BS Rocks
Claimed for my studio on my toxic travels to the Coniston slag heap
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Vjane posting Public Art Discussion
“The obvious connection of two of Canada's most notorious heavy/industrial planet changing installations has become parsed, examined in more nuanced units. Public Art fits into these nuanced appreciations of both communities.”
I'd like to try to expand the quotation above (cited by Jim in his lengthy Blog entry) into a more parsed and nuanced examination of the conception of communty through the specific examples of experience in the BS Art Exchange.
"Installations" is a word I have used to describe parts of the two communities. As an artist I think of "installations" as work that takes a deathgrip on context and doesn't ever completely accept the consequences of the powers vested in the institution. Human agency can create installations that seem to fling the powers of the natural world aside and offer some other terrible context. I see this in both "communities" not just because of the industries but also because of the extraordinary setting where the industrial installation does its work. The Sudbury Basin, one of the earth's most spectacular meteor strikes and the Niagara Escarpment are geographic locations of planetary significance. I am attracted to both these areas because I love stone, in my artist's statement I call it "the skin of the world". The particular qualities of the world skin in both these areas stretches far... far enough to encompass all the names given to the communities around these industrial wounds.
My attitude to stone is an element of a specific beginning strategy for parsing one of the elements in both communities. The results of my parsing may have close connections to work of another group member, they may open a larger element of a community to itself in a slightly different way. This may be a small nuance that can't be appreciated in a "blanket declaration", but is a more useful tool for community identification or identity.
Communities have identities and like human identities they are always under construction and always changing.To begin to make them workable for our project I say we have to parse and build nuanced associations and interpretations. This is groundwork for the sympathetic magic mentioned in another post, and a place where public art lives as a valid intervention.
Let's not be reductive. Let's not build walls around experience. Let's not spend time defining and eliminating. Let's not separate out our little territory yet. Let's play. We are the BS Exchange!
“The obvious connection of two of Canada's most notorious heavy/industrial planet changing installations has become parsed, examined in more nuanced units. Public Art fits into these nuanced appreciations of both communities.”
I'd like to try to expand the quotation above (cited by Jim in his lengthy Blog entry) into a more parsed and nuanced examination of the conception of communty through the specific examples of experience in the BS Art Exchange.
"Installations" is a word I have used to describe parts of the two communities. As an artist I think of "installations" as work that takes a deathgrip on context and doesn't ever completely accept the consequences of the powers vested in the institution. Human agency can create installations that seem to fling the powers of the natural world aside and offer some other terrible context. I see this in both "communities" not just because of the industries but also because of the extraordinary setting where the industrial installation does its work. The Sudbury Basin, one of the earth's most spectacular meteor strikes and the Niagara Escarpment are geographic locations of planetary significance. I am attracted to both these areas because I love stone, in my artist's statement I call it "the skin of the world". The particular qualities of the world skin in both these areas stretches far... far enough to encompass all the names given to the communities around these industrial wounds.
My attitude to stone is an element of a specific beginning strategy for parsing one of the elements in both communities. The results of my parsing may have close connections to work of another group member, they may open a larger element of a community to itself in a slightly different way. This may be a small nuance that can't be appreciated in a "blanket declaration", but is a more useful tool for community identification or identity.
Communities have identities and like human identities they are always under construction and always changing.To begin to make them workable for our project I say we have to parse and build nuanced associations and interpretations. This is groundwork for the sympathetic magic mentioned in another post, and a place where public art lives as a valid intervention.
Let's not be reductive. Let's not build walls around experience. Let's not spend time defining and eliminating. Let's not separate out our little territory yet. Let's play. We are the BS Exchange!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Reciprocal Agreements
We all live in disparate places but when I look back on my notes about the idea behind the original exchange, I wrote that "this project is about who we are, where we live and how we work." In reading the postings here, it seems to me that we are doing that—exchanging ideas and perhaps engaging in a little sympathetic magic. "In studies of such pre-scientific proposals in culture around the world, well into the scientific century, sympathetic magic is described as following "the laws of sympathy. Like produces like; contact results in contagion, the image produces the object itself; a part is seen to be the same as the whole." Further, sympathetic magic is said to equate "with those bonds which are said to exist between a man and an object or being with which his life is bound up...." as part of a system of survivals. (quote of Marcel Mauss). We are looking for ideas that can bring us together, some theme that will unite our various visions. My problem right now is that I find it difficult to respond in a meaningful way to a place that I have only visited once; where I live definitely informs my work so another visit to some of the sites might be in order to strengthen my impressions.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
ya mon
This is what I meant when I wrote " I admit, I had not really thought of the industrial rape/pillage aspect of our two cities." It seems to me that Burlington is a nexus. My works are centering on this perception.
Burlington & "Community" Clarification Please
If this process and exhibition are exploring “where we live” and “where we visit”, I’d like clarification about the concept of “community” that is being used. The idea that we are referring to two communities is difficult for me to understand. Or more specifically what community is being referred to by the different posters?
Vjane posting Public Art Discussion
“The obvious connection of two of Canada's most notorious heavy/industrial planet changing installations has become parsed, examined in more nuanced units. Public Art fits into these nuanced appreciations of both communities.”
Rocky ,Vjane and Nick have referenced the word “communities” and compared “them” with references to the industrial aspects. I can understand how based on the places that were visited that Sudbury artists obtained the perception that was posted on March 27, 2009 (Public Art Discussion) and now by Nick. I am continuing to be unclear as to which community is being compared to Sudbury?
Burlington is the community where the exhibit will happen but is that what these artists are referring to when they refer to community in their statements?
To reference the steel mills as being connected to Burlington may be perceived as an insult by some of the people of Burlington. I’m sorry if we did not spend enough time in Burlington for the Sudbury artists to get a better grasp about the community that the exhibition will be in. The vast majority of Burlington is a very visually clean and a well kept community. So when someone compares nickel mining and steel mills, it may be best to be articulate which communities that you are comparing. It is not Burlington but Sudbury and Hamilton.
Burlington’s industries are not steel making but tend towards clean industries. The main industries of Burlington are: a/ high technical /informational (advance electronics & bio tech), b/ automation, robotics and engineering design, c/ durable good producers, and d/ advanced manufacturing. Its largest employer is a food processing plant. THESE ARE CLEARLY NOT HEAVY STEEL INDUSTRIES. Added to that, Burlington is a commuter city with many citizens working in the west GTA and downtown Toronto. Within the past forty years more and more people have moved to Burlington from the east such as Toronto.
( read http://tinyurl.com/dfdkan andhttp://cms.burlington.ca/Page500.aspx
I acknowledge that the steel mills of Hamilton play a role in the perception of the concept of community for those from Hamilton. The artists from Sudbury visited and may have spent more time in Hamilton than Burlington. They may have gained a deeper understanding of it than Burlington. They may feel more affiliation with Hamilton. I was also seeing and considering a comparison of the steel/mining concept. If others are taking that comparitive approach, it may be better for me to stick to Burlington as it is my community now. Although I have a lot of interaction with Hamilton, very few people in Burlington have interactions with Hamilton. Increasingly, Burlingtonians look more towards the east (Toronto) than west (Hamilton). Presently, fewer than 15% of people of Burlington are employed in Hamilton. Forty years ago, that figure was 55%. Steel mill influences in Burlington are just not present today at all!
Burlington is generally affluent and has stronger socio economic ties with Oakville, Milton, Mississauga and Toronto. BAC, itself, does seem to have ties with all of the communities represented in the Burlington group though. If the exhibition goes outside of BAC walls, the public realm for interaction is going to more or less be the Burlington community. Or are some artists considering a public installation in Hamilton?
I found a discussion with Jamie and Nick during the James St. N. art crawl interesting Perhaps rather than comparing “communities, it may be more along the lines of comparing Northern and Southern? I think that it was during that discussion that I became aware of a perceptual difference between northerners and southerners when it comes to travel. Northerners refer to traveling in terms of time while southerners refer to travel in terms of distance. If a northerner is travelling they state how long that it will take to get to point B while southerners refer to the distance in kilometers. Do I have that correct Nick and Jamie?
It may be best to be aware that the “community” concept may be rather difficult to compare unless we are more specific. The artists in the Burlington group have roots in a larger number of communities other than Burlington itself but the exhibition will be in the community of Burlington. I don't mean to offend anyone but as the lone artist from Burlington itself, I thought that I had better clarify a bit more about the community of Burlington. I’m confident that we will have a great exhibition! I thought it best to bring these points to all of us though.
What are you views about "our" communities?
Vjane posting Public Art Discussion
“The obvious connection of two of Canada's most notorious heavy/industrial planet changing installations has become parsed, examined in more nuanced units. Public Art fits into these nuanced appreciations of both communities.”
Rocky ,Vjane and Nick have referenced the word “communities” and compared “them” with references to the industrial aspects. I can understand how based on the places that were visited that Sudbury artists obtained the perception that was posted on March 27, 2009 (Public Art Discussion) and now by Nick. I am continuing to be unclear as to which community is being compared to Sudbury?
Burlington is the community where the exhibit will happen but is that what these artists are referring to when they refer to community in their statements?
To reference the steel mills as being connected to Burlington may be perceived as an insult by some of the people of Burlington. I’m sorry if we did not spend enough time in Burlington for the Sudbury artists to get a better grasp about the community that the exhibition will be in. The vast majority of Burlington is a very visually clean and a well kept community. So when someone compares nickel mining and steel mills, it may be best to be articulate which communities that you are comparing. It is not Burlington but Sudbury and Hamilton.
Burlington’s industries are not steel making but tend towards clean industries. The main industries of Burlington are: a/ high technical /informational (advance electronics & bio tech), b/ automation, robotics and engineering design, c/ durable good producers, and d/ advanced manufacturing. Its largest employer is a food processing plant. THESE ARE CLEARLY NOT HEAVY STEEL INDUSTRIES. Added to that, Burlington is a commuter city with many citizens working in the west GTA and downtown Toronto. Within the past forty years more and more people have moved to Burlington from the east such as Toronto.
( read http://tinyurl.com/dfdkan andhttp://cms.burlington.ca/Page500.aspx
I acknowledge that the steel mills of Hamilton play a role in the perception of the concept of community for those from Hamilton. The artists from Sudbury visited and may have spent more time in Hamilton than Burlington. They may have gained a deeper understanding of it than Burlington. They may feel more affiliation with Hamilton. I was also seeing and considering a comparison of the steel/mining concept. If others are taking that comparitive approach, it may be better for me to stick to Burlington as it is my community now. Although I have a lot of interaction with Hamilton, very few people in Burlington have interactions with Hamilton. Increasingly, Burlingtonians look more towards the east (Toronto) than west (Hamilton). Presently, fewer than 15% of people of Burlington are employed in Hamilton. Forty years ago, that figure was 55%. Steel mill influences in Burlington are just not present today at all!
Burlington is generally affluent and has stronger socio economic ties with Oakville, Milton, Mississauga and Toronto. BAC, itself, does seem to have ties with all of the communities represented in the Burlington group though. If the exhibition goes outside of BAC walls, the public realm for interaction is going to more or less be the Burlington community. Or are some artists considering a public installation in Hamilton?
I found a discussion with Jamie and Nick during the James St. N. art crawl interesting Perhaps rather than comparing “communities, it may be more along the lines of comparing Northern and Southern? I think that it was during that discussion that I became aware of a perceptual difference between northerners and southerners when it comes to travel. Northerners refer to traveling in terms of time while southerners refer to travel in terms of distance. If a northerner is travelling they state how long that it will take to get to point B while southerners refer to the distance in kilometers. Do I have that correct Nick and Jamie?
It may be best to be aware that the “community” concept may be rather difficult to compare unless we are more specific. The artists in the Burlington group have roots in a larger number of communities other than Burlington itself but the exhibition will be in the community of Burlington. I don't mean to offend anyone but as the lone artist from Burlington itself, I thought that I had better clarify a bit more about the community of Burlington. I’m confident that we will have a great exhibition! I thought it best to bring these points to all of us though.
What are you views about "our" communities?
ok
A brief response to the discussion posting:
- The choice of installing in or outside of the gallery setting should be the prerogative of the artist. Some of the works that I am considering could be installed outdoors, but most would not survive outside of the gallery environment.
- Regarding the differences of the two galleries, there has been no suggestion that the two shows be identical. Works will fit together differently in each venue.
- I assume that our discussions / ideas will engage the curators as a part of this process.
- The "site specific" needs of most outdoor art works could connect well here for the reasons stated. I admit, I had not really thought of the industrial rape/pillage aspect of our two cities.
- Although the projections would work very well in Burlington, the AGS has no such sight lines. An alternate venue would need to be found for this aspect of the show. Perhaps part of city hall or the blank windows of the Rainbow Centre. Maybe some of the upper floor windows of the Buddha/Townhouse would help to connect to the Elgin street visitor.
Should we consider showing a couple of pieces each about our home towns?
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