Royal Academy of Arts - Summer Exhibition 2015

The Royal Academy of Art’s Summer Exhibition was held this year from 8 June to 16 August 2015 and was curated by Michael Craig-Martin. From 12,000 submissions, it was whittled down to 1,100 showcasing a spectrum of artwork ranging from prints, paintings photography to installations, showing off a summer worth of vibrant art. Some of the artworks will be sold off to fund for RA’s free tuitions which has been offered for nearly 250 years.
The artworks able to viewed and admired in person, but the artworks are available online which can be viewed individually or done as a digital tour of the gallery. Not only that, this exhibition is has a sense of inclusiveness where visitors can immediately experience the exhibition even without a ticket to the event such as Conrad Shawcross’s The Dappled Light of the Sun which was situated on the outside in the courtyard of RA. Visitors are then dazzled and enticed by the colours of Jim Lambie’s Kaleidoscope Staircase as it leads up to the exhibition’s main doors.

The exhibition as a whole as it plays every detail of placements and colours combined with different art that plays on the tip of the tongue. This is apparent in the vision of Michael Craig-Martin as he has complete visuals and control as he plays on the use of space through different mediums. An example is of the Lecture Room, where I find that too much sculptures in one room can power over each other sometimes, but the use of sky blue-coated rooms in the room create space for each sculpture to breath and truly be appreciated individually.

Below are some works that were featured in the exhibition:

Matthew Darby Shire - Captcha No. 11 (Doryphoros)

Nigel O'Neill - 5 Colour Painting 4 and 5

Michael Craig-Martin - Untitled (Watch)

Gumuchdjian Architects - Lake Spa & Garden Pool

Liam Gillick - Applied Projection Rig

 #SummerExhibition

 

DNA Trail

Cancer Research have come up with 21 giant DNA sculptures inspired by the DNA double helix form, which are designed by artists, designers and sculptors around the world. They form a trail around London to raise aware and funds to put forwards in constructing the Francis Crick Institute in King’s Cross to carry out research and make breakthroughs. The trail is being held from 29 June to 6 September 2015 (10 weeks) with the Auction taking place in September.

I found that it was much more preferable to go during the weekday when the offices and galleries are open, which I found the hard way when I approached some complexes to only find out that it was closed. If you want to get up close and see the sculptures directly in front of you, then the best shot would be the weekdays. Even more to the fact I mainly chose the wrong times to go searching for these sculptures (peak lunchtime!) and having to tell a lot of people to hop off so I can point my camera and snap. It’s also a far-reaching opportunity to visit sites such as the Royal Opera House, head down to South Kensington for a trio of museums or even do some shopping in the West End. Along the trail, there are facts about the DNA found on each sculpture plaque.

Changes were made to Ted's Helix of Haberdashery by Ted Baker, which had a cat and mouse pieces affixed on it, but were sadly removed until they are replaced on auction due to the mouse sustaining damage (I suspect foul play).

1. The Journey by Guy Portelli - Royal Albert Hall, South Steps, SW7 2AP

2. Untitled 1 by Ai Weiwei - Christie’s window, 85 Old Brompton Rd, SW7 3LD

3. Colours Through Speed by Ian Callum, Director of Design, Jaguar - South Kensington Station, Pelham Street, SW7 2NB

4. Growing Stem by Orla Kiely - Dovehouse Green, King's Road, SW3 5UF

5. Double Helix Noir by Thierry Noir - Duke of York Square, King's Road, SW3 4LY

6. Double Dutch Delft Blue DNA by Chris & Xand van Tulleken - Victoria Station, near WH Smith, SW1E 5ND

7. Soul by Aston Martin - Cardinal Place window, 80 Victoria Street, SW1E 5JL

8. Mayoral Helix by Mayor of Westminster - Great George Street, outside No. 10, SW1P 3AE

9. Ted's Helix of Haberdashery by Ted Baker - Broadwick Street near Carnaby Street, W1F 9PE

10. Silver by Michael Howells - Top of South Molton Street, Bond Street, W1K 5RG

11. Untitled 2 by Ai Weiwei - Darren Baker Gallery window, 81 Charlotte Street, W1T 4PP

12. Life by Darren Baker - Trafalgar Square, WC2H 0HE

13. Creativity for Survival by Pilar Enrich - Trafalgar Square, WC2H 0HE

14. Enigma by Jane Morgan - Coutts window, The Strand, WC2R 0Q

15. Helix by Zaha Hadid - Stamp Staircase Basement, South Wing, Somerset House, WC2R 1LA

16. Chromo by Tim Ashley - Waterloo Station, outside M&S, SE1 8SW

17. Birth of the Universe by Andrew Logan - Festival Gardens, St Paul's, EC4M 8AD

18. After The Race by Ross Brawn - Peter's Hill, St Paul's, EC4V 5EY

19. Bios by Nick Gentry - Barbican Centre, Foyer of Cinema 2 & 3, Beech Street, EC2Y 8AE

20. Orange Tree by Leyla Aliyeva - King's Cross Station, near Leon, N1C 4T

21. Ascension - Twisted Ladder in Wood by Benjamin Shine - St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, Euston 

#DNAtrail

Hans Haacke - Gift Horse

A bronze sculpture can be found on the Fourth Plinth of Trafalgar Square. It comes in a form of a skeletal horse that is Hans Haacke’s Gift Horse. It was unveiled on 5 March 2015, becoming the 10^th commissioned art installation for the Fourth Plinth. It’ll be taken down on 6 March 2016.

Strangely enough, the Fourth Plinth was originally intended to have a statue of William IV on horseback but due to lack of funds, it did not materialise.

The sculpture was inspired by a painting of Inspired by a painting of George Stubbs (The Anatomy of the Horse, 1766), which can be found in the National Gallery. The sculpture is done as a tribute to George Stubbs and economist Adam Smith. Haacke describes it as “an invitation to think about whether the invisible hand of the market does promote general welfare or whether there's a misunderstanding, or whether it is totally wrong."

With the apparent skeletal features of the horse, a LED live FSTE 100 ticker of London’s Stock Exchange in a form of a bow/ribbon is attached a leg of the Gift Horse. This of course beings about the intended notion for “experimentation and debate” looking at money and power through an art form. The sculpture weighs at 1,700kg and is 4.57m tall.

#FourthPlinth

John Aldus - Tokens

John Aldus’s Tokens, were made in 2009, were installed on Marchmont Parade on Marchmont Street. In total there are 20 pieces of “Tokens” altogether. The Marchmont Parade was created in partnership between the Marchmont Association., Camden Council, Allied London Properties, Hermes, Brunswick TRA and John Aldus. The installation was opened in summer 2010.

Marchmont Street and Brunswick Centre were built on the Foundling Estate where Foundling Hospital stood. The story behind Foundling Hospital was that Thomas Coram was disgusted by the appalling conditions of the very poor and socially excluded children were living in describing it as “left to die on dung hills”. This led him to gather a set of influential Governors (William Hogarth and George Frederic Handel) seek the royal patronage of King George II. He built the Foundling Hospital in 1739 which became Britain’s first home for abandoned children.

Mothers would leave so that when they were in a potentially a better position, they will return and reclaim their child. As a way to know who their child was if they find that they are able to return, the mothers would leave token with a lot of them taking forms of a heart, one of which has become one of Aldus’s token. The tokens, most of which can now be found at the Foundling Museum, became symbols of the social history of the times when mothers were reduced to handing in their children in hopes of a better future as a reason of poverty and rules of society.

Another story behind one of Aldus’s Token is the circular coloured pieces on two of the pavement slabs. When mothers wanted to give in their child into the Hospital, they had to pick from either a bag for either for the boys or the girls accordingly to their child’s gender. Candles were snuffed out to protect the mothers’ anonymity as they enter the room. From the bags, came three coloured balls:

• White – Child would be checked to see if they were deemed able to survive through medical tests and permitted into the Hospital should they pass.
• Red – Re-entered into the ballot should a mother’s child with the white ball fail the medical test.
• Black – the mother was immediately escorted off the premises with their child.

Aldus’s Tokens are enlarged metal representations of the tokens can be found along the Marchmont Parade:

If you’re popping around to see Tokens, pop around into the Foundling Museum too where you’ll find the original tokens. Just nearby is Coram’s Fields where they have a peculiar policy of allowing access to any adult if they have a child with them. You can find concept design, sketches and models of Tokens on John Aldus's website.

#Tokens

Royal Opera House - Globe Head Ballerina

The Globe Head Ballerina fashioned from the mina of Yinka Shonibare was installed on the outside of the Royal Opera House facing Russell Street on Tuesday 19 June 2012. It will be there for a duration of 5 years up until Sunday 18 June 2017.

Inspired by photographs of Margot Fonteyn, Shonibare created a sculpture that was modelled on the ballerina soloist Melissa Hamilton. The figure is encased in a snow globe as it rotates slowly inside it reminiscent of a musical jewellery box.

The tutu is made with fabrics that have become a signature of Shonibare’s work, choosing colours adopted from the African identity, which I find is of a peculiar mix. Especially given the African dance styles are a lot different to the styles of a ballerina.

“This piece is about bringing the childhood sense of magic and wonder to the façade of the Royal Opera House in a very grown up piece of public sculpture that can be enjoyed by all. It’s like a life-size fairytale ballerina jewellery box that will spin” – Yinka Shonibare

#GlobeHeadBallerina