Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Week Three – Day 17- Cite des Arts & La Fondation Cartier pour l'art Contemporain



So perhaps at this point, you are wondering what I am doing in terms of the art residency, and what it means to be here at La Cite as an artist. There is no requirement to teach or to have a show so what you do is up to you. Being a creative person, I like to make stuff, so the opportunity here is to not only have the opportunity to expand my mind but also to have enough space to work on projects. The down side for a painter, such as myself, is that I am not a neat painter. I don’t throw paint around but inevitably paint ends up on the floor and walls. It is a bit intimidating here in that I must be neat. So the projects that I have been working on so far are computer based, and paper collage. Interestingly, the term collage derives from the French word "coller" meaning to glue or paste. The other thing is that I like to work large and the panels I brought to paint on, and the portfolios to draw on are small for me. At least in the computer I can work large, 24 x 30 inches, and the piece on the wall is about 3 x 5 feet. Using glue on the wall piece is a good way to work into painting because I have glue running onto the floor and wall. I found some paper in the closet to use as a floor cloth but if I were to do this again I would pack a plastic tarp.
I think that this experience is about being stimulated to work, in perhaps different ways than before. To work in my room, with only the view out the window, would not adequately stimulate me. That being said I do love the view of the Seine out of my window, and am inspired by it. I like having to speak French because it makes my mind work in a different way than when I speak English. I like meeting new people, especially other artists. Being in a large, cultural city has opportunities to offer which I would say you would be crazy not to explore. I love the video library at the Beaubourg. This Blog, for me, is a new experience, and one where I feel a bit naked by posting my diary on line. My goal is to have one transformative experience each day. It may not be achieved in terms of the quality of the experience but I will have a unique experience each day.
The opportunity here is to create something new, to explore, to work on a different scale, to expand existing limitations, and perhaps to achieve simplicity of expression through an economy of means.
Today we visited La Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain. The exhibition is Moebius–Transe-Forme, which is devoted to the art of Jean Giraud, a legendary French author and illustrator of comic books. The 3-D film, Metamoebius, which was co written by Giraud, is the most beautiful animation that I have ever seen. I also loved the documentary about Giraud, which definitely moves beyond the traditional documentary interview, and enters the realm of transformation, revealing in an innovative manner the psyche of this artist.

1 comment:

  1. Back here in Roanoke - loving your blog - keep it up and have a wonderful time. Thinking of you...

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