Wednesday, 14 December 2011

Talks - Erik Knudsen and Amelia Beavis Harrison


These are the two videos that Knudsen showed us in the talk.

Vanilla Chip
 
We had a talk by Erik Knudsen a few weeks ago and he showed us some videos he had done. The one in particular that he showed us was about an old man that made ice cream and his wife had passed away an he visited her grave every day. Erik had to follow him for a few days and fit in with his way of life. He said that he found it awkward at times as he didn't want to intrude, especially when he was visiting the grave. Erik was saying how he was made to feel very welcome by the old man but he was put in an unexpected uncomfortable situation when one day they visited the grave and the old man started to cry. 



Heart of gold

This film is a poetic documentary exploring the changing relationship people in the region have with gold. This video is about a few men from Ghana digging/working down underground and a young boy finds a bit of gold, the men strongly advice him to keep it extremely safe as it is worth a lot of money. Whilst researching and shooting this film Erik Knudsen wrote 3 reports about his trip in Ghana. Report 1 and 2 were written during his first research trip to Ghana, while report 3 covers the period of principal photography. 


Erik has made a number of short films: 
  • The Silent Accomplice
  • Vanilla Chip
  • Heart of gold
  • Veil
  • Sea of madness
  • The Yoruba tree
  • A dog's farewell to his master
  • Brannigan's March
  • Bed of flowers
  • Signs of life
  • Reunion
  • One day Tafo


Erik has also done a number of still photography that is becoming an increasing collection to his work. Cuba waiting, Intimate Actuality-Northern England, Intimate Actuality-China. 

Cuba waiting is is a selection of street reportage photography taken in Cuba during the last few years. This is part of a growing  collection of work from Cuba which will eventually become a book an exhibition. 










Intimate Actuality-Northern England are a selection from a larger photographic project about private stories in public places. They are recent photography taken by Erik. 




Intimate Actuality-China. On a recent trip to China Erik Knudsen was able to add to his on going work, Intimate Actuality. Here are a selection of his photographs.








Amelia Bevis Harrison

She is a creator and artist based in Nottingham in the UK. She has a website which documents some of her work produced since 2007. Amelia initiated and runs the Lincoln Art Programme, a live art commissioning body in Lincoln, along side her own work. Amelia makes art work that is informed by histories, mythologies, situations, occurrences,conversations and the production of art. Using research as a process of investigation for creating work Amelia interrogates subject matters to develop concepts, whilst using snippets of information gathered by common sources such as newspapers and the internet. Many parts of Amelia's work she produces involves audience participation, whilst other times working with other practitioners to bring the work to fruition. 


Photo credit by: Julian Hughes, work by CARGOCULT.
A working title (2011) 
A WORKING TITLE was a concept led platform showcasing new and existing work by artists from the UK and Europe. A number of the works shown over the weekend were new commissions responding directly to the associated themes. 
 Exploring the modernisation of situation, examining how situation has developed as a consequence of modernisation and visa versa, within particular relation to the urban environment and Lincoln as a city, the platform invited artists to respond directly to the presented context.



The Trivia of Eccentric England (Part 2) (2011)
 Exploring the eccentric side of British behaviour, its traditions, quirks, rituals, rules and everything in between. The second half of the season saw two commissions supported by a series of events including a screening of Matt Stoke The Gainsborough Packet and a symposium of eccentric subjects. The symposium bought together artists and eclectic thinkers from across the UK to explore subjects that may in isolation be deemed eccentric. 
Participating artists: Matthew Cowan, Victoria Melody, Project Pigeon, John Plowman, Anthony Schrag, Matt Stokes,
Zoe Walker and Neil Bromwich. 




The test of intelligence (2011)- Photography Helena Goldwater


For too long we have accepted intelligence as a hierarchical structure, allowed intelligence to inform our responses and demean those lesser informed. But is intelligence not just a social construct like that of religion, are we not just falling for the same power structures religion once imposed. The unquestioned identity of intelligence has been prevalent for too long.
The performance takes two familiar situations and pushes them together, the IQ test and the lecture / sermon. The audience take part in both, physically undertaking an intelligence test with a difference, whilst enduring a monolog that questions the reality of intelligence. The two scenarios begin on a par as the audience begin the test but gradually the speaker’s voice takes over that of the tester and the intelligence test becomes impossible to complete.





2010 Challenge (2010-2011) - Photography James E Smith

One project, 12 challenges, 12 months
Throughout the course of 2010 challenges were submitted to be undertaken and used as a starting point for the production of art work. It aimed to test artistic practice by undertaking tasks that were in some way alien, and challenges that didn't allow for easy options and had a high chance of struggle, fatigue and failure. Although the challenges were invited to be open, many of those submitted were personal to the challengers, and relevant to the individual.
Throughout the course of the project the emphasis began to shift. Instead of selecting the most challenging each month, the challenges began to be selected with the quality of art work in mind. The project was an exploration into the collaborative act of an artistic practice, and the exploration was an opportunity to discover, take part, learn, take risks, fail and excel. The project concluded in 2011.

Over all i don't find Amelia's work that interesting but i am still up for researching peoples work that i don't find that interesting to expand on my ideas and see the different types of work out there. Her work seems to always be on going which shows her ideas are always being changed and expanded. 

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