Final Eassy "Octavia Cook"

Octavia Cook was born in 1978, Auckland. She currently lives and works in Auckland. Graduated in 1999 from Unitec Institute of technology with a Bachelor of Design in Jewelry. Since graduating she has had numerous exhibitions throughout the years and also started a fabricated company called “Cook & Co” in 2002. Her works include; brooches, rings, bracelets, necklaces, pendants and chains. Her works deals and relate to autobiographical and idiosyncratic forms, the idea of her jewels point to the indivisibility of craft and concept, how she is drawn to the social role of jewelry, especially its identity-projecting possibilities and her use of the cameo to explore the possibilities associated with commemorative portraiture.

One of the ideas behind Octavia Cook’s work is the autobiographical and idiosyncratic form that is within her work. The meaning behind this idea is that Cook’s work is rewriting her life and her individuality through the form of jewelry. Her cameo work deals with the individual portrayed maybe known and important to her. Her work examines ideas of identity, family and the importance of jewelry in the art world. Cook demonstrates her imaginative ideas in her jewelry. An example of these ideas is found in her work “The Cook & Co Dynasty” 2009. This work presents several cameos of family members recording her background, history and ancestry in an art form that gives herself and her works an identity.

Cook’s jewels point to the indivisibility of craft and concept. Another way of rewriting this idea in a simple meaning is that the state of Cook’s jewels can’t be separated and divisible. The meaning behind this is that the ideas and process she uses to create her jewels are inseparable. The series of instructions in making her jewels are the same, aren’t divisible and can’t be separated. Her works all point to this idea, for an example, her four part “Cook & Co Cameo” set are inseparable from each other because the tools and materials that were used to create this work are exactly the same and the ideas behind the work, that of family, portraits, identity are interlinked with the making and the maker.

Cook’s drawn to the social role of jewelry, especially its identity-projecting possibilities. She’s attracted and drawn to the society world of jewelry and to an extent the representation of identity that can be created and presented in numerous ways. Cook likes the role of jewelry today and the direction it’s heading, indicating her interest in identity and how important it is to her. Cook defines this in her jewelry work, her portrait cameos that are important and precious to her. She redefines her idea around identity in her jewelry chains as well; her work monogram tennis bracelet has “COOK & CO” in big gold letters connected by tiny jump rings. She uses her company name to symbolize the company jewelry, creator, ownership and identity.

Cooks uses the cameo to explore the possibilities associated with commemorative portraiture. She evaluates numerous ways to memorialize portraits of people through her cameo work. She explores and experiments with her cameos to form links and find relationships, connecting people through a memorial or symbol. For an example her brooch work “A family portrait; C M and P J W Cook” I assume is Cook’s mother and father profiled in silhouettes. Her cameos of her parents show her relationship and importance of this people. This work is heirloom and valuable jewelry for the next generation of her family.

Jewelry Draft Eassy

Octavia Cook was born in 1978, Auckland. She currently lives in and works in Auckland. Graduated in 1999 from Unitec Institute of technology with a Bachelor of Design in Jewelry. Since graduating she has had numerous exhibition throughout the years and also started a fabricated company called “Cook & Co” in 2002. Her works include; brooches, rings, bracelets, necklaces, pendants and Chains. Her works deals and relate to autobiographical and idiosyncratic forms, the idea of her jewels point to the indivisibility of craft and concept and how she is drawn to the social role of jewelry, especially its identity-projecting possibilities.

One of the ideas behind Octavia Cooks work is the autobiographical and idiosyncratic form that’s within her work. The meaning behind this idea is that Cook’s work is rewriting her life and her individuality through the form of jewelries. Her cameo work deals with the individual portrayed maybe known and important to her. Her works is about her identity in art and how much of an imagination she specializes in her jewelry. Example of this idea is her work “The Cook & Co Dynasty” 2009 are several cameos of family members recording her background, history and ancestry in a art form that gives herself and her works an identity. Her work also relates to the form of individuality she has established in “The Cook & Co Dynasty” work, which is link to her identity as a person.

Cooks jewels point to the indivisibility of craft and concept. Another way of rewriting thee idea in a simple meaning is that the state of Cooks jewels can’t be separated and divisible. The meaning behind this idea is the state of her skills and process of steps she uses to create jewels are inseparable. The series of instructions in making her jewels are the same, aren’t divisible and can’t be separated. Her work all point to this idea, for an example her four part “Cook & Co Cameo” set are separable from each other cause of the tools and material that were used to create this work can’t be different cause of the similarities of the four jewels in its design and shape. Her individuality is identified in her jewels cause of the process; tools and instruction she took to make her jewels are the exactly and inseparable.

Cook’s drawn to the social role of jewelry, especially its identity-projecting possibilities”. She’s attracted and drawn to the society world of jewelry and to an extent the representation of identity that can be created and presented in numerous ways. Cook likes the role of jewelry today and its direction it’s heading, indicating her interest in identity and how important it is to her. Cook defines this in her jewelry work, her portrait cameos that are important and precious to her. She redefines her idea around identity in her jewelry chains as well; her work monogram tennis bracelet has “COOK & CO” in big gold letters connected by tiny jump rings. She uses her company name to symbolize the company jewelry, creator, ownership and identity.

jewelry Essay

Octavia Cook was born in 1978, Auckland. She currently lives in and works in Auckland. Graduated in 1999 from Unitec Institute of technology with a Bachelor of Design in Jewelry. Since graduating she has had numerous exhibition throughout the years and also started a fabricated company called “Cook & Co” in 2002. Her works include; brooches, rings, bracelets necklaces, pendants and Chains. She is well known for her cameo work, she deals with the idea

In a short extract from Anna Dean “living in a material world” in Object magazine 49, Anna states “cameos reveal little about their subject, but show that individual portrayed is esteemed and/or love enough to be created in relief and kept for prosperity”. The cameo don’t really tell a lot about the artist idea but the silhouettes of these individuals revealed maybe important, respected, loved and known to people. The cameos of these individuals were created in the artists feeling od

A statement by Anna Miles on Octavia Cook work is that “her jewels point to the indivisibility of craft and concept”. Cooks crafts and concepts are unable to be divided or separated at its current state, which all Cooks jewels are. Just by discussing about her jewelry indicate her plan and ideas are similar and associated with one another and all her Jewelry states are indivisible. A great example of this idea is found in “Cooks & Co cameo” 4 part set where her concept of ideas are linked with its similarity in shape which is Oval, the position and placement of the silhouettes are closely associated. Cook creating white silhouettes is a great clash of colors with different color background cause of the white being a dominant color; it reveals clearly the form and shape of the silhouette, although the shape and designs in the cameo maybe different but the plan and idea are the same. Cook’s intention of creating her jewelry are the same and in separable but the outcome maybe different.

Jewellery And Identity

Gerd Rothman "four finger bangle" 1995 is round circular shape which has a 4 fingers impression on the outside. It appears to be the size of a bracelet and the size of the finger impression is an actual size fingerprints. The colour of the entire object is gold and its made out of pure gold. Techniques Rothman used were; waxing, casting, hammering into a circle, soldering and polishing.

The content and meaning of this work is that the fingerprints is kind of form of Identification or proof of ownership. The shape of the object kinda looks like a knuckle busters and if viewed from a birds eye view, it looks like an animal footprint. The meaning of the bangle is to show ideas and creativity that could be put into Jewellery with finger printing on gold which is precious and expensive.

Ellie Smith" Clearing" @ Orexart Gallery

In the photograph "Girl and Black Cat, Urqutarts Bay" in the exhibition "Clearing" by Ellie Smith, the centre of focus shows a girl gazing at something on the ground and a black cat which seems to be the girls pet gazing in the opposite direction. From the surrounding information; the pine trees and branches in the foreground and the multiply tree trunks in the background, it seems that the photograph is taken in a rural area, a pine forests . The girl and cat seems to be exploring/hiking in the forest and searching for something. This is shown through the pose and expression of both charcters. The girl is walking towards something, looking downwards and the cat gazing at something in the opposite direction.

The photograph shows the important Pine trees and forests are personally to Smith. She quoted "I made huts in the pine trees as a child… I remember anxious old-world stories of lost and enchanted children. I am still warmed by the smell of Christmas.”

Collateral

The work "Collateral" by Dane Mitchell relates to the idea that to make the familiar strange might be strategy to make the everyday noticeable. The work was a pile of discarded packaging gathered from Mitchell's fellow Art finalist artworks, which was arranged on a heavy base floor by museum staff. The packagings printed labels also had Mitchell's fellow finalists name. Packaging materials is familiar in todays society and Mitchell has use it in his work to collaborate and be communal. His fellow finalists printed names on the packaging is his main point of focus as it kind of shares a wining experience as a group. The work tells viewers notice that the everyday can be told in a strange way but noticeable in the text on the work.

Untitled Manuwera 2010

In the photograph Untitled Manuwera, 2010 in the exhibition "Blood's thicker Than Mud" by Terry Koloamatangi Klavenes, the centre of focus shows two boys seems to be brothers standing next to each other gazing towards the camera. From the surrounding information; the Basketball court in the mid ground, trees and Basketball Hoop in the background, it seems that the photograph is taken outside at a park. The photograph looks like it has been taken from everyday context which is evidenced with the court and Hoop in the background depth. The brothers appears to be unease but seem to be strong in each others presences. This is shown through their pose and expression. The older brother gesture is stanch, angry and in tense form, shown in his his face expression and body language. the little brother seems more relax but gesture on his hands and chest shows his strong.

The Artwork shows the importance of family bonds which is highlighted by Koloamatangi Klavenes 'exhibition title "Blood's Thicker Than Mud".

Re-submission for Dion

Mahmoud Bakshi "Sunset 2010" work is made out of plate cylinders and megaphones. Multiples of plate cylinders and megaphones are placed in a vertical position forming patterns and repetition of objects and form. There are 2 main sculptures that make up the artist work, Plate cylinders are stuck next to each other in a vertical direction resulting a very large sculpture. Megaphones in multiple numbers are placed in an circle bench in an upwards direction next to each other forming a object. The scale of the work is large and on purpose to get viewers attention with it size of the cylinders 6-10 meters high and 6 meters wide. The multiple megaphones audio in display is a broadcast from mosques around the Tehran fives times a day including a call at evening. The cylinders can manipulate viewers with the multiple lines in parallel in a vertical direction and taking viewers point of view in an upwards direction. The shape the cylinders form reminds of organs at church Cathedrals. I feel the cylinders are like buildings of a city and also reminds me of Superman Ice layout in the north pole in Jerry Siegel comic hero world. This work relates to Filipe Tohi "Hautaha" cause3 of the similar structure and identical tools they used to from their sculptures, the plate cylinders and Tohi's Steel poles are very similar in size and length.

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Re-submission for Dion

J.H Palmer "A.H.I-W.H Bond sculpture" is a sculpture that is derived shape is the Maori fish hook (Matau) and the anchor stone. The two Maori fish hooks and anchor stone is made out of concrete steel. The shape of the hooks is identified as a Maori cause of the aesthetic style. The way the sculpture is viewed from various direction are different. There are sharp lines that outlines the hooks and is manipulating viewers cause of the lines that are clearly visible to see. The flat surface on the hooks is very smooth, creating the sculpture shapes and three-dimentional views to it. I don't really like the sculpture because of its random form and shape, the sculpture hasn't given me a point of focus. i feel that the sculpture is bright cause of the color and sunlight it has. The sunlight forms a shadow of the sculpture and gives viewers a totally different look of the sculpture. The shadow changes shape as the sunlight hits the sculpture from different direction as time goes by during the day. It kinda realtes to my studio work with Dion cause of the similar process it takes to create the sculpture but the scales of the work are different.

Re-submisson for Dion

Filipe Tohi "Hautahu" is a sculpture that is made out of steel poles and used as layers on top of each other and paralleled, forming a lax sculpture. "Hautahu" work is based on the Tongan traditional laxing. i really like this work cause of how Filipe Tohi has transformed his cultural traditional art into modern day art. The layers and three-dimentional view he has created with the steel poles has formed a shape of a diamond. The manipulation the viewers get when all the steel poles are parallel with each other in different direction gets viewers going in various directions. All steel poles from any position viewers look at the sculpture, all the poles are aligned in a 45 degree angle. The work is transparent and visually bright with its location where sunlight reflects, hits the sculpture. The sculpture has a shadow due to the sunlight and directions the sunlight comes from doesn't really change the shape of the shadow cause of the repetition and identical shape of the sculpture from different views. The sculpture makes me feel imprisoned cause of the steel poles shape and form, it creates a three-dimentional cage. The work relates to my studio work where the class have two-dimentional objects and drawings and create three-dimentional objects out of them.

Re-submission for Dion

The 'Tiki Wananga" by Dion Hutch and Charles Koroncho is 3 large sculptures which have links to Maori cultural art. The sculptures title in english terms "God stick" is an object that early Maoris used for rites. Priest would use 'Tiki Wananga" to call upon Gods to bless and help their tribes. Tiki Wananga are usually small but Dion Hutch and Charles Koroncho sculptures are large. I really like the shape it has with the patterns, parallel lines and the fibric optical cables has formed. I really like the way the fibric optical cables has wrapped itself around the sculptures and the way it steadily holds the sculpstures down form the ceiling. the sculptures being wrapped around with fibric optical cables reminds me of Christo "wrapped" projects he has done throghout the past and is similar in a way with both artists work being "wrapped". This work relates to the mould shapes work I just finished in my studio class.

Describe how this work relates to an idea about the everyday?

The work A True Draft of the Whale as it was seen in the River Thomas by Olivia Plender relates to the idea of how making the familiar strange might be a strategy to make the everyday noticeable. The work is an newspaper, an object that is very common and can be found at supermarkets, local Dairies, magazine stores and in households. In A True Draft of the Whale as it was seen in the River Thomas" The newspaper contain an unfamiliar story not associated with the idea of everyday but it is a plan to fill the everyday object so its noticeable to people. The message itself isn't everyday but what the work is presented on is. The newspaper itself is an object of the everyday, noticeable around the world with different stories written from day to day. The story is uncommon and used as a strategy to make newspaper articles noticeable everyday.

Describe how this work relates to an idea about the everyday?

WEEK 2: Describe how the artist use of one of the following relates to the topic of the everyday: Materials/objects, setting, subject matter?

In Laresa Kossloff's work at Artspace gallery, everyday objects such as projectors and glass normally found at homes, business buildings, theater's and Cinemas are used as materials. Films are screened away from each other on purpose to give viewers different views of the projectors screens within the gallery. One of the projectors is placed further away from the entrance and at 1st glance at it, it gets viewers interest from the distance cause it was set differently from the other 2 screens. The viewer can only get good view of the screen when a close-up view of the projector screen is clear, the film is screened on a 32inch rectangular clear-glass hanging down by chains. its giving an illusion of the film being screened in negative space. The films is where the message/subject matter is based, its exploring bodies inhabit space within a urban environment. One film is a Melbourne stocking exchange building on a smooth continuous vertical panning shot,showcasing steel and glass grids. People are moving between the busy, square rooms and office as the continuous shot goes up and down the building

How does the work relate to an idea of everyday?

The work "Ioka"2004 from the series Ioka by Edith Amituanai relates to the idea "When working with the everyday, artist select from their living context". The work is a photographic portrait mid body shot of Ioka holding a cup of tea, showcasing chores and a normal life of pacific islander. Everyday objects are found within the background of the kitchen which shows a bottle of coke. The snapshot tells me Ioka is serving tea/coffee etc, an example of an common activity from the life of an pacific islander and a living context that I can relate to as well.

23/4/2010

We got a new contextual teacher who started on the 1st week after the easter break. His name is William and is from Taiwan, got his Bacholar at AUT in 2001. Our lesson with him was about the everyday life, things that aint surprising to you and repeatedly do or see everyday. I thought it was a great idea cause it relates to our current studio project work. The "Everday life" meaning for an example is like waking up and brushing our teeth every morning which is a normal casual thing compare to going to another country for the 1st time for a holiday. We were looking at photos and given questions to talk about our chosen photos, what message does the photographer want viewers to know and how they have shown it visually and also how it relates to our topic "everday life".

19/03/2010 Contextual Studies

CVA went on another trip to two galleries in Auckland city. The 1st gallery we visited was the ART SPACE gallery which had an exibition on Laresa Kosloff, an Australian who llives in Melbourne had some of her work based on the theme "moving image". She used large rectangle objects which were in white to clearly visualise the screening of videos, she also use a 32 inch rectangular clear glass hagging down from the ceiling as one of her screens. I thought it was an brilliant and amazing idea cause it got that illusion with a screening on negative space. I was really amazed by her work as an artist.

The next gallery we visited was the WHITESPACE CONTEMPORERY ART gallery also within Auckland city but was really a bit smaller. One of the artists that caught my attention was Meredith Collins who had all her painting in "oil on Canvas". The main reason why I liked her work is because she based her work on potrait painting. I really like realistic potrait cause of the realistic, detail and emotions/feeling she put on each of her paintings. the use of tone and shadows with a use of white to bring out some light shows viewers how artist can play around with shadows and bring out an amzing image out of it.

Contextual studies 3/12

last week my CVA class went to 2 art galleries in the city. The 1st of our visit was to the Circular gallery which had a focus pacific island art on display from paintings to jewellery, photography and carvings. The 2nd gallery we went to was the Object Space gallery which had a focus in sculpturing, all types of sculpturing from greek pots to roman scculpture but my favourite was a sculpture by Sandra Black whos from Australia who did this sculpture of a dress in 1988. i really liked it because it has realistic and detail look to it with drape lines on the sculpture cloth. we also went to another gallery in West Auckland called the Loddell House Gallery are having an exibition on called "Labour of Heracles" which focus on Maori and Greek history. All paintings on display were by a New Zealand artist name Marian Maguire who uses Herakles as her main point of focus of blending in with Maori/New Zealand history. She also uses ancient greek history and 2D greek art, blending them in on landscape printing and paintings. My favourite is "Herakles goes to Galipoli" which she printed a Maori and Pakeha WW1 soldiers as a potrait image. The maori soldier is identified by his moko on his chin. Between the two soldiers is Herakles to show power and strength. she is blending in two different times ages and culture which i reckon is clever.

Contextual studies

5th of March which was a friday, The CVA class had a class trip to the Auckland Art Precinct. A area block of the city near Auckland university where 10 art galleries and specialist shops showcase different arts Auckland has to offer. All galleries were uniquely different from each other and displaying New Zealand leading contemporary artists.

My Favorite gallery was the Oxeart gallery which had a portrait painting called "Sacred to the memory" by Mark Goody caught my attention. It was a religious portrait painting of Mary. Goody used dark to light colors to bring out the face of mary with realistic look. He used a brownish earth color as his background color then used black and white to detail the image and bring out Mary's face. The composition of Mary is significant, her pose/position look is power, praised and holy. I like the painting because i always looked at religious paintings when i was younger going to church on sundays.