I was stacking away with my balloon casts, as I have been for about 3 weeks now, to little gain, I feel, and most confusion with the up and coming Link show (what the hell am I going to do with them and are they even worth it?! Who knows yet!)
Anywho's, he made an interesting observation. We were all observing them, thoughprovokingly and interested as we all often are (not!) and we decided they look like snow, which they do. They remind me of the work I did in Finland, the snowball heads as well as all the snow sculpture and stuff. The rough layers and bumps create shadows on the white surface that do really replicate the snow, I have felt anyway.
Gazebo suggested I take a look at Andy Goldsworthy. Ive seen lots of his stuff before, for Foundation cardboard catwalk and in general, I think his work is great, the natural elements and the interaction and reassembling of his observations with nature are insightful and beautiful. Anyway, apparently he did some work with snowballs. Cue Google.
So, this is his "Snowballs in Summer Series". Ill stick what I've read in, then ill comment.
http://absheze.wordpress.com/2008/06/03/andy-goldsworthy/ Says about the work: "In his Snowballs in Summer series, Goldsworthy makes large snowballs in winter and preserves them until the summer. Inside of each snowball, he “hides” different materials such as chalk, old pine needles, and dogwood [pictured above]. For this project, Goldsworthy is interested in how different snow melts, the patterns the materials inside will melt into, and the relationship between a city and the imposed natural form."
GreenPeace Website Says:
Greenpeace backs 'wonderful' giant snowball art
Andy Goldsworthy: snowball
The artist Andy Goldsworthy has released 13 giant snowballs on the streets of the City of London.
The 6-7 foot snowballs will be left to melt and public reactions recorded via webcam's for broadcast on this site and at www.eyestorm.com.
The snowballs were made from Scottish snow last winter and transferred from cold storage down to London on midsummmer's eve. Asked how he thought people would react Andy Goldsworthy said:
"I don't know what will happen. Some people will get quite angry. And some will probably have snowball fights. And some will think its wonderful."
Peter Melchett, Greenpeace Executive Director, speaking from the site of one of the snowballs, said :
"I've always been a fan of Goldsworthy and I think the snowballs really are wonderful. They make an astonishingly powerful piece of work. Climate change means that snow is already a rare thing in London. In future whole generations of London children may grow up without knowing what snow is."
Greenpeace is a beneficiary of the project and will receive a 10% donation from the sales of Andy Goldsworthy's photographic images sold via their website, linked to www.eyestorm.com.
Peter Melchett added,
"By chance, one of Andy's snowballs is outside BP's HQ. Oil companies play a direct role in the meltdown that is already affecting the arctic ice cap, and the Scottish mountains from where this snow came."
I think this is a really great reaction to the aspects of nature that are important at the moment. It is a nice reflection on the use of objects too, revelations as the snow melts makes a performance and unpredictability means that changes could happen and the work could change course any time. I think it's beautiful. The change snow makes as it melts and reveals something new beneath it, gradually peeling away some of itself to give way to something new, it's like a renewal and a sign of change. It is something I am very familiar with after being surrounded by the stuff for 4 months to wake up one day and see it slipping away. Eventhough it's really epic theres something sad and horrible in it. Pure whiteness is replaced by speckles which turn into muddy and mesy remains and all the beauty has just melted away.
I can see how, aesthetically, this relates to the work I am doing, emotionally, it's definately more pogniant. The relation to objects and placement and performance I really like about this work, but in connection to my paper casts I dont think they are too great an influence unfortunately. The do however bring something out in my imagination that I find very intreaguing, they relate to something I understand, and because of that, I am definately a fan.
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