John Malkovich & Me ;o)

Snow Angel
Uploaded by angels_in_the_snow

I was pleasantly surprised to receive an email from Sony the other day, telling me that they had commissioned an animation from the script writing competition that I had entered and won. And here it is, 'Snow Angel'.

If you scroll down to the 'Interesting Sites and Blogs' section on the left of the screen and click on 'John Malkovich On-Line Script Project' you can view the original script for the animation. John Malkovich's piece is scene 1 and mine is scene 2.

Me at The Battersea Contemporary Art Fair

BCAF_2008 015, originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

This is me and my stand at the 2008 Battersea Contemporary Art Fair. The fair took place at the Battersea Arts Centre from the 16th-18th May.

It was pretty tiring doing the stand but I met some fantastic people and there was a lot of interest in my work. The three most popular pieces that I exhibitied were the sculpture, Nail Box, and the two paintings Kitchen Blue (seen here in the photo) and The Ambassadors. I had to keep on my toes for the entire time I was there because Nail Box was sitting on top of a tall thin plinth and people kept catching their clothes and bags on it as they leaned in for a closer look. More than once I had to make a lunge to catch it as it tried to leave with a visitor.

Most people think that the figure in the painting, Kitchen Blue, is a bloke but it's actually a girl called Joolz. She just had very short hair at the time.

Battersea Contemporary Art Fair (16-18 May)

'Spidie Pods' Print, originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

Yes - I know I've used this image in my blog before but as I've been using it in all my press releases to advertise my stand at this week's Battersea Contemporary Art Fair I thought I could get away with using it again.

I do have a very limited supply of two for the price of one tickets to the fair so if anyone out there would like me to post them one just email me your address and I'll pop one in the post to you. But be quick - you know what the postal service is like. Here's my email address - w.chisnall@vam.ac.uk

The Battersea Contemporary Art Fair, which takes place Friday 16th - Sunday 18th May 2008, is one of the largest and most popular independent art exhibitions in the UK. Now in its sixteenth year, the fair will once again take place at the Battersea Art Centre, showcasing around 150 artists.

I will be at stand L28 and will mostly be showing 2D work including Spidie Pods and The Ambassadors. Some of my smaller sculptural pieces will also be on display.

My popular Spidie Pods print (see image above) will also be available for sale at a special Fair price of £100. This limited edition, hand-printed, silk-screen print is on acid-free, archival high grade paper. Each print is signed and numbered (edition of 300). Dimensions: 58 x 53 cm.

Maria Newton, director of BCAF, comments: "The Battersea Contemporary Art Fair is tried and tested triumph for both artists and buyers. By cutting out the industry 'middlemen', the public enjoy keen prices and personal interaction with the artists, and our competitive stand costs ensure that the fair is on the map for fresh talent and established exhibitors alike."
Wayne Chisnall comments: "I love the buzz and the informal nature of art fairs. Being able to meet the person who has bought your work and find out what it means to them is amazing. Art fairs are also great opportunities for the public to chat to artists and find out what the artwork is really about."

When: May 16-18 May 2008 Where: Battersea Art Centre Lavender Hill London SW11 Time: Fri - 6-9pm (with drinks and live jazz music) Sat - 11-5pm Sun - 11-5pm Tickets: £7 (concessions £4)

www.bcaf.info

Exhibition @ Strychnin Gallery London

The City (close up 1), originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

I've just been invited by the lovely people at Strychnin Gallery to be a guest artist at the new show in their London Gallery. The pieces that I will be exhibiting are 'The City' (see image above) and 'Pelvis'.

Here are the exhibition details -

'In The Absence Of Colour' (a black and white group show)
Opening Night - Friday 9th May, 7pm
Duration of show - 9th May - 9th June

Strychnin Gallery
65 Hanbury Street (off Brick Lane)
London E1 5JP
www.strychnin.com

Opening times - Friday through Sunday (12 noon until 6 pm)

What You Own Will Finally Own You (work in progress)

WHAT YOU OWN WILL FINALLY OWN YOU (work in progress), originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

After meeting Luigi Vernieri, Editor and Art Director of FEFE magazine, at an exhibition of work by street artists in Shoreditch, I was invited to be one of the 25 artists to feature in and create a new piece for the next issue of the magazine.
This pencil drawing is the initial stage of the painting that I’m now working on.
The brief for each artist is to realize the theme of the magazine by interpreting a line of dialogue, selected from a movie. The phrase for this coming issue is ‘ WHAT YOU OWN WILL FINALLY OWN YOU’, which is a line that succinctly sums up one of the main issues that I try to deal with in much of my sculptural work.
Oddly enough, I noticed this same line crop up in the book, ‘Bonfire Of The Brands’, written by a friend, Neil Boorman. Because a lot of my work centres on the premise that one of the main things in life that tie us down is our addiction to things (that we are possessed by our possessions) I told him about my interest in the phrase and asked him where it came from. I shouldn’t really have had to ask as it comes from ‘Fight Club’, one of my favourite films.

“FEFE is an experimental Italian project, projected towards innovation and the search for new ideas in the world of communication and visual arts.The magazine is distributed in Europe, Asia, America and Australia.The acronym FEFE (Free Entry Free Exit) represents a group of individuals who have created an international magazine with the objective to reunite creators of visual arts invited to participate in its initiative.In each issue we invite 25 artists, a child and a writer.”

Pelvis Maquette (detail 1)

Pelvis Maquette (detail 1), originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

I made this piece as a maquette for a large scale outdoor sculpture. As the title suggests, it is based upon the pelvis, although as you can see from the legs and spinal column, it has been stylised some what and the form reduced.
To see a full length view and more detailed images of this piece you can check out the Painting and Sculpture gallery on my flickr account. Clicking on the image above will take you to that account.

A Big Thank You To Nico & Co

I'd like to say a big thank you to Nico and the rest of the team at Club VAIO, not only for intergrating my blog into their site but also for coming to my rescue with a new VAIO laptop just as my poor old Mac (which had been a bit senile of late) finally kicked the bucket.

Cheers guys

Rickety Lens Structure Sketch

Rickety Lens Structure Sketch, originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

This is one of many working drawings that relate to the tower sculpture that I am currently working on (see work in progress photo below). I find these working drawings very useful. Some times the sketches and the finished sculpture bear a close resemblance. At other times they don’t. This is usually because either, in working the idea out on paper, I see the flaws in a particular idea or because a certain material that I decide to use might suggest another line of enquiry.
There seem to be two separate ways that I work as a sculptor. One where I have a set idea for a piece and where I set about making it so that it matches that original vision and another where I have a very loose idea for a sculpture and I simply let the materials and the chosen mode of construction dictate the end result. Although, it’s often a mixture of the two.

Untitled Tower (work in progress 2)

Untitled Tower (work in progress 2), originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

This is the corner section of a new tower sculpture that I'm working on. It has a couple of magnified lenses in the upper section which will eventually act as windows into a framed viewing platform. Apart from working on a few of the smaller details and framework, I'll probably put this section aside for a while and start work on some of the other sections. Then see how I can join them together. This is a slightly different way of working for me so it's proving to be quite a slow but interesting process. The only problem (and bonus) with working like this is that the process generates so many ideas for new sculptures. Sculptures that I'd love to start making but will probably never have the time to finish.

'Spidie Pods' Print

'Spidie Pods' Print, originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

Just a quick reminder that I still have copies of this print for sale. Also, I have found a company, 'Eden Image', who can make up really great lookin white box frames that go perfectly with the print.

Here's the print's details -

Limited edition, hand-printed, silk-screen prints on acid-free, archival high grade paper. Signed and numbered. Edition of 300.
Title: ‘Spidie Pods’.
Dimensions: 58 x 53 cm.
Price: 100 pounds
To buy a print contact me at w.chisnall@vam.ac.uk

Alternatively you can buy this print from:
Beyond The Valley, 2 Newburgh St. London, W1F 7RD (020 7437 7338)
F-art, Cheshire St. off Brick Lane, East London (020 77295411)

Skeletal Components Sketch

Skeletal Components Sketch, originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

This was just a quick sketch that I did. I was playing with the idea making some peculiar skeletal figures from bits of wire, string, old bones, broken tools and whatever else I could find lying around. For some strange reason my scanner and computer (which appears to be going a bit senile) seem to have taken a dislike to this sketch. Neither of them would recognise it and it took weeks before I finaly managed to get it scanned.

Crutch & Tumour Box Sketch

Crutch & Tumour Box Sketch, originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

When I first had the idea for my 'Crutch & Tumour Box' sculpture I didn't have my sketch book to hand so I quickly scribbled down this thumb-nail sketch (afraid that I would have otherwise forgetten the idea) on a piece of scrap paper and taped it into my sketch book at a later date. Even though this is little more a scribbly little doodle I get quite precious about my drawings and sketch books. I suppose they are the hard copy manifestations of my creative thoughts.
After nearly loosing half of my sketch books to a recent flood in my studio I really should take better care of them. Time to invest in some water-proof containers, 'me thinks'.

Magnet

Magnet, originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

I know this is a bit short notice but if anyone is planning to go along to the Affordable Art Fair in Battersea Park this weekend please pop along and have a look at this piece that I have showing at the Stark Gallery stand (K8). Alternatively you can view it the following week at the Stark Gallery on 386 Lee High Road, Lee Green, London SE12 8RW.
I would have mentioned me showing my work at the fair earlier but this was a bit of a last minute thing that only came about through last night's private view.

Title: Magnet
Dimensions: 112 x 46 x 46 cm
Materials: plastic toys, wood and casters

Suck Pod Sketch

Suck Pod Sketch, originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

This drawing came about after joking about what might happen if genetic engineering and the sex toy industry ever got together.

'& When I'm a Man (I'll Think As a Man)', Wayne Chisnall

'& When I'm a Man (I'll Think As a Man)', Wayne Chisnall, originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

I've posted an image of this piece because this year is the tenth anniversary of the year that I properly became a sculptor and this sculpture was the starting point. Although, technically speaking I started making the molds for it in the latter part of 1997.

A couple of years after I first exhibitied this piece I started getting emails and phone calls from friends asking if I was exhibiting it in different galleries all over the place. It turned out that a few other artists had made similar sculptures after I had made mine. I suppose there was a bit of a zeitgeist thing going on. I'd be interested to know if anyone had made something similar before 1998.

Ironically, 'And When I'm A Man' is probably the largest sculpture that I have made to date. Most of my current sculptural work tends to be made up of small detailed components that grow outwards or upwards.

As well as being made from 12 separate body casts of myself (a self portrait, I suppose) 'And When I'm A Man' is based on the type of model kit that I used to buy as a child. When creating the piece I was interested in childhood perceptions of adulthood and the role that toys played in this, as I noticed that many figurative toys were that of adult characters.

Date: 1998
Dimensions: 230 x 170 x 18 cm
Materials: fibreglass, resin & plastic.

Sleeping Beauty Box (interior)

Sleeping Beauty Box (interior)4, originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

This is an interior shot of my 'Sleeping Beauty Box'.
In making this box sculpture my intention was to create a piece that from the outside appeared quite dull and ordinary. Yet, when you peered through its window you could imagine that you were looking at a scene from a fairy tale or a dream. This piece was also heavily influenced by the work of animators such as the Brothers Quay and Jan Svankmajer. I have always been facinated with animation and I sometimes think that many of my sculptures, especially the box and tower ones, resemble parts of animated film sets. I like to think of this interior shot as a still from a film that doesn't exist.

Entrail Plasma Box Sketch

Entrail Plasma Box Sketch, originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

I seem to have an obsession with wheeled boxes that trail entrails behind them. I think it might be something to with the conflict between man-made geometric forms and the biomorphic aspect of the natural world. Or maybe it’s something to do with the body being seen as this pristine box that tries to deny the existence of its viscous, smelly and often rebellious insides. There’s probably something deeply Freudian going on.
Anyway - this is the most recent drawing and it’s for an idea that I had that requires the use of a plasma cutter and a welder. Unfortunately I don’t yet have a plasma cutter so this particular project has been put on the back burner.

The Ambassadors (with side view)

The Ambassadors (with side view), originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

'The Ambassadors' takes its figurative element from a photograph that appeared in many of the British tabloids some years ago. It shows a fight between some English and Turkish 'football fans'.
This photo shows the side view of the painting where you can see how the lines sheer off over the edge. The white line of the drawing is actually the primed surface showing through, so when you actually view the piece in the flesh, so to speak, your eye fluctuates slightly between the painted surface and the line drawing below. This can give the impression that the line of the drawing vibrates slightly.

Hairy Tower Sketch

Working Drawing 03, originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

This sketch is of a sculpture that I've been planning for some time now. Its for a piece that would be a hybrid between my 'Fetish Tower' piece, which is made of human hair, and my sculpture, 'The City', which is predominently made of wood. It will be interesting to see how much the end result looks like this initial sketch.

'Spidie Pods' Print

'Spidie Pods' Print, originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

Limited edition, hand-printed, silk-screen prints on acid-free Somerset paper. Signed and numbered. Edition of 300.
Title: ‘Spidie Pods’.
Dimensions: 58.3 x 53.9 cm.
Price: 100 pounds.
Artist: Wayne Chisnall.
To buy a print contact me at w.chisnall@vam.ac.uk

Alternatively you can buy this print from:
Beyond The Valley, 2 Newburgh St. London, W1F 7RD (020 7437 7338)
F-art, Cheshire St. off Brick Lane, East London (020 77295411)

Batman Skull Sketch

Batman Skull Sketch, originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

This is for an idea I have for taking some human skulls and altering them so that they appear to have morphed with aspects of certain super heroes. I think that this should be quite a fun project but I’m not too sure how original it is.

'Crutch & Tumour Box', Wayne Chisnall

'Crutch & Tumour Box', Wayne Chisnall, originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

With ‘Crutch & Tumour Box’ I was trying to apply organic principles to something that is obviously man-made and rectilinear.
Taking the construct of the box as a starting point, this piece pursues the biological anomaly of the cancerous cell as a mode of enquiry.
Whilst mimicking the out of control mechanism of the malfunctioning and self-replicating cancerous cell, the piece hopefully manages to convey a biomorphic presence.
Teetering like a top-heavy fraction, ‘Crutch & Tumour Box’s’ comical appearance is further heightened by the necessitation of its crutch section - a support that is deliberately undermined by the application of a wheel.

John Malkovich - On-Line Script Project

Sony - J Malkovich Letter, originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

Ok – this isn’t, strictly speaking, artwork but I thought I’d include it in my blog anyway. One, because there was a certain amount of creativity involved and two, because I thought that it was fun.
Basically, I entered an on-line script writing competition run by Sony. In the competition entrants got to submit a 500 word section of script that had to follow on from a piece written by John Malkovich. Then it would get whittled down to five scripts, John would choose the winner and then the process would start over again.
Anyway – John chose my script, ‘Doppelganger’, as the winner of the first round and this is what he said about it:

“ … I’m going to go with the “Doppelganger” script. It’s clever, inventive, and somehow both surprising and inevitable. Very neatly done all in all.”

John Malkovich
Jan 4th, 2008

'Nail Box', Wayne Chisnall

'Nail Box', Wayne Chisnall, originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

‘Nail Box’ is a sculpture greatly indebted to and influenced by the minkisi artefacts of central Africa. Many of these ritualistic objects are carved wooden totems that have had nails and other metal items hammered into them. However, where as the minkisi derive their power from their contents, with ‘Nail Box’ I was trying to create something that’s presence was derived from its adornment of carefully selected nails and rusty metal. By bringing together so many items that had interacted with the elements and their specific environments I hoped to create a piece that would generate a cumulative resonance.
As is the case with many of my sculpture, the found materials used in this pieces’ construction were selected for their ‘resonance’ and collected over several years.
Whilst most of the metal items used in this piece were found in London, anywhere from the streets of Hackney to the inside of the Dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral, much of it was collected from the my travels around Britain and abroad, including Europe, Mexico, Cambodia, Thailand, Tunisia and India.
Considering the obsessive nature behind the way I collect and hoard the materials that I use in my work (you should see my studio – it is full of boxes of rubbish (a.k.a. treasure) – I fear that I am a lost cause), I see these sculptures as totems or magnifications of the ritualistic side of everyday life. Physical embodiments of the personal belief systems we all create around us.

Junk Metal Nest Sketch

Junk Metal Nest Sketch, originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

I was surprised how coherently this sketch turned out. Originally I just set out to scribble down a rough idea for a spherical nest-like sculpture that I planned to weld together from bits of scrap metal.
Usually when I only have a vague idea for a piece, and no actual materials in front of me to draw from, the working drawing can initially look quite vague or messy (as I sketch out a rough image and then redraw over it – working it out as I go). Yet this one came out quite tight and finished, almost as if I was doing a drawing of a finished piece

Untitled Sculptural Component (Crabhead Doll)

Untitled Sculptural Component (Crabhead Doll), originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

This piece should eventually form part of a larger sculptural work. It's one a many small 'works in progress' that I just lump under the heading of Sculptural Components. With them I'm trying to force myself to work in a different way. Instead of starting with a fixed idea of how the sculpture should look and then trying to physically realise that idea (which is my normal way of working), I'm trying to work in a more organic way, without a rigidly fixed idea of the end result. Hopefully the components themselves will start to dictate the structures necessary for their interaction. I'm also interested in creating new works that can be disassembled and re-assembled in a variety of different ways.

Sun Worshipers 1

Sun Worshipers 1, originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

Title: Sun Worshipers 1
Dimensions: 45 x 58 cm
Medium: smooth Hammerite paint & primer
on aluminium
Date: 2004

Spidie Segments

Spidie Segments, originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

Title: Spidie Segments
Dimensions: 58.5 x 58.5 x 7 cm
Medium: smooth Hammerite paint on MDF
Date: 2004

Magnet

Magnet, originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

Title: Magnet
Dimensions: 112 x 46 x 46 cm
Materials: plastic toys, wood and casters

Crab Claw 1

Crab Claw 1, originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

Title: Crab Claw 1
Dimensions: 30 x 21 x 7.3 cm
Medium: gloss paint (oil) on MDF
Date: 2004