Introduction
Instruction based art is when the artist is allowed to have creative freedom of what the participant has to do, in terms of an activity. The idea of it started in 1993, created by French artists Christian Boltanski and Bertrand Lavier, as well as Swiss curator Hans Ulrich Obrist. The idea spawned from a conversation of the three in a Paris cafe. The exhibition Do It has been on the road for 20 years now, this indicates that it is still relevant and as popular as ever.The artists message can range in these artworks, for example Ai Weiwei tells the participants how to disable an overhead CCTV camera using a can of spray paint attached to a long stick, operated using a corkscrew and a length of wire. His message can be interpreted in very different ways which is what he could have intended, however I believe his message was to display the problems within society in the way it operates. Yoko Ono asks us to write down wishes on tags and and attach them to her Wish Tree, this has been repeated several times by various artists however the meaning behind it can be interpreted in any way. The Do It project is unique and completely different to anything in art right now, there isn't a specific pattern that the artists have to follow, for example there isn't a theme. Also each participant will gain something unique and different to the one after them in the long queue of people. My views on instruction based art has changed massively since I first was shown it, I never realised how sentimental and interesting the instructions can be and the meaning behind them can be. At first I found it weird and strange, but my view now is that it is unique.
Examples of instruction based art
Erwin Wurm
An example of instruction based art that was showcased in the Do It project was by Erwin Wurm, the untitled piece was involving the participant had to put on a pullover, not stick their arms or head in the normal openings and squat down and pull the end of the pullover down over your knees and feet. They have to hold in this position for 20 seconds. Erwin Wurm is usually known for his sculptures of objects using moulds to show his creativity, known for abstract versions of buildings, cars and other abstract models too.
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Suzanne Lacy
Another example of instruction based art that was showcased in the Do It project was by Suzanne Lacy, another untitled piece was one that contained a fact. The fact was, "Around the world, one in three women has been beaten, forced into sex, or otherwise abused. Gender violence kills and disables as many women between 15-44 years as does cancer". The instructions were presented as a list.
1. Make a statement in solidarity with these women. 2. Post/present//perform/exhibit or otherwise distribute. 3. Make it matter. This is particularly interesting as it is directly judging society and making the aim/meaning of the instruction very clear from the start, which is different to a lot of the other more abstract or cryptic pieces. |
Can an idea be a work of art?
In my view any idea can be a work of art. A work of art in my definition would be something that expresses a viewpoint, opinion, or a story. If an idea as simple as making Thai curry sauce in an instruction based art exhibition, if it has a sentimental or an importance to the artist, it is a work of art. Also complex ideas can be a work of art such as someone opposing the government in a photo, as long as it has some form of value to the artists and makes the viewer understand their view or even make their own judgement on it, then that is also art.
Is good art always skilful?
Similar to what I mentioned in the last question I believe that art is based on perception and the idea the artist is trying to give off. Good art doesn't have to be skilful, in my opinion it has to have a meaning behind it that is relevant to the artist. Bad art , for me, is when there isn't a message that the viewers can't pick up on, or if the viewer cannot make their own meaning of the artwork.
If you don't make works of art can you be an artist?
I do not believe to be an artist you need to make works of art, as in you don't set out to make works of art on a regular basis. Like many people believe in what art is, it is a form of expression, this is the same with many things. For example people express themselves in the way that they dress, in music, on social media, in photography and of most obviously art. I don't believe that people have to be restricted in a metaphorical cage in what they can and can't express and how they can express is. But as I've said in the two last questions I believe art is a form of expression, so anyone who attempts to express themselves in the way that they dress, I believe is an artist in their own right, anyone who listens to music that expresses them and has meaning to them, is an artist in their own right.
Why might artists ask other people to make work for them?
Artists might ask people to make work for them as they could be incapable of doing the art itself, or even they don't want to. But I think that it isn't unfair or lazy as some might believe as the artist, or what makes you an artist, is having an idea that has to be expressed. For example if and artist want to do a big statue, they may not be capable of doing it at all because it is only one person, or they may not be able to do it in time for an exhibition that they are a part of.
What makes an instruction interesting?
What makes an instruction interesting is if it makes the participant think about why they are doing the instruction. However not make them think in a negative way, however a way of growth or learning. An instruction can make the participant reflect upon society and their position in it, and how they could change society, or it could make them reflect on their past about the good times or bad times and show how much they have grown as a person. So in short, way makes an instruction interesting is if it makes the person involved think, and reflect.
Does a photographer always have to be the one to press the shutter?
I don't believe the photographer has to be the one to press the shutter, as the photographer or the artist mis the one with the idea, and how they want to present it doesn't have to be them to press the shutter. They can be the one to set up the studio space, the area in which they take a photo or how they express themselves in the photo.
John Baldessari
John Baldessari is an American conceptual artist who has delved into many different forms of art such as, photography, video, paintings, texts, prints, film, drawing and books. His work mainly includes an image next to or captioned by text that either opposes the image itself or combines with it, sometimes instead of text it is other images. His work is very unique as it the viewer can raise very interesting and often obscure question about his pieces and what they are meant to mean. At the start of his artistic career he was a painter, however very soon he grew out of the idea of painting and then moved quickly into photography where he carried on to use that medium. Even before his artistic career he was an art teacher, this is why is some work it mentions how to take a photo correctly, for example the photo of him standing in front of a tree and the captioned simply being " wrong ".
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Photoshoot
I think that following instructions can still make photos interesting as with the instructions you can make your own interpretation of them. So for these photos in the photoshoot I had to take photos of objects in interesting or different angles, the best example out of these photos is the 5th and you wouldn't normally look at a building in that way. These instructions allowed for me as the photographer to create my own interpretations of the instructions. However I believe with some of the photos I didn't follow the instructions directly, which made them somewhat generic and not interesting as the would've been with the unique angles. For example the first photo of the basketball hoop is a photo which is 'normal' as the object is framed in the centre and isn't being taken at a particularly interesting or different angle. With this particular photoshoot what I would've done differently is that I would've played around with extreme foreshortening more, which is too take photos of something at a lower angle making it seem a lot taller than it actually is.
I believe that this is the photo which represents the instructions the best. This is due to the fact that you wouldn't usually look at a banister in this way, straight down it that is. As well the reflection coming off of the banister makes it seem like it still carries on beyond that part of the banister. The angle of the photo is interesting as it makes the banister and everything in the photo seem smaller as it is taken from above the subject rather than at the same level, or underneath it.
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Out of the 30 photos from the photoshoot I believe that these 4 best represent assignment 10. Assignment 10 is to photograph backs of things, underneaths of things, extreme foreshortenings, uncharacteristic views or trace them. The first photo is somewhat following the assignment as it is almost unnoticeable what the subject of the photo is. The second photo is extreme foreshortening, making the lockers seem taller and bigger than it actually is. The third is making is making the subject out of focus, this creates a sense of mystery and unknown with the photo as isn't obvious who it is or what they are doing. The fourth also follows the assignment as it is an unusual angle and makes the viewer think about the subject differently, due to the reflection it seems like the railing is carrying on rather than moving up with the stairs.
These photos in my opinion demonstrate assignment 10 and what it is asking for the most. As said before with the other photo shoot it is about using peculiar and unique angles to create foreshortening or to distort the subject making it seem different. I believe these are good examples as with some for example the third, fifth and sixth are unrecognisable making them seem like abstract objects when they really aren’t, With the second photo people wouldn’t usually attempt a photo so low to the ground to make the flowers seem larger, in a conventional situation they would be in line with them and frame them in the centre.
My instructions were to take 10 photos of the same room or same thing however, change one thing in each of the photos. I did this by moving objects out of frame or bringing more objects into frame. There are links with Jon Baldessari instructions due to the nature of them. I believe I could've done more with them however.
Photography Based Game
I used John Bladessari's style of instructions as inspiration for my game. I used a similar way that they would be written out (using a typewriter) and the wording too. Then once I got the rough idea
Photoshoot
With these photos I mainly looked at straight lines, shadows and light. I liked using straight lines in this task as they create boldness and show man made buildings in a different way compared to if you looked at them normally. For example, the last photo shows the contrast between nature and the man made building, showing an invasion of nature’s free flowing ways. Shadows were also interesting as it can create mystery within a photo, in terms of not knowing what the shadow is of. For example the 6th photo is a wall with shadows being almost projected on it, this leaves interpretation for the viewer as it isn’t quite obvious what the shadow is of. I also found using light interesting as, again, I could create a sense of mystery within the photos, for example, in the 5th photo it is left for interpretation what the black part of the photo is. I also enjoyed it as I could play around with what parts of the photo I want attention drawn to, as the blue of the sky ( in the 5th photo) draws instant attention but at a longer look at it you begin to guess what else is in the photo.