Teacher Resource Pack - Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Yorkshire Sculpture Park
TEACHERS’ RESOURCE PACK
KAWS
LONGSIDE GALLERY AND OPEN AIR
06.02.16–10.04.16
ABOUT THIS RESOURCE
This resource is to support student engagement,
providing questions and creative activities around
KAWS. Teachers can adapt and select from these
suggestions as appropriate to their group.
Activities can be done at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
(YSP) or back at school or college.
We recommend that teachers refer to the KAWS
Exhibition Guide and KAWS Resource Pack which
provide more extensive information about the artist
AT THIS TIME, 2013
Courtesy the artist
Photo © Jonty Wilde
and his work. A KAWS Family Activities leaflet is also
full of creative ideas which teachers may find useful. All
resources can be downloaded from the YSP website.
The Exhibition Guide and Family Activities leaflet can
also be picked up at YSP Centre and Longside Gallery.
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
This is the first UK museum exhibition by American artist,
KAWS. The exhibition comprises large, bright canvases
and cartoon-like sculptures at Longside Gallery as well as
six monumental sculptures outdoors in Lower Park.
KAWS at YSP (installation view)
Courtesy the artist
Photo © Jonty Wilde
AT LONGSIDE GALLERY
Look around the exhibition.
•
•
How many ‘characters’ can you spot?
Do you recognise any? Some may be silhouettes
or outlines disguised in the artwork.
Match each of these words with one artwork in the
gallery. Compare and explain your choices with
a partner.
Splash
Hide
Comfort
Escape
there depth and space in the painting? What can you see
in the painting? Could the painting be part of a bigger
image?
KAWS presents his paintings together, almost like a
comic strip. Do you think the paintings are connected?
Do they tell a story? What would it feel like to be inside a
KAWS painting? Would it feel soft, hard, slippy? Would it
be scary or fun? What would happen? What adventures
could you have?
Surprise
Show
Think of five words that would capture the ‘essence’ of
the exhibition to someone who hasn’t seen it.
CHOOSE A KAWS PAINTING THAT YOU LIKE
Ask
KAWS paints his canvases with foam sponges, creating
layer upon layer of paint so colour appears flat, with no
visible brush marks. How would you describe the colours,
surface and scale of the painting? Does it look handmade
or manufactured?
KAWS sometimes uses outlines or silhouettes in his
paintings. What do the outlines suggest to you? Can you
see shadows in the painting? Is it flat like a cartoon or is
Do
At YSP
KAWS planned his paintings like a painting-by-numbers
picture; drawing the outline shapes first and marking
each one with a number to denote a colour. Choose a
painting and re-draw it as a sketch, with just outlines for
each shape. Imagine the painting with different colours.
Create your own colour-key and mark your different
shapes with numbers for colours. Give it to a friend to
colour in. How does it look?
Ask two friends to pose together for you. Draw their
conjoined outline with one continuous line. How does the
shape change with different poses? Use this silhouette
shape as an outline for a painting or collage back at
school.
Back at school
Use your silhouette drawing from your visit as an outline
for a collage. Using strips of different coloured paper
or vinyl (use glossy, matt, translucent, bright) create an
abstract design or environment to disguise a character
hidden beneath.
Create a 3D version of a KAWS painting. Stay small
or think big, transforming anything from a box to
a classroom. Use coloured paper strips, found and
household objects, toys, cardboard shapes. Take a
photograph to transform your 3D painting back into two
dimensions.
KAWS at YSP (installation view)
Courtesy the artist
Photo © Jonty Wilde
EXPLORE THE SCULPTURES AT LONGSIDE
GALLERY
Ask
Do you think the sculptures are heavy or light? What do
you think they are made of? Check the gallery layout
sheet to see if you are right.
What do the sculptures remind you of? Are the
characters familiar? How are they different to ‘normal’
cartoon characters?
KAWS calls his sculptural characters ‘companions’. The
companions have crosses for eyes, strange shaped
ears, hair and chins. In other ways they are similar to
Micky Mouse, Pinocchio or The Simpsons with their big,
round shoes, dungaree shorts and cartoon hands. The
companions could be of any age, gender or race and,
without eyes, seem anonymous and distant. In a cartoon,
a cross can also mean a character is unconscious, can
denote poison or mark a place of something hidden.
What other ‘companions’ are there in the exhibition? Do
they have names? Check the gallery layout sheet. Do the
characters have different personalities? How would you
describe them? Get into the same pose as the character.
How does this make you feel? What do you think the
companion is thinking?
The first character KAWS invented was Bendy. KAWS
painted Bendy over the top of advertising posters in bus
shelters and phone booths in New York City. He used
to take the posters home, paint on top of them, then
put them back in the bus shelters and see if anyone
noticed. His work became so popular that eventually the
advertising companies wanted to work with KAWS as
part of their advertising campaigns.
Look at COMPANION (PASSING THROUGH). This
sculpture was made for a busy street in the harbour
town of Kowloon, Hong Kong. How do you think it would
feel to be there? Why do you think the companion is
covering its eyes?
KAWS has partly revealed the inside bodies of
OriginalFake COMPANION and COMPANION (RESTING
PLACE)? What would you expect to see inside a toy?
Why do you think KAWS has presented the companions
in this way?
ALONG THE WAY, 2013.
Courtesy the artist
Photo © Jonty Wilde
EXPLORE THE SCULPTURES IN LOWER PARK
Most of KAWS’ sculptures look like oversized toys. Some
of the titles suggest a story behind the sculpture. What
do the titles make you think of? What do you think has
just happened? What do you think will happen next?
What is the relationship between the Companions?
Compare two sculptures. How are they different? What
do they share?
Walk around and look up at the monumental sculptures.
What would it feel like to be so big? What would you be
able to see?
Do you have a favourite toy? Imagine what would
happen if it grew to the size of a KAWS Companion.
Would it change its personality? Would you still like it?
Think about characters such as Pinocchio, Micky Mouse,
SpongeBob Squarepants or the Smurfs. How do we
identify them? What are their distinguishing features?
How far can you reduce a character to a single detail and
it still be recognisable?
Do
At YSP
Get into the pose of one of the sculptures. How do
you feel? How do you move? What happens when you
meet a friend in a different pose? Can you be sculptures
together?
Draw the outline of a companion without taking your
pencil off the paper, creating a continuous line.
Draw a sculpture without looking at your paper. Just
keep your eyes fixed on the sculpture. Draw from directly
beneath the sculpture, then far away or from a different
angle. What shape or gesture have you captured?
Use a circular hollow pipe as a viewfinder to spy details
of the sculpture. Make a drawing of what you see. Use
this as inspiration for a KAWS-inspired circular painting or
drawing back at school.
Using a comic strip template, draw in some of the KAWS
characters you can see at the Park. Back at school, draw
a story around them and add speech bubbles.
Back at school
Research and find images of different cartoon
characters. Draw symbols or single features which
make them recognisable, i.e. Bart Simpson’s hair, Minnie
Mouse’s skirt. Draw each feature on a small square sheet
of paper. You can display these as a grid, as KAWS does.
Play a game with your partner to see how ‘pared back’
your drawn clues can be and the character still be
recognised. Can a single shape or mark represent a
character?
Make small clay or plasticine characters inspired by
KAWS sculptures. Place them on an overhead projector
(OHP). What shadow do they project onto a wall? How
can you make them look monumental? Use the shadow
shape as a starting point for a wall drawing or painting.
Wear hats, gloves or other clothing to change your body
shape, or even create different shaped props to wear, i.e.
huge hands, strange-shaped ears made from card. Using
torches, experiment with what shadows you can make.
Draw around the shadow. What character have you
invented? Can you give it a name?
Using old magazines, comics or print-outs of cartoon
characters from the internet, collage and combine body
parts to create new characters.
Invent a collaborative character by folding a piece of
paper into three horizontal parts. One pupil can draw
or collage a face on the top section, before passing
the paper on to another pupil. The body and arms are
created on the mid-section in a similar way before
passing on. The same process is used for the legs, so
that three pupils all contribute to one drawing. Open up
the sheet. What character have you created? Can you
create a sculptural version using coloured play dough,
clay or plasticine?
Collect plastic moulded packaging from toys or other
products. Pour plaster of Paris into the moulds to create
a mini toy sculpture. Paint or colour once the plaster sets.
SMALL LIE, 2013
Courtesy the artist
Photo © Jonty Wilde
IDEAS TO PONDER
KAWS uses a team of artists to help him paint his pictures. He uses foam brushes to create layer-on-layer
of paint for a perfect finish, so the paintings look almost mass-produced.
‘I know there are plenty of artists that operate with large studios and maybe don’t even ever touch their
paintings; but their paintings are still true to their vision. I have two assistants who help me paint and fill
in.’ KAWS
How important do you think it is that the artist physically makes the work themselves?
Artists like Keith Haring, Jean Michel Basquiat and KAWS started making art in the street as graffiti
artists. They have now become assimilated into mainstream culture and their work fetches high prices in
museums and galleries. One of the most famous street artists is Banksy. Although he doesn’t exhibit in
galleries or museums, Banksy’s work has acquired a very high market value.
‘As soon as you profit from an image you’ve put on the street, it magically transforms that piece into
advertising. Commercial success is a mark of failure for a graffiti artist.’ Banksy
Do you agree with Banksy? Does ‘rebellious’ art lose its power once it has commercial success?
KAWS’ work extends beyond fine art, into merchandise and branding, music and fashion. He has
successfully collaborated with international brands including Comme de Garcons, Nike, Lucas Films
and MTV. He has made cover artwork for Kanye West’s album 808s and Heartbreak, created a bottle
for Hennessy, the Pharrell Williams GIRL perfume bottle, and watches for Ikepod. KAWS celebrated
major success with his company OriginalFake, which sold limited edition vinyl collectible toys as well as
streetwear.
How do you feel about artists that sometimes work and exhibit in the commercial world as well as in
galleries and museums? Research other artists who have been influenced by popular culture or who work
across different creative disciplines. Some suggestions would be Andy Warhol, Damian Hirst, Jeff Koons,
Jenny Holzer and Julian Opie.
RELATED ARTWORKS AT YSP
Dennis Oppenheim, Trees (From Alternative
Landscape Components), 2006
In the meadow, next to Lower Park. A series of tree-like
sculptures made from metal pipes and found domestic
objects such as bath tubs. Ideas to explore with KAWS
include the use of found and mass-produced objects in
sculpture. What stories do the objects tell? What world
do they come from?
Anthony Gormley, One and Other, 2000
In Lower Park, near Cascade Bridge. A cast of a
life-size figure in bronze sited high on the top of a tree
trunk. How is the figure different and similar to KAWS’
companions? How is the context, or where they are
placed, part of the work?
Joan Miró, Monster series, 1969–76
On the Hillside, near the Underground Gallery. Miró was
a Spanish artist who created playful, colourful abstract
paintings and sculptures. He often used humble, domestic
objects in his sculpture. These ‘monsters’ suggest faces,
made with abstract shapes and simple lines. Compare
these characters, all of them unique and different, to
KAWS’ more generic and ‘darker’ companions.
Eduardo Paolozzi. Exhibition in the Upper Space at
YSP Centre (12.03.16–12.06.16)
Paolozzi was a central figure in British Pop Art in the
1960s. He was fascinated by kitsch, comics, popular and
youth culture and experimented with collage, creating
sculpture through casting found objects. He was
interested in how art could be part of people’s everyday
lives. This display of Paolozzi’s prints has been especially
planned to coincide with the KAWS exhibition. Both
artists share a passion for toys, pop culture and how art
should respond and embrace contemporary life.
Julian Opie, Galloping Horse, 2012
In Lower Park. Opie creates digitally-inspired artworks,
using the language of commercial design and illustration.
Galloping Horse references the history of Bretton Hall
and the landed gentry who used the park as a hunting
ground. The graphic, contemporary style and use of
sophisticated animation, provides a witty and wry take on
the heritage of the park. Opie has designed album covers
for 90s pop band Blur and has produced other celebrity
portraits in his idiosyncratic Pop Art style.
Julian Opie, Galloping Horse, 2012
Courtesy the artist and Lisson Gallery
Photo © Jonty Wilde
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR VISITING GROUPS
Longside Gallery opening times: 11.00–16.00 (until 20.03.16), 11.00–17.00 (from 21.03.16)
Sculptures at Lower Park can be accessed during general opening times (10.00–17.00 until 20.03.16, 10.00–18.00
from 21.03.16) and will remain at the Park beyond the lifespan of the Longside Gallery exhibition. Please contact
YSP Learning if you plan to visit after 12.06.16 when the main exhibition closes.
Access
Longside Gallery is fully accessible to wheelchair users.
A public shuttle bus runs every 30 minutes between YSP
Centre and Longside Gallery.
Vehicle access to Longside Gallery is via Jebb Lane, off
the main A637 road, one mile from M1, Junction 38. With
special permission, coaches can drop off at Longside
Gallery but must park at YSP Learning at the main YSP
site. It will take approximately 20 minutes for groups to
walk from Longside Gallery to Lower Park and it is a 30
minute walk from Longside Gallery to YSP Learning.
Please contact Carys Fieldson, YSP Learning
Administrator, if you would like any support in
organising your trip.
Workshops and tours
YSP Learning offer workshops and tours which can
include special visits to the KAWS exhibition. We also
offer a limited number of special artist-led workshops
around KAWS, which explore ideas in the exhibition
through looking and creative making. Please visit ysp.
co.uk/workshopsandtours for more information.
There is an extensive family and holiday programme
inspired by KAWS. Please visit ysp.co.uk/events for more
information or pick up a KAWS Family Activities guide.
For further information contact:
Kathryn Welford, YSP Formal Learning Coordinator
kathryn.welford@ysp.co.uk / 01924 832540
Carys Fieldson, YSP Learning Administrator
carys.fieldson@ysp.co.uk / 01924 832528