PPD 3 by Zoë Moyden

Personal Professional Development 3 Zoe Moyden

Personal Professional Development

As the start of the final part of the course commences, I have taken the time to reflect on my practice over the past year and how it has progressed for me to surmise a common theme, which will be explored and analysed throughout my final major project development.

My practice has become increasingly concerned with the use of language within art and during the last brief I connected my learning within my dissertation topic with the processes involved in my practice. I find that this area of art is very relevant to the ethos of interdisciplinary as interdisciplinarity is the intention of crossing traditional boundaries to create an amalgamation of exciting and innovative ideas. The method in which I intend to continue to merge subject areas is through the analysis of how other practitioners synthesise language and art, to constantly review how successful my concepts are through developmental tests, fortnightly reviews of ideas formed in an online zine and gaining more awareness of how artists in the same field showcase their work.

This folder includes exhibitions that I have researched primarily for the relevance of their content to that of my practice. I have explained what I will be looking for within each exhibition to aid my progress within finalising an idea for the final major project. Currently I am interested in the space around text and the environments in which we read that are relevant to the type of things we read, but I understand that my knowledge of how this concept is formed within art is minimal and I predict that the exhibitions stated in this folder will benefit my knowledge and progress.

I recognize that attendance to timetable and studio sessions are of paramount importance. It is also of great importance that my time during personal and timetabled practice is spent doing things that will constantly progress my work and improve my critical awareness of the subject area to help me gather a solid understanding, which will transfer to further study and employment within the arts. In order to do this I will, with the help of my mentor each week set out a comprehensive plan for the week ahead, and make time to critically evaluate my work. An example of the type of timetable that will be used is included in the folder.

My future ambitions after finishing the course are to be accepted onto a post-graduate course and to build a career working with art institutions or publications that have a strong emphasis on art and design. I acknowledge that the next months are going to be spent developing the most advanced project I have done on the course and I want this project to be a springboard for further studies which will be of the same focus. I have included details of the course I am applying for as well as annotated pages that describe the modules in the course. Alongside my start of the final major project I will be writing my personal statement and honing it to be of the best standard for submission to the university.

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Camden Arts Centre: 20 January 2012 - 18 March 2012

This will be the first solo exhibition by German artist Hanne Darboven in the UK. Born in Hamburg in 1941 Darboven studied at the Hochschule für bildende Künste before moving to New York in 1966. During her short time there her work became associated with the beginnings of conceptual and minimal art. Although her work is largely informed by the principles of these movements there is an intimacy to its production that operates in contrast to an often rigid and regulated appearance. The exhibition will feature a number of Darboven’s large scale serial works which focus on the passage and structuring of time. These vast installations are formed of hand drawn notations and numbers, musical scores and texts which are sometimes accompanied by images and objects.

9 x 11 = 99 (detail), 1972 305 sheets of paper, handwritten with pencil, ballpoint pen and felt pen, a few collages Courtesy Camden Arts Centre and Konrad Fischer Galerie, © The estate of the artist

Sunrise/Sunset (installation view) , 1984 385 sheets of paper, felt pen, postcards Courtesy Camden Arts Centre and Konrad Fischer Galerie, © The estate of the artist

Analysis: The structural theme of this exhibition with an emphasis on time is what intrigues me the most. The appearance of the installation with its regulations and turning mediums such as music scores into visual art relates to the concepts that could be carried out through development in my final major project.

EMILY SPEED: NOTHING IS FINISHED, NOTHING IS PERFECT, NOTHING LASTS. Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool. 30 MAR - 2 SEP 2012

Artist’s impression - Nothing is finished, Nothing is perfect, Nothing lasts © Emily Speed Liverpool-based Emily Speed makes sculptural works that explore the temporary and transient nature of things. Through reference to architecture and the body, she investigates buildings as physical shelters and as containers for memory, bound with the history of their occupiers. Speed has been commissioned as the second artist in our Wall Work series. Her new installation takes the folded shape of the gallery’s façade as a starting point and adds a layer to it, transforming the appearance of the wall into a giant, creased piece of paper. “The ‘undone’ corner of this new building suggests architectural decay and transience. Like the dog-eared pages of a book that indicates past readers, the passage of time registers visibly on architecture and this fold is just one small trace of activity; a reminder of the occupants of the site.” Emily Speed

Analysis: Although the concepts that Emily Speed explores in her work don’t necessarily relate to the themes within my work, I thought that this exhibition would be a valuable form of research for me as she uses the gallery space to inform her work and her comment on ‘a reminder of the occupants of the site’ could be an interesting concept for me to explore in my development of potential reading spaces. The indication of peoples’ interactions is also an interesting notion, and when visiting this exhibition I will comment on how the artist has portrayed this.

THE FORGETTING OF PROPER NAMES Calvert 22 gallery. 25 January - 18 March 2012 Curated by Lina Džuverović and Dominik Czechowski Artists: Wojciech Bąkowski, Anna Molska, Agnieszka Polska The Forgetting of Proper Names is a multi-strand, two-month season that focuses on the vibrant contemporary art and culture from Poland, exploring the subjectivity of memory, language and translation, the way the past is reshaped over time and reinterpreted as it crosses cultural boundaries. Centred around a core exhibition of three young, dynamic Polish artists showing for the first time in London: Wojciech Bąkowski (b. 1979, Poznan), Anna Molska (b. 1983, Prudnik) and Agnieszka Polska (b. 1985, Lublin), this unique season also interweaves performance, screenings, readings and discussion exploring the fresh innovative ways in which the artists engage with the history of the avant-garde and the changing social conditions in contemporary Poland, making explicit the connections to contemporary Polish literature, poetry and music. Wojciech Bakowski. Take a Minute,

2011,

Performance

Courtesy Galeria Stereo, Poznan

Analysis: I thought that this exhibition would be interesting for a wider knowledge on language and different cultures, as this has not been addressed in my work as of yet. The connections to literature that the artists have will enable me to gather further information on how literature is used within art and there is the further dynamic that the literature that is used will be culturally different. I will try to attend the appropriate readings/discussions to gain first hand insight into the concepts of this exhibition.

As an extension to our current practice, we have developed the Portable Reading Room to act as a mobile bookshop, gallery and project space. As well as being a site for activities the Portable reading Room will be a social sculpture in its own right, centered on the activity of reading and the book as an expressive medium. Readers will be encouraged to interact with one another in an unfamiliar but welcoming space and, in a sense, “put themselves into” the imprint. It can be part of exhibitions, set up in public spaces such as museums, universities, theatre foyers and festivals and will function as an exhibit in itself in a gallery space. It can complement a broad range of events such as exhibitions, art fairs, artists’ book fairs, conferences, symposia, school and college curricula. We want to see The Portable Reading Room tour to a range of venues to publicise and disseminate our imprint with the new publications as a focus. In return, it offers a space for artists working with WPP and for local groups and individuals to devise and run their own activities based around ideas of reading, writing, publication and the integration of these into visual art. These collaborative activities offer a platform to a network of practitioners and enable audiences to become active participants. Its interactivity will allow the viewer/reader to become fully engrossed in the concept and the media. We can offer a range of participatory activities, based round the core themes of the project, and aimed at a wide range of audiences. These will be delivered by Wild Pansy Press artists and by outside groups and individuals. The programme of activities will be pitched to a wide range of potential participants (in consultation with venues) from children to professionals. We hope that one outcome of this project will be to break down boundaries between what are separately seen as “Literature”, “Writing” and “Art” and, by doing so, extend participants’ and their audiences’ understanding of what these forms can offer.

Analysis: The concepts addressed by the Wild Pansy Press fit in very well with the themes that will occur in my final major project. The dissemination of ideas and the breaking of boundaries in literature, writing and art are ideas that are close to my subject area and the prospect of being able to see and interact with the portable reading room is very exciting. Having seen the portable reading room at the London Art Book Fair 2011, I understand the space to be accommodating yet intimate and being able to see the space again will further my knowledge on the concept of space connected with reading. I aim to make contact with the Wild Pansy Press to see if I could collaborate with them at some point during the project.

Dan Graham Pavilions Lisson Gallery 29 Bell Street London 21 March – 28 April 2012 Lisson Gallery is pleased to announce a show of new works by Dan Graham. One of the world’s most influential conceptual artists, Graham has been investigating the relationship between architectural environments and those who inhabit them since the late 60’s. His very personal and intuitive exploration of architectural space and perception has come to be defined by his pavilions. Blurring the line between art and architecture, Graham’s pavilions comprise steel, mirror and glass structures that create diverse optical effects. Created as hybrids, they operate as quasi-functional spaces and art installations. Studies of space and light they are situated in public spaces and are activated by the presence of the viewer. Rigorously conceptual, uniquely beautiful and avowedly public, the pavilions exhibit a deliberate disorientation and playfulness that Graham encourages. After looking at office buildings in the 80’s he began using the same two-way mirror glass used in their construction to create the pavilions. A material that is both transparent and reflective it enabled Graham to deconstruct the surveillance aspect of the material, creating light-hearted situations out of potentially sinister ones; using humour to subvert corporate culture. Viewers are involved in the voyeuristic act of seeing oneself reflected, while at the same time watching others. Whilst giving people a sense of themselves in space it can also result in loss of self as the viewer is momentarily unable to determine the difference between the physical reality and the reflection. The architecture of the pavilions results in a shift in perceptions; outside to the inside, focus and dissolution, the virtual and the real.

Dan Graham Triangular Pavilion with Circular Cut-out © Dan Graham and the Lisson Gallery

Analysis: I was very excited to see that Dan Graham, an artist that was included in my dissertation was having an exhibition this year. Although the overall concept of this exhibition is not necessarily connected with my work, Graham’s ideas of space, like Speed’s will further my knowledge on how artists portray art that is connected with space and how the viewer/audience is a direct influence on the piece.

Banner Repeater Ten Chapters Seven Chapters, A Contents Page, Parenthesis and Footnotes Performances and Interventions: Andrew Lanyon, Rebecca Lennon, Jenny Moore, Francesco Pedraglio, Monica Rivas Saturday 28th - 29th January 2012 19:35 - 21:00 The evening begins at Liverpool Street Station at 19.35pm. Board the 19:45 train to Cheshunt five stops to Banner Repeater. Promptness is essential, especially if prone to missing trains, and in this case missing the train means missing a one-time-only performance! (If you're unable to catch this train, please still come to Banner Repeater for additional performances and readings from 8pm-9pm) Ten Chapters Seven Chapters, A Contents Page, Parenthesis and Footnotes is a new publication featuring works by: Davide Balliano, Ami Clarke, Emma Hart, Andrew Lanyon, Rebecca Lennon, Louisa Martin, Jenny Moore, Tamarin Norwood, Francesco Pedraglio, and Mónica Rivas. The individual chapters announce their arrival via an evolving contents page which diagrammatically charts the evolution of the book's existence though it's myriad and disparate events; performances, films, drawings, text, sculpture, and printed materials - each suggesting the nature of the book which itself continually escapes full comprehension. Exhibition continues on 29th January. Concept: Louisa Martin.

Analysis: Although I won’t be able to make the performance of this exhibition, I hope to visit Banner Repeater at Hackney Downs train station to have a look at the actual exhibition. The concept of the space at the station intrigues me more than the content as the volume of people that enter the station each day will influence how many people visit the project space. The growth of this project mirrors the growth of the audience and I am very interested in the frequency of things (books in particular) being viewed.

Art, Aesthetics and Cultural Institutions MA

This exciting Philosophy Masters programme offers the opportunity to study art, history of art, aesthetics, design, film and other related academic subjects, as well as the chance to consider the theory and practice of curating and museology. Programme outline: Art, Aesthetics and Cultural Institutions MA A key component of the programme is active collaboration between Philosophy, CAVA (Centre for Architecture and Visual Arts) and local cultural institutions including Tate Liverpool, National Museums Liverpool, Static, and Culture Campus. Tate Liverpool contributes a module on Contemporary Curating. This collaboration creates an academic environment in which students can grasp the practical application of theory and, if they wish, develop more practice based skills. These skills are developed in a Research Skills and Placement module which includes an internship either within an external cultural institution or in the University’s own art gallery and museum. COREMODULES Contemporary Curating PHIL759 (15 credits) Using Tate Liverpool as a resource, this module will examine contemporary art from the perspective of the places and spaces in which modern and contemporary art is shown. Students will be given the opportunity to consider the theoretical implications of the uses of space, and to study specific exhibition case-studies. They will also have the opportunity to participate in research forums (Tate run platforms for MA and PhD students to present their research) and exchange events (informal discussion evenings on contemporary exhibitions) encouraging students to debate and discuss the curating of contemporary art in the company of artists and curators. Main Topics I PHIL755 (30 credits) This module will introduce students to current issues thematic and historical in aesthetics, cultural theory, art history and design. These issues will be specifically aligned to the current research interests of members of staff. The module will also provide a friendly forum for discussion and debate. Main Topics II PHIL756 (30 credits) This module follows on fromPHIL755 and will introduce students to current issues thematic and historical in aesthetics, cultural theory, art history and design. These issues will be specifically aligned to the current research interests of members of staff. The module will also provide a friendly forum for discussion and debate. Dissertation PHIL706 (60 credits) Students will choose a topic of special interest in philosophy and conduct research into this area of interest via reading and private study under the supervision of the supervisor to whom they have been allocated. Philosophy and Literature PHIL725 (15 credits) This module provides an opportunity to reflect on the connections and disjunctions between the practice of literary criticism and philosophical activity. Accordingly students should not expect this module to consist simply of “literary theory” or “literary aesthetics”, but rather to be a means of questioning the presuppositions of these disciplines. Key Texts in Art Theory PHIL760 (15 credits) This module aims to provide a detailed critical examination of a text of particular importance to the development of philosophical reflection on art, aesthetics and culture.

Possible Career Path after education: Art Editing Art editors are responsible for the way a magazine looks. They present the words and images in a way that is easy for the reader to digest, with high visual impact. The job covers all aspects of layout, design and photography and may include: • • • • • •

laying out pages for the magazine, often to tight deadlines discussing design and layout ideas with the editor and other colleagues commissioning photographers and illustrators sketching out and designing the cover - which must always look distinctive to attract buyers anticipating trends and setting the magazine's overall visual style Controlling the art budget.

Art editors have to be: • • • • •

creative, with a highly-developed visual sense adept with page design software and the internet a strong communicator, able to brief others clearly on what is needed confident in presenting ideas Interested in magazine trends and graphic design.

Art editors are employed on consumer and business magazines throughout the UK. There are many opportunities, but competition for art editor posts can be fierce. An impressive portfolio of creative work is at least as important as qualifications. Art editors are responsible for the way a magazine looks. They present the words and images in a way that is easy for the reader to digest, with high visual impact. In the highly competitive consumer magazine market, the art editor's role is essential to the success of a publication. The magazine's cover, in particular, must always look distinctive, to attract potential buyers. The job covers all aspects of layout, design and photography. Day-to-day tasks may include: • • • • • • •

laying out pages for the magazine, often to tight deadlines discussing design and layout ideas with the editor and other colleagues commissioning and briefing photographers on the style and format of shots required commissioning illustrators to produce any graphics needed choosing the best images to use, either from commissioned pictures or stock library photography drafting rough sketches of the cover design for discussion, then producing the final layout ensuring that the art elements of the magazine are delivered on time and within budget.

On a broader level, the art editor is responsible for: • • • •

setting the magazine's overall visual style establishing design templates - so that the magazine always has a recognisable look, no matter who lays out the pages anticipating trends, and presenting proposals to make sure the magazine's design does not become stale redesigning the magazine for relaunch.

Almost all page design is done on computer. Specialised design software is used. Art editors now use the latest technology to send pages directly to press. In some companies the art editor may do most of the layout personally. On larger publications, he or she leads and trains a team of designers and art workers. Art editors must liaise closely with colleagues and freelance contributors, including writers, sub-editors and photographers.

Zoe Moyden: Artist Statement ‘This is how space begins, with words only, signs traced on a blank page.’ Words are an important tool for communication in everyday life, a process so routine that the forms of the unremarkable words are lost in what is trying to be communicated. Highlighting the space around text and appreciating the banality of text is an on-going campaign in Zoe’s work, to create something inspiring from something mundane.

Timetable Here is an example of what my weekly timetable will look like. This will be completed every week during the final major project.

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Personal Professional Development Supporting Statement Zoe Moyden My artist statement includes a quote by George Perec ‘this is how space begins, with words only, signs traced on a blank page’. This connection of space and words and our ability to communicate is the next step in my endeavours as an interdisciplinary student to explore the space and experiences related to reading and text.

My work previously has included the exploration of text and reading as an art medium and as I am passionate about this aspect of art, it is necessary for me to continue and develop further concepts in the same subject that are informed by testing the ideas with people, gathering relevant and thorough research and constantly evaluating the relevance of the work to my main aim:

When text and language based art is concerned, is one a reader or a viewer?

The establishment of the audiences’ position with language art is important for a number of reasons. Firstly, after looking at an extensive amount of text-based art it is clear that there is room for the artist to manipulate the position of the audience by the placement of the work on show. An example of this is seen in ‘Gossip, Scandal and Good Manners’ a show curated by students at the Royal college of Art featuring Ulisses Carion’s work. By taking language as a raw material and using it to create something to convey a different meaning is the crux of what I want to achieve in this project.

Looking at Bruce Nauman’s Left or Standing/Left Standing installation, part of the exhibition was to distribute catalogues that didn’t just support the content of the exhibition, but were an integral part of the piece collectively. This concept comments on the inclusionary layers of the audience in connection with the piece, the combinations of the exhibition space, with the publication which can be taken into a different environment (or context) and the option for the audience to be reading, looking or both.

The theme of distribution ties together the concept of space and literature, language and communication, which is an idea that is seen in the Wild Pansy Press’ portable reading room. I intend to contact the Wild Pansy Press in order for me to get first hand research of the types of events that take place within the reading room and how the audiences react to different situations. I believe that this will help me gather knowledge on the way I can present my ideas to an audience in the most effective way possible and will give me an insight into how the artists intersect art with literature and language.

Along with this particular exhibition, I will be visiting many more relevant exhibitions in February and March. These exhibitions will inform my project on a number of different levels including gathering ideas on how the artists in each exhibition have used language in the communication of their pieces, the way the exhibitions have been curated and as a member of the audience surmise the position of myself being a reader or viewer.

After I have completed the bulk of my research, I intend to actively use the information to benefit my project development. I know at this stage that I will be using a combination of printed text, computer word-processed text, video installation and sound installation. I am intending to tackle the development of my project like a scientific/social experiment, as I want my methodologies to reflect the strategic qualities of communication and the concept of the project. With this in mind I will continually set up experimental areas that people will be welcomed to experience, utilising different mediums for example sound, video, installations with items such as reading lecterns, plinths and bookshelves. These will be recorded in review–style journals produced to inform the next stages of my development to eventually come to a realisation for my project.

These experimental areas will be developed using the specialist support of areas of the college such as Rossington Street print rooms, AV technicians and computer technicians within workshop drop-in sessions. I will endeavour to collaborate at some stage with the Wild Pansy Press portable reading room if it is of relevance to the development of the project. The interim exhibition will provide me with a platform to connect my ideas with the public on a professional level and I intend to take an active and inquisitive approach to finding out the opinion of the public on the subject area of my project.

As seen in my portfolio, a timetable will be set out each week to gauge my progress during the research, development and realisation stage. The documents or journals that I will produce fortnightly will also bookmark my progress along the way and hopefully at the end of the project will collectively show a clear and informed progression in my ideas. The interim exhibition will provide me with a clear indication as to when the production of my final piece for the last show will need to commence. I will immediately begin working on ideas as a form of research and create some prints that will form the basis of my preliminary work and hopefully be of a good enough standard to be entered into a print competition which deadline is on the 1st March 2012. I am going to spend a week in London at the end of February going to relevant exhibitions and spaces such as Banner Repeater, Camden Arts Centre and ‘The Forgetting of Proper Names’ in Calvert 22. Websites corresponding to these exhibitions among others are stated below.

http://www.bannerrepeater.org/events/now http://www.tate.org.uk/collections/glossary/definition.jsp?entryId=467 http://gossipscandalandgoodmanners.rca.ac.uk/?p=124 http://www.wildpansypress.com/ http://www.calvert22.org/e/exhibition-programme/the-forgetting-of-proper-names/ http://www.openeye.org.uk/wall-work/emily-speed-nothing-is-finished-nothing-is-perfect-nothinglasts/ Goldsmith, K. 2011 Uncreative Writing. Columbia University Press, New York.

Kotz, L. 2007 Words to be looked at. Language in 1960’s Art. MIT Press, Cambridge.

Perec, G, 1999 Species of Spaces and Other Pieces. Penguin, London.

Baldwin, M, Harrison, C, Ramsden, M. 2003 Homes from Homes II by Art&Language Migros Museum, Zurich.