Time to reflect

The end of the Biennial has come as a bit of a shock, although I feel I got a lot out of it there were a few exhibitions that I didn't get round to visiting and I feel slightly guilty for not exploiting the opportunity more. Liverpool is a very different place without the permanent availability of art on my doorstep and it will be missed!

There were a couple of pieces that I didn't get round to writing about that have effected my practice in a significant way. I'm going to use this opportunity to look back and reflect on the pieces I missed out and also to reflect on my Biennial experience as a whole.

Joe Diebes: Scherzo 

"A music film that explores the limits of human virtuosity and the convergence of human and machine. The virtuoso's desire to achieve machine-like speed and perfection is realized in both exhilarating and disturbing dimensions as his performance is fragmented and recombined into an impossibly extended musical climax."

The atmosphere achieved by the piece was a perfect combination of melodic repetition and extreme intensity. I found it fascinating how such an overwhelming experience could be created by using a single instrument. For me the sound alone (without the video footage) would have been enough to create the same intensity and although the visuals added an alternative sensory experience I felt they were unnecessary. Although disturbing and uncomfortable to be a part of I couldn't help but to be drawn in to the piece and hypnotized by it. I found myself being very reluctant to leave.

For me the piece was about the constant battle for contemporary artists to maintain a constant relevant contemporary practice and to keep up with ever changing and developing technology. It also said something very significant about Physical and mental endurance and extreme dedication to an individuals fine art practice.      

I will consider the use of composed sound in my own work.

http://vimeo.com/15936603

Wannes Goetschalckx: 1 Without 

'1 WITHOUT, alludes to the composite of words and meanings within Goetschalckx's spoken language- in Dutch 'wit' means 'white' and 'hout' means 'wood'-while also referencing the 'empty' twelf plinth that forms part of the occasional platform for live interventions by the artist' Frances Loeffler-Liverpool Biennial the guide.          

I felt this piece had a very direct connection to my work as it is based on repetitive, ritualistic human behavior. Each wooden box contained a piece of video footage of the the artist carrying out relatively normal tasks within a confined space. The idea of captivity and isolation is emphasized by the artists need to engage in a very particular activity to keep his mind occupied be it eating, pacing, bathing or masturbating.

The piece gives a very intimate insight into the behavioral patterns of humans, showing the need to keep our minds occupied and stimulated in order to keep sane and content. It shows how we need a reason for existing and its is not enough to simply exist.