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Title of Exhibit Proposal:

Malign Fragilities (Ref #179)

Date:
18-10-2006 16:32:21
Status:
Accepted with revisions
Rating:
5
Details:
Malign Fragilities

Craft in art at the highest level does focus the chaos. Repetition is safety from which to unleash the chaos.

Evocation, Response, Interaction.

The nature of this practice is interdisciplinary, and uses mixed media, primarily metal and ceramic with craft skills. Pieces are on a domestic, hand held scale and are intended to encourage interactivity.
They are evocative rather than metaphorical and reference climate change and the desiccation of the natural world ? through varied reference to repetitive textile processes, archaeological fragments of civilisation, and the colonisation of a form - a creeping corruption. These are my observations on the world around me.

These pieces are experiments in how to encourage interaction, both physical and intellectual, and how to instigate curiosity and playfulness. I?m also very interested in finding out to what extent my visual language is common in these ?evocations? and how the viewer understands them. First impressions from viewers are recorded where possible in order to inform the work further.

It is possible to position each object in a multitude of ways, all of which are equally valid, presenting the viewer with a personal choice in its arrangement. When handled some of the components will move changing the shape of the piece in reaction to movements made by the holder. As these parts move they make sounds, a cross between percussion and sounds found in nature. I am experimenting with recording these sounds to use alongside the exhibits ? ideally a piece would have a microphone attached so that the holder could ?play? it, and the sounds generated would be amplified for them to hear. I am currently researching the technology to make this possible.

Pieces are intended to engage on a cerebral level. The structures, materials and references used are deliberately contradictory. These contradictions intentionally leave space for a viewer to follow a train of thought, be stopped, frustrated, return and try to make sense. Answers are not given, thus throwing the decision back on to the individual and encouraging their intellectual involvement.

Materials used are: Porcelain, earthenware, copper, stainless steel, lead and iron wire.
Techniques in these pieces range between: hand manipulation of metal and clay, forging, crochet, stitching, and kiln firing.
Dimensions are generally no bigger than a 100mm cube in the smaller pieces and a 200mm cube in the larger ones.

Jan Goodey MA
Images: (Click on the image to view it full size in a new browser window)



Reviewer Comments:

Review #1 : Left on 13-11-2006 14:50:36 #
The pieces submitted have a real aesthetic, but they lack a contextual base. This reads like masters work, but not research? The outputs seems entirely embedded within the objects, yet the impact of their function would take you into new territory.

4
Review #2 : Left on 13-11-2006 18:09:33 #
The intention behind these pieces is engaging, to encourage a tactile thought provoking experience. from an audience.
Within an exhibition where the majority of work may be static and less accessible to touch, this work may provide a fresh counter point. The objects on there own are meaningless, therefore it is
important to supply some text information to help the audience make sense of there existance and intended purpose.
Fragility of material with the potential risk of breakage and possible harm to the audience would be a concern.

6
Review #3 : Left on 17-11-2006 15:05:49 #
The work and the intention behind it is intriguing, however, the research component is missing. The aims, ojectives and methods need communicating as does the context for the work. What is the role of practice in this research and what form of research is it? Has it been tested, exposed to an audience/user group?

5