Review of Creative Study Day at the Institute of Education
On the 16th November 2012, we went to Creative
Study Day at the Institute of Education. It was a great day out and we listened
to a series of lectures by four highly esteemed artists. They presented their
work, ideas and methods to us and we were able to ask them any questions that
we had. The four artists were Barton Hargreaves, Rosalind Wyatt, Cornelia
Parker and Grayson Perry. They were all extremely enthusiastic speakers and
left us feeling very inspired and eager to do art.
Barton Hargreaves did a lecture on ‘The Discipline
of Looking’. He is a digital print tutor and he showed us the various things
that you can do to images with digital technology. He uses a wide range of
contrasting equipment and uses old fashioned processes and contemporary processes.
His work focuses on silhouettes and is very unique and eye-catching. His talk
inspired us to explore the different techniques and processes that you can use
in art to come up with very interesting results.
Unfortunately, Paul Slater was ill so Rosalind
Wyatt did a lecture in his place. She is a professional calligrapher and I am
very interested in calligraphy myself so I found her lecture very intriguing.
She has spent years experimenting with letters and words and is able to write
with a needle and thread. It created a really beautiful effect and all her
pieces had a unique story behind them. She was able to share with us her love
for letters, words and text.
Cornelia Parker did a lecture on ‘Destruction,
Resurrection and Reconfiguration’. She was a very engaging speaker and her
ideas were so creative. She was able to show us how diverse you can be with art
and that you can be interested in things other than just art itself. She is
very interested in history and science and she incorporated this into her work,
which made them even more interesting. She collects historical relics owned by
legends – for example, she managed to get Charlotte Bronte’s pen and took a microscopic
image of its nib. She said that she wanted to ‘reactivate historical objects’
and she was definitely successful in doing this. Each of her pieces had a
clever, witty name and she showed us the importance of a good title and the
effect that it can have on a piece. I never used to pay much attention to a
piece’s title but it can change your view completely so that you can see
something in a new light.
I think that Grayson Perry’s talk was my favourite
of them all. His work was creative, humorous and could tell a story. His work
was about ‘noticing stuff and playing seriously’ and he was interested in
culture, events on the news and history. He was a great speaker and he showed
us that you can really have fun with art and do whatever you want. He includes
many comical elements to his work and he showed us some pieces that he did
based on his teddy bear that he worships, ‘Alan Measles’. I really liked his work
because it was funny, unique and instantly drew your attention. He showed us
the enjoyment that you can have in doing art and that you should always feel
confident about the work that you produce.
The art lectures were really inspiring and allowed
us to see all the different things that you can do in art. You can be
interested in all types of subjects like science, history and culture, and
these can be incorporated into your work. They showed us that you should value
all of your ideas and that in art there are always opportunities for you to
show your creativity.
G Hui 9S.2
