Blog Posts - Alex Norman

Awareness: Bill Reid

6/2/2016

Bill Reid was born to a Haida mother and American father with Scottish and German roots. He worked as a broadcaster for CBC in Toronto in the 1950s. During this time he studied jewelry-making at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute. He later studied classic European jewelry-making at the London School of Design. Reid claims his whole life changed when he was first introduced to Haida art. He was fascinated by the intricate carvings and designs, rich colors, and deep symbolism. Reid's studies of his Haida heritage inspired his massive sculptural work. Much of his work eloquently alluded to the traditional craft of totem pole carving. Celebrating and defending the Haida, Reid used the fame his art garnered him to support their land claims. (Bill Reid Gallery)

Bill Reid
“The Raven and the First Men,” 1980
Yellow cedar, laminated and carved
1.88 m H x 1.92 m diameter
Photo: Bill McLennan

Bill Reid Gallery - About
"Reid created over 1500 works over his long career, from the ‘monumentally small’ to the ‘exquisitely huge’. In addition, and perhaps of greater impact were his parallel careers as broadcaster, writer, poet, storyteller and communicator.
Bill Reid was the pivotal force in introducing to the world the great art traditions of the indigenous people of the Northwest Coast. His legacies include infusing that tradition with modern ideas and forms of expression, influencing emerging artists, and building lasting bridges between First Nations and other peoples."

Other contemporary artists immersed in modern, urban art scenes are still using the unique structure of the traditional totem pole to communicate messages about current issues. The traditional totem poles were designed to be informational and convey messages that dealt with cultural identity, morality, and character. That said, the fact that artists continue to create work using the same composition (and similar symbols) as the traditional totems demonstrates how cultural.current issues may change with the times, but the artistic methods of communication of social commentary and political activism often hold strong. The article "Run It Up the Totem Pole and See Who Salutes" provides some great examples of contemporary work that comments on the current state of society using the ancient erect structures of the totem poles.

Connect: Political Activist Art

4/29/2016

Mel Chin. KNOWMAD

All art, I think, is inherently commentary. Art is ultimately a response, a reaction, a tool -- whether it is processed-based or product-oriented. In the “Talking Politics 2008” round table discussion with contemporary artists, Adel Abidin, Laylah Ali, Mel Chin, Enrique Chagoya, Daniel Joseph Martinez, and Martha Rosler, the artists talked about both the role of politics in their art and the role art plays in politics.

When I think of political activism, I think of people making direct efforts to enact societal/political change. The emerging “social practice” art form comes to mind. This art directly interacts with the community for whom it was designed. In many cases, the community interaction or collaborative effort is, in fact, the artistic product-- the intended result. I noticed that much of the work that the artists discussed was presented political commentary critical of current events and issues versus presentations of solutions to solves these issues. There is the point that work that “bears witness” to events is effective in its engagement of society.

Artists can use their skills and training to create work that sparks this engagement. I think many of the artists presented strong arguments supporting the importance of using formal elements in politically charged artwork. Iraqi born artists, Adel Abidin put it quite frankly when he says “Work that neglects esthetics in favor of sheer politics often drives viewers away, even making them free the presentation space.” Chagoya furthers his argument, stating that “strong esthetics make stronger political content and make work more engaging” (164). Moreover, Rosler spoke on the importance of using esthetics to clarify the political/social message of the work. The ability of art to engage and communicate clearly, I believe, are the most integral and impactful elements of ‘activist art’.

That said, engaging viewers and communicating a clear message to a raise are only the first steps in creating real political change. The next step -- the active pursuing of results -- it where, I fear, many of these ‘political activists’ artists fall short. Mel Chin’s SPAWN project where he transformed a burned out Detroit house into a fisherman’s bait depot is, in my opinion, a great example of a piece that results goest all the way. As an artist, he is able to turn a destructive situation into a creative one. His art is designed not only to function as commentary on the tragedy of Detroit’s Devil’s Night, but it is also designed to positively impact the community. This is creative political problem-solving and artistic activism at its finest.

On the other hand, Chins KNOWMAD video game which uses digitalized versions of rugs handmade by marginalized indigenous groups as the obstacle courses is more flashy but has no where near the impact of SPAWN. Chin claims that by using the rugs to create richly colored and patterned worlds, the gamer will be forced to recognize and absorb these ancient patterns. What exactly does this do? Raise awareness of the often overlooked advancement of ‘primitive’ societies? Perhaps. But is doesn’t propose a solution to problem of marginalization and displacement. I am also a little skeptical about the game’s ability to truly engage the around such issues.
All that aside, maybe political activist art is more about allowing the artist to react to and reflect to upon the conflicts of their culture and their time. Many times there is little a single individual can do to even chip away at solving world conflicts. These complex conflicts, injustices, and tragedies are made a part of our day to day lives by the media, and can take a toll on the human psyche. “My art is a way to exorcise my own anxieties,” said Enrique Chagoya. “The activist role is more a byproduct.” Similarly, Ali states that her work is less about political/social commentary and critique and more about sorting through her own confusion about current issues. “It has been more interesting for me to explore in my work the things I wasn’t so clear about.”

Finally, in her post on Social Realism called ‘Metamorphoses’ Madison Pippert states that art is “amorphous.” Similarly, Mel Chin urges that “The message [of the art] must be alive and must have the capacity to grow.” It is interesting to think of art as a living entity as opposed to something static, unflinching, and unchanging.

Awareness: Simon Norfolk

4/16/2016

I saw this Simon Norfolk's work in the National Gallery when we went on the DC art field trip! Since then, I've looked more into his specific work that caught my eye: The Lewis Glacier, Mt. Kenya, 1963 is a part of a series of prints done by Norfolk where he took long exposures of himself carrying a torch across the landscape surrounding Mt. Kenya to outline the receding boundaries of the Lewis Glacier. In his Stratographs series, Norfolk sought to map “time’s thickness” by capturing careful images of his fire walks.

1963 depicts the rocky and snowy mountainous landscape surrounding Mt. Kenya. A line of fire snakes from the right of the page to the left and back around to the right insinuating movement. The flames appear to float above the ground, and the fiery line showcases the jagged contours of the terrain with the wild white-orange streaks contrasted against the dark gray of the rocks. Three red structures of varying sizes, lying in different planes, appear in a row at the bottom half of the print. The first structure is a house or a shed. The second is larger with glowing windows and comes across as a cozy home, and the third is a simple box shape. These red blocks of color organized asymmetrically contribute to the stratified nature of the scene and also promote balance and continuity. The whole scape is in focus, and the colors are vibrant. 1963 has strong s-composition that drags the eye from the sharp, white mountain tops down to focus on the prominent red building, along the line of fire, and off the page onto the next print in the series. Norfolk’s visually compelling Stratograph prints can stand alone, but when placed adjacent to one another they produce an even more powerful statement about man’s impact on the Earth as he walks its expansive surface.

Experience: Shadow Ballads

4/16/2016

We had the unique opportunity to see a performance that fused not only visual art and music but also two different cultures. The shadow ballads groups consisted of American Old Time musicians and artists and Indonesian Kroncong musicians. The musicians/artists are currently engaged in a collaborative residency at the University of Richmond in which they explore, juxtapose, and blend various aspects of their music and the unique art associated with it. Both groups brought visuals to accompany their music. We turned off the lights on several occasions so that we could observe the Indonesian tradition of shadow puppet play. The puppet play took place behind a large elaborate wooden frame in the center of the stage. Flat, leather puppets called Wayang (shadow) and Kulit (puppet) flitted and danced behind the screen in time with the music.

Where the Indonesians presented shadow puppetry with their music, the American duo -- Anna Roberts-Gevalt and Elizabeth LaPrelle -- brought handmade 'crankies' to the stage to accompany their Old Time ballads and storytelling. A 'crankie' is the contemporary version of a moving panorama. When moving panoramas first emerged in American and Europe in the 19th century, they usually involved very large and long painted scrolls. The unrolling of these scrolls would often be accompanied by music or story. Anna and Elizabeth first presented a quilted crankie and then showcased a crankie which they lit from behind to silhouette imagery directly related to the tale they told together.

Awareness: Tim Rusterholz

4/16/2016

http://arts.vcu.edu/sculpture/alumni/profiles/tim-rusterholz/

The other day in Discrete, I learned that Mr. Webb's roommate while at VCU was one of the art school's most successful sculpture and extended media majors. Tim Rusterholz had no idea of his talent and passion for sculpting when he first arrived at VCU, Tim pursued his MFA in sculpture from Tyler school of Art, graduating with a University fellowship. Now Tim is an accomplished figure modeler and digital sculptor. He teachers classes in digital fabrication, anatomy, and mold-making and sculpture studies at Tyler School of Art. In addition, he works as a shop technician that helps orient students to metal and woodworking.

Since he graduated from VCU, Tim has spent time traveling in Europe in Africa, collecting experiential research" towards his work. Over the last few years, Tim worked in exhibitions, construction, and education while establishing RustFab LLC, his art fabrication business based in Philly. His company specializes in custom productions and provides installation services for artists. Tim also continues to produce and show his own work around New York City.

Tim's work is primarily figurative. He uses a wide variety of sculptural media -- metal, wood, clay, and plaster. His most recent concentration are digital fabrication and CNC processing. I really enjoy the scale and provocative nature of Tim's work. His passion for manipulating materials to make the human figure resonates with me.

You know what creating really is?

4/7/2016

"You know what creating really is?
To have the capacity to be embarassed."
- Franz Kline

Process: Solo Show/Installation - Day #4

4/7/2016

"It gave me something to engage with, practice, hone my skills with, and explore, and it required everything of me -- the more of myself I put into it, and the more I could lose myself in it, the more it gave me back." - Mark Epstein

Process: Solo Show/Installation - Day #3.5

4/7/2016

Process: Solo Show/Installation - Day #3

4/7/2016

"Off with your head!" she growled and clawed away at the source of her frustration. Then she left.

Process: Solo Show/Installation - Day #2

4/7/2016