Accident and Control in Contemporary Art Practice Michael
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Dancing with Failure: Accident and control in contemporary art practice Michael Riddle BA (Honours) University of Plymouth Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts (Research) Visual Arts Creative Industries Faculty Queensland University of Technology 2019 1 Statement of Originality The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted to meet the requirements for an award at this or any other higher educational institution. To the best of my knowledge and belief, contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference is made. Signed. QUT Verified Signature Date. February 2019 2 Key Words Sculpture, control, chance, metaphor, slippage, affect, heuristic, process, synectics, the human condition, failure, interruptions, collapse, personal experience, material properties, disorder, biography, Entropy, instability, forces, gravity. 3 Abstract This practice-led research project examines how sculpture can act as a site or medium for responding to slippages, interruptions and changes of state; and, in doing so explores the subjective connotations of form and material. By undertaking intuitive studio experiments informed by interwoven processes of chance and control and interpreting the outcomes through the metaphoric connotations of form; I seek to harness a range of tensions and contradictions inherent to the processes of making, and to realize a body of works that are reflective of personal biography, memory and the human condition. This research has been informed by the works of Michael Landy, Jimmie Durham and Robert Smithson as well as theories that relate to Synectics and the writing of Susanne Langer. Regarded as a whole, this project aims to identify and analyse the complex interactions of material and metaphor that can occur in the making of contemporary art. 4 Contents List of figures ......................................................................................................................... 6 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................ 8 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 9 Methodology and Theoretical Framework ........................................................................... 10 Chapter 1: Contextual Frameworks ..................................................................................... 16 Michael Landy ......................................................................................................... 16 Jimmie Durham ........................................................................................................ 24 Robert Smithson ....................................................................................................... 32 Chapter 2: Creative outcomes .............................................................................................. 36 Key Ideas ................................................................................................................. 37 The Works ................................................................................................................ 41 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 64 References ............................................................................................................................ 65 5 List of Figures 1 Lawrence Weiner, Removal to the lathing or support wall of plaster or wall board from a wall, 1968. 17 2 Edward Ruscha, Royal road test, 1967 artist’s book printed 1971. 18 3 Daniel Spoerri, Anecdoted Topography of Chance (Topographie anécdotée du hazard), 1962. 20 4 Michael Landy, Break Down, 2001. 21 5 Michael Landy, Semi-detached, 2004. 22 6 The Great Chain of Being from the Rhetorica Christiana by Fray Diego de Valades (1579). 26 7 Jimmie Durham, Still life with stone and car, 2004. 29 8 Jimmie Durham, A Meteoric Fall to Heaven, 2000. 29 9 Jimmie Durham, Stoning the Refrigerator, 1996. 30 10 Robert Smithson, Partially Buried Woodshed, 1970. 35 11 Michael Riddle, Parnell's dream, 2014. 42 12 Michael Riddle, Control, 2014. 44 13 Michael Riddle, “I'm not best pleased”, 2014. 45 14 Michael Riddle, That's how the light gets in, 2014. 45 15 Michael Riddle, “Why do you hate me so much?”, 2014. 47 16 Michael Riddle, Waiting for clarity, 2014. 49 17 Michael Riddle, Catastrophic failure, 2014. 51 18 Michael Riddle, Complete collapse, 2014. 52 19 Michael Riddle, Iconoclast 1, 2014. 52 20 Michael Riddle, Ruptures, 2015. 53 21 Michael Riddle, Crash, 2015. 54 22 Michael Riddle, diagram for Mud flap, 2015. 55 23 Michael Riddle, Mud flap, 2015. 55 6 24 Benoit Aquin, photograph of a crumpled pylon caused by an ice storm in the Boucherville region east of Montreal, 1998. 56 25 Michael Riddle, Iconoclast 2 CAD elevation with cables, 2016. 57 26 Iconoclast 2 (in progress), 2017. 58 27 Michael Riddle, Iconoclast 2, 2017. 59 28 Michael Riddle, Iconoclast 2, 2017. 59 29 Michael Riddle, Iconoclast 2, 2017. 61 7 Acknowledgements I would like to extend my upmost gratitude to my friend and supervisor Charles Robb, without his generous support, positive attitude and invaluable feedback, this project would not have been possible. I would also like to thank: Victoria Garnons-Williams as associate supervisor; Daniel Mafe for his encouragement; Briony Law for her immeasurable help, kindness and support; Nelika McDonald; Genine Larin; Lubi Thomas and Adrian Davis for their incredible work on the McClelland Project. Lastly, I would like to give thanks to the wonderful Judith Wright, who has been a great mentor and incredibly generous friend. 8 Introduction This practice-led research project examines the relationship between material, form and metaphor in the studio, viewed through the interplay of the key studio processes of chance and control. The foundation for the project are material- and process-driven studio experiments coupled with narratives and experiences drawn from my own biography. In my work, the two pillars of materiality and memory combine in often dramatic and awkward ways and together reference the human condition through metaphoric inference. The project explores a range of composite materials such as bitumen, clay slip, acrylic resin, steel, pewter and rock, and the formal structures that arise through a combination of neutral material experimentation and at times highly-charged biographical reflection. Further, it describes how an adaption and transition of these works from the studio to a site-specific location may be achieved through the development of a monumental public artwork The research process is principally informed by the theoretical framework of Synectics, the fusing of disparities and the meshing of memory and object to form emotional analogues. It further locates this research in relation to the writing of Susanne Langer on symbolic transformation of experiences and affect and how metaphor can be utilised as a vehicle for the transmission of emotion. The work is further informed by the artistic practices of Michael Landy, Jimmie Durham and Robert Smithson specifically in relation to destruction, control and chance reflected in these artists’ exploration of object, process and site. My studio-based methodology employs a broad mode of research and follows an heuristic approach to art-making where trial and error are encouraged and valued. Chance is intentionally introduced throughout my process as a ‘circuit breaker’ to attempt to derail and dodge conscious compositional formality. I seek to evaluate my relationship to failure where pride, ego and the question of control are always just beneath the surface. Effectively, I explore the expressive and compositional possibilities that arise from challenging my assertion of power over matter. Methodology and Theoretical Framework 9 This project employs an approach that is exclusively practice-led, according to Gray and Malins’ definition, practice-led research involves “practitioners researching through action and reflecting in and on action. The researcher/practitioner is central to the inquiry as is the context in which the research is taking place” (2004, p.3). As I shall elucidate below, using my own subjective responses and biographical experiences as a form of research material is a vital part of my studio practice. In his article Research Acts in Art Practice, Graeme Sullivan proposes that the images and works created in the studio embody the ideas that are given form through the making process, describing a method where creative practice “involves giving form to thought in a purposeful way” (2006, p.29). In this way, he observes, the artifacts themselves can be considered tangible forms of knowledge that can reveal insights that are well-grounded and culturally relevant. My approach to practice is informed by a similar belief in the broader cultural relevance of the often quite insular activities in the studio—especially when the outcomes of this process become presented in public (as in the case of a work of public art). In addition to this cultural contribution, the studio is place for intuitive exploration of materials. The concept of ‘thinking materially’ or processing ideas through the manipulation of materials, is a strong feature of my practice. In the book, titled Material thinking: The theory and practice or creative research, Paul