In what ways can the work of Martin Boyce be seen as an act of memorializing? INTRODUCTION
This essay will serve to analyze four different aspects of Martin Boyce's work which can be interpreted as acts of memorial. It will explore methods of production, the context behind the work, materials used and the aesthetics of his installations. Insight from relevant theorists and critics, such as John Berger, Walter Benjamin and Nicolas Bourriaud, along with Boyce's own words, will be utilized and applied throughout the essay to underpin personal and possible social interpretations of Boyce's work. CONTEXT
The work is collectively titled, 'Sleeping Chimneys. Dead Stars.' Pioneering art critic and Marxist humanitarian, John Berger, wrote, …show more content…
This means that we can make sense of the work because of the ideas, thoughts and memories that we already hold, "the way we see things is affected by what we know or what we believe" (BERGER, J., 1972. Ways of Seeing. U.K.: Penguin, p. 8). His work is mostly blacks, whites, and neutrals, with the odd subdued colour making an appearance too. This is arguably reminiscent of eras gone by, with signals to old analogue photography, film noir and such. The hints of colour in muted reds, yellows and blues also have a dreamy feel, transporting one back to childhood days filled with soft shades of primary colours surrounding you, and perhaps the blurry, early-morning twinkling lights of many Christmases past. The colour pallet might also be seen as a subtle, almost subconscious, nod to the greyscale image of the concrete trees, that the Martels created in the 1920s – which was, crucially, the catalyst in forming the work Boyce is now renowned …show more content…
Poetry leads one into their own imagination and allows the reader to set their own scene and follow the outlined chain of events within their own minds. Similarly, the story-telling capabilities of Martin Boyce's work are what leads us on our own, retrospective journeys. Yet, it is undoubtedly the viewer (reader) of this work that allows this to happen and, in doing so, allows the act of memorialization; without seeing the work we cannot think of what it might represent, and thinking of what this represents for us personally allows us to connect with the visual language before
This essay will serve to analyze four different aspects of Martin Boyce's work which can be interpreted as acts of memorial. It will explore methods of production, the context behind the work, materials used and the aesthetics of his installations. Insight from relevant theorists and critics, such as John Berger, Walter Benjamin and Nicolas Bourriaud, along with Boyce's own words, will be utilized and applied throughout the essay to underpin personal and possible social interpretations of Boyce's work. CONTEXT
The work is collectively titled, 'Sleeping Chimneys. Dead Stars.' Pioneering art critic and Marxist humanitarian, John Berger, wrote, …show more content…
This means that we can make sense of the work because of the ideas, thoughts and memories that we already hold, "the way we see things is affected by what we know or what we believe" (BERGER, J., 1972. Ways of Seeing. U.K.: Penguin, p. 8). His work is mostly blacks, whites, and neutrals, with the odd subdued colour making an appearance too. This is arguably reminiscent of eras gone by, with signals to old analogue photography, film noir and such. The hints of colour in muted reds, yellows and blues also have a dreamy feel, transporting one back to childhood days filled with soft shades of primary colours surrounding you, and perhaps the blurry, early-morning twinkling lights of many Christmases past. The colour pallet might also be seen as a subtle, almost subconscious, nod to the greyscale image of the concrete trees, that the Martels created in the 1920s – which was, crucially, the catalyst in forming the work Boyce is now renowned …show more content…
Poetry leads one into their own imagination and allows the reader to set their own scene and follow the outlined chain of events within their own minds. Similarly, the story-telling capabilities of Martin Boyce's work are what leads us on our own, retrospective journeys. Yet, it is undoubtedly the viewer (reader) of this work that allows this to happen and, in doing so, allows the act of memorialization; without seeing the work we cannot think of what it might represent, and thinking of what this represents for us personally allows us to connect with the visual language before