Author: Kat Outten

Plaster Room 26/11/18

Photographs, river project, Videos, Work in Progress

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Notes

  • Made up a batch of herculite for my hot rubber moulds- to demonstrate the process I am going to leave them exactly as they came out of the moulds
  • I made sure to wiggle the moulds as I poured to make sure the plaster got into every crevice
  • The bones came out beautifully but the brick broke as I tried to de-mould it, clearly the sides weren’t thick enough
  • I could make the brick solid instead of hollow but herculite is super heavy, and if I am trying to show the process it should be hollow to match how I made the wax cast
  • I will make a thicker hollow cast of the brick later on this week
  • I wanted to get into the metal workshop today but I felt really sick and foggy so Lindsey and I decided it was best for me not to use the power tools today. I didn’t want to waste a day, so that’s why I made the herculite casts, as a way to still be productive

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I also ended up going on a walk to the flower shop in Camberwell with Ellen, a BA Sculpture 2nd year student, and we are going to be doing some bronze casting together. We are both interested in nature, and capturing fleeting moments (and both want to make Christmas gifts for loved ones) so we bought flowers from the shop, and also collected foliage on the way back. We then dipped those in wax, and the next stage is to use a hair dryer to set the wax, and then we can build the moulds- the plants will burn out directly in the kiln so there is no need to make hot rubber moulds and waxes. The wax will help to stabilise the plants and make them a bit thicker, so that they will be more likely to come out in the pour. I know it isn’t directly related to one of my projects but this is something I’ve wanted to do for a while and I feel like I might as well give it a go whilst I have the opportunity.

Tutorial with Jonathan 22/11/18

Tutorials, Weekly Summaries
  • We spoke about how my river project has taken up most of my time, and that I enjoyed having a structure in place from having deadlines for the metal pour, certain days of the foundry being open, and the deadline for the summer show to work towards- I felt much more stable having a rhythm to work like this
  • Enjoying the process of making, as well as the stability provided; learning to use power tools like an angle grinder was particularly empowering!
  • I have definitely developed my skills in sculpting whilst working with the wax, as well as learning how to make hot rubber moulds, how to make plaster moulds for the kiln, how to use various tools as mentioned, how to work with metal (which was entirely new to me) and how to apply a patina to metal. I am a much more confident sculptor as a result
  • Why do I record the processes via photography and video?
    – to aid my memory- as a result of my mental illness my short term memory is very poor, so recording the process is a helpful reminder, and I can always go back and refresh my memory if I need to
    – part of my desire to share the processes with others- I feel that when seeing final pieces of work, such as my sculptures, it can be very difficult to envision all of the work that has gone into each piece- by documenting my process so thoroughly it demystifies the artistic process and makes it more accessible for those who haven’t done anything similar before
  • Discussed that I am a little sad that my video game project has largely been on hold due to the demanding nature of the river project, and the fact that I need other people with certain skills- i.e. an illustrator and someone with experience in games design- to help actually make the game
  • I do feel, however, that my knowledge and understanding of the topic has grown over the past year- the #MeToo movement has provided lots of content online for me to read, watch, and engage with, and there have been a lot of stories in the media that have brought rape culture to the front of social consciousness in the past year, which I have been taking in and adding to my bibliography post over time
  • Do I need to put a structure in place for the video game project? Perhaps I should set aside one day or a few hours a week dedicated to research and working on the dialogue options/characters?
  • Should I set a deadline for myself to find collaborators for this project, in order to get it moving?
  • Holding multiple projects at once- what is this like?
    – I find it useful to have lots on as it helps me to manage my mental illness, although I recognise that on days like today it can be difficult to manage as I can easily burn myself out if I am not careful with balancing everything properly
    – Cross polination- I often find solutions to problems, or new ideas for a project whilst working on something else- it wakes my brain up and refreshes it a bit, which can help stop me stagnating on just one project
  • I prefer to see the artists’ process as opposed to just the final work- I much prefer studio visits over gallery visits as I like to uncover the thoughts, experiments, and failures behind the finished works- how can I incorporate this into my own practice? Perhaps by projecting my process videos in the gallery space alongside the finished work? Or could I find ways to represent the processes- i.e. using my hot rubber moulds to make casts in Jesmonite (a stronger version of plaster) but leaving the casts as they come out of the moulds, instead of removing excess material and working the details back in as I did with the waxes?
  • Emma Gradin- PHD at Chelsea, could talk to her in the new year, discuss my work, ideas, and presentation of the work in the gallery space- she deals with curating exhibitions, particularly without words, and she is interested in the artists studio and processes

22/11/2018 Online Group Tutorial

Tutorials, Weekly Summaries

Not feeling too well today, so I have joined the online tutorial group rather than going to class this morning.

Notes:

  • discussing the Yayoi Kusama exhibition and sharing photos
  • the relationship to Kusama’s paintings and Janet’s work- both paint flat, so the works have no “right way” up, but Janet said:
    “it reveals itself in dialogue as it goes and tells its story back to me”
    “so I begin to understand it as such which corresponds to a particular orientation decided on in my final phase”
    “I re orientate to stay objective in the process, keep a fresh eye”
    “my eyes and mind easily become complacent so I keep sending myself off centre – all a remaking“
  • Paola– she feels she has been spending a lot of time developing her 3D skills, but needs to spend more time experimenting to find her own style. She is currently making a visual response to a sound piece made by her friend.
    – the sound piece reminds me of a lab, or the inside of a spaceship lost in space- I can hear what sounds like static, fluids pouring and bubbling, an ambient background sound, and other noises I am finding hard to decipher, a definite sci fi vibe
    – the test pieces she has made on Blender are very abstract and beautiful, I much prefer the abstract imagery to the imagery that represents water/liquids being poured/splashed as the abstract images are less obvious, and are so fluid it is hard to believe they have been created digitally
    – inspired by the work of Nate Boyce
    – I like how layered and abstract some of the examples she has shown are, it suits the sound well, and whilst I appreciate what the others are saying about making imagery that opposes the sound, I think the imagery she has shown so far works well with it and I would personally stick to that
    – originally Paola was making an ocean on Blender, as that is what the sound inspired her to make, but she felt it was too obvious and decided to move away from that
  • Robin– I can definitely hear a repeated rhythm, it seems to change slightly, but follows the same pattern, it sounds like stones in a rolling can to me, or coins in a washing machine
    – the second piece sounds very similar but has less of a rhythm to my ears, the animation seems to match up with the sound well, and still manages to be abstract, despite it seemingly representing the sounds visually
    – I would be careful that this is what you are going for- do you want viewers to associate the sounds and their production with the visuals you have made?
    – Jonathan asked if how the sounds are made is important- I said I don’t think so, but the visuals make me focus on that, because I assume that the visuals are showing me what is making the sounds
    – it feels quite purposeful to me due to the repetition
    – I hope you continue exploring the relationship between the visuals and sound elements- I would be interested to experience further experiments- it seems like you have a lot of ideas to play with!
  • Anfal– using your paintings as a form of journaling, combining Arabic script with bold colours and imagery, very striking
    – the imagery would look beautiful translated onto textiles- it reminds me of the bold African patterns on fabrics, like you would see in Peckham
    – you could try the method where you paint onto paper and then heat transfer it onto fabric- LCF at Shepherds Bush has these facilities
    – alternatively screen-printing could be a good method to use- you can layer imagery really easily
    – “Kat your suggestion of screen printing is a good idea and adds a forced layering beyond the digital that can always feel like it can be undone” – Jonathan

Metal Workshop 19/11/18

Uncategorized

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Monday 19th

Was planning on working on the bronze brick in the foundry today, but it was closed due to staff illness, so I popped next door to the metal workshop and asked if I could do some work in there instead. I had to leave the brick cast for today, as I needed the engraving tool which was locked away, but I was able to use a pendant drill to get rid of the excess metal on the last 3 bronze jaw casts, and two of the aluminium bones. I could have done more but the vibration from the drill was hurting my wrist, and also kept shaking the bit loose, making it difficult to keep working.

Notes

  • Had to apply wax to the drill bit frequently whilst working on the aluminium pieces, to stop the bit clogging up with aluminium (it is a very soft metal so it clogs drill bits up easily)
  • Had to take frequent breaks and swap hands a few times as my wrist started aching- if I remember I should get a wrist support for when I do this kind of work
  • The dremels that Lindsey has in the foundry are more effective for the work I am doing than the pendant drills in the metal workshop as the bits don’t shake loose as frequently
  • A small part of one of the aluminium bones broke off in the vice and it is too small to be welded back on, so when I have finished working on this piece I will try to superglue it back on
  • I am proud of myself for not giving up and going home when I realised the foundry was closed- I’m not feeling too well today but I really want to finish working on my casts before the Winter Break if possible
  • Safety equipment- metal workshop boots, apron, protective jacket, visor with ear protection, dust mask, and gloves

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Practical Work To Do List

river project, Weekly Summaries, Work in Progress
  • Buy saucepan for glass wax
  • Use existing moulds to make glass wax casts
  • Use existing moulds to make jesmonite casts (plaster casts didn’t work)
  • Finish bronzes and aluminium casts
  • Go back to riverbank and find plastic bottle (and other things?)
  • Cast bottle in foundry (?)
  • Use existing moulds to use eco resin? – Speak to Jonathan in 3D
  • Find 3D scanning/printing place and look into costs

I would like to get as much of this done by January as pos, so I can start casting my objects in Ceramics in the 2nd term

A lil Reflective Post

UNIT 2

I would just like to say that a lot of my work has been backdated, to closer to when I actually did the physical work, even though the videos were edited and finished at a later date. I wanted to reflect the amount of work I had put into my projects, at the time I actually did it, rather than when I finally had the energy to finish editing and upload the videos of the processes. It is important for me to show when I actually made the work, as so much time and effort went into the making, and I would have liked to have updated the blog soon after. My reasons for not doing this are as follows: during June and July it was so hot in the workshops, and the work I was doing was so physically exhausting, that every night after spending all day in 30+ degree heat doing very physical work the last thing I wanted to do was spend hours on Adobe Premier Pro editing clips, and curating these clips and photographs on my blog.

Shortly after we broke up for summer I intended to do all this work and get my blog up-to-date with all my hard work, but unfortunately my mental health took a very bad turn due to issues in my personal life. This led to me being basically unable to function throughout all of August and September, and by the time I was physically and mentally able to do any work it was October, leaving me desperately trying to play catch up. My personal life and my art are deeply connected, as poor mental health makes it difficult for me to make art, although I did use making work as a way of helping this summer, and I intend to upload photos of the paper mache props I have been making for my drag project, as well as posting about the ideas for the project in general.

I suppose I am expected to say that I am disappointed in myself for not being able to do much work over the summer. But I am not going to say that- I am proud that I pulled through an incredibly difficult period, and that I am sitting here today typing this. I survived, and although it has been hard work to catch up to where I would have liked to be at this point, I have done so to the best of my ability. So here’s a pat on the back for me! Good job Kat! You survived, and I’m proud of you for trying so hard!

Going forwards I am looking forward to getting back to making my work in the foundry, as the last month or so I have been focused on my research paper and getting this blog up-to-date, and I look forward to sharing it all on here,

Kat x

TO DO

Uncategorized
  • Rachel Whiteread- notes. photos- November 2017
  • Manchester gallery visits- December 2017
  • Update project proposal to fit guidelines
  • siligum moulds of jaw bones- photos, ect – Mid July
  • post photos and process of prepping moulds for kiln- dated mid July
  • post photos and process of pour- dated mid July
  • post photos and process of breaking moulds open and cleaning casts- mid July
  • post photos and process of getting rid of excess metal from casts- mid July
  • video and photos of patination – mid July
  • Videos and photos of work in show- end of July
  • Photos and drawings from Tate Britain- August
  • Upload tutorial notes (scans)  and research paper mind maps/notes – dates written on them
  • Summer drawings- August
  • Prop making and drag research stuff – August
  • I can’t help the way I feel- emails, video, photos, etc – October

 

Research Paper- The Politics of Space: The Class War in Our Galleries

Assessment, UNIT 1

The Politics of Space The Class War in Our Galleries Kat Outten Research Paper

I won’t lie, I’ll never be 100% happy with this, as it is too deep a topic to thoroughly explore in 3000-4000 words, but I am very pleased that I managed to finish, despite my mental health being very bad over the last four months. I can’t deny that the majority of this paper was written in the last month… cough… week… cough… day… but even still I am deeply proud of myself for persevering and getting it done on time.
Enjoy x