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‘Blood on Paper’ in V&A Museum

While paper was invented, books became a media to record and transmit knowledge, information, images, memories etc. Nowadays, books and paper are commonly functional. The books selling in bookstores are in similar sizes and shapes. Portable, tidy and clear are the basic requirements. Also, there are international united sizes designed for papers, envelops and related stationeries. It is also the greatest difference between art and design while ‘design’ should help convenience people’s life. Books are more likely a tool for human life. But actually, books are also a multi-dimensional media for art-making. The exhibition in V&A Museum showed the books of different artists and reminded audience the meaning of books.

 

In this digital age, texts and image become intangible. They are stored ‘byte’ by ‘byte’, rather than ‘pages’ by ‘pages’. Though it provides us lots of convenience but it is not substantive enough. Tactile media is still irreplaceable. The books shown in the exhibition site showed us the ways of using books to make art pieces. The large scale book by Kiefer in the main entrance was impressive. It reminded and questioned me that it is not a must to keep books to be portable and light. If that huge book can be turned by audience, turning each page would likely be exploring and discovery of every two dimensional spaces and give audience a special experience.

 

Another impressive work for me is the ‘Danger Book: Suicide Firework’ by Cai Guo Qiang. His video also caught lots of audience’s attention. ‘Destructing’ is an alternate way to ‘create’. Cai used chemical to destroy the edges of the huge book and create unique and irregular edge. Also, the process he made it was a performance.

 

I love tactile materials. I appreciate hand-binded books and the texts and images wrote and drew by hands. All those recorded in sheets of papers are the real record of not only information but also the frame of mind of people in the moment of writing. While I read my old sketches and notebooks, I feel as if reading my past. The wore-off ink of each pen stroke as well as the old paper are the natural-formed art piece. Hope people still keep your own handwritings on paper by hands.

 

Fanny:)

Bilbao Guggenheim: three views

Three views of Bilbao Guggenheim…

Frank Gehry"

museum and its surroundings

Louise Bourgeiois"

morning walk one day in Barcelona

A 30-minute morning walk in Barcelona, June 5, from the youth hostel to La Caixa Forum

Dear Contributors…

Dear contributors,

I´ve been visiting this site every day and am curiously and earnestly waiting for all the promised contributions…

Here´s a list that we formerly agreed upon. If you want to modify your assignment, just leave a message on this blog or to this message in the¨Comments¨session.

Bill Viola @ Pompidou Centre’s permanent collection (Frankie) Figuration Narrative (Frankie) (Fiona LIU Chun) Sophie Calle (Cathy, Iras, Karen) Louise Bourgeois retrospective (Karen) The use of photography (Sheena, Celia) Quotation in art (Pin, Demi, Louise) Beyond documentary (Gary, Naomi) Stomp (in London), side-kicks and general matters (Joey, Fay, Millie) Blood On Paper exhibition (Fanny?) More to come…

Meanwhile, please upload some good selections from your album.

Hector and I will be back in Hong Kong early in the morning on June 26. I´ll upload my pics then.

Linda (in Las Palmas)  

some thought about art space

it’s now 5something amin Hong Kong, and after 5 hours sleep, I’m so awake, a mild jet lag.

The following is a writing I did for Wesley’s course, Creative City and Urban Critique, as a final paper. In the writing I tried to give a little thought about the change in ideology of art space through critiquing the local art practice. I think the writing might be quite inside the scope of our trip, so I would like to share with you the writing here. (Frankie)

Three full days of contemporary art

May 30, 2008

This is the end of the 3rd day of our art study in Paris.

Following the retrospective of Louise Bourgeoise’s 60 something years of artmaking, we visited the “Figuration Narrative,” which coincides with the 50th anniversary of the May 1968 events. We also visited another painting retrospective on Peter Doig (British painter), as well as Richard Serra’s site-specific sculpture/installation at the gigantic Grand Palais.

The group has met every day to have detailed discussions on the visits… More about our views will be posted on this blog soon.

We’ll have our last visit tomorrow morning for Sophie Calle. Then we’ll take a through-night train to Barcelona.

(Linda)

Arriving, gathering, and first visits…

(Paris time: May 27, 2008 // 12.28pm)

At 12.25pm Paris time, Iras, Cathy and Moon have reported arrival in Paris, but their lugguage seems to be missing.

Pin and Carol should be the next group to arrive at around 12.30pm.

Linda and Hector would be at the youth hostel Aloha at around 1.15pm. They will deposit a full list of students with the hostel office so the staff can check everyone in at various hours.

Most likely, Linda and Hector will take these 5 students to a photography exhibition at the Musee du Jeu de paume at no. 107 Rue de Rivoli at Place de la concorde (metro station name as well).

The rest of the group, arriving late in the day, will probably take their own free time, and meet everybody else in the evening. EVERYONE SHOULD ARRIVE AT THE POMPIDOU CENTRE @ 10.30AM WEDNESDAY MORNING. ***The line would be long. We must make it on time to ensure our actual visit begins no later than 11:00am.

(Linda)