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Extended proposal
For part of the Masters course I had to write an extended proposal to be signed off by me and my supervisors on 20th April.
As changes in direction from the initial proposal are common the extended proposal helps to clarify the intent of the students and their future work.
Below is where my thinking was at this time:
Gary Peters: Extended Proposal
Outline
- [Where I was][]
- [What I've been doing][]
- Initial tests
- Results
- [Placing my work – the edges of the puzzle][]
- [Getting to the core][]
- [Artists & texts][]
- [Getting to the core][]
- On making
- The importance of play
- [What next][]
- Approach
Where I was
In my initial proposal I stated a desire to bring two parts of my practice together to make better work. The two parts were:
For my masters I'd like to bring the gaming elements in my work, the engagement with my audience and my painting practice together. I propose creating different vehicles to engage and interact with my audience. The resulting data from these interactions will feed into my painting and generate the work.
What I've been doing
During the first four weeks of the term I've run several 'quick and dirty' tests to explore my different ideas and to see which may be worth pursuing further.
Initial tests
- Three paintings
- An online game or two
- Maptastic
- Exposing my practice
I've also started other work
- Paper folding
- Paintings on board
Results
1. Paintings on canvas
2. Online games
A visual game, the structure of which is based on the mapping of the Island of the Lizard King book. Click on an image to lead you to another image. No words, just images.
3. Maptastic
Drawings based on playing the book Island of the Lizard King.
The book is played and the moves (locations) are recorded (1, 135, 288, 14, etc). A grid measuring 20 × 20 points is drawn up on gridded A3 paper. The 400 points correspond to the 400 locations in the game. The location data is then applied to the grid one move at a time, replaying the moves of the game.
With it's total of 135 moves the first game map reveals a complex mesh of lines intersecting with each other. Horizontals, verticals and diagonals all competing with each other. The resulting cacophony is frenetic in feel, perhaps the activity of someone's thoughts jumping all over the place. It's been a long journey.
In comparison a game of only 13 moves yields a less frenetic line, quieter yet spiky - reminiscent of the jerky flight path of a somewhat angular fly. Partially defined planes provide illusions of space and depth.
The lines map my movements made while playing the book. They also provide a visual record of the time taken and provide a disjointed and perhaps quite useless geographical map of the island.
4. Exposing my practice
- A web page documenting my work: http://garypeters.info/masters/
- Weekly newsletters (ongoing):
#78 explorations
#77 Playing the game
The sharing of my process via my weekly newsletter could perhaps be seen as a "truth to materials" approach. This revealing of my process, of my thoughts, of the making itself provides a "behind the scenes" look available to those who are interested. It builds a story of the work and gives readers a possible way in to the work.
5. Paper folding
These experiments came about quite suddenly one afternoon. Initially I was trying to take a crystal like doodle I'd made and make it larger. I wondered if I could fold some gridded A3 paper to the same shape as my drawing. I got close. Folding of yellow A4 paper followed, both plane and lined, making flat polygon cell like structures. Butting these together to create new forms. Also experimenting with pearlescent origami paper.
There's something of the biological in these later foldings. The cell like nature and the implied ease at which they could easily spread and replicate.
The resulting objects along raised a variety questions:
- Do I wish to make this irregular (non-rectangular) shape a painting surface and if so, how and why?
- Do I need to make the object (opening to scrutiny my technical construction abilities (or lack there of)) or would a painting of the object be enough?
- How would I deal with the edges?
- How little do I need to do to make something?
6. Paintings on board
One of the canvas works consisted of an organic crystal like structure made up of soft maroon and transparent purple planes sitting in the middle of a pale blue washed background.
The smaller works on board have quite a different feel – a hard crystal structure, spiky in nature, sits in the middle of a lightly gessoed panel. Wood grain can be seen through the thin gesso. A hand drawn crystal has slightly wonky edges. A wonky geometry. Planes are coloured in cool greys, pale blues and off whites. Tonal.
This cooler work attempts to turn a wire frame map of an empty space into a solid form. I'm reminded of the early work of Rachel Whiteread and her casting of empty spaces under chairs and in bookcases. The result is a new terrain to explore. Something perceived as solid. The nothingness of the wireframe becomes tangible.
Placing my work – the edges of the puzzle
I can best describe my current situation as feeling like I've most of the pieces of a jigsaw (there are some missing), I'm without the picture on the box lid so am not entirely sure of the image I'm trying to construct. And I have a sneaky suspicion that there are several pieces from different puzzles that don't belong here. I'm currently sifting through the pieces trying to build the edges of the puzzle.
The edges as I see them:
- mapping space / re-mapping space
- systems, chance, free will
- breaking the rules
- gaming and the gaming space
- the games I used to play as a kid (adventure games, connect)
- the psychology and emotional quality of spaces & places
- being lost (or not)
- search
- personal structures
Expanding on these:
- The use of systems and rules to make work and intentionally subverting these established rules by using chance (or chosen) interventions.
- Game spaces, particularly those from my childhood (eg. the choose your own adventure books). The "why" behind this interest is one I've yet to fathom.
- The mapping of the virtual worlds we create , why we create them and what we believe we gain from doing so.
- The "objectness" of painting and it's importance (or not) in my practice
- How light a touch (if any) is required from me to make a work. How slight can my making be?
- The use of geometry as an avoidance of the emotional self and/or as a means to reveal an emotional self. Can geometry carry emotion?
- Abstraction, the discussions around it and where my work and I sit within this
- The notion of the glitch, of the error, the planned "mistake"
- The place of boredom in bringing about rule breaking
- How can I map an ever-changing infinite space? Is it even possible. What are my motivations for doing so?
If I had to try and place my work, as varied as it currently is, my drawings could be seen as taking the strategies used by minimalism, by Sol Lewitt, mixing in some John Cage for good measure attempting to inject the human into the geometric to find meaning. I see subverting these systems as having the potential to allow for that “something human”, something carrying feeling and meaning to occur.
Artists & texts
Alison Knowles, Fluxus artist. Poetry from systems and using little in the way of materials, especially her piece "House of Dust"
Jessica Stockholder
For her sense of the thingness of objects, her lucidity in explaining her working processes and her sense of colour and painting.
Martin Creed
For the sheer cheekiness of his work, his lightness of touch and playfulness.
Peter Halley
His writing on abstraction and modernity to provoke me and to aid in placing my own practice in context. His concerns with space, the personal and of course his painting.
John Cage
His use of chance, his purposefulness in breaking the rules and challenging established systems.
Sol Lewitt & Simon Patterson
For their use of systems and rules to make work. Going beyond the canvas.
Beyond Geometry, experiments in for, 1940s-70s - Lyn Zelevansky
For me to explore the historical the context for my work. To raise questions for my own practice.
The Poetics of Space, Gaston Bachelard
His exploration of our perception of architectural spatial places and spaces.
Getting to the core
Getting underneath my working experiments it feels as if the core is made of several parts. The first being an interest in using systems and rules from games to provide a framework around which to build and develop my work. The second being a desire to break these rules, to intervene in someway and inject something of the human into the game. To allow for intimacy. The third (and I'm thinking of the crystal works here) allowing for personal rules and systems to make reveal themselves through making and to find meaning. For creation to happen outside or within the gaps of an established system.
On making
I've noticed that while I can state what I'd like to do, once I start making my work and I tend to find our own way. Often a different way to the one proposed.
The importance of play
My sense of play is an inherent part of the making and development of my work. I solve making problems through making, not through reading or thinking. Sometimes this approach brings quite unexpected results (eg. playing with paper). Thinking with my hands and eyes rather than my head is something I'm keen to remember.
What next
I feel my direction has shifted since my initial proposal.
While the desire to interact with my audience is still there, it's not so prominent. For the time being I aim to continue to develop my work and see if and where the desire for audience participation/collaboration rises.
I plan to continue to focus on using the games I played as a child to provide frameworks for my work. I'd also, for now, like to continue to explore the crystal forms and the mapping of space. Perhaps the two can be brought together (the structured and the organic) to find new meanings for both.
An approach
Make, make, make!
Reflect, edit, focus, make.
Reflect. Talk.
Listen.
Listen harder.
Reflect.
Read, write, read some more
Mull and ponder.
Write some.
Make.
Make some more.
Reflect, edit, make and read some more, write (though not simultaneously).
Rinse and repeat.
Seriously… (not that the above isn't)
Making is what moves my work forward. I trust my intuition, my process and where it will lead me. I plan to carry on writing my weekly newsletter as part of my documenting and revealing this process.
The structure of the course with it's key points (Crits, the Symposium, final show) along with my desire to enter competitions (The Waikato, The Wallace) will bring important necessary points of focus for my practice requiring the production of resolved works and writing.
I've also begun thinking about the bigger picture and around a show. At some point I'd like to show at the Hirschfeld Gallery. A group or solo show (ideally a solo). There's also Enjoy and Toi Poneke to consider.
It's early days.
Let's see where the work takes me.
Next project: → The battle is over and victory is yours (One false move)
Previous project: ← Initial research proposal