Look at Me!

Aug 2 2021

Part 1 of our summer project at Perth UHI was about looking.

I visited Glasgow International - Scotland’s biennale of contemporary visual art. The festival theme was - attention: how we observe things and the people around us….very apt for this project.

Favourite work

This was Technical Support from Eva Rothschild’s exhibition Peak Times at The Modern Institute. The exhibition consisted of 14 works in the main room, 1 screening in a separate room and an outdoor work.

About The Artist

Eva Rothschild is an Irish artist known for her casting of sculptural objects that emphasise the relationship between balance and support.

Rothchilds is influenced by minimal art of the 1960s and ‘70s, and the contemporary aesthetics of protest and spirituality.

She is interested in the transformative power of looking and encourages visitors to experience both a physical and an aesthetic response.

Analysis

I was drawn to this work straight away as it has similarities to my final HND project where I painted an outdoor Victorian clothes pole in bright colours/patterns.

A contradictory work – powerfully reaching from floor to ceiling as if it is structurally essential, however there is a nervous feeling it may topple.

It reminds me of a totem pole (with a symbolic meaning perhaps?) and the bright colours really stand out against the white of the room. It has a playful feeling to it - similar it to a kids Lego tower.

Interesting use of ordinary items and careful colour planning.

Repetitive, possibly suggesting life’s continual struggles or feelings of claustrophobia and a feeling the walls are closing in around us.

Modular design and it could be transformed to the height of any room/space...So, does the room height determine the work, or does the work determine the room height?

Eva Rothchilds

Technical Support (2021)

Cast Jesmonite tape rolls

540 x 15 x 15 cm