Solo Studios co-collaboration with RASA Breathe, Breeze and Winged Things exhibition during August 2024
Discussions around the collaborative work with our Rasa NGO included having a separate piece for interaction where work will hang, and viewers will be invited to make flying objects to add to the work. After making two small prototypes to explore ideas with the curators, I decided on a winged form armature.
Winged armature
This armature will be at least 7 m long and 1.5m on its widest part and be made of galvanised wire of least 6mm width. It can be suspended from the ceiling and give structure and support to mobiles hanging from it. The first three images are of a wing. I added spirals and Calder-type mobiles to the ‘mock-up’ (photos below) The idea is to hang more of these in preparation for the objects to be made. We can use light from the ceiling to use shadows and movement (breeze), but the ceiling is not very high.
Winged Figure
Below is another option to consider, after the work of Barbara Hepworth, Winged Figure, 1962. The scale of her work is impressive, and here, I have the opportunity to make the work at least 7m long. I love the abstraction in the work produced in Aluminium Sheetmetal. It allows me to explore how light can flow through a wing-like object as it hangs from the ceiling. I will allow for more ‘holes’/light in the work. I need to consider weight and size. I can use it as a separate work in my body of work or combine it with other work.
(NOTE: Hepworth was a great admirer of the socialist ethos of the John Lewis business, where her sculpture would be installed in their flagship shop on Oxford Street, London. This shop was collectively owned by its workers, and the site’s prominence attracted her. The design was praised for embodying ‘the idea of resurgence or aspiration’.)
The making of the structure
The curators decided on a winged armature suspended from the ceiling. The armature is 7m long and made from 5mm and 6mm steel. It is a praying mantis wing with different pieces to be suspended from the exhibition space’s ceiling at various levels. The work was done in an iron welding workshop with the assistance of two welders. I drew the image on the floor, and each piece was laid out on the drawing and then welded. The one-piece followed ideas from B Hepworth.
Below is an image of me with the two welders, Ronald Kangausaru and Jan de Klerk, after we loaded the structure onto my car. I added thinner wire, copper and steel, to decorate and hang objects from it.
The curators prefer the reference for hanging work onto the structure to be after work done by Laure Provouste. The importance of balance, airiness, and walking through the installation will be considered for the duration. For the exhibition, a short story about Daedalus and Icarus is shared with the curators and Rasa Art Class. I suggest the text be hung next to the interactive installation. There will also be a box with philosophical questions about art and creativity to share with visitors and to interact around these questions.
Starting to work on winged creatures
A separate workshop(s) will be held during the exhibition, and the works made will be displayed on the armature. There will be tables (with some instructions), and facilitators will guide/invite viewers to use different materials to participate in making. An MA student and other fine art students will help facilitate this making. Materials need to be collected to make work. To explore the practical workshop, it was suggested that the MA student visit the ArtClass to test the process and that the Rasa Kids start working before the exhibition. Below are some images to be shared in class to inspire the kids to start making flying objects.
A list of materials was created and shared with the community to ask to bring along and/or drop at specific points in the village. It was decided to make small and lightweight objects (the weight of a Christmas decoration). After the winter holiday break, paper origami, butterflies, and birds became the theme in art class, which recommenced in July. The kids also worked with found materials to create winged creatures from their imagination.
Below are images the kids started to make at class.
The curators and local artists interested in the collaboration were also invited to an informal making day at my home. Here, we worked with recycled materials.
Working with the MA Student (Fine Arts) from the University of Stellenbosch
The MA Fine Arts Student visited the class for a making session, during which we mostly worked with natural materials. Her suggestion was based on her research for her MA. Below are images from the working session with the MA Student in the Rasa art class.
During the next class, the kids continued making more objects and listening to the story of Daedalus and Icarus. Our project manager joined in, and the enjoyment of making was evident throughout the class.
We want the kids to connect with nature and thus keep to only natural objects we collect from nature for the workshops during the exhibition. The curators suggested four making workshops over the three days of the exhibition. Our art class has also been invited to join these workshops.
By now, the student and I could reflect on how the workshop should work. We learned from the class sessions that too much material becomes overwhelming as the working areas turn chaotic. We have to add structure to keep the making focussed on an outcome. The student prepared a worksheet and examples to be shared before the making. She shared this on the WA group we created for all the facilitators. A PDF document was also shared on the intended process to follow during the workshop. The sessions started with a short introduction to the wings of flying creatures in nature.
Installing inside the exhibition space
Brackets will be made to hang the work from the steel beams across the ceiling. I had it made by a friend and supplied the curators with the brackets during the installation. The hanging of the different parts took a few hours as the handyman had many tasks to attend to and we needed at least two helpers to assist in holding and securing the work. Cables were used to hang the separate works from the ceiling. There was a limit to where the structure could be hanging from; only the beams could be used, and materials had to be adapted – more brackets had to be made. Below are images of the wing and some objects hanging from it shortly after it was hung.
The day before our exhibition opened, a group of high school scholars (art class) from a neighbouring town visited the venue and joined in the making.
The exhibition (Friday 9 August to Sunday 11 August 2024)
We interacted with visitors by inviting them to work with us as they were received at the entrance to the exhibition space. Making sessions ran at scheduled times, with an introduction by the MA Student before each session started. The basic materials for a body and wings were supplied on each table, together with string, wire, an instruction sheet, photo images to work from, and tools to cut and tie. Local schools and NGO’s were invited a few weeks before the event.
We structured the sessions by asking all makers to complete the bodies first, then add other natural materials to develop the wings or body. By the second workshop with our visitors, we learned to place materials on the table as invitations to work and keep the rest of the materials out of sight, not to overwhelm them with choices of materials. Boxes with extra materials were placed away from the table and filled as needed by the facilitators, who also hung the works for the ‘makers’.
Below is an image of how a body and wings were applied as a provocation to start. In the photo below, the maker is being guided by me to continue exploring the body. This discussion is mainly about what to add to emphasise the type of creature being envisioned.
As participants’ winged artworks were added to the armature, they received immediate visual feedback, seeing how their contributions altered the collective piece. This inspired further creativity and engagement, creating a positive feedback loop and leading to more visitors joining the making.
The work made by visitors and attendees of the workshops by Sunday afternoon, by the time we closed, was spectacular. I have not counted the objects, which varied from small to big. Feedback from visitors was positive, with them feeling part of making art and connecting with their creativity. Natural materials were valued as a novel idea for creating. We also learned that the availability and arrangement of materials affect how participants engage with the activity and that the environment influences their experience. I do think the atmosphere was inviting to create with others.
Reflection on this experience
This was a very hands-on experience on many levels. I am a volunteer at RASA; I am familiar with the project and believe in the role of art in the education of young children. I acted as a facilitator during the interactive workshops with visitors and our art group from the Rasa Art Class. Making the armature required me to work with others, such as the artisan welders and work around the idea the curators had in mind. The steel was not heavy and could be hung safely from stainless steel cables. The framework had to consider objects that would hang onto the structure, and thinner wire was added to the frame. I divided the work into sections to make it more attractive and accessible to transport and install.
Running workshops during an exhibition and in the same space was challenging. One had to ensure that each participant felt comfortable and could follow the process. We did not have enough facilitators to help at the three tables on days two and three. We had participants of varying ages and abilities, and the tables had to be cleared between making sessions or accommodating more people as we did not have control over the number of people who would join once a workshop started. There were exciting moments when the young and not-so-young were next to each other and making. (parents would assist their little ones and join in) We tried to organise (clean up, re-fill)the workstations on the tables throughout and encouraged participants to make small and significant objects.
The experience our Rasa Art Class kids received by participating in the exhibition will still be discovered in time. They gained confidence in their creativity and self-esteem from interacting with them. Below is an image of a conversation between visitors and one of our Art Class kids about work made with clay.
Curating role in this exhibition
I see this exhibition as a community project that tried to communicate with a more diverse audience by using an interactive workshop method to connect with viewers with a ‘living’ artwork. It is essential to consider the effectiveness of this collaboration between the NGO and the community and between the facilitators and the ‘uptakers’.
In the study material, the following caught my attention:
“Curation has become a much used term, and as such perhaps we need to revisit its well tended root ‘curare’ – to care. This might better clarify the process as an action and intention to care for, select, edit and present work and ideas to a wider public with some forethought and intention. There is a sense that through this notion of curare, we might reconnect with vital elements, establish connections and reconsider each others’ narratives to bring value to life, and our diverse cultural exchanges.”
The winged installation was envisioned as collaborative work. The hope was that the artwork of the RASA children could become a visual conversation with the rest of the exhibitors. The installation invited collaboration, and the facilitators provided materials and mentorship. I need to reflect on how the individual artworks contributed to the visual impact of the winged armature. I think the additions created a dynamic and evolving piece of art where visitors could visually experience this change over the three days of the exhibition. The Rasa kids group worked daily during the exhibition, and I concluded that this encouraged them to think about how their contributions affect the collective artwork. They gained confidence in working with natural materials and developed fascinating creatures over these days. One could also observe how some of them were more expressive in their making.
During the workshops, engagement and participation were encouraged by the diversity of participants, which included different age groups, backgrounds, and levels of engagement with the materials and ideas to reconnect with nature through art. Materials were diverse and included wood, bark, plant fibre, dried seedpods, wire, twine, leaves, etc. The naturalness of the material was emphasised by comparing it with other works already hung on the installation and made of upcycled materials like plastic and paper. Although we focused on creating a body with wings, we encouraged visitors to express their creativity. Thinking about the learning, I asked myself a few questions and posed them to the student group, who acted as facilitators. The following questions were posed to the group on WA:
- What did the participants learn about the materials and techniques used in the workshops?
- Did the participants gain new skills or knowledge about art-making?
- Do you think the making fosters a sense of community among the participants?
- How did the collective effort enhance the armature which hung from the ceiling?
- What did you learn from observing the participants and their interactions with the installation?
(This was shared on 13/08/2024, and I have since received feedback)
REFLECTION
I reflected on how the workshop was visualized in terms of space—how did ‘we’ think about the relationships and interactions between participants, materials, space, and the artwork? I knew where the wing would hang but did not have precise information about the workshop area until we started installing the work. How participants move through the space and interact with each component became meaningful learning. Another meaningful learning about the interactive workshop is that a facilitator guides participants and encourages them to consider how their contributions affect the collective artwork.
Although the making sessions were busy, the facilitators had moments for feedback/interactions with the makers, which were optimistic and about enjoyment, awareness of natural materials, the idea of being a maker and artist, beliefs about creativity, and the need for art in many underprivileged children’s lives. A videographer had some discussions with some of the participants. I hope to have the footage soon. I think having a short conversation about these questions with the RASA team members who attended the exhibition within the next week would be a good idea.
I created a QR code for the work, bringing viewers to the work. I need to refine this process and am learning how to improve this experience. One way to do this is by incorporating QR codes that link to information about the artist, the inspiration behind the artwork, and its cultural significance. This can give viewers a deeper understanding and appreciation of the artwork and create a sense of connection to the place and its history. My biggest concern is that the artwork should always be the primary focus, with the QR code as a secondary element that enhances the viewer’s experience. I do not want the QR code to distract from the artwork but rather complement it in a way that adds value and context to the piece.
I used the wing armature during the exhibition of my final project – this time, I separated the pieces. The more extended winged parts were used to hang the wire objects as a group of objects. The other parts were placed outside the barn with smaller samples of my earlier work with raffia. The wings’ shadows can be seen on the wall above the objects in the image below.
I had the opportunity to share my nest during this exhibition, but I decided to share it for the first time during my exhibition. This made me wonder if I would create work with the NGO. I do believe it is essential that the theme chosen will work with my practice. For 2025, the plan is that the residency will slot in over this period. There is positive interest in joining the Rasa NGO or joining as a collaboration.