AshTeh: May 2012

Monday, 7 May 2012

Week 8 - Industrialisation Industrialisation and Cao Fei's RMB City

THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

Week 8 - Industrialisation

Industrialisation and Cao Fei's RMB City

Dynamism of a dog on a Leash (1912) Giacomo Balla

Industrialisation in the late 1800s, and today.

RMB City (2007-9) Cao Fei

The artists of the late 1800's and early 1900's, in Europe, were influenced by the Industrial revolution.

1. What and when was the Industrial Revolution?
The industrial revolution was a time period when Europe began to be industralised rapidly with power-driven machinery and manufacturing. Inventions like electricity, railroads and advancements in communications happened in that time and the European world forged ahead.

Both paintings featured on this blog, that are from the early 1900s were painted by Modernist painters from the group called 'Futurists'. The Futurists celebrated the machine, and objects in motion. Their primary objective was to depict movement, which they saw as symbolic of their commitment to the dynamic forward thrust of the 20th century.

2. Research both Modernist paintings in order to comment on the subject matter, form and style used to celebrate the machine and motion in each painting. Answer the question in 2 parts for each painting.

UMBERTO BOCCIONI-

The City Rises

This painting records the building of an electrical power plant. The painting is dominated by the constant moving figure of masculine men who are slaving away to get the job done. It is typically a Modernists painting beacause it shows the advancement of times and the results of that being; making way for new buildings or factories, in this case an electrical power plant. The painting is energetic and lively showing movement in an urban setting, it celebrates and beautifies the progress that is taking place.

DYNAMISM OF A DOG ON A LEASH-

GIACOMO BALLA

In this painting Balla aims to record the movement of the scurrying dachshund. Beside the dachshund is its owner who is a lady, it looks as though she is also scampering around like her dog, her skirt looks clumsy and as though she might trip over it. The word "dynamism" was used to describe the modern machine world, so it is said to be comical to describe this mere little dog by using such a powerful word.

Cao Fei's RMB City (2007-9) refers to China's recent rapid industialisation and urbanization.

(www.artspace.org.nz/exhibitions/2009/cafeintopia.asp)

3. Research Cao Fei's RMB City (2007-9) in order to comment on this work in more depth.

Cao Fei RMB City is based around the rapid advancement of her home country China. Cao Fei was born and raised in Guangzhou China where in the early 1990's art was greatly influenced by rapid urbanisation. Her work is influenced by the electronic world of entertainment and pop culture. Cao Fei makes her characters look magical she places them in the midst of the city to add a sense of fantasy which is acts as an escape from mundane city life.

i.e describe the images that has she used in her digital collage that refer to China's present and history, and explain why has she used these images.

In the title RMB stands for 'renminbi' (chinese) which means people's money in English. The work combines real symbols of China for example the national flag and the panda. At the top there is a rotating ferris wheel that leads to the People's Heroes. There are also well known places in China for example Feilai Temple, the Grand National Theatre found in Beijing. Over the city hovers gigantic planes and floating statutes of Mao Zedong who used to be the leader of China. The real and virtual subjects in the painting cover boundaries between the past and future, and depicts China as cosmopolitan and contemporary.

4. RMB City is described as a utopia/dystopia. Comment on what these terms mean, and how they can be applied to the work.

Utopia refers to an idyllic place where it is perfect in all social, political and moral aspects. Dystopia is "an imaginary place where the conditions and quality of life are unpleasant. " (Farlex Inc 2012) it is the opposite of utopia.

These two terms can be applied to the work because it paints an image of China that it fantasy like it makes the viewer feel as though its wonderland, an idyllic place, almost like a dream come true. The symbols in the painting are real Cao Fei has taken China's heroes and well known places and have put them altogether into one City. However it has a double meaning at the same time Cao Fei is showing the bad effects of China's rapid advancement, where city life has become mundane, oppressive and unenjoyable. It feels unnatural to live in such a place.

5. Although the Modernist paintings and the contemporary digital work have emerged from different contexts, there are also many similarities. Comment on the similarities that you can see in the work. Look at the moving digital image at vimeo.com/4272260, if you have not already researched it.

One similarity between Modernist paintings and a contemporary digital work are the movement that we see in both. The whispy strokes and thrust that is felt in the two. Movement represents the advancement that has been made it illustrates the progress of technology and inventions, that occur constantly in today's world. The Second similarity is colour for example looking at "The City Rises" and "RMB City" we see vibrant colours used in both this depicts liveliness and dynamism, to show the energy that arises when urbanisation occurs.

References

http://www.mutualart.com/OpenArticle/Cao-Fei--Building--RMB-City-/5A8FD7ADF04F9369

http://interventionsjournal.net/2012/01/26/rmb-city-spectatorship-on-the-boundaries-of-the-virtual-and-the-real/

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/utopia

http://www.learner.org/courses/globalart/work/173/index.html

Tuesday, 1 May 2012

Week 7- Science and Reason Video Art Pipilotti Rist

Week 7- Science and Reason Video Art Pipilotti Rist

1) Define the seventeenth century 'Scientific Revolution', and say how it changed European thought and world view.

The 17th century Scientific Revolution was a time period where an intellectual movement took place. Also known as the Enligtenment period this was when man's thinking changed, their view towards man, society and nature, Enlightenment intellectuals challenged the traditional world view which was dominated by Christinanity.

This changed the European thought and view instead of going along with the traditional thinking of the clergy and Christianity, people thought with reason and rationality. Intellectuals reasoned that human life can be understood the same way the natural can be understood. This new way of thinking was accompanied by and influenced many aspects of art for example writing, printing, painting, sculpture.

2. Give examples of how we can we still see evidence of the 'Scientific Revolution' in the world today.

People are entitled to their own opinions, they have the freedom to express themselves and be individuals. Man's thinking is rational and many people rely on science, therefore the world has developed tremendously technologically and industrially. W live in a secular society nowadays man rely on themselves and their careers, to survive and no so much God and religion

Research Pipilotti Rist's video installations to answer the following;

3. From your research, do you think that the contemporary art world values art work

that uses new media/technology over traditional media?

In my opinion the contemporary art world definitely values art work that uses new media and technology, but at the same time traditional media is still valued very much. Humans are so used to having technology so it is great to see it being used in art, its almost like a celebration of our advancement and progress. I think the contemporary art world find that technology being used in art very refreshing and edgy.

4. How has Pipilotti Rist used new media/technology to enhance the audience's experience of her work.

Pipilotti uses new media to enhance her audience's experience by using colour and movement she mesmerizes and captivates them through their sight. Adding to that she has sound accompanying her video this entraps her viewer through their sense of hearing ,you feel as though you are being enveloped in the chaos that is happening.

I love her video installations because it's crazy, and the happenings in the video is fantasy and ordinarily would not occur in real life. When I was watching the video however I did not realise how unrealistic it was, I was fully immersed in it, I felt like I had been brought to a different world. It made me forget about where I was I felt part of that world. I find her videos eccentric and refreshing, Pipilotti's video installations have you in a trance it's enchanting and has an eerie feel to it.

5. Comment on how the installation, sound and scale of 'Ever is Over All' (1997) could impact on the audience's experience of the work.

The scale of it is larger than a human. So the lady in the video looks powerful and her irrational behaviour is quite disconcerting. She shows no remorse for smashing the car windows, it made my sort of fearful of her and her sadistic like behaviour.

The sound surrounds and encircles her audience, this makes the audience feel as though they are the ones following and observing this lady.

6. Comment on the notion of 'reason' within the content of the video. Is the woman's behaviour reasonable or unreasonable?

The woman's behaviour is reasonable, ONLY for a mentally UNstable person. Because of her unreasonable actions I tend to think that she is psycho.

7. Comment on your 'reading' (understanding) of the work by discussion the aesthetic (look), experience and the ideologies (ideas, theories) of the work.

Pipilotti is often time seen as a feminist most of her works change the hierarchy of male and female, empowering females. Rist's bases her works around the idea of "love, death, everyday life and fiction." The installations are about the negative aspects of being female however she depicts it in a positive light. She blends music and video art together create a whole different experience for her audience.

Aesthetically Rist's video installations are dynamic, she uses bright colours. The big scale puts the subjects in your face they are confrontational. It is said that her video represent the "birth of a sophisticated visual language, expressing the direct, realistic senses of the MTV generation."

Here's a short video showcasing Pipilotti Rist's video installations"