St James Hospital ...advice please?

I have been thinking about the opportunity we have to exhibit at the Atrium Gallery at St James Hospital. The underwear embossing i have been talking about in previous blogs made me think about hospital issued underwear. The white prints also reminds me of hospitals clinically clean white surroundings, the hospital patients could relate to. The prints although quite beautiful may be seen as quite dark. But do the patients in the hospital want to relate to being in hospital? Will the prints be inappropriate for the audience? Does anyone have any comments about this issue?

Commercial manufacturer verses Artists hands

I understand that using a service like Laser Etch is a good way to open up different options for an art piece, ways of thinking and Laser Etch is good because they will etch on to almost any material. Unlike artists like Damien Hirst i prefer to get my hands dirty were ever possible because i feel there is a quality to the imperfectness of natural course that the work take when make by the artist hand. Commercial business's which can do all the work for you use large machinery which will never make a mistake.. you lose the uniqueness in my opinion.

Also the process is only an etch which means the impression isn't very deep. The deep embossings is what i think make the prints work. I am have been thinking that i am going to follow up the idea of replacing a paving slab with the embossed knickers in cement. In most art galleries the art work can not be touched and stewards gallery goers are at all times. I like the idea the audience could just walk over the art piece with out noticing it.

Amanda Fielder's Artist Statement

Amanda Fielder is really does really interesting work. She tries to strip any connotations of the clothing to just use the clothing as a material to make a completely new form. But she said, 'What does a “dress” really signify anyways?' and then proceeds to say nothing to except a material to her. Which is a valid statement but I just feel that everyone has memories and connotations of a dress or a bra. And I think its important to consider the audience (especially using found objects) who can form connections to an art piece just based on their memories and connotations from the materials the artist uses. Personally I find the history behind found objects a really abundant to start creating work. Making artist statements is good way to sort the important aspects of your art, so you can focus on these with out getting distracted.

I would have liked Fielder to have talked more concisely of the piece's she was making and how she made her decisions of how she put things together... I sometimes find i useful to set a few rules or restrictions for your self before making a piece rather than a statement.

I particularly like this piece by Fielder...

Belts
36" x 12" x 12"
cotton, bra strap, old sweater, belts
2008

Audiences around Leeds...

I've been thinking of different locations for my prints and thinking about if this would change how the art is viewed. The streets around Burley and Hyde Park Leeds have interesting washing lines between the streets. I've been thinking about the clean crisp print and the original used undies. I have been experimenting to see if the prints will have a sense of history and age if i hang them out in all terrain to be weathered on these washing lines.

GB commented on a prievious blog saying that the prints remind him of fossils and that i should maybe use this an draw the undies onto floors. I like the idea that the prints may go unnoticed and thought i could replace a paving slab with an embossed slab. It would be interesting to see if anyone notices the prints as thy walk over them and what their reactions would be.

Around the Leeds City Art Gallery there would be a mixture of gallery goers, students, families, business men and the genral public walking through all the time. This could be a good place for the work as its away from the formal controlled gallery setting but in a good location for a number of different audiences to notice the work.

It may be quite interesting to continue with the washing line weathering performance as i like the idea of the outcome being uncontrollable...

Then to take the prints back to the 'white cube' gallery setting which is very controlled from all aspects. The contast of audience could be quite interesting to observe. I think the gallery goers would have a different perception of the piece as they may have prior knowledge of art but fundamentally they know they are in an art gallery to view art. Where as the performance piece being viewed by the general public and away from any art institution, could very possiblly not be seen as a piece of art at all...

Abjection Theory?

I have found there are connotations with white clothing of angels, purity, innocence, Christian traditions of white weddings and saving ones self for one person, naivety. I think the prints subtly hold some of these values being crisp clean and white and the audience may see the prints and relate to some connotations like these. But in contrast, the prints being made from other peoples used undies, which for all the audience knows could be red pink black colours with opposite connotations to white. 

The prints have been made from underwear of all shapes, sizes, colours and are all second hand with varying need of the bin! Upon being faced with some one else's used knickers, a person would be most likely repulsed because he or she is forced to face an object which is cast out of weston culture. Knickers are supposed to be private, only worn for a day to be slung in the washing machine.

I am really interested in finding out more about Abjection Theory as I have sparse knowledge. Correct me if I'm wrong.. Abjection has a lot to do with disorder and barriers of the body, for example blood, blood is abject because the skin (barrier) is broken and this disorder reminds us of our mortality. Or spit, spit is abject because the barrier from the body has been crossed also. Knickers aren't abject, but they are made to protect a barrier between the body.. any bodily fluids on the knickers, they are abject!.. 

I think the initial response to the prints and the response upon knowledge of how the prints are made are contrasting and this intrigues me...

I previously talked about working with the female form and vintage under wear (the hold all lumps and bumps in kind). From developing my work it has become apparent that its the history behind the vintage undies which I am interested in. I have been using second hand undies which are faded and used but have been collecting all types of underwear from tongs to 'granny pants' because everyone from all ages of the audience could relate to a particular style. i like the contrast of the used knickers which anyone would be squeamish to be near and the clean crisp print (above). By using the subtle technique of embossing on to thick paper, the impression leaves a frozen presence that they where once there, like the impression which one gets from clothes on their skin.