Here's the cover to the new album...now all I need is some sounds and images to go with it...
Showing posts with label 2013 artwork. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2013 artwork. Show all posts
Descent into Hell
Here's the cover to the new album...now all I need is some sounds and images to go with it...
Chance Encounters
Third cultural stop was La Trobe University Visual Arts Centre in Bendigo where we 'did a job' on an installation by Bruce Mowson and Elliot Howard called 'The Listening vs Striles of Ming'. A series of different boxes, mostly on casters, sat randomly in the VAC Gallery. While reading through the 'artist's statement' (which incidentally was sending my blood pressure up around the 200/140 mark) the delightful Gail McNaulty (VAC Events and Admin Co-ordinator) explained the work was interactive and that the public was invited to 'move things around'. I asked if there was a sound and light component we could play with as well but sadly no.
But first to the health hazard of the 'artist's statement'. I quote:
"The sculptural products are the end result of an extended period of
collaborative studio work by Mowson and Howard. During this period
Mowson and Howard have developed a way of working that encompasses,
amongst other things, fabrication, discussion, design, critical
reflection, material selection and testing all of the above. There are
also other complex factors in play that may include the friction
produced between adjacent and slowly brewed subjectivities, the
disarming affective qualities of noise meeting cheek and the divining of
ephemeral political, libidinal and golden forces. Through the working
process they are pleased to have stumbled upon certain key effects that
include a favela-glance, a disco-touch and an amoeba-noise."
This was enough to set me off, in this rare opportunity to make some (what I call) easy art. So, five minutes later and we had rearranged the boxes into a wall that divided the gallery in half. I asked Gail if we could turn the lights off to 'complete the piece'. After some discussion with the Managing Curator Paul Northam the switch was found and turned off. Unfortunately skylights prevented the darkness I was hoping for. Paul commented that no one had done anything like this before to which I replied that "the wall represents the alienation that exists between much contemporary art and the public, and that the lame drape inside a 'cage' represented the burka and the alienation of asylum seekers and the status of women in some Muslim societies". The darkened room simply added to the overall theme. He, to his credit, saw the joke immediately and much fun and merriment was had by all, he appreciating the chance to talk art rather than administration for a few minutes.
Mowson, Howard and anonymous waves, The Wall, 2013, mixed media
Mowson, Howard and anonymous waves, The Wall, 2013, mixed media
In an atrium opposite the installation sat a site specific work by Phillipino artist Jan Leeroy New that I thought a nice contrast, if not relief, from what stood opposite. Lovely use of recycled materials into a form that had meaning...enough said...I am sure you are getting the idea by now.
Jan Leeroy New, Carapace, 2009, mixed media
And finally on the way out spotted ceramics by Vanessa Lucas. whose black jug has to be the sexiest jug ever conceived. Exclaiming "Vanessa's jug!" brought Paul and Gail out again who asked do you know Vanessa? "We should" I replied, "she was bridesmaid at our wedding!" Vanessa will be showing her meticulously crafted creations in Malmsbury, Victoria during May. More details on this later...
I did notice on the way out the lights had been switched back on...
Magdalena
Bob Georgeson, Magdalena, 2013, Photomontage
Can't wait for the Resurrection! And after around 3000 kilometers I am back in the studio...all I can say is "Jesus! It's a big country..."
Sitting on the dock...
The view from the gallery door
And in the gallery the soundtracks from the looped videos play on. I have featured The Lunar Machine, Eye Candy, That Grey Place We Go and Sunk. With a total playtime of 15:50 and me sitting in the gallery around 6 hours a day that means I have listened over 100 times in the time the show has been on! And still another 5 days to go...fortunately Erik Satie, emptywhale and w.out are very listenable.
Response has generally been positive. Comments about the show being different from the usual spotted gums and coastal landscapes are frequent, as well as the topical papal succession and the issue of child abuse in the church. Most people laugh or are amused by the erotic/religious juxtapositions. A few walk out fairly quickly. One woman yesterday, without going into details made it known that she had personal experience of abuse in the church. I hope I do not trivialise the issue with my little surrealistic jokes. But the highlight so far has been the enthusiasm of Graham from the fish shop downstairs. Here is a man who has spent his whole life cleaning fish and who has little knowledge of art waxing lyrically that it is the best thing he has ever seen and insisting on bringing the other staff up to see it. Makes it all worthwhile...
Exhibition coming up...
Here's the blurb: Firmly committed to the surrealist aesthetic Bob Georgeson uses subversive, sometimes controversial, and often humorous ideas, images and themes to explore the intersection between reality and desire. From working mainly in photomontage in the past he is now increasingly exploring new technologies, in particular video art, and working primarily and collaboratively online in the public domain.
There will be a floor talk on Wednesday 6th March at 11am called: Art in the digital domain
Adult themes and nudity
Sunk
I like this one that just seemed to evolve from one idea being explored and then another direction becoming apparent through chance encounters. w.out was active on the Archive circa 2004/5 which would make them one of the pioneers. What has happened since then I do not know, but if anyone does know, please let me know because I would be keen to explore new territories with them/him/her/it? And if you are interested in collaboration in the public domain please get in contact by emailing: surrealdada@gmail.com
You can get the HD and downloadable files here...http://archive.org/details/SunkPoem
12 months on...
Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo
I realized the other day that it has been a year since I started this blog. What started out originally as wanting a web presence for my art and thinking that a blog might be marginally more interesting than a static image repository has transformed my whole way of thinking about art and how I want mine to be displayed. With a growing dissatisfaction with exhibiting in the physical world I have learned that there is new world out there of like minded people all pushing the boundaries of not only their own knowledge and skills, but also developing new relationships and interactions for audiences to experience.
So, from small beginnings with no expectations, over 9000 pageviews, 1000 profile views, 130 posts, 10 videos, 882 video views on the Internet Archives and the creation of the anonymous waves Netlabel what am I going to do to celebrate this evolutionary and revelatory year? By having an exhibition in a gallery...What! I kid you not...More on this soon...
PS Thought the photo a nice metaphor for what's going on in my life...
4 postcards from Bega
Now that the main holiday period has ended I thought I would do my bit to promote the advantages of off-peak travel to this beautiful part of the world. Don't be put off by the major development at the back of the private hotel. They don't work at night...just make sure you take a torch with you if you go to the bathroom. There are plenty of alleyways and discrete backs of buildings should you feel the need for a quick one. The town is wonderfully devoid of graffiti, and you won't be bothered by crowds at the many exclusive shopping areas...Bega awaits you!
coasts
The netlabel is evolving into collaborative projects combining art, music, poetry et al by creators who believe in the altruistic if not subversive nature of working in the public domain, and who have the desire to learn, expand and develop creative pursuits and products that present a unique experience for not only themselves but the audience. More on this soon...and if you want to be involved contact us: surrealdada@gmail.com
anonymous waves - new headquarters now open!
We are proud to open our new headquarters at 169 Carp Street in Bega. Opening hours are 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday. Homeless persons shelter operates from 7pm until 7am seven days a week. Feel free to drop in and meet the friendly staff. Take a seat at reception and someone will saw you shortly...experience free art, free music, free advice and freedom..
emptywhale and anonymous waves - a collaboration (of sorts)
For the HD version and downloadable files go here...
Apologia: This one represents the closest I (we?) have come to online collaboration, and the first video where I actively tried to work in with the music in terms of the atmosphere it creates, without wishing of course to make a music video per se. Art always comes first! In discussions with emptywhale about process we agree that once a creation is in the public domain one relinquishes control over how it might be used other than the Creative Commons licensing that stipulates it is not to be used for commercial gain, and acknowledges the original source. We agree that collaboration can lead to opening new doors that might not have previously been considered or explored. And there is no approval process in place, although in making this I have been very conscious of what emptywhale will think. Our desire for approval from others is a very strong emotion! The start point is mutual admiration for each other's creativity, and the desire to learn...
So, what exists remains...
anonymous waves comes from a line in the poem "Anecdote" penned by Francis Picabia in 1918. It reads:
You see, I am crazy to imagine it
I am a man with nimble fingers
Who wants to cut the threads of old pains
False folds in my anxious brain
History in arabesques memories
I am only happy on the open sea
Where one goes further
On anonymous waves.
I had done an earlier interactive visual poem with anonymous waves as it's title but have now decided to make this my new pseudonym, and the launch of an umbrella for new projects, including new media, public domain activities, online collaborations, interventions, the creation of a Netlabel and the gradual archiving and replacement of this blog. Time to move on...
Leg Show
Been working on another video lately using soundscapes by emptywhale but this one sort of popped out of the blue yesterday using some older footage that had remained dormant until now...
Tunnel vision
Bob Georgeson, Tunnel vision, 2013, Photomedia
I have been thinking about ambiance a bit lately and wondered if there was such a thing as ambient art, and reflected on many people's desire to use art as wall decoration or filler, and how we don't really interact with this on a daily basis. It is very much part of our surroundings...
So, did the obligatory Google search, and came across this company that call themselves Ambient Art (based in Australia I am sad to say). The blurb goes like this:
Have the view you have always dreamt of!
Hundreds of people everywhere are transforming their homes with the help of Ambient Art!
So what is Ambient Art?
- Ambient Art is a portable indoor/outdoor PVC mesh screen
- Filters the sun but still lets air flow through
- Hides unsightly views (like the garage shed or nosey neighbours!)
- Easily erected in just minutes
- Wide range of ready-to-go images for you to choose from
- Your design can be changed to suit your moods or seasons
- Customised images (your high quality photo) available by request
- Creates a unique ambience for your balcony/deck/entertainment setting
I am obviously in the wrong business...
Ambient addendum
The man across the road obsessively uses his petrol driven blower to remove leaves from the concrete slab in front of his house. A neighbour shatters the afternoon peace on his ride on mower. He mows every Thursday afternoon regardless of whether the lawn needs it or not. Wattlebirds squawk as they aggressively chase a spinebill through the garden. Up the back kids laugh and squeal on the new trampoline they got from Santa. The breaking surf can be heard in the distance. My computer gently drones away in the background. This the soundtrack to our lives...
I was thinking about these things yesterday while listening to, and penning the post on, emptywhale's latest release 'That Grey Place We Go'. I marvel at their ability to create these works of art, to develop the structures and moments that have the capacity to take you unexpected places and thought patterns that seem to emerge from nowhere. I wonder for a moment about the technical aspects of who using what can make these sounds, then decide it doesn't matter how, all that matters is now...
I am a relative 'newbie' when it comes to the ambient genre, although accepting I have probably listened inadvertently to 'ambient' music in the past without realising it. And what is ambient, or any classification of music anyway? My first love has always been jazz...but who can define what that means anymore? And, shock horror, I have even been listening to some classical sounds lately! And in cyberspace threads start to appear...
I had accidentally come across Erik Satie on UbuWeb in the same way as I had with emptywhale on The Internet Archives, and had used music from both as sound tracks to some recent video work. It turns out that Satie is considered a precursor of ambient music. He also wrote the music for Rene Clair's 1924 dadaist film 'Entr'acte'. The film was scripted by one of my main influences Francis Picabia, and starred, among others, Marcel Duchamp whose 1957 talk 'The Creative Act' I had used as soundtrack for another video, a video that was greatly influenced, at least visually, by Brian Eno, the father of ambient music.
In recent discussion with emptywhale about possible collaboration Chris had followed his own path in finding out more about Herbie Hancock, whose 'Funk Hunter' I had rather lazily used in another video, but had never been happy with, wanting a more menacing effect. He had come across, and really liked, a 1974 Miles Davis track called 'He Loved Him Madly' written as a tribute to Duke Ellington. It turns out that it was a major influence on Brian Eno.
And so on it goes...I am a HUGE Miles Davis fan, never tiring of listening to his music, and drawing constant inspiration from his adoption of change as part of the creative process. His capacity to always push ahead, try new things, and yet remain true to his discipline propels me to write this post, not for you dear reader if you have ventured this far, but as a reminder to myself to build on the new directions in my work that developed through 2012. I will always have a soft spot for eros and thanatos, but in 2013 my hand reaches out for the handle of a new door...
I was thinking about these things yesterday while listening to, and penning the post on, emptywhale's latest release 'That Grey Place We Go'. I marvel at their ability to create these works of art, to develop the structures and moments that have the capacity to take you unexpected places and thought patterns that seem to emerge from nowhere. I wonder for a moment about the technical aspects of who using what can make these sounds, then decide it doesn't matter how, all that matters is now...
I am a relative 'newbie' when it comes to the ambient genre, although accepting I have probably listened inadvertently to 'ambient' music in the past without realising it. And what is ambient, or any classification of music anyway? My first love has always been jazz...but who can define what that means anymore? And, shock horror, I have even been listening to some classical sounds lately! And in cyberspace threads start to appear...
I had accidentally come across Erik Satie on UbuWeb in the same way as I had with emptywhale on The Internet Archives, and had used music from both as sound tracks to some recent video work. It turns out that Satie is considered a precursor of ambient music. He also wrote the music for Rene Clair's 1924 dadaist film 'Entr'acte'. The film was scripted by one of my main influences Francis Picabia, and starred, among others, Marcel Duchamp whose 1957 talk 'The Creative Act' I had used as soundtrack for another video, a video that was greatly influenced, at least visually, by Brian Eno, the father of ambient music.
In recent discussion with emptywhale about possible collaboration Chris had followed his own path in finding out more about Herbie Hancock, whose 'Funk Hunter' I had rather lazily used in another video, but had never been happy with, wanting a more menacing effect. He had come across, and really liked, a 1974 Miles Davis track called 'He Loved Him Madly' written as a tribute to Duke Ellington. It turns out that it was a major influence on Brian Eno.
And so on it goes...I am a HUGE Miles Davis fan, never tiring of listening to his music, and drawing constant inspiration from his adoption of change as part of the creative process. His capacity to always push ahead, try new things, and yet remain true to his discipline propels me to write this post, not for you dear reader if you have ventured this far, but as a reminder to myself to build on the new directions in my work that developed through 2012. I will always have a soft spot for eros and thanatos, but in 2013 my hand reaches out for the handle of a new door...