Avant Gardens ed. 1
Welcome to Avant Gardens, a blog/newsletter where I explore all things strange, experimental, and exciting in the arts.
I’ve been thinking about this budding little idea for some time now. A space where I can showcase some of the really interesting and captivating art, both young and old, that has taken my attention. Initially, I thought it could be a radio show, but since I’m at the tail end of my PhD and time is tight (also how does one even start a radio show??), I figure it could start as a monthly blog/newsletter.
I’ve just spent the week at the ASPERA conference - Experiments in Screen - at Wollongong Uni, and as a result, I’m feeling inspired and yearning for a less commercial, more innovative approach to our artistic capabilities. What is possible to create when we are not held back by the limitations of profit, capitalism, and consumerism?
Anyway, enough yabbering on. Here’s my top 5 pieces of art for this month.
Béla Bartók - Suite op. 14 no. 2 Scherzo (1918)
Bartók was a Hungarian pianist and composer of the early 20th century. He derived a lot of inspiration from Hungarian folk music and you can hear these influences in his work, however not so much in this particular Suite. No. 2, the Scherzo I have listed, I actually played as one of my HSC performance pieces. Where Debussy showed me the beautiful swathes of colours and textures made possible with piano music, it felt like Bartók showed me the darker side of this. This piece opened my eyes to how strange yet magical augmentation and dissonance could be, and I’ve never forgotten the feeling when first playing this work.
Performed by the wonderfully talented Charlotte Steppes. Skip to 2:05 for the Scherzo.
Guy Sherwin - Man with Mirror (1976/2011)
Filmed on Super 8, Sherwin used a two-sided mirror (one side painted, the other left alone) to create this hypnotic, reflective work. Scattered light, reflections, the past and present all intermingle with one another, fracturing time and space.
Dmitri Frolov - Ten Minutes of Silence (1995)
Made by Russian independent filmmaker Dmitri Frolov, this work is an experimental ‘documentary’ based on the history of the twentieth century. Listening is obsolete, but the visuals are stunning.
Jaume Llorens - GAIA
An ongoing series by photographer Llorens, where he juxtaposes photographs of the natural environment, exploring the “links, echoes and resonances between them”.
You can check out the full display of shots (which I highly recommend) at his website: https://www.jllorens.com/gaia
Michelle Day - Hold to Sever (2009)
Michelle Day’s work always captivates me so much. This one in particular is so strangely uncanny and alien, like a deep sea creature. Day’s practice involves using found objects (for this she used silicone, tracing paper, oil paint and thread). She’s also Australian based, which is nice having some local experimental talent.
You can check out more of her work on her website:
http://www.michelle-day.com/works.php
And there you have it folks. Edition 1 of Avant Gardens complete. I hope you enjoyed some of the weird and wonderful art listed here. I’m still figuring out what I want this space to be, whether just a simple list of cool stuff, or a bit more chatty. I suppose it will change month to month, as the seasons and life, and projects often do.
If you want to have any of your own experimental work listed here, or have any suggestions, send it to me! Otherwise, see you next month xx
