From the feedback of the presentation, the book Materiality from the Documents of Contemporary Art was recommended for more theoretical insight. This book looks at materiality in art and tried to expand the notions of it, having different people explore different aspects of materiality. The first chapter looks at 'Following the Material' and reading it there were a lot of interesting points which I definitely can draw relations to in my work.
Petra Lange-Berndt
Introduction//How to Be Complicit with Materials
Even in the title, the word complicit is an interesting choice. The root meaning being to be involved with others in an activity that is unlawful or morally wrong. How the introduction is laid out is almost like a series of steps to take when using materials.
1. Get Dirty
2. Act with the Material
3. Experiment with the Unknown Possibilities
4. Make the Materials Laugh
It's a very conversational approach into talking about materiality. To relax and enjoy with whatever material that you are using as your medium, to which I can relate to within my work, especially with Experiment with the Unknown Possibilities. This along with other influences as driven the project to where it is now, letting the material guide the project and experimentations.
Monika Wagner
Material//2001
Monika Wagner states that material is medium seen as an information carrier. What interesting is how she talking about the senses, specifically sight and sound, are ranked highest in the hierarchy because they are closest to the knowledge of God. Being able to understand immaterial however physical material is ranked much lower because of it's links to the earthly cognition. Personally I have never thought that there was a hierarchy when it comes to the sense though interesting to see from a different point of view. The materials that are used in arts for example wood, metal, paper were also used in every day life, though early modern artworks, artist tried to take those usage and day to day context away from the material. Drawing a relation to my project, mod roc has many connotations to it, it being the basic foundation of sculpting as mentioned in Jim's session. But maybe its to take away the idea and focus on seeing mod roc for what it is.
Antony Gormley
In Conversation with James Putname//2004
Antony Gormley is a sculpture that uses clay as one of his working mediums. He describes it as the most immediate and one of the oldest material a sculptor could use. Explaining that when he started to use clay, he wanted a material that would carry touch (a receptive material)—experimenting with the material directly, even obtaining the clay straight from the ground. Clay leaves the impression of this moment that gives the form. This makes me think about that idea that the clay leaves the impression of that moment in time and can never be created again; it is capturing a fleeting moment within itself. Gormley also mentions a hierarchy but not in the senses like Wagner did, but within the different materials. Bronze and marble being at the top, lead and wood in the middle, plaster and clay are at the very bottom. Perhaps it is because of it's use or expensiveness which creates this hierarchy. Some more quotes that are really beautiful are clay is honest, it is down to earth. I think this is also how I want to reflect on my work, relating to the presentation on being honest about the process and what I thought about the material. I want to communicate the truth about the material. Clay is a medium that is a bridge between life and the record of life in terms of the information being left behind. It's interesting because Gormley states that he wants to reverse this material hierarchy previously stated because clay can be seen as an extension of the flesh and is abundantly used. It is an extension of us in a way other materials aren't. To this, I think my work can be reflective of this because I am not moulding the plaster into anything other than letting it be itself. Me moulding it is recording the energy that I'm putting in but not changing it, leaving the mod roc the colour that it came in.
Figure 1: Documents of Contemporary Art: Materiality, (Whitechapel Gallery, 2015)
References
Images
Figure 1: Whitechapel Gallery (2015) Materiality, [online] Available at: http://Documents of Contemporary Art: Materiality (Accessed 2 February 2021).
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