Michael Palmer

Come September and the re-opening of universities for the new intake of students has left little time for the graduating students to hold their annual degree shows. The undergraduate shows were held online in August with the postgraduates hoping to get a physical exhibition as their final showcase, unfortunately this was not possible, therefore this year’s exhibition will be held online as a virtual experience.

My original intention was to display three square paintings of approximately 100x100cm on a single free-standing wall in a linear formation, possibly with the addition of a single painting on the reverse side of the wall giving the exhibit a walk-around appearance. This wall would have been painted a dark maroon colour giving the exhibit an historical grandeur as seen in national collections such as London’s National Gallery or as seen in the Mark Rothko room at Tate Modern. Tate uses the background wall colour to great effect; Rothko wanted the viewers complete absorption in the work and to have a “deliberately oppressive atmosphere” (Tate, n.d) This serves the purpose of giving the works, and by extension, the pandemic a recorded solemnity in history.

The virtual exhibition will consist of up to 5 images of my paintings photographed individually and as a group together with accompanying text. Although disappointed in not being able to hold a physical degree show I am still incredibly pleased and proud of my accomplishments this year, especially considering what has happened in 2020. UCA will still be printing the annual degree show catalogue to accompany the virtual show. (studio images, 2020)

The painting entitled ‘Black Hanger’ (2020) 91.4×91.4cm, was inspired by an online stock photograph of clothes hanging in an open window. This painting develops my thought process surrounding the fears and anxieties over Coronavirus, with lockdown and the easing of restrictions, but also with a heightened sense of mortality.

The square format reminiscent of digital images seen on a mobile phone or computer programme as thumbnails disguises the rectangular composition of the scene. The focus of attention lays with the coat hanging figuratively just off centre, the paint applied thickly with a palette knife then scraped backed leaving just the trace of colour yet still feels solid and textural, the three horizontal lines momentarily block progress through the painting, the black side panels frame but also restrict, the outside scene looks inviting, but I’m uneasy.

This painting exemplifies the image and colours, although not always the anecdotal meaning of a rainbow. Created by the interaction of water droplets and sunlight by means of refraction rainbows always appear in the section of the sky directly opposite the sun, with the sun behind the viewer the addition of strong shadows or silhouettes are often present. Due to the dispersion of light and the angle at which the rainbow is seen the prominent and highest colours are always red first then orange, as seen in the painting, the lower colours follow from yellow, green, blue, indigo then violet. The rainbow is also the main component of the composition linking the buildings and drawing the eye upwards. Inspired by a photograph taken from my own balcony after a short spell of rainfall. There is also a loose semiotic connection with the rainbow and the recent NHS adoption of the image.

The Battle Outside Rages (2020), depicts a 1960’s London apartment block constructed from concrete, whilst its architecture is in a ‘Brutalist’ manor the slight colour variations in the decoration interested me and showed the local authority may have tried to brighten up its austere appearance. However, this powder puff façade could not hide the overbearing sense of decay and poverty. The source image highlighted to me the feeling thousands of people have been experiencing over the last few months of Covid-19 lockdown and the inability for many to access green space and gardens, the sense of feeling trapped, restrained and restricted. This feeling is heightened in this kind of architecture due to its very nature, the walkway railings like bars of a prison and the cold materials hark back to darker days of our history.

The painting simplifies the lines and tones but tries to brighten the context. We are still in the grip of the pandemic, trust, optimism, and clarity are still in short supply, the barriers that are there to protect us also restrain us. Outside the fight goes on…

Whilst still awaiting grades and feed back from my stage 2 assessment and with the continuing lockdown restrictions in place the ability to create art has been a challenge, not least the availability of materials but also the enthusiasm to pursue new things.

I have been reading Painting Beyond Itself: The Medium in the Post Modern Condition by Isabelle Graw, which is excellent so far and I will add a review at some point. I have also been very interested in the late 19th century art movement, Les nabis, with the work of artists such as Edouard Vuillard (1), Paul Ranson (2) and Pierre Bonnard (3) et’al. together with contemporary artists like Frank Bowling (4) and Brice Marden (5). The connection between all these artists is their use of material, form and colour field abstraction, even before the term and been coined. I feel all these new ideas and associations will percolate through and further enhance my practice.

Working Title/Artist: The Terrace at VernonnetDepartment: Modern and Contemporary ArtCulture/Period/Location: HB/TOA Date Code: Working Date: 1939 photography by mma, Digital File:DP318872.tif retouched by film and media (kah) 05_02_14

Mirror 1964-6 Frank Bowling born 1934 Presented by the artist, Rachel Scott, and their 4 children: Benjamin and Sacha Bowling, Marcia and Iona Scott 2013 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/T13936

12th May 2020 – A one day field project to go out for an hour to a green space near to where one lives to interact, intervene, disrupt and record nature in a manner that befits ones individual practice. Of course without leaving a lasting trace or impact on the site once finished.

My chosen destination was the river Wey and canal bank adjacent to my house in Surrey called Lammas Land. I recorded what I saw and heard through photography, sketching and recording the ambient sounds on my phone. – The sound recording was done in the style of John Cage’s 4’33 seconds. I sat on a bench next to the river and recorded the ambient sounds for exactly 4’33. The playback revealed a multitude of sounds from bird song and the wind moving the reeds and bushes to people talking, children playing, cyclists riding past on the gravel and the odd dog bark. – The photography included traditional shots of the river and river bank, wild flowers, insects and birds, together with manmade, found objects like drinks cans, signs and litter. – The sketches were similar.

After an hour I returned home and began with printing off the individual photographs in order to construct a paper collage for the experience. The resulting 16x16cm collage consisted of 6 photographs with conflicting perspectives and scale to reveal an impossible yet recognisable view of Lammas Land.

This work relates to my practice not in painting, but in the use of source photographic images from my own archive and the manipulation into a heterotopian vision, it is of now, recognisable, yet disfunctional as a real space, a synthesis of what was there and how it can be altered, ‘other’. The message on the drinks can sums it up.

The Lammas Lands are the remains of a medieval field system and were derived from the practice of keeping livestock off the land whilst crops were growing from Feb – Aug each year, this time was known traditionally as Lammas. – Lammas is believed to derive from the old English ‘Loaf Mass’, a ceremony that celebrated the bringing in of the corn, a forerunner to the harvest festival. (Credit: Godalming Town Museum). In modern times Lammas Land is still used for grazing but now acts as a flood defence for the river Wey.

5th May 2020 – Our scheduled MA symposium went ahead as planned, thankfully, but due to the continued lockdown it was held online with ZOOM. This altered the format somewhat but went off with relative ease. The 20 minute presentation was followed by 5 minutes of questions gathered by the host (tutor). The presentation was an edited transcript of the essay which accompanies this unit together with a PowerPoint of 20 slides.

The presentation expressed my personal thoughts and understanding of spaces, both public and private and how public building interiors are viewed, especially when affected by the lockdown, empty theatres and churches for example. Looking through the theoretical lens of the Heterotopia combined with working methodologies  of photography and the importance of painting as a medium of expression.

Artists featured were: Titian, Walter Sickert, Dexter Dalwood and myself. Theorists and authors included: Michel Foucault, Walter Benjamin, Roland Barthes, Joel Anderson, Wendy Baron, Patricia Ellis, Michael McLuhan and Walter Russell Mead.

The reaction to the presentation was very good with the audience seeming to approve and the subsequent questioning was relevant and varied. The virtual experience was also better than anticipated and probably made the talking a little easier, however, I did miss the human interaction with the audience in the traditional auditorium symposium setting. The paradox of the situation was lost on some of the attendees however, the topic of the talk was a bout our perceived utopian society and use of public buildings, their design and architecture to be occupied by the privileged few with levels of admittance being discretionary, those of faith or the ability to purchase a ticket, yet during lockdown these theatres including the lecture theatre we were all due to be in was closed, with admittance denied, not by wealth or secular issues but by a disease.

” The weight of this sad time we must obey; speak what we feel, not what we ought to say. The oldest hath borne most: we that are young, shall never see so much, nor live so long. ” (Shakespeare, King Lear, act v, sc iii)

This line from King Lear, eloquently sums up the current emotion surrounding covid-19 and the continued lockdown. This is an art blog and as such I refer to the latest painting in the theatre interior series. The painting entitled The Weight of This Sad Time We Must Obey: refers directly to the Shakespeare quote. The source image for the painting, unlike the previous works in the series which were of the Royal Opera House in London,  was an online stock photo of a theatre which I reimagined.

The painting, now more reminiscent of a movie theatre or cinema with relaxed, comfortable seating, drinks holders and characteristic neon lighting, the panoramic canvas (100x50cm) also eludes to the silver screen giving a dramatic cinematic feel with a clear emphasis on the main character, the highlighted central seat, which appears open, whilst the rest of the theatre denies us. This painting like those of Walter Sickert and Dexter Dalwood are offering the possibility of admission, almost inviting us to visit, however, attendance is not possible, these spaces are, for now, off limits to us. Shakespeare’s King Lear, is a tragic tale of a sickly King who bequeaths his power and land to two of his three daughters, after they erroneously declare their love for him, the tale not surprisingly ends in tragedy.

Prior to lockdown my practice was well underway focussing on two main exhibitions, Unsettling Focus a group show of current MA fine art students studying at UCA Farnham to be held at the James Hockey Gallery, due to open 30 March 2020 and a London exhibition possibly being held at Lewisham Art House. With the first being postponed and the latter not getting off the ground all exhibitions were being transformed into online and virtual experiences. Art, culture, and dissemination does not stop, merely how it is consumed has altered… for now.
In the months preceding lockdown ideas and theories relating to the use of public space had preoccupied my thoughts: what the space had been designed for and how, if at all it was used for alternative uses, if so, how this manifest itself into daily life, exploring the notions of public spaces not occupied by the public. While vacant, these spaces were deserted and quiet. For example, a car park devoid of cars or an empty, silent theatre – a theme which now seems akin to prophecy in the light of Covid-19’s effect on public spaces. In stark reality an empty cathedral on Easter Sunday is a synthesis of a dystopian reality. The building framework was built by men for worship and yet without the presence of men the space becomes redundant and increasingly ethereal or sacred like an elaborately decorated mausoleum. Inside time stands still as it has done for centuries almost taking the cathedral into a clandestine dimension. It is non-functional and redundant of its public purpose. Easter did not stop, devotion and prayer did not stop, which begs the question, is congregational attendance necessary for worship? Likewise, if visitors cannot attend a gallery can an exhibition be seen? Thankfully in a world of social media and internet resources the answer is yes.

Lockdown