Instruction based art
Can an idea be a work of art? - Yes. An idea can be a piece of art as every idea is not the same. An idea stems from an individuals state of mind at the time, comprised of emotions, thoughts, experiences etc. Therefore, since an idea has such a specific criteria, every idea is different and therefore, a piece of art.
Is good art always skillful? - Not ALWAYS, everything can be art as long as their is an idea behind it. Take for example expressionistic paintings, many of these paintings are just colours splashed onto blank canvas, the painting Death and Fire by Paul Klee is quite a famous expressionistic painting however, if you look at it it's not a 'skillful painting'.
If you don't make works of art, can you sill be an artist? - Everyone can be an artist, despite not making art. As said before, art is all about the idea before the product. As long as you have an idea for something, or can deduct the idea behind a piece of art, anyone can be an artist.
Why may artists ask other people to make the work for them? - That may be apart of the art, the artist may want someone else to do the work for them in order to perceive how the art may change due to individual interpretations.
What makes an instruction interesting? - The thing that makes an instruction so interesting is the fact that it can lead to so many variations of the same thing. An instruction is a statement, however, it normally doesn't say HOW to carry it out, It underlines WHAT to do. So it is always up for personal interpretation.
Instruction Based Art
A strategy of generating instructions for others to follow in the domain of hired hands. However, this art comes in many forms during this process.
This can stem from individual interpretations of the instruction to the final product to the instruction itself. When the instruction is given, it straight away starts to have an affect on the final product as participants are guided down a certain path, for example. 'Create a pig using paper' will already make people start using origami despite the instruction not saying so.
- Instruction Based Art is not a spontaneous art form, individual interpretation stems for everyone's personal memories and experiences and therefore, the same product wouldn't re-occur.
Here are some questions that i have answered relating to Instruction Based Art:
THE "DO IT" EXHIBITION
The Do It exhibition has been explored at the Manchester Art Gallery since 2007. It is not like other exhibitions, it's an art form where everyone who goes, is a participant. Many different artists give their instructions out and the participants, of course, follow suit. It originated in 1993, birthed from a conversation between Christian Boltanski, Bertrand Lavier and Hans Ulrich in a cafe in Paris. Instructions in the Do It project range from the dangerous and daring to the civil and creative.
A few examples of the instructions given:
- Ai Weiwei offered participants instructions to disable an overhead CCTV camera using a spray paint can, long stick, corkscrew and a wire
- Andrian Piper told participants that they could only enter a room if humming.
- Louise Bourgeois instructs to stop and smile at a stranger when out and about.
To describe the "Do It" project in a few words, it would be: Creative, Individual, Unique and Misunderstood.
A few examples of the instructions given:
- Ai Weiwei offered participants instructions to disable an overhead CCTV camera using a spray paint can, long stick, corkscrew and a wire
- Andrian Piper told participants that they could only enter a room if humming.
- Louise Bourgeois instructs to stop and smile at a stranger when out and about.
To describe the "Do It" project in a few words, it would be: Creative, Individual, Unique and Misunderstood.
- This instruction interests me a lot, as passwords acts as a lock to all hidden secrets. And this specific piece of instruction tells people to make their lock to their secrets a love letter. Passwords remain infinite, they are not deleted naturally, only purposefully, and it's the same as a love letter. It may get lost but it will never disappear, a piece of paper that details ones feelings. So by combining these two infinite objects, It gives a sense of never letting go. With you secrets hidden away by a wall of your own love.
- Similarly, the responses peek my interest too, as there are many varieties. Some followed the instructions as clearly as possible where others just left a name. This could either be because they didn't have / think of a love letter, were just lazy and put down a name or be it so the love letter was only a name and nothing more. However we will never know as only that certain individual knows the meaning behind their words. Personally, I like the love letters a lot more as they have more depth and explicit meaning behind them. On the other hand though, if ones love letter was to be only a name, then that is a concept that i am deeply infatuated with.
- Similarly, the responses peek my interest too, as there are many varieties. Some followed the instructions as clearly as possible where others just left a name. This could either be because they didn't have / think of a love letter, were just lazy and put down a name or be it so the love letter was only a name and nothing more. However we will never know as only that certain individual knows the meaning behind their words. Personally, I like the love letters a lot more as they have more depth and explicit meaning behind them. On the other hand though, if ones love letter was to be only a name, then that is a concept that i am deeply infatuated with.
Originally, I thought the instructions given were short and sweet where everyone would be able to get a gist of what they had to do , however by looking into instruction Based Art a bit more, i've found that the instructions can be in many forms and many sizes, some being extensive paragraphs and some being two sentences. Even after this fact, some people still seem to not understand what they must do. Which could be down to the individual or the artist.
John Baldessari
John Baldessari is an american conceptual artist who's main drive is to keep going until he gets something right. He took the meaning of 'Body Of Work' quite literally and acquired human ashes in which he made cookies out of. John Baldessari's transition between painting and photography / conceptual art was drove by his boredom. One of his first pieces was a collage of pictures with guns surrounding a photograph of 2 people kissing. He played on the idea of creating tension between two images that are not quite the same but not quite different either.
One day he was signing photographs of/for people, in which he ended up getting irritated over. He then decided to cover the faces that were on these photos with price tags he had. This then sparked an idea for John about the premise of a level playing field. Instead of seeing someone with status or class, the photo would portray a faceless commoner, who's facelessness strips the individuality from them. As John Baldessari describes it, ' They were interchangeable, it didn't matter who he or she was.'
CAPTION VS PHOTO TASK
We were given a task to go out around our school to capture photos that relate to a caption we were given to by our partner.
The captions didn't need to be simplistic or complex, we were left to just put our own individual ideas onto a post it note and interpret words and change it into a piece of photography.
I was given the caption 'Man-Made' while giving the caption of 'Learning Wall' to my peer. Almost instantly, i had the idea to capture the technological advances of mankind as my photo, as that is indeed 'Man-Made' and was accessible to me due to school facilities.
Once the photo was taken, we then had to put our photos and captions together and form them in different layouts in order to create some sort of story and/or tension. Here were our results:
The captions didn't need to be simplistic or complex, we were left to just put our own individual ideas onto a post it note and interpret words and change it into a piece of photography.
I was given the caption 'Man-Made' while giving the caption of 'Learning Wall' to my peer. Almost instantly, i had the idea to capture the technological advances of mankind as my photo, as that is indeed 'Man-Made' and was accessible to me due to school facilities.
Once the photo was taken, we then had to put our photos and captions together and form them in different layouts in order to create some sort of story and/or tension. Here were our results:
This task was to get us to understand John Baldessari's way of combining captions and photos to create tension. He would also place two photos that were not too similar nor too different beside each other to further enhance this tension.
Our first layout was focused on the clear cut that we put in the photos. We tried to line up the slits in order to create a diagonal line between the two photos. This line is representative of a timeline, On how we started recording information via pen and paper, but following the line, we are lead towards modern time and how we use technology such as computers to record information. Hence why the "Man-Made" photo is composed above the "Learning Wall" picture.
For our second layout, we wanted the tension to come from the captions. It seems like they are facing off against each other, similar to that of a stare-down or a fight. Also, the fact that the captions are not exactly spaced apart (The space between them isn't consistent throughout) creates some sort of a tense atmosphere.
We wanted to mess around with shapes a bit more due to the cuts we made at the corners of the photos and captions. Therefore, by turning the captions to be against their photo and placing the pictures diagonal from one another, An effect what i call the 'Tetris Effect' took place, where if you were to split the photos from where the captions end vertically, you would get an almost symmetrical shape, with a diagonal line going into a stair like shape on both ends. The reason this creates tension is because we are unsure of the purpose of this shape and it's meaning.
Our last layout we wanted to make confusing, and the first idea that popped into our heads when thinking about how to confuse someone with images was to completely flip the photos upside down but keeping the captions upright. However, the ratio between what's upside down and what's not is equal, and therefore, it may be the case that the photos are placed upright and the captions are upside down, and this is what creates the tension for this layout.
For our second layout, we wanted the tension to come from the captions. It seems like they are facing off against each other, similar to that of a stare-down or a fight. Also, the fact that the captions are not exactly spaced apart (The space between them isn't consistent throughout) creates some sort of a tense atmosphere.
We wanted to mess around with shapes a bit more due to the cuts we made at the corners of the photos and captions. Therefore, by turning the captions to be against their photo and placing the pictures diagonal from one another, An effect what i call the 'Tetris Effect' took place, where if you were to split the photos from where the captions end vertically, you would get an almost symmetrical shape, with a diagonal line going into a stair like shape on both ends. The reason this creates tension is because we are unsure of the purpose of this shape and it's meaning.
Our last layout we wanted to make confusing, and the first idea that popped into our heads when thinking about how to confuse someone with images was to completely flip the photos upside down but keeping the captions upright. However, the ratio between what's upside down and what's not is equal, and therefore, it may be the case that the photos are placed upright and the captions are upside down, and this is what creates the tension for this layout.
JOHN BALDESSARI ASSIGNMENT TASK
We were given the task of completing John Baldessari's Assignment #10, which he gets his students to do. The assignment says "Photograph backs of things, underneaths of things, extreme foreshortening, uncharacteristic views. Or trace them." And this is the result. In my opinion i feel like i have produced a good amount of good photos following these instructions. A few were ideas that i feel that no one else had, such as the basketball hoop towards the sky and using water droplets as reflections for some uncharacteristic views. I found the project quite challenging, as the definition of 'behind things' is very subjective and specific. The angles we had to use and get into aren't my normal forte and so i didn't know how to go about completing the task. However, challenging my creativity was something i did enjoy doing and would do again. Another trouble i ran into was the fact that i would run out of ideas, fortunately, by walking around and finding new spaces, i would be able to quickly get back on my feet and find a way to create an interesting photo. Following this instruction allowed me to both have a guideline as to what to do while leaving room for personal interpretation and creativity and therefore i still feel like interesting photography can stem from an instruction.
2ND PHOTOSHOOT
An Iris Behind A Black Mirror, Daniel Campbell (2019)
This was taken due to the task previously.
I consider this photo my favourite photo from the task before as i feel like i really captured the instruction well while also creating a good quality piece of photography. This photo is both an uncharacteristic view and a picture from behind, making the photo have multiple meanings. It's interesting how in the reflection you can see an eye and not much else, and due to the models real eye being hidden, it seems like the camera is actually looking back at you.
This was taken due to the task previously.
I consider this photo my favourite photo from the task before as i feel like i really captured the instruction well while also creating a good quality piece of photography. This photo is both an uncharacteristic view and a picture from behind, making the photo have multiple meanings. It's interesting how in the reflection you can see an eye and not much else, and due to the models real eye being hidden, it seems like the camera is actually looking back at you.
Hello From Below, Daniel Campbell (2019)
I originally took this photo as a risk, as i didn't know how it would turn out.
The reason i have chosen to pick this photo as one of my favourites is because of it's unnatural nature. A portrait photo would never be taken from this angle, my head is cut out by the hole so it obscures any other part of me. The camera angle this was taken from was also difficult to take as i was unable to see the back of the camera and therefore, had no idea on how it would turn out. Furthermore, due to my head being upside down too, the unnatural nature of this photo is further enhanced.
I originally took this photo as a risk, as i didn't know how it would turn out.
The reason i have chosen to pick this photo as one of my favourites is because of it's unnatural nature. A portrait photo would never be taken from this angle, my head is cut out by the hole so it obscures any other part of me. The camera angle this was taken from was also difficult to take as i was unable to see the back of the camera and therefore, had no idea on how it would turn out. Furthermore, due to my head being upside down too, the unnatural nature of this photo is further enhanced.
A Sky bound Reflection, Daniel Campbell (2019)
I wanted to play around with the use of reflections and water so combining the two seemed right.
What is interesting about this photo is the fact that there is both the reflection and real person in frame, however you must use the reflection in order to visualise what the rest of the person looks like. In addition, the building in the background has been manipulated by the reflection, making it seem smaller than it actually is and therefore, this photo has truly adopted an uncharacteristic view.
I wanted to play around with the use of reflections and water so combining the two seemed right.
What is interesting about this photo is the fact that there is both the reflection and real person in frame, however you must use the reflection in order to visualise what the rest of the person looks like. In addition, the building in the background has been manipulated by the reflection, making it seem smaller than it actually is and therefore, this photo has truly adopted an uncharacteristic view.
A Pinhole To A Friendly Face, Daniel Campbell (2019)
When exploring around the school i came across a cone which sparked ideas in my head of how i could use it.
A played around with pinhole photography, making the subject on the other side of the cone seem smaller than they really are. This uncharacteristic view is also exaggerated by the bold colour of red in the photo, due it's overwhelming presence in the photo. Red is a harsh colour on the eyes and something you wouldn't see in typical photos.
When exploring around the school i came across a cone which sparked ideas in my head of how i could use it.
A played around with pinhole photography, making the subject on the other side of the cone seem smaller than they really are. This uncharacteristic view is also exaggerated by the bold colour of red in the photo, due it's overwhelming presence in the photo. Red is a harsh colour on the eyes and something you wouldn't see in typical photos.
Peeking Through The Boards, Daniel Campbell (2019)
I placed my camera within a stack of wooden planks as i saw an opportunity to use the gaps between the planks.
This photo was a successful one that matches the term of an 'Uncharacteristic View' as the angle of my head and placement of the camera are both unnatural. This was a risky photo as i was unable to see how it would turn out, however i overcome this by attempting the same photo multiple times, using the timer function.
I placed my camera within a stack of wooden planks as i saw an opportunity to use the gaps between the planks.
This photo was a successful one that matches the term of an 'Uncharacteristic View' as the angle of my head and placement of the camera are both unnatural. This was a risky photo as i was unable to see how it would turn out, however i overcome this by attempting the same photo multiple times, using the timer function.
Scaffolding Upholding A Cloudy Sky, Daniel Campbell (2019)
Taking a picture facing upwards against a pole with someone looking down created for me, a creepy, dull feel.
This photo combines both extreme foreshortening and uncharacteristic views and therefore, i think that it matches the criteria well. What was most risky about this photo was the fact of deciding what to put into focus, the pole or the person as a different tory would be told depending on the focus. I decided with this final result as having person in blur adds to the grey, mysterious and creepy atmosphere.
Taking a picture facing upwards against a pole with someone looking down created for me, a creepy, dull feel.
This photo combines both extreme foreshortening and uncharacteristic views and therefore, i think that it matches the criteria well. What was most risky about this photo was the fact of deciding what to put into focus, the pole or the person as a different tory would be told depending on the focus. I decided with this final result as having person in blur adds to the grey, mysterious and creepy atmosphere.
CAPTION TASK
This task was assigned to us as an individual, after reading multiple John Baldessari assignments, we created our own instruction, put it in an envelope and received someone else's. The instruction I got is the one you see above. I was originally stumped on what to do however, when walking around the school, I found some objects that I could work with. My interpretation of the instruction was that I had to play around with an object, and change its orientation, location or purpose in order to complete this task. My picture of the upside down cone is the one I see as the most linked to a piece of art John Baldessari would create as it is very abstract yet simple. I think the photos came out great and matched the instruction well, Jelly is meant to be ate so when I found some on the floor I made the direct link to it's unconventional nature that it is in. The cone photo is quite an obvious one, as cones are meant to act as a safety sign, yet the way I positioned it by changing it's orientation to upside down, is not very safe. Lastly, I threw some sellotape in the air to represent a basketball being thrown into the hoop, however of course, sellotape is not used for that purpose and will never be found like that in everyday life. Without the instruction, the idea to do these things would not have appeared, so although I cannot say that I wouldn't have taken these photos ordinarily, I wouldn't have made the immediate connection to John Baldessari and therefore, may have missed the opportunity to capture these images.