Chance, unpredictability
and the ART of Failure 2012
For my degree dissertation
I chose the Praxis Project Option, which provides an opportunity to focus upon
a chosen research subject through the parallel practices of art and written
enquiry (Praxis refers to the process in which a theory is enacted or
practiced, embodied and/or realized – the movement of thought into action). I
produced an A3 size artist’s book with sleeve. The book was created in the form
of a glossy exhibition catalogue and included a 6000-word essay. It contained
the 'failures' of 23 artists who were invited to send an original or jpeg
image, postcard size, for inclusion in the book with a short sentence on the
concept of failure.
'Being experimental
inherently includes a certain amount of failure and it is through working with
the failure that unexpected successes happen’ (Louise Bourgeois).
There is something
contradictory about setting out to examine the part that failure plays in an
artist’s practice. Failure is not something we usually talk about, or want to
talk about. We want to talk about our successes and to hide our miserable
failures; the mistakes, errors, and misjudgments that we are ashamed about.
Failure is about collapse and disgrace and is certainly not promoted as a universal
virtue. But I am a Roman Catholic brought up with failure and quick absolution
for the error of my ways, accordingly how could I not fail to take up the
challenge? The catalyst for this project was an optional four-week workshop at
Leeds College of Art as part of my Fine Art degree, which explored ways in
which visual artists have responded to the concept of failure in their
practice.
2009
(sub)Missive was the culmination of a mail art
project, set up by the Artist's Book Collective, in which artists from the UK,
Europe, US, Canada and Australia each collaborated with an artist partner to
create a new book work. Using the social networking forum as a platform for collaboration,
artists investigated the dissemination of ideas with particular reference to
(mis)communication and power relations. Taking the hierarchical construct
as a brief, each participant devised a set of instructions ranging from the
single word to the diagrammatic and distributed them to their collaborative
partner. The results of this experiment were displayed as part of the 12th
International Contemporary Artists Book Fair in March 2009 @ Corridor Gallery,
School Of Design, University of Leeds. I
used recycled materials, envelopes, milk cartons, and used postal items. The
overall theme was based on a quote from Yoko Ono on 'In- structure' - words
containing IN were central to the concept. The instructions I received from
Samantha Harris were very loose so and so I was able to interpret them into the
way I wanted to work. I used her processes to construct a postal box
containing 6 envelopes made from milk cartons and reconstructed
envelopes. I incorporated typewriting, sewing, cutting, folding,
collage and drawing.
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| Instructions for book |
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| Inside Envelopes |
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| Finished book |
