A Thankyou

Over the time we have been travelling, we have met some amazing people, both artists and gallery owners and seen some amazing works. We have had some amazing experiences, not only did we get to meet these people we had previously only read or heard about but many of them also invited us into their studios and galleries, into their world, to share their knowledge with us. I would like to thank all of those people who we met overseas who contributed to the success of our trip. We have been provided with valuable experiences and knowledge that we can now use in our own development and making.

Of course none of this would have been possible without Karin. Thank you so much for all of the work you put into organising this trip. It has been amazing and we have all learnt so much! I hope that other studios and other years can learn from our trip and use it to base other trips on. This was a fantastic oppertunity to learn in a totally new and foregin environment. I am astounded by the amount of information I have been exposed to, the amount I have absorbed and the amount I am yet to still process.

Hannah

Some Photo highlights.

I love taking photos and I am constantly running to catch up to the group after pausing to take a photo of something. After reviewing some of the photos I have taken I realised just how many I had taken of nature. Maybe its because its constantly surrounding us or perhaps its because of its vast difference from home, I don't feel the need to work out why. Here are some of my favorites.

In the Flower Market, Amsterdam

A bird in the Albert Cuypstraat, Amsterdam

A duck in the English Gardens, Munich

Small bird in the English Gardens, Munich

A swan lands on the lake in the English Gardens

Daffodils in Pforzheim

Munich Sunset

A market flower in Munich

Jewellery overload at the Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim

We travelled to Pforzheim, in the west of Germany to visit the Schmuck Museum, the only museum in the world solely dedicated to the display and preservation of Jewellery. The collection displayed there is ENORMOUS encompassing all kinds of historical, cultural and contemporary jewellery. The vast range of pieces displayed at the museum was truly amazing.

I especially enjoyed the collection of Ethnic Jewellery. I don't think I have ever really seen ethnic/tribal jewellery before and on the rare occasion when I might have it would have been displayed in an Anthropological museum rather than one focused purely on jewellery. The ethnic collection showcased pieces collected by Eva and Peter Herion who had collected the pieces over more than thirty years on their worldwide travels.

The pieces from Papua New Guinea were my favourite, incorporating rare feathers into their designs. It was really interesting to see jewellery that was not inspired by western influences. The pieces displayed were made purely for tribal use, to show power, healing, status wealth etc. Every piece is representative of something in its tribal context, unlike jewellery of today's western culture where jewellery can be worn for purely aesthetic reasons.

The contemporary collection contained many works which I had seen only in books. Peter Chang's brightly coloured pieces were great to see in real life and looked even more vibrant and lively than in pictures I had seen. A Rene Lalique pendant (1897 - 1898) of two peacocks caught my eye. I had seen it in an old book last year while doing an assignment. Even though the piece is just over 100 years old it the pristine condition amazed me. That said, you can only imagine how amazed I was at the near perfect condition of pieces dated BC!

There was so much to see! It was amazing to see so much jewellery, so well preserved and so diverse in its origin.

Unfortunately I was unable to take pictures in the museum but here is one I took on the way to the Museum.




Walking in Pforzheim



Hannah

Art and The Traveller.

An art gallery is like a foregin country. You enter, sometimes with some background knowledge, you experience, you leave. If you thought it was amazing, you might visit again, might tell your friends. If you thought it was awful you tell your friends not to go and you have no intention of returning. The basic motions in both situations are the same. Think about it. But what do an art gallery and a foregin country have in common you may ask? Lots! At first when I made this comparison I didn't think there was much to it, but the more I thought about it the more I discovered. I will try to explain...

You travel to a gallery to see exhibition Y. You have some basic knowlege, the artists name, the medium they work in, but nothing too in depth. Once at Exhibition Y you are now in the artists world. Like a traveller you pause, absorb, interpret, ponder and form views on what you are seeing. Eventually you leave, with the information you have accumulated and make a decision as to whether you liked it or not.

Regardless of what you thought of the exhibition there is one similarity between the gallery visitor and the traveller that stands out to me. As a traveller you enter a foregin country or place, one which is not your own. You may like it, you may not, but regardless there is still a level of respect that is present as you are in a place other than your own. Things may work differently than at home but that is the way things work in the place you have visited. This respect is just as present in an Art Gallery. When looking at the works displayed you have a level of respect for the work and for the maker, regardless of you opinion of the piece. Even if you hate a piece you still acknowlege that its maker has put time and effort into its production. You may not see it as amazing but others might. You are respectful that there will be differing opinions on a single work.

This comparison has been re-occuring over the last couple of days. We have seen so many exhibitions and works, many of which I have loved but also many which I have not liked. Although I may have disliked a piece I can still appreciate it as I know that someone else may love it. 

Hannah

Art is not an International Language 2.0

Today’s experience further supports my previous discussion about the language of art.

Today was the final day of the official Schmuck 2011 schedule. We decided to attend “Baby Bling Bling” which was described as a Jewellery Performance. I was immediately interested. A jewellery performance? What on earth could that possible involve. Would they be making, breaking, displaying, wearing, talking about??? I really had no idea what to expect.

The performance itself was enthusiastic and interesting however by the end of the performance I still didn’t really understand what was going on.  My basic understanding led me to believe there was a section for each artist involved and each section displayed that artists work while actors performed ‘skits’. I’m guessing that each performance related to the work however I can’t be sure as a majority of the performance was in German, a language which (I like to think I can but actually) cannot understand.

Understanding or not, I still found the performance interesting. I had never thought of the combination of performance and jewellery, however now that I have experienced it, it makes sense. Each piece is displayed on a moving body, worn, the way jewellery is intended to.  Instead of being displayed as a stationary object in a cabinet, it is able to move with the body, enhancing each piece.  This movement is something which I hope to draw on in future works.

My understanding and interpretation of the “Baby Bling Bling” performance could be entirely wrong. Is the understanding of the words that were spoken even vital to understanding the performance?  I will never know.

Hannah

Historische Baumaterialien

Some interesting items I found in the Antique Building Supplies shop where 'Paradise Regained' was exhibited.

Think outside the box......

Over the last few days in Munich we have been to many exhibitions in many different gallery spaces. It has come to my attention, the impact that the gallery space and way in which the works are displayed within it have on the overall experience of the gallery visitor. The way in which a work is displayed may hinder or add to the overall view of the piece. I have seen many different displays of work, some which have followed a more traditional display (e.g. In a cabinet) and some which have been unusual, interactive and complimented the work, enhancing the pieces displayed within.

 

Rebels of Love - Schmuck 2011

   

The use of the gallery space at Rebels of love was really interesting. The 'half pipe' (above) was used to display some of the works. It was an interesting way to display and view works for two reasons. When you walked in the 'half pipe' you felt enclosed. The gallery space seemed alot smaller and more intimate. The thing I found particularly interesting about the 'half pipe' display was the distance you stood from each piece. The curve of the floor/wall meant that you could not get close to the pieces, you had to look at them from a distance This is the opposite to what is seen in most other galleries where the closer you can get to the work the better, the more detail you can see.



Paradise Re-gained - Tanel Veenre - Schmuck 2011



 Tanel Veenre's exhibition 'Paradise Re-Gained' was another fantastic example of the unusual gallery space. This exhibiton was not displayed in a gallery, but in a Historische Baumaterialien (Historic Building Supplies) Shop. The unusual doors sold in the shop provided a perfect background for the coloured pieces. The details on the doors really complimented the simplicity of the shapes in the pieces. It was really interesting to view an exhibition outside the usual gallery space. The shop itself was so interesting. See my Historische Baumaterialien blog for some pictures from the shop.

 

 



A shop window in Munich

I thought I would share this as I have a not so secret love for anything with antlers. I thought it was nice to see what I had been observing in the galleries translate some what into a commercial setting. The owners of this jewellery store could have easily displayed the pieces for sale on plinths or in cabinets, however they have gone outside the box (pardon the pun) and displayed the work in an eye catching way which enhances the jewellery.

Hannah

Art is not an international language

Over the past two days I have begun to realize the immense importance of exhibition/artwork information and context.

Art is sometimes described as being a kind of 'international language' Regardless of what language you speak, apparently you are still able to some what understand a work as it is not "language specific". I have decided this is defiantly not the case.

On Wednesday we decided to go to 'The Gallium Treasure of Obertraun' presented by Peter Bauhuis at the Archaeological Museum. The pieces displayed were interesting, similarly shaped forms were constant throughout the exhibition, varying in scale. As interesting as it was I will admit I had no idea what the works were about, when they were made, and what the exhibition aimed to represent. I'm sure all of this information was displayed in the exhibition however I don't speak german so I missed out. I left with a feeling of mystery and confusion. What had I just seen and what did it all mean? So much for the 'international language'

This experience helped me to truly appreciate the importance of exhibition information. I had never realized how vital it was to my understanding of the work being displayed.

Tonight we Attended the opening of 'Under That Cloud' and Ruudt Peters 'Anima'. I found 'Under That Cloud' particularly interesting because again I realized how important the information about the collection and the context was to understanding the exhibition. I had formed an understanding of the work presented to me but that interpretation changed drastically when I read the exhibition catalogue back at the hostel and realized the work was created by 18 artists who got stranded in Mexico City when the Icelandic Volcano erupted last year, canceling their flights home. Immediately my interest and understanding of the collection shifted.

I'm finding the ideas of context and information fascinating and will be looking out for them and looking a them in a more in depth way as the semester continues.

Hannah

A Souvenir from Amsterdam

As the project for this trip is titled "Souvenir", I thought it was appropriate to post some photos of typical souvenirs that I have come across. I seem to be taking alot of photos and am having a fantastic time  creating my own souvenirs!

Wooden flowers at the flower Market

Some souvenir Magnets



Ceramic Clogs



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I love how impractical most of these are. A fridge magnet has some kind of use (however I own a fridge that you cant stick magents on) but what do you do with a pair of miniture ceramic clogs? I find the uselessness of souvenirs like these quite interesting. Perhaps this interest will develop into something I can incorporate into my final project. 

Hannah 

A fine art.

I am amazed by Jenny's ability to sleep in uncomfortable places!

Jenny on the train to Arnhem

Hannah

Day 3 - Arnhem and Njimegen

Today we adventured by train from Amsterdam to Njimegen to visit Gallery Marzee and then to Arnhem to the Museum Voor Moderne Kunst (Museum of Modern Art). I was blown away with the size of the Marzee collection and also the variety or works that were on display. I found a series of vessels (Beakers 2006) and a bowl (Marble Bowl)  by David Huycke particularly intersting. The handles of the vessels and the bowl were constructed of various sized metal marbles, forming a larger round structure. I also really liked Object (2008) Idiots (Afke Golsteyn and Floris Bakker). Their were several works by these makers all incorporating taxidermied birds. Their bright colours were really eye catching and I really love that the animals beauty has been preserved after its death.

The gang outside Gallery Marzee

Park in Njimegen

The Museum of Modern Art had an exhibition running called True Colours - New Traditional Jewellery. I really enjoyed the whole exhibition and found each of the pieces interesting in a different way. Bright eye catching colours and  the use of a wide variety of materials were fantastic. A highlight for me was  'Aspectabilis - Schitbar' (2010) by Mirjam Geiss. A neckpiece constructed of string, silver and pastel cubes. It was beautiful! The brightly coloured pastel cubes are designed to leave marks on the wearer or in the gallery space as the piece moves.

'Aspectabilis - Schitbar' (2010) by Mirjam Geiss at the Museum of Modern Art , Arnhem 

Tomorrow we have a day off. I will be hiring a bike and riding past the canals to the flea market.

Hannah

Amsterdam day 1 and 2

Day 1 of the Amsterdam field trip was exciting. We visited the studio of Ted Noten and an exhibition 'Interaction' by Katja Price at gallery Rob Koudijs. Both visits were really informative. It was really interesting to see how Teds studio space is set up and how he organises the people working for him. I'm not sure if set ups like this exist in Australia. It seems to work well within the European art scene.  Day 2 we visited Gallery Ra and also gallery Louise Smit.

Gallery Ra was AMAZING. Defiantly my favorite so far. I will be writing a seperate blog dedicated to all of the wonderful works I saw there. All of the pieces exhibited there were really varied in material and form. I especially liked the work of Iris Tsante who has used pencils and pencil sharpenings to create a series of neckpieces. The colours and textures were amazing and I was really inspired by the series.



Neckpiece by Iris Tsante displayed at Gallery Ra, Amsterdam



Today we are heading out of Amsterdam for the day to go to some other galleries.

Hannah