Sahrita: July 2011

Looking towards Chalayan's work 'Burka’my immediate thought considered how provocative this portrayal of the Burka fashion would lie within society. The reasonable response to this image would be that he is making an interesting yet risky point. Challenging the oppressed value that Muslims follow from their sacred bible the Qu ran’ to ‘dress modestly’. He is presenting three females with different portrayals of a referenced Burka fashion. This work challenges how one item of clothing can in fact hide someone's identity. The Burka is one of the items of clothing that have arisen from different interpretations as to how Muslim women should dress. And in each interpretation he is covering the face of each female. This challenges the religious aspects of Muslims wearing the Burka for a specific purpose. Fashion can be defined from other sources as conventional usage in dress, manners, etc., especially of polite society, or conformity to it: the dictates of fashion; to be out of fashion (dictionary.com).

Hussien Chayalan, Burka, 1996

Hussein Chalayan, Afterwords, 2000

Fashion is something that can be designed to become a form of clothing and can be a way to compliment a person’s figure in creative different ways. Imagine if we all had the same clothing? That would dull the world, and showing part of your visual identity wouldn’t be creative. I believe that afterwards and Burka are both artworks rather than than a fashion statement. Afterwards is a conceptual almost spatial idea, and Burka is the provocation of what is fashion and looks towards how much clothing one should have.

Hussien Chayalan,The Level Tunnel, 2006

It would seem less exclusive as art, and recognised as advertising more, however only some of his art is used for advertising purposes and would still be recognised mainly as art for fashion. Both interactions of presenting art offer ideas to the viewer. It does not change the meaning of his art, it just presents it in a different manner.

’The Level Tunnel’ advertising for Absolute Vodka, poses a strong connection to the viewer sending a message.The audience for Chayalan in this case may be less interested in him, but more in the product he promotes. Neverless, he still is getting a form of retrospect and recognition to his audience. It would be obsurd to say that advertising is not art, it is simply another expression of something visual that will relate to consumers.

Advertising can be defined as 'the activity or profession of producing advertisements for commercial products or services' (Google.com).

Art can be defined as 'the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power'(Google.com).

Despite these definitions, both titles cannot be explained so easily, especially art in any form. But in this case Chayalan is simply making advertising a part of his art. Even though he is allowing other people to physically make the piece, it still represents that he designed the idea. I think art holds it's individual value when a person is painting or directly applying their style to a work. This accounts for hands on practicality, where an artist is being commissioned by someone to paint, craft, design etc.. with there individual manner of style. A case such as 'The Level Tunnel' is more likely to be constructed out of engineers and people that specialise in Architecture, opposed to just one man (Chayalan) making it himself. I think that Absent Precence features Post-Modern influence as well as Modern influence. judging from the photograph there is the presence of machinary and utencils, enclosed in a hospitalised space. however, unlike Modernism this may not represent the aesthetics of those materials, although perhaps there purposes (given the theme to the video). The Post-modernist value seems to relate the work to ideas such as identity, geography, genetics, biology and anthropology.

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Hussein Chalayan, still from Absent Presence, 2005 (motion picture)

I think in a way by not making producing your art by itself it indicates that the artist is too interested in mass production. It could indicate someone is money hungry not forcing enough time and effort into each artwork themselves, or something completely different. For someone like Chalayan his interest lies within the mass consumption of his product his work often concentrates on cultural or socio-political themes, reflecting chalayan’s personal history as someone whose identity is shaped by different cultures. It seems his approach is not so money hungry but more so he just wants to make as many works as possible with his talent. And using other people to be directed by him shows that he is talented enough to do so. Rather than getting an impression that he doesn’t make his own work but that he doesn’t need to for the type of work that he makes.

REFERENCES:

http://www.notcot.com/archives/2008/05/level-vodka-tun.php

http://www.designboom.com/eng/interview/chalayan.html

http://www.husseinchalayan.com/blog/

ttp://www.behance.net/gallery/The-LEVEL-Tunnel-(Absolut-Vodka-Hussein-Chalayan)/701114

Issa,R. Shadi Ghadirian: Iranian photographer (2009)

http://www.dezeen.com/2009/01/27/dezeen-podcast-hussein-chalayan-at-the-design-museum/

http://www.husseinchalayan.com/#/home/

Claymation stands for Clay-animation and can also be established as Stop Motion Photography. Claymation is a hands on process in which an animator captures frames of a scene with a camera, and then re-forms those images into a 10-12 second frame of movement; this is called ‘Stop-Motion Photography. The making process involves wired figures that are encased with a commonly known substance such as ‘clay’, or a more versatile and material Plastercine. These substances are used for there malluability and in this case, made into a form that reflects a story.

Referring to the 'Garden of Eden' as 'Surreal' would be considered to be play on words for some. The Garden of Eden is known as, 'a beautiful garden where Adam and Eve were placed at the Creation; when they disobeyed and ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil they were driven from their paradise (the fall of man)' (thefreedictionary.com). Djerberg's expression of this story is contradictory. Her Eden displays towers of clay flowers scattered around an art space in the Beinnale gallery. These flowers seem alienated and bitterly contrived for something completely opposite to the actual garden of Eden. She creates her idea around the setting of Garden of Eden but surrounds it with darkness. The version from the bible can be considered ideological in many ways, and here Djurberg is not creating an ideology She is creating a surreal world that is contradicting the value of nature with a version of evil. 'All that is natural goes awry,' addresses a psychological path in which something of feeling and emotion is and has become crooked. Interestingly Surrealism (when it had first established ), was contrived on a concept of 'Phychoanalysis'. The showcase of 'Experimentet' for example unlines this theme.

Experimentet is an installation recreating a Garden of Eden from hell. She employs her work with many disturbing subjects that provoke nature. In Experimentet there is a scene with a female half decomposed, stuck and struggling on a rocky surface. Implying the theme of Fear of death, the female is slowly being attacked by her own limbs, which is repulsive, yet so interesting. Showing nature turning into something unimaginable, aliented and a disturbing. I consider it the type of work that one would have a nightmare becoming a true reality.

Her work may seem sweet and innocent on first acquaintance, but she addresses themes such as obsession, power, pleasure, desire and violence. This is a complexity of emotions that visually engages her audience in her work. The use of stop motion photography also adds an edge to it. The complexity and labour intensive process of re-forming a modelled figurine into a new position for each shot takes hours, and results in a jolty animation with a shaky backdrop. I think that her work is somehow brilliant. I admire that fact that she is confronting stories that are taboo and usually unspoken of and presents them with a reality. “I hate talking about what’s difficult. That is why you do art. It’s for the stuff you don’t dare talk about.”- Natalie Djurberg

Her works start with twisted scenarios that tend to begin with fairy-tale sweetness. This sweetness is then turned bitter that display morbid subjects that most artists would be more subtle with. Glee-ful mutilations occur regularly, which are then accompanied by many bodily functioning s. A stark contrast to 'child-like behaviour' most of the figures are engaging in something to do with sexuality or violence. Her work 'Of Course I Am Working With Magic,' displays a nude female stepping into a forest of carnal trees that literally hang her out to dry, ripping out and reassembling her limbs and stripping off her skin. This is why her work is completely mind boggling. The first impression is that there is a bitter sweet appearance that comes out of her 'wonderland' but when further observed, the scenes are repulsive and uncivilised. In the Garden of Eden there are oversized flowers and plants that appear illusionary. They seem very 'fairy tale' and grotesque once the viewer looks towards them closely. These creepy plants are unattractively coloured and are much distorted in form. I think the clay/plastercine itself may actually have some reflection on child-like stories. Most captures are in movies that are for child based audiences. Therefore it may give an impression to Djurberg's audience that her work appears to have something to do with children at a first glance. Neverless, the truth comes out as soon as an observer watchs a full video.

Art is always being renovated and reformed into new styles and fads. It’s what art is about. And this current fascination is just another way to say that artists are still trying new ways to be ‘different’ and exclusive. Turning the innocent and sweet into something disturbing is a good concept. It can broaden expression in so many ways because it can be truthfully reflected in many situations that come from today’s society. Djurberg shows that her interest lies within the nature of having something conceiled and brings it to the surface. Artists generally try and do that, but sometimes without cause. It is important to have subjects that aren't perfect and unacceptable, because happens in real life and is less boring!

The Vienna Biennale employ’s brilliant masterworks that is extreme, and very bizarre. I see her work as being the perfect fitting for this type of gallery. The gallery itself is well known for containing bizzare and nonsensical works. I think that her work has been chosen because the Biennale had every possible artistic medium to offer. From painting to sculpture to photography, video and sound art, installation and many more. This enabled Djurberg to introduce her obscurely natured artwork into this world famous gallery. It offered a great space for her to set out her show and embrace her style. The biennale employ’s brilliant masterworks that is extreme, and very bizarre so I see her work as being the perfect fitting for this type of gallery. Her use of Claymation, sculpture, and video provided effective outcomes for the level of interaction with each observer.

‘The biennale provided a treat for all the senses; there were works that shocked, confounded, disturbed and disgusted, there were those that produced awe, urged laughter and provoked thought and social concern, there were many that were so aesthetically harmonious that the audiences simply kept coming back’ Matters Of Art (2006)

When I had first seen her work I will admitt I found it difficult to watch. At the time of watching a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WojgB4PL4M displaying extracts from her exhibition Experimentet. The exact thoughts of 'This is disgusting who would think of something so revolting' jolted through my mind. But as I watched further through other videos I found my self quite interested in the way she works. I'm simply intrigued by the detail she puts into the violence and rawness of it all. It's kind of brilliant in a way that she doesn't care that people may find her exhibitions disgusting to look at because she says herself that she is interested in waht lies beneath a hideous figure or the nature of something. To finalise i would say that she is some what INSANE for thinking of those ideas, but a rather brilliant person for taking them and showing the world her version without caring.
Using Claymation at a large scale, her works process a crisp unresolved nature. The wobbled armed figures and messy style reminds me of a ‘Tim Burton’ scene, or something of a quick edge 80’s film...