John Jones Artist In Residence Mariana Heilmann

Artist Residency at John Jones February 2010

Mariana Heilmann transforms mundane objects into works of intense lyrical beauty. Taking disposable objects she creates sculptural two-dimensional pieces that have an extraordinary clarity and resonance

As part of documenting her month long residency at John Jones, Mariana will be posting several blog updates to discuss the progress of her work and her experience of working at John Jones.

Entry 1

I will be starting an artist’s residency at John Jones next Tuesday for the month of February. Having already spent many hours and days there completing several commissions, I know from experience how things work at JJ….“Professionally” would be an understatement. Everything runs like clockwork; quietly, efficiently, precisely…all the while, works of art of all shapes, sizes, styles and mediums arrive and leave in beautiful, perfectly crafted and pristine frames.
It is an inspiration just to be there.

The byproducts of such an extensive establishment are manifold. Many materials are handled and utilized, and in the process a myriad of waste products are generated. In my current work I explore the potential of abandoned and discarded products of our contemporary life….it is in objects such as plastic milk bottles for example, that I see endless possibilities to explore the qualities of this otherwise unappreciated material. I cast a light on the materials of discarded objects revealing and enhancing the unapparent beauty.

Whilst at John Jones my intention is to create a small body of work using the waste products that I will gather from the workshops. I have some ideas of where to begin, but it is in the handling that the possibilities will show themselves. I will also be working on a large commission made entirely with the plastic from about 200 milk bottles. (Wave of PeaceII)

Rosalind Davis A-N Winner for Blog of the Year 2009

Andrew Bryant announces the A-N Magazine 2009 blogger prizes,

' One of the three winning blogs of 2009 is Rosalind Davis' Projection Space for its honest self-critique and insight into both making work and developing a career. '

You can also read Rosalind's blog here:
http://www.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/533863
as well as the new blog ' I am Part of Something'

Or read it/ sign up to follow it on another site here
http://rosalinddavis.blogspot.com/

Create for Tate

Bob and Roberta Smith Blocks

Culture Label have just launched the 2010 edition of RELEASE, a design competition to hunt out innovative new product designs for museum and gallery shops and to put the word out to the creative community.

Culture Label are delighted to announce that this year they are collaborating with Tate to find two innovative new product designs to be produced and sold in Tate’s shops, at Tate Online and on CultureLabel.com. There is also a £500 cash prize plus a revenue share from sales of the product. For further information, to see a detailed design brief, or to enter the competition, take a look at www.CultureLabel.com/release

The Salon Video Art Prize

Due to a lack of support for Video artists Matt Roberts Arts has spent the last 8 months developing a new art prize concentrating on showcasing new media work.

The Salon Video Art Prize is the 4th open submission exhibition organised by Matt Roberts Arts since 2007, as part of a long term commitment to increasing opportunities and exposure for early – mid career artists. The Video Art Prize will be selected by Mike Sperlinger (Assistant Director - Lux), and Zineb Sedira (artist working in Photography, and Video) and will include 40 - 50 artists working in video, video installation, animation and experimental film.

The exhibition will take place at Matt Robert Arts Project Space, on Vyner Street, in East London, opening on Thursday 4th March, 2010. There is a selectors' prize of £800(GBP) for a chosen exhibitor, and the exhibition is likely to receive over 1000 visitors including national and international critics, curators and collectors.

The deadline for DVD submissions is 5pm, Saturday 23rd January, 2010. If you would like to know more please visit www.salonartprize.com or email salon10@mattroberts.org.uk

How to put on a show at a pop up space

How to put on a show at a pop up space

I’ve just taken down a 3 man exhibition I organized at a pop up space – The Framery, a disused office just off Hoxton Square. The show featured myself and 2 fellow painters that and was open for two weeks in the lead up to Christmas. The show, ULTRAMEGAOK came about after an invite from my girlfriend’s landlord to a private view in a small office on the ground floor of one of his properties. From the moment I walked in I was captured by the space which felt more like a New York loft space than an office, with white wooden floor boards, white brick work and retro chandeliers. Thankfully the owner has been very kind and let artists use the space at no cost which is fantastic especially when many people are willing to spend around £1000 a week to rent a gallery. In the current financial climate landlords may be willing to just cover business rates and bills as they can save money by not paying empty property rates – there is some good advice for approaching landlords on the Art Quest website. The government and local councils now have funds which can be applied for to use against the cost of rates and general show cost to inject life into Britain’s high streets, so with the right approach and backing there are deals to be done.

The disadvantage of using a pop up space is that you have to be very proactive to get people to visit and can’t rely on a galleries PR, the art going public wouldn’t be used to seeing exhibitions in these spaces. While we had a great location, just off a busy road, we still found it tough to get passers by coming in. A-boards and flyering certainly helps but nothing beats a window space onto a high street. We printed flyers, which if they hadn’t been delayed by a week, would have been put in all the small galleries, bars and cafés in the surrounding area, because of the delay most of our PR was electronic. We did mail outs to our contacts and listed the show on many art listing sites (such as Art Rabbit) and art blogs. One of the sites I approached, Murmur Art sent a reviewer down who gave us a great write up which helped get us more people through the door and will also look good on the CV.

The private view was very busy and we had a good flow of people throughout the run even with poor weather conditions outside and setbacks, all the feedback was very positive and the hang looked great. Since the landlord started letting artists use the space he’s now found new tenants to move in to the office in the New Year.

If there could be more people like this, not only would more artists take advantage of these empty spaces but also landlords would probably let their spaces far quicker, after all who wants to take over a dark dirty windowed space (except the artists of course!)

Some recent examples of pop up shows, both independent and commercial -

Shop at 34 – Covent Garden

http://shopat34.blogspot.com/

Decima – West end show

http://www.murmurart.com/news/what-happens-after-the-ball

Phaidon Piccadilly shop -

http://www.run-riot.com/PopUpPhaidon

Andy Wicks
Andy Wicks is a John Jones Artist Surfaces consultant and a practicing artist.
http://www.andywicks.co.uk

http://www.andywickspaints.wordpress.com

Open submission - Drink and Dial

WW Gallery recently announced an open call to artists for their big spring 2010 exhibition 'Drink & Dial'. Here, curators Debra Wilson and Chiara Williams tell us about how the idea came about and what they are looking for from artists.


"I personally don't know anyone who hasn't done it, and many of the failed preventative measures are hilarious in themselves" says Debra Wilson, who after listening to yet another cringe-making Drink & Dial episode from one of her friends, decided to look into the social phenomenon more closely.

Drink & Dial is the universal tendency of making regrettable phone calls while intoxicated. Fuelled by the need to express random thoughts and horny gibberish, calls are inevitably directed towards a romantic interest, although bosses, exes and parents are also known to bear the brunt. Phone companies and service providers have responded to the phenomenon by providing blocks on certain numbers and there are even applications that will lock you out until you're sober again...providing you remember to activate it before your first drink!

A staggering 95% of us have drunk & dialled at least once in our lives according to a recent survey. WW invites artists to respond to the concept in any way they choose and all media will be considered. "Drink & Dial is open to interpretation, explains Chiara Williams, we are not necessarily looking for literal responses; we are happy to consider narrative or figurative works, but also works that may not formally relate to the title of the show, that may have personal resonance for the artist and relate to the theme through abstract or conceptual language, through drawing, painting, sculpture, installation, video and performance."

"Spilling out of Drink & Dial are notions of obsession, desperation, repetition, loneliness, longing, self control, inhibition, regret, flashbacks, blackouts, hangovers, embarrassment...and no doubt many associations and experiences we won't have considered at all."

As with their successful 'Travelling Light' exhibition which was part of the 53rd Venice Biennale, WW is expecting to be surprised by artists' responses and hoping to discover some new talent. While on the surface, Drink & Dial is a very specific social phenomenon, relating perhaps less to the world of art and theory and more to the realm of weekend binge culture, it is this that so interests its curators. The gallery website states that "WW looks outward by staging shows centred around wider social and cultural themes. The result is often dark, frequently humorous and at once democratic and challenging." Drink & Dial would seem to embody this completely.

20 artists will be selected for the 6 week show, which runs 26 March - 6 May. The Deadline for applications is 31st January 2010. For more information and to apply, please visit http://www.wilsonwilliamsgallery.com/dial.htm

Dead man found in John Jones Project Space....

As you may know, our Project Space is a stand alone building from the rest of the company, so when the alarms went off at 10pm our key holding company came in to investigate – they saw a deathly white figure slumped in the corner of our project space in the dark, panicked and called the police.

We had a call to say a dead body had been found in the project space.... shocking news which sent us in to a panic too.... but were then called back shortly after by the police saying that they had been in and discovered the figure was not in fact a real man.

At which point it dawned on us that what they had seen was in fact a life size piece of art in our current show ‘Manderley’ – the work is called ‘Hug’ by artist Adam James....

Kate Jones












Covered in the Art Newspaper

http://www.theartnewspaper.com/