i’ve had to make a decision which i wasn’t really ready to make so i stayed up rather late looking through everything and trying to finalise my ideas. I was pleasantly surprised by the tiny cubes made with the book pages and so they had become a further element. during my last tutorial i had been steered towards ‘social art practice’ which excited me as i feel it is something i would like to consider too. i’ve always enjoyed going into galleries and interacting with the space, making noise when others won’t; expressing my opinion quite loudly, wearing heals that clomp etc. and i suppose as i have a 6 year old i want the spaces i visit to be inclusive of her needs too; art should be for everyone and be meaningful for all. i don’t agree with the elitism of art. for me galleries are wonderful spaces that reaffirm what it feels like to be human and so i want everyone to share in that feeling. 

however, i digress. so now my practice has numerous elements; the cube as a form, the life lies (which have been extended), the paper format, graph paper, ceramics, the view from the significant places and the view through the glass cube which went on a journey (and a little bit of poetry and gardening mixed in there too). 

it’s hard to imagine how they could all be connected and brought together and that where i was struggling. but after rather an exhaustive research into what exactly ‘social art practice’ means and how i would personally interpret it i have decided to make rather self indulgent entity. 

a 3ft wooden cube that contains – 

seat

desk

drawer for materials

paper

typewriter

life lies

gardening book

poetry book

shelves

nets made from graph paper

plain paper

pencil

ruler

(instructions necessary??)

made using OSB board it will simply sit in the middle of the shared room. there will be polaroids pinned to the inside just above the desk and the desk top itself will be made from perspex and contain my examples inside.

ideally, it will draw people in by its solid sides with no top making people curious to look in; with the familiar form of the cube being reassuring. then on closer inspection they will see the examples on display in the desk top, with all the equipment needed to make them just waiting next to them, ready for anyone to dip in. on the front will be shelves expectantly waiting for people to make their own and place them neatly into the slots. 

i dearly hope it will make people realise they will be expected to contribute their own versions, either matching the format in the display case or simply manipulating such a recognisable form. 

maybe they will have their own mottos or sayings that they will want to include, but in the main i would love that they just join in. that they interact with the exhibit.

i do feel restricted in that it is a shared space and everyone else’s work will be so varied and unknown to me prior to exhibition. i would rather that the cubes were allowed to multiply unfettered by their surroundings and that people would not feel restrained by the fact that there are other artworks to consider. but i cannot do anything about that. equally, the room they are in is not exactly inspiring, so i do wonder how long people would be willing to remain in the space altogether. 

anyway, the task is on to realise this 3ft cube, and that needs a serious amount of technical drawing so adieu for now. 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/art-installations-you-want-to-live-in

http://www.dezeen.com/2014/01/09/archibet-federico-babina-illustrated-alphabet-of-architects/

…i had a hunch so i created this environment so these are the threads that i see have come from it…

the.pedagogicalimpulse.com – look at their research descriptions

my workshop=social practice

map process as you go along rather then preempting the final result

change of role – work/workshops/studio/researcher – how do they compare natural/artificial

socially engaged practice – cubes – recreate how is that different compared to presented in exhibit? is one more meaningful to me?

clues to pick up cube – how do people know

the workshop was a work of art

take from experience – how do i think about what the audience feels

the art object is pedagogical

am i interested in them picking up the cube or making them think – which one do i prefer?

mapping – what came out of workshops, how relate to previous thinking?

what is difference between a workshop and a lesson?

think about net of a cube for presenting research

possible chapter:

social practice

the cube in art

materials processes

instructions

pedagogical issues

issue – of to what extent is my practice pedagogical?

what is it that people are taking away or what are they leaving me?

start playing with format

and reflect on last year

find a narrative that is developing

TO DO:

start mapping my thoughts in regards to RiP/artists & cubes/my practice

look at pedagogical impulse.com and school of workshop.co.uk

research social art practice

write up what i thought would happen in workshops and what did…threads

write about enjoyment of people interacting with my cube/doing workshop

reflect on the last year – present

start typing up research notes

comments made by tutors

• ‘have more photos
• bullet point alongside
• different front sheet otherwise that’s what they’re picking
• can’t follow the instructions but can follow the pictures
• because they’ll want to be successful they’ll pick something that’s easier
• finding the instructions that don’t work is more interesting’
• art is about trial and error

comments made by students

‘remove simply from the instructions as it isn’t’

can’t stand being messy

my observations

pipe cleaners repeatedly challenges

silk one has been rewritten, works much better

maths sometimes a struggle – either when measuring 10cm or when planning how to cut clay

having noise can either focus or distract

video someone doing it then play it back to show them where they went wrong/stopped following the instructions

willingness.motivation.experience.passion

confident group but not cocky with it. were willing to partake in the activity even though it was not necessarily a huge challenge to them, but on the flip side the instructions were rarely followed which initially resulted in some mishaps – clay not fitting together, cork didn’t measure 10x10cm precisely – little discipline

incredibly quiet group, intermittent reading of instructions leading more variety in size, constantly comparing theirs to their colleagues

• cork – no one spots that cork needs to be glued with matching sized ones sitting opposite each other, even though instructions say pick 2 of each (if they had to cut it would that help them understand?)
• cork – applied superglue before testing out which piece went where
• clay – does it really need to be angled/scored?
• leather – need something to hold it together whilst sewing first 2 sides
• leather – needs to tell you how to stitch
• art straws – cut straight not angled
• art straws – have something blocking ends to stop glue running
• watercolour paper – tucking in difficult as too rigid
• watercolour paper – can’t use template as on tracing paper which won’t transfer so needs to be measured out
• tracing paper – very clear
• tracing paper – tucking in difficult as too flimsy
• tracing paper – double sided better than glue
• pipe cleaners – needs measurement correcting
• pipe cleaners – should’ve used a ruler
• pipe cleaners – didn’t look at size stated just did length of pipe cleaners so ended up far too flimsy
• wire mesh – need to draw it out onto mesh
• wire mesh – make lines drawn different colours for fold and cut
• wire mesh – needs template without tabs
• wire mesh – does it need to say do all folds before assembling?
• wire mesh – sharp edges