Make SomethingARC / Seminar

October 2014 - May 2015

A Constructed World & Vanessa Theodoropoulou

Semester 1

Megan GAINSLEY Abel JALLAIS Margaux BRUJERE Elric HAMICHE Emilie LECOQ Correntin CARDINAUD Vincent REYNAUD Thomas WATTEBLED Nolwenn GOUZIEN Pauline BAILLEMONT Kèchao ZHANG Julie MAQUET Leo LABATOT Payel SUTRADHAY Camille MANCY Mar CATALAN MOLINA

Semester 2

Tanguy BEHAGHEL Yifei WANG Megan GAINSLEY Abel JALLAIS Margaux BRUJERE Elric HAMICHE Emilie LECOQ Chloé CHERONNET Charlotte ORSINI Charles DUBOIS Simon PUIROUX Corentin CARDINAUD Laurene GUERIN Vincent REYNAUD Jyotirmoy SAHA Jhuma KUNDU Subhadra ACHARYA Akhijith VELLUVA Clemence BANCHAREL DIT CAREL

In the 1990’s American artist David Hammons regularly visited the apartment of a friend in the west village in Manhattan. He gradually began a work, smearing the natural grease from his thumb and finger on section of her white cube style apartment wall. Over time he built up a pulsating rectangle, not unlike a Rothko, from what was ready-to-hand and easy to add to at each visit.

Whilst the work was monumental it had a small efficacy and no doubt was painted over when the apartment was sold in the early 2000s. Yet he made-something, something-happened, this story is in admiration and testament of that. Without the market, proof or documentation, the work has the potential to live on as an event and aesthetic (shared) experience that ‘happened’.

Without being able to quantify what we know has happened, and also being aware there may be good reason to stay-beneath-the-radar of official art manners, how can we begin to acknowledge what we have made and shared together in this class without losing what was declared as mutually important in the first place? By free-forming (together) we reconsider the event and its documentation and what maybe be important for us in a group in this particular space and time, at this school.

I was concerned about the social interactions in our weekly meetings. I was interested in how little things would parasite discussions so I presented a sound piece exploring this idea.

Interpretation of these ideas by drums

Some questions about the ‘being together’ / improvisation with rules and the ‘quality’ of the produced objects in these cases.

Des accords is a series of performances composed by a duo and two accordions that act like a recorder. .

I did a performance with all Indian students in Salle bois. They were in the middle of the room and I played some field recordings that I’d recorded. Everything was completely dark..

Notes: An account of what has been happening

Abel talked about the In and Out box installation he made with Correntin. Everyone engaged with this work, making requests and receiving an art work in return.

Vincent discussed the group. He feels it is functioning in a pro-ductive way. He likes the morning installations and says we are parasiting on each other. He likes the way things were going on in parallel. Yifei talked about the colours work that the international students made. And her engagement with the other students.

Chloé talked about the ephemeral nature of the works, nature and artifice and how some works are art works and some are not. And about action and sharing.

Charlotte talked about Jhuma’s dance piece - Happy Holy Text, the cat someone brought, the box of ideas, the performance in a dark room and Jyo’s performance.

Emilie talked about Jhuma’s dance piece. She studied hip hop and she talked about the difference between the two genre.

Megan talked about the discussion around no documentation, the way we are dependent on each other, the unexpected things, attempts to create fertile ground, people being open to their work being compromised.

Margaux felt free to try things she hadn’t done before.

Subhadra spoke about Simon’s work, she loved it, she found it ‘touching’ and liked the ritualistic aspect to it.

A couple of people in the group were a bit worried that the new people were not integrated and wanted to include them more..

I said that I thought the works presented in the room considered the space and the other people’s installations. I talked about documentation the breakfast and the sad faces - general consen-sus was they are happy. I said I’d like a few people in the group to speak more and everyone agreed, some people think there is still more discussion to be had.

Then finally we spoke about the installation Chloé and Charlotte made - a few people commented that it’s like a wave, an earth-quake, a memorial wall.

I didn’t offer much of my presence but I offered discussions, and material for speeches.

I offered a lot of critcism (this is sad). But I wanted things to go on.

Life and pain and gay life.

Another approach to what is usually presented (performance) by presenting installation - Translating for others - explaining texts no one read. Coming every week and keeping an account.

Each accordion is used as a reader of the performer’s body. As they walk they open when the right foot touch the floor and close when the left on goes down. The «soufflet» of each accordion opens and closes to the performer’s lung beat.