Vasiliki- Steve Interview (notes)

Vasiliki interview - Steve's Edit 13-02-14

Steve: In [title] two fleeces, each measuring 2.5 meters have geometrical shapes drawn on them. The drawings depict an impossible image, they are optical illusions in which the foreground and the background of the object shift place. The fleeces on which these objects are drawn are folded and placed on furniture on top of a colour field that stretches up the wall and on to the gallery floor.

V: Yes, the viewer is invited to unfold the fabric and occupy the space. Both of these objects are a cross between sculpture and drawing. They keep their material essence as objects and the gesture of drawing is also apparent. The piece invites the viewer to reflect on these concepts of use and materiality and experience the transformation. I would also like the work to solicit a conversation amongst the people who visit the piece.

S: The second piece in the show [title] is a wall piece comprising six objects. This explores similar territory. In the same way that you deal with impossible drawings in [title of first piece] in [title of second piece] there is something unresolved about their scale.

V: They are medium, human scaled objects; something someone can carry or move in the space but not so small as to carry in your pocket and not so big as to be unmanageable. These objects are spheres made of different materials. As with the first piece, they depict geometric shapes but the geometry is not perfect because the structure of the natural materials they are made of (porcelain, mushrooms &c) interrupts their geometric perfection. They move from a geometric structure to an organic structure and back again. These pieces, although conceived separately, relate to each other because they both play with our sense of everyday experience. They provide an invitation to play and engage with the space and with the objects. A story accompanies these objects, this is presented as a text on the wall below an arrangement of the objects. The text speaks of an experience, and memory, of an incident that took place in a Dutch market where I saw six objects in a box. These objects triggered memories of a Dutch painting, the kind of painting in which mundane objects are commonly placed. When I started to look for the particular painting I realized it didn’t exist, I had constructed the painting in my memory. The piece arose from a strange collage of different memories. It’s like a dream where you add up all the different memories to make a coherent form after you wake up. It was during my first days in Holland after moving from my native Greece. I had heightened awareness of the Dutch light. I understood why people painted the way they did during the time of the Dutch Golden Age.

S:How do these two pieces work together and how do they relate to the work you did previously?

V: In earlier work I tried to use very ordinary materials and transform them into three-dimensional objects. These shapes could easily be read as part of an artistic language and tradition – cubes, shears and rectangles. Again, I tried to play with these classic forms and play them against the materials they were composed of, which do not readily comply with these clean, mathematical forms.

S: A geometrical order…

V: These forms have a sense of totality which is a classical conception.

S: For your countryman, Aristotle, something is beautiful because we can comprehend its totality...

V: Yes… but in a way I am more of a Plato, girl. Totality can be found in the parts and you don't need to have the total thing to be beautiful. But, getting back to the issue of what my works have had in common, in the past I have used material that was commonly used in different parts of the world and they would [enclose] different senses; sight, smell. The platonic purity of these forms is interrupted by materials that have an asymmetrical structure. For instance, I made an imperfect sphere out of caramel. Part of which was cut out, [and which flowed], somehow]. Flavour and taste was included [in a way, just because of the description not nessecerily form its materiality.] Again it was out of proportion, it was not as small as a crystal ball and not as big as a ball, you don’t often see spheres like this, empty inside like blown glass. I hope to experiment with how the viewer can become a participant, and engage in different ways. In the past I have worked with children, and I realize that not everyone has the same ability. So I would like to create a work that could be accessible in different ways. For me a place like the nCCA creates a common space, it shouldn't matter if you can't hear, or speak, see or even if we don’t share a common language. I would like the work to be accessible for different people with different abilities, interests and national origins. [In my own experience, when I travel I sometimes get lonely, so I go to a gallery, and connect with the place, and sometimes I meet old friends.]

S: You talk about these objects as a medium for communication, so what kind of discussion do you imagine the work will encourage?

V: Different people understand things differently. For instance, I made a performance piece in which I blew over a thousand eggs. A musician came and he thought that the sound was the most important and fascinating element. The egg was a vessel that transformed my breath into a column of air – an unfamiliar sound. A friend who is a pastor understood it in biblical terms– remembering how God breathed life into man. Another person thought it was rally disgusting because eggs carry decease, another saw a sexual connotation… I found it interesting that there were so many different readings. I grow up in a house with chickens so my grandmother would give us kids raw eggs. For me was the cleanest way to eat.

S: What would you like the people to take away from this exhibition?

V: It’s like a strange intellectual game, but in a kindergarten environment. You play with objects but there is also a limit to how you might engage with them. Play, for me, is a way of learning, it allows one to engage in many different ways with your body, your imagination , your voice, your character, your mind and your creativity. [By setting your relationship with your fellow player allows you to develop, or change as a person.] Hopefully it will allow people to reflect on what is precious, about these objects, as well as the utility of the objects and even clear aesthetic issues. [for example how the six balls are six dots in a A4 paper with scratched lines under]. Hopefully they will be able to get these things in a direct and playful way.

first version

Steve: In [title] Two fleeces, each measuring 2.5 meters have geometrical shapes drawn on them. The drawings depict the impossible, they optical illusions in which the foreground and the background of the object shifts place. The fleeces on which these objects are drawn are folded and placed on furniture on top of a colour field that stretches up the wall and on to the gallery floor.

V: Yes, the viewer is invited into this space to unfold the fabric and occupy the space.

Both of these objects are a cross between sculpture and drawing. They keep their material essence as objects and the gesture of drawing is also apparent. The piece invites the viewer to reflect on the concepts of use and materiality and transformation. I would also like the work to solicit a conversation amongst the people who visit the piece.

S: the second piece in the show [title] is a wall piece comprising six objects. This explores similar territory. In the same way that you deal with impossible drawings in [title of first piece] in this second piece there is something unresolved about their scale.

V: They are medium, human scaled objects; something someone can carry or move in the space but not so small as to carry in your pocket and not so big … so you could pick it up and have a sense of natural scale if you touch them. They are balls made of different materials. Like the first piece they depict geometric shapes but the geometry is not perfect and the natural materials (porcelain, mushrooms &c) also interrupts their geometric perfection. They move from geometric to organic and back again. These pieces, although conceived separately, relate to each other because they both using senses of everyday experiences, but transformed, and there is an invitation to play and engage with the space and the objects. A story accompanies these objects this is presented as text on the wall below an arrangement of the objects. The text speaks of an experience, and memory, of an incident which took place in a Dutch market where I saw six objects in a box. These objects triggered memories of a Dutch painting, in which mundane objects are commonly placed. When I started top look for the particular painting I realized it didn’t exist, I had constructed the painting in my memory…

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a strange colaz of diffent memories. like a dearm you add aup all this different memories and then you wake up.

But this is how memorie works though is not like a movie we don't have flashbacks.

it was during my first days here i still get this feeling with the duchy light , is so evident we people painted the way they did at that time.

it breaks so many thoughts on what is contemporary, who is it for?how is it?

so the specific paintings van iekcl, el greco, rebrant

how do do you think those tow pieces relate together?and to the work you down previously?

an obvious connection do you see.

in the previous work tried to use very ordinary materials and transform them into shape three dimensional object, objects in space. shapes that could be easily read as part of the artistic language, cubes, sfaire, rectangle.

I TYED TO PALY WITH THIS CLASSIC CONSEPTS THAT WOULDallaow me to play with their materiality.

S: in a way this clasic concept of order. classical forms, of a geometrical order.\

aaa..maybe a sense of totality maybe in more classical way.

something is beautiful because we know its totality:aristotelis

yea… but i a way i am mor a Plotinos, girl.

totality could be found in the parts and you don't need to have the total think to be beautiful

S: more aspcects

v;IT UUSED TO BE objects that they were found or commonly used in different areas of the world and they would enclosed different kind of senses. watching , touching , smelling.

the purity of this forms , platonic form, were possible interrupted by things that would propab;y be organic.. a mushroom isn't nessecrilly simetrical

V:

it was a sfaire out of caramel, it was a sfaire but it was not perfect. it was obvious the part that was cut out, it was like a flow, somehow, flavor was included in a way, just because of the description not nessecerily form its materiality.

but also it was out of proportion it was not as small as a crystal ball and not as big as a ball, you rear ally see sfaires in that shape, it was empty inside like a blowed glass ball maybe.////empty like a glass thing.

i guess this forms were interrupted by the materiality of the objects…

S…yoou mean the actual materials the object was made from.

????

so is a short of a game of registestring thing, a play between perfect geometry and then allowing the materiality of the object to transform it or another materiality, is that …

in a way

yes.. i am hopping to experiment on how the viewer take the place of a participant, or engage with different ways. because viewing is a way of engaging,

and could be just enouhfg

S:you also talked about smell?

V.yes about hearing, smelling, …well when the work was taking place I was thinking of lots of different things…. i also work with children, and not everyone of them has the same ability. so So I would like to create a work that could be accessible in different ways. for me an art situation it creates a common space ,it shouldn't matter if you can hear, or speak, see or even if you speak the same language. how people with different abitlitys could interact or with different national baground.

I would like this situation/obgect to be accessible from different people with different abilities sand interests and national background.

In my experience when ever I travel and get a bit lonely i go to a gallery, there I can connect more with the place i am and sometimes it feel like i meet old friends. because is something that i knew and also enable me to connetct with the couture of the place.

S: so you spear about this objects like if they are some form of medium of communication, so what discussion do you imagine that might go on? maybe also form experience?

V: from my expeirence , it bring out a lot of the thing that i would think through out the process of making, that would probably included in a way, not directly maybe.

different people understand different things and how they receive it .For instance i made a performance work that I was emptying eggs, I blow them. I made oleos a thousand eggs and then i chose one . i remember a musician that came and he thought that the sound was the most important and fascinating element, he suggested to isolate the sound. the egg was like a vessel that transformed my breath into air..an unfamiliar sound. or a friend that is a pastor could read the passage from the bible, and how God exhaled the greatest to man, and other thought it was rally descanting ND THE EG is a carrier of so many deceases, and other had a very sexual input to it.

S. yes also like the animals give birth.

V`evnthoug i don't consider it very successful as work.

S: yes it could be a good example of how different connotation could be brought to the work

V: i yes what i found interesting were more all this different readings. Even thought for me it was the most clean object. I grow up in a house that we used to have chickens so my grandmother would give the fresh egg to eat row. for me was the most clean way to eat.

S: what would you like the people to take away form this exhibition. how would you like them come out feeling.?how would you like to remember it?

V: maybe like strange intellectual game but in a kindergarten inviroment. a way that you play with objects but you also have this limits of engaging with them, mainly from their materiality. and playing ifor me is away of learning , it allows you to engage with many different ways with your body, your imagination , voice, changes characters, your mind creativity, by setting your relationship with your player allows you to develop, or change as a person social being.

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V: hopefully it will bring thoughts about concepts on what is precious, about he objects how it could be used, and even clear aisthaitical issues, for exhale hoe the six balls are six dots in a A4 paper with scratched lines under. hopfu;ly they would be able to get thos direct movement but maybe in a more playful way and maybe allows them to connect with a more playful way… maybe that allows them to connect with a different ways