30 April 2018

End of Year Group Exhibition: Process & Materiality

I signed up for a group exhibition under the theme of ‘Process and Materiality’. There were 10 of us in the group and we created a Facebook chat to organise meetings and discuss related matters. This included collaborating on the creation of a flyer with input from different members of the group and votes on the layout. Our group worked very well together in a constructive and harmonious way on all aspects of the curation, which enabled everything to go smoothly.

For the flyer we decided to use an image that had a general reference to the theme, rather than featuring our individual work. A member of the group suggested using a photo they had taken of tools, which seemed ideal.

As our work was very diverse we decided to use a standard eye-line, centering work hung on the walls, to help create a cohesive look. To acknowledge our individual pieces, we added labels by our work, with our name, the title of the work and materials used.

The layout of the exhibition was based on practical and aesthetic considerations. My work needed a spotlight to enhance the textures against the white wall and the video pieces were best near a power supply. From there the curatorial decisions seemed to evolve naturally. We thought it worked best putting the sculptural work together and arranging the colourful paintings and hangings together. There was a large printed work in colour and greyscale with assemblage elements that worked well facing the sculpture. The placement of the long fabric hanging in neutral tones helped to connect both areas. I think it was a successful exhibition, both in terms of the curation and the standard of our work.

M. McCune-Colbert, Traces of the Past, 2018

23 April 2018

Work for end of year group exhibition cont’d:

I had initially planned two possible pieces of work for the end of year group exhibition. My preferred option was to cast a section of  telephone pole in plaster. The second option (Plan B)  was to make an A1 size work using image transfers of my mono prints and collage on a canvas or fabric ground. As the outcome of my plaster cast was successful I was able to exhibit that work.

M. McCune-Colbert, Traces of the Past, 2018

For a five minute presentation, speaking about my work, I decided to give some background to my way of working and an overview of how the exhibited work had come about. This sculpture was inspired by Rachel Whiteread’s exhibition at Tate Britain, which I had attended earlier this year.

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Rachel Whiteread exhibition 2018 – photos M McCune-Colbert

My sculpture is conceptually linked to my previous work, which includes research on Mimmo Rotella, who used torn advertising posters found near his studio in Rome. I associate the fragmented eroded quality of my image transfers with the fragmented posters used by Rotella. The physical damage to the materials communicates impermanence and transience. Several telephone poles near my home are covered in staples, the remaining evidence of flyers advertising past events.  I am fascinated by the way we bring our associations to physical objects and see them in a symbolic way.

M. Rotella, Marilyn, 1963 [Left]     M.McCune-Colbert, Untitled, 2018

 

Keynotes for 5 minute presentation

 Process & Materiality

 Very recent piece of work     made over the Easter break

Departure                               last term printmaking – screen printing – photocopy transfers

circle back to casting workshop at the beginning of this unit

Freedom to experiment          move between processes and materials 

Use of digital processes         e.g digital photography, image processing

Physical material and objects from the world around me very important
both in terms of my response to objects and use of materials – assemblage, collage etc

Use of physical materials and physical processes central
things can go wrong, lead to new developments in my work practically and conceptually e.g. rust marks – could lead to whole new line of thought

So how did this work come about?

Transferring photocopies onto fabric  
during process parts of image detached
 fragmented eroded quality
reminded me of Mimmo Rotella’s work – torn posters from the streets of Rome

Recently taking photographs locally –
several telephone poles had fascinated me long-time

staples and tacks – all that remained of flyers advertising local events lost pets
representing years of human activity, energy, emotion, hopes and fears.

Fascinated by how objects can carry Traces of the Past – title of my work

Interested in how we bring our associations to objects – something I will continue to explore
These poles became symbols of impermanence and transience, a theme that I connect with Rotella’s décollage work.

Digital Photographs but wanted to create something more physical to explore the subject further – my response both emotional and physical

Cast of the telephone pole
Rachel Whiteread exhibition
Clay mould – relief impression – plaster cast –
deciding whether to paint –
decision not to paint – archaeological casts – fragments of the past
left traces of clay and accidental metal stains add to the sense of wear and tear.
neutral material draws attention to the surface – lighting
object in its own right rather than a painted representation – fake
more mysterious – more open to interpretation

This work so recent
there is much more for me to discover about it and where it might lead.

 

16 April 2018

Work for end of year group exhibition:

In February I had photographed two telephone poles near my home. They were covered with staples, which were the only evidence left of posters advertising past local events and lost pets. I thought they were interesting both in terms of their texture and their significance. I am fascinated by how physical objects can carry the traces of past events.

I decided to see whether it was possible to make a curved relief cast of a section of the post using clay to take an impression of the surface from which I could make a mould. I made a small quick test piece, which successfully captured the detail and I found it was technically possible to make a curved section using plaster rather than a solid cast, which would help reduce the weight of a larger piece, which was to be 10 inches x 30 inches. I also tested embedding wire as a way of hanging the finished piece.

In order to make a curved surface I built a supporting structure from cardboard lined with carpet. I calculated the correct diameter of the post and adjusted for the thickness of the clay and the carpet. I added curved cardboard sections with right-angled corners (which I fastened with a hot glue gun) to keep my box square and to provide extra support for the cast along the full length.

I made a pattern for the wire fastening using thin bendable wire, then bent thicker wire to this shape using a vice and pliers.

I drew the size of the finished piece on a sheet of plastic with markings for the centre so that I could line this up correctly in the supporting box. I rolled the clay out on the plastic sheet until it was approximately a centimetre thick and I extended it beyond my lines so that when I removed it from the post if there were finger marks these would be removed with the excess clay. I also made end pieces from clay so there would be a top and bottom to the cast, giving it a more solid look.

I used Herculite No 2 plaster, which is stronger than fine casting plaster. I found the casting process challenging as the plaster went off very quickly, giving me only a few minutes working time. I worked in layers adding jute scrim for strength. After the addition of water, some rust staining occurred from the wire while the plaster was drying. It bled through as it was fairly close to the surface. I had mistakenly thought it was anodised aluminium, which would not have rusted and will know to check for this in future.

I have had to decide whether or not to paint the finished plaster cast. Although I like the rich colours of the original post, leaving it unpainted connects the work more closely to archaeological casts, which document fragments of past history.  I have chosen to do this as it is conceptually closer to my ideas. It also becomes a thing in its own right, rather than an imitation of the original. I am very pleased with the final result, particularly as it was a technical challenge for me.