Email with The Roxy

Email with The Roxy

Meeting with Group

Rough Group Roles:

• Video Editing - Gin
• Social Media Advertising - Lilly & Roberta
• Documentation of Opening Night (interviews(?), photography, filming - To be confirmed (possibly all members, photography possibly a friend)
• Zine & Poster - Sayydah
• Presentation of Art - All members
• Scanning art - All members scan their own
• Organising audience made booklet print offs - To be confirmed 
• Lighting - All members 

To Do List: 

• Finish one artwork by the end of the first week of holidays (for poster and social media advertising)
• Finish all artworks by the end of first week back at university
• Write a list of who you want to invite
• Research how to display artworks

Themes in my Artworks

As a group we have briefly talked about linking our artworks to transformation even more by looking into transformation in the actual story to artworks. This would have to be talked about more as a group. If we did go with this idea I'd like to look into the transformation between Harley Quinn's and The Joker's relationship in Suicide Squad. 

• "Professional" relationship (Harley is The Joker's psychiatric doctor)
• Harley falls in love with The Joker
• She helps him escape the mental hospital
• He electric shocks her brain to make her insane
• He asks her if she would prove her love to him by jumping into a pot of acid
• She does and he jumps in after her. They then kiss
• They're in love but are separated (shes in a high security prison)
• While she's on her adventure with the Suicide Squad they plan to reunite
• They do, she thinks he gets killed in a plane crash
• The Temptress makes Harley Quinn believe her dream of marrying and having a family with The Joker can come true -it doesn't
• She discovers he's still alive and are reunited at the end of the movie

Artist Influence / Research

Jim Dine:
I am interested in producing charcoal drawings for the exhibition. I really like working within this media and I would like to explore outside of my neat pencil portraits. I think this more free and messy style will suit my chosen movie and song. My final song choice is I Need a Gangsta from Suicide Squad. This song is played during the introduction to Harley Quinn and the Joker so I feel this messy, insane style will do my project justice. However I will continue to look into other styles of art but I think this will be my final style. 

Emails with The Roxy: Catering Response

Exhibition Texts Class

Exhibition Texts:

• Write for audience
• Stick to hierarchy and word count
• Organize information 
• Engage

Media Release, short statement for print/social media

• Artist statement
• Exhibition statement 
• Posters (A3)
• Flyers
• Postcards
• Gallery sheet (A4) List of works
• Gallery signage
• Labels/numbers

Posters/Flyers:

• Name of Exhibition
• Names of group members
• Location/venue
• Time/duration
• Opening hours
• Opening night
• URL
• Sponsor's logos

Catalog: 

• Group statement/photo
• Artists statement/photo
• Epigraph quote

Exhibition System:

• Consistency
• Colour palate 
• Type
• Grid
• Stand out image
• Spell check

Documentary of Exhibition:

• Consider photography/film maker
• Crowd source photos/film
• Understand use of social media as archive 

Portfolio Reminders: 

• All documentation process -site visits, installation tests, art design references
• Documentation of released exhibitions
• Examples of ephemera produced in conjunction with groups project
• Art and design reference material and contextual support material
• Critical response to at least two peers exhibitions (other groups exhibitions)
• Critical response to two exhibitions in Wellington (choose relative to your craft) 
• Individual reflective document -should engage critical process and outcome of project

Health and Safety:

• Read Stream Health and Safety related files
• Fill out installation form on Stream (lights, display of works etc) 

Visiting the Loki Lounge

Notes: 

• Considered exhibition space (we are leaning toward The Roxy because of its strong link to our exhibition theme)
• We can have both rooms
• Has projector for video
• Can only use their catering
• Licensed venue
• Can move furniture around, add/take away furniture

Emails with The Roxy: Lighting, change of dates, Menus

Considered Movie Songs

• Suicide Squad - I need a Gangsta
• Edward Scissorhands - Introduction OR Death!
• Les Miserables - On My Own
• Love Actually - God Only Knows
• Sweeney Todd - My Friends OR Epiphany
• Burlesque - You Haven't Seen The Last Of Me

Types of Advertising

• Online advertising; Facebook, emailing invitations etc
• Flyers
• Business cards
• Zine (at the venue, has profiles on each group member etc)
• Physical invites
• Posters (at the venue)
• Video teaser (15 seconds, could be posted on Facebook)

Seriously Considered/finalised Advertising: 

• Online advertising (Facebook, email invites)
• Zine 
• Posters 
• Possibly flyers

Notes from Class

Exhibition Advisor; Tanya Marriot:

• Does music work within the space, how could they link?
• What does the music invoke?
• Music from movies > links in nicely with The Roxy Cinema. Music themes, scores etc
• Book making links to venue > cut, link together > editing, cutting videos etc
• Your emotional response to song; fan art, abstract, communicate the story

Meeting at Roxy

• Have the option for the downstairs dining area or upstairs foyer (we want upstairs because the lighting is more ideal)
• $100 per hour
• Have easels if we want to display our work on them
• Can't hang anything on walls or hang from ceilings
• Have really big projector for our video
• Have sound system for our music
• Can set up at around 3.00pm for our exhibition at 6.00pm or 6.30pm
• Has couches and seating areas if we want
• Has a bar in the room if we want. Can have bar staff on (guests will pay for drinks) 

Roxy Cinema Event Hire

I got a email from The Roxy saying they are happy to have our exhibition there. We will be meeting them on Friday to discuss details etc. This isn't our finalized venue.

Photos of The Roxy:

 A bar at one end of the room is a nice touch. Depending on cost we could consider having Roxy bar staff bar tend our exhibition. We will also esquire about their catering. 

Tanya said we would have to watch out for the lighting in the event room. It is quite dim. If we have The Roxy as our final venue we'd need to figure out how we would get around the lighting problem asap. 

It is also a bit of a tricky room to display our work. We were really considering displaying our work hanging from the ceilings in "pods" that people walk around but in this room that isn't an option. This is another hurdle we'd have to get around if we use this space.

Emails with The Roxy: Venue Hire, First Meeting

Contacting Galleries and Spaces I've Contacted

Contacted: 

• Page Blackie Gallery
• Bowen Gallery
• Avid Art Galery
• Roxy Cinema

Unavailable Spaces: 

• Page Blackie Gallery
• Bowen Gallery

Awaiting Replies from: 

• Avid Art Gallery

Approved Spaces: 

• Roxy Cinema - We will be having a meeting with Roxy Cinema on Friday. This is not a finalized option. 

Video Projection Idea

We were thinking as a part of the exhibition to have a video looping on the wall. The video would have a mix of our group members creating their artworks, group members listening to their music, and people creating booklets (this is to get the idea in the audiences head to start creating books. 

I am wondering if this is just another layer to our idea/theme that isn't hugely necessary and could be a little confusing. We would need to discuss this with our tutors and get their feedback. 

If this idea goes ahead, we will film each other creating artworks etc and Sayydah and myself will edit the looping video together. The soundtrack would be a mix of all the group member's songs. 

Visiting galleries 2

Robert Heald Gallery

• Advertising at venue: Business cards, signage outside the shop
• Content: Original artworks, mixed media of painting and thread on canvas 
• How they display work: All work is hung by hooks on the walls
• People's reactions to art: No one was in there when I was there
• My opinion of art: I didn't like the artwork. It wasn't to my taste at all
• Other Info: This gallery approaches people for exhibitions so we cant' show our work here. The owner recommended looking at an empty place that is up for rent.

Avid Art gallery:

• Advertising at venue: Business cards, signage outside shop
• Content: Pots, abstract sculpture, paintings
• How they display work: Display their pots and sculptures on shelves and table blocks, paintings hanging on walls
• People's reactions to art: My partner thought one of the pots was funny because of the crude, naked women on it
• My opinion of art: I can really appreciate the time and skill that goes into making pots and sculptures even if not all of them are to my taste

Paige Blackie Gallery: 

• Advertising: Business cards, signage outside the shop
• Content: Paintings, drawings
• How they display their work: Hanging paintings on walls
• People's reactions to art: No one else was in the gallery a part from me and my partner -he didn't find the work amazing but didn't hate it either
• My opinion of art: I thought it was ok, not amazing either

Solander Gallery: 

• Advertising at venue: Business cards, flyers, signage outside the shop
• Content: Pen drawings, paintings, prints, sculpture, books with artists works inside
• How they display work: Hanging drawings and paintings on walls with hooks, sculptures on table blocks 
• People's reactions to art: My partner didn't like the sculptures and thought they were weird
• My opinion of art: Same opinion as my partner but I really liked the prints

Bowen Art Gallery:

• Advertising at venue: Brochures
• Content: Paintings
• How they display work: Hanging paintings on walls
• People's reactions to art: Found the black, red and white paintings interesting
• My opinion of art: I didn't find the work too bad

Visiting Galleries

Eyeball Kicks:I know this isn't a gallery its a shop but whatever.

• Advertising at venue: Business cards, signage outside the shop
• Content: All work isn't original - selling prints (framed and unframed), stickers, magazines, books, postcards 
• How they display work: All work is framed and hanging by wires (multipile works hanging on verticle wires), books and magazines displayed on a bookself, postcards and prints in a glass display case
• People's reactions to art: No one was in there when I was there
• My opinion of art: There is so much artwork there, I have many different opinions. Some very modern art/abstract art isn't to my taste. I saw some James Jean prints and I love his work. 

Matchbox:
This is a shop with a gallery at the back

• Advertising at venue: Business cards, signage outside the shop, a piece of paper to sign up for emails from the shop
• Content: Multiple mediums and styles of work. Drawing, prints, photography, sculpture, painting, Matchbox set their own themes for their gallery and artists apply with work suited to the theme. 
• How they display work: Hanging framed works on walls, non-framed work pinned or bluetacked to the wall, bulldog clips
• People's reactions to art: No major reactions, very quiet
• My opinion of art: There were many different styles so again different opinions, I liked the majority, I wasn't a fan of the sculpture doll head

Suite: 

• Advertising: Business cards in the middle of the room, and also many cards by the window on the ground, signage outside the shop, a piece of paper to sign up for emails 
• Content: Downstairs: Paintings. Upstairs: Photography
• How they display work: Hanging work by hooks
• People's reactions to art: No one was in there when I was there
• My opinion of art: Not my taste at all
• Other Info: They weren't available for exhibitions downstairs (the main part) but were considering upstairs. I'd have to email them our dates for the exhibiton. But I personally didn't like their upstairs area.

Thistle Hall:

• Advertising: Business cards, signage outside shop, flyers, posters
• Content: Sculpture, taxidermy, photographs of their taxidermy
• How they display work: Hanging photography by hooks, Shelves installed onto the wall and displaying taxidermy, block in the middle of the room displaying taxidermy, 
• People's reactions to art: As I was walking into the gallery a woman was walking out saying I should definitely look around in there
• My opinion of art: I had mixed feelings about these works. I'm not a fan of taxidermy to be honest. I asked the artist if the animals were found or killed and they were found which is okaaaaay... (I'm against hunting, eating animals etc) But the photos of the work were nice. 
• Other Info: The turnover at Thistle Hall is every week. Its booked about 6 months in advance so we have no chance of displaying our work there in time. It costs $160 for a week. 

Gallery Research Plans

Galleries I Plan to Visit this Weekend:

• City Gallery Wellington
• Page Blackie Gallery
• Solander Gallery
• Avid Gallery
• Bartly + Company Art
• Thistle Hall
• Enjoy Public Art Gallery
• Robert Heald Gallery
• Others: A hidden gallery in a shop (I forgot the name but know where it is), Eyeball kicks (I know its not really a gallery but I think its good research)
• Te Papa 

What I'll be Documenting:

• How they advertise -brochures, flyers, posters, website, etc
• Their content
• How they display the work -how it hangs, sits on a table or ground etc
• What they write about the works and how they display that
• If they're selling or just displaying the work
• Watch people and see how they react to certains peices 
• My reactions to art (this should be interesting)

Presentation Rough Draft

Rough presentation draft. When the group meets up on Friday we will fill in the blanks but this is the presentation notes so far. We will discuss and fill in the rest on Friday and draw up the plans. I am happy to put the presentation into powerpoint form also. 

• Group Name:
• Concept, ideas explored, reference points, theme: The overall theme of our exhibition is Transformation through storytelling. 
• Identify team players, their roles, and other people involvedCaitlin Bauer: Art contributor Gin Sparrow: Art contributor Sayydah Penn: Art contributor Roberta Bryce: Art contributor
• How we work together
• Venue (non confirmed, aspirational), how does it relate to theme –doesn’t have to
•  Who is our audience, how do we engage them,We want our exhibition to appeal to all people who enjoy music, storytelling, art and design. We will communicate this idea by each group member choosing a song and responding to it with their chosen media. We will scan and blow up our works then cut them into even pieces of paper. On the opening night of our exhibition we will have our final works on display and these cut up copies mixed up on tables. The audience is then encouraged to mix the pieces of paper up and make a book from them. This is another form of transformation and creates a new story in the process.
•  Are we advertising ourselves Social media, flyers? Posters?
• How do we communicate our project and to whom –advertisement
• Draft budget, show income and expenditure
• Drafts of what might be in the show, drafts of art in the show, draft of how show is set up

     Other Information we could Include:Transformation: Song, art, book

Story Telling: Story of the song by itself, How we interpret the song into our work, a new story created into books (which is very open to interpretation)

Feedback from Tanja and Shannon

• Is there participation from the audience
• Should you choose one song and challenge yourselves to work with it?
• Make music
• What is our story?
• Think about audiences experience
• Musical chairs, the music changes so does the story
• Push beyond four illustrators in a room
• People write their own story

Altered Idea from Feedback:

• Each group member chooses their own song
• They respond however they feel with physical work
• These works are displayed in the exhibition
• We scan and blow up our works and cut them up into even pieces of paper
• People create their own books and stories through these pieces of paper

We are still discussing how we will play our chosen songs in the exhibition (do we loop the four songs- would that be irritating to the audience?, does the audience scan a QR code to play the song to themselves (technical problems?), do we keep our chosen songs private and our stories left to the audience to interperate?