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- Title of Exhibit Proposal:
Rocks (Ref #214)
- Date:
- 26-10-2006 15:12:27
- Status:
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Unsuccessful
- Rating:
- 4
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Details:
- Abstract
With the intention of raising questions through humor and contradiction this exhibit explores themes of perception and projection. The dialogue between these two themes is the crux of the piece and shadows the dialogue between Art and Viewer that I have been exploring in general. The dialogue between Craft and Viewer is more concrete and so has become an area of study for understanding Art in general and this piece in particular.
Concept
By taking a traditional ritual (knitting a sweater for a friend) and altering the context, an entire realm of questions arise. We have learned to communicate in so many ways with each other and with technologies but we often take for granted our potential for communicating with everything that surrounds us. Our own definitions and language have assisted in our mental fog and our morals have done much of the rest. How have we defined what is ?alive? or ?intelligent?? How do we or should we care for and attend to things that we do not perceive as communicating directly with us? Where do our minds or projections begin and our mindfulness to the needs of our surroundings end? What is our relation to nature as individuals and as a species?
As an exercise in attentiveness to my surroundings I decided to begin knitting sweaters for rocks. I can assume that rocks don?t need sweaters or as easily assume that they do indeed get cold and enjoy a little warmth. Humans knit sweaters for people and even pets sometimes, why not rocks as well?
This project is using the tradition of knitting to explore the use and enjoyment of personification in my mind and potentially, in the mind of others.
Exhibit
This exhibit will include 10 ? 15 rocks of various kinds and sizes, each with a hand knitted sweater, some with patterns, some without. The rocks will be displayed on floors, and tabletops. An installation of ?natural? debris will be situated in a nearby corner in order to provide context for the rocks, however the rocks themselves will be displayed distinctly outside of the installation.
Background
I am not a craftsman in any traditional understanding of the word, I do not hone a material based skill. This is important to the context of the pieces I produce as well as to the future of Craft*. I create for and from a contemporary fine art context. As a contemporary artist I have found myself gradually being attracted to traditionally defined Craft techniques and materials to express concepts, ideas and impulses. The importance of this is that it helps to situate and define a perspective of a Craft future. In contemporary art, material and means change from piece to piece, not necessarily from artist to artist. Because of this, Craft materials are being more and more imbued with the concentrated concepts of the contemporary art world. In this way Craft is ensuring its future by being able to merge with other disciplines such as the Sciences and Fine Arts. This also implies how Craft is potentially moving towards its past, where it was integrated into all areas of a community or tribe and did not even require a word to discuss it.
* I am using Craft as that which originated in the traditions related to such skills as knitting, sewing, ceramics, carpentry, etc..
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