Yet even though I have respect for him anyone who opens up a talk to art student the way he did may find an anvil over their heads from now on.