I must confess, remedy I came with preconceptions: the Turner Prize’s reputation for “challenging” art that leaves much of the public baffled, there precedes it.
Your intrepid reporters are me, Satu, Art Editor of Amelia’s Magazine, who likes ceramics and the British Museum; and my much more knowledgable advisor Sally, our Fashion Editor, a graduate of Goldsmith’s fine art and art history course. Sally has been to the exhibition many times, while I have never felt much interest, mainly because of the often negative coverage. I like things that are beautifully made rather than conceptually challenging and so there are a few holes in the jumper of my arts understanding.
According to Sally, the Turner Prize space at Tate Britain has sometimes felt cluttered, more like the dusty archives of each artist’s endeavour than a well-culled selection of their best. This year’s exhibition does away with the volume in favour of carefully chosen pieces, sometimes very few and sometimes more, that work together to reveal each person’s themes and motivations.
The four artists seem incredibly different. On first entering you find Lucy Skaer’s work revolving around found objects, the skeletons of whales and the material coal dust. Large prints made from a dismantled chair form a sort of language, with punctuation but no recognisable letters. The three-dimensional works include a real whale skeleton, borrowed from a museum, which is rather frustratingly concealed behind white panels. I liked the look of Skaer’s work – it was all black and white, bold shapes – but I didn’t take much away from it. Nothing was especially beautifully made or memorable visually.
In sharp contrast, the dedication and care put into Richard Wright’s painting could not have been more evident. A large-scale painting done in an almost medieval decorative style, the work will be painted over once the exhibition ends and so feels like it exists purely for its own sake, and for the beauty of making something with human hands for human enjoyment. This is the sort of thing I love! I could imagine the artist up on a scaffold, creating first the cartoon by dusting a paper stencil with black powder, then carefully going over each tiny line with gold paint. This work makes the most of its context, the blank white room.
Enrico David’s sculpture plumbs some darker depths, with malevolent human faces appearing to be trapped on strange over-sized toys, a distinctly adult version of the terrifying toy that comes to life. Noface from Spirited Away, the tall black ghost with the white face, makes a cameo in the uncanny resemblance to him by a surreal cloth model whose extended arms drape over boards and stacks of boxes, making a physical link between portraits of strange characters with impossible bodies: a torso placed on backwards legs for example. There is a strong sense of a murky underworld but again I felt that the poor physical quality of the objects made them feel tacky and reduced the impact of the visual concepts.
My strong feeling that care should go into works of art faced its strongest challenge in the room demonstrating Roger Hiorns’ work. There were sculptures that appeared to be made of cast plastic, which I learned from the curator were impregnated with cow brain matter. The most eye-catching piece in the room (excluding his stunning “Seizure”, above, a council flat filled with copper sulphate crystals) is the ionised airplane engine, whose powdered remains have been dumped in the middle of the room. That word “dumped” is used advisedly: there was some debate between Sally and I over whether the amount of care taken over the spreading of the ashes was vital or not important.
The care that goes into the composition of art is very important to me. It’s not clear despite investigation, whether the beautiful landscape created by Hiorn’s ionised metals is intentional or arbitrary. Ionising an aircraft engine is not a quick and easy process: does it really matter whether he carefully laid out each line of powder according to a plan, knowing we would be looking? Arbitrariness is apparently an important part of his work with chemical processes – the outcome is uncertain and intended to derail the confidence we modern folk have in technology and the physical world around us. The work certainly started debate and that’s what we’re after. Maybe I need to get over my need for art to be neat around the edges and allow it to be messy, tacky, cheap and nasty if it needs to be.
I’ll make no predictions for the winner, although I think that Roger Hiorns is streets ahead in terms of thoughtfulness and confidence; his work is original but grounded in the natural world. It would be Richard Wright’s work I would have in my fantasy future house though: beautiful, unique and then gone with a stroke of white paint.
Written by Satu Fox on Tuesday October 13th, 2009 5:22 pm
Queenly gowns. That’s the phrase that jumps to mind whilst watching Ashley Islam’s elegant collection. These are Red Carpet gowns for the red carpet, rx bridal for weddings, for the opera. Sleek Calvin Klein-esque nude maxi one shoulder dresses. These were power gowns coloured in Royal Blue, they gathered at the waist and fell full-length to the floor.
The hair and eyes were reminiscent of the Egyptians with sleek cat eyes and heavy gold lids. The hair was slicked back as if in homage to Greek goddesses.
A varied collection, Islam presented nude-tight-short-short body conscience dresses embellished with colour piping that was heavy-on-the-ruffles. It was an inspired jolt of energy reminiscent of Christopher Kane.
Continuing the laid back glamour, the collection heavily featured bustiers and corsets inlaid into the dresses, whether a strong feature or a material stitched to create a thought of a corset.
Islam displayed technical prowess with the short short seashell dress, the stitching of tiny pearls across the whole dress was particularly beautiful.
Summer dressers were present in sheer printed fabric, one dress provided a nod to the recent zip trend and the collection was filled with drapes and pleats
Continuing the varied nature of the collection and displaying the multiple thoughts occupying the designer’s head, a delicate, watercolour print blown up across the fabric stalked through down the catwalk.
The collection was democratic in the wide selection of dresses presented, each dress was presented in a maxi and mini version. It was a catwalk for the night. From the column to the cut out draped backless dresses, Ashley Islam sent nightwear flooding down the catwalk.
Eastern Princesses walked in their bridal gear, body conscious numbers, the fabric taped down until fanning out across the runway like the froth of the sea. No doubt we will see Michelle Williams from Destiny’s Child (seated front row) gracing the red carpet in one of these designs soon.
Catwalk Hand Held snaps: Elizabeth Johnson
Despite last year’s reports of the economic sky falling and the gathering clouds sending buyers scurrying for safe ground, viagra 40mg one designer stood defiantly against the whipping winds of change and scanned the skies for a little golden sunshine. And gold he found….caves of the stuff.
He found refuge in the troves of religious iconography, viagra mosaics and relics in the massive hull of the Royal Academy of Art’s epic exhibit Byzantium. Designer Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi explains the concept behind the opulent armor-like boleros and satin sheaths, “It’s based on Byzantine women who have been woken up from a crypt and hauled on to the catwalk”. Wish I looked that good when I woke up, not to mention after a 2,500 year long catnap! What he has awoken is an appetite for unabashed opulence.
Qasimi’s legion of epic angular boleros of heavily jeweled gold crowned regal scarlet sheaths. Tomato satins and billowing turquoise gowns followed luxurious ivory jodhpurs. His Midas touch glazed eyelids and jackets alike in gold foil while halos of jutting geometry transformed models into saintly icons. The integration of geometry likely originated with one of the designer’s other inspirations, 84 yr old Iranian artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian whose use of mirror mosaics, Islamic geometric pattern and reverse-glass painting in modernist works.
Qasimi enlisted the skills of British jewellery designer Scott Wilson, who has worked with groundbreaking designer Hussein Chalayan, to collaborate on the project. One of the most enticing of which were the bejeweled (and interchangeable!) spats.
The bubble of Byzantium existed in the Dark Ages, in may ways not disimilar to tremors we’re experiencing these days. While the Roman Empire disintegrated around them, plunging Europe into the Dark Ages, the rich island nation of Byzantium continued to pour money into the arts by commissioning religious works . While the safety and priveleges enjoyed by some evaporated to be replaced by a constant state of danger and uncertainty, others simply exchanged one set of miseries for another. A fitting era to look to for clues. “I wanted to create something optimistic to lift us from all the financial doom and gloom,” said Al Qasimi.
Byzantium continued to advance the arts in a cloak of spirituality when the lights went out in the rest of the world and it helps to remember that there would have been no Renaissance without it.
Currently in talks with leading department stores to produce a capsule evening-wear line aimed at Middle Eastern women we can just imagine Dubain princesses licking their lips for these faberge dresses.
One person whose eye it pays to catch is that of Dazed and Confused creative director Nicola Formichetti. The style whisperer has already slipped Lady Gaga into a Qasimi creation for her new video and has tempted vocal vixen Florence Welch, from Florence and the Machine, into a new look by the designer.
Qasimi’s elevated tastes if not perspective never disappoints. So while we nibbled on our foil wrapped chocolates in the cavernous Old Sorting Building it was hard not to believe that luxury and limitless optimism were still kicking around out there somewhere.
Despite last year’s reports of the economic sky falling and the gathering clouds sending buyers scurrying for safe ground, viagra one designer stood defiantly against the whipping winds of change and scanned the skies for a little golden sunshine. And gold he found….caves of the stuff.
He found refuge in the troves of religious iconography, remedy mosaics and relics in the massive hull of the Royal Academy of Art’s epic exhibit Byzantium. Designer Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi explains the concept behind the opulent armor-like boleros and satin sheaths, nurse “It’s based on Byzantine women who have been woken up from a crypt and hauled on to the catwalk”. Wish I looked that good when I woke up, not to mention after a 2,500 year long catnap! What he has awoken is an appetite for unabashed opulence.
Qasimi’s legion of epic angular boleros of heavily jeweled gold crowned regal scarlet sheaths. Tomato satins and billowing turquoise gowns followed luxurious ivory jodhpurs. His Midas touch glazed eyelids and jackets alike in gold foil while halos of jutting geometry transformed models into saintly icons. The integration of geometry likely originated with one of the designer’s other inspirations, 84 yr old Iranian artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian whose use of mirror mosaics, Islamic geometric pattern and reverse-glass painting in modernist works.
Qasimi enlisted the skills of British jewellery designer Scott Wilson, who has worked with groundbreaking designer Hussein Chalayan, to collaborate on the project. One of the most enticing of which were the bejeweled (and interchangeable!) spats.
The bubble of Byzantium existed in the Dark Ages, in may ways not disimilar to tremors we’re experiencing these days. While the Roman Empire disintegrated around them, plunging Europe into the Dark Ages, the rich island nation of Byzantium continued to pour money into the arts by commissioning religious works . While the safety and priveleges enjoyed by some evaporated to be replaced by a constant state of danger and uncertainty, others simply exchanged one set of miseries for another. A fitting era to look to for clues. “I wanted to create something optimistic to lift us from all the financial doom and gloom,” said Al Qasimi.
Byzantium continued to advance the arts in a cloak of spirituality when the lights went out in the rest of the world and it helps to remember that there would have been no Renaissance without it.
Currently in talks with leading department stores to produce a capsule evening-wear line aimed at Middle Eastern women we can just imagine Dubain princesses licking their lips for these faberge dresses.
One person whose eye it pays to catch is that of Dazed and Confused creative director Nicola Formichetti. The style whisperer has already slipped Lady Gaga into a Qasimi creation for her new video and has tempted vocal vixen Florence Welch, from Florence and the Machine, into a new look by the designer.
Qasimi’s elevated tastes if not perspective never disappoints. So while we nibbled on our foil wrapped chocolates in the cavernous Old Sorting Building it was hard not to believe that luxury and limitless optimism were still kicking around out there somewhere.
Turner Prize
Enrico David, drug Roger Hiorns, page Lucy Skaer and Richard Wright are the lucky shortlisted ones on the Turner Prize’s notepad this year and it’s been noted that the Prize has gone for less shock and awe than usual, stuff resulting in a more thoughtful set of works on show. You will probably have at least heard of Roger Hiorns via his incredible work coating an entire flat in blue crystals.But it’s not about the fame of course. From Tuesday, you can go along to the Tate Britain and see for yourself.
Grayson Perry is trying his hand at something other than ceramics with his “Walthamstow Tapestry”, an amazing, detailed piece of work a bit like a Bayeaux Tapestry for 2009. They cared about war, we care about shopping, it seems. Perry examines our consumerism but has also made something that is anti-consumerist: a one-off object that is the opposite of fast fashion or instant gratification.
Dance Umbrella
In recent years we’ve all rediscovered how amazing it is to watch and do dancing that is more involved than shuffling from one foot to the other while hoping that person over there will notice you. A big part of this change, other than Strictly of course, is Dance Umbrella. The influential dance festival-makers annual season kicks off this week, with the theme “African Crossroads”. They are staging performances and “days out” where you can get a little taster of lots of the shows going on around London over the next few weeks.
Origin London Craft Fair
There’s something special about an item that’s been made with love by another human being and not just generated by a machine or made under duress in a sweatshop. All the 300-odd artisans at this craft fair at Somerset House make beautiful pieces that are worth treasuring or just getting inspiration for your own Autum projects from.
Written by Satu Fox on Monday October 5th, 2009 3:13 pm
