On Day Two - Saturday 28th April, we met at the Norreport Station to take the train to our next visit, the Arken Museum, set in a very modern building surrounded by water;
At the entrance there was a 2012 sculpture by the duo Michael Elmgree and Ingar Dragset called Powerless Structure, of a child on a rocking horse, and I was particularly struck by the sense of space around the sculpture.
And the modernity and sense of space was a continuing feature throughout the museum.
On our way to our guided tour we passed an exhibit by the Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone called Vocabulary of Solitude,comprising a group of life-size colourfully dressed clowns under bright multi-coloured lighting, creating the impression that the space was a stage for a forthcoming performance.
I absolutely loved this room. Initially it looked just like a simple installation for children, but then a feeling that the clowns appeared to be alive even though completely static struck me. And at that point the installation took on a very emotional and sentimental character, and the room took on a certain tenderness, sadness and melancholy which was very touching.
The installation reminded me of the research I did for Assignment One, in which I found that artists throughout history identified with clowns - doing their best to entertain, but not always succeeding – “travelling players on the margins of society, playing a part and concealing their sorrows” (Gill Polonsky, 2014, Chagall, Phaidon)
Our guide took us to the Alphons Mucha, (Czech, 1860-1939) exhibition where we saw his beautiful art nouveau commercial posters of sensuous women, with delicate lines, whirling long hair and intricate patterns.
What struck me most was the fact that Mucha was one of the pioneers of the use of photographic sketches as a tool for the study of body language and creative composition for his posters, a tool which became widespread in the art world in the late nineteenth century.
At the end of our tour we were invited to do some sketches of the details on his paintings for later use in the Mucha workshop. Here is mine -
Then went round the museum where we had a photo opportunity against a backdrop of what appeared to be a video of a piece of fluid art being created, with the medium still moving before it settles down and finally dries.
There was also a collection of Damien Hirst’s work, including The 2-Amino-5-Bromobenzotrifluoride, 2011.
And Love's Paradox (Surrender or Autonomy, Separateness as a Precondition for Connection) 2007, which when one steps through the middle of the two parts of the artwork produced an interesting variety of emotions in the group, difficult to describe as Bryan mentioned during lunch.
Photos from http://curatedwares.com/artworks-damien-hirst-arken-museum-copenhagen/
We also saw For the Love of God, The Diamond Skull,2007, which or some reason appealed to me, maybe because the glitter on the skull made the work very elegant.
A. Mucha Style workshop
This gave us the opportunity to create our own posters in the Mucha style using the sketches we did earlier, mainly in ink, with rulers, stencil patterns, and a projector as an aid, and the exercise gave us the opportunity to interact more closely between ourselves to see the kind of work each of us liked to do.
It was very interesting to see the different interpretations and styles we all had - my work is second from the right. I don’t think it would be a very successful commercial poster but I thoroughly enjoyed the exercise.
At the end of the session we had some input from Bryan, who emphasised the importance of experimentation and thinking outside of the box, which none of us really did at the time, and showed us a way of thinking which should help us develop our own style.
He experimented with the support format using several sheets, and then tore the sheets into pieces and rearranged them in a random sequence to create a final piece of work. Most of us used only one sheet in portrait format.
After lunch some of us returned to our accommodation to rest and others remained at the museum for a bit longer, and in the evening we gathered at the Nyhavn Harbour and Canal, where we found a restaurant to eat, drink a chat.