A Virtual Artist - Exhibition ready and waiting.

'Timepiece' mixed media with reflection hologram, Pearl John, 2014.  Central artwork for Case 1 at the A Virtual Artist exhibition, Special Collections Gallery, Hartley Library, University of Southampton.  Show is on from 26 August - 26 September 2014. 

A Virtual Artist

I'm frantically working towards my next exhibition: A Virtual Artist: An exhibition of holographic artworks - 26- August-26 September 2014.  Special Collections Gallery, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.

The Virtual Artist exhibit contains a selection of the artist’s own art collection of holograms dating back to the 1990s – a retrospective exhibition which also includes current work. The Virtual Artist includes the artist’s own ‘Special Collection’ of objects and holographic artworks which have been gathered to form an archive of a family history. Some elements of the exhibit are autobiographical, while other elements are fictitious.

The collection consists of a mixture of personal items/artefacts and photographs belonging to a
number of family members, which are overlaid by translucent holograms. The objects range in
date from the 1900’s until the present day. The holograms contain text and images which recede
into the substance of the object they are paired with – or escape the surface of the holographic
film. The objects hold memories and stories and the holographic images make visible the invisible.

The eight lenticular images shown in the Level 4 Gallery space were exhibited at the Royal
Society’s Summer Science Exhibition in July 2012 and have not been shown since. The data which
inspired these animated art works was provided by scientists and astronomers working with lasers,
magnetism, astronomy and particle physics at the University of Southampton. John explored different
time intervals from “pico-second” laser pulses - produced in trillionths of a second - to black hole
events occurring millions of years ago.

The exhibit also includes Typhoon an 10”x8”hologram produced in collaboration with artist
Ya-Ling Huang for “The Delight of the Chinese Character Festival” in Taiwan in 2010, a version of
which is currently on show in the MIT Museum, USA.

A V I R T U A L A R T I S T

Acknowledgements: Prof Martin Richardson, Prof Ernest Edmonds and Nick Higgett (De Montfort University), Prof Malcolm Coe, Prof Phil Charles, Dr John Nesbit, Dr Tony Bird, Elena Kammann, Dr Gaby Slavcheva, Dr Matteo Franchin and Prof Hans Fangohr, Dr Anna Scaife, Dr Alexander Belyaev and Dr Sadie Jones, Gareth Savage, Justin Harris, Anne-Marrie Steel, Laura Joy, Fran Lunn and Jane Birkin (University of Southampton), Clare Harvey (SEPnet), the John & Morris Family, the
Gravett Family and Martin Gardiner.

Evaluation - do artists care what people think?

I've just met with Naomi Clements - a PhD Candidate studying evaluation at the University of Southampton - to discuss how to evaluate my next exhibition at the Special Collections Gallery in the Hartley Library at the University of Southampton this coming September.  She suggested I write a chapter on whether art is for the artist, or the viewer. 

We discussed visitor profiles - do I care whether my audience are male or female?  Naomi suggested I read Laura Mulvey's essay, Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, written in 1973 to consider 'The Male Gaze' and to re-read the poem "The Lady of Shalott" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892).  

There are a number of images/paintings and references to people looking at the world through mirrors which would be relevant to my chapter on psychological space in holography. Martin Richardson's Atomic Love, February 2009 shown below.  http://www.jrholocollection.com/gallery/feb2009/images/AtomicLove.jpg [Accessed 01.01.2015].

 'Woman with Binoculars', 1866, Oil painting, E.Degas.  The use of optics extends the picture plane into the space of the viewer.  Degas was interested in the act of looking.   from http://artkritique.blogspot.co.uk/2009/02/on-degas-at-nga.html. [Accessed 01.01.2015]

What do the paintings above and below say about 'The Female Gaze'? Is the use of optical devices at all empowering - or is the most important element in this image still the (supposed) male viewer?

Ruben's Venus at her mirror from http://fr.wahooart.com/A55A04/w.nsf/OPRA/BRUE-5ZKDZH/$File/Peter%20Paul%20Rubens%20-%20Venus%20at%20a%20Mirror%20.JPG. [Accessed 01.01.2015].

Hum, I wonder what the myth of Medusa is all about?

Transfer approved

After a six month process my Application to Transfer from study for an MPhil to a Doctor of Philosophy at De Montfort was finally approved. 17 April 2014.  Hurray!

3D Exhibition at Quad

Saturday 14 December 2013 to Sunday 23 February 2014,
QUAD Art Gallery in Derby, is hosting an exhibition of 3D artwork in the show 'X-Y-Z' - and I'm a featured artist.

3D Family Trees

I did a holography demonstration and talk about my research to the Southampton Astronomical Society on 11 April 2013 as a Public Engagement activity.  

After my talk Michael Hobbs of the SAS introduced me to the Progeny 3D family tree.  I contacted Progengy and the company have kindly given me access to their 3D software and a sample family tree - in return for my producing them a lenticular.  I'm very grateful to Michael Hobbs for the introduction.  I am also grateful to SAS member Bill Wakefield who showed me the beautiful Camera Obscura he had built in his loft.  

It's amazing how useful public engagement with one's research can be! 

Nodes and Networks

These are my facebook connections - and a visual record of their communications.  These images - along with the data from Dr Sadie Jones' research into material escaping from Black Holes - gave me the idea of representing family members and the connections between them as nodes and networks, rather than as a linear progression.  This approach feels much more holistic/realistic/rich and reminds me of family constellations.