The degree show has been and gone and we are packing up and evacuating the studio.
Trois Elementos are in full swing at the moment, making new work, well mulling it over anyway and organising a show, coming soon to Dover.
This is it, out of art school mentality and into the real world. We are all incredably excited but relaxed about the whole thing at the same time-it is important not to get caught up in the stress-we watched people suffer and fall at the last hurdle during the degree show set up and are adamant that the same thing will not happen to us. OMG adam ant!
Today is the final showdown. We are going to print our blog and include it in a documentaion book. We have painted our room and are excited about installing our work.
Three out of six tasks on the to do list were ticked off today.
Re-making old work in order to document was surprisingly useful. Amid the madness of the happenings in the library we seemed to tie up our loose ends and settle upon the way in which we will represent the past two years of collborative adventures in the show.
We were out of college from 12:50 until around fifteen hundred hours. It was great. It gave us time to clear our heads and laugh hysterically until the point of tears.
We have left the prison and are now in the asylum!
Today we were likened to a sandwich, not a shit sandwich, but rather a jam sandwich.
Two slices of bread and a jam filling. Each of us is a vital ingrediant in a jam sandwich sucess. Without one we are merely two slices of bread or jam spread on bread.
We were likened to the jam sandwich in conversation about our 'loan history' work. The loan history, although a visually complete work, is a little dry. A little, or a lot if you look at it in comparison to the style of works with which we make.
A tutor who knows us; who understands and gets us, described it as though we had gone 'all conceptual'-that it was a little dry. We have fun, we take the piss. We, Trois Elementos, are missing from the piece.
Contemplating us being in the work-precariously balancing the towering stacks of books-segreating the books into indivual loan histories making a structural jam sandwich.
Times where tensions are fraught is when Trois Elementos shine. Having fun, taking the piss out of looming deadlines and the serious situations which lie ahead.
Looking back over the previous two years of collaboration it is clear that we often create shite, time wasting-keeping sane while those around us crumble and admit defeat-sucumbing to the madness of the asylum. We later create great last minute nike, 'just do it' works. Fingers crossed that this happens this time. If not, what is the worst that could happen? The audience sees the shit before the masterpiece-the masterpiece to evolve at a later date, a show outside of the degree show umberella maybe?
In sharing ideas and creating works together we have an advantage over our peers working individually on developing their practice: We are able to play and make work as opposed to being intent on creating ‘masterpieces’.
Through creating works with a playful quality we go against the notion of the artist as a gifted individual, a singular person.
Being three of us means we can take risks and push things more than a singular artist might wish. We can take the piss. We can make work which some may deem to be shit and we can take it. There are three of us, you do not have to pussy foot around us. Say it like it is, we are strong, we can take it.
[enlarge] trois elementos, 'loan history', may 2008.
# 6 [17 May 2008]
Reflecting on yesterdays very productive day, in terms of realising the potential in our individual library loan histories, it is clear where we were going wrong. The list of thirty six books we initially selected were not reflective of Trois Elementos as a collective or indeed of us, the three individuals who make Trois Elementos what it is-our needs, concerns and desires. We are individual artists with practices in our own right. It is inevitable that aspects of our practice are going to overflow and be realised in our combined efforts.
Choosing books, merely by their width and catchy titles was ultimately going to fail. The lists was not extensive enough, and thus was rather limited in it's scope in terms of its period in history and art theory.
Our knowledge and theory as engaged individuals and artists is more varied and in depth than the list suggested.
It is even more varied than the list we compiled in the library, because these are only the books that we took out in the charing cross road site and was also limited by the height of the pile as it was about to tip over.
Our work is performative in its undercurrents and we are considering live performance in the show, the three of us speaking to the viewers. However, only one of us is professional and mature enough not to laugh and look self conscious in such situations. We have to tackle this - but live perfomance is notoriously impossible to do without looking like a turd.
We have also considered making this blog a feature of our show. At some point next week we'll have a super productive day and pin it all down just in time.
Today we are at school. We have lost our plaque already and need to get another one done in order to document it.
We have been talking about making two things instead of one.
We want to be present in the degree show, saying "couldn't think of anything", a development, or progression of the blob with the plaque we made before. Someone said we must be careful not to patronise our viewer...there are going to be far more patronising art works in the show. Patronising, in it's useage towards us was probably not the best choice of words.
Like gilbert & george.
But now we're in the library-we've found our library loan history over the past four years-including the foundation course also at csm but at back hill not charing cross road. there are loads, hundreds infact.
We realise that the degree show is a time where we can showcase ourselves, our practice.
we are frustrated artists, cynical, but happy cynics.
# 13 [20 June 2008]
The degree show has been and gone and we are packing up and evacuating the studio.
Trois Elementos are in full swing at the moment, making new work, well mulling it over anyway and organising a show, coming soon to Dover.
This is it, out of art school mentality and into the real world. We are all incredably excited but relaxed about the whole thing at the same time-it is important not to get caught up in the stress-we watched people suffer and fall at the last hurdle during the degree show set up and are adamant that the same thing will not happen to us. OMG adam ant!
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# 12 [24 May 2008]
Today is the final showdown. We are going to print our blog and include it in a documentaion book. We have painted our room and are excited about installing our work.
The key to success is changing your mind, right?
Login to post a comment »
# 11 [23 May 2008]
Three out of six tasks on the to do list were ticked off today.
Re-making old work in order to document was surprisingly useful. Amid the madness of the happenings in the library we seemed to tie up our loose ends and settle upon the way in which we will represent the past two years of collborative adventures in the show.
We were out of college from 12:50 until around fifteen hundred hours. It was great. It gave us time to clear our heads and laugh hysterically until the point of tears.
We have left the prison and are now in the asylum!
Login to post a comment »
# 10 [22 May 2008]
To do list:
1.Pick up 'Couldn't Think of Anything' engraving.
2.Document 'Couldn't Think of Anything'.
3.Re-make 'Loan History'.
4.Make a research file for Trois Elementos and one for each of us to include in our supporting studies.
5.Avoid wood and plinths.
6.Have fun!
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# 9 [20 May 2008]
Today we were likened to a sandwich, not a shit sandwich, but rather a jam sandwich.
Two slices of bread and a jam filling. Each of us is a vital ingrediant in a jam sandwich sucess. Without one we are merely two slices of bread or jam spread on bread.
We were likened to the jam sandwich in conversation about our 'loan history' work. The loan history, although a visually complete work, is a little dry. A little, or a lot if you look at it in comparison to the style of works with which we make.
A tutor who knows us; who understands and gets us, described it as though we had gone 'all conceptual'-that it was a little dry. We have fun, we take the piss. We, Trois Elementos, are missing from the piece.
Contemplating us being in the work-precariously balancing the towering stacks of books-segreating the books into indivual loan histories making a structural jam sandwich.
Times where tensions are fraught is when Trois Elementos shine. Having fun, taking the piss out of looming deadlines and the serious situations which lie ahead.
Looking back over the previous two years of collaboration it is clear that we often create shite, time wasting-keeping sane while those around us crumble and admit defeat-sucumbing to the madness of the asylum. We later create great last minute nike, 'just do it' works. Fingers crossed that this happens this time. If not, what is the worst that could happen? The audience sees the shit before the masterpiece-the masterpiece to evolve at a later date, a show outside of the degree show umberella maybe?
Login to post a comment »
# 8 [19 May 2008]
We do not want to look like turds. Live performance will not feature in the show, from us anyway.
Login to post a comment »
# 7 [18 May 2008]
In sharing ideas and creating works together we have an advantage over our peers working individually on developing their practice: We are able to play and make work as opposed to being intent on creating ‘masterpieces’.
Through creating works with a playful quality we go against the notion of the artist as a gifted individual, a singular person.
Being three of us means we can take risks and push things more than a singular artist might wish. We can take the piss. We can make work which some may deem to be shit and we can take it. There are three of us, you do not have to pussy foot around us. Say it like it is, we are strong, we can take it.
Login to post a comment »
[enlarge]
trois elementos, 'loan history', may 2008.
# 6 [17 May 2008]
Reflecting on yesterdays very productive day, in terms of realising the potential in our individual library loan histories, it is clear where we were going wrong. The list of thirty six books we initially selected were not reflective of Trois Elementos as a collective or indeed of us, the three individuals who make Trois Elementos what it is-our needs, concerns and desires. We are individual artists with practices in our own right. It is inevitable that aspects of our practice are going to overflow and be realised in our combined efforts.
Choosing books, merely by their width and catchy titles was ultimately going to fail. The lists was not extensive enough, and thus was rather limited in it's scope in terms of its period in history and art theory.
Our knowledge and theory as engaged individuals and artists is more varied and in depth than the list suggested.
It is even more varied than the list we compiled in the library, because these are only the books that we took out in the charing cross road site and was also limited by the height of the pile as it was about to tip over.
Our work is performative in its undercurrents and we are considering live performance in the show, the three of us speaking to the viewers. However, only one of us is professional and mature enough not to laugh and look self conscious in such situations. We have to tackle this - but live perfomance is notoriously impossible to do without looking like a turd.
We have also considered making this blog a feature of our show. At some point next week we'll have a super productive day and pin it all down just in time.
Login to post a comment »
# 5 [16 May 2008]
Today we are at school. We have lost our plaque already and need to get another one done in order to document it.
We have been talking about making two things instead of one.
We want to be present in the degree show, saying "couldn't think of anything", a development, or progression of the blob with the plaque we made before. Someone said we must be careful not to patronise our viewer...there are going to be far more patronising art works in the show. Patronising, in it's useage towards us was probably not the best choice of words.
Like gilbert & george.
But now we're in the library-we've found our library loan history over the past four years-including the foundation course also at csm but at back hill not charing cross road. there are loads, hundreds infact.
We realise that the degree show is a time where we can showcase ourselves, our practice.
we are frustrated artists, cynical, but happy cynics.
Login to post a comment »
[enlarge]
Trois Elementos, 'Couln't Think of Anything', clay, 2008. Photo: Trois Elementos.
# 4 [11 May 2008]
sneaky peek pic!
HELL
Please Pay Attention Please
Truth before Power
Past Imperfect
Raw Materials
Raw Notes
The Impossible Project
Thinking Aloud
I reas art like a magazine at the barbers
Decoys and Distruptions
Shark Infested Waters
The Uncanny
Breaking down the Barriers
We won't play nature to your culture
Bad Behaviour from the Arts Council collection
Critical Vision
Arts, Politics and Dissent
Childsplay
Art in Theory 1900-2000
Reading Things
Talking Art
Double Act
Work Ethic
State of the Art
When Attitudes Become Form
The rape of creativity
Contemporary Art: from Studio to Situation
BLIMEY!
The Lure of the Object
Objects for...and other things
Part object, Part sculpture
Equilibri
The Way Things Go
Nervous Stillness on the Horizon
LaLa land abd Parody Paradise
Wasted Youth
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