Endless Endless 2010

This is the movie from my Graduation show at Whitecliffe, Endless Endless 2010. It is dedicated to Tom Fraser who invited me to exhibit with him in 1978 at Photoforum Gallery in Wellington and Snaps Gallery in Auckland. The name of our joint show was Endless Endless taken from the Kraftwerk track of the same name. This movie is the track, the soundtrack is a reconfiguration of the track taken from the original vinyl. Also available on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQODNUWitWo

PROJECT #11

PROJECT #11 upstairs@the Public Trust Office building.

40 Childers Rd.

Gisborne

0273568605

068685715

belchers@xnet.co.nz

Gisborne showing of Graduation Show 2010

The basement of "The Winemakers Daughters" was the perfect venue for this work. I had subdued lighting which was effective for the projection of the film Endless Endless 2010 and gave impact to Deck Stack. The paintings responded well to the low lighting especially as the viewer was forced to observe them from oblique angles which was exactly my intention with these pieces. I wanted the grooves in the painting to be emphasised by light which was much harder to control in Auckland.

This show marks the completion of Project #10 and I now look forward to the next project.

33RPM

Rowan Belcher 33 RPM

Since the 1980s, the planet has been dancing to the tune of the universal trend toward digitisation. Images, texts, and sounds are passing from an analogue state to a digital one, which allows them to be read by new generations of machines and subjected to novel types of processing. (Bourriaud, 2009, p. 133)

The axis of this series of works … the production of transportable painted surfaces, is motivated by the performance of paint and sound, echoing the language of painting to incorporate flow or flux.

Paint endures and performs, crossing boundaries to reach incompletion. Now in the digital era, like the LP and the turntable, TV’s are obsolescent forms, digitally remixed techno tracks echo and juxtapose the analogue era.

Bourriaud, N. (2009). The radicant. New York: Lukas and Sternberg.

New Paint

TV Set, Project #10

Bourriauds publication The Radicant is the most fitting discourse for this era. Grappling with the information age and what was once a linear history which humankind followed Bourriaud speculates that this era experiences the fragmentation of everything and "the information bubble" makes a "master narrative" impossible (p. 104).

My TV project, TV Set, is part of Project #10 and it displays a re -mastered retro classic Kraftwerk album both visually and on the soundtrack. Playing a remodelled version of two tracks from an original 70's Kraftwerk album, the TV's sneak up from behind the film and sound piece. It plays over multiple screens and for a moment a film is being experienced by the viewer, but then the three dimensionality of the sets themselves and the awkward discardedness of them produces a sensation reminiscent of the phenomenon of the information bubble that is this era. No longer capable of transmitting adequate digital quality or channel choices. Replaced by the flatscreen and plasma TV's which hit the shops, millions of perfectly good TV's were replaced and have become more junk, flotsam and jetsom of the age. Like the LP they are interesting forms, the glass screens and the weight of them bring the heterotemporal quality of the film and its meaning back to the foreground and ultimately the present the "confused mass" that is this generation.

Bourriaud, N (2009) The Radicant, New York, Lucas and Sternberg.

Playback Operation 2

I have been working on disk 3 of 4. This is the first layer over 6 layers of gesso, cool weather today allowing a good application time if paint dries too fast it becomes tacky and unworkable.

An excerpt from my dissertation came to mind.

This culture of use implies a profound transformation of the status of the work of art: going beyond its traditional role as a receptacle of artist’s vision, it now functions as an active agent, a musical score, an unfolding scenario, a framework that possesses autonomy and materiality to varying degrees, its form able to oscillate from a simple idea to sculpture or canvas (Bourriaud, 2002, p. 20).

I always enjoy and can be unplifted by a day painting such as today, everything went well and I am very pleased with the colour. Time to order paint.

Bourriaud, N. (Ed.). (2009). Altermodern. Tate Triennial. London: Tate Publishing.

Belcher, R. (2009). Painting, Exile and Return (The New Frontiers of Modernity) Unpublished MFA dissertation. Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design, Auckland, New Zealand.

TV Stack and mundane purchasing details

I have started sourcing and purchasing old TV's for the Project, I found two today for $50.00 from a (probably Romanian) guy from TK (Te Karaka), I phoned and he had it in his car. Its a good TV and I will get the other one on Monday when he brings it into town. I have found a way of showing one film across many screens and I am thinking of the block wall in the gallery that is really industrial with a stack of screens showing the film.

I have started the soundtrack which has gone very well so far and is a very haunting piece, I am using a couple of really big speakers that I will put on trolleys for the sound which will run with the film this time.

Project #10 is still Project #10 and I think it will stay that way for the remainder of the program ... as all the work ties in and is continuing to develop. So I have four TV's already and will aim for twelve to tie in with the Deck Stack. Numbers have always been an important factor in this project, I chose twelve decks spontaneously in discussion with Noel in Auckland and it turned out to be so significant with the resulting deck show, so I have maintained the symbolic numerical aspects with all more recent pieces whether it be choosing colour variants or numbers in any way.

I really like the process of sourcing and buying things in this way for the project, interaction with people by phone or mail or text becomes part of the process and the cast off items are cool. When Project #10 started I remeber being interested in the collecting of the decks in the same way. TV's are more local in terms of it not being so practical to ship them around the country but I have found out how much more expensive they are to buy from second hand dealers for obvious reasons.

Watch this space

Projects

Things ticking along always with the big dealine looming and so much more to do. I am starting to work on sound today and have decided that it would be great to make a soundtrack for the film just to take it to the next level. I think its important to combine the sound and vision into one piece. Im looking at a stack of tv's and speakers on trolleys, the film will simultaneously show on the tv's and the sound will be quietly amplified. I would like to paint the trolleys.

The deck stack is having lights ... I have organised for possible strip or led lights to be shining from inside each deck in the stack. An electrician is doing the work for me so should be very interesting to see then illuminated ... two things the different coloured plastic of the lids and the turning records inside should have an impact on the colour of the light.

Painted disks coming along well nearly finished the second one now, the increasing heat in the studio has caused problems with materials think Im going to have to use oils for the last two.

This work has been a success the boards are very pleasing as objects in themselves even before the paint goes on and just get better. The wheels are great ... the piece freely rotates.

The paint has maintained its sheen and intensity even when dry.

Project #10 Disks on wheels

Work has been progressing well, determined to use acrylic for these large works it is always a dissapointment when the quality of the paint changes in the drying process. Oil paint maintains its integrity and detail right through to dry. The plastic nature of acrylic paint is more pronounced, craters and bubbles in the surface are unique to this material. The quality is just different and capturing the paint wet photographically is certainly advantagous. The top image is one I am using in my catalogue. I am attaching wheels to these large works to be displayed on the floor. The height of each work will be determined by the wheel size.

Project # 10 Deck Stack

I stacked the decks as planned I really like them in this format. I am looking for suitable lights to place inside each deck to illuminate them from within. The plan to have the painted surfaces rotating and illuminated in the stack. tempting to get more decks.

Project #10 Final Chapter progressing

Its October and the project has advanced and I am now making the next works for it.

Much has to be resolved in the next few weeks as I head towards the final exhibition of my MFA at Whitecliffe.

I am producing new paintings circular and bigger than before and they are progressing really well. They are all cut and glued and I have spent the last few days applying gesso to the first one which I have finished today. Still working on the potter's wheel very satisfying working on an even larger surface which is still practical on the potter's wheel. I was expecting them to be too big to manage. They are much strurdier surfaces than before, two layers of board glued together before cutting and the base beneath is made of smaller board disks stacked and glued which I am now filling the edges of with putty, to a smooth sandable surface.

Just have to make a tent for storage of them now as the paint will collect flies and other debris whilest drying.

The catalogue for the exhibition in January is progressing as I have started to insert images trying to visualise the end product. I have to wait for Allie to return from the South Island to get the text from her sorted. mean time I am going to use some of my presentation material and have asked Jane Egan (music collaborator) to think about writing from a musical perspective. Possibly a view from Isla Burgess also.

It is so strange not having my old dog at my side bereft at her passing.

Cambridge 1969

This is the second film in the Project #10 series and examines the playback of vinyl at close range. A continuous loop of film, panning across the surface of the John Lennon and Yoko Ono classic 1970 album Unfinished Music #2, Life with the lions. Like the first film it examines un-amplified playback of the record, in this case the track Cambridge 1969.

Artists are free to cross borders of both traditional forms and mediums in their work. (Rowan Belcher, MFA. Oral presentation, September 26, 2009)

Trades and Labour Hall preview 21.6.09

This image is at the preview in the Trades and Labour Hall and shows the decks. I am hoping to get enough Butinol to replace the paper with as it will sit better and will cushion more on the concrete floor in Auckland.

I have been working on another sound piece today with my collegue Jane Egan who is going to participate in the project. She is training me to use the cutting program so I can compile my own stuff. Its very exciting and I am well on the way now. There will be a sound instruction piece which will involve personal sound through headphones.

I hooked up the film again last night and amped up the soundtrack which is much better amplified, it is background studio noise but it really works well with the visuals and together has become strong. 

Feedback

I have had very positive feedback during the week from the people who visited the show last weekend. Interesting that the project has generated so much comment and the participatory nature of the audience coming and contributing thoughts about the project have been most helpful to its development. One or two people havent been able to see past the decks being decks and others have seen holistic connotations and symbolism within the works. More recently I have been writing about the work and can see the potential complex connotations it generates. I am very happy with the connections to the big picture and my process which has gradually progressed.

Project #10 Trades and Labour Hall Gisborne.

The preview of Project #10 went very well and I am very pleased with the feedback I have had from people that came and braved the freezing conditions inside and out. 

I spent the morning on Saturday with a friend cleaning out the spaces not only of unwanted furniture and junk but builders rubble and even water spillage in the hallway, this was a real live demolition site. It was not too bad and the space started to feel good. The afternoon was spent installing and I found the process very interesting as I was having to get a feel of the space as things developed. Usually some prior visits to the site would allow planning of positioning of the different units but I had a tight time frame and had to make fast decisions. Some works were displayed on the floor of the large room and the tv speaker and drawing were in the smaller room. It was the shortest day which brought interesting symbolic reading not only in the work but also aspects of the building and the part natural light played on the objects. I had been interested in the way the natural light hit the painted surfaces as I am wanting to make use of it in Auckland. 

The twelve turntables were spectacular and had a very soothing calmness about them in stark contrast to the noise coming from the other room which I had set up with the intention of it being an agitation, a defiant gesture. I am sure the audience were confronted by it and I think I succeeded in causing a chaotic irritation. The film was again silent in contrast to the recording and I have become interested in the balance between these opposing factors, almost competing.

I can now clearly see the changes i need to make before the seminar and I have really enjoyed having this feedback before hand. I am definately going to make another soundtrack and would like to turn it into an instruction piece. The drawings will most probably be in the form of a live event in the studio in Auckland and I have been working on large paper surfaces to find out what and what not to do with the objective of having a reliable outcome. 

The performance and installation process is coming to fruition now after months and months of processing and it is very satisfying witnessing connections and development of that process. 

I have a great sense of satisfaction that some of the work is complete and also knowing what lies ahead niether of which could have been foreseen without the Trades and Labour Hall show.

Tracks

Today I went to the Trades and labour hall for the first time and looked at the space which is pretty rough. They have been demolishing in the building and so bits of rubble are lining the hall way as you enter and all up the staicase. I have two rooms I can use so will decide when I start shifting things into the space. Tomorrow I have to go and shift junk out and clean the floors as it is very dirty. The floors have old carpet which I hadnt considered and may not want to put the decks on to the floor now. I might use black paper under them if I do. Its a great space though and I see the preperation of it as part of the project which gives it purpose.

Project #10 - Film Still

The project is continuing to develop and the first showing is going to happen on the shortest day of the year. I am meeting with the owner of the building tomorrow to find out what I need to do to gain access over the weekend. I havent seen inside the hall yet and i am really looking forward to getting to know the space. The exterior of the building is covered with scaffold. I have worked progressively on the film and the sound this week. The film has a muted soundtrack which incorporates studio sounds and the sound of the stylus passing over several disks playing simultaneously and it is just possible to hear the tracks playing. 

I have been working on the sound and have decided to play it independenly to the film as a seperate piece. I have obtained a speaker which will have a diskman playing the noise I have made. I have overlapped about 18 tracks so far making an un believable stream of complex sound. Jane loaned me deck number 12 so at the last minute I have made my goal of twelve.

I have continued to paint records which will be displayed on the decks rotating at 33rpm.

The flyer is an A3 print on newsprint and I have made and delivered small invites also printed on newsprint.

I am considering painting on paper during the event live on very large paper surfaces. 

I now look forward to the weekend and the preview working on Saturday arranging the objects in the space and the opening at 10am Sunday. 

Project #10

The project has progressed and I can clearly identify aspects of the process that have combined to become one project. Previously I had had extraneous activities running parallel to my painting practice which supported and at times diverted me into sometimes less intense and refreshing activity. This project has developed into something that has many parallel activities. 

Sourcing and purchasing decks (now at 11) keeping the blog going as a diary of events. 

Filming and photographing the decks to explore possibilities of a film clip that can be shown as part of the installation. Making a soundtrack which will be added to the film and will be the main audio played at the event. The process invloves recording albums into the computer program and cutting pasting and overlapping multiple layers of sound to produce a chaotic cocophony. The film is going to be cut and looped and will be continuous. When the event takes place I will film it to document audience responses.

A document of instruction on newsprint will accompany the decks and will give banal information about how to activate the turntables. I have scanned material for this and have been laboriously eraseing unwanted marks from the scan on Photoshop which has taken hours. I have inserted my own instuctions to existing ones. I have yet to make the invite which I will deliver to limited number of friends who will come to the Trades labour hall where the project is going to be installed in about a week or two. They will be invited to participate and certain instructions will be offered to them similar to those on the document of instructions.

Painted records and board disks will accompany the project and will be displayed in conjunction with the objects.

I am pleased with the way it continues to develop.

Deck 10

I have really perfected the trade me process and tonight purchased deck 10 in good working order from ref 221882792. two decks to go to reach my target of 12. I have been learning about ways of making soundtrack for the film and will be experimenting with sound this weekend. I am starting to see the big picture now and can see how the project will develop as I get new ideas. I will explore possibilities for the film in the next two days.

Deck 9

I bought a deck for $13.50 on trademe last night couldnt believe my luck or that the owner was happy with his sale price and it is a telefunken HS404 which looks cool in the picture. I have had an interesting development in the process as I was listening to the sound of a stylus playing an album without the deck being plugged in to the amp and some noticable sound is evident enough to be quite audible by an audience. I think this might be a less obvious way of exhibiting the decks and I thought about many decks making sound but not plugged in. The program for editing sound is up and running at school now so will be mixing the soundtrack for the film from next Tuesday onwards. Next to get the venue settled and a date fixed.

Deck 8

A friend has offered me a loan of her deck and possibly stereo so I am getting closer to the goal of 12 decks now. I am going to set up the decks I have today and take some film again. My studio is so full I have a potters wheel with a big disk drying on it a paper work on the wall and decks all over my work bench so its certainly taken a turn from being the soothing cleaned out space that I started with last year. Thinking back, cleaning out the studio was the first move and I used it metaphorically for ideas and concepts the space constantly evolving changing and going through cyles. The fact that it has no windows makes it a very introspective space and I have been thinking about making a model of the space and setting up a studio within it. The spinning films I have been making are record the interior of the space full 360 at 33rpm and 45 rpm the outcome a strange motion of passing imagery continuously flashing by. This interesting relationship to the disks and deckshas brought me to some very interesting conclusions.

Project #10

Disk #13, 2009 Oil on board 78cm

Deck 7

Just purchased an ex estate deck off trademe and deck 6 arrived today really pleased with it in good working order. Its great when the decks arrive wrapped up and I really like the process of buying multiples of the same thing. The next step will be to find suitable plugs and amps to get them all going. I am starting to get the feel of at least 12 albums (I have so far had 3 albums playing) of the same artist playing simultaneously also with the decks lit adds a really strong visual imapact the movement of the records and the stylus on them is great. Really pleased this is starting to come together. I am going to  contact Janet now to see when I can organise the hall and can then set a date. It will be a semi public event which will have a limited time frame and I hope to film the interaction of the audience.

Decks 5 and 6

Another deck purchased on trade me this one for $60 looks really good condition wise and will play well. I really like the process of buying and collecting. Trade me is one way but today I had a call from my ad in Eastland trader and was gifted a deck which I picked up today. I have 6 now and will set up things and trial some filming now seeing how 6 decks look. It will be exciting starting to see the project unfold.

Film

I am now able to edit and burn films to disk. All the time the program was sitting on my Mac and I just asumed it wouldnt be suited to the kinds of film I want to make. To my amazement it fits the bill perfectly and I am able to cut things out and even loop film sequences. This has opened a whole heap of possibilities for Project 10 and I am now looking at ways of filming the event. I have a space need more decks.