This is Not an Artwork...........

Inner City Christchurch. Oct 2008. Ajr

.............But slip it into the SCAPE 2008 Biennial Catalogue and by golly, it just about could be!

www.scapebiennial.org.nz

The New Rock Art

"Monument #19: Sexy Beast" Callum Morton. Christchurch. Oct.2008. Ajr

Melbourne-based artist, Callum Morton’s SCAPE 2008 biennial artwork, “Monument #19: Sexy Beast” gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘rock art.’ By day you’d drive by the innocuous little Linwood building it sits in without a second glance (one of the major drawbacks of a few too many Scape works this year); but by night it takes on a whole other life. The old fruit shop window is illuminated with a warm glow, showing off the ‘meteorite’ that has crashed through the roof of the building, disturbing the spatial status quo. Even knowing it is a ‘creation’, the whole effect is still a little unnerving and ‘other-worldly.’ It’s a total assault on our expectations and I think it’s one of the more successful works of SCAPE 2008. To view other biennial works I’ve sought out, click on Scape Biennial in the label line below.

Avon Lights

"Avon Lights" Hannah and Aaron Beehre. Oct. 2008. Ajr

I was in a hurry when I took these shots of the illuminated bridges on the Avon River last night - and yes, I know it looks like it! This is the SCAPE Biennial work - or part of it - by Christchurch artists, Hannah and Aaron Beehre, called "Avon Lights." It looks much better in real life (unlike 'Real People,' which doesn't). Apparently there are movement activated sensors at work here - lights just below the water surface which, according to the catalogue "creates a magical almost mystical experience for passers-by, who are drawn to the water's edge by what appears to be a luminescent apparition under the water."

I missed that bit. Perhaps I hadn't had enough to drink at the nearby bars? Perhaps I was too concerned with the possibility of being mugged on the dark riverbank? Or perhaps I'm jaded and (almost) 'Scaped-out?' For other biennial comments click on Scape Biennial in the label line below. http://www.scapebiennial.org.nz/

Real People After Dark

"Real People" Carmela Gross. Christchurch. Oct. 2008 Ajr

I went out last night to photograph some of the SCAPE 2008 biennial artworks - those that rely on illumination to 'complete the picture' that is. I took the opportunity to revisit Carmela Gross's 'Real People/Are Dangerous' - or, in this case just 'Real People' since, for reasons unknown to me, we're only party to half of the work. (You can read more about that in my original post by clicking on Scape Biennial in the label line below). Suffice to say, it does look much better at night and I'm sorry folks, but I couldn't resist tarting up my photograph a little more - on PhotoShop....just "a subtle intervention" as the Scape catalogue might say. www.scapebiennial.org.nz/

Won't You Join Me in the Shower?

"Endeavour" Tatzu Oozu. Christchurch. Oct 2008. Ajr

I never thought I’d see the day when I would be party to Captain James Cook’s bathing practices but thanks to the wonderful wit of Japanese artist, Tatzu Oozu, I now have a far more intimate appreciation of one of Christchurch’s favourite statues. “Endeavour” is Oozu’s work for Scape 2008 and I love it. It may have taken forever to materialise but it was worth the wait. I think it’s the pick of the Scape bunch. Oozu has won me over with the unexpected – a small ‘house’ constructed around the James Cook statue - just a small lounge and a bathroom. You climb the stairs, enter the lounge, peer out the window into the tulip garden and then, the bathroom - and the surprise of discovering Captain Cook in the bath/shower….standing there in all his freshly-scrubbed-down marble glory beside a toilet. Oozu clearly has a black sense of humour and I think it’s marvellous. He’s done this sort of thing before in other parts of the world and if you click here you can see the concept for his next grand scheme – a hotel on top of the Earl Grey monument in Newcastle-on-Tyne in England. For other comments on Scape 2008 works click on Scape Biennial in the label line below.

Lost and Wandering

"Every Bag Counts" Ayse Erkmen. Oct. 2008. Ajr

Turkish artist, Ayse Erkmen’s contribution to SCAPE 2008 is, according to the supplied writings “a subtle intervention.” But apart from this shimmering golden billboard on Montreal Street, it’s been so subtle as to be invisible. Erkman has chosen a group of inner-city retailers among whom she has distributed her ‘golden cashier bags’ designed to replace the outlets’ usual shopping bags. The bags are said to bear statements that relate to the function of the business and, once given over to customers, they become “mobile sculptures as they are carried through the city – tracing the routes of shoppers” - just as the SCAPE subtitle “Wandering Lines” suggests. Well, nice idea but I’m not sure anyone has really noticed. I haven’t seen a single bag and I’ve been watching for them. I suspect that, in a world bombarded with smart retail graphics, they have been completely lost. For comments on other biennial exhibits, click on Scape Biennial in the label line below. www.scapebiennial.org.nz

And the Winner Is.........

"Miss Christchurch" Guillaume Bijl. Oct. 2008. Ajr

I’m probably going to get growled at for photographing this exhibition at Christchurch Art Gallery but I wanted you to see the absolute loveliness of this SCAPE 2008 work by Belgian artist, Guillaume Bijl. It’s called Miss Christchurch – a work that has colonised the William A Sutton Gallery in a beautiful shower of loud music and sultry coloured lighting that makes me want to curl up in the corner and stay there. It’s a double-barrelled message - on the one hand drawing our attention to the almost obsolete beauty pageant phenomenon; and on the other, questioning “whether the gallery has been overly focussed on surface beauty without acknowledging the changing social, cultural and political context in which it operates.” I’ve visited this work three times now and on each occasion I’ve been the only person in the room. It’s been fascinating to watch people arrive at the doorway, hesitate and then slink away – as if they’re either terrified of confronting what the work is all about; or simply unaware that they’re actually allowed to enter and sit down. It's one of my favourite works in this year's biennial. To see other biennial works I've written about click on Scape Biennial in the label line below this post. www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz www.scapebiennial.org.nz

Giving Birth to Art

"Darwin" Atelier van Lieshout. Cathedral Square, Christchurch. Sept.2008. Ajr

It’s very hard to take a giant 25-metre long purple fibreglass sperm – as in sculpture – seriously. I tried. Truly I did. At least this SCAPE 2008 work by Dutch artist, Joep van Lieshout from the group Atelier van Liershout (that’s him in the top photographs being interviewed by local media) makes a bold and unmissable statement. And I love that there’s something surreal and deliciously irreverent about a giant sperm colonising the ‘sacred’ ground in front of Christchurch Cathedral – especially during the school holidays. Perhaps I have a warped sense of humour but I found it very very funny that Mum’s were sitting on the sperm with their young kids eating picnic lunches. I wonder if they knew what they were actually sitting on. Intriguingly, the sculpture also doubles as an information centre for Scape – complete with attendant and double bed. Van Lieshout has worked with the human body before, creating gigantic body parts or organs, usually big enough to contain some other activity – a bar for instance, an information centre. This work, entitled ‘Darwin,’ encourages us to consider the survival of life and, installed in the so-called heart of Christchurch as it is, it acts as a metaphor for new life and the regeneration of the central city site. Of all the works in Scape thus far, it has certainly – and not surprisingly – created the most media attention. Click on Scape Biennial in the below label line to see other Scape postings. www.scapebiennial.org.nz

Is the Grass Really Greener on the Other Side of the Fence?

"Breather" Murat and Fuat Sahinler. Sept. 2008. Ajr

Mmmmmmmm........another offering from Scape 2008.

This one on the Christchurch Art Gallery forecourt, where Turkish artists Murat and Fuat Sahinler have converted a small grassy hillock into a small amphitheatre in an attempt to slow, if not delay, the passing of foot traffic. Click on Scape Biennial in the label line below to see other Scape postings. www.scapebiennial.org.nz www.chirstchurchartgallery.org.nz

The Great and Unpredictable Art Search

"Who Watches the Watchmen?" Ron Terada, Canada. Sept. 2008.Ajr

As my headline for this post might suggest, I think SCAPE 2008 should rename itself!!!

I'm all for the notion that art should play with our perceptions and expectations, that it should not necessarily be 'handed to us' in a predictable gallery location. I actually LIKE contemporary art that makes you reassess the boundaries of what is and what can be considered art. But if I don't find anything at the end of the hunt - or if what I do find seems sloppy, poorly realised and a little too lean on content, I quickly lose interest. That's been happening a bit too often at this year's Scape Biennial. Yesterday was a case in point - it took me forever to find Ron Terada's "Who Watches the Watchmen" and when I finally glimpsed it I was disappointed (I liked his city version better). Maybe that's because I - and other visitors from Wellington - hadn't been able to find the other Lyttelton work at all. Factor in the mysterious 'non-work' in Cathedral Square and the still unfinished Victoria Square work by Japanese artist Tatzu Oozu (which I have been looking forward to most and have now visited six times in the hope of a final product) and I don't think I'm being picky about my frustrations. I at least live in Christchurch and can revisit the sites to check on progress...but what about out-of-town visitors who came to Christchurch specifically to see the biennial. Is it any wonder some have gone away mumbling unkind things? Click on Scape Biennial in the label line below to see other Scape postings. www.scapebiennial.org.nz

A Moment in Time

Maider Lopez. Manchester Street billboards. Sept.2008. Ajr

Being a bit of a billboard addict, I rather like this SCAPE 2008 work by Maider Lopez of Spain – in fact, she’s one of my favourite artists among the very mixed bag at this year’s event. (If you click on ‘Scape Biennial’ on the label line below this post, you’ll be able to see her other work at Christchurch Art Gallery and a few by other participating artists). For this work she called on members of the public to take part in a photo shoot in Cashel Mall, whereby they were given assorted objects to hold and display while three photographers captured the action. The billboards illustrate the before and after space. www.scapebiennial.org.nz

An Apple a Day - For Art

"A History of the Brand: 1962-2008" Billy Apple. Ballantynes Window Christchurch. Sept. 2008. Ajr

Auckland-based Billy Apple has taken over the front window of Christchurch retail store Ballantynes as part of Scape 2008 and his exhibit is as minimal and as slick as we’ve come to expect of an artist who consistently blurs the lines between art and commercialism/consumerism/capitalism. His two apple sculptures – dots from a distance – are gorgeous on close inspection. The bronze apple was cast in London in 1962 and featured in the first solo show the artist (previously Barrie Bates) staged to launch himself as Billy Apple. The juicy red apple bearing his name (top image) is cast in polyester and replicates the new variety of (real) apples that the artist has been developing since 1999 with HortResearch, pip-fruit breeder Allan White and Saatchi & Saatchi. As a fruit-lover - a fruitaholic in fact - I’d say that’s the ultimate road to immortality and edible art. For other Scape 2008 entries click on Scape in the below label line.

Real People

"Real People/Are Dangerous" Carmela Gross. Sept. 2008 Ajr

Brazilian artist, Carmela Gross likes to use fluorescent lights in her work. That pleases me because I'm a fan of the creative potential of any form of lighting. For SCAPE Biennial 2008, Gross has spelled out the words REAL PEOPLE in fluorescent tubes on the Colombo Street overbridge in central Christchurch. It's a shame that the second half of her work - the words ARE DANGEROUS - couldn't be installed on the Kilmore Street overbridge as planned....some silly council regulation intervened I suppose. Read individually the two phrases are tantalisingly vague and non-commital; read as one phrase they're loaded with sinister suggestion. For other Scape entries click on Scape Biennial in the label line below this post. www.scapebiennial.org.nz

Floating Your Boat

"See Change" James Oram. September 2008. Ajr

Now this is one SCAPE 2008 work that I LOVE!!!

And this one WAS almost a poetic experience.

Christchurch-based James Oram has sent this life-sized boat 'sky-high.'

It's totally unexpected; it defies all our expectations of what we ought to see on the skyline; and it speaks somehow to ambitious dreams and fantastic childhood imaginings. Factor in a crane and I'm won over! I think it's my favourite Scape work - for others works I've photographed so far, click on 'Scape Biennial' in the below tag line. www.scapebiennial.org.nz

Not-So-Big Art Ideas

"Strawberry Fields Forever." Paul Johns, Christchurch. Sept.2008 Ajr.

Yes this is art. The top shot shows artist, Paul Johns (in red) getting ready to open his work for SCAPE 2008 in Little Hagley Park. Johns has played with his interest in the connections between music and literary ideas "and the way in which an idea can promote greater awareness of a philosophy through art." He has laid a bronze plaque dedicated to John Lennon entitled "Strawberry Fields", which is surrounded by (a few) struggling strawberry plants. Forget a strawberry FIELD, there's barely enough to be considered a strawberry PATCH. Saturday visitors were invited to join Johns for tea/coffee and strawberry cakes. I didn't stick around to see how many turned up; perhaps the strawberry goodies enticed a few Saturday walkers to stop and wonder about the plaque. For me it was an idea that could have been far better realised...if only in a more generous planting of strawberry plants. It all seemed a tad rushed and 'inadequate' in some way....though the white tent does look pretty in the spring park. Or am I getting off the subject here? www.scapebiennial.org.nz And don't forget to click on Scape Biennial in the tag line below to see other SCAPE postings.

Hide and Seek Art

"Who Watches the Watchmen?" Ron Terada. High St. Christchurch. Sept. 2008 Ajr

Here's another of the works in the SCAPE 2008 art biennial - one I really had to hunt for. Mind you, it doesn't help if what you think is the west wall of a building is actually the south wall. This is "Who Watches the Watchmen?" by Ron Terada of Canada, who is inspired by the signage and advertising that clutters up our daily lives. According to SCAPE notes this little cluster of words "brings our attention to areas being gentrified while suggesting there are forces at work more powerful that individual designers of urban space." I wonder what all that meant to the three separate couples who wandered around looking for the work and then, unable to spot it, strode off making derisive comments about "modern art." If you want to see other posts I've made about SCAPE, simply click on the word 'Scape' in the index line below this post.

Cycling For Art

'Les Australoides,' Christchurch Art Gallery. Sept.2008.Ajr

How crazy if this! The Christchurch Art Gallery foyer has suddenly turned into a cycle lane - thanks to the SCAPE 2008 contribution from UK-born Belgium-based artist, Ann Veronica Janssens. Visitors to the gallery are invited to ride her specially designed silver cycles (with, naturally, gleaming silver helmets), through the gallery and out into the street to explore the other biennial art sites. Personally, I think the effects of light and movement to "create poetic experiences for viewers" is stretching the notion of ART just it a bit but I do love the quirkiness of someone cycling through the gallery. It wasn't a poetic experience for me but hey, I could have been holding my mouth the wrong way. http://www.scapebiennial.org.nz/

Biennial Gets Busy

Christchurch Art Gallery, Sept. 2008. Ajr

So....... the Christchurch Biennial with the rather long and unwiedy title SCAPE 2008 Wandering Lines: Towards a New Culture of Space is now officially open. The Art Gallery is all dressed up and red and white banners are fluttering all over town. I've already visited a number of the sites (created by 25 artists from 15 countries). Most were still under construction but nothing is really SINGING OUT to me yet. I'm reserving judgement though. In all fairness, a work does need to be finished before it can be fully considered. That said, I did swing by the rather ugly work at the Arts Centre late yesterday - by Tea Makipaa of Finland. Her 'Petrol Engine Memorial Park' looked anything but sophisticated and interesting. I took photos. They were ugly too. I don't want to show them. www.scapebiennial.org.nz www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz

Digging Up the City ........

................ in the name of ART.

What fun...construction crews all over town are digging, hefting and lifting as they install and/or create works for SCAPE 2008. Some of our more sedate little parks are being torn asunder and I can't wait to see what takes shape. I hope I won't be disappointed. www.scapebiennial.org.nz

Signs of Art

'Signs' Maider Lopez. Christchurch Art Gallery. Sept.2008. Ajr

Spanish Artist Maider Lopez has gone through Christchurch Art Gallery highlighting some of the buildings more functional aspects - all in the name of art and SCAPE 2008. All those little boxes and switches and buttons on the grey walls that you may never have noticed before, have suddenly taken on a much more interesting 'persona' - which all serves to highlight the fact that most of us sail through the average day missing an enormous amount of visual detail.