Sex pistol- Cave drawings

I saw this article in the telegraph and I felt it related to the first my first blog about album art the sex pistols are well known for their albums causing controversy and political statements making the in some way legends. However I never ever expected there doodles on a wall to be classed as a statement in history and classified as cave drawings. According to the telegraph “Dr John Schofield, of the Department of Archaeology at the University of York, said they are worthy of being preserved as heritage pieces and should be preserved despite being offensive and rude.”

The drawings were discovered on the walls of a flat the bands rented are similar to the drawings on a boy’s bathroom wall. However they are said to be very significant and have created more interest that the early beetles recordings. Researchers carried out an analysis of the crude graffiti and concluded that the flat with the drawings is to be considered as an important historical and archaeological site. The flat is rumored to be become a conventional heritage site with a blue plaque to mark its historical significance.

Place and Identity - The works of Willie Doherty

 Willie Doherty was born in Derry In 1959.  Willie Doherty is famous for his work in photography and film. He started exhibiting in the early 1980’s.  Doherty has had exhibitions at venues in many different countries. He studied sculpture at Ulster Polytechnic in Belfast. Doherty was short listed for the prestigious turner prize twice in 1994 and 2003. His work incorporates text, film and video installation. Doherty’s work has been greatly influence by the troubles in Northern Ireland he grew up during the troubles it being a significant part of Derry’s past and contributes to the ascetic art in the present. Derry is one of the most photographed places, Doherty has contributed to this from an artist point of view rather than journalist. He has created many pieces that involve the audience giving them a glimpse into what Derry was like. The piece entitled “The only Good one is the dead one” is a double screen video projection installation. One screen you see a car journey ant night time on the other you see the view from inside the car the soundtrack is constructed from the interior monologue of a man who is of two minds between the fear of being the victim and the fantasy of being an assassin. The piece is supposed to involve the viewer in choosing between the innocent the catholic and the protestant. Doherty’s piece entitled re-runs which is a large-scale two-screen video installation. The piece consists of two of two silent DVDs projected simultaneously onto two freestanding three by four-metre screens positioned to face each other at opposite ends of a self-contained space. The screens show a man in a grey suit running along the bottom of Craigavon Bridge. Sweating filled with fear as if there is a pursuer. The images create an unsettling affect, which mimics the character in the video.  The Craigavon Bridge where the video was filmed crosses the River Foyle, marking a point of connection between the Protestant and Catholic communities in the city. According to the website www.tate.org.uk

 “The running man can be seen as a metaphor for a stagnated culture where people living in fear of random violence and terrorism are stuck between opposing and apparently irreconcilable ideological positions. The work’s title alludes to a pattern of political repetition while also describing the literal mechanism of the filmic loops employed in the installation.” Ghost Stories another of Doherty’s works where his inspiration was the troubles in Derry. It was first shown in 2007 at the Venice Biennale. The piece is very intense and spooky showing a dark quiet country road and a voice speaking. Doherty’s inspiration for the video was his personal experience of bloody Sunday. Doherty was 12 and witnessed the terrible events of bloody Sunday through the window of his family home; the piece is the retelling and remembering of these events. Doherty’s work is a revelation he portraits fear, anguish and paranoia are unexpectedly appealing to the audience. He always has the audience involved making them feel and react to his work he incorporates imagery that makes us relate to the content. By leaving the story confusing, the viewer is forced to speculate on the possible horrors that might occur in his work. 

Work entitled "The Only Good One Is The Dead One"

Work entitled "Re-Runs"

The Mobile Visual Environment

Friday the 11^th of November

 In my last the lecture the topic of technology was discussed and how we live in a virtual world and how it blurs the line between public and private life. Technology has progressed so fast in the past 20 years. I remember sitting in front of a huge PC screen with what seem now like such a basic computer thinking it was amazing or walking round with which I can now describe as enormous phone thinking it was so cool. I laugh when I think that everybody had the BT cell net phone with your phone case. I remember trading it in for a Nokia and thinking I was a step a head and now 10 years later every body has there I phones with everything literally in there hand and small compact laptops or Androids and I pads. When the first electronic computer was revealed 1946 it was a 30-ton machine.

Technology is so vast everything has made easier or more efficient, people don’t even use a phone call to stay in contact its texting which people even use there own language. Reading books, music, TV, shopping and even meeting people it can all be done at the touch of a button. Books have even become virtual and we seen an example of the virtual magazine which had become less of magazine and more of an experience with sound and animation. Technology has made things interesting. We use technology everyday life especially the Internet that has become an everyday use especially social networking. Sometimes I believe people spend more time chatting online than face to face with another person. When it comes to social networking it has become one of the most popular worldwide online activities, according to comscore.com “social networking accounted for nearly 1 in every 5 minutes spent online globally in October 2011, ranking as the most engaging online activity worldwide. Social networking sites now reach 82 percent of the world’s Internet population age 15 and older that accessed the Internet from a home or work computer, representing 1.2 billion users around the globe.” Technology has definitely made things easier especially meeting people according to facebook statistics the average facebook user had 130 friends. However having 130 friends isn’t necessarily a positive thing especially went it comes to past events a girl in Germany who forgot to post her birthday party as private and accidentally posted it public had face 1500 guest at her door. Technology has definitely caused private to become public look at you tube for example you can post whatever you like and anybody can look at it. A school in Connecticut called Old Say brook High School outlined this in assembly they did for internet safety by taking to the internet and finding out information on the students they were able to find images via google and facebook, the students where outraged thinking it was invasion of privacy. Even employers take to the Internet to research job candidates according to careerbuilder.com “More than one in five employers search social networking sites to screen job candidates, according to a survey of more than 31,000 employers” it also
said “of the hiring managers who use social networks, one-third said they found information on such sites that caused them to toss the candidate out of consideration for a job". So in conclusion nothings private when its on the internet.

The first computer that was weighed 30 tons

1500 guest turn up to a 16 year old's birthday party

Reading The VJ

Friday 28^th

The topic of discussion is audio- visual Art.  What is audio- visual art? We discovered that audio- visual art which is also known, as sound art was the connection between abstract art with sound and film. In order to understand sound art we discussed the sound artist Jem finer and his piece called “score a hole in the ground”. It was a huge pipe dug rite down to an old well and the top was shaped like a gramophone. It would play the sounds from the well. It was an interesting piece of art the main part being that it was visual pleasing and also pleasing to the ear. We then discussed the piece of sound art that Jem finer did in collaboration with are tutor Paul Moore about the sounds of the lough neagh in connection with Jupiter. The question came up is this art? I would have to say that I wasn’t sure until I researched the subject further where I discover what I can only describe a fantastic pieces of art and very clever.

I came across a piece of sound art in Burnley when researching the subject of sound art it is called the singing ringing tree designed by Tonkin-Liu. It is a unique musical sculpture, which are pipes arranged in the shape of a tree. The pipes are supposed to hum when the wind blows. According to the visitburnley.com “folklore and mythology surrounding the ‘Singing-Ringing Tree’ involves handsome princes, beautiful princesses and wicked dwarfs and dates from the time when Europe was covered in primeaval forest. If you remember the BBC children’s television series of the late 1960’s that gripped children with its scary tales and fairy stories based around the legends of the ‘Singing-Ringing Tree’, you cannot fail to be intrigued by this amazing structure.” you can even listen to the tree of you tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rhuFGvXARA&feature=player_embedded#!

Another piece of sound art similar to the concept of the Burnley singing-ringing tree is the Blackpool high tide organ. It is a 15 metre high sculpture designed by the artists Liam Curtin and John Gooding. The sculpture is designed to sound like an organ, which is played by the sea at high tide. There are eight pipes, which are attached to the sea wall; these are connected under the walkway to 18 organ pipes within the sculpture. The high tide pushes air up the sea-wall pipes and causes the organ pipes to make sound. The best time to hear the High Tide Organ is 2-3 hours before or after high tide. The pitches of the pipes are based on the harmonica series in Bflat. You can listen to it on you tube.

thttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rhuFGvXARA&feature=player_embedded#!

So in relation to the question asked is this art? I would say definitely.

The Singing Ringing Tree in Burley

The high tide Organ

Score A Hole In The Ground

Modernism/Postmodernism

21/10/2011

In my last issues in visual culture class we discussed modernism and post modernism.

Modernism and postmodernism are ways of defining historical periods. Modernism referrers to the early 1900s until the early 1950s where people began to move forward and revolt. It is responsible for radical changes in western society. When I researched the subject via the Internet I found that it has influenced technology and architecture, décor, art and literature. Modernism is quite difficult to define. According to the National trust for historic preservation “modernism is not even a singular style, that it incorporates a great variety of aesthetics and sensibilities”. From modernists came modernists people like frank lloyed Wright who they say modern architecture would not have been the same without him.  Modernist artist who rebelled against 19th century traditions believed that previous artistic works where becoming outdated. Modernist movements, such as Cubism in art, Symbolism in poetry and Atonality in music explored the aspects of a developing world. People seemed to be questioning things and developing in a way they thought was viable.

The question came up who was a modern and who was postmodern. Modern being the self-aware person who was embraces the new and inventive and says goodbye to the old less efficient. Postmodern is someone who is modern but cant help looking at the old trying to make it better. I would say am post modern. The comment came in class that post modern can seem shallow or eccentric why not live with modern times. To me modernism is a very minimal no matter what way you look at it the when it comes to technology, art and books everything is very minimal. Modern art in comparison to the art movements such as realism and romanticism is block colours and vivid clear lines less detail. The most well known art movement which modernism introduce was pop art which had as I explain not much detail and a lot of block colours. Post modernism is described as the critique of modernism but it has many different meanings. According to art history. Com “For some it means anti-modern; for others it means the revision of modernist premises”.

                                           works by andy Warhol

14/10/11

I have been asked to write a blog for my issues in visual culture class. Each blog entry is about every lecture I attend for my issues in visual culture class. 
In out last lecture we discussed a few subjects. In one instant my tutor was talking about society and in the other LSD, I don’t think I ever seen the day when I thought to two subjects would be discussed in the same process. When the class is called issues in visual culture. Although it did pull together in the end. The lecture had many good points including the one about society. When he referred to school as teaching us to act in a appropriate way I do agree with this because going to an all girls catholic school where you had to wear the same thing and act the same way you weren’t allowed any makeup or piercing’s or crazy colors in your hair.

When it came to the track test in which was a very interesting method. I did not have a clue about half the people or bands I was listening to I was pretty clueless. I could only guess Bowie, The who and the beetles. I was very disappointed in myself as I thought I had a better knowledge of music history, obviously I was wrong. I actually went to my parents after wards asking, “ who was Chuck Berry” and they exclaimed, “do you not know anything”, which I replied I was never taught. However it did get me thinking that maybe I should brush up on a bit of history.

The lecture then moved on to the subject of album covers and how many had become timeless and a work of art. They’re many timeless songs but also album covers. It is a well known that we identify with music by looking at a album or CD cover just like we judge books based on their covers. Which means that music actually speaks to us before we have even listened to it. I am hugely influenced by album covers I actually bought the yeah, yeah, yeahs album fever to tell because I liked the cover but I ended up liking them so it worked out well. However times have changed and album covers have taken a backseat and CD’s are now being phased out and downloading has taken over. Album covers are timeless; many are collector’s items especially when it comes to timeless bands such as, the beetles and the rolling stones. The beetle’s album “Yesterday and today” is highly collectable. In the cover you see the beetles covered in baby dolls and butcher meat, most of the albums where recalled and pasted over with a more convenient image. In 1968 the rolling stones released an album called “Beggars banquet” it was the first album cover to not feature a picture of the band instead it was a picture of graffiti on a bathroom wall. Their record label considerate to be bad taste and a legal battle followed which the rolling stones lost. The cover was then changed to an invitation like cover.

Psychedelic album covers where also referenced in the lecture. This is the part where LSD was referenced and how it influenced a different style on vinyl covers as they where very hippy and surreal. Psychedelic music came about in the 1960s when the use of LSD was introduced as a recreational drug. LSD had a huge effect on popular music in the 1960s. The beetles are one of the bands in that you can actually see how LSD influenced their music especially when you listen to songs such as “Lucy and the diamonds” and  “tomorrow never knows” you can also see this in their album cover Revolver. 
In conclusion to the lecture, I have learnt that society has asked us and trained us to ask a certain way and because artists through the decades have rebelled against society we now have very liberation music and timeless pieces of album art, which have controversial imagery, which is defiant and inspired by recreational drug use.