My Artomatic Participation

For the first time in the 10 year history of Artomatic, I am a participating artist.  Actually, I am participating in the arts extravaganza two ways, one as a solo artist and one as part of the collaboration, Space Between.  Be sure to check the Space Between blog for updates on that project with John M. Adams and Matt Sargent.

The solo installation is located on the 2nd floor in space 2-3-P-4.  Here are some images:

Untitled
Construction-grade plywood
96" x 144" x 1/2"
2009

Here's the statement that I published with the piece:

When an artist participates in Art-o-Matic, installation almost always begins with the artist painting their partition wall. Sometimes the wall is painted a simple white; other times a more outlandish color. Either way, a critical decision has been made: the construction-grade plywood wall is not an adequate ground for presenting the artist’s work. The painted wall, bright colors, mounted works and other embellishments compete for the viewer’s attention. Among the hundreds of installations, artists seek to not be drowned out by the visual noise. But by doing so, are they just creating more noise?

I am interested in dealing with the environment I have been given on its own terms. For me, wood – whether it be cheap plywood or exotic hardwood – is inherently beautiful. My goal as an artist is to create a space for contemplation and appreciation. By process of negation, I remove material until I have less than when I started. The gesture of the hand-drilled holes arranged in a specific composition strives to bring the viewer’s attention inward, to the beauty of the wood. In effect, my work only serves to bring forward that which is already there. For me, the provided wall is more than enough.

As mentioned above, I also participated in a collaborative effort (2-15-P-4).  Here are images:

Here is the accompanying statement:

“Space Between” is a collaboration between three artists with similar artistic sensibilities who work in a diverse array of media: painting, sculpture, sound, video, performance, photography, and drawing. The title, "Space Between," hints at the conceptual framework of the project: artists trading sketches, samples, and emails, while using their individualized processes to create a series of ambitious, cross-pollinated multimedia pieces.
 
Displayed here at Art-o-Matic is a selection of teasers for our collaboration thus far: Kirkland’s photographs are suggestive of video created by a series of nature photographs that undergo subtle changes in saturation. Sargent uses analogues of Kirkland’s saturation to process a series of ambient field recordings for his sound piece.  Adams’ wall-drawing is an immediate intuitive response to Sargent’s work, previewing a larger live-performance piece that the two artists are developing.  The small diptych at center is a sample from a series of “trigger and response” pieces by Adams and Kirkland.

Finally, an early review has been publsihed by Kevin Mellema in the Falls Church News-Press.  The key bits are copied below:

On the deadly serious end of the spectrum you'll find the raw plywood panels of J. T. Kirkland. Using a rectilinear grid, Kirkland used hole saws to bore 345 regularly spaced depressions into plywood panels. Smaller sized bits were used toward the center. It's an interesting concept, thinking outside the box. Innovation is great, but then you have to push it to the next level by doing something interesting with it.

Far more visually entertaining is a small panel Kirkland is showing in a collaborative space with John M. Adams (last reviewed at Greater Reston Arts Center) and Matt Sargent, in an exhibit titled, "Space Between."

Adams has one of his typical horizontal line abstract paintings and a larger undulating abstract drawing. Here Kirkland plays off Adams' horizontal lines by painting horizontal stripes on this panel, and then drilling the board in a seemingly haphazard, overlapping fashion. The panel has the notion of musical scores about it, which appropriately is also part of this collaborative effort. More than any other, Kirkland's piece seems to tie it all together.

You have until July 5 to see the show.  Don't miss it!

Comments

[Rob Hitzig]

Well done - both the work and the supporting statements. I think your reviewer was a bit off base. Deadly serious? I see something that is contemplative and peaceful, but also a bit humorous in that it forces the viewer to see the most basic construction grade material as fine art (are your familiar with Hugh Townley's later work - http://www.hughtownley.com/plywood.htm - very different but a similar reverence for the common). And - "push it to the next level by doing something interesting with it."??? I think he totally missed the point. I also like the collaborative diptych and again I didn't follow the reviewers comments. Don't know what he was looking at. I like the reflection of the painting with the drilled holes. Subtle but clearly visible. Good luck finding a writer that has a better eye for the art they are looking at.

[Michael Fitts]

I really like the small piece on the right. Is it for sale?

mf

[J.T. Kirkland]

Thanks for the comments, Rob, I really appreciate them.

Fitts - The piece you are referring to is a diptych. If you might want both, I can talk to John about a price. But I don't think I can separate them. At least not right now. As Rob said, mine was very much in response to John's.

Thanks!

[Michael Fitts]

I like them both but like yours especially. The moon crater effect of the drilled holes is very cool.

[J.T. Kirkland]

Thanks Fitts! There will be more...

[Chris Rywalt]

The plywood partition piece does seem a little self-consciously...arty. The kind of thing you might have to read the verbiage to understand.

Still, glad to see you're active. The blog's been kind of quiet.

[J.T. Kirkland]

Really? The partition wall remains as it was when I picked it. I drilled holes in the wall. The pattern of the holes is such that they are bigger on the outside and smaller at center. This creates a visual illusion of depth... the outer edges of the wall feel nearest to you and the center feels farthest away. This makes you want to approach the piece... to get inside of it. What are you being brought closer to? What are you inspecting? The wood. The same wood that 95% or more of the other artists did away with by painting or covering it.

It's all there... maybe it has to be experienced though. The text just makes it easier to understand but I don't think careful observers need it at all.

Wanna drive down to see it in person? :)

[John M. Adams]

J.T. - I know you left much of the plywood as you found it, but I agree with Chris, but I don't see it as a bad thing, I think it just means that the way you manipulate it must draw the viewer in a bit more, the concept is there, but the visual effect is not quite as strong as it needs to be. But hey, this is your first really large scale project. Whats next?

[John M. Adams]

Oh Michael, thanks for the comments about the diptych, as JT said, more to come. Check out my website for more of my own work.

[J.T. Kirkland]

John,

I think two things would have made it punch more:

1. To drill holes all the way through the wood.
2. To have lights that don't hang below the top of the piece. The lights block the top few rows of big holes and that negates the top, most dynamic part of the pattern.

Alas, both of these are necessary conditions at Artomatic. However, I'm a fan of the subtlety of the piece. I think I made the minimum gesture to activate the space and convey the concept. And ultimately that was the goal in such a loud (visually) venue.

Thanks for the comments everyone. This is exactly why I signed up for AOM this year... to think about something so large and involved.