19.04.21

What actions have you managed to do?

This morning I set out to create some noise experimentations. I wanted to work on a canvas but decided I needed to work out my source material first, as 1) of all my canvasses haven’t arrived yet and 2) I was not sure if I want to create work related to music or ambient noise yet, or image related work. I ended up creating 4 paintings in response to the noise around me and the studio, so that tomorrow I can being turning these into sculptural forms.

How did they come out and which one worked the most successfully?

The 4 paintings came out with a varying degree of success.

1/2 - conversations that were being had in the studio, using different colours for different vocal tones. I feel these ones were successful to an extent although they do not represent the sounds as well as the others. I think this is because conversations are much less constant, there are lulls, and so using a different, constant background noise or music is more effective.

3 - construction noises - the waning crescendos of a drill broken up by the sound of clattering pipes of scaffolding. The drill noise to me sounded blue, and clattering black and heavy. This one is successful because I feel it captures the sounds more effectively than the previous two. The painting has a degree of calm that I associate with memories of construction work, with my dad having a building background and us often doing practical work together.

4 - the air ventilators, a constant background noise within the studio that resembled static/white noise. This painting was just black and white streaks with small speckles, roughly representing the constant repetitive noise pattern. As with the last painting, I feel this one was successful because it accurately captures the noise within the painting.

They came out differently from the music pieces. The details detailing I did over the top of the paintings to give them some more substance work effectively and tie the pieces together, however I feel that the most effective ones were the ambient noises rather than the conversations as these were more abstracted yet constant noises to begin with. Additionally, as David suggested, they are more ambiguous - no one has opinions about the noises (or music) because they are common place noises.

What can you do to develop?

To develop these I am going to drape and pull them in the way to continue pushing the boundaries of painting. With these, as they are very flat, and cotton has no room for stretch, I am going to use some PVA glue to drape them and create permanent 3D sculptures with the pieces. I am still unsure of what value subject material has within my work. I am struggling with understanding and connecting the two, as because my work is so process based and focussed on the physical properties of the work rather than the subject material, I currently feel like the two are very detached.

As my canvasses have finally arrived, I am planning on creating two experimental pieces as quickly as possible to help this. Directly on the canvas I am going to paint one abstract painting, probably using noise rather than music as I like the ambiguity it created, and one landscape. This way I will be able to properly compare the work, and if the landscape feels completely out of place within my project then I will revert back to abstract paintings, using as much ambient noise as possible. Once these are complete I will begin replacing the canvas with lycra to see the different kinds of effects that could have.

Can you think of an artist reference that can support your development?

Kaori guided me towards James Hyde today so I am going to look into his work, as well as continuing to look through my whitechapel gallery books to find more references. In my conversation with her today she seemed confident in the work I am creating, and essentially spurred me onwards with my creative process.

Questions created today that I aim to solve if not this week then asap:

How will my subject material change, and what place does the image hold?

I have already begun to move away from music as I feel it holds too many possible opinions, will I see landscapes in the same way and decide to be almost completely landscape?

What is the most effective way of turning a flat painting on cotton into a permanent sculptural object? currently I have been draping paintings over objects but they have returned to their flat shape once removed.

Reflection

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