WBL REPORT Y2

WORK BASED LEARNING

HUI WEN HSU

hhsu,[email protected]+447588887039

STARTING FROM HERE...

The Structure of lines of Sight # 11,2010

STARTING FROM HERE...

This term is a transition between the past two years life in London and the future while the FdA course is coming to an end. To review what I have approached and developed, there seem to be some satisfaction and dissatisfactory throughout these days.

Chasing the dream of being an artist is sometimes painful and disappointing when I found most of the time I was only a daydreamer rather than a real thinker and maker. After some long discussion with my father, there may be no chance to continue my study because of the financial situation of my family; it has always been one of my anxieties. The worry of future study is a drag on me indeed, especially when the ‘future’ is running closer to me desperately.

The frustration of the last term and the poor grade of the Elective essay made me depressed and become more coward to face myself and others… I used to believe I would go to a MA course and become an artist someday, but still I was defeated by my own problems…

However, the biggest issue to deal with is facing my psychological state and peaceful coexistence (even have to enjoy the fear). At the beginning of this term, I was confused, dejected and lost the faith to do what used to be considered interesting to experiment. However, Eva’s e-mail gave me some encouragement to do some work again. She found my work ‘Absence’ brave and crazy, although it was an unsuccessful presentation/ work.

She asked if I could go to her studio in Teesdale Street to discuss about working together with her new project. After watching her video and discussion, I started the ‘assistant’ work of her project to do the research ‘to find’ now where they are: the art group ‘Art in Ruins’ withdrew from the art world – begun by randomly street snaps of the image.I told Eva that I could also search and check out if there are any usable scenes in films that fit her concept... Also, she invited me to make the online publication as she have read my reports on my websites and also feels interested in e-books; I also recommended her some platform and software such as Issuu Pro and DeskTopAuthor.

This was the starting point of my work based learning this term: finding Art in Ruins, finding the couples.

They could be any couples.

The Structure of Lines of Sight

My idea was to seek inspirations while doing the street searching and snaps and images in films.

Eva and I use e-mail as a tool to discuss the ideas and progress most.

One day Eva mailed to me, and said:“… Do you remember when I showed you the publication I did for the Saint Louis Con-temporary Art Museum, where I used imag-es from very specific contexts representing all one and the same person? There was some-body packaging in a supermarket, kids play-ing, a man accused of kidnapping and rap-ing his own daughter, a racecar driver, who celebrates victory, etc .The images tell us from these different contexts and situations the people are in. This is what I am looking for also for the Art In Ruins images. WHAT COULD THEY BE DOING TODAY? Maybe this helps. You could also experiment with ways how to approach people to photograph. You could play with devices like your third eye, bound to your head and people on the street in the bus, in the shop, in the museum, on the beach, in the hospital, in the supermarket might have an interesting expression on their face, when looking at you. It might be

an idea. Also feel free to collect images from newspaper and magazines and advertising you come across…”

However, it was not as easy to look steadily at people as last time when I filmed Absence, not to mention shooting them impolitely. I used the same method – video camera bound on head, attempt to take pictures without worrying about their reaction; but the result seemed to be as expected. Although the reactions of the viewed people are interesting, it was more like my own taste; there are no good outcomes for Eva’s project. Another way of shooting couples was asking them if I could take a photo of them, it did not work either. As a result, the street searching is mostly a ‘back hunting’ of couples and some other informal ones from a peeper. By the idea of the publication seen in Eva’s studio and her remind, therefore I started to find images of couples in newspaper and magazine. Eva and I meet up and see those newspaper cuttings and photos few days ago, and we found the images in advertisements are more useable, as the celebrities are too obvious and artificial.

Can well imagine that the snaps of couples in DVDs will not be use in her project. Yet, it was not that I have gained nothing during thus process. The time of researching in couples from DVD snaps, I was thinking about how I may apply these to my own practice or future work. After the visual fatigue caused by hundreds of single frames about ‘couples’ I cut from DVDs, I found it interesting how people, especially couples’ lines of view construct in no matter 4:3 or 16:9 screen. I believe this could be developed and played with. So I made some little experiment of the lines and structure of the lines of view of couple and partners, etc, ...



I drew the concrete lines of view of people and then cut them on the tracing paper; folding the lines and figures, see how they change the relationships between one another and, see how the lines create and change the space.Here is a gallery of my practice.

This is the original paper cut of figures and the lines of views.

This is the folding and changed one.


The Structure of Lines of SightLovers might become strangers;

kids could fly, life could suddenly die,passengers hold each other tight;

we might become couples;when the lines of view change.

Pulp Fiction, 1994

Beside the paper cut folding experiment, there it has come up another idea when I study the image of the ‘invisible’ lines and the ways they affect to relationships and spaces. I imagine: there is one of my favourite film and I use such an ‘unreliable measurement’ to present every moments when the characters’ sight falls; and all the various of space could be layers of a three dimensional work or a series of massive abstract paintingm, or make another experimental film with this concept… Also the colour, or for example the material of lines, are still many to consider and development.This might be an idea that I could use in future.


Movement; Action; new sculpture, new painting.

During the period of doing research with Eva, I tried to approach other artists in order to gain more experiences. Even there was a stationing painter in Byam Shaw this term, I would rather like to learn with sculpture and video more than painting (I felt somehow lost when knowing Lilah Fowler would not come this year). I decided to find artists outside of college by myself and contacted Lilah asking if there was any chance to be her assistance. I sending her my WBL report last year by the way.

I was not sure if she remembered me, but she replied and said she did. She now is in the research stage and will let me know if there is anything coming up; later she sent an e-mail to some other young artists that she know and ask if they have anything available with projects coming up. I was just waiting the good news and go around to take images for Eva at first.

Few days later, I got a mail from an artist Nicolas Deshayes, and he wrote: “…I am very busy preparing for a show that opens on the 19th of Feb and could really do with an extra pair of hands in the studio for a few days in order to finish the Sculptures that I will be showing. Would also possibly need a hand shooting some photos that I will also be exhibiting. I would really appreciate the help as soon as possible, that’s if you are interested…”



I replied soon and got the chance to go to his studio in Bow Arts helping him fixing his plaster model, which was broken and of a new exhibition. What I did was not much but help him reinforce the plaster work by fiberglass and some other materials, sanding the surfaces, tidy up the studio, and so on… Even so, the chat and discussing was helpful; moreover, to know how he casts a landscape-like sculpture by huge the hot-wire foam cutter working on polystyrene cube, the way he and his friend make a movement of cutting, how he failed and fixed it again… I was attracted by everything I heard and felt inspired to experiment sculpture materials which are new to me. By thus inspiration, I tried some process that I have not used before.

After the day of my ‘artist assistance life‘, he said that he would mail me to let me know when he needs help next week, yet I have not hear from him until I mailed him again. He was too busy and forgot to mail me that he turned out did not need any help the next week. I was like an employed person waiting for his reply and did not dare to bother him, and did not make my timetable free to accept other meetings by other artists or curators either that week… I realised I was too weak for schedule planning and too coward to communicate initiatively. I went to his show after re-contacted him. It was exciting to see the actual final outcome shown in the gallery than the model in his studio, although I was not the artist himself. He replied me the mail again and told me there might be an opinionate to assist him in his up-coming exhibition in Hayward Gallery.


(working in Nic’s studio...)


Inspired by Nic, I started to make a series of experiment about the movement of unfamiliar materials such as latex, sealant, grout, …etc.

These experiments have become part of my art outcome, including actions (performance), sculpture, and photography, still/ moving image, and even a new way of my painting practice, which I thought I was not so interested to do.

I would like to put some of these work and documentry in following pages and see them as a tiny exhibition shown on this publication.


The Study of Crack (progress), 2010.


The Study of Crack (progress), 2010.


Crack (fake), 2010.


Crack (fake), 2010.

Crack (fake), 2010.

Crack (fake), 2010.


Crack (fake), 2010.

Crack (fake), 2010.


Crack (fake), 2010.


Crack (the layers of marks), 2010.


- Crack, 2010.

Besides the experiments of grout, I continue the concept of ignorance and faking, and the inspiration of some big issue happened to me, which are the earthquakes around the world (and my old memory of ‘921 Earthquake’) and the intense contention of ending the death penalty recently taking in Taiwan.About the violence and the right of life, about the vestige of the memories of being hurt and hurting: about the both ways… I wish to use this project as my personal ‘letting off ’ these struggling thoughts in my mind, and might bring a tiny difference in life to ones who ignore or notice, to the silent but extreme earth for a moment.


Memory of the dead one.

Combining my interest of photography, the experiment of sculpture/ installation, I used some different processes to take a series of photos about my ‘sculpture’ of a latex shirt sited in the woods. The shirt is one of mine, which has a print of portrait sketched by myself.This work is consist of personal and secret memories and ritual; like somehow a dead insect flying back to its belonged, since the shirt/ memories has become specimen in the reality, the memories would transform to an ‘not-there-anymore’ object in the mind, it exists in ‘somewhere seems here’, but no one knows where the Here is…

I documented a little clips as a ‘moving sculpture’. When the wind blows, the shirt moves and dances, yet it does like a dead one because the latex congeal the shirt’s shape and depress its movement.


I found myself in love with the colour and texture of latex, although it might only used for making casts, anyway I have tried to use it as one of the ‘drawing’ materials.

These days I have some problems with my parents, which made me make some works about them. Not sure if these work relate to the emotion of anxiety or desiring of love, or any other feelings, I was mad while I progressing them, and after all I felt peaceful and safer.

Ready-mades and found object are always sorts of my favourite materials. I did not expect that I would make this practicing of ‘painting’ until I have almost done it (still in progress). At the beginning it was as an abreaction when brushing on layers and layers of latex emulsion on the waste of my experiment of silicone (for the attempt to build a landscape-like model); then it became mad that I use toothbrushes, fish oil capsules... to produce a representation of the uterus in my impressions without understanding why.

...Then the Family Issue came into my mind.


Family Issue (still in progress)

Ingredient:Latex, plaster, steak, fish oil, fabric, broken dish, toothbrushes, silicone, newspapers...

Looking Forward...?

Beside the self directed practices, developments and experiments, and the assistance job with Eva and Nic, in this period I have been in contact with other artists such as Kim Colman, who works with video, and Pippa Koszerek who is in the POST and CELL projects. As the artists are fairy busy and I also have some own reading/ researching/ working to do, so the meetings are sometimes difficult to arrange.

However, I will assist Kim to export old videos and edit/ save, export new videos and edit/ save, organize tapes, DVDs and hard drives from 19th March every Fridays at the beginning. We will see if it would be better to work together more days per week. There the Glasgow international festival of visual art is coming, I may go to help her and the other artist Jennys on 20th - 23rd April… I have had a conversation with Pippa about what skills I have and what kinds of experience I would like to learn, …etc; after the end of this term I would contact her again to confirm my timetable and started to seek opportunities of the internship/ artist’s assistance of whom she thinks suit for both sides of us.

At the same time, the ‘finding Art in Ruins’ project is still going, Eva asked me to focus on the couples on adverts and try to find some Asian or non-EU ones.

Looking Forward...?

I was panic and felt shameful about myself; nevertheless, I believe there must be something I could achieve, even merely a bit of the edge, even I may not be able to stay in London, even the future is unknown… I would still prepare the portfolio of applying to MA, even if I still panic. The worst of my development is that I missed the group show with Byam fellows (maybe the reasons of not being involved should be blamed by me myself first and stop the ‘self-drowning of disgrace’), the biggest wish now is not to make a good work but to be open and brave to communicate with them in present presence.

Looking Forward...?

Looking Forward

HUI WEN HSU

Work Based Learning Report, 2010

Documents

WBL REPORT Y2