Anish Kapoor

THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2012

Week 6- Anish Kapoor Sculpture

Anish Kapoor

Cloud Gate (2004), Millennium Park, Chicago

Celebrated for his gigantic, stainless steel Cloud Gate sculpture in Chicago’s Millennium Park, Anish Kapoor is changing the cultural environment with his public works.

1.Research Kapoor's work in order to discuss whether it is conceptual art or not. Explain your answer, using a definition of conceptual art.

Conceptual art is art in which the concepts or ideas involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns.

“

In conceptual art the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work. When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair. The idea becomes a machine that makes the art.   -Sol LeWitt

”

Conceptual art is different from "concept" as the content of art, but can be considered an abstract form of the idea and perception of the artwork originating in the artist's mind, which is later displayed in a proposed structure, and a variety of form. 

Anish Kapoor's work, Cloud Gate, I believe falls within the category of conceptual work. as said earlier, one of the interpretations of conceptual work is that the aesthetic of the work come after the underlying thought or idea the work has. In this case Anish Kapoor has done exactly this as he thought about what and how the public could interact with the work and based the design of it around that, not knowing what the work would look like until he has decided what he wanted the work to do. 

2. Research 3 quite different works by Kapoor from countries outside New Zealand to discuss the ideas behind the work. Include images of each work on your blog.

1. Orbit was commissioned byt the Greater London Authority from a shortlist of artist's proposals for a permanent artwork for the Olympic Park. Construction started in November 2010 and was completed in May 2012.  

Sketch book drawings

“I wanted the sensation of instability, something that was continually in movement. Traditionally a tower is pyramidal in structure, but we have done quite the opposite, we have a flowing, coiling form that changes as you walk around it. … It is an object that cannot be perceived as having a singular image, from any one perspective. You need to journey round the object, and through it. Like a Tower of Babel, it requires real participation from the public” — Anish Kapoor

“There is a kind of medieval sense to it of reaching up to the sky, building the impossible. A procession, if you like. It's a long winding spiral: a folly that aspires to go even above the clouds and has something mythic about it.” — Anish Kapoor

The ideas behind this work are clear in Anish Kapoor's quotes. He intended to 'build the impossible' which was incredibly tall. Starting off with the idea of a tower or pyramid structure, he moved from that to create a 'flowing and soiling form'. This work hugely involves the audience. As it is so interactive, you can look at it, change the view of it when you are to walk around the work, and the viewer is also able to walk up it. The bubble type part towards the top of the tower is a viewing platform, so you can view below it as well. This is a very interesting piece of conceptual art and intrigues me just from the computer screen.  

2.Anish Kapoor's sculpture Leviathan found at Grand Palais in Paris, alludes to the idea of cathedral: the body is a living breathing sacred place. 

Exterior

Interior 

Anish Kapoor says 'because of the nature of the building a wanted to make kind of gesture and make an attempt to turn the building inside out, to have the process that the viewer comes into the sculpture first, the interior, and then from there back out to the building again and then to the space between the sculpture and the building.'

This work was very moving from what i have read for the viewer. When in the building you feel large and superior but when stepped out of the interior and looking up at the exterior you realize how small and meaningless you are as the exterior is so huge. 

Rockefeller Centre

Kingsingotn Gardens

Sky Mirror, by Anish Kapoor is a intriguing sculpture, or 'outdoor exhibition' (Anish Kapoor). The ideas behind these sculptures are that you are able to view the sky without looking at it, and all the movements that come from the sky. Kapoor says 'It is like a television set'. You can watch it forever and it will always be changing. You can watch a Youtube video here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI3hd53lqoQ&feature=related and it is a slightly fastfowrded video of a sky mirror, you are able to see the clouds moving in the mirror, it is a beautiful image to watch. 

Kapoor has now placed many of these mirrors around the world, and some even have newer shapes, such as inverted cones. These are different to the sky mirror, but along the same lines. I found these works very interesting and beautiful to watch, it isn't very often we do look up and watch the sky for long, with these mirrors placed around it lets us to do and appreciate the beauty of the world. 

3.Discuss the large scale 'site specific' work that has been installed on a private site in New Zealand.

This work, also called 'Dismemberment' was displayed on Gibbs Farm in Kaipara Bay. This farm is used to display many art works, as it is such a beautiful place. Owned by a wealthy entrepreneur, he purchased the land intending to use it for a potential place for making and displaying sculptures. . "The Farm" feature works by many famous sculpture artists.

4. Where is the Kapoor's work in New Zealand? What are its form and materials? What are the ideas behind the work?

Site specific, a piece of Kapoors work, has been installed in New Zealand, located in Kaipara Bay, North of Auckland. Many red pieces of steel covered by red polyester fabric make up the structure of site specific. With a huge weight of 50,000kg the structure was intend to be a giant one. The idea behind the works that it is a 'passage', we are able to enter the work, but when entered in the work we are taken to an unknown 'elsewhere'. 

5. Comment on which work by Kapoor is your favourite, and explain why. Are you personally attracted more by the ideas or the aesthetics of the work?

While researching Anrish Kapoor's work, the one that caught my attention the most was Sky Mirror- no particular location that the mirror was placed was a favorite but more the ideas of it. I think that it is so simplistic (a theme in conceptual art) and striking. When viewing the Youtube videos of the Sky Mirror you can really grasp what Kapoor was intending when making and placing the works. Once day i would absolutely love to be able to view one of these works in the flesh. 

http://www.caroun.com/art/conceptualart/conceptualart.html

http://anishkapoor.com/332/Orbit.html

http://www.google.co.nz/imgres?q=anish+kapoor+leviathan&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&sa=N&rls=en&biw=1276&bih=680&tbm=isch&tbnid=jVAejfH0x2ukQM:&imgrefurl=http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2071451,00.html&docid=VxVwxirO6djlxM&imgurl=http://img.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2011/kapoor/kapoor_0523_01.jpg&w=611&h=404&ei=-uCCUN2FE8ewiQfJh4HIDQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=568&vpy=160&dur=694&hovh=182&hovw=276&tx=138&ty=64&sig=117228112329623622785&page=1&tbnh=143&tbnw=204&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0,i:74

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-reviews/8506594/Anish-Kapoor-Leviathan-Monumenta-2011-Grand-PalaisParis-review.html

http://2artichoke.blogspot.co.nz/2011/05/anish-kapoor-leviathan-in-paris.html

http://www.evanread.net/b2.htm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/8030914/Its-the-location-of-Anish-Kapoors-Sky-Mirror-that-counts.html

http://www.gibbsfarm.org.nz/kapoor.php

http://anishkapoor.com/127/Dismemberment%2C-Site-I.html

Anish Kapoor

THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2012

Week 6- Anish Kapoor Sculpture

Anish Kapoor

Cloud Gate (2004), Millennium Park, Chicago

Celebrated for his gigantic, stainless steel Cloud Gate sculpture in Chicago’s Millennium Park, Anish Kapoor is changing the cultural environment with his public works.

1.Research Kapoor's work in order to discuss whether it is conceptual art or not. Explain your answer, using a definition of conceptual art.

Conceptual art is art in which the concepts or ideas involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns.

“

In conceptual art the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work. When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair. The idea becomes a machine that makes the art.   -Sol LeWitt

”

Conceptual art is different from "concept" as the content of art, but can be considered an abstract form of the idea and perception of the artwork originating in the artist's mind, which is later displayed in a proposed structure, and a variety of form. 

Anish Kapoor's work, Cloud Gate, I believe falls within the category of conceptual work. as said earlier, one of the interpretations of conceptual work is that the aesthetic of the work come after the underlying thought or idea the work has. In this case Anish Kapoor has done exactly this as he thought about what and how the public could interact with the work and based the design of it around that, not knowing what the work would look like until he has decided what he wanted the work to do. 

2. Research 3 quite different works by Kapoor from countries outside New Zealand to discuss the ideas behind the work. Include images of each work on your blog.

1. Orbit was commissioned byt the Greater London Authority from a shortlist of artist's proposals for a permanent artwork for the Olympic Park. Construction started in November 2010 and was completed in May 2012.  

Sketch book drawings

“I wanted the sensation of instability, something that was continually in movement. Traditionally a tower is pyramidal in structure, but we have done quite the opposite, we have a flowing, coiling form that changes as you walk around it. … It is an object that cannot be perceived as having a singular image, from any one perspective. You need to journey round the object, and through it. Like a Tower of Babel, it requires real participation from the public” — Anish Kapoor

“There is a kind of medieval sense to it of reaching up to the sky, building the impossible. A procession, if you like. It's a long winding spiral: a folly that aspires to go even above the clouds and has something mythic about it.” — Anish Kapoor

The ideas behind this work are clear in Anish Kapoor's quotes. He intended to 'build the impossible' which was incredibly tall. Starting off with the idea of a tower or pyramid structure, he moved from that to create a 'flowing and soiling form'. This work hugely involves the audience. As it is so interactive, you can look at it, change the view of it when you are to walk around the work, and the viewer is also able to walk up it. The bubble type part towards the top of the tower is a viewing platform, so you can view below it as well. This is a very interesting piece of conceptual art and intrigues me just from the computer screen.  

2.Anish Kapoor's sculpture Leviathan found at Grand Palais in Paris, alludes to the idea of cathedral: the body is a living breathing sacred place. 

Exterior

Interior 

Anish Kapoor says 'because of the nature of the building a wanted to make kind of gesture and make an attempt to turn the building inside out, to have the process that the viewer comes into the sculpture first, the interior, and then from there back out to the building again and then to the space between the sculpture and the building.'

This work was very moving from what i have read for the viewer. When in the building you feel large and superior but when stepped out of the interior and looking up at the exterior you realize how small and meaningless you are as the exterior is so huge. 

Rockefeller Centre

Kingsingotn Gardens

Sky Mirror, by Anish Kapoor is a intriguing sculpture, or 'outdoor exhibition' (Anish Kapoor). The ideas behind these sculptures are that you are able to view the sky without looking at it, and all the movements that come from the sky. Kapoor says 'It is like a television set'. You can watch it forever and it will always be changing. You can watch a Youtube video here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI3hd53lqoQ&feature=related and it is a slightly fastfowrded video of a sky mirror, you are able to see the clouds moving in the mirror, it is a beautiful image to watch. 

Kapoor has now placed many of these mirrors around the world, and some even have newer shapes, such as inverted cones. These are different to the sky mirror, but along the same lines. I found these works very interesting and beautiful to watch, it isn't very often we do look up and watch the sky for long, with these mirrors placed around it lets us to do and appreciate the beauty of the world. 

3.Discuss the large scale 'site specific' work that has been installed on a private site in New Zealand.

This work, also called 'Dismemberment' was displayed on Gibbs Farm in Kaipara Bay. This farm is used to display many art works, as it is such a beautiful place. Owned by a wealthy entrepreneur, he purchased the land intending to use it for a potential place for making and displaying sculptures. . "The Farm" feature works by many famous sculpture artists.

4. Where is the Kapoor's work in New Zealand? What are its form and materials? What are the ideas behind the work?

Site specific, a piece of Kapoors work, has been installed in New Zealand, located in Kaipara Bay, North of Auckland. Many red pieces of steel covered by red polyester fabric make up the structure of site specific. With a huge weight of 50,000kg the structure was intend to be a giant one. The idea behind the works that it is a 'passage', we are able to enter the work, but when entered in the work we are taken to an unknown 'elsewhere'. 

5. Comment on which work by Kapoor is your favourite, and explain why. Are you personally attracted more by the ideas or the aesthetics of the work?

While researching Anrish Kapoor's work, the one that caught my attention the most was Sky Mirror- no particular location that the mirror was placed was a favorite but more the ideas of it. I think that it is so simplistic (a theme in conceptual art) and striking. When viewing the Youtube videos of the Sky Mirror you can really grasp what Kapoor was intending when making and placing the works. Once day i would absolutely love to be able to view one of these works in the flesh. 

http://www.caroun.com/art/conceptualart/conceptualart.html

http://anishkapoor.com/332/Orbit.html

http://www.google.co.nz/imgres?q=anish+kapoor+leviathan&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&sa=N&rls=en&biw=1276&bih=680&tbm=isch&tbnid=jVAejfH0x2ukQM:&imgrefurl=http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2071451,00.html&docid=VxVwxirO6djlxM&imgurl=http://img.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2011/kapoor/kapoor_0523_01.jpg&w=611&h=404&ei=-uCCUN2FE8ewiQfJh4HIDQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=568&vpy=160&dur=694&hovh=182&hovw=276&tx=138&ty=64&sig=117228112329623622785&page=1&tbnh=143&tbnw=204&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0,i:74

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-reviews/8506594/Anish-Kapoor-Leviathan-Monumenta-2011-Grand-PalaisParis-review.html

http://2artichoke.blogspot.co.nz/2011/05/anish-kapoor-leviathan-in-paris.html

http://www.evanread.net/b2.htm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/8030914/Its-the-location-of-Anish-Kapoors-Sky-Mirror-that-counts.html

http://www.gibbsfarm.org.nz/kapoor.php

http://anishkapoor.com/127/Dismemberment%2C-Site-I.html

Week 5 - Pluralism and the Treat of Waitangi

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2012

Week 5 - Pluralism and the Treat of Waitangi

Pluralism and the Treaty of Waitangi


1. Define the term 'pluralism' using APA referencing.
      According to Caldwell (1999):
Pluralism in art refers to the nature of art forms and artist as diverse. The cultural context of art is all encompassing in its respect for the art of the worlds cultures. Inclusion of individuals of differing ethnicities, genders, ideologies, abilities, ages, religions, economic status, and educational levels is valued. Pluralism honors difference within and between equitable groups while seeing their commonalities.

2. How would you describe New Zealand's current dominant culture?
      British and European culture is hugely woven into New Zealand's dominant culture along with other culture which are largely involved in our culture such as Maori and Pacific Islands. New Zealand has been pre dominated by Maori culture for most of our history. With Maori culture being in our everyday life it is no longer noticeable that we do it. Such as our national anthem first sung in Maori, the Haka before rugby, counting and songs that we are taught in primary schools, etc.


3. Before 1840, what was New Zealand's dominant culture?
      In 1840 the Treaty of Waitangi was signed, before that the dominant culture was the indigenous Maori.

4. How does the Treaty of Waitangi relate to us all as artists and designers working
in New Zealand?
      The Treaty of Waitangi is such a huge part of New Zealand culture, every year we have a day to remember it. We are educated about it through all our schooling and bought up knowing about it.   As it is such a huge part in our culture it can effect art, artists and designers. The artist and designers have to be culturally sensitive around the subject in order to not offend our culture and make are in a respectful way.

5. How can globalization be seen as having a negative effect on 'regional diversity' that leads to a 'homogenized world culture' in New Zealand in particular? (ALVC2 handbook page 52, http://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/globalization)
     'Globalization is the tendency of business, technologies, or philosophies to spread throughout the world, or the process of making this happen' (ALVC2 handbook page 52, http://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/globalization) For me Globalization is the communication of connecting humans to each others views, cultures, ideas, products etc.
When our culture is shared amongst the world it then is venerable to change, other cultures may adapt our culture. In class there were many examples of this such as a animated game took the Maori Moko and placed it on a male, when the Moko is only meant for females. This changed our culture and if this was ot continue it then could become 'Homogenized' and it would all become the same over time. If this were to happen, it would have a negative effect and the original culture would have been lost and the meaning which is meant for it would longer be applicable.

6. Shane Cotton's paintings are said to examine the cultural landscape. Research Cotton's work 'Welcome'(2004) and 'Three quarter view ' (2005) to analyze what he is saying about colonialization and the Treaty of Waitangi.
      Shane Cotton's work, Welcome(2004) and Three Quarter View(2005) both analyze, colonialization, cultural identity, Maori spirituality and life and death. In 'Welcome' at a glance i assume there is a comparison with the sparrow, goldfinch and the male face. The top male face, for me, is Christ-like, this could be representing colonization as Maori were not aware of Christianity before colonization. There is a strong comparison in Welcome, with Maori and European culture. In Three Quarter View once again we see the birds and a face. This time we have a close up of the face which is fully tattooed with traditional Moko. This face is a representation of a British man Barnet Burns, who was a flax trader and made the decision to live with the Maori's in the 1830's. This also a painting that is tank back to colonization. While researching Cotton's work i can across many of his works that also resembled colonization, he has become to be an artist who is known for his work on colonization.

 

'Welcome' (2004) Shane Cotton 

http://www.printsandprintmaking.gov.au/catalogues/work/52293/shane-cotton-welcome.aspx

  

'Three Quarter view'(2005) Shane Cotton

http://artsearch.nga.gov.au/Detail-LRG.cfm?IRN=149998 

http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/shane-cotton-paintings-examine-cultural-landscape-126412

7. Tony Albert's installation 'Sorry' (2008) reflect the effects of colonization on the aboriginal people of Australia. Research the work and comment on what Albert is communicating through his work, and what he is referring to. Describe the materials that Albert uses on this installation and say what he hopes his work can achieve.
      'This work examines the national Apology to Australia's Indigenous Peoples by former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Through his installation of kitsch 'Aboriginalia', Tony Albert looks at this historic moment through Aboriginal eyes. It is a view from the perspective of those who have been adversely and severely affected by past government policy, whose every move is still tightly controlled by current policy, and those who have actively and aggressively fought against these and many other policies. In this installation, Albert has altered the original work by spelling the word backwards. This represents the ineffectiveness of the apology and is based on an unrealized proposal.' -Taken from a blog 'Ten Years of Contemporary art' This piece is very interesting to me, as the artist has taken a different approach to the work. Instead of looking at the situation from his point of view he has stepped out of his own shoes and into the Indigenous people of Australia and done this piece almost in behalf of them. This is a different way to do art as most people incorporate their own feelings but here he has made this for others. 

8. Define the term 'kitsch'.
      Kitsch, form what i understand, is an art-form which has no value, or a tasteless or worthless imitation of a piece of art which has recognizable value.

9. Explain how the work of both artists relates to pluralism.
        Both artist refer to culture as a main part of their work, they both are baed on culture of their own country. By making art from their own background it is bringing attention to their culture, almost in a way of advertising or educating the viewer about their culture. They are obviously proud of there culture and so they make beautiful artwork which symbolizes what they believe in. The love and passion they have for there culture is clear in their work. Both are amazing artists who are capable of making great art.

                                       Tony Albert | Australia b.1981 | Girramay people | Sorry 2008 |
                                               Found kitsch objects applied  to vinyl letters | 99 objects :    
                                               200 x 510 x 10cm (installed) | The James C Sourris Collection.
                                               Purchased 2008 with funds from James C Sourris through the 
                                               Queensland Art Gallery Foundation | Collection: Queensland Art Gallery




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_New_Zealand
http://www.nzmuseums.co.nz/account/3236/object/1434/Picture_Painting
http://www.library.tauranga.govt.nz/Default.aspx?TabId=1878&aid=17329&tctl=4119_ViewAnnouncement&SkinSrc=%5BG%5DSkins/Library2011/PrintTemplate&ContainerSrc=%5BG%5DContainers/Library2011/Standard&dnnprintmode=true
http://interactive.qag.qld.gov.au/sourris/mycollection.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitsch