Welcome to the QUT Studio Spaces

Ok so this blog is all about exploring my inspirations and the things that impact my work right? Well how can I go past talking about the place I work in? These are the QUT studio spaces in which all first years work. It's a place where we all come together every Friday to work creatively. It offers opportunities to socialise with people who all have a common interest in art, therefore I think creativity prospers here. The spaces also simply give us a space to work in individually, which seems like common sense but without it most of us would be working on the floor of the living room or the kitchen table. These spaces are great and I hope to meet more people in them!

Thomas Doyle

Thomas Doyle is another artist (like Slinkachu) who works with hobbyist-like miniatures and turns them into something special. His works have a mysterious and humourous element to them which makes them appeal to anyone. I hope to use techniques such as this in my piece.

References

Doyle, Thomas. "Thomas Doyle" Accessed April 1, 2011. http://www.thomasdoyle.net/disfr_set.html

It's a windmill.

Uni Project number 1 woot woot! I'm currently exploring the properties of light and dark through sculpture. YAY!

Slinkachu

Slinkachu is an artist from the UK who works with miniature train set figurines and sets them up in normal street settings. The tiny works are set up partially as a street art project and partially as a photography project. Slinkachu's goal is to experiment with the element of surprise and make normal passers by more aware of their surroundings. The works are representative of the loneliness of the big city.

This work is throrougly inspiring because it brings art into the everyday life of the average person and I believe that anyone who sees it can relate to it and enjoy it on some level. This aspect of miniatures really appeals to me and I think that I will use it in some way to improve my windmill structure.

References

Slinkachu. "Little People: A tiny street art project" Accessed April 6, 2011.
http://little-people.blogspot.com/

Slinkachu. "Slinkachu Official Website" Accessed April 6, 2011. http://slinkachu.com/home

Candice Breitz

King (a portrait of Michael Jackson) is a piece consisting of 16 Michael Jackson fanatics with headphones in their ears singing and dancing to the whole 1982 album Thriller producing an a capella version of each song. Breitz found the fans by posting ads in newspapers, magazines and the internet and then picked the 'most deserving' fans to record in the studio. The fact that every one of the applicants can sing the whole album (including the various ah hoo's from Jackson himself) is a testament to his reign as king of pop. This was obviously the aim of the work, to represent a pop star through his fans, without whom he would not have become one. This piece is a unconventional portrait of sorts which has had viewers around the world stunned. The familiarity of Michael Jackson is drawn upon by Breitz so that most audiences are able to connect to the work and enjoy it.

Although I can see the point of the art the way I perceived it was quite different. Rather than seeing it as a portrait of Michael Jackson I saw it as a portrait of each of the participants of the film. Throughout the film it became quite clear to me what each person would be like if I was to meet them. For example there were those who simply stood still and sung. This was in contrast to those dressed in Michael Jackson-esque outfits who thought they would sport a moon walk and a crotch grab every now and then. Although these may be very superficial observations I think they show both the personality of the participant as well as their own personal way of appreciating the music of Michael Jackson.

Overall this work is wonderfully dynamic and interesting, even when I lack a liking for Michael Jackson's music I found it thoroughly enjoyable and interesting. I hope to create works like it in the future.




References

Photos by me.

[Gallery of Modern Art, Art in the 21st Century: The 1st Decade, Candice Breitz, King (a portrait of Michael Jackson).]

Yayoi Kusama

Ok, so who on earth would ever think "I'm going to hang a heap of coloured ping-pong balls from the ceiling of a dark room lit by ultra-violet light with walls made of mirrors and light them all from the inside". Well evidently Yayoi Kasuma did. She called it Soul under the moon.

As you may have guessed it is currently showing at the fantastic current exhibition at GoMA, 21st Century: Art in the First Decade . You wouldn't be far wrong if you thought this room was located in another world, that is exactly how it feels when you enter. The automatic door slides open and you are transported into a world in which only light exists and everything is a mystery. The ground falls away beneath you and you wonder if you stepped off of the platform you would simply fall into nothingness forever. You are left wondering which of the things you are seeing are real and which are merely creations of light and mirrors. You are confronted with many glowing version of yourself which fade into infinity.

By using mirrors Kusama has created an artwork which is literally never-ending therefore exploring the concept of infinity, which is, naturally, a very hard concept for any human to grasp. Walls in a room are designed to contain something and define the space, however this room does not. Kusama has created a realm in which these mind-boggling oppositions create a rewarding experience and make the viewer truly feel. It's amazing.

References

Photos by myself.

[Gallery of Modern Art, Art in the 21st Century: The 1st Decade, Yayoi Kusama, Soul under the moon.]

Olafur Eliasson

The cubic structural evolution project by Olafur Eliasson is currently on display at GoMA's 21st Century: Art in the First Decade exhibition. The basic idea is that a whole world of white lego is created for the public to interact with. The piece has a very post-apocalyptic feel to it due to the singular pieces of lego wich surround the buildings however there is always so much life around the tiny little city! Much like Martin Creed's work this piece brings the viewer into the artwork and therefore into the process of creation. Some people will say that anyone could have done this, anyone could have given a gallery thousands of pieces of lego on a table, but it takes someone special to actually do something so carefree and yet so beautiful. The simplicity of the idea is what makes it amazing and the fact that it can encourage children to create art and work their imaginations is fantastic. The simplicity is emphasized by the white of the lego and the bright lighting of the buildings themselves.


Although I would have put it in a room with black walls, just sayin'...



References

Photos by me

[Gallery of Modern Art, Art in the 21st Century: The 1st Decade, Olafur Eliasson, The cubic structural evolution project]