Jana

Peta Clancy and Helen Pynor, The Body is a Big Place, 2011, 5-channel video projection, heart perfusion device and live performance, single-channel video on monitor, soundscape by Gail Priest

The themes of grief and honour are reoccurring throughout Peta Clancy’s works. Clancy’s project The Body is a Big Place (2011) made in collaboration with Helen Pynor, firstly touches on the emotional aspects of waiting for and receiving an organ transplant, which all performers in this work have experienced. The live performance, having taken place in a pool, contains both “raw” and “metaphoric” elements, according to Clancy (2021). Water symbolises the “interior of the body”, in which the performers of the video remain patiently seated at the bottom of the pool and appear to be waiting. The action of waiting in the deep ends of the pool represents the harsh reality of a patient waiting to receive an organ transplant. As for this procedure to occur, people must be prioritised according to severity, and someone must die in order to receive the organ hence grief associated with the process.

Peta Clancy and Helen Pynor, The Body is a Big Place, 2013, heart perfusion device and live performance still, single-channel video on monitor, soundscape by Gail Priest.

Accompanying the live performance is a heart perfusion device placed in the centre of the 5-channelled video projection of the performance using pig hearts. Clancy articulates that this is done to try and bring the audience to “feel empathetic towards the hearts beating outside the bodies” of the pigs (Clancy, 2021). This hence brings about grief and empathy as the viewer is called upon to “reflect on their relationship with their own interior body and their attitudes to organ donation” (Clancy, 2016). Furthermore, the pig hearts used in the perfusion device are also a symbol of honour. Clancy states that they were buried after use to “honour them and honour the process” which they took part in. The video below is a snippet of the installation.

I believe that the title The Body is a Big Place depicts the installation as one monumental body with different channels and pieces representing the different organs working together as systems. The life-threatening process of organ transplantation can produce feelings of empathy, grief and honour once the transplant has been complete, thus depicted in Clancy’s work.

References:

Clancy, P., & Pynor, H. (2011). The Body is a Big Place (Sydney) [5-channel video projection, heart perfusion device and live performance, single-channel video on monitor, soundscape]. Performance Space. https://www.interaliamag.org/interviews/peta-clancy-the-body-is-a-big-place/

Clancy, P. (2011). The Body is a Big Place [Video]. Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/49877414

Clancy, P., & Pynor, H. (2013). The Body is a Big Place (Ljubljana) [Heart perfusion device and live performance, single-channel video on monitor, soundscape]. Galerija Kapelica. https://www.interaliamag.org/interviews/peta-clancy-the-body-is-a-big-place/

Clancy, P. (2016, June). The Body is a Big Place (interview with Peta Clancy) (Online) [Interview]. INTERALIA MAGAZINE. https://www.interaliamag.org/interviews/peta-clancy-the-body-is-a-big-place/

Phuong Ngo, Heartbreaking to see a house of God in flames (Lost and Found), 2019 Inkjet print found postcard, 40 x 30cm

The work of Phuong Ngo explores the French colonisation of Vietnam resulting in a country governed by the “complexities of conflict and war, displacement, trauma, migration, and colonial legacies” (Photo, 2021). The series Lost and found uses archival images to juxtapose elements from French culture and Vietnamese culture. For example, Heartbreaking to see a house of God in flames, 2019, layers two perspectives of two different Notre Dame cathedrals. The well-known one in France burning down and one from Vietnam is almost identical yet unheard of due to the dominating influences of France. The cathedrals in different contexts lead to questions as to why European influence produces such domination and supremacy.

Phuong Ngo, No one understands my ills, nor the terror that fills my breast, who does not know the heart of a mother (Lost and Found), 2020, Pigment print found postcard, 40 x 25.5 cm

The complexities of war and conflict are further sourced through No one understands my ills, nor the terror that fills my breast, who does not know the heart of a mother, 2020. Part of the same series, this work explores the difference in the executions as “humane” vs “inhumane” between Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI and Vietnamese Political dissidents referred to as “pirates” (Ngo, 2021). The archival collage piece draws on comparisons between the guillotine used to execute Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI more than a century before the beheadings of Vietnamese political dissidents as a “humane practice”.

Phuong Ngo, Colony (The Vietnam Archive Project), 2017, Found photo, Perspex, postage stamps, terylene, steel, 300 x 180 x 180 cm

Similarly, Phuong’s work Colony from the project The Vietnam Archive Project (2010-ongoing) uses found Vietnamese photographs of the experience of war and postage stamps to convey histories and memories of Vietnam. The identities of the Vietnamese subjects in this work have been referred to as have been “further obscured” (Ngo, 2021), due to the invading French influence. This has therefore taken a great part in transforming the post-colonial identity of Vietnam. In this video, Ngo speaks about his experiences with creating Colony and the themes of history and memory.

Correspondingly, Hayley Millar Baker’s work Untitled 1 (I’m the Captain Now), 2016 reflects upon the post-colonial influence on aboriginal spirituality to which Western religion has caused a deconstruction to Indigenous Australians “connection with land, spirit and dreaming” (Baker, 2016). Moreover, both artists explore the effects of western colonisation in their works, which has transformed their histories and cultural identities.

Hayley Miller Baker, Untitled 1 (I’m the Captain Now), 2016, Inkjet on cotton rag, 20x 20cm

References:

Baker, H. M. (2016). Untitled 1 (I’m the Captain Now) (Sydney) [Inkject on cotton rag]. UTS Gallery and Art Collection. https://therewewereallinoneplace.com/1-im-the-captain-now.html

Photo 2021. (2021). Phuong Ngo [Online Photography Archive]. Photo 2021. https://photo.org.au/artists/phuong-ngo

Ngo, P. (n.d.). Lost and Found (2020-ongoing). Phuong Ngo: Lost and Found (2020-Ongoing). Retrieved April 29, 2021, from https://www.phuongngo.art/art-work/project-one-ct6fc

Ngo, P. (2017). Colony (The Vietnam Archive Project) (Online) [Found photo, Perspex, postage stamps, terylene, steel]. Art and Australia. https://www.artandaustralia.com/file/nd0206989190309jpg-0

Ngo, P. (2019). , Heart breaking to see a house of God in flames (Lost and Found) (Online) [Inkject print, found postcard]. Phuong Ngo art. https://www.phuongngo.art/art-work

Ngo, P. (2020). No one understands my ills, nor the terror that fills my breast, who does not know the heart of a mother (Lost and Found) (Online) [Pigment print, found postcard]. Phuong Ngo Art. https://www.phuongngo.art/art-work/project-one-ct6fc

Ngo, P. (2021). Phuong Ngo Lecture [80067 Photography Guest Lecture Program]. UTS Canvas. https://canvas.uts.edu.au/

As an aboriginal person, Dean Cross’ projects formally represent harmony in his culture. His multifaceted art-making proposes his deep interests in creating power structures about culture and the post-colonial society we currently live in. Cross states that he has worked in a variety of ways to do so. Things will “emerge” which will inspire him and be built upon (Cross, 2021). As aforementioned, Cross refers to his work as a formal representation of Aboriginal culture and instead tries to move away from the extremities of political work. Cross acknowledges that his ancestors have taken a great part in creating moving political art that seeks justice in reforming society. Rather stated Cross thinks of his responsibility as a “culture maker” (Cross, 2021). His interest is in finding the “poetics” in the political, or in other words, finding the “beauty in the political” (Cross, 2021). Hayley Miller Baker further agrees that it is important not to constantly be fighting with politics and instead “find a balance” (Baker, 2021). Similar to Cross, Bakers body of work There we were all in one place (2021) explores aboriginal identity and "affirms the Aboriginal experience and culture". In a world that is so driven to protest against every political system, the purpose of surfacing knowledge on a situation is usually lost between the anger. I agree that there should be a drive to create peace and harmony in the Aboriginal culture.

Dean Cross, Untitled (Self-portrait as Clay and Water), 2015 Single channel digital moving image

Cross’ work Untitled (Self-portrait as Clay and Water) 2015, is where I can evidently see this harmonic balance between his art, and his cultural identity. Emerging from a saltwater lake, Cross applies ochre pigments to his body. I believe this to be a representation of painting on a canvas. Moreover, the moving image artwork symbolises Cross’ return to “Country” and return to “Aboriginality”.

“My ancestors are Saltwater people, and it is salt water that connects me to them” (Cross, 2021)

This idea can further be viewed through his work Untitled triptych (Looking West, Ochred and Life preserver), 2015 which additionally exhibits harmony and the beauty found in his political art.

Dean Cross, Untitled Triptych (Looking West, Ochred and Life preserver), 2015 Polaroid Colorpack II photographs

References:

Australian Centre for Photography. (2021). Dean Cross [Exhibition Achive]. Dean Cross. https://acp.org.au/see/oceans-from-here-2/dean-cross/

Baker, H.M. (2021). Hayley Millar Baker [80067 Photography Guest Lecture Program]. UTS Canvas. https://canvas.uts.edu.au/

Cross, D. (2021). Dean Cross Lecture [80067 Photography Guest Lecture Program]. UTS Canvas. https://canvas.uts.edu.au/

Cross, D. (2015). Untitled (Self-portrait as Clay and Water) (Online exhibition) [Single channel digital moving image]. Australian Centre for Photography. https://acp.org.au/see/oceans-from-here-2/dean-cross/

Cross, D. (2015). Untitled Triptych (Looking West, Ochred and Life preserver) (Online exhibition) [Polaroid Colorpack II photographs]. Australian Centre for Photography. https://acp.org.au/see/oceans-from-here-2/dean-cross/

Kate Mitchell, All Auras Touch, 2020 Carriageworks, Sydney, Australia

Interestingly, Kate Mitchell has incorporated the Australian Census into her practice to produce her work All Auras Touch (2020) which brings about a unique viewpoint on employment in Australia and interconnections between workers and the artist. Using the main occupation list found in the Australian Census, and the Aura Camera 6000 which utilises electromagnetic field imaging equipment, Mitchell’s goal was to capture a portrait for one of each occupation listed. This project focuses on the 5 w’s on the topic of work such as who works? What do people work as? When do people work? Where do people work? Why do people work? and how do people work? From my personal perspective, the answers to these questions can be found in All Auras Touch which displays a variety of people, all different ages, genders and most importantly auras. From Mitchell’s lecture, I have understood auras to be the different colours people transmit which represent different energies. These energies which are projected are captured with the aura camera. When viewing these images, I see the connections between body and mind between the artist and the sitter and between the sitter and their aura.

"All Auras Touch is a snapshot of contemporary Australia..." (Mitchell 2020)

Kate Mitchell, All Auras Touch, 2020 Carriageworks, Sydney, Australia

As there are 1,023 portraits of workers being captured in this exhibition Mitchell articulates that different jobs have brought out different ways she would approach the person stating when it was a judge’s or policeman’s turn an unstoppable feeling of fear or “nervousness” would take part (Mitchell 2021). Furthermore, With the vast amount of workers being photographed connections, there are highly apparent connections. By grouping the images with similar auras, Mitchell’s work is exhibited as a typology. This is similar to the works of August Sander in People of the Twentieth Century (1927) where Sander captured people of different work and social classes in 1920 Germany, grouping them in typologies of seven categories.

Moreover, the categorisation of people with similar auras, in All Auras Touch represents an interconnectedness that is shared amongst them and disregards the differences in the careers of these people.

References:

Schauplatz für Fotografie, W. (2018, April 18). AUGUST SANDER. PORTRAIT OF A SOCIETY. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MJZPFmulK8

Mitchell, K. (2020). All Auras Touch [Photography Exhibition]. Carriageworks, Sydney, Australia https://www.katemitchellartist.com/#/all-auras-touch-2020/

Mitchell, K. (2021). Kate Mitchell Lecture [80067 Photography Guest Lecture Program]. UTS Canvas. https://canvas.uts.edu.au/

Time is a significant element of the performative structure found in Nat Randall’s work. Time also connects performance to the emotional essence of the narrative. To me, it seems that time is present literally with the duration of the performances. In The Second Woman (2016) Randall performs over a period of 24hrs accompanied by a random male participant actor and repeats the single scene 100 times. Excitement, aggression, annoyance and suspense are some emotions among many that may have risen with the varying levels of experience depending on every male participant. For Randall these feelings would definitely be heightened, being the one who was performing repetitively, being the target of 100 male participants personalities, and being the main entertainer for the audience.

“Over the 24 hours I felt a range of: excitement, boredom, frustration, anger, arousal, sadness, amusement, fear, and sometimes cared for.” (Randall, 2017)

Nat Randall, The Second Woman, 2016 Melbourne, Australia

One could say that it may be too extreme to put the body through that much work, making it seem like torture. However, extreme performance art has been done before for example, seen through the works of Marina Abramović and Yuko Ono. Abramovic’s work Rhythm 0 in particular has been highly controversial, standing motionless in a gallery allowing the audience to do anything to her. From my personal perspective, this was quite shocking. Allowing members of an audience or participant actors to take part in an artists world has its dangers.

Marina Abramović, Rhythm 0, 1974 Naples, Italy

With this reference in mind, the emotional aspect of Nat Randall’s The Second Woman (2016) is characterised by different men being allowed on stage. All of course with different personalities, some may feel the need to be dominant, aggressive, some shy and reserved. Given that time heightens these effects, I felt an endless cycle of emotions after watching only a few clips of Randall's performances on Youtube.

References:

Abramović, M. (1974). Rhythm 0 [Performance still]. Studio Morra, Naples, Italy

Randall, N. (2016). The Second Woman [Performance still]. Next Wave Festival, Melbourne, Australia

Liz Ham, Teddy Girls for Oyster Magazine, 2009

Liz Ham morphs fashion and documentary photography together through her candid shots which further give off elements of nostalgia and humour. She herself once identifying as a punk, hippy, goth and raver, is aware of the “parallels she draws between herself and her subjects” (Smith, 2011). Hence, why Ham refers to her photography as a way of documenting memories in her life with the people she surrounded herself with. These subjects are usually part of “tribes committed to whatever subculture at the time” (Smith, 2011). Through this, she captures a diverse range of people from different cultures/subcultures, ages and genders which plays a big role in her ability to harmoniously collaborate with different people.

“I’ve always been a part of subcultures, not so much anymore, but I’m still fascinated by them.” (Smith and Ham, 2011)

Inspired by Ken Russell’s Picture Post documentary of Teddy Girls in 1955, Ham’s take on her own Teddy Girls series highlights the grungy aesthetics and androgynous fashion adorned by young women. The images feel quite candid, with little to no direction and are exploring the free-spirited side of youth culture which was referenced from the 50s.

Liz Ham, Punk Girls, 2017

Ham’s Series Punk Girls further explores women part of, yet another subculture adorned in extravagant outfits, wild hair colours/styles, and piercing makeup looks. Her fashion and documentary crossover in Punk Girls celebrates these minorities while they may be viewed negatively by others in the public eye. Ham’s inclusiveness is evident through her desire to photograph all women who had responded to her flyers in the casting process for Punk Girls. In fact, Ham deems that there was “no casting process” and all people who “responded to the flyer were included” (Ham, 2020).

References:

Ham, L. (2021). Liz Ham Lecture [80067 Photography Guest Lecture Program]. UTS Canvas. https://canvas.uts.edu.au/

Ham, L. (2017). Punk Girls [Photograph]. Punk Girls Book.https://www.punkgirlsbook.com/

Ham, L. (2009). Teddy Girls [Photograph]. Oyster Magazine. http://www.oystermag.com/

Shea Kirk, Christiane D’Arc (left and right view), 2018

Shea Kirk's portraiture unearths the ethics in this art medium, which many before have dismissed. Kirk refers to his portraiture as a collaboration between the photographer and sitter and states that it is important to minimise a “hierarchy” where the photographer is the dominant force in which the sitter must be submissive (Kirk, 2020).

Being a photographer based in his own home studio, Kirk is not restricted by time limits to capture a portrait. As a matter of fact, his preferred shooting time can last up to eight hours. Historically speaking the first photograph taken by Niepce View from a window at Gras (1826), required an “exposure time of eight hours” (Marien, 2006, p.10). Many modern photographers like Teju Cole thought that these “exposure times were too long” (Cole, 2018). In contrast, Kirk prefers his eight-hour method. Why? He claims that he would rather be “in the moment” to shoot and not have to worry about the “restrictions” associated with time (Kirk, 2021).

Shea Kirk, Dale Robertson (left and right view), 2019

Additionally, Kirk emphasises consent, especially when photographing sitters nude such as the photographs Dale Robertson and Christiane D'Arc exposing the sitters quite vulnerably. Hence revealing the importance of constantly ensuring sitters are okay with being exhibited like that.

“What are you comfortable with? Don’t dictate things, check in regularly with comments on the day” (Kirk, 2021).

Furthermore, the slowing down of time can unveil many benefits during the process which may at first seem tedious. This includes giving the sitter enough time to feel comfortable during the shoot, more photos to be taken, and collaborators come out with an intimate connection built between the photographer and sitter post. The overall experience of collaboration, consent and time can strengthen the chemistry between collaborators, resulting in better outcomes as presented through Kirk’s photography.

References:

Cole, T. (2018, August 23). There’s Less to Portraits Than Meets the Eye, and More. The New York Times Magazine. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/23/magazine/theres-less-to-portraits-than-meets-the-eye-and-more.html

Kirk, S. (2018). Christiane D’Arc (left and right view). [Photograph]. From the series Vantages. https://ccp.org.au/exhibitions/all/vantages

Kirk, S. (2019). Dale Robertson (left and right view). [Photograph]. From the series Vantages. https://ccp.org.au/exhibitions/all/vantages

Kirk, S. (2021). Shea Kirk Lecture [80067 Photography Guest Lecture Program]. UTS Canvas. https://canvas.uts.edu.au/

Polly Borland, Cathy, Julianne, Snuggles and Roberta in Mummy Hazel’s Garden, 1994-1999, Archival pigment print, 101.6 x 152.4 cm

Polly Borland’s idea of ‘beauty in photography is not the ideal standard of ‘beauty’ which society understands. As many would agree, her works are not the most pleasing to look at. She even refers to her own works as “ugly” and “wouldn’t hang that up on the wall” (Borland, 2021).

According to Borland’s experiences with fashion and magazine portraits, there is the constant thought of making an image pleasurable to look at. Of course, for magazines, this is common in order to please and attract a large audience, but this can be juxtaposed with Borland’s unusual practice that most find unsettling to look at, including myself. But this is only the natural response that we have become accustomed to as a result of pre-existing beauty standards. Borland states that “beauty for me is when I embraced the reportage work and embraced the subcultures and people on the margins…I abandoned any convention of beauty” (Borland, 2021). We can understand this through her reportage of the series Adult Babies.

“The photos were quite beautiful (but) they are flabby old men dressed up as babies”(Flynn and Borland, 2017)

Polly Borland, Morph 31, 2018, Archival pigment print, 200 x 162.5 cm

Her morph series is another take on her distinct idea of beauty. Where the idea was to strip away the human identifiable things that usually make the viewing process of a photograph aesthetically pleasing. However, she does this in a way that still allows the image to be aesthetically pleasing as inhumanly as possible and presented more like beautiful creatures.

There is a large sense of drama to her pieces which some people find disturbing, but Polly believes she finally has "gained the beauty element back" into her photographs (Borland, 2021).

References:

Borland, P. ( 1994-1999) Cathy, Julianne, Snuggles and Roberta in Mummy Hazel’s Garden [Archival pigment print] Dazed. https://www.dazeddigital.com/art-photography/article/36882/1/polly-borland-photos-of-grown-men-acting-like-babies-in-90s-england

Borland, P. (2018) Morph 31 [Archival pigment print] From the book Morph

Borland, P. (2021). Polly Borland Lecture [80067 Photography Guest Lecture Program]. UTS Canvas. https://canvas.uts.edu.au/

Madeleine, A. (2016). Beautiful Collision: “Borland + Borland” at Canberra Glassworks. Art Monthly Australia; Acton, 50–51.