Physical traces of making

This exploratory work has been sitting in my sketch book for a while now. I'm revisiting it as I think I've finally formulated my thinking enough to begin to develop it further.

I'm looking at the process of making and the importance of that direct contact or handling of a material through making. In this case I'm using three different clays. 

With a simple set of instructions such as: pushing, squeezing, folding, opening I've been interpreting and responding to these words through the movement and manipulation of the clay itself.

 The initial idea came from looking at Richard Serra's verb list. There is a rhythm to this list in much the same way there is a rhythm to many making processes. 

http://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/2011/10/20/to-collect

Each piece of clay begins in the shape of a ball. The idea is to work quickly without over thinking each instruction meaning you are left with an object that hasn't been overworked. All tools have been removed from this process. Every mark, trace and indentation has been made through my hands or contact with the work bench.

I will be posting more images as this begins to unfold. 

All images taken by Ben Winkley 2015

Edge and Shore at Siobhan Davies Dance

On Friday 26th September Edge and Shore: Acts of Doing took place at Siobhan Davies Dance. 

This collaborative piece of exploratory work involved Helen Carnac a visual artist and dancer Laila Diallo. Together they have been looking at edges and boundaries.

This work was an extension of Side by Side (2012) initially a six week residency based around ideas of cross disciplinary making. 

During the afternoon two performances/ process presentations took place through a series of    movement, mark making, performance, communication and exploration. 

I arrived within the first 15mins and stayed throughout the two hours.

At the beginning of this piece I entered the top dance studio where large pieces of paper were laid out across the floor. 

In another corner was a cluster of different materials waiting to used in some way.

As an onlooker or viewer to this experience you were free to sit and observe from a distance or roam around the space as Helen and Laila were working through various processes, ideas, movements throughout the space. 
People were entering and leaving the studio throughout this time frame.

The work was set up in such a way it wasn't necessary to sit down and watch in the same way we are often used to a conventional theatre setting. This wasn't a piece of theatre it felt very much like an insight in to a contemporary collaborative practice.  

Where ideas were unfolding through the act of doing. 

There were moments as the viewer that you felt that you were involved in something quite precious. 
I can only liken it to being observed within your own studio during periods where you are immersed in problem solving and the work is unresolved.

As time passed the work felt as though it was building in momentum, movements became more energised. Mark making at times became more fraught the sounds of working became slightly louder and everyone looking on became quieter. 

I found the entire afternoon fascinating to see how two people work together with very little verbal communication but it was also clear to see that much communication was taking place through subtle changes in working methods and the rhythm of layering, gathering, tearing... 

More work can be seen at http://edgeandshore.wordpress.com