TERM 4: Week 3 - Tiffany Singh "COLORS"

Our guest speaker this week was Kiwi born installation artist Tiffany Singh. With a Maori, Samoan and Indian descent she has explored and exhibited in New Zealand, Samoa and India. "Engagement and participation are two important element to consider when your an Installation artist" is how I have summed up Singh artwork throughout he seminar. But as our lesson for this week being around the use of color. Singh idea of color originated from Hindu/Buddhism religion on chakra and how there are seven colored chakras within living human beings.

Her work "What color is sacred" really emphasis her idea of color and its meaning and feelings towards others. Her artwork are small (palm of hand) scale mimic of Hindu goddess and the Virgin Mary positioned inlined with over 400 models of the form but using the seven color chakra to give each model a meaning through its form and color. She quoted "Shape and form are intellect with each other throughout her work" and telling me they both work together in one mind, people reacting or relating to each clone form differently. The conclusion she got on this artwork was the that religion/ethnicity/Western society plays a major role of people choice of color models. Singh explained that one lady was emotional because of a purple Hindu goddess she choose to trade with was like her see her past.

It seems that spirituality connection seem to contribute to Singh work and to me that a bad thing. Singh is pushing the boundaries of religion and spirituality because of her practice being really focused on religious and ethnicity forms or colors. People may be offended or angry by her artwork "what color is sacred?" as depiction of mary used as an art piece kinda of offended me because being a catholic, any depiction/statue/painting of Mary is highly regarded as a spiritual symbol/object/form that we heavily pray to through our rosary beads and must be blessed by the Priest/Archbishop or Pope. Singh colored models of the Virgin Mary is creative and authentic as an artist but its bit offensive to me as a Christian(Catholic) believer, however I can understand her idea of colors relationship with individuals.

When Singh first mentions about chakra in her talk, I immediately fought about of Japanese Manga writer and Illustrater Masashi Kushimoto "NARUTO". In Kushimoto manga Chakra is molding physical and spiritual energy together within an individual. Then once controlled, the energy can be exploited out of the body into visible physical form. There are different forms and color that are visible and relate to the element that an individual uses. The five elemental chakra nature system is associated except lightning with the Japanese philosophy of the Five elements. As I read the definitions of Fu(Wind), I realize that Naruto, the protagonist in Kushimto manga characteristic and color highly associated and related to Wind as its his main chakra element. The use color in Singh work is tied to the philosophy of chakra in the Hindu religion as to Kushimoto chakra system similar to Wu Xing (Chinese philosophy) and giving chakra visible/elemental form and color that is distinctive to each element.

As of my favorite color, I'll have to say BLUE because of the childhood memories of being raised in Tonga. One thing I remember and loved about Tonga was the sky and the ocean. One memory of mine was lying in top of a container during the night, staring at the sky daydreaming, wishes, looking for shapes or form clouds create and wondering how my mother was doing back in New Zealand. Blue to me is a peaceful and meditate color that makes me think about the world and God. Another memory of mine was walking to a nearby wharf for swim with my cousins and family on the weekends and holidays, As I look out into the sea/ocean, the ocean color blue seem like a never-ending sight as the blue looked real dark and deep as I looked out from the wharf. I thought NZ ocean had the same feeling and sight I remember in Tonga but it didn't catch my imagination. My childhood and nature plays a major roll on the colors I remember well and love.

http://www.aucklandprintstudio.com/tiffany-singh.html (Singh latest project "Wave of Possibility"

http://vimeo.com/10592897 (Singh "What color is sacred" by Mic Oti Rerehiko)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA6j5jNyBz4 (interview about "Stealing the Senses"2011)

http://www.sanatansociety.org/yoga_and_meditation/seven_chakras.htm

http://www.maryourmother.net/Mary.html

http://www.fengshuinatural.com/en/five-elements.html (Chinese philosophy)

http://www.aetw.org/jsp_godai.htm (Japanese Philosophy)

http://www.naruto2.com/Information/Chakra_Guide/Naruto-ChakraGuide_Main.aspx (Kushimoto "NARUTO " world Chakra system)

http://naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Chakra

Term 4 Week 2: Fran Alison

This week special guest speaker, Fran Allison talked about her experience in collaboration and her background practice as a Jeweler. The born Christchurch artist went to Middlesex University before graduating with a Masters degree at the Royal College of Arts in London. Her area of expertise graduallyexpanded as her early years as a silversmith to aluminum to contemporary jewelry. Her artworks changed throughout the years, materials and scale to be precise, from metal/aluminum objects to contemporary brooches and handkerchiefs and badges.

Allison in the last few years has glued herself with contemporary jewelry and her work reference the fashion industry with her 1999 series "The Dress". Her idea behind the work was attraction and attention towards the body through her flowery painted stainless steel mesh on the girl hair. The scale and color helps her achieve her idea. Allison who lives in Auckland has always adorned and became interested in Pacific Island fashion. Polynesian floral headbands, Samoan Sei and Taualuga Tekiteki are some of her influences and response with her "The dress" series work that directly connected with Polynesian fashion and style.

The "Weeds" collaborative group formed in 2005 with Allison herself, Lisa Walker, Andrea Daly and Shelley Norton has really pushed and expanded both herself and her piers knowledge and practice. Allison said that the group have become a platform for experimentation and influential in her practice. One thing she said that got my attention was "artwork is created on top of a pre-existing work". Allison work in 2005, at the second "weeds" outing in Wellington at the Quoil Contemporary Jewelry gallery were the four traditional card shapes depiction of Spades, hearts, clubs and diamonds constructed into pieces of brooches.

She remade the forms she constructed on the king of hearts card but decorated and pushed it further with a few fabric materials and jewelry to give it more lively color and presence.

http://www.fingers.co.nz/exhibitors/Allison_weeds_05.htm

http://www.quoil.co.nz/artists/fran_allison/

http://www.masterworksgallery.com/index.cfm?action=artists&page=profile&artist_id=86

http://www.icebox.org.nz/LIKEFA.html

Term 4 Week 1: Daborah Crowe + Filipe Tohi

Our class had another great seminar by practicing artist and fellow tutor Deborah Crowe who talked was about the importance of collaboration and building around the body. We also took a trip over to the Mangere Arts Centre to see Tongan sculpture artist Filipe Tohi latest exhibition "Fatuemaka Mei Falekafa" which he shows his skills as a sculpture through his stone artworks.

First Deborah Crowe, Principal lecturer of the school talked a little about her background and her ideals in art. Her ideal as a practitioner and not an artist got me into her talk as she explains to the class the reasons. She tells us that to her "My work is about doing it, not create". She also likes to very opened about her practice, expanding from fashion, jewelry, Installation and crafts. Her ideas behind her works is "wanting to construct things" and as a practitioner she says relationship and construction are two important things to think about cause you got to get feedbacks from dealers, artists, students etc. to help you develop and grow as an artist. I also see her artwork referencing architecture with a lot construction of lines made out of find materials, creating an abstract productive objects. Her 2005 installation work "construct" is an inventive of interior space within household using normal architect matrials such as timber, glass and acrylic.

I really loved the "Fatuemaka Mei Falakafa" exhibition, thought Filipe Tohi work were astounding and inspiring as a fellow Tongan. I Thought his stone sculptures had unique features that correspond with each stone names. Being a Tongan I felt I had an advantage over my fellow classmates with knowing the meaning/definition behind each stone sculpture name but was more amused with Tohi being there with curator James Pinker giving an introduction of the gallery space and exhibition. It was a great pleasure meeting Tohi in person and getting more incite behind his works with a lot of questions that he happily answered and explained using some of the classmates favorite artworks like Tohi 2008 "Makamatakupenga". In simple english translation "Rock face fishing net". The stone is supposed to represent fishing net and I know because fishing is one of many typical Tongan hobbies. He told us that it takes him 15 mins to patiently carves a line and smoothing it out after he carves out the square forms. Just by looking at the artwork I notice that he carves a square within a square until its small, resulting a negative squared carving shapes.

http://www.thebigidea.co.nz/news/whats-on-show-reviews/2011/apr/83746-deborah-crowe-fancywork (Deborah: Fancywork)

http://www.eventfinder.co.nz/2011/sep/mangere/sopolemalama-filipe-tohi-fatumaka-mei-falekafa (Information on exhibition "Sopolemalama Filipe Tohi: Fatue Mei Fatuemaka")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhgBWOWmilI (Pacific Beat Street: Filipe Tohi)