2. Curation of Concept

Gathered from our varied skillsets the freewheeling group brainstorming led to inspiring tangents of enquiry far beyond our personal and mutual expectations. We generated a group/project name to become team Atelier – a studio. Multiple venue names were considered, but to maximize SEO description, I suggested the simplicity of ArtBar, re-enforced with Alex’s critical feedback of conceited complexity. I merged the discarded suggestions into the promotional scripted for the space, acting as acknowledgement of joint contributions.

ArtBar

A visionary vault of hybrid collaborations between art, design, and hospitality. Wine and dine to a fine art in a sumptuous oasis of creativity, with an ergonomically designed environment derived from the aesthetic lineage of the human form. Socially immerse yourself in the world of contemporary art, combining exhibition, performance and interactive installations with a rolling events, beverage, and cuisine menu (Sivinska Mcartan, C. 2023).

Such SEO engagement, tutorial feedback and prior knowledge, I researched comparable innovations to our project. There is an ‘ArtBar’ in Bath and Vienna, and The Pelican Bar in London, housing wall mounted artwork. There are concept driven projects such as Lucy McKenzie’s Nova Popularna, an artist’s collaboration temporarily bringing the bar into Warsaw’s Foundation Gallery Foksal in 2003 and the ‘anarchitectural’ takeover of disused New York spaces in Gordon Matta Clark’s collaboration Food.

Public engagement was at the core of Janine Sykes’ Home project for East Street Arts (Sykes, J. 2023). The blended curation of ArtHostel, where guests stay in artists concept themed rooms and dormitories , the profits circulated back to fund future art endeavors – the first of its kind in Europe. Similarly, with no exclusion of interaction between sociability and art, the elemental amalgamation of concept, architecture, artwork, bar, dining, performance, and immersive art , makes Ateliers’ ArtBar innovative and challenges cultural ideologies within the Creative Industries.

The architectural and civil engineering experience of Shinto generated schematic drawings of not just an internal structure but whole building designed around ergonomics and the letters AB for Art Bar. Our mutual interest in Architecture spawned a collaboration on concept requirements and an aesthetic wish list of a light filled atrium and the inclusion of an amphitheatre.

From the original pointed elliptical layout, I wished to push the asymmetry sketching skewed geometry to fit with the lines of the body. There was either slight message misinterpretation or dislike of these images, unused in the finalised layout design. Highlighting the importance of in-person meetings tocommunicate ideas more effectively. Despite this lack of idea incorporation, the back-and-forth discussions effectively embedded the visual brand of ergonomy into the space.

Similarly, my interpretations of logo design played with the alphabet geometry of A and B. Disappointingly this wasn’t considered but the suggestion of looking into the work of Henry Moore resulted in the rounded flowing lines that the rest of the group agreed on, perhaps my parental experience of encountering many child orientated graphics and spaces deterred me from this aesthetic.

True collaboration requires trust in capabilities to perpetuate concept and vision of a project. In this sense I saw the role of leadership to perceive strengths and capabilities and forge appropriate connections between the team players. To facilitate this, I engaged in the inquisitional questioning of action research with individual and sub-groups, to gain understanding of subject specific technology, software, processes, timescales, and requirements.

This questioning was concurrent with lecturer tutorials and meetings with the insightful knowledge of technical staff at the University, such as Stephen Calcutt, Head of Technology. Wishing to make use of the advanced technology available, we discussed options available for the interactive aspect of our space, resulting in undertaking the 3-hour Arduino software workshop.

The digital manipulations were worth investigating, the concept was speculatively incorporated to develop public engagement in the immersive 3D graphic artwork of Aqeel Zadi Batool. The sensory analogue interplay relaying values of movement, light, pressure, sound, and sonar through coded electronic circuits is exemplified in The Wooden Mirror by David Rozin.

Another of my ideas incorporated, was locating the Interactive Art wall beneath the curved cavity of the amphitheatre. Collectively working on the initial photoshoot to investigate the artistic efficacy and logistics of lighting, projections, cameras, this was the obvious location to maximise space available and optimal use of immersive aesthetics.

Caitlyn and I pulled together visual styling with an uncanny esoteric conversational connection to generate an intense synergy of creative thought.  Two females with intergenerational disparity, syncopated in perception and cognitive flux surrounding a fascination with the body as an expressive tool. Bouncing from one discursive dissemination to the other manifested a powerful ethos and aesthetic vision for the collaborative philosophy.

Personal practices independently influenced by the reflective responses to exchanged, expressed vocal narrative, sparking new levels of directive confidence. This twinned conceptual vigour initiated a vital partnership in creative direction a strong endorsement of designated leadership.

Moving aspirational ambitions forward, my concerns over budget and speculative unreality of our project were discussed with Stephen Calcutt and in a tutorial with Katrina Whitehead, Lecturer in Fashion Promotion, as practitioner and with students undertaking many creative collaborations, fashion shows and exhibitions. Both conversations gave affirmations to the importance of aspirations and resourcefulness. Alongside the connection to Arduino software, ArtBars’ speculative reality may also be virtually positioned in the SecondLife arena of global socialisation, marketing and online exhibition space and the use of augmented reality with visual backstories to art viewed through Artivive.

References

Sykes, J. University of Huddersfield (2023, January, 23). Home [Presentation]

mages

1. Vincent, S. (2023). ArtBar Schematic Drawing. [CAD Drawing]. Huddersfield.
2. ArtBar. (2023). Bar Area [Photograph]. ARTBAR. https://www.artbarblog.com/
3. McKenzie, L. (2021/2022). Lucy McKenzie. [Uniform and Exhibit Display] Exhibited at Tate Liverpool October 2021 – March 2022.
4. Matta Clark, G. (1971). Food [Art Installation]. Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/299489443941533875/
5. The Precious Collective The ArtHostel. (2021). The Outside Inn [Dormitory]. The Art Hostel. https://arthostel.org.uk/portfolio/the-outside-inn/
6. Vincent, S. (2023). ArtBar Amphitheatre. [Render Image]. Huddersfield.
7. McCartan, C. (2023). ArtBar Layout Sketch. [Pencil on Paper]. Sheffield
8. McCartan, C. (2023). ArtBar Layout Sketch Two. [Pencil on Paper]. Sheffield
9. McCartan, C. (2023). ArtBar Layout Sketch Threee. [Pen on Paper]. Sheffield
10. McCartan, C. (2023). ArtBar Logo Sketch. [Pen on Paper]. Sheffield
11. Witkos, D. (2023). ArtBar Logo. [Graphics Image]. Huddersfield.
12. Arduino. (2023). What is Arduino [Webpage]. Arduino. https://www.arduino.cc/
13. McCartan, C. (2023). Arduino Workshop [Photograph]. Huddersfield.
14. McCartan, C. (2023). Arduino Circuitboard [Photograph]. Huddersfield.
15. McCartan, C. (2023). Arduino Workshop Sketch [Screenshot]. Huddersfield.
16. Rozin, D. (2007). The Wooden Mirror [Wood and Circuitboards, Video Screenshot]. Microsoft Bing. https://www.bing.com/search?q=Interactive+art+with+wooden+mirrors+-+The+wooden+mirror+(1%2F4)+-+Bing+video&cvid=9128a36d761c4065a4f1db54ce65767e&aqs=edge..69i57.10790j0j4&FORM=ANAB01&PC=DCTS
17. Rozin, D. (2007). The Wooden Mirror Detail [ Wood and circuitboards, Video ScreenShot ]. Microsoft Bing. https://www.bing.com/search?q=Interactive+art+with+wooden+mirrors+-+The+wooden+mirror+(1%2F4)+-+Bing+video&cvid=9128a36d761c4065a4f1db54ce65767e&aqs=edge..69i57.10790j0j4&FORM=ANAB01&PC=DCTS
18. Galliano, J. (2023). Galliano Inspiration Interactive Artwall [Presentation Slide]. In McCArtan, C. (2023). Interactive Artwall MoodBoard (p.2)
19. Matthews, C. (2023). Caitlyns’ Inspiration Interactive Artwall [Presentation Slide]. In McCartan, C. (2023). Interactive Artwall MoodBoard (p.3).
20. Sivinska McCartan, C. (2023). Random shots Interactive Artwall [Presentation Slide]. In McCartan, C. (2023). Interactive Artwall MoodBoard (p.6)
21. Matthews, C. (2023). Caitlyns’ Inspiration Interactive Artwall [Presentation Slide]. In McCArtan, C. (2023). Interactive Artwall MoodBoard (p.4).
22. Second Life. (2023). Oasis bar? [Screenshot]. SecondLife. https://secondlife.com/
23. Artivive. (2023). The Future of Art [Screenshot]. Artivive. https://artivive.com/

WebPages

Arduino – Home

Home – Artivive

Check in at The Art Hostel: Ziggy Wingle by Alison Smith – East Street Arts

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186370-d5413308-Reviews-ArtBar-Bath_Some

Gordon Matta-Clark – Food (museoreinasofia.es

Interactive art with wooden mirrors – The wooden mirror (1/4) – Bing video

The Double Negative » A Modern Total Artwork – The Case For Lucy McKenzie’s Nova Popularna

The Outside Inn by Precious Collective – Art Hostel

(84) Pinteres

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