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.