« All News

Search RealityWanted News

Loading

 

 

 

 


 



 


 

 

 

Work of Art: The Next Great Artist - Episode 6 Recap

Posted on 07/15/2010 by Gina in Work Of Art

| More

Work of Art: The Next Great Artist

 

by Mike Bandy

 

Last night on Work of Art: The Next Great Artist, the artists went to Canal & 6th to find out about their next challenge. It was the city's free art space, sponsored by the Art Production fund, and China was there with the guest judge for the week, Yvonne Force Villareal. The challenge is to create an art installation at the free art space that is for the public to enjoy. They must work in teams, and they have two days to complete the project.

 

Drawing paint tubes from a suitcase, the teams were chosen: The Red Team consisted of Abdi, Mark, Nicole, and Ryan. The Blue Team were Erik, Jaclyn, Miles, and Peregrine.

 

The artists had 15 minutes to discuss what they'd like to do, before heading back to the work room. Miles had an idea about a quiet space to look at the city; a constantly evolving symbol, and Erik thinks about adding vines to it, an idea that Miles supports. Jaclyn said that she didn't want to bring up any past scuffles with Erik, and he thought that was nice of her.

 

Meanwhile, on the Red Team, Nicole took charge, and the men were only too happy to follow along.

 

Back at the workroom, the Red Team decided to make a geometric form that engages the viewer to gaze upwards, and they wanted it to include elements of nature. The Blue Team decided to make two separate pieces; one being a stairway and the other being an oblique curve that people can sit in and look at the sky.

The teams get to work! On the Blue Team, Miles and Peregrine were figuring out angles, Erik was cutting things, and everyone was making sure that things were level. On the Red Team, Abdi said that, since the piece is all plywood, they must all become carpenters. The teams only had a few hours that day to work, so time quickly runs out.

 

The next day, everyone is focused. On the Red Team, Abdi and Nicole were making smaller pieces, while Ryan and Mark built a larger box. They are intimidated by the Blue Team's piece. Ryan's never built anything like this; he comments that his father is a carpenter who cut off his thumb and it had to be sewn back on. Meanwhile, Miles tells us that has worked in a lumber shop and a hardware store, and can do a heck of a lot with wood.

 

Jaclyn wanted Erik to design snake scales, because he really wanted to add something to the piece. Jaclyn said that she wants to encourage him, and thinks he has potential to grow into a really good artists. Erik wanted to have a singular piece, but Miles said that was a team effort. Erik felt that his ideas were being pushed aside or ignored altogether.

 

Simon DePury comes into the workroom and announces that the artists will be judged individually, and to make sure to tell the judges what they were personally responsible for in the piece. One person will win, and one person will go home.

 

Simon thought that the Red Team's piece was a beautiful shape, but didn't at all see what's going to happen with all the other pieces involved. For the Blue Team, Simon asked Erik what the message of the piece is, and Miles interrupts. Simon asked Erik about his contribution to the piece, and Erik says that he's been lifting heavy stuff. Simon is impressed with their piece, but concerned about timing.

 

A disagreement between Erik and Miles erupts in the workroom. Erik said that he wasn't excited about the piece, and that he respects the tortured artist character that Milesplays, but doesn't want to be his helper. Miles remarks that Erik has shot himself in the foot, and Erik said that Miles built another homeless shelter. Everyone is visibly upset by the name calling, and Miles says that he won't finish the piece working with Erik's "bad ass macho attitude". Miles told Eric that he could decide to be a decent person and help them finish or leave, and Erik said that Miles wasn't the boss of the group.

 

Meanwhile, it's the end of the day, and the artists must load their pieces into the elevator, and put them in the trucks waiting outside. This proved to be a big challenge; the Blue Team had a lot of trouble because Erik was hostile. Jaclyn, Peregrine and Miles were shellacking the almost-finished product in the truck, while Erik was chain smoking. Miles was nervous because he didn't know how Erik will act at judging.

 

Back at the apartment, Erik shows Ryan a note that Jaclyn handed him, provoking him to argue about his ideas and convince the group about their validity.

 

The next day, the artists show up at the art space and remove their pieces from the trucks; they only had two hours to get things together. Erik decides to help the group. The Red team has done equal amounts of work, and really worked well together during this challenge.

 

Simon arrives with the announcement that the artists have half an hour until the park opens to the public. Ryan makes a comment that the Blue Team's project is a tree house constructed by a meth addict, but Miles feels great about the piece, even though he was worried about the actual structure of it.

 

Time for the viewing!

 

The Red Team's "The Noumenon" was several separate pieces of plywood for people to lean against and gaze at the sky. A lot of people were staring at their piece, and China loved standing on top of the large piece. The Blue Team's "Scale" was two separate pieces of plywood and metal forged together, and had a seat for viewers to get into. The judges seemed to like it, most notably for the cedar and beeswax smell it produced.

 

The Blue Team was first to describe their piece; they said that it was site specific and interactive and would hold up. Jaclyn said that it was interesting to look at, and since Erik had the idea of putting scales on the piece, the team decided to use "Scales" for the name. Erik said he wasn't a fan of the piece, because he didn't get to put his ideas into it.

 

The Red Team described their piece as "at home in the space that it's in," and that an idea that everyone on the team shared was the vastness of the sky. They wanted to make a piece enjoyed by more than one or two people. When asked about the title, Nicole stated that "The Noumenon" is a term for binding or highlighting; searching out the hidden magic within the world.

 

The judges went back to the studio, and began with the Blue Team. Erik was asked to elaborate on why he wasn't a fan of the piece, and he said that he didn't feel like he was a part of it. He took out Jaclyn's note and told the judges about it, and commented that he doesn't think she's smart enough to sabotage him. Miles told Erik that his problem is insecurity, and Erik said that he felt like it was the "in crowd versus the out crowd". They fought with each other in front of the judges until China called an end to it. In general, the judges liked the piece, but felt that the Red Team's piece was easier to interact with.

 

Jaclyn said that the area the piece was facing had the most open sky, and the judges pointed out that it actually faced where the twin towers once stood. The artists didn't realize that and were all in shock. Peregrine appeared to be tearing up.

 

The Blue Team then heads upstais, and the Red Team heads down. An argument erupts between Erik and the rest of the Blue Team, and Jaclyn tells Erik that she doesn't think he belongs there; he responds with an expletive. Miles wants him to leave, but Miles, Peregrine and Jaclyn decided to leave.

 

Meanwhile, the judges told the Red Team that they liked their piece; it was simple but poetic. Nicole had a major part in the work, and Ryan said that a lot of people really liked it. China thought the piece was beautiful, made her think of a modern Stonehenge.

 

The judges deliberated, and said that the Red Team's piece had more of a crowd gravitated towards it; China wanted to continue hanging out there. They had a 360 degree view of the sky, while the Blue Team focused on one section. The Red Team worked really well together, and everybody gave each other credit. Thinks they need to push the work more conceptually.

 

The judges thought that the Blue Team's piece screamed site specificity. The shape was funny, and with the details of the hardware showing, they said that it looked more like a patchwork quilt. One of the judges called it a dangerous jungle gym, and China said that it was disappointing to watch them fight with each other.

 

The winning team was the Red Team, and they got to choose the winner of the challenge; this was for bragging rights, and not immunity. They unanimously voted Nicole as the winner.

 

The Blue Team's failure to work as a team left a bad taste in the judge's mouths. It came down to Miles and Erik, and Erik was eliminated.

 

Erik said that he was sad to leave, as this was his last ditch effort at art. He didn't say goodbye to his team. Erik stated that he would have rather been sent home on his first piece than going home for someone else's work.

 

 

Work of Art airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on Bravo.

 

(Image courtesy of Bravo)

 

 

For more Work of Art links, visit SirLinksALot.net


  


Rate this article

  • Currently 5.00/5

Rating: 5.0/5 (1 vote cast) (Log in to vote!)


blog comments powered by Disqus

Go back to the previous page