Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Art and Science - IceFest

As a development from the frottage table top I made for the Art and Anatomy project I was asked to make relief plates that could be used as an educational tool in the NZ IceFest.  http://nzicefest.co.nz/ Students provided drawings of sea creatures and together Dr Jenny Rock and I translated these onto transparency film and processed them in solarplate.


Drawing of krill by one of the students that was made into a frottage plate

These screenshots and the video link give a glimpse of the texture rubbing action (around 3:10).  https://vimeo.com/107350792  




Today I was delighted to receive an email from Jenny with an extract from the thesis of Lydia, one of students involved - seems the activity was a great success.  "This meant that visitors could create a picture to take away with them. The rubbings were aimed at kids (under 12), however they were popular with many people older than this too. We estimate that around 95% of children who entered the exhibition created a rubbing. Over the 16 days the exhibition was open, about 3600 rubbings were made (this number was estimated because two 180m rolls of newsprint were used, with each metre producing approximately nine pieces of paper when cut up). "


Sunday, October 19, 2014

5 hole Pamphlet stitch Mini Journals

I took two one day workshops to accompany the Poems In The Waiting Room exhibition 'A Palette of Poetry'. https://www.facebook.com/apaletteofpoetry



Book/print classes take a lot pf preparation and on this occasion I was happy to have Vivienne, one of the participants, come out to my house a night or two prior to the class and gesso over many book pages. These pages were then dry and ready to be reclaimed into found poems. In an added bonus Vivienne  introduced us to the erasure poems of Mary Ruefle, perfect!  http://www.maryruefle.com/ . Thank you Vivienne! Other pages were covered in gesso and used as base pages to assemble poems and print on.





Everyone made their own 'words' and images out of solar plate - the UV bulb was running hot both days. These were printed on an etching press - something visitors to the gallery enjoyed seeing in action. Towards the end of the class we sewed up selected pages into small 5 hole pamphlet stitch books - this is simple bookbinding but effective for holding about ten pages together. One of the delights of bookbinding for me is seeing the way new readings are created when different pages juxtapose and everyone did a fantastic job of selecting, editing and arranging pages to maximise this.

Just the best - a table full of 'stuff'.

Briar did these beautiful poetic pages with gesso and shellac.


Enough writing - the photos tell the real story.


Some pages were so delicious they were  kept as full
sheets rather than folded into a book.

Individual themes quickly emerged


I photographed this upside down - but a good design looks good
from any angle.

Gill made and printed a map of her hometown.

Covers - embossed cardboard and ink - love them!
Covers made from  old books or painted cardboard. Since I
only had blue buckram (book cloth) I painted some with acrylic
 test pots to have a more interesting colour range.


 . 

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Art and Anatomy: Hunter Centre, Dunedin, Friday 27th June - 11th July 2014

Most of the first part of the year has revolved around a collaborative project organised by Peter Stupples (Dunedin School of Art) and Dr Ruth Napper (Otago University).  At an initial meeting a group of artists were introduced to a group of scientists (and their research) from the Anatomy Department. What could I find more delicious? As an artist I love sticking my nose into specialist research areas where I have no real skill.  I soak up the new and can greedily satisfy my curiosity with things usually hidden to the public eye. I paired myself with Electron Microscope Technician Allan Mitchell and there I was, feeling  like I was flying over the moon while looking down on magnified slivers of kidney.  I came to learn that part of Allan's technician role is to facilitate the work of scientists in the Anatomy Department. This blended with my impulse to provide creative experiences through art engagement and I put out an invitation to scientists and artists involved in the A & A project to contribute images and have a printmaking session printing translating these images into plate and print. 



Kidney cells under the electron microscope
Printing happened at Otakou Press and Lighthouse Studio
A range of prints Ruth Napper produced in an initial session -
later these evolved into the information being printed onto laser cut shapes

This process is printed as a sketchbook, Body of Evidence. This sketchbook was shaped organically in an evolving way with the input of different participants throughout the project. Who is the author? The artist? The scientist? The audience? What happened in the process of collaboratively printing and shaping a sketch book? Some things I expected and others I did not. People took risks, we seemed to be braver when working together.  Although participants recognised the inherent aesthetic appeal of their scientific imagery, some did not feel creative and felt nervous in coming to a printmaking workshop. Equally, I felt nervous meeting one of the Doctors in his hospital based office. However, it seems all of us like working in something that is not our usual medium. Feedback revealed a recognition of working with and trusting what develops out of the process of experimentation and that  printmaking experiences can  be an agent for changes in thinking.



Cover page printed with Dr John Holmes.
 Book cover is a slide housing case lined with Anatomy Dept blueprints.

Tectonics with Marcus Collinge


Laser cut and printed TEM grid shapes


Rat and my attempts to use a drawing arm on a microscope

Learning surgeon's sutures
Image sources: a stack of magazine spines (Allan Mitchell)
 and a recording of gait (Emily Hill)


I have stolen some sentences from participants: “The essential difference is that I feel a freedom here that I don’t feel in science.”  “I enjoyed this as I had no expectations of a result, it was a fun thing to do. The environment is nice to work in as my own [work] environment is sterile out of respect for the human material.” “Is this heaven? [[The Otakou Press Room]…I can’t quite believe that I got to spend the afternoon doing this.” “It is nice to be part of something communal, to band ideas off each other.” “[This printmaking] is a recording of the juxtaposed physicality between the scientific image and the artful.” “There are not enough hours in the day to explore all the ideas that have come all of a sudden.”
Texture printed from the plastic of aprons used in dissection room,
fragments from Becky Cameron's sketchbook on eye movements,
Simone Montgomery's neuron threads and
Stephanie Woodley's knee research. 

Doctor's notes (from NZ Archives), Lynette Taylor's stencils and laser cut medical dictionary.

Book was displayed in both bound form and loose pages


I am becoming increasingly interested in how audiences can shape or contribute to exhibitions. While Body of Evidence achieved this the input group was only 20 and another art work, Sliver, became the platform for audience interaction. I laid the printing plates out on a table top along with graphite and paper. I have tried many times to encourage audience participation and had grand imaginings of activity only to find people are reluctant to respond. In contrast, the frottage activity took off - perhaps because it is non - threatening or because it harks back to texture rubbings we may have done in childhood.  People became addicted and on days I was there some people stayed making for one, two, three hours! 
It was interesting to go into the space and see what people had been doing while I was absent




One weekend Ruth and I offered badge making - creating a frenzy of frottage and badges



See also  http://www.odt.co.nz/campus/university-otago/307853/science-and-art-blend-exhibition-festival

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Paper St Kilda

Artist Deirdre Nelson has arrived in Dunedin and while resident in the Caselberg House is busy researching her St Kilda project which highlights contemporary St Kildans of Scotland, New Zealand and Australia.  You can find the latest on her project here - The Kildas

Last week I was in Wellington and made my way to National Archives to see what paper records I could find. Since I like looking back at the past I was not disappointed and learnt some interesting new things. I had not known about the Bird Islands off St Kilda or that there are some rocks off the coast of Kaikoura also named St Kilda. Next stop is the Hocken Library this Saturday.




Lovely stamps




St Kilda Post Office blueprints

St Kilda Rocks off the East Coast of the South Island, near Kaikoura

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

A Palette of Poetry

http://waitingroompoems.wordpress.com/2014/02/17/a-palette-of-poetry/
Not till October...but I will be taking print and book workshops as part of the Palette of Poetry exhibition. 

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

2014 art classes - Solar Plate and Bookbinding

I have another opportunity to teach two art workshops @ Solander Gallery, Wellington, at the end of March,
 so planning and preparation for these is underway now. 


DIY solar plate and prints

Sunday March 30th is looking at new and DIY solar plate technologies. Monday March 31st is book arts, 
which includes reclaiming materials from old books, making a mini art journal and book making using 
cross structure binding.  
If  the sample works in the photos appeal to you sign up and create your own!
Cost per participant (for one day course) = $145.00 
Deposit required to secure booking = $70.00
Enrollments taken through  Solander Works on Paper Ltd    info@solandergallery.co.nz


mini art journals using reclaimed materials and working proofs
Cross structure binding, handpainted covers with Indian ink