Contemporary Collage Week 10: Text Collage: Write

Over a week now since the final Contemporary Collage class  at City Lit  and the subject  was text, word and image , looking at typographical arrangements of words; cutting, deleting and reorganising; changing meaning through cut and paste and juxtaposition   

As usual  we  were  shown a dizzying number of artists  who have used text in different ways ( some examples below) 

Bob and Roberta Smith ( at Folkestone Triennial) 

Grayson Perry 

' Bank' with faux artists statements 

Jeremy Deller with  mind maps  

Christopher  Wool ( large stencilled letters) 

Harland Miller 

Cy Twombly 

Simon Evans ( Post Its)

Ed Ruscha 

Cerith Wyn Evans ( the chandelier flashes Morse Code messages) 

In preparation we were asked to bring in  a range of text and fonts  that we could cut up to create new images and meanings.

For the excellent paper lamination course  with Sarah Welsby at Art Van Go several years ago , I started  cutting out  headlines  in different fonts and colours ( unfinished sample above) . So I already had a stash of these to compose a quick 'poem' ( of sorts)  on  section of gessoed newspaper collage ( of which I also have a stash after Contemporary Painting Studio )!  I then did a tracing of the lettering ( below) 

More bizarrely, I also found a collection of the word 'Slough' cut from  local newspapers in 2011. In the early planning of my piece based on the 'Taplow Vase'  for Thames Valley Contemporary Textiles exhibition in Slough Museum , I had ideas about using paper lamination before using  'secret books' of cotton organza.  All  words used up now!  

 I then had fun matching headlines with photos from magazines.

Mostly though I had great fun with yet another find from the Fleur Bookshop in Faversham - in this case a 'News of the World' Almanac from 1953  stuffed full of hints on  street parties ( including graphic illustrations of how to bone a chicken)   and routes of the procession for the Coronation.  Best of all were the adverts  ( Simon copied and enlarged several pages for me) . 

My favourite ( above and at the top) combined an advert for cold remedies with an illustration from the Guardian from 2011 on 'Wiki Leaks', including redactions. Just goes to show , shouldn't throw anything out! 

At the end of the day we completed evaluation forms and learning agreements and had a quick look at  each others (hugely diverse) work. 

I don't know yet how much of  what we covered I will take forward and incorporate in my artistic practice  but overall I  had a terrific, exciting, time with a  generous charismatic teacher,   exploring possibilities, being introduced to the work of over a hundred contemporary artists and encouraged to experiment without the pressure of producing a 'great  work of art' .   A 5 star course.