doing diderot 20 april 2011 luxor live arnhem

On Wednesday April 20 Richard Sennett (author of "the craftsman") was the key-note lecturer in the Doing Diderot symposium in Arnhem. It was a pity he couldn't be there because he was ill, nevertheless the symposium was interesting.
In the whiskey bar of the Luxor Theatre I presented my research into Idolatry and Iconoclasm.
Next week the text will be translated and is going to be published here on this blog.

destruction & construction summary

Nine different states of the same drawing, the final state is the first image here above. While drawing today during the workshop we talked about construction and destruction. We tried to understand Piet Mondriaan's quote: "I think the destructive element is very much neglected in art". And that is why we made drawings by drawing a construction that had to be destructed afterwards. Tomorrow I am going to write more about this subject. So see you...

workshop number three

Yesterday, Wednesday April 14, the third workshop "intensive drawing" was held. Not many participants, but the participants there worked quite intensively with the rectangular grids of the golden ratio. We also worked with the proportions after the triangle of Kepler.
I was glad one of the teachers from the graphic department joined the workshop. I am not sure but a difference between departments where students have to do assignments like the graphic or the textile department and departments without commissions like fine arts, where the student has to explore his or her individuality, it is quite hard for them to work after an assignment. I don't want to generalise and I would like to know it better if students from fine arts, where they have to go deep into themselves, if they are less flexible to work after a system or assignment than students from departments which are more specific and concrete like graphic arts.
Drawing after a system or assignment which is given by someone, it isn't necessary to have ideas while working. You can build up a concentration where you discover the possibilities in the system and new inventions can happen.
You have to start.
Try to define some rules to start with.
Or try to be as precise as possible to visualise the principle idea.
The first and quick result doesn't matter.
Know that it is better to foresee a series of drawings to explore the principle or idea.
And try to get rid of personal taste and prejudices.



Two drawings of Luna Maurer, while drawing she got infected with the "there are so many possibilities microbe".



Two drawings of Rosa Doornenbal, she worked with the proportions construction of the triangle of Kepler. Because she likes the most the triangle, and dislikes the square and circle. Therefore it will be a challenge for Rosa to draw with parts of the circle next time.

workshop for 2 participants

Yesterday the second workshop was going on in the Pavilion. It was quite a disappointment that only two participants showed up. As organiser I am asking myself if it is that boring to draw after certain rules? Is it that rigid or stupid to draw after a plan which is going about the surface with it's specific properties? Difficult to know when almost everybody who signed in for the workshop stay at home.
How to get the attention of the participants? It isn't sexy to tell them that when boredom is coming up while drawing it is good to continue with the original idea or plan. To tell them it can be quite good to switch off the ego with it's superficial demands. Deny the first emotions of despair, laziness and boredom and conquer yourself. Perhaps than it is possible to get fascinated by the interesting problems which are there while drawing. Try to pay attention to the drawing process, try to remember how decisions are made, try to foresee and to anticipate the possibilities nearby.
So the next workshop I am going to offer free beer, good music and champagne in the afternoon to the participants who want to try to go beyond the first superficial emotions that are the obstacles for starting and continuing with a drawing.
It sounds as a session of psychotherapy...
The photo herewith is a workshop drawing made yesterday by René van Heel. He drew after the specific method of construction to become a rectangle with the proportions of the Golden Ratio.

continuing drawing with golden ratio

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2



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Started to play with the possibilities, three photo's above are showing the changing drawings. Continuing drawing is playing with possibilities already there when the first line is drawn. It is also a fight against boredom and laziness. Tomorrow during the workshop "intensive drawing" after this material about the golden ratio, I am curious how many participants can stay awake.
The best thing to do is to switch of or to eliminate the ego, so drawing itself can go on without sighs. A bit of desperation is the right mood to execute a drawing not foreseen and not existing until now.

golden ratio

Next Wednesday, march 31 2010, during the workshop "intensive drawing" I would like to propose that we are going to work with the "golden ratio". To inform what the "golden ratio" means herewith the wikipedia explanation :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio

The drawing above of the rectangle is constructed after the golden ratio, starting with a square of 21 x 21 cm. The drawing is made on a A3 sheet of paper : 42 x 29,7 cm. The golden ratio rectangle on the A3 sheet of paper has the dimensions 34 x 21 cm. I think this is the smallest golden ratio rectangle with natural numbers.
To bore and burn, to stand and fall, to unite and divide.

workshop "intensive drawing"

Today, wednesday we started with a workshop on drawing. Quite a lot of students from different departments from the Rietveld Academy joined the workshop. From 10:00 a.m. untill 5:00 p.m. we made drawings after the plan of three different sizes of paper with the same amount of square centimetres. Yesterday's post "artistic research in practise" is showing the concept where we worked with today. Herewith some results after a day of concentrated drawing. The names of the participants who made the drawings shown here are going to be blogged later on...