Manipulating Everyday Objects-は日用品を巧みに操作し

Sometimes there is so much pretentious confusion in the world of art and this often means the message that is trying to be conveyed and the true quality of a piece of work is lost amongst it. I also think that this, in part, is a reason why people shy away from showing an appreciation of art, especially when first starting out. You can find yourself being involved in an elaborate conversation about a piece of art where others around you feel that to 'truly' appreciate the work you have to try and find a deeper meaning and to comprehend this meaning they need to study and debate the artist's frame of mind, cultural persuasions and take the art beyond what it is. I have to admit that I find this side of the art world pompus annoying and am glad that artists like Banksyare breaking this mindset. Within his work there are some statements of modern culture and politics that show through at a very basic level. I think that this is where Banksy's popularity lies, in his direct and uncondescending connection with the viewing public. Of course there will be those who still feel the need to be accepted into this 'artsy' world and leave a wake of others feeling belittled by their conversation, which is a shame. I prefer to not talk gobbledygook just to impress and I am happy to appreciate the work for the emotions it creates within me, the thoughts it provokes and the visual and sensual stimulation I gain.

Yuken Teruya is a refreshing artists where this does not apply and I admire his work because of it's simplicity. The statement is also very clear but gentle and serene. It doesn't need to be shouted at you and cannot be over debated, it is what it is. Teruyas work has so much strength in conveying an important message so quietly and also it is gentle enough to allow you to reflect.

'He manipulates everyday objects, transforming their meaning to reflect on contemporary society and culture. Cutting trees out of paper bags and from cardboard toilets paper rolls he creates meticulous and intricate art works, small and enchanting worlds which relate to broader concerns.'

It's as simple as that, and with this simplicity and ease of understanding the appeal can reach a wider scope of viewers. It is not confined to those who like to have a deep discussion about hidden meanings in art, it's about interacting with you and I on a level which we understand. I don't feel stupid viewing his work, I don't feel like I missing the true meaning, I understand it and it makes me think. I also like how clever it is and that from rubbish that has been dropped in the street, found on a coffee table or thrown out of a house, Teruya created something that emits such a tranquil feeling. It is symbolic of what originally occurred, it becomes more than just a discarded bag that once held a McDonalds 'Happy Meal' it changes into a story that shows the journey that was required for the natural material to be transformed into a usable entity.

There is such beauty in the intricate detailing of Teryua's work, the 3D effect created by the small cuts, the small world that has been created inside a small bag. It is microscopic origami which is stunning. Teryua is still a young artists and I think there is a lot more to see from him and the more rubbish that is thrown away the larger his supply of art material becomes, so I am looking forward to seeing where his journey takes him.

I'm Late, I'm Late For A Very Important Date!

Some films come and go without anyone noticing, some come and create a buzz and you might even recommend them to friends to go see and some even win an academy award and then there are films that come along and blow all of these out of the water. These are masterful pieces of work for the film screen. The films where the acting is intense, where the work on the scenery, cinematography and the CGI pushes more boundaries then we ever thought possible. The next in this line is from the talented Tim Burton and his Alice in Wonderland. From the clips and trailers which I have already seen this looks to be such an awe inspiring film that will captivate you regardless of where your regular film interest lies. The 3D nature is also compelling on the eye and the mixture of subdued colouring and cartoon effect is mesmerising. Sometimes the colour is punchy and then in other scenes it is almost washed out with subtle tones, but this helps in depicting the emotion that is needed for that scene.

From these working drawings you can see how Tim Burton had the complete concept in his head already and his amazing skill is that he was able to put what he saw in his imagination onto the screen for all of us to enjoy. This is about having those who work with you all reading off the same page at the same time. A film is a collaboration of great skills and creative people but you do need a leader and Tim Burton is perfection in this. Burton has always created films that were full of strong imagery from Beetlejuice, toEdward Scissorhands and more recently Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. He has his critics and a common complaint being that he uses the same lead actors but I think if you have the quality in acting of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter to hand and then to not use them and maybe degrade the quality of your work just to appease those who criticise because of this, well that would be a travesty. So Tim Burton just keeps creating in his own style and the films become more impressive and maybe slightly more weird but even more compelling to watch. So on the 5th of March you know where you can find me.

Not Everything Is Black And White

There is something about photography which is thrilling, on a personal level for me it's not the task of taking a photograph but to see the work of others which i find so enthralling. The ability to capture a moment in time and for a photographer to see this shot and know what they want and then to be able to set out to achieve this is an amazing skill. We all have at some point taken a scenic shot of a sunset on holiday, the mountains from a distance or a city lit up at night and sometimes these have turned out to be lucky photographs which are visually stimulating. Or we've set our cameras up against a scene where the essence of what we were photographing was so strong that it was hard to fail at capturing a images of some quality. However a great photographer knows the picture they want to achieve, they have researched effects, and through trial and error and with a good level of experience they set the scene, they have their camera settings just perfect and take the photo of that moment knowing exactly what image they will capture, this is a great photographer. It's not just a lucky shot but an exhilarating image that shows a sophisticated and delicately refined skill.

Nicholas Hughes is such a photographer. He has captured some amazing effects which I find so compelling because most of us would have at some time seen these scenes ourselves and may have tried to take a photograph. However camera technology would have pulled us further away from achieving an image of what we see-through our own eyes and created an image which was taken over by the camera adding in stronger contrasting and light definition from automatic focusing on specific points rather than across a wide landscape of what our eye would actually capture. So with this we lose the emotion of the moment, the true sense of the environment and its creation of shade, light and colour. These moments Nicholas has captured and has found superb imagery through the lens of a camera.

His first series of photographs The Edge- Verse II are showing the slight differences in contrast when all surfaces are white. Those moments we recognise in snowy conditions where we've ended up moving ourselves or shielding our eyes in order to see something in the distance, the few seconds of recognition as our eyes search for some difference in light and shape in order to pick out an object, those moments we search for tonal differences to see anything beyond the blinding white. Nicholas has captured this perfectly and he has created the same feeling where some photos do take you some time to make out what they are and there is a relief found when we have a tree on the horizon to define the rest by.

His next series of photographs In Darkness- Verse I & II go to the opposite end of the spectrum and the moment when things become too dark to see. He has captured moments as the sun is setting and the landscape is just visible but about to disappear into darkness. He has used the natural landscape of the forest to show the shapes the tree's have and then start to lose as the light fades. And in another set within the darkness series he has also shown how the light fading can on a waters surface add more definition and highlight the rippling surface textures which are not normally so visible. Nicholas has brought a depth to his photographs, he shows how subtle the landscape can be and where it can lead to misinterpretation with fading light and minimal colour.

Merry Christmas

There have been many adaptations of Charles Dickens 'A Christmas Carol' since it was published in 1843 and here we are over 150 years later and there is a new version out. It has Jim Carrey as Scrooge, with Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and Bob Hoskins helping out on the other characters. The films CGI looks amazing and so I will be taking a little niece and nephew along to watch it over the Christmas period. Although most of us have seen and heard the story many times before I think this version will surpass all others as the quality and attention to detail is amazing. However I do have a love of the versions that have gone before and I will share them with you below. The Disney version, The Jim Henson version and the Alastair Sim's 1951 version which has such a different quality to it and is very magical all in it's own right.

So to all my blog readers, wherever you are this Christmas have a lovely inspirational time.

Questioning Reality

I have been absent for a few weeks on this blog, but although there's been little time to write I've saved the links of things I've come across during my busy time and I now have an abundance of inspirational things to post. I will start with the amazing mind of Leandro Erlich.

As a child most of us would have found a sense of wonderment walking round a funhouse, a fairground of attractions or have even been lucky enough to go to Disneyland or some place similar. The work of Leandro reminds me of that fun experience of testing what you see in front of you, it makes you questions what our reality is. He makes rooms and objects that you normally see from only one perspective look completely different and bizarre from a whole new angle. The Shattering Door is what first brought Leandro's work to my attention as it feels like he has captured a moment in time, a freeze frame where you don't see the aftermath of the door falling into a thousand pieces on the floor. However this then makes you question how the pieces can stay in this frozen state without falling, you wonder what would make enough of an impact to create this, you understand that it must have been considerable so where is the rest of the destruction? However all these thoughts makes you forget the reality and for me it was not until a few minutes later that I remembered that wooden doors don't just shatter, only things more delicate like glass or ceramics do. It is an amazing piece of art which takes you on a journey down a revealing thought process which is more about what you see and what you know to be real. You can actually hear the penny dropping as people start to work it out.

Some of Leandro's other work have a sutler statement attached to them, some are pointing out parts of life which we accept to readily without question, such as The Smoking Room. What if the room was transparent and you could see the smoke contained in the room. Without the walls hiding what's going on it makes you realise what is produced in a room dedicated just for smoking. Or when we look down a staircase we give ourselves a view of the steps below, people already a few floors lower than us decending down the stairs. But what if this was turned vertical on us, it is recognisable but yet we feel our position is in question for the angle we view it from.

This work is genius, Leandro Erlich has a very clever mind and this is my favourite type of art, where I question what I see but then by looking further and closer at the piece the statement being made becomes clear and I then question my own perspective.

Commercial Advert Inspiring Prime Time TV

This is a simple blog from me, just wanted to show a few adverts which I've seen lately and found impressive. Posting them to share and hope they inspire.

Agent Provocateur

Adidas

Keira Knightly- Women's Aid

Brylcreem

Lift- Marc Isaacs

I thought I would tell you about this short film 'Lift' by Marc Isaacs it is great and shows some amazing relationships between the cameraman and the people using the lift on a daily basis. You get to meet some weird and wonderful people all living in one tower block. It made me laugh as I come across these types of people most days around London, for me there's Fred the 80 year old guy who shouts and shouts "Oi..Oi" at you until you say hello back and then he says "what a beautiful day today". I always wonder what the rest of his life must have been like and what makes him sit on that wall everyday. This short film shows you some amazing personalities very similar to Fred, although you'll need to watch it in full to see how the characters change or to learn more about them as the days pass.

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