MARCEL DUCHAMP: FOUNTAIN, 1917 the turning point in art

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Christina Bell
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1 MARCEL DUCHAMP: FOUNTAIN, 1917 the turning point in art A novel approach to art: Appropriation = Borrowing elements (visuals, concepts, even objects) and reinterpreting them in the creation of new work. The object changes meaning in the new context. Readymade - Marcel Duchamp s term for the appropriated everyday object Readymade = Item appropriated from one context, such as an every day object in the store or in the home (e.g. a urinal) and put into another context, such as the artworld, (e.g. a museum). The meaning of the object becomes different in the new context.

2 What is to be considered as ART applied for the Fountain: 1. An artist, Duchamp is a person who participates with understanding in the making of a work of art, even though he does not make it by his own hands, he chose it. 2. A work of art is an artifact of a kind created to be presented to an artworld public. Yes, the Fountain was chosen to be presented with an intention to subvert the norm. It successfully set off a debate about what can be considered art and why. 3. A public is a set of persons the members of which are prepared in some degree to understand an object which is presented to them. If you are considering questions of what makes the Fountain art, you are prepared to understand it. Appreciation of it has nothing to do with aesthetic issues. It is non-retinal art. 4. The artworld is the totality of all artworld systems. 5. The artworld system is a framework for the presentation of a work of art by an artist to an artworld public. Yes, even though the Fountain was not publicly exhibited at the time, it has created a debate and a precedent in the artworld about what can be considered as art and why.

3 SPACES / PLACES Vocabulary words: Sculpture Diorama (e.g.mark Dion) Tableau Installation Site specificity / Site specific Earthworks / Land Art Mel Chin: Revival Field Maya Lin: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Jessica Stockholder Andrea Zittel Unilever Series at Tate Modern, London Relational Aesthetics Intervention

4 Research Do-Ho Suh Seoul Home/L.A. Home/New York Home/Baltimore Home/London Home/Seattle Home

5 PLACE as a theme Artist dealing with Representation of places (e.g. mapping, photography) Physicality/physical features (space) Conceptual aspects meanings and history, social, political, geographical issues and implications. Place = Location, Site: Literal/physical/geographical space vs. Virtual space E.g.: non-space, cyberspace, fantasy space Place = Space, Context (medium, milieu, environment, surroundings) e.g.: social space, psychological space

6 Space Actual, 3D field of everyday physical experience Art forms dependent on using space: architecture, sculpture, installation art, performance, etc Formats to distinguish: Sculpture Diorama Tableau or tableaux Installation

7 SCULPTURE Umberto Boccioni Unique Forms of Continuity in Space 1913? Alberto Giacometti The palace at 4am 1932

8 SCULPTURE 3-dimensional construct (spatial construct) - Height, width, depth Has mass, volume, negative space 360 experience Physical materials Physical experience

9 DIORAMA Mark Dion

10 TABLEAU Ed Kienholz The Wait Hospital

11 Installation Ensemble of elements intended to be experienced as a single artwork Often relate to surrounding architecture/environment warning: observe relationship carefully: is the art site specific? Situates and involves the viewer: - meant to be walked into, - not only visual but multi-sensory experience (touch, sound, smell, movement, etc ) Time-based experience Christian Boltanski Ilya Kabakov Olafur Eliasson Ann Hamilton Jessica Stockholder

12 Considering the designed environment of the everyday: Andrea Zittel A-Z Administrative Services An Institute of Investigative Living Frontier philosophy and practice in re-designing the domestic living environment. Considering form / function, meaning and value of how we live. DYI attitude, criticism of consumerism / urban sprawl. Artworks: A-Z Raugh Furniture (Raugh Lifestyle) A-Z Carpet Furniture A-Z Living Unit A-Z Escape Vehicle Indy Island 2010, Indianapolis Museum of Art!

13 Relational Aesthetics Viewer becomes participant Art object becomes experience Artist becomes instigator/facilitator (creator of the situation) Art experience: comes from the participants interaction with other participants. This social, relational experience that happens among the participants is the artwork. Examples: Andrea Zittel s Indianapolis Island Carsten Höller s Test Site

15 Happening next week:

looking at textile and wallpaper designs and identify patterns that have repeating units that are simple enough for you to reproduce but complex enough to be

16 Collaborative project with Candy!!! Candy Coated Installation Required Preparation for Friday: Find a historic repeating decorative pattern from anywhere around the world: You should start by looking at textile and wallpaper designs and identify patterns that have repeating units that are simple enough for you to reproduce but complex enough to be visually interesting when displayed alone. Choose the most interesting one, and for Friday's class, make 10 of this repeating design unit by tracing it over to color paper and cutting it out along the outlines. Suggested scale: no smaller than 4". Various sizes are OK. Use the color paper from last week.

17 On Friday, bring the 10 units + scissors, a black marker and pencil Site Visit: Olympic Sculpture Park (free entry). ATTENTION: This site visit replaces 3 artist research for this week. Make notes of 3 sculptures that you find either site specific or responding to the site. Include description, and explain what makes them site specific/site responsive.

18 Working with color and pattern in installation: Sarah Morris Matthew Ritchie Working with color and objects installation: Jessica Stockholder

19 INSTALLATION PRESS RELEASE Due: Monday, February 3, 11pm Making part: In Friday s class we will be producing a collaborative wall installation with artist Candy Coated. Take 3-5 good quality photographs of the installation after it is finished. Focus on showing - how the installation uses the space and - highlighting how your color units interact with other elements in the design and the surroundings. (You may want to take the photos when it is not crowded, after class or later in the day. Think about the landscape of the overall design, and how its fits into the architecture of the space. IMPORTANT: Post your 3 of your best images as a JPG, 2M or smaller, in the Dropbox for week4. Label images: FirstName_LastNAme_week4-1.jpg, FirstName_LastNAme_week4-2.jpg, Writing part: Write an accompanying Press Release for the installation, which contextualizes the collaborative project in contemporary art history. Consider: relationship to the site, process of making, the resulting design, and use appropriate references (compare/ contrast) with at least 3 relevant artist/artwork examples studied this week. PDF ONLY! 400 words limit. Label: FirstName_LastNAme_week4.pdf The statement must cover the What? How? And Why? questions.

20 Press Release The purpose of a press release is to inform the artwork public about a new work/exhibition, to help people understand what and how was done, and to explain how the work fits into the context of art history / culture and current issues. It is written in a way that stimulates interest, creates connections (hooks) for people. It s not the same as hyping something up. Answers the following 3 questions: - WHAT? - HOW? - WHY? While you always have to consider all 3 of these points, it will actually depend on the artwork how much explanation would each need. Write about what is interesting and adds to the viewer s appreciation of the work. No need to talk at great length about the obvious.

21 1. WHAT? What is the viewer going to be seeing? Describe what was made in a way that it can be accurately visualized. Who made it? Is there anything relevant and interesting to mention about the artist/s. Example: This is an installation of 55 small red apples on the concrete steps leading from the Art Building to the Quad.

22 2. HOW? How was it made? Describe any significant aspect of the making process or material, and/or relationship between the artwork and its physical environment. Example: The apples were collected by circus poodles I trained for years, specifically for this task. The fruit comes from an abandoned orchard by Lake Washington, which only produces these red apples once in every 5 years. In my installation, the apples are placed on the concrete steps in a pattern which reads like a clown s face from bird s eye view.

23 3. WHY? What goals / intentions did the artist have for the meaning of the work? How was that goal achieved? Describe the meaning and significance of the work. This includes goals/intentions for meaning (concept) and for viewer s involvement, as well as any art historical or cultural/theoretical references the artwork might have or might need in order to be accessible. Include comparisons to artists/artworks of similar nature, with explanation. Example: This work was inspired by XY s artwork, The Rouge Tomato. Both share blahblahblah.

GLOSSARY for National Core Arts: Visual Arts STANDARDS

GLOSSARY for National Core Arts: Visual Arts STANDARDS Visual Arts, as defined by the National Art Education Association, include the traditional fine arts, such as, drawing, painting, printmaking, photography,