New Work In Progress

Following on from my recent sculpture, Planetoid 210, I've decided to continue with the spherical theme and have started a new piece that will hopefully end up looking (if all goes well) like the love child of two of my other sculptures, The City and Cardboard Brain. Like Cardboard Brain, the new piece is going to be constructed primarily of interwoven periscopes and as with The City, I plan to use windows of magnified glass that will allow the viewer to peer into miniature environments, slotted in between the voids amongst the periscopes.
I say all this now but until the work starts to properly take shape its hard to tell how much space there will be for the miniature environments or if the overall shape will even be remotely spherical. These sculptures sometimes have a will of their own and refuse to conform – or is that just me anthropomorphising again?

 As you can see from this work in progress, it's early days yet. I've still not constructed enough periscopes to make the framework for even half of the sphere. I have a feeling that it's going to get trickier and trickier trying trying to fit all the internal sections together as the piece starts to take form but luckily I love that sort of thing.

This was the sketch that I made when I came up with the initial idea for the work. Admittedly it's not the most considered drawing in the world but I do have a habit of quickly forgetting ideas for artworks unless I jot something down on paper as soon as I think of it. So a lot of my drawings are little more than a few quick squiggles, but enough to act as a mental prompt.

Orifice Tower

Admittedly my latest sculpture isn't completely finished (there is just one small finishing touch to add but I'm waiting on the arrival of some resin hardener before I can do that) and this isn't the greatest quality photo in the world but I thought that I'd let you see how it's coming along – especially since I first started work on it quite some time ago. To be perfectly honest I enjoyed constructing this piece so much that I was more than happy to squander days just working on the tinniest of details - most of which no-one but myself will probably even notice. I think sculpting, and probably art in general, is as much about the process as it is the end result.

Although it might look like it's just been thrown together all the individual box sections and framework have been carefully constructed in such a way that the pieces interlock, creating a deceptively sturdy structure – not that I'm encouraging anyone to try and climb it. After the recent destruction of my City sculpture on it's way back from last year's show, The Event 2011, I don't fancy having to undertake more repair work than I already have to.

Discounting the glue, all the materials used in the construction of this piece (mostly wood but some copper piping and small metal fixings) are recycled – even down to the screws. This isn't purely for environmental reasons. It's mainly because I love the patina and 'resonance' of old materials. A lot of the wood comes from the backs of old picture frames or early to mid-20th Century packing cases from the Victoria and Albert Museum, here in London.

With this quick sketch you can see, in the drawing on the left, my initial idea for the Orifice Tower. I drew it whilst waiting for a talk to commence at the Jerwood Space in Bankside. I can't remember now what the talk was about but I remember that at the time I was working on some small sculptures that were basically wooden boxes with carved apertures or orifices in them. By this stage I'd become aware of the fact that much of my work was getting smaller and smaller so I decided to remedy this by creating elevated versions of my new Orifice Box sculptures – which also tied in with my love of tower structures.

In the (almost) finished piece you can see that the top section is basically another of my orifice boxes, with the front panel having been carved from a solid block of wood. One of the problems of exhibiting awkward sized sculptures (this piece is 2 metres tall) is getting them to and from venues so I designed this one so that it bolts together in four sections – making it easier to transport/package and making the bolts a feature of the work.

Stone Totem Tower

In an increasingly materialistic world I'm not sure whether my love of found objects and appreciation of the beauty of rubbish (I'm actually mentioned in an on-line dictionary under detritus – nice!) is a good or bad thing. On the one hand most of the materials that I work with don't cost me anything but on the other I'm a compulsive hoarded so tend to fill my live and work spaces to capacity.

Most hoarders justify their activities with phrases like 'but I'll definitely use it' or 'as soon as I throw it away you just know that I'll need it the next day'. And it's true – I do use a lot of the stuff I collect but some individual items have been known to sit around for decades before they graduate to the 'status' of art material. One such item is a pebble which I've just used in a mini sculpture and belated birthday present for fellow artist Remi Rough.

I like the idea of taking everyday bits of rubbish or found objects, removing them from their original environments and displaying them in a way that elevates them (in this piece, literally) to something akin to that of an artefact. This is more evident in my earlier sculpture, The City, which with its multiple glass fronted boxes looks more like a mobile Cabinets of Curiosity.

But getting back to the pebble - I was trying to remember where I originally picked it up and how long I've had it for. Although all I could recall was that it's been sitting on my book shelf for as long as I can remember and has travelled with me as I moved home for at least the last twelve moves. Then I came across this, one of my earliest prints made some time in the early 90's and realised that it was the same pebble.

The Event at Curzon Street Station, Birmingham

The launch night of The Event 2011 went off fantastically and I would definitely recommend that anyone who finds themselves in Birmingham between now and the 30th of this month should pop along to see it. And I’m not just saying that because I have a piece in the show. Even if you are not that interested in art (of which there are some great examples in the exhibition – I particularly liked the MDF sculptures) it is definitely worth going just to check out the time capsule that is the old Curzon Street Station – an old railway station building that is very rarely opened up to the public.

Up until I got off the train at Moor Street and headed for the show I didn’t know anything about the venue but once I saw it I was mightily impressed. Curzon Street Station is a haunting looking cube of a building standing alone in a waste land (the surrounding land presumably having been cleared to make way for new developments). If you do manage to make it to the show then check out the mummified cat set into the wall of the main entrance. Apparently if was discovered by builders whilst they were doing some renovation work and is thought to have been deliberately bricked up in the walls when the building was first built. Some sort of superstitious/good luck thing I believe.

Here’s picture of me tinkering with my sculpture, The City (photo courtesy of Rosie Mayell).

TROVE: THE EVENT 2011
21 – 30 October 2011
Launch Night – Fri 21st (5-9pm)
Curzon Street Station,
corner of Curzon Street and New Canal Street
(opposite Millenium Point),
Birmingham B4 7XG
UK
(Nearest train station: Moor Street Station)

The Event 2011

I’m delighted to say that I’ve been invited to exhibit work at TROVE's (a heritage site located in the Engine Room of Birmingham’s old Science and Industry Museum) new show as part of this month’s The Event 2011 (the third bi-annual visual art festival hosted by Birmingham Contemporary Art Forum) which runs from 21 – 30 October. The show brings together a combination of Heat Robinson-esque machines and 2D dreams of machines and is curated by Charlie Levine of TROVE in conjunction with Minnie Weisz Studio of King’s Cross, London. The exhibition will cross sound, film and object/sculpture and be based around the narrative of ‘Creative Machines’ and minimalist sculpture – a look into pure machines meets pure minimalism.

  
My contribution to the show will be my mobile cabinets of curiosity sculpture, The City.

TROVE: THE EVENT 2011
21 – 30 October 2011
Curzon Street Station, Curzon Street, Birmingham

Artists include: Alex Chinneck, Wayne Chisnall, Stephen Cornford, Jamie Jackson, Markus Kayser, Rob Mullender, Alex Pearl, Ben Rowe, Martin Sexton, Laura Skinner, Luke Williams and Adam Zoltowski

City Stills

I recently re-discovered some black and white photos that I took of my City sculpture, not long after I had first completed it. My initial idea for the City was for it to be a set for a small 8mm animated film (but it somehow turned itself inside out and became a tower sculpture instead) so these photos were a sort of tribute to the unborn film – ‘stills from a film that doesn’t exist’, if you like.
Having grown up on a diet of strange little dark animations and movies, I think that my sculptural influences probably owe more to cinematography than they do to offer fields of art. As I’m sure many of you can tell, I was always a big fan of people like the Brothers Quay and of Czech animators such as Jan Švankmajer - and the weird dreamlike worlds that they conjured up probably had a lot to do with the way my delicate little mind developed during those formative years.

My Botanical Ramble

Botanists of The Asphalt from Lukasz Cholewiak on Vimeo.

Apologies in advance for my drunken ramblings ('never drink too much at your own private view' - a rule I always seem to forget) but I've just come across Lukasz Cholewiak's beautifully shot video of last November's Botanists of The Asphalt exhibition. The show was curated by Stephanie Pochet at CAMP in Shoreditch, London and featured work by David Macdiarmid, David London, Ruth Pickard, Aisling Roycroft, Kerim Aytac and myself.

Steam-Powered Fun

For anyone interested in seeing some of the acts, inventions and fantastic costumes from the recent steampunk event that I took part in at London’s Scala club, here is a four minute clip that appeared on the BBC News. My City sculpture even makes a brief appearance but don’t blink, or you’ll miss it.
And to find out more about White Mischief and the whole steampunk phenomenon check out Boing Boing or one of the many other blogs and websites that focus on this idea of a Victorian age where technology was even more advanced than it is today.

White Mischief - Tonight

I'm so excited about tonight's Great Exhibition event at Scala. The line-up looks amazing and it's just going to be the perfect excuse to get dressed up and have some fun. I'll be exhibiting my City sculpture and four of the carnival/sea side style cut-outs that myself and the photographer, Phil Sofer, previously made for one of the Victoria and Albert Museum's Friday Late Views. I'm also looking forward to finally meeting up with some of the people behind the event. Even though we've only conversed over the phone so far, I can tell that these people so love what they do.

WHITE MISCHIEF “The Great Exhibition” TOUGH LOVE PROUDLY PRESENT
A Birthday Extravaganza Celebrating Three Years of Neo-Victorian Entertaiments
WHITE MISCHIEF: “The Great Exhibition”
Saturday 27th March, Two Thousand and Ten, from 9pm until 4am, Scala, King’s Cross, London.
TICKETS: £25 on the door.

Up To Mischief

I thought that I’d give you an early mention of next month’s White Mischief event that I will be taking part in, as I’m assured that tickets for their parties often sell out early. Basically, I’m exhibiting my ‘City’ sculpture (which seems to be so popular at the moment that it’s been spending more time on show in one place or another than it has in my studio) and the carnival style cut-outs that myself and the photographer, Phil Sofer, made for one of last year’s Friday Late Views at the V&A Museum, London. Below is the info for the event that I lifted from the White Mischief site -

Saturday 27 March: WHITE MISCHIEF “The Great Exhibition” TOUGH LOVE PROUDLY PRESENT
A Birthday Extravaganza Celebrating Three Years of Neo-Victorian Entertaiments
WHITE MISCHIEF: “The Great Exhibition”
Saturday 27th March, Two Thousand and Ten, from 9pm until 4am, Scala, King’s Cross, London—————————————————————-
TICKETS
£20 in advance, £25 on the door subject to availability
https://uk.brownpapertickets.com/event/99305
Or telephone (01224) 443377
We strongly recommend booking in advance as the majority of our full-scale shows sell out some time in advance.
Tickets also available from Scala Box Office King’s Cross, Bordello Great Eastern Street Shoreditch, and TicketWeb.co.uk 0870 0600 100 (24 hrs)——————————————————————————————
EXHIBITS FROM ACROSS THE EMPIRE!
Noted scientist VOLTINI conducting 27,000 VOLTS OF VISIBLE LIGHTNING with his TESLA COIL
MR. BRUCE AIRHEAD climbing inside his SIX FOOT BALLOON
Making Sparks Fly, Miss KEDA BREEZE with her ANGLE GRINDING CONTRAPTION
Steampunk Burlesque from BEAU BURLINGTON and MEG LA MANIA
Art installation from WAYNE CHISNALL
Walkabout from HODMAN AND SALLY, visitors from OBLIVIA
——————————————————————————————
Master of Ceremonies: Pith-Helmeted Colonel and “Cup of Brown Joy” rapper MC ELEMENTAL——————————————————————————————
LIVE MUSICAL ARTISTES IN THE PALACE OF GLASS!
Your hosts, Tribal Pop band TOUGH LOVE
Finest Hornicator Operator, THOMAS TRUAX
With their Steam-Powered Piano, TANKUS THE HENGE
Chap-hop pioneer MR B THE GENTLEMAN RHYMER
——————————————————————————————
SERENADE WITH ANTIQUE BEAT INTO THE SMALL HOURS
Classical, vintage jazz, swing, showtunes, Balkan Beat and more from our team of DJs
——————————————————————————————
PLUS MANY MORE ACTS, MULTIPLE THEMED ROOMS, STEAMPUNK ART AND CRAFTS, OUTDOOR SMOKING PATIO,
——————————————————————————————
Dressing-up is not at all compulsory but certainly encouraged!
Mischief’s preferred rental costumier is PRANGSTA –http://www.Prangsta.co.uk – mention White Mischief for a 20 per cent discount on all costumes
Inspirations: Steampunk, neo-Victorian, top hats, waistcoats, tails, bustles, dresses, hats, brass goggles, explorers, scientists, engineers, remarkable exhibits the Industrial Revolution, Discoveries from The Empire, zoological phenomena, dinosaurs, workers, Prince Albert, HG Wells, Jules Verne, Queen Victoria, businessmen and philanthropists…
——————————————————————————————
THIRD BIRTHDAY WEEKEND CELEBRATION OFFER:
Two nights, two parties!
Friday 26th March: The White Mischief Revue at Proud Cabaret, London EC3
Saturday 27th March: White Mischief THE GREAT EXHIBITION at Scala, King’s Cross
For more information and to buy tickets visit http://www.WhiteMischief.info

Sketchbook Archive # 01

The City/Fetish Mutated

If asked ‘what is the first thing you would try and save in a fire?’ I imagine that most artists would say sketchbooks (OK - if they had kids, they ‘might’ say kids first) – yet when it comes to exhibitions and the art world in general, these vital documents go largely over-looked. I know that not all artists use sketchbooks but to me they are invaluable. Not only do they act as a form of external memory (one of the worst things is to have a great idea for a piece, not make a note of it, then forget what it was) that you can come back to years later and find new inspiration in, but they also allow you to work out your mistakes without having to make them in the physical world.
So, as a tribute to the ‘the sketchbook’ I decided to start a regular (well, I say regular – I imagine that there will be more than one) Sketchbook Archive post on my blog, where I show a few examples of my working-drawings and talk about what was going through my mind at the time (cue the sound of wind and tumbleweed rolling across the prairie).
So, there goes –
The images above are perfect examples of what would happen if I could cross-breed some of my sculptures. Or rather, what the outcome would be if I started mixing some of the materials and techniques from one piece with that of another. These drawings take their inspiration from my earlier sculptures, The City (made mostly of wood and found materials) and Fetish, made from human hair. Ever since I first made Fetish I’ve been both fascinated and repulsed by the use of hair as an artistic medium. I love the look of it as a material but it feels horrible when you have to mix it, by hand, with glue. However, hair is a great thing to draw as it seems to dictate its own flow. But when I start introducing the rigid structure of wooden frames and boxes into the drawing, a kind of equilibrium or harmony comes into play and the two materials start to dictate the overall form the potential sculpture might take.
In a couple of the sketches you can see where I’ve experimented with adding items that I’d previously used in other sculptures – things like tubes, teeth and doll parts. This is one of the great things about sketchbooks – you can be a playful, dark or as silly as you like. And often, some of the best pieces come from what you originally thought of as just a stupid idea or from the crudest thumbnail sketch.

Review of 'Botanists of the Asphalt' by Julia Kollewe

The City Arts & Music Project makes its debut on the London art scene | Julia Kollewe

Last Night's Opening Shows

Here are a couple of photos from both of last night's private views ('Botanists of the Asphalt' and 'Tate the Biscuit')- taken by the extraordinary Yoshizen with one of his Heath Robinson-style cameras. To see more of Yoshizen's photos and words of wisdom check out his blog - yoshizen.wordpress.com.

Both shows seemed to go very well and the turn out was fantastic. It was great to see so many familiar faces again. Because I was nipping between the two exhibitions I didn't manage to properly see all the work on show at the Tate the Biscuit exhibition (and there is a lot of it - one of my favourites has to be the print of Big Foot, carrying two Tesco shopping bags) down in the basement of Shoreditch Town Hall so I'll be popping along again on Saturday morning. It's a great show, in an amazingly atmospheric venue, with loads of fantastic (and reasonably priced) art - so I'd strongly advise going along before it closes on Sunday.

Two Shows Opening Thursday

This evening's been a bit hectic, setting things up for both of tomorrow's opening nights but at least everything now seems to be in place. I've hung the two paintings (see photos) for the Tate The Biscuit show down in the basement of Shoreditch Town Hall and I've delivered my City sculpture to The City Arts & Music Project, ready for Botanists of the Asphalt.
It's a shame (or maybe fortunate) that I don't drink vodka as I've just found out that Absolute Vodka are sponsoring the Botanists exhibition.
So if anyone would like to come to either or both events you will be most welcome. However, if you are planning to come to the Botanists of the Asphalt, just remember to RSVP to stephanie@thecamplondon.com first.
Hope to see you there.

Botanists of the Asphalt - This Thursday

Here are a few detail shots of my sculpture, The City, that I will be showing in this Thursday's 'Botanists of the Asphalt' show. If you would like to come to the show please RSVP to the curator, Stephanie Pochet, at stephanie@thecamplondon.com or by ringing 07966 244138.

Botanists of the Asphalt (Part 1)

Private View - Thursday 3rd December (6.30 – 9.30pm)

Exhibition Runs - 4th December to 5th January

The City Arts & Music Project, 70-74 City Road, London EC1Y 2BJ - 0207 253 2443

info@thecamplondon.com

Arty Business

LBS_Crossroads Art Exhibition set-up, originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

I'd like to thank Julie Dagonet and the rest of the fantastic Crossroads Art Exhibition team at the London Business School for inviting me to be guest artist in their upcoming show. Above is a photo showing the setting up of the exhibition. It was refreshing to be involved in an installation where everything went smoothly – no tears and tantrums with this group. As far as I can remember this is the first time that I’ve had my work exhibited in a big office environment, and it works surprisingly well. There is a strangely surreal play between the everyday nature of the room and the work (looking like it has found itself somewhere that it shouldn’t be) – I love it.
The rest of the works on display are by members of the school community. Namely - Rikkya Oker, Dennis Valdez, Carl Clough, Kevin Talbot, Marie-Helene Dagonet, Shalini Chanda, Ninad Shinde, Denise Donoghue, Kyueun Han, Remi Savoya, Nina Kelemen, Caroline Bray, Juan Diego Sorbet Esnoz, Lok Ming Fung, Ming Gao, Yvonne, Svetlana Aslezova, Thibaud Simphal, and Erik Wilterding.
And considering that many of these people might not claim art to be their primary passion, there is some very accomplished work on show.
So Tuesday evening’s opening night looks to be quite exciting. Not only do we have Dean Andrew Likierman’s inauguration at 5:30 pm and the opening of the show in the Fairbairn Room at 5:45, there’ll be a concert in the Upper Quad at 6:16 pm, performed by students from the Royal Academy of Music. The performers are Midori Komachi on Violin, Helene Koerver on Viola and Alena Lugovkina on Flute. And the following day, May 27, we have LauYee Yeung on the Harp.

Exhibition @ Strychnin Gallery London

The City (close up 1), originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

I've just been invited by the lovely people at Strychnin Gallery to be a guest artist at the new show in their London Gallery. The pieces that I will be exhibiting are 'The City' (see image above) and 'Pelvis'.

Here are the exhibition details -

'In The Absence Of Colour' (a black and white group show)
Opening Night - Friday 9th May, 7pm
Duration of show - 9th May - 9th June

Strychnin Gallery
65 Hanbury Street (off Brick Lane)
London E1 5JP
www.strychnin.com

Opening times - Friday through Sunday (12 noon until 6 pm)

Hairy Tower Sketch

Working Drawing 03, originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

This sketch is of a sculpture that I've been planning for some time now. Its for a piece that would be a hybrid between my 'Fetish Tower' piece, which is made of human hair, and my sculpture, 'The City', which is predominently made of wood. It will be interesting to see how much the end result looks like this initial sketch.

'The City' & Little Girl (ROLLO Gallery 2006)

'The City' & Little Girl (ROLLO Gallery 2006), originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

Here sits a little girl, gazing at 'The City' sculpture that I exhibited in the ROLLO Art Gallery's 2006 (Sept - Oct) Contemporary Sculpture show, in conjunction with the Royal British Society of Sculptors (RBS). I over heard her say "mummy it's a castle".
TO SEE MORE EXHIBITION PHOTOS CLICK ON THE ABOVE IMAGE.

The City (+ details)

The City (+ details), originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

Dimensions: 92 x 43 x 43 cm
Materials: mixed media