Energy, experiment and irreverence at the Barbican
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OCA tutor Michele Whiting reports on a successful visit to the Barbican.
‘After an early start for most of us, catching trains, buses and coaches with even an overnight coach for one of our students; we met for coffee and an introduction to this complex exhibition in the café located within the monument to ‘Brutalism’ that is the Barbican Centre.
Splitting into two groups for the morning session, the first section of the show was dedicated to the ‘Bride’ of the ‘exhibition’ title, freely ranging in time from 1912 -1978. We discovered that the works on show expressed the complex and enduring artistic relationship between the artists, Marcel Duchamp, John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns.. These were envisaged within the exhibition space using a ‘non-linear logic’ espousing more the physical qualities of an ‘unfolding dance’ through placement that evoked the artists’ aesthetic affinities.
All the works shared a strong sense of energy and experimental mischief, in that, the notion of chance was key to the artists’ methodology allowing each artist to rebut or defer from any idealised notions of beauty and composition, because of this the exhibition was appositely open ended and conceived to be so, Duchamp’s irreverent approach continuing through the multiple levels of information, from Cage’s musical notation to Merce Cunningham’s dance notes, Jasper Johns assemblages and Rauschenberg’s fugues of texture and colour.
Through our group discussions we managed to metaphorically ‘feel’ our way through the exhibition space, here, a piano played by itself, there, a sound broke through the space above our heads, out of the corner of an eye a shadow thrown by a shift occurring in the lighting; in this way contemporary artist Philippe Parreno made his poetic presence felt, orchestrating a mise en scene through playing with notions of ghosts, absence and a subtle feeling of loss, which wove their way through the exhibition illuminating the sense of admiration, friendship and comradeship that emerged through time spent with the works.
And it is here that we should take note, through dialogues spanning decades, these artists responded and paid homage to each other’s works, showing us that peer interaction remains critical to extending the dialogue of art practice, so as artists we must keep talking, keep listening to each other and sharing our work, through doing this we learn, grow and keep our practice fresh, relevant and exciting. The OCA blog being one such place where that conversation can begin.
Also, as an end note, the exhibition catalogue is extremely well written so even if you didn’t manage to join us on this thought provoking visit, you can have a thoroughly good read.’
8 thoughts on “Energy, experiment and irreverence at the Barbican”
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I would like to thank you Michele, and Lynda for organising this visit. It certainly was a thought provoking exhibition and one that I found inspiring and am sure that this will feed back into my art practice.
The great thing about these visits is the opportunity to meet tutors and other students and discuss not only the exhibition, but our respective courses and work and encourage and inspire each other. Many of us swapped email addresses and so I hope that we will indeed keep talking, listening and sharing our work (there is even talk of a collaborative art project).
The Barbican gallery was a very appropriate space for this exhibition which worked to use the whole space it occupied through linear and three-dimensional relationships as well as with the presence of the music and sounds (and silences) resonating through the space. The bride stripped bare by her bachelors was my favourite piece but the exhibition couldn’t really be regarded with just individual items, they all worked together in many ways (within the lower gallery)……linear relationships, mirrored relationships and then the psychological presence of one piece within the personal space of another……Jasper Johns’, Field Painting which has elements projecting out into the gallery space (as with many of the works on show) but hovering above it, Duchamp’s, Bottle Rack which glistens from the spotlights hitting it, making its presence known above but the resultant shadows it makes are forcing the image back onto a two-dimensional plane making another exhibit just adjacent to Field Painting. This is one of the most valuable experiences I’ve had for some time and I think it will continue to have an effect for some time.
These OCA study days are also so useful for meeting other students. A five minute conversation is far more worthwhile than a multitude of emails. The reality of course is that we live our OCA life through emails and forums but these opportunities have to be savoured as and when they occur. Thanks to everyone for a fantastic day.
Steve
Thank you for a terrific study visit. We gained insight into the history of Conceptual art and fodder for our own practice. The group discussions were really useful. Meeting fellow students, at all stages, and on a wide range of courses, helps overcome the isolation of distance learning. Mail art is now circulating between some of us who grabbed addresses!
So glad you all enjoyed the day, I look forward to seeing a blog about your mail art project once its up and running
I echo Linda’s thoughts, I am very pleased that you collectively got so much out of the day- it was an inspirational show and as such I am sure will be referred to for many years to come, really pleased that we have been witness to it. I am also looking forward to the mail art project as well…
I too would like to echo the thanks to the organisers of the visit. I got so much more from this as a group exercise, listening to others viewpoints while discussing particular works opens the mind to ways of seeing that might otherwise have remained closed.
The Duchamp exhibition is one that I would not have gone to by myself for fear of not understanding it. Going with the OCA allowed me to have some discussion with the others on the trip. This helped to demystify the origins of conceptual. It was also really good to chat to others at different stages in their Degree’s about course matters.
I’m finally ready to post my thoughts about the exhibition to my blog. It was not an easy write up to do, but I feel I have learnt a lot by all the further research this exhibition has sparked. I Think it might even influence the way I approach my own artistic endeavours.
The lesson I am taking from This trip is there are no limitations in art beyond the imagination.
Thanks to the OCA and the tutors for organising this mind expanding adventure.
I am interested to hear that the response from the group to the mis en scene was wholly positive. This show seemed to throw up so many potentially controversial themes around the artist curator role as well as the museological artefact versus living art work. With Duchamp et al so influential in contemporary art, and with the materials being so aged and fragile, this show seemed to me to be quite an extreme juxtaposition – something akin to ‘Holy Relics – The Musical’. I would be interested to hear what Diana has to say?