Project Updates

We have quite a bit planned for 2015 so here a quick update:

Elisa Markes-Young - The Original Place: Elisa is preparing a high-end, hand-made book of 'The Original Place' for 'Between the Sheets'. This will be on from 7 March – 2 April 2015 at Gallery Central (Central Institute of Technology). More information here: http://www.galleryeast.com.au/general/books15D.html

Elisa is also preparing a new suite of work from 'The Original Place' for various upcoming shows as well as the exhibition at Heathcote Museum and Gallery (together with Chris) from 2 October to 8 November 2015 March to April 2016.

Christopher Young - Six: the 'domestic' aspects of this project will be expanded in order to complete a large monograph. This blurb-produced book will include work from 'drei', 'five' and 'six' and will be exhibited at PhotoBook Independent in Los Angeles from 1-3 May 2015. More information here: http://photoindependent.com/photobooks/

A very small number of these 'might' be available around the time of the exhibition of 'Quiet Moments' depending on financial constraints.

A new suite of work for 'Six' is also being prepared. This includes various new active spaces and will be shot over a long period of time. This is more likely to be a book rather than an exhibition.

Christopher Young - Drei: six images from this series will be shown as part of 'Quiet Moments' at Fremantle Art Centre. This will be on from 5 June - 26 July 2015. 

Christopher Young - Small Town: a DCA grant for this project was unsuccessful so this has - again - severely hampered/delayed it's completion. That said, given the Ignite funding, there are only 10 or so images that are yet to be digitised; an essay to be written and editing to be done on the complete text. 

Three routes are possible: the first is to use 'Blurb'. Unfortunately the US dollar is relatively strong so this makes each book prohibitively expensive and any profit margins miniscule. The second route is to locally produce a much shorter run to get the book to 'dummy' level and approach various publishers with it. This is unlikely to prove fruitful but as I've tried just about everything to get this up I don't see what harm it could do! A locally produced version would be expensive but would have a few hand-made gimmicks in it. The third route is to produce a run offshore (Singapore) as was the original idea. The cost/print quality ratio is better on a unit level but I would need to produce at least 250 copies. That makes it a fairly heavy exercise financially.

There are various other things planned but more later!

The Dangers of Urban-Ex

Untitled (2005), Christopher Young.

An article popped up on some headlines last night about a scavenger dying from misadventure in Perth.

The site - ABB - has been fenced off for a while now and has been going through the process of being demolished. I briefly had thoughts of having a gander just before Christmas but typically follow a policy of not entering sites where signage is clear and attempts have been made to make it secure.

I spotted a few shots of the interior on Flickr, so some of Perth's Urban-Exs have been in for a look at least.

Personally, I've never been a big fan of the adrenalin of such things, especially considering the amount of gear I carry. I instead, much prefer to formalise site visits and spend hours rather than minutes absorbing the spaces.

In other news, one of the major venues in drei (5 images in the 2008 breadbox show, shot in 2006) was also recently fenced off and will likely come down in the next few weeks.

Video 'walkthrough' of drei @ breadbox

Don't See It... (warning: may be a bit cynical)

We went into the gallery yesterday (a public holiday in Australia) to look after the shows.

One of the few people who did come in commented to a friend that she just 'doesn't see it' when reading one of the essays in conjunction with looking at Elisa's work.

We both must be thin skinned at the moment as it's amazing how much this little comment blew us off course.

What is more depressing is that it's ridiculous for us (as others) to expect everyone to 'get' or 'see' what you are trying to produce. If that was the goal of the exercise then we would dumb the work down to the lowest common denominator, paint it blue, add a few flashing lights and a 1900 number so you could vote for what you like or otherwise.

For both of us the 'look' of the outcomes is almost secondary to the process of creating the work itself. This is especially true with Elisa's work. My work is also much more about creating a space for personal narrative than a 'step 1, step 2, step 3 readable' story.

So if someone comes in expecting a 'solid' answer they might struggle. If, on the other hand, the come in for an experience then they might 'get it'. The easiest analogy would be classical music vs Bruce Springsteen... both are poetic but utilise seemingly disparate strategies. Similarly, do you need to understand Italian or German to appreciate Opera?

There once was a fascinating show at Museum Ludwig by Komar and Melamid that addressed the populist issue. The premise of the exhibition was a collection of artworks 'designed' around the averaging of a particular country's 'tastes'. They surveyed a large number of people in various countries as to what they liked and disliked for colours, motifs, styles, etc.

The results are remarkably depressing and unattractive.

They also did a similar project with music.

The rafters haven't broken yet (?)

So... we had about 60 over the opening night and another 40 over the weekend. Weather wasn't the best so that didn't help. Will try to edit the walkthroughs together today as was far too tired last night to do it.

Hanging from the rafters....

We installed both shows yesterday in a little over 4 hours (30 artworks!) and with minimal issues. It went up very quickly thanks to some very thorough planning. Too hard, and more importantly stressful, on the fly...

The shows open tomorrow night and we've had close to 40 RSVPs. This is much more than normal - most people tend not to RSVP - but given that it's forecast to rain we're not sure what to expect. Someone (!) once told me to expect something like 10% of the number of invitations you send out at the actual opening. There is unfortnately no rule from said guru when it's moist.

The shows look very grown-up with three black temp walls down the middle of the gallery and a little white wall for signage towards the front. Elisa's work pings on black and we jokingly asked the production co-ordinator if we could paint the whole gallery black!

I got some vinyl lettering done and have put titles on the front wall. We also installed A3 posters of the four essays at the beginning of each show and have scattered some plinths.

Breadbox has reconfigured the entrance to the gallery so that instead of walking in through the front door, you instead come through a small entrance on the right. This makes for a nice, clean glass wall across the front.

Will film a walkthrough on the weekend as well as post some digis.

drei & The Strange Quiet of Things Misplaced

We've just posted book 'flick-throughs' on YouTube. These are the two limited edition books we will be launching at the opening on April 18.

They each contain the full series of work, artist statements and essays by Paola Anselmi & David Bromfield.

drei - New Work by Christopher Young



The Strange Quiet of Things Misplaced - New Work by Elisa Markes-Young



A preview of the shows is up on the website.

Stuff & Nonsense

A few things running around my head that I'll feel better for when they ... well... aren't running around my head.

I picked up the last (!) of the prints this morning and dropped them in for final treatment by my finisher. Almost happy with life at the moment but that will surely change... still wild mood swings going on!

Also approved the proofs of both of the books and went and saw the Kevin Gordon show at Form.

The later was stunning - truly inspirational stuff.

I have been thinking for quite a while about the idea of quantifying the shows in a different way than the easy to trace dollars and cents. How many thousands of kilometres of driving were involved, number of films shot, total digital parameters and that sort of statistical nonsense. To be honest, it made my head spin and even made me feel a bit guilty.

Got the new Black Keys on Wednesday which is not really what I thought it would be. It will need a few listens to get used to. When I heard Danger Mouse had produced I'd assumed - rightly - that it would be polished compared to their previous efforts but I somehow expected a different sheen.

It's not bad - in fact, actually quite depressing and sorrowful, just like I like it! - but rather has lost a bit of it's edge.

I stumbled on this piece about smile & blinking detectors in camera processors. The 'mini' camera is VERY disturbing though!

Nervous Energy & Back Pain

I picked up the invitations for the shows yesterday afternoon and have been slowly enveloping them. There is this immense sense of dread when I'm sealing each envelope - it's 'finished' and there's nothing I can do about it once it's sent. I am then committed to showing the work. Magnify that feeling by 500 (the approx. number of invites) and it gets a bit paralysing.

The only relief I get from this whole 'making art' process is once the install is finished and 'untouchable' I come to the realisation that I can't care anymore. That silence is refreshing.

I still have work to do on the portraits - more problems. I had hoped it would be a bit quieter in the weeks running up. My skin is too thin for this!

To lighten the mood a bit I've been YouTubing around and found this from MoMA.



Apparently it took 70 hours to install.... that's a lot of sore backs!

Update on drei... if anyone's interested!

So... well into post production which has been close to hiccup free so far. Of the 18 prints for the final show I now have 10 full-size and 'in hand'. They are just being finished off at Photoad. There is only one more colour image to be outputted (was approved in proofing on Friday) and 7 (!) portraits to go.

The later I'm working on 'relatively' intensively and I finally found the mood that I was looking for after some tests on Friday. The more I look at them, I recognise the inspiration garnered from Chuck Close's Daguerreotypes. This in the simplicity, intimacy and intensity of the confrontation.

See here and here for examples.

The texts from the two authors are nearing completion and I'm hoping to have the book done well in advance of the opening. The less stress the better!

On a sidenote he has one mean lookin' wheelchair!

Introspection ... for a change!

As part of our upcoming exhibitions at Breadbox in April we are both producing limited edition booklets. These include the works themselves, details, statements and some essays by ‘proper’ arts writers.

The later especially forces you to sit down and reflect a lot on what your work is about, motivations, etc. The first writer was here yesterday and after quite a bit of nervousness we seemed to come through it unscathed.

I always feel a bit schizophrenic when talking about my work and I thought maybe I should write some of my thoughts down as bullet points with some filler. It wasn't a bad idea as I tend to drift off on tangents which create new tangents which... well you get the idea. It can be quite confusing to a note taker!

I’ve discovered that it’s exceptionally naïve to expect work to ‘fit’ into an appropriately sized pigeon hole... especially in regards to arts movements.

One workshop facilitor we met once said that you should know where your work fits in the greater scheme of things which is commendable but what when you cross lines - inadvertently or otherwise? Is the stress of the 'bigger picture' worth the sacrifice of the moment?

From an art history point of view my work (previously and 'now') has had modernist, post-modernist and conceptual elements to it... does that mean I have to choose one? Is it wrong to pick and choose the 'tools' - intellectual or otherwise - you use? What if a painter could only use a brush or a photographer only a certain type of camera and film?

I have 'overthought' my work at various stages in my life and torn it to pieces - literally and intellectually. It became cold and soulless - for want of a better word - and was pointed out as such by a gallery director in Frankfurt in the late 90s.

At the time it was the end of the world but it truly was a watershed moment. It together with a comment almost 16 years ago (!) from a tutor were major turning points on my creative path. Two things that pull me back in line and keep me honest.

I'm 'happy' (whatever that means) where my work is now - on a multitude of levels - and only hope that it works in the real world.

The second writer is visiting this weekend which - after the first writer - has oddly made me more nervous.

Update: second writer has been and gone and it went really well. Looking forward to seeing the results.

Artist Portrait...

I recently shot this for a press release.

In the background is a portion of drei #93 as exhibited in the BankWest Contemporary Art Prize. The print size was 1200mm x 1500mm in a edition of 5.

Statement
There is a glaring difference between a flesh-coloured suit and true nakedness.

This image, together with its companion piece drei #94 (Portrait of the Artist as a Successful Human Being), forms a gateway to a larger series that addresses many personal issues.

The theatrical nature of life has been central to the series development. In particular the malleable representation of the Self and variations thereof in social interaction.

Christopher Young's recent work has had significant manipulative and ambiguous aspects to it. He finds himself hiding behind metaphor, contextualised protagonists and narrative to communicate concepts.

This piece looks at the balance between a constructed and pre-determined identity; the necessity of exposition versus a profound fear of rejection; ego versus self-loathing; and, not least of which, the desperate need for acknowledgment versus utter social ineptitude.

The veracity of this gate grounds the inherent ambiguity of the greater series.

New Work

drei is in the can with the exception of a bit of tweaking. It's unlikely that I will be able to exhibit the full 24 images due to space constraints but I will do the full suite in the publication that will support the exhibition.

It's all just post-production now which is much more about logistics - for me at least - than creative choices.

So... with a free mind I've been looking at the next steps.

Three series (the irony is not lost on those who know that drei is German for three) have begun to crystallise.

The first and most significant is masks. This is a series that has almost formed itself over the last few years. I have done quite a bit of incidental shooting of constructions sites, earthworks and the like. Mostly these have been shots I've seen when driving around or stumbled across whilst doing other things.

Slowly a pattern has emerged both on a aesthetic level and also conceptually. The ideas of change as a protective mechanism, hiding the scars with paint, the breaking of bones to set them right, etc, etc.

The second is called strangers and is quite classical in nature. These are monochromatic botanical studies in a studio setting. Essentially I'm looking at the contrast between introduced versus native plant species, both fresh and as they decay.

The third is currently untitled. It is basically new work in the What I Am (2006) series but in colour. I'm revisiting this after recently reading some autobiographical text that my Grandmother wrote for a genealogical publication.

This was so vivid, colourful and visual in it's nature. It struck me how I fell into the words so comfortably and when I emerged I was distinctively numb... I want to look at that feeling and colour work seems particularly appropriate.

I've been obsessively sourcing new props from ebay for this series. The images are often very specific and when I find one thing I then know that this has to go with that and the search is extended.

I would love to pay tribute to particular sentences/paragraphs from her text but the extensive scene dressing that would be required would border on madness.

Intimacy in Images

I've recently been exploring the idea of intimacy in images. Not necessarily the image themselves - although that has been explored to a certain extent - but rather in size and context of presentation.

I like the idea of recreating the inate reaction when someone enters another's personal space.

The size (or a least the intended size) of my recent portraiture work allows an intimacy that is not normally afforded when viewed at 'normal' distance. I had previously mentioned the idea of being able to explore someone's features (feel their breath whilst they scream) without fear of retribution (the noise and the wrath).

Added to this is a new aspect that has 'appeared' with having the BankWest image in my life for a while now. I have noticed that as I move around the space that the image commands it has a profoundly different effect on me. The closer I am to it the more intimidating the emotive response is.

At a distance it can be cold but in a darker light even malicious. Depending on my personal mood it can sadden me one minute or anger me the next on a scary(ish) visceral level. It's hard to communicate but it is a real one hand moment*.

When it was first hung it truly made me quite weak. The only comparative experience I have ever had was a very surreal moment in Germany towards the end of the 1990s.

I was travelling alone one day on a tram and I noticed (I'm still not sure why) that someone a handful of seats in front of me had a similar haircut to mine and was wearing the same hat. I watched him for a good 10 minutes hoping that I could glimpse more features as the few I could see were again very similar to my own.

On a basic primal level I became very much aware of my pulse, the heat in my face and the sound around me seemed very distorted. This intensified more and more over our journey and spiked when I finally exited the tram and looked back to see the spitting image of myself in the face of the stranger.

What disturbed me most of all at the time was that he also saw me and was also obviously shocked by the experience. I had to sit on a bench for a few minutes afterwards as I had lost all sense of space and perspective.

As it is, the image is wrapped in semi-transparent bubblewrap as it hangs and I can't look at it raw without re-experiencing that moment.

It will be interesting to see how the image will react to the rather clinical PICA exhibition space ... that is, a large open space with 'endless' white walls and big light.

A similar thing happened last year with drei #05 and how it emoted (if that's a word) in various forms of light.

* As in, I can count on one hand the number of times...

The Unreality of Selfportraiture

Life is just a bundle of paradoxes at the moment.
A large portion of my work is inherently contradictory and to a certain extent it messes with my head.
The classic example of which is the self-portrait. The 'easy' paradox is the necessity of exposition in a professional artistic career versus social inadequacies and their associated fears.
In an idealistic world the product (and associated showings) is completely irrelevant to the creative pursuit. Unfortunately it is a necessary element that needs to be addressed. Progression is not easy in a bubble when outside forces affect that movement.
I had this 'problem' for a while in the late 90s where I stepped completely into a mini-mini-bubble and tore my photographic world to pieces. The reliance on elements (object, scene, model) disturbed me to a great extent - not least of which access to said elements and addictive dependence.
It was and is puritan for me to say that I didn't/don't 'need' to show the work ... I do and to some extent enjoy (if that's the right word) feedback in whatever form it might come. This doesn't need to be tangible 'things' (words, text, etc) but can be as simple as seeing the animal alive in it's cage.
Lately my work has been closer to the line... I've been trying to make more emotive and 'true' images - the word I like to use is 'veracity' as 'honest' is too loaded.
I very carefully avoid both 'honesty' and 'reality' as terms as they are void in the discussion of self-portraiture --- that is, it's impossible to catch yourself unawares in the process of creating a self-portrait. Even randomness is tainted by your own editing.
The greater series (drei) is very manipulative of 'reality' and I guess I'm trying to get back to the less unreal.
BankWest is really started to scare me.... need to have a break!

Because tomorrow will be a bit hectic...

Lou Rhodes has a fanastic (and very moving) voice. I really like Lamb and her voice was key to that.

I've been working a (little) bit (too) intensely on getting the drei pairs finalised and that's messing with my head. All are very melodramatic but I'm not sure what they are saying... if that makes any sense.

It's a bit like listening to a song in another language. The melody and tonality of the music might be something special but without the backbone clear in your head the 'aching love song' you thought you were listening to could really be about how to milk cows on a Tuesday.... with passion of course!

The pairs themselves tell their stories and there would seem a (at the moment) tenuious thread throughout the series. I guess the problem is that they are also ambigious to me... I would like to pin a story to each rather than just have a sensation when viewing them... that said, I find the ambiguity interesting as depending on my mood, the sensations vary in intensity.

Thinking out loud...

I was writing an email to a friend about some 'stuff' and came up with a few good analogies for the drei portraits.

Typically the people who are imaged are metaphorical (they 'represent' someone or something in my life) or literal (ie. very important in some way).

I'm terrified of people so the engagement itself is quite important for me from a creative point of view.

The final prints are huge (1000mm x 700mm) and VERY detailed. The idea is that there is a paradox in the confrontation. The people are making eye contact and are almost challenging the viewer whilst the viewer themselves is empowered to examine their 'confronter' in an intimacy not normally afforded.

It's all a bit like being able to walk right up to a screaming person and feel their breath without any threat of a bite.

Mantra of the Moment

There is an glaring difference between a flesh-coloured suit and true nakedness.

I have begun to build the metaphorical gate to drei.

It really is the most scary work I have done in many years as the veracity of these images grounds the ambiguity of the greater series.

All I have to do now is not talk myself out of it all!

Creating a story...

So... I started a little over a month ago formally putting drei into it's exhibitable form as a digital maquette. This involves 12 diptyches for a total of 24 images.

One thing that has become apparent is that I will have to reshoot at least two models and pull a third out of thin air. The thematic is bending a bit too much in one direction which is disquieting (good) but a bit kitsch for my liking (bad).

I'll also need to shoot another 'prop' photo although I have a fairly good idea what that will be.

Building a narrative across so many images is extremely different. I think the space dynamic is extremely critical to the concept - ie. pairs that 'face' each other or 'hide' in the corners, how do the portraits relate to or confront a visitor, etc.

This obviously relates to any space where the work might be shown. As such, the images are in flux and would need to re-evaluated depending on my mood, the space itself and the scale of the venue --- fun and games!

It's like a series of scenes/micronarratives that should interrelate - a bit like the tying together of a group of disparate, and often entangled threads.

The major outstanding component is the formulation of the concepts in some written form. A lot of stuff is loaded into the work and it's all a matter of finding a balance between 'answering' and ambuigity. Text is there, just needs serious editing and 'love'.

It's both satisfying and terrifying to be getting closer to the end of the conceptual aspect. It's been a physically and emotionally exhausting journey so far and - if I'm being honest - I can't wait to move on to other things.

I'm not tired of the work as such but rather my mind is wandering to other ideas already. Some are really exciting and challenging so I really have to pull myself back and look objectively at the 'task at hand'.

Either which way... I'm extremely happy with my print for the Josephine Ulrick & Win Schubert Prize. It's also from this same series (top secret which one!) and has a quality to it that really appeals to me. I picked it up from my lab early this week and it's at the finishing house now - tomorrow is D-Day!

I'll be entering one of the drei duos into the Fremantle Print Award this year - at fullscale - so it will be interesting to see if they pick it up in the selection.

Last year was a great show and I enjoyed having my work be seen in such company.

The entry for BankWest is now solid conceptually and I have to admit (more buzz words!) that it really scares the crap out of me. It will be a major piece of work on more levels than I'd like to say.

Even now, I'm hesitant to even think about going to the opening and to be in the same space. Let's just hope I don't scare myself out of the work as has happened before!

'Mistral' - Experimental Video Piece

So.... this is the first video art experiment. The idea being that it would be projected in a darkened space and the sound would be an immersive experience. Quite loud, multidirectional and disconcerting. Very hard to simulate at 320 x 240px!



The fan is also part of the drei series.

Any feedback would be much appreciated so please leave a comment on youtube if you feel so inclined.