A Walking Art Gallery... 'What the Flock?!'

This is a follow up on my last blog. What seemed to be a static, one off happening has turned into one that is moving through time and space. Over the last week I have watched the spray painted stencils, which existed on the main route from Hyde Park to the University, become faded under the foot of many a student on the way to lectures. I thought these were the only remains. However, this morning I witnessed the return of the flock, or more precisely of 'what the flock?!' Cardboard cut outs of black sheep on sticks were yet again stuck in the marshy grass of Hyde Park. This time with the date 10/10/10 printed on them. What did the date mean? Perhaps it was informing us of the beginning of the exhibition, proper, or even more interestingly the end-date. This got me thinking about the life-span of exhibitions. Conventional exhibitions usually advertise when, where and how long the exhibit is going to be. We are too often used to planning to go to an exhibition at a certain time and place. However it is becoming an increasingly common occurrence to stumble across artworks in public domains, which, repeating what i said in my last blog, gives us an entirely different experience. It is a much more confrontational kind of experience, we see it and experience it whether we like it not. For example, like in the case of the Mysterious Banksy, who has given rise to graffiti art.

I thought my questions would be answered when I caught a glimpse of a black sheep out of the corner of my eyes whilst sat on the Parkinson steps. I looked up to see a parade of people dressed as sheep with the trade-mark black-sheep-on-stick in hand. They were anouncing the date through a megaphone. I ran over to see if they would shed any light on what the flock was going on, but apparnetly they had no idea either. I was simply instructed to go to http://www.whattheflock.org.uk/ at 10pm on the 10/10/10. The 'exhibition' was now moving to cyber space. This is interesting as the internet is increasingly becoming a platform for new-media art and an art space in its own right. This is reminisent of the previously blogged Art experiment 'Second Life' by Hayley Goodsell. Creating virtual environments in which art can exist, or virtual environments and web pages that are actually art, again bring to mind the question of the art gallery. What constitutes an art Gallery? As you have suggested Mark work by the likes of Christo, who makes huge landmarks such as the Reichstag, Berlin (1971-95) into art objects by wrapping them up, thus making the environmental space surrounding it the viewing gallery. Therefore if the art object exists on your computer screen your bedroom becomes the gallery. It won't be long until an 'art gallery' app will be come available, if it hasn't already, making anywhere you are an art gallery.

After checking out the web page, which is linked to LUU, I began to wonder whether it was an art project at all. It could be anything to do with LUU from elections to the promotion of yet another weird and wonderful society or even a marketing tool for a new product. In any case I think it is an intriguing 'project' that raises issues surrounding what constitutes an art gallery. I can't wait to see what is to be revealed on Sunday.

http://www.whattheflock.org.uk/ ... watch this space!

Alex

Art workshop at Gallery experiments with virtual exhibitions in Second Life

Next Saturday, 10 July, the Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery is running an innovative new adult workshop, led by artist Hayley Goodsell. Hayley has been inspired by the Haunch of Venison's much talked about show, 'Shoebox Art,' which invited some of the country's top artists to decorate a room within a shoebox. Hayley is inviting her participants to do the same, creating a bedroom from their past, a dream or one from a photograph. Then, the works will be photographed and re-created in a virtual format online, in Second Life. Thus, anyone in the world will be able to visit the resulting artworks!


Second Life (for those of you as tech-savvy as I was a few weeks ago) is an online 'virtual world' where users - represented by avatar characters - can build their own environments and interact with other avatars. The University has leased some 'virtual land' for researchers to experiment with this phenomenon and many different projects have resulted. The virtual island where the University of Leeds and other sister organisations are based is called 'Education UK'. If you log into the programme online, you'll know you've found the right place if you spot our iconic Parkinson Building in virtual form! You'll also encounter the results of various research projects, including artificially intelligent beasts and a hip disco. (To get a sneak peak at the Education UK island, watch this You Tube video - though this is 3 years old and many new things have been added since!)

The workshop runs from 11-4pm on 10 July (with lunchbreak). Materials fee is £5 or £4 student concessions. To book, please contact Hayley by email: hayley@hayleylouisegoodsell.com