Goodbye

This is the last blog for this particular project. I have shared my research, my thought process, my inspiration and my frustrations. It has been a challenging project but so rewarding. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank Holly for her guidance and patience. I want to thank Group E for their friendship. Most importantly I want to thank the Environment Centre for their support and euthusiasm for letting art students take over their incredible building.

So it goodbye from me and goodbye from Oline ..

The Future

On receiving feedback as a group last Friday, our tutor asked if we would work on a site specific project in the future. At first I thought I wouldn't but that maybe because it was so new and it was such a challenging project. But hindsight is a wonderful thing and the answer is now yes I probably would. Tracey Emin has been a real inspiration to me with her seaside hut and the tent of 'how many people she has slept with' and the unkept bed representing depression. The lesson I learnt is to think outside the box not in just photographic terms but to create something in the world instead of looking at it. It's almost as if you can bring things alive and I really like this aspect of installations.

Installation vs Photography

Our tutor has asked a few times what is the photographic connection to our installations. This question is hard to answer as installations are photographic as they are visionary. Artists around the world are installing pieces of art as a representative of sight, emotions, smell and even taste. Installations bring architecture, history and landscapes alive in a different way to photography however they are intrinsically linked. Installations is an art form and so is photography. We take images of what there is no matter how experimental. Installations are what artists make with the inspiration of the landscape, architecture and space.

Operator, Operator, Operator

The installation shows the connection of the architectural pieces to each other and reflects on the communication of the Old Telephone Exchange. I wanted to show the audience how the building once was: a communication hub of Swansea with the women of the exchange connecting the residents of Swansea. By adding the sound installation I felt it brought the building alive.

The remarkable history of the building alone makes the installation interesting. How it still stands in the now conservation area of the Docks. In the Blitz of 1941 most of the area was bombed however the Old Telephone Exchange still stands proud against the modern 1950s architecture and the 1990s development. The Docks now holds the cafes, bars and restaurants mixed with the old buildings such as the Ice Factory and the J Shed.

This is the blurb I wrote for the leaflet:

Operator, Operator, Operator

Alexander Graham Bell launched the telephone era in 1876. By 1903 one of Britian's first telephone exchanges was opened by the Mayor of Swansea in Pier Street. The grand foyer at the Telephone Exchange holds the original stone carved figures. This architectural installation is simply the connection to the buildings history and to the residents of Swansea.

Rachel Whiteread

In one of our first lectures we were introduced to various site specific artists and Rachel Whiteread came to mind. Whiteread uses methods of casting objects to create sculptures. These sculptures vary from boxes to architecture. Her most famous piece is a casting of a terrace house from East London still remaining in a street that has been pulled down. I relate to this piece of work called 'House' as it always makes me sad when old buildings with all their history get destroyed. It also brings awareness to the homeless situation around the world. With home being one of my favourite places it evokes a certain sadness; for the loss of place, history and empathy.

The Chinati Foundation

An artist called Donald Judd (1928 - 94) had the most amazing vision. Judd was originally a painter and on becoming fascinated by the three dimensional, played around with different objects. The objects were created by ordinary materials such as plywood, aliminum not ordinarily used in the art world. Judd's imagination took him on a journey to Marfa, Texas where he built many installations at a huge scale. Judd was known for craftsmanship with each installation created with absolute precision to create a magnificent environment in the deep Texas desert.

I am fascinated with the installations that are not originally site specific but become one by the vision of an artists. To find a place in the world which inspires you to create an installation that will be sympathetic to the landscape for not yourself but for generations to wonder at. Has this genre of art gone on for centuries, is Stonehenge an installation?

Goldwell Open Air Museum

Whilst I am reflecting on Echo Exhibition I am enjoying a book called 'Destination Art'. The installation in the ghost town of Rhyolite Nevada has blown me away. I so admire Charles Albert Szukalski's vision. On visiting from Belgium he became fascinated with the area. The ghostly figures placed in the Amargosa Valley based on the Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper (1498) is eerily splendid. The sculptures stand out against the desert telling a tale of the barren land deserted by man but holds a sense of peace. A place of reflection.

Self Evaluation

Today our tutor asked us to complete an evaluation form for the site specific project. This is a time to reflect on our group and our installations. The positive side of group work is getting to know people and how they work. On a social level the group worked well. We enjoyed sharing ideas with each other and meeting at the cafe for giggles and chats.

On deciding on the venue I discovered it is a great place to have individual installations as the building is a mixture of old and new. With the old telephone exchange being restored and the additional extension to home a cafe created by the Environment Centre.

The group is such a mixture of people with different skills, talents and vision. I thought it would be best to create six individual installations from six different artists. This worked well so what would I have done differently? As I was clear in the vision for my installation utilising the architectural pieces in the original foyer of the old telephone exchange, I should have been more selfless with the group. I found some people struggled with the delivery of their installations. I assumed that most students would be more confident with their ideas as they have been to art college before arriving at University. It seems this is not the case. We were a group of artists completely out of our comfort zone therefore I should have been more supportive to everyone within the group.

I struggled with time management from the other members of the group. Some not turning up, some late and some leaving early for various reasons. Commitment was also a problem from the group. We were indeed placed outside our comfort zone but I enjoy a challenge and maybe due to age and experience I have learnt the longer you leave planning the less likely you are to meet your goal. I understand research is sometimes overwhelming and to try things out is daunting as you don't want to be disappointed. With our tutor encouraging us to research and try out ideas. I really felt this was invaluable advice and should be adhered to. The tutors are there to guide us through the projects and in return we learn to develop our skills.

Personally, I should have worked more on the delivery of the installation. The small details let the piece down with the sound not being on permanently (as this would disturb the daily working environment). I had to put it on when people walked through the door which took away the impact.

The promotion side of the project was unfortunately completed too late due to the original files being lost for the leaflet. The team came together to complete the leaflets and we had them printed the Friday before the exhibition. We printed 200 however we did not give them out as attended to various places to promote our exhibition. I understand many of the groups were in this predicament as some of the ideas were not finalised until the last minute. It is such a shame as when you work hard you want people to be able to see your final piece. To feel proud. Many students came as the University sent them but not the general public. The promotion was definitely a weak area however on reflection this could be to do with confidence, not feeling proud enough to be able show your work.

The most positive side to this project was meeting the people at the Environment Centre especially the coordinator Phoebe. Phoebe was so encouraging and supportive in our vision of the building. In fact I love the building and the people of the Environment Centre so much, I will be volunteering on a Tuesday morning from next month.

I enjoyed working with a group however to work in a group of people with the same enthusiasm and passion as yourself is simply easier. We name ourselves Tecla. We are three second year students who are very different in personality and vision. We are from different backgrounds, different ages but mostly importantly we have the same passion 'Art'. Hopefully in the Summer Tecla will be organising an exhibition in the great hall at the telephone exchange.

This project has been a huge learning curve and in the eight weeks I have felt excited, frustrated, delighted and disappointed.  It has been an amazing ride.

Question

If Mount Rushmore is a site specific installation and art is a destination is the Pyramids a site specific exhibition or is it architecture?

Last Day of the Exhibition

Yesterday was the last day of the exhibition. It was very quiet due to the lack of promotion and as a group we are at complete fault with this side of the project. Other students visited our site and the feedback was positive.

In the morning I went to show my support to my fellow students who were dotted around Swansea city centre. I visited The Scene, The High Street Arcade, Three Crosses, Peppermint, The Oxfam Bookshop and No Sign Bar.

I fell in love with The Abyss in the vault situated below the No Sign Bar. So cleverly done with the waiting room created by Georgina, the performance piece by Jordon and the lustful sin by Sophie and Charlotte. The sound installation by Ole was phenomenal and the installation was atmospheric and brilliantly delivered. I am very proud of Ole (one of my pals and housemate). Ole is extremely talented and I hope the tutors acknowledge his incredible talent.

I also admired and respected all the groups who have shown their commitment to the project and whom gave me inspiration.

I didn't take any photos, as I wanted to experience the site specific installations with my eye and not behind a lens.

Every year the University introduces the second year students to a site specific project for exhibition and I wish everyone for next year the very best of luck.

Tracey Emin

Last night I watched a short documentary on Tracy Emin. I really liked her attitude to 'art', her self expression is liberating. Emin does a lot of drawings on the subject of sex as she explains because she thinks about it a lot! Good woman. 

With her seaside hut she just simply fell in love with the space and so shipped it over to New York to exhibit in a gallery. Emin liked the idea of the seaside hut sailing across the ocean to another foreign land. When she started to install the seaside hut in New York she cried with joy of seeing it again. It evokes good memories as I have had on sunny days at the seaside.

Her celebrity status comes from 'people wanting to relate to something', she has become a 'peoples artist'. Freedom to express yourself has now become fashionable after the almost regimented world of Margaret Thatcher. We are now striving to be individual. This is Emin's theory of why her work is so popular today. Maybe or it's simply because she is so down to earth ...

Assessment Day

Today we had our assessment. It was a beautiful sunny day and the group met at 9ish to finalise the exhibition. Family and friends came along. We received two lots of visits from the tutors. In the morning, we were greeted with the head of department who gave some feedback. At 1.30pm our assessment took place.

The first day of the exhibition is over, really looking forward to the second and last day.

Art is a Destination

On researching site specific installation at the University library I came across Mount Rushmore. The stone sculptures of four presidents sits in Keystone, South Dakota. In August 1927, Gutzon Borglum dedicated his time to the carvings with a team of unemployed miners. Remarkably no one died on the site. Borglum incredible vision came to life in 1941 however Borglum life came to an end and his son took over the project. What is interesting about this project is Borglum calculated the stone sculptures would erode one inch every 10,000 years. He added three inches to the carvings so mother nature would finish the sculptures in her time.

At the start of this project I didn't think of site specific projects as permanent or that they could be so historical. It has really made me think out of the box .. art as a destination not just four walls ..

Final Touches

Today I went to the Old Telephone Exchange to install the telephone cables for the exhibition tomorrow. I also took the leaflets with me to fold in the lovely warm cafe. Once the leaflets were folded I installed the telephone cables (wool) to the stone sculptures and headed into town.

I placed a few leaflets in the Oxfam Bookshop on Castle Street and a few at the University reception. I had noticed this morning that three of the four posters doted around the campus have disappeared. One remains near the cafe. This is very disappointing and slightly frustrating as the posters were beautifully handmade by Rhys.

On my final leg home I was greeted with the most gorgeous double rainbow ..

Saving the day ..

Due to Shannon loosing her files, Oline saved the day by creating a draft leaflet. Jed, Oline, Rhys, Shannon and I met in the Uni cafe to decide on the wording and to finalise the outlay. We spent most of the afternoon working on the leaflet.

Rhys made invites for the tutors with recyclable paper and we printed the wording on sheep poo paper in the library. Once Jed wrote the names of the tutors onto the poo paper and Rhys glued the wording onto the recyclable paper, we delivered the invites to the staff room. With all the tutors away we gently placed the beautiful handmade invites on their desks for Monday morning.

Promotion

So today we heard Shannon is not well and her computer failed. Shannon is now searching frantically to find someone to retrieve the files from her computer. This has delayed the printing of the leaflets. On a positive note Rhys made some of those most beautiful posters, created with recycable paper and weaved with mother natures finest presents. Truly beautiful.

Rhys and I took ourselves off to the site today for a cup of tea on yet another grey and windy day in Swansea. On our way we placed one poster in the Mission Gallery and one in the Kardomah cafe, there are four displayed at the University. I chose the Kardomah as Dylan Thomas used to frequent this bustling cafe while putting the world to rights with friends.

Fingers crossed for the flyers to be printed tomorrow.

Mock Up Feedback

Yesterday three of our tutors visited the Old Telephone Exchange to inspect our installations. On arriving at 9:30am to brush away a 100 years of dust from the stone features I wondered how on earth did I get here! I selected black wool to represent telephone cables to make the connection between the stone sculptures. It took an hour or so to get the right length of the wool and to carefully stick the ends into the mouth of the stone faces. I cleared the area of leaflets and set a loop for the sound installation of an old telephone ringing.

The tutors gave feedback and requested the telephone ringing to be louder. This may not be possible as the offices are in hearing distance of the ringing and it may drive them crazy. I will be turning it on when people visit so not to disturb the working environment of the building. Apart from the telephone sound they were pleased with the installation and called it 'simply beautiful' and 'fabulous'. I am delighted. I pulled back on all my ideas of a projection and a film clip to keep it as simple as possible as discussed previously with Holly. I may include an 1950s phone I ordered from eBay to arrive this week as a feature at the back of the room. This may help to draw the audience into the space.

Three of us gave ourselves plenty of time to install our ideas and some arrived late and some not at all.

Research on the Telephonist

I discovered an article published in the Cambrian in 1904 on the women of the exchange. It is said there were many rude people on the telephone system around the country however Swansea reported that the people were always polite and friendly. Such an endearing story ..

The Space

I went to the Old Telephone Exchange as I sat in the cosy cafe with a pot of tea I was drawn to the details. The space is light, friendly and warm decorated with bright quirky pieces. As you look out into the garden with array of plants it really is an endearing space to be on yet another grey day in Swansea.