Site Gallery visit - New Contemporaries

Today I visited the site gallery which was hosting the exhibition ‘New Contemporaries 2011’. The first thing that drew my eye upon entry was a box television on the floor; an experimental video was playing by Hyun Woo Lee called; ’17 times of I hate this job’ (2011) (video 48 sec (looped)). The artist directs the viewer; making him/her interact with the piece by placing the TV on the floor, encouraging you to crouch down. You see a sprinkler with text underneath stating “I, hate, this, job” flashing up in time with the rhythmic slap of the sprinkler on the jet. I enjoyed the piece, it has left me with a lasting experience, it offers satirical personification of a mechanical repetitive object, giving a certain sense of humour as you are crouched on the ground watching it go round. This may create individual affect on a viewer if they have similar feelings towards their job. Sparking interaction and thought; relating the sprinkler to their own mundane working life. The rhythmic thud follows you throughout the small exhibition space, a possible unintended effect as this includes the work of other artists. Nevertheless, it complements the other pieces, seeming to create links between them. You then walk round a table with one metal leg twisting up into the air, evocative of post-modernist design, although its lack of function draws it back into the art world. In the corner there is a deconstructed chair frame with coloured gloss paint on the wall (‘I don’t come prepared’ 2010 by Poppy Walker) which for me was reminiscent of Piet Mondrian’s ‘Composition with red, yellow and blue’ (1921), except a 3D version, following the principles of Holland’s ‘De Stijl’ style movement; creating new forms with Primary colours with an interest in the technology of production. Again we are faced with a sense of satire; the name evokes the trials and tribulations of flat pack furniture.
 Passing four silk oil paintings on the wall my gaze was attracted to another box television with an experimental film playing by Samuel Williams; ‘We are the robots’ 2010 video 6min 15sec. You are faced by imagery of different tools being operated by two sticks trying to complete different tasks, the recurrent theme strikes again, considering us as the operator of tools we have created with a sense of pointlessness in the impossible task, the sticks adding clumsiness. Moving round you come across some sketches by Sarah Brown, which in themselves are just pencil sketches, but the list of sketch names next to the series makes you try and match them up to the related sketch, therefore engaging the viewer. Moving round the corner another television appears playing an odd silent film by Sarah Jessica Rinland; ‘Nulepsy attack’ (2010) see link below. It is of a man spontaneously stripping outside in a dreamlike state, if you follow the link below you get a related Q&A about the film. The film records a psychological condition in which its sufferer goes unconscious and strips, shot on 16mm with one long continuous take, evoking a sense of realism.
 Moving back through the gallery space you see a separate dark room which is projecting 3 films, I paused before entering, enjoying the way in which the film worked within the gallery space; the clean cut lines of white wall and empty space framing the projected image, cutting parts out of view. The three films by Hyewon Kwon, Ian Marshall and Dagmar Schurrer are played in a loop with no pause, cutting straight to the next film in sequence. What I enjoy about films in a gallery is how you arrive in the middle creating ambiguity and a questioning of what’s going on, creating an alternate experience, breaking the mechanical predictive time keeping way of life; e.g. turn up at the cinema at this time to see this film, or turn up at the bus stop at this time to catch a bus. The films are all quite contrasting in style; one an experimental form of documentary exploring the life of a room ‘Untitled #1 (from the series eight men lived in a room)’ (H.K. 2010), one creating abstract blooms of explosions on a black background ‘Berkeley Blooms’ (I.M. 2011), and the other following a girl walking down stairs with text describing the narrative which is then reversed, employing abstract composition, ‘Rewind’ (D.S. 2010). However they are connected through the use of repetition which is complimented by the viewing structure of the three films. Throughout you still here the rhythmic thud of the sprinkler playing from the TV in the next room.
 The other thing I enjoyed in the gallery was ‘Jesus Christ’ (2011 Encaustic on board) by Rafal Zawistowski, which is a 3d waxy painting in the shape of a face with no discernible features. This can be viewed in several ways; exploring religion of faceless being, or in a more humorous way; Jesus Christ what happened to your face. Nevertheless, it is an interesting medium used by the artist which sparks interesting ideas and imagination. Upon exiting the gallery, back into the wet, grey, blustery world that is Sheffield in November, you are left with a host of new experiences that lead to new ideas. Lasting impressions created by the variety of artists on display.                 

 http://www.jessicarinland.com/nulepsy.html (Jessica Sarah Rinland ‘Nulepsy Attack’ 2010)

http://www.alternate.com.s86833.gridserver.com/s/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/NewContemporaries2011.pdf (exhibition details)

http://www.sitegallery.org/ (Site gallery)