week52:

Long time ago, that I wrote on my blog. Now, 2 weeks after my return to Vienna and South Tyrol I am again back in normality.
After 4 month in sweden, lot of things in Vienna seemed for me quite curios. I had to unlearn swedish habits, like passing the street, also if the traffic light is red.
I was so happy to meet all my friends and teachers at university in Vienn again, and of course my family here in South Tyrol.
A lot of people from university ask me, how university works in sweden, how art education works at HDK. So I had the possibility to explain and refelct a lot about the education structure in the teacher trainings programme, comparing to my studies in Vienna.
Unfortunaltely I did not so much for my art project, but nevertheless I want to show you the mind maps and drawings, which I made until now.
 

week50:

power - words - raketstohl - invisible force - Cajsa von Zeipel - openings - harbor crane, reality - harbor crane imagination - "undress" poems - art examples undress systems - 25 m paper - social maps.


I try to find my own way of expression. I am still not sure, how it will look like, at the end of the project. I want to try out different form and materials.

I try to split of the structure of the art university at Vienna.

week48:

undress the (power) system


Man for a day
Film
Workshop by Diane Torr

week48:

undress the power system

PEGASUS DANCE

Video, 2003

Fernando Sánchez Castillo

Born 1970, Madrid Spain

week48:

to undress:
bare a system
where is the power
the skeleton of a structure
"What is it in real?"
Where am I?
imagination
memory


bare your imagination, 
undress the skeleton of a structure, 
is it real memory, 
am I bare, 
where is the power?

is the skeleton of a structure real,
am I the system,
undress your imagination,
bare your memory,
what is power,
where is it?

Am I the system,
or am I the structure,
where is the real imagination,
memory_power,
undressed skeleton.

undress the real,
system imagination,
what am I,
what is bare power,
where is the skeleton of memory.

week48:

Theo Jansen - Kinetic Sculptures

http://vimeo.com/48572867

week48:

Harbor crane?

week48:

© Viktoria Gitzl

© Viktoria Gitzl

I see
size
dimension
force
strength
power
fixed
stable
solid 
mechanik
weight
geometrical systems
steel
machinery
power system


I think
horse
trojan horse
swan
praying mantis
crane (Kranich)
dinosaur
horse harness
ballet dancer
animate beings


It is
quiet
empty
bright
calm
appeasing
absorbing
gently
fine
surreal

week 48:

After taking another look from the southern side of the Göta älv to the big red container- and harbor crans, i went to the oppiste side of the "river", near Lindholmen.  I wanted to get a closer look to the cranes.
It was sunnday, so there were nearly noone in this area. No workers, no securities, no machine noise, no alarums and excursions, everything was calm and quiet. Some cars and boats were parked on the base. Sometimes ambler with dogs passed by.
Around there are some big industrie halls, maybe garages, factorys oe workshops for the ships, machines and cranes.
The first crane I met was red, there is no fence, no bar, just a signboard "no access for unauthorised person".  The crane is standing near the port entrance, inbetween the street an the river. My estimation in things like altitude is pretty bad, but I would say the height of the crane was like pile 12 - 15 cars up.
Standing the first time close beside the crane, was like being something small and powerless, having respect for the size and the power of this big "thing". Like I sad, threre is no barrier, and there were no people, (just some security cameras) but I didn't dare to ascend up to the crane, more than 2 meters. Maybe because of the fear about doing something dangerous and illegal, or just about the power of the crane? I don't know, I can't tell.
Going further searching for the other cranes, nearly the whole area was fenced-off with a high chain-link and barbed wire fence. So no chance to see the other cranes so close as the other one.
But also with whole barriers I had a really good view (gaze) to the cranes.
There are 5 big red container- and harbor crans, and some smaller ones.
ust to be shure, that you understand, where I was: directly bedind the dry-dock (which you can see very good from the other side, the big blue thing with inscription "göteborg" on it). All nearly the same size as the first one.

© Viktoria Gitzl

© Viktoria Gitzl

© Viktoria Gitzl

week48:

Open the mindbox, the frames in your head.
Stick your neck out,
even if the surprise that you will see is not immediately comprehensible.

© Viktoria Gitzl

© Viktoria Gitzl

© Viktoria Gitzl

© Viktoria Gitzl

© Viktoria Gitzl

© Viktoria Gitzl

© Viktoria Gitzl

week47:

In my conversation with Anna we talked about the power of invisible structures. The influence, and the connection between visible structures and the invisible power of this structure.
An artwork is also an visible structure with invisible power.

an example: on Sunday I was in the Gothenburg Art Museum. Other than lot of paintings from the 18th, 19th and 20 century, as well as modern art from the 21st century, I saw this work, and I was really confused and fascinated at the same time. I could not decide, if my feelings should be good or bad, if I should like this artwork, or if I should not like it.
I was standing and sitting in front, beside, far away, really close just to look at the "woman", to order my thoughts about the dancer.
On the fist view I was really astound: There is this big building. From the outside it seems very epic and heroic, with his size, the big arches, included in the Götaplatsen surrounded by the other "historical" buildings, a town's landmark. In the style of the classicism, build  to demonstrate power and history of a city, to fill this building with a lot of "beautiful" art history. This building emanates inviolability for me.
On the other hand, there was this artwork, it was different like the other "modern artworks" (from 21st century) in this museum. This artwork was sooooo big, so white and so "not typical art". When I saw it I was standing on the other end of the sculpture hall, and there were a lot of other sculptures between me and her. But it was like she was talking to me, through the whole hall "look at me, come closer".
I went to the sculpture, and even than, I realised that this is a woman, dancing on a pole, with very high shoes, smooth stockings, subtly pants and shirt, naked skin. She has long hair, a ponytail, a slim figure. Her hands are very big, comparing to the rest of her gently but beefy body. I noticed that the woman has no pupils, this was a little bit scary. She was "hanging" up site down from the pole, turned around, and turned around and turned around...

On the first view I was so "shocked", because i was influenced from this buliding. My first thought was "ooo my god, how can they put a woman who is dancing on a pole, who declares with her appearance a special kind of woman to the viewer, in a very historical museum like this one. And than in this size, in this dimension"
I was in a conflict with myself, what does this woman doing here? what should I think about her?

I thought about my artworks, abou the "conflict" in my artwork. Why do I think in a special way, and why do I have to work every time "supersafe". In every artwork I have concern that people don't understand what I want to say. I have doubts that they can't comprehend and follow my thoughts. I think because of that, I always work in a way, that everyone understand my work, and that everyone can interpret the work just in one direction, in my direction. I allow the viewer no conflict in my work, every thought is precisely predefined.

This sculpture managed that I started a dialog with myself about my thoughts.
About my way of trigger out dialogs between the viewer and the artwork.  


Cajsa von Zeipel | Seconds in Ecstasy
Göteborgs Konstmuseum, 2011

week47:

In my research about power, about an definition of this "big word", I found two artworks...

They are about the invisible power, an invisible force on which people are exposed.
Radioactive radiations and electric- and magnetic fields provoke long term aftermaths which influence humans evolution.
Which person has enough social- or political power to decide on humans future in that way?

1.
Time lapse map of every nuclear explosion ever on Earth by artist Isao Hashimoto 

2.
Field of beams by artist Richard Box

week47:

 

© Viktoria Gitzl

I am a test pilot. Exploring unknown fields of thinking. My way is not foreseeable. The aim is to establish contact with the amorphousness. To avoid to press the button of selection, to be open for the extraterrestrial. I have to accept the incalculable journey, to meet the challenge of starting a dialog with my outside world.

week 47:

 

physical power                                                                                            

emotional power                                                                                          
girlpower
knowledge is power
social and political power
pwerpuffgirls
power of nature
wind power
Power ON
brain power
nuclear power
power to preserve
Austin Powers
Power Plate
power OFF
Power Rangers
horsepower
electrical power
hydro power
powerpoint
power of love
powerbalance
power of history



Leistung
Macht
Kraft
Energie
Strom
Gewalt
Schwere
Stärke
Wucht
Vollmacht


POWER as visual and unvisual subjekt

Exibition 

LBD 360

5. & 6.11.13

about week 45, LBD 360:

In Vienna the "semester-final-presentations" are always a little bit stressfull. Everybody has to evidence the own work in front of 8 - 10 teachters, and the students, which than gave her "proffessional" opinion to the artwork of the semester. This "exam-situations" are always very stressed and nerve-racking.
The "exam-situation" here at HDK on Wednesday and Thursday in the course of the exhibition, was much more enjoyable, than the presentations that I used to do normaly. For me it was not like an exam, but rather like a nice relax conversation between us students and teachers. Not the opinion of the professors were most important, but the talk and the dicussion about the work with the other students. So I got the possibility to hear a lot of impressions and criticism about my work, which showed me how other people feel about them. I sometimes think, that people don't understand what I want to say with my projects, but that discussion showed me, that (in this case) everybody understood what I was intended to say. So I think, every discussion during the university time should end up like this.
Of course, I was really nervous before my presentation, like I am always when I have to talk infront of people or when I have to show at someone my own work. But that nervousness has subsided after the first words I talked to my classmates and teachers. I can say, that the whole atmosphere was really comfortable, so everybody were able to make a good presentation.
The exercise to look closer at someones work, was also a good advice to participate to the Exibition in a other way. I had the chance to go very into the work of someone else, and to understand his/her process. Especially by the accurate description of the whole process on every blog, it was easy to follow everybodys thoughts and work-steps. So every artwork was than after the first real view much easyer comprehensible and understandable for me.
What I would have preferred is, that beside the artwork would have been some description/summary, so every visitor is able to follow and easier to understand even if they are not in this seminar.
Maybe for the next time.

week45:

 

Schatztruhe der Nichtigkeiten

  23 gesammelte Erinnerungszünder 

 

(Treasure chest of the vanities
   23 collected memory igniter)

The letter case (Setzkasten) made of cardboard is a treasure box for my finds, found in Gothenborg the last eight weeks. The finds are removed from there normal environment in the nature and puted   into smal blastic bags, to keep them safe and shielded from the outside world.
Every plastic bag lies on a red velvet pillow whichone should underline there worth. 
Every single find of the 23 pieces in the collection is so valuable, because they are all igniters for memories about my life here in Gothenburg, but also for thoughts about my early memories. Each find starts a whole chain of associations and memory spaces.
It doesn't matter how the finds are looking in the plastic bag, even if they decompose or mildew, because not the material value of the thing itself is importend, but the memories and thoughts that they are in connection with.

On the left side of the treasure box/archive, white gloves and a forceps are presented on the table.
This items should invite the beholder to take a colser look at the finds, to discover them. But always in a way, which shows the high value of the collection.
Folded three dimensional stuctures are "flying" above the collection. As I allready wrote in the last post, these form of isocahedrons made by the origami technique shows as best how I see my memory spaces (mind bubbles). The complicated forms are set together by differnet components of Gothenburg city maps.
The choosen material should show the connection between the real existing find spot and the find as the memory igniter.

All the materials were selected for a certainly reason, to express the mental worth of things, comparing to the worthlessness of the material character.

© Viktoria Gitzl

© Viktoria Gitzl

© Viktoria Gitzl

© Viktoria Gitzl

© Viktoria Gitzl

© Viktoria Gitzl

week45:

If someone is interested in the origami technique, like I folded my mind-bubbles, you can find on youtube a lot of different instructions.
This are the tutorials that I used:

Origami Buckyballs from PHiZZ unit:  

 Origami Bouncy Unit Icosahedron by Tom Hull:

Origami Snap icosahedron:

Dodecahedron:

HAVE FUN!!!

week44/45:

During my work on the "cardboard archive" I also tryed to work on the progess of the shape of my inner archive. As I allready wrote, my inner archive seems for me, like a cloud of different bubbles, in different sizes and differents shapes, poping out one from another.
As I wrote in the post of week 41,

"If I think about my “inner archive”, then is this actually somewhat that is not tangible or concrete. Something, which does not has a material-related form, since it concerns an abstract structure.
With the attempt to find out, how this abstract structure, all these thoughts, are ordered, I noticed that all my memories, experiences, sensations of the past (sound, taste, smell, and haptic memories), visual stored images, feeling- and emotion memories are tied to specific experiences /events/adventures. 
So my "inner archive" does not follow a chronological (example: annual rhythm) order, but consists of thousands of small and large memory spaces. This in turn contain a certain time, certain people, a certain action/activity in a certain place. All these memory spaces, or we can call them also knowledge spaces, exist next to each other and do not follow a incomprehensible order. All these memory spaces are indeed stored in my thinking, but I can not fetch it immediately. This means I need an impulse, an initiation, a motive that opens me certain memories and knowledge spaces, enlightened them. This will trigger a whole chain of associations, and numerous memory spaces pop up, one after another."

the form of this mind-bubbles is very inconcrete and difficult to describe with a common geometric form. On my search for a at least a bit perfect form to describe my thoughts, I driffted away from the form of normal globes and came thereby every step closer to a very complicated, difficult and hard to imaginate, three- dimensional structure.
During my reasearch I found than a quiet special form, whichone came my inner picture of these mind- bubbles very near: the more complicated icosahedrons.
In week 41 I posted for that reason pictures from the collection of "Bea Szenfeld". These "paper works" are made by a lot of icosahedrons, but they seem to be just easily bonded together with glue. 
For my work, it was in return, necessary that the forms keep flexible and modifiable to show their character of an uncertain and nondurable structure whichone can change by every new impression. 
 So every impression can trigger a whole new chain of associations. The oragiami paper folding technique was, for this needs, the best choose. At the end, I found very special and unique forms of isocahedrons in origami style, whose features and qualities correspond very close with my immagination of the mind bubbles structure. 

© Viktoria Gitzl

© Viktoria Gitzl

© Viktoria Gitzl

week45:

I want to recommend you two books about paper and cardboard design. They are very interesting, because you can see, that paper and cardboard is not just material for writing/drawing/painting and packaging, but also as material itself offers a lot of possibilities.
You can find the books in the liberary at HDK.


Outside the box: Cardboard Design now
Michael Czerwinski, Santiago Perez

 "Outside the Box: Cardboard Design Now takes a detailed look into this versatile material, and how cardboard is used in a creative, artistic and practical way in contemporary design and everyday life. From minimalist packaging, children’s toys, decoration to furniture and even largescale interior architecture, Outside the Box reveals just how far it is possible to push the uses and potential of cardboard.
Outside the Box charts the material’s evolution through to modern practices, profiling some of today’s most inspirational and provocative artists and designers working across the fields of art, design and sculpture. Among those featured is Frank Gehry, who has produced an iconic range of corrugated cardboard furniture for Vitra, and Shigeru Ban, whose cardboard disaster relief housing and deconstructable cardboard schools have put him at the forefront of eco-design. Also included are cardboard designs by Charles and Ray Eames, Bruno Munari, and Habitat, amongst others.
Outside the Box is attractively packaged and unpacks the creative possibilities of a material wrongly dismissed as staid and uninspiring."

 

Paper: Tear, Fold, Rip, Crease, Cut

Raven Smith

"Paper: Tear, Fold, Rip, Crease, Cut shines a light on the beautiful world of paper art, fashion and design. From the traditional art of origami and paper cutting through to contemporary experiments in conceptual paper installations and modular folding, Paper celebrates one of the world’s oldest and most widely used materials in all its visual glory, providing an analogue remedy to the digital world.

Paper profiles over fifty artists and designers who work with the medium, from the vast sculpted installations of Mia Pearlman and the delicate paper incisions of Noriko Ambe, to the light-hearted illustrations of Robert Ryan and the forward-thinking furniture design of Tokujin Yoshioka. Also included is an informative history of the material and its role as an art form, from the ancient process of paper manufacture in Ancient China to the most recent technological advances.
With a foreword by leading paper artist Richard Sweeney, and essays by origami expert Hatori Koshiro, Paper: Tear, Fold, Rip, Crease, Cut is an elegant and insightful look at the sumptuous world of paper today."

week44:

why people collect?
why collections of artists are "an artwork" in museums, and collections of "not-artist" just collections?

here are answers:

http://collectingseminar.wordpress.com/2008/11/10/assignment-5-archive-of-contemporary-history/

http://www.formfollowsbehavior.com/2008/06/25/collecting-as-art/

 week44:

work in progress

© Viktoria Gitzl

© Viktoria Gitzl

© Viktoria Gitzl

© Viktoria Gitzl

© Viktoria Gitzl

© Viktoria Gitzl

About week43:

After the initial confusion in my head, and the next attempt to order this chaos, I have decided to return to one of my starting points. I tried to find out what my interests are, on which subject I feel very strongely, for working on it deeper. In addition I decided to take a direction, whose processing I enjoyed. The collection "23" which I built here in Gothenburg, has become very valuably for me, because I am very proud of some finds; and on the other hand, the collection corresponds to my picture, the form of the nature of Gothenburg. The attempt to pack this into plastic bags , and therefore to pack into my mind-bubbles.
At the beginning of the week 43 I have started to build an archive for my findings. A "thing" in which I can present my findings, at the same time, however shows which relation I have to this collection, and what they mean for the outside world.
The result was a sort of letter case or seed box (in german "Setzkasten"), made of brown cardboard, with 23 fields/boxes, in the dimensions of the plastic bags. The form remind me of my childhood, because my father built a letter case of wood for me, in which I kept a mingle-mangle of small, for myself valuable, objects. At the same time I associate to this archive the pushs/boards of the big cupboards in a miracle chamber, or it remind me of the butterfly's boxes in a natural-historical museum.
The next step will be that I will make for every field one little pillow with a velvet cover, to give to my findings the necessary esteem.
The fact to build/create now something for real, made me very contented. I think that I have found by this archive made of cardboard, a medium which expresses quite well, what I connect with the content in my work.
I discovered the material "cardboard" as a new material for myself . The work with it is very excitingly, it gives big pleasure to me. After some research I found out that many artists and designers deal with the materials paper and cardboard, and bring it in a new context, outside from writing material and packaging material.

Parallel with the construction of the archive I work with Gothenburg city maps.
The city maps, which I got when I came here, first and most important thing in a new city. An aim are spherical objects, folded from the paper-maps. At the moment I experiment with different folding methods.

The group meeting on Thursday was very motivating. I could see that everybody tries to work hard for finishing in a good way for the exhibition. It is good that each of us, has enough time to discuss with the group about the own project, and to get and to give assistances and other recommendations.

© Viktoria Gitzl

Wien/Vienna:

I'm presently dealing not just with our "Gestaltningsproject", but also with the preparing of one of my works, that I did last semester, for an exibition at my University at Vienna. Therefore I thought it would be interessting to show you the work, made by porcellain.
The pictures are just made by myself with the phone in the ceramic-workshop, but it's just to give you an idea of the work.
The text unfortunately is in german, but maybe you understand almost everything.

 

© Viktoria Gitzl

© Viktoria Gitzl

© Viktoria Gitzl

week42:

Aleatoric Composition 2

Matthew Shlian x Michael Cina

"The path to a finished work of art is often littered with the detritus of jettisoned ideas. Matthew Shlian and Michael Cina, two aesthetically distinct artists, find commonality in how they walk this path—stopping often, retracing steps, collecting, discarding, and finding surprising treasures concealed by the overgrowth along the way. When the two artists decided to collaborate on a series, we had no idea what to expect, but we knew that the combination of their unique styles would prove captivating.

The resulting series, a fusion of Cina's abstractionist canvas work and Shlian's organic formations, is titled in reference to the emphasis of chance in the process of creation. It is also a singular example of emergence at work: here the whole is not simply greater than the sum of its parts, but something altogether different. Aleatoric and emergent, yes—though perhaps the best word to describe it is simply, awesome."


More about the work:
http://www.theghostlystore.com/collections/art/products/matthew-shlian-michael-cina-aleatoric-composition-2#prettyPhoto

More about the paper-artist Matthew Shlian, and his works:
http://www.mattshlian.com/

week42:

Before the group-meeting on Thursday, I was quite contently, with the thoughts, which I gave myself to my work, and which direction,  I had taken. I was awake to the fact that from the outside in all probability a not too large step in the advancement was visible , because this is one of my “ innerer Schweinehund- innerl pig-dogs”, I tried to overcome:

Not always only to formulate the “perfect the concept” in thoughts, but finally act, even if its not 100%  clear, what the result will be, because in doing, and by the coincidence very interesting things can be developed. 

Nevertheless I was content with my thinking work. 

After the group meeting this construct of ideas/thoughts which I had arranged nicely for my collection, got a lot of new levels.  I got a lot of inputs,  in whose direction I had not thought at all. In addition my own constructs of thought began to totter, because I questioned them in another way.


Before the group meeting I could imagine my aim for this "Gestaltningsproject", where I want to go, . After the meeting I was inundated by new ideas, therefore I had, absolutely no more notion which direction is "my direction".

Where is my leitmotif, my central theme, my "red thread"??

To structure this chaos of thought and to get an overview, I have made mindmaps, which should help me now to decide me, or to produce conjunctions.

week42:

At the last meeting, we were talking about stories: inventing stories, collecting stories, stories which are combiend with memory-thougts and keepsakes (memory-things). It doesn't matter if stories are truthful or imaginery, but they can help you, to remember important things, things you shouden't forget. It's easier to remember a whole story, instead of a particular single item. By the use of stories you are able to conjure up a lot of visual images, connected with true-life-things.

After this thoughts, I did some research about "collecting stories". I found this great video, on the TED-homepage. A young software ingineer talk about his passion to collect things, and to collect stories too. It's about of different ways to collect stories of people, and the try to experience very personal storiesof them.
I like it so much, you should watch it. Follow the link for the video:

http://www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_harris_collects_stories.html

Stories as an archive of people, situations, encounters, memories, things here in Gothenburg.

In addendum of week41:

In week41 I wrote about my inner archive. I tryed to "build" this memory spaces of paper globes. I think that the qualities of paper would correspond with my thoughts about not tangible or concrete, about something light and airy. I could imagine to build hundrets of this paper-bubbles to create a accessible installation. 
At the meeting with the group, Lisa told me about an swedish fashion designer "Bea Szenfeld", which makes a lot of very interessting things. I would say, she makes, amongst other things, portable paper installations. By looking at her creations of the collection spring/summer 2014 "Haute Papier", I had associations to the shape of my inner archive: Be surrounded by a lot of memory globes/bubbles made from paper.

Look at her homepage, to see more:
http://www.szenfeld.com/ 

following this Link, you will find the whole "Haute Papier" Collection, Spring /Summer 2014:
http://strictlypaper.com/blog/2013/09/bea-szenfeld-haute-papier-spring-summer-2014/