Archive

Art Talk: Susan E Poole '20th Century sculpture and the Found Object' Our December Art talk was held by the artist Susan E Poole. Susan considered ways in which 'Found' objects have been used in contemporary sculpture in Europe (including Britain) and America. The term 'found' was adopted to describe man-made (as distinct from 'natural') objects that have been incorporated into sculptural works, sometimes forming them entirely. The talk consisted of discussion,slides and handling example 'found' objects. During the evening, particular consideration was given to the identity of 'found' objects and the ambivalence created between their original function and their subsequent 'art'. The talk began with discussing the 'found' object art works of Marcel Duchamp, especially his Bicycle Wheel (1913/14) and his famous Fountain (1917). These were then compared to other functional bathroom furniture of the 20th Century. The Talk ended with discussion on sculptors who are producing work based on the 'found' object now, such as Bill Woodrow and David Mach. Examples of post-graduate work by Susan Poole, inspired by consideration of the 'found' object, were also available for handling and discussion. These focused on two strands of her interest; to alter the identity of familiar objects by negating the potential for them to function as they 'ought'; to consider our relationship with the world around us through the objects with which we have repeated contact, and what can be 'read' about us individually and collectively through these. These later pieces lead to her current interest in archaeology, in which she is presently undergoing post-graduate studies at University College, London.

'What is Modern Art?'' Art Talk Series The aim of the 'What is Modern Art?' events was to provide a series of talks covering the important art movements and ideas which contributed to the development of art in the 20th and 21st Centuries. This included movements such as Cubism, Modernism, Surrealism, Dadaism and Abstraction. 'What is Modern Art?' Talk: 'Cubism' The first talk was held in December 2003, by the lecturers Angela Wright and Patrick Sweeney. This examined Cubism, the most seminal movement for the arts of the twentieth century. This event took place at Tate Stores and included opportunities to handle examples of Cubist sculpture. This talk was designed to be a pilot event, exploring means of presentation of how important ideas such as cubism could be made accessible. Throughout the talk, resources such as tactile diagrams and access to artworks using touch, contributed to making Cubism accessible. This event has been devised in collaboration with Tate Modern and Tate Britain