Year 10 PDM BEYOND THE FRAME

PHOTO MEDIA INSTALLATION

BEYOND THE FRAME

 In this unit of work we will be investigating contemporary photographic practices in an Australian and International context  We will be looking at time based installations and the role of photo-documentation

Vocab

   Postmodern A widely used term for progressive, unconventional art starting around the 1980’s. It generally challenges the traditions of art, particularly the concept of originality and acceptable media. It is often characterized by the use of technology and may draw on other art traditions Ephemeral Existing only for a short time Installation  Artwork created for a particular site or gallery space Documentation Record of transitory works in the forms of photography/video. Documentation replaces the art objects role as the “saleable item”.

Key Artist 1 – Melanie Pullen

Untitled (Metro Series)

, 2005 C-Print, Plexi Face Mount 43"(H) x 54 3/4"(W), 55"(H) x 70 3/4"(W), or 76 1/2"(H) x 99 1/2"(W) Ace Gallery Beverly Hills, 2005

Bottles (Water Series)

, 2005 C-Print, Plexi Face Mount 43"(H) x 54 3/4"(W), 55"(H) x 70 3/4"(W), or 76 1/2"(H) x 99 1/2"(W) Ace Gallery Beverly Hills, 2005

 Self-taught artist, Melanie Pullen (born 1975) began her "High Fashion Crime Scenes" project after seeing a copy of Luc Sante's 1992 book Evidence (1914-1919) about crime scene photos from the New York City Police Department.  Statement “I’m totally fascinated about lines and perspective. I like long shots in hallways, anything that has a depth to it. “- Melanie Pullen

Melanie Pullen: High Fashion Crime Series

, 2005 Installation View Ace Gallery Beverly Hills

Fashion has always had a dark side, but it's never been traversed as provocatively as in photographer Melanie Pullen's critically acclaimed exhibition High Fashion Crime Scenes. In meticulously crafted large-scale photographs, authentic crime scenes are re enacted with a twist —not only are the corpses outfitted in designer vintage and couture, but you might recognize some very-much-alive actors like Juliette Lewis.

Pullen's penchants for the macabre were initially inspired by Luc Sante's Evidence, a book of New York City crime scene prints compiled in the 20th century, but she also studied up on pre ’50s L.A.P.D. records. The resulting images are hauntingly beautiful, inspiring double and triple takes when you realize that amidst the photograph's grisly visage, the victim is clad in Chanel.

SAMANTHA GILEWICZ

Student Task 1

Look up on the internet Pullens High Fashion Crime Series http://www.novakart.com/MelaniePullen_Info.cfm?ArtistsID=434&Object = Read the Interview with Melanie Pullen 1) How do the images in this series make you feel?

2) Statements from the artist are valuable sources of information about the artists inspirations, intentions and working methods. What understanding have you gained about Pullens artistic practice from reading this interview

Key Artist 2 - Alicia Frankovich

was born in New Zealand in 1980 & living in Berlin

Key Artist 2 - Alicia Frankovich

Media: Plastic, carabenas, dirt, coconut fibre, newspaper, water tank, water pump, poly piping, nylon webbing, gaffer, sash, steel, basil, kiwifruit vines, tuscan kale, broccoli, flat leaf parsley, curly leaf parsley, long snake beans, purple kings, greens, tomatoes: black krims, black Russians, tigerella, red fig dwarf, peach dreams, chillies: hellfire mix, jalapeno reds, capsicum: mini yellow, mini red, long yellow mini chocolate, long green, bronze fennel, succulents, eggplants: heirloom mix, long jacks, red oakleaf, lettuce.

Frankovich has created a body made of fruit and plants suspended upside down in the gallery space.

Frankovich uses fruit to symbolize both the living flesh and the soul. The installation hovers above the viewer’s body and changes over time in the space. Again she explores her interest incontrasting bodily performance with architectural dwelling, the ephemeral with the permanent.

Student Task 2

 Consider how Frankovich draws from nature, in the form of real living plants, in her work. Look at a range of other contemporary artists who also draw from nature or install natural objects as part of their work. Look at the work of contemporary Swiss artists Gerda Steiner and Jorg Lenzlinger as well as Jeff Koons’ sculpture of a dog made from growing flowers. Compare the works of these three artists.

Key Artist 3 – Simryn Gill

Simryn Gill, Throwback (detail) 2007 Interior parts of Tata truck, termite mound soil, river clay, laterite, seashells, fruit skins, leaves, bark and fibre, flowers, glue, resin, milk Michael Buxton Collection The exhibition highlights Gill’s pursuit of meaning through materials and art-making processes. It also focuses on her ongoing interest in collecting, reading, archiving, arranging, casting and photography.

‘Throwback 2007, is a sculptural work created from truck engine parts and Garland 1993-ongoing, is an installation of objects collected from beaches in Malaysia and Singapore that encourages audiences to hold, touch and rearrange its parts and thereby participate in the work’s transformation.

Key Artist 3 – Simryn Gill

Road Kill 2000

Student Task 3 - Simryn Gill

       Describe the Photographic Series?

Describe the installation content?

How was it constructed?

Why did she name the series Road Kill?

What do you think of the work and why?

Briefly describe another of Gills installation series Create a summary page on Simryn Gill in your documents under the titles Artist, Artwork, Audience, World (Conceptual Framework) – research the internet.

Key Artist 4 – Cordeiro & Healy

Postmodern Frame – Use humour to challenge our values, deconstructing history and objects Sean Cordeiro and Claire Healy are Australian collaborative artists who explore the shifting ideas of mobility, home, consumerism and waste in our contemporary society through deconstructing, compacting or laying out.

Key Artist 4 – Cordeiro & Healy

Artwork looks at deeper levels of meaning like the function of a home. The removal of space – leaving no space inwhich to live The artworks are a direct response to the artists world The cordial Home Project 2003 Installation of entire house 6 C type LED Prints MATERIALS The materials and contents of buildings often form their art making materials. Artists photo document their practice The materials have lost their original function instead taking on their own identity as objects

Cordeiro & Healy Artists Statements ‘ When you pull something apart it’s like a complete analysis of the material, and stacking it feels like a safe way to present it to the audience, because it is almost like silencing it.” Student Task 4 Explore how the PRACTICE of another artist reflects their society

Further Study / References

 Melanie Pullen http://www.acegallery.net/artistm enu.php?pageNum_ACE=1&totalRows_ACE=86&Artist=4# http://www.melaniepullen.com/ http://www.novakart.com/MelaniePullen_Info.cfm?ArtistsID=434&Object = Alicia Frankovich http://www.accaonline.org.au/EducationKits http://www.artspace.org.nz/exhibitions/2009/aliciafrankovich.asp

Simryn Gill http://www.heide.com.au/Exhibitions/Simryn_Gill_Gathering http://www.roslynoxley9.com.au/artists/16/Simryn_Gill/164/9737/ http://www.breenspace.com/artists/6/works/70/simryn-gill-paper-boats

Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro http://www.claireandsean.com/