exhibitions – Kelise Franclemont

Posted on March 11, 2022April 19, 2022 by kelise72 — Leave a comment

#365LoveNotesToSelf in “Love and Loss” – Inside Job Collective’s Biennale 2022 at Tate Modern

My #365LoveNotesToSelf project was selected this year [2022] to be exhibited in Tate’s staff biennale, themed “Love and Loss” which is scheduled 16-23 March 2022 in Tate Exchange – Level 5 at Tate Modern.

Note to Self: It’s that time of year again and maybe it’s the weather or maybe a condition of surviving the past two years… but I’m sure I’m not alone when I say, I am (again) in a deep blue funk. So this Valentine’s Day, I’ve decided to reiterate my #365LoveNotestoSelf project from 2017-2018 in which I attempted to alleviate a depressive episode by making a self-portrait every day for a year. The aim was, then as it is now, to give myself a loving gift: an envelope of time full of a kind of “love note to me”, by which I will remind myself daily of what love looks like – by gazing in a mirror and drawing what I see.

For in order to really see, one must make the time to look deeply.

I’ve chosen to create self-portraits (instead of, say, making selfies on my iPhone) because in these creative sessions, I must really look in order to draw what’s looking back at me…and maybe, after another 365 of these love notes in a row, it will become easier day-by-day to see through any of the dark days with a dose of self-love, with positivity, confidence, and joy.

For the “Love and Loss” exhibition at Tat e, my intention is to share a new self-portrait every day in keeping with my daily online visual journal of sorts on Instagram: @kelisefranclemont. So who knows how I’ll be feeling on the day!

Exhibition Details:

Tate Modern
Level 5, Blavatnik BuildingBankside
London SE1 9TG

Dates and Times
16–23 March 2022 12.00 – 18.00

Free with All Tate Modern Collections Route ticket. Advance booking is recommended

More info and to book free tickets: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/inside-job

More about the 2017-2018 project: https://kelisefranclemont.com/2017/02/14/365-days-of-love-notes-myself-to-me/

#365LoveNotesToSelf, Day 365/365, 2017-2018, collage of 365 prints each around 2×3 cm, collage approximately 1.5 m x 1.5 m.
Dimensions of each original drawing, painting, or photograph varies from as small as several centimeters to 1.5 m.

Posted on August 25, 2019August 2, 2020 by kelise72 — Leave a comment

“Object Self (part 2)” with Olga Suchanova – Digital 3D augmented reality portraits

In a collaboration with visual artist Olga Suchanova, in “Object Self“, Kelise and Olga use digital technology to create 3D augmented reality [AR] portraits as a personal expression of self.

Much like old-fashioned painted miniatures, these digital portraits, too, can be carried in the pocket, yet with the avant-garde medium of AR and viewed through the frame of the smartphone screen, a digital portrait becomes 3D sculpture that can be placed anywhere and viewed from all sides.

Darling, you are a work of art.

*To see our growing collection of “Object Self” portraits, scan or tap this QR code (sketchfab.com)*

More info

Kelise and Olga will demonstrate how these AR digital 3D sculptures are made during the Object Self workshop as part of Tate Staff Biennale 2019 on

Wednesday 28 August 2019 – 2:00P to 6:00P – Level 5, Tate Exchange
Sunday 1 September 2019 – 12:00P to 4:00P – Level 5, Tate Exchange

Responding to Tate Exchange’s theme for year 3, Movement, The Inside Job Collective have been invited to take over Tate Exchange and pull together the work of staff across all Tate sites into one exhibition. The exhibition showcases the often-hidden skills of staff members at Tate and allows you to see the impact of working with Tate’s collection has had on their practice.

Approaching the different strands of Movement through varying mediums, there will be a dynamic series of live performances, workshops, installations, film and 2D works, as well as an evening of specially curated music and performances from staff for the August edition of Uniqlo Tate Lates.

About the Inside Job Collective

The Inside Job Collective are a group of Tate Staff who organise and curate an exhibition dedicated to the many creative talents of their colleagues.

Helen Dixon, ‘Big Blue no 4’. Image courtesy the artist and Inside Job Collective.

“Object Self” is supported by Vectary 3D, the leading online 3D design tool on www.vectary.com.

Posted on August 25, 2019August 2, 2020 by kelise72 — Leave a comment

Make your own story with Corduroy Dog using AR (demo/instructions)

Scan (or tap) the QR code with your smart phone and you can take my childhood memory of Corduroy Dog with you and make your own story. Keep scrolling to share your story, find out“how to” and see a demo, or to watch the film.

Apple or Android (Vectary viewer) – Safari browser recommended

Android/other smartphone (Sketchfab viewer)

Share your story

Some hashtags and @’s:

#digitalart #digitaldesign #interactiveart #augmentedreality #virtualreality #ar #vr #corduroydog #dogsofinstagram #digitaldogs #petstagram #toystory #toydog #velveteenrabbit

@kelisefranclemont @vectary3d @tate @tateexchange @insidejobcollective

how to (PDF)

Click to View/Download Make-your-story-with-Corduroy-Dog (PDF)

Demo

watch the film

Posted on August 25, 2019August 2, 2020 by kelise72 — Leave a comment

Corduroy Dog (or, How Memories Become Real), 2019, digital film and AR object, dur. 21m13s (feature short)

A story of how a childhood memory became Real. The main character, Corduroy Dog, is made in virtual 3D from the memory of a precious childhood artefact, and becomes the main character in the re-telling of a favourite bedtime story.

Mock-umentary (duration 21m13s), digital film and digital/AR memory object (Corduroy Dog). Directed, filmed, and edited by Kelise Franclemont. Reading from “A Velveteen Rabbit” (1922) by Margery Williams.

As seen in Tate Staff Biennale 2019

Corduroy Dog was made real by Vectary 3D.

http://www.vectary.com

Posted on June 15, 2019August 2, 2020 by kelise72 — Leave a comment

‘Corduroy Dog (or, How Memories Become Real)’, 2019, digital film and digital/AR objects (trailer)

Here is the story of how a memory and a seminal artefact from my childhood became Real.

Mock-umentary (duration approx. 20 minutes), digital film and digital/AR memory object (Corduroy Dog). Directed and edited by Kelise Franclemont. Reading from “A Velveteen Rabbit” (1922) by Margery Williams.

Feature short coming soon (28 August 2019)!

Posted on June 14, 2019August 2, 2020 by kelise72 — Leave a comment

“Object Self (part 1)” with Olga Suchanova – Digital 3D augmented reality portraits

In a collaboration with visual artist Olga Suchanova, in “Object Self“, Kelise and Olga use digital technology to create 3D augmented reality [AR] portraits as a personal expression of self.

To see our growing collection of “Object Self” portraits, scan or click this QR code:

More info

Kelise and Olga will demonstrate how these AR digital 3D sculptures are made at Thames-Side Studios Open Studios weekend on Saturday 15 July 2019, 12-4pm (Unit 5, Studio 5-225).

Thames-Side Studios is home to an impressive array of more than 500 creatives and the Open Studios event is a unique opportunity to meet the makers, talk about what they do, and to buy directly from their studios.

The array of creative practice at TSS includes painting, drawing, fashion design, carpentry, jewellery, millinery, photography, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture and installation, tailoring, leather work, picture framing, stained glass making, writing, upholstery, illustration, textiles, conservation and restoration, lutherie, graphic design, furniture design, film and video, skin care, architecture, wood working, laser cutting, clock making, product design, book binding, and much more…

Click the yellow thumbnail to read more…

“Object Self” is supported by Vectary 3D, the leading online 3D design tool on www.vectary.com.

Posted on September 23, 2018March 9, 2021 by kelise72 — 1 Comment

I was a thing (the poet objects) with Mosab Abu Toha, 2018, poet object and plinth, in Passion for Freedom Fest 2018, London

as seen in 10th anniversary Passion for Freedom Festival 2018, Royal Opera Arcade Gallery, London. From 1-12 October 2018.

Kelise Franclemont and Mosab Abu Toha, ‘I was a thing (the poet objects)’, 2018, poet object and plinth, in Passion for Freedom Festival 2018, London. Photo credit Kelise Franclemont.

A mysterious black cube-shaped poet-object slowly extrudes a long strip of paper that gathers in a growing pile. The text contains poems, one-line reports, and other thoughts by Mosab Abu Toha, a poet in Gaza. Every now and then, another few lines of text come out as Abu Toha shares his poetry and prose with UK viewers real-time via the Internet, even while remaining entrapped in Gaza City, presuming of course, electricity supply is available to his neighbourhood.

It is clear to the audience that it was Abu Toha’s poetic voice coming from the box he is in, only to realise it is British artist Kelise Franclemont who made the box. Poetic on all sorts of levels, and problematic, and could be seen as a manifestation of AND a critique of (among other things) the colonial past between Britain and Palestine, still in place today, and still affecting both artists…but in vastly different ways. For instance, complete freedom of speech is only afforded one of the artists, while the words themselves can only come from the artist who is not completely free.

About

“I was a thing” is collaborative effort between British-American artist Kelise Franclemont and Gazan poet Mosab Abu Toha.

Mosab Abu Toha is an author, English teacher, and founder/director of the Library and Bookshop for Gaza, a project which gained international support through a humble crowd-funding appeal, resulting in a growing library of English, Arabic, and other volumes made available to the Gazan public. Along with the hundreds of books and periodicals, Abu Toha and his small staff offer a range of English classes, creative writing and literature clubs, and other activities.

Kelise Franclemont is a visual storyteller offering objects or experiences about remembering and identity, often considering the immutable line between Other and Self. In the making, she will often appropriate materials, objects, or other more ephemeral cultural artefacts such as ritual, using documentary tactics to remake these artefacts into a new narrative, or into a newly-contrived situation based on some truth, allowing the viewer to discover truths of his or her own.

‘degas dreaming of women in the bath’ (infinite drawing series), 2018, ink, wax crayon, and pencil

as seen in ‘Green Matters’ – a contemporary postcard art show, at Frogmill Papermill, Apsley
4-16 March 2018

‘degas dreaming of women in the bath’ (infinite drawing series), 2018, ink, wax crayon, and pencil

“degas dreaming of women in the bath” (2018, ink, wax crayon, and Prismacolor pencil on tracing vellum and cartridge paper) is an “infinite drawing” of sorts that can be opened and folded in a variety of ways to get a new and surprising image with each arrangement of the pages. The drawing, on a single sheet of paper is double-sided and can be viewed beneath a semi-transparent paper, and/or folded to present a new perspective sized from A6 up to A3.

A response to the idea of the female nude frequently being the subject of the male gaze, here I’m reclaiming and expressing my own sensuality yet still leaving the way open for the viewer to choose his or her own “gaze” for themselves.

‘Prayer for Rain’, 2017, copper, hologram, and sound (dur. 28m07s, looped)

“Prayer for Rain“, an installation of copper, hologram, and sound is part of “Stations of Water” exhibition, with nine contemporary artists commissioned to create artworks, including sculpture, painting, installation, and film, in conjunction with justwater2017.org, at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London. From 25 September to 27 October 2017.

Kelise Franclemont, ‘Prayer for Rain’, 2017, hologram, copper, and sound, in ‘Stations of Water’ at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London. Image courtesy the artist. Photo credit Graham Lacdao.

A single drop of water which seemingly emanates from the copper basin on the floor, travels up the pipes, to be released skywards one precious drop at a time.

It is through faith that this drop becomes the carrier of hope, as it gently floats upwards in glittering repose, taking with it prayers within all of us, whether we are creatures of land or sea.

Along with the simple act of faith in raising one’s gaze to the sky, actual “water prayers” from all over the world can be heard, beseeching whomever will listen, to revere this priceless life resource, seek rescue when we are overwhelmed, or beg relief from the peril when the rains won’t fall.

Click to view/download “Prayer for Rain” exhibition map/guide:

More INFO about “Stations of Water”

“Stations of Water” is kindly supported by St. Paul’s Institute and St. Paul’s Cathedral in conjunction with Just Water 2017 campaign which is focused on global water concerns at the local level and aims to:
- Raise consciousness
- Nurture shared understandings
- Provide guidance and support to equip church leaders in advocacy
- Build a shared community for action
Artists participating in “Stations of Water”:
Paul Abbott, Michelangelo Arteaga, Marilyn Collins, Kelise Franclemont, Marcela Montoya Turnill, Regan O’Callaghan, James Pimperton, Alex Roberts, and Jonathan Slaughter.
“Stations of Water” is curated by
Oksana Smirnova and Regan O’Callaghan.
Click thumbnail to view/download “Stations of Water” e-flyer and exhibition guide [PDF]:

Exhibition details: “Stations of Water” opens 25 September through 27 October 2017 at St. Paul’s Cathedral and crypt, St. Paul’s Churchyard, London, EC4M 8AD. Paid entrance; step-free access.

Please note the exhibition is included with paid entrance to St. Paul’s Cathedral during sight-seeing hours:

Monday to Saturday
8:30AM to 4:00PM (last entrance)

Special thanks are owed to voice-over artist Vicky Tessio (for sharing her lovely voice on the soundtrack by reciting two Catholic prayers in Spanish) and to author and director of Library for Gaza, Mosab Abu Toha (for sharing his poem “Dejected they stand…” which appears on the hologram prism).

Posted on June 1, 2017February 14, 2018 by kelise72 — Leave a comment

‘Homeland (a diary)’, 2017, archival installation of found objects

For our second collaboration at Rondo Sztuki Gallery, borne out of shared interests in found objects, the archive, narrative, and collective or personal memories, we have decided to develop something that would focus on the past through an array of found objects that belonged to a man named ‘Henry’, supposed to be a common ancestor of both artists. The work is titled Motherland and through the seemingly disparate objects, when perceived together, they tell a story about finding your place in the world and following your dreams about a better life.

The Connect Project and its experimental form presented many challenges for us as artists. The combination of twostrangers was a risky operation, but in our case it brought about a most positive effect. During the cooperation, we found many common interests and ways of working, out of which many possible new artworks could be generated. Obviously, there were differences of opinion along the way, but through committed dialogue we worked out our differences, so that we could reach a successful compromise and a richly rewarding experience overall.

PL:

W ramach współpracy nad projektem do Ronda Sztuki postanowiliśmy rozwinąć coś, co wynikałoby z naszych wspólnych zainteresowań wokół przeszłych, narracyjnych, osobistych lub też zbiorowych wspomnień. Skupiliśmy się na grupie znalezionych przedmiotów, należących do człowieka imieniem „Henry”, który rzekomo miałby być wspólnym przodkiem obojga artystów. Pracę zatytułowaliśmy Motherland i jest to historia o poszukiwaniu swojego miejsca na świecie oraz podążaniu za marzeniami oraz lepszym życiem.

Projekt Connect i jego eksperymentalna forma stwarzały wiele wyzwań dla nas jako artystów. Połączenie w pary dwojga nieznajomych było ryzykownym zabiegiem, ale w naszym przypadku przyniosło to jak najbardziej pozytywny efekt. Podczas współpracy znaleźliśmy wiele wspólnych zainteresowań i sposobów pracy, z których można było wytworzyć wiele nowych dzieł sztuki. Oczywiście – pojawiały się różnice zdań, ale proces dialogu weryfikował rozbieżności, dzięki czemu mogliśmy osiągnąć kompromis.

Marcin Czarnopyś, Kelise Franclemont. ‘Motherland (a diary)’, 2017, archival installation of found objects, in ‘Connect: Katowice and London’ at Rondo Sztuki Gallery, Katowice, Poland. Image courtesy Rondo Gallery and Connect: Art Projects. Photo credit Michał Jędrzejowski.

Posted on March 19, 2017April 18, 2017 by kelise72 — Leave a comment

‘Salat ul-Istisqa’a [Prayer for Rain]’, 2017, installation of hologram and sound

Kelise Franclemont, ‘Salat ul-Istisqa’a [Prayer for Rain]’, 2017, copper, acrylic, and sound, in ‘Water Stations’ at Emmanuel Church, West Hampstead, London. Image courtesy the artist.

When water is scarce, an ancient Bedouin tradition calls the faithful to beseech God for healing rains. This Islamic ritual is known as “Salat ul-Istisqa’a”, rising to heaven one drop at a time.

“Salat ul-Istisqa’a [Prayer for Rain]” is a response to the number of documentaries from 2013-2016 about the irreversible water crisis in Gaza. 2020 is rapidly approaching, the year when experts fear that the fresh water supply in the region’s underground aquifers will be damaged beyond repair. Even now, experts fear the worst has already happened as ordinary people who live, work, and raise families within view of the Mediterranean, are dying of thirst.

Gazan resident Awatef Al Afifi complains with evident frustration, “This water is unsuitable for [washing] hair, or for showering children or adults. Or washing your face.”

“This [water] is diseased,” she gestures, “we can’t drink it or use it for cooking.”

Throwing her hands up again, “It’s not safe,” she exclaims, “we can’t use it for anything, wa laa ishi [not anything].”

In another part of Gaza lives another family, 100 meters from the sea shore. Equally frustrated, Um Adham Bakr states matter-of-factly, “Saline water is harmful for the children; they become sick. The last time I stayed about 6 days in hospital with my eldest son. The doctors tell me that he had something more dangerous than meningitis; he was taken to the intensive care unit. Blisters had appeared on his body, blisters that were mainly caused by salt water. As you can see, the water is salty and their hair has been damaged. The boys have undergone several surgeries and rashes appear all over their bodies.” And resignedly,

“There’s nothing to do. We are tired of this.”

“Salat ul-Istisqa’a [Prayer for Rain]” is part of “Water Stations” an exhibition in which seven artists convene to honour World Water Day with sculpture, installation, film, and painting, at Emmanuel Church in West Hampstead from 19th through 31st March 2017.

Click the thumbnail to view/download more info:

Posted on April 28, 2016September 6, 2017 by kelise72 — Leave a comment

Duo show ‘Fragments and Traces’ about time, memory, and travel – Platform 1 Gallery, Wandsworth Arts Fringe

Kelise Franclemont, ‘Postcards from the Land of No People (wish you were here)’, 2015, postcard prints in a wooden rack. Image courtesy the artist.

Image courtesy Antonia Jackson.

Fragments and Traces: l’invitation au voyage

Kelise Franclemont and Antonia Jackson explore memory, travel, and passage of time through paintings, installation, and new media. Throughout each day, along with the exhibition of artworks, Antonia and Kelise will engage visitors in trading memories and creating new ones in an ongoing make-one/take-one souvenir postcard exchange.

Wandsworth Common Station, Platform 1 in London, UK. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

“Fragments and Traces: l’invitation au voyage” is in conjunction with Wandsworth Arts Fringe 2016, a festival of creativity and performance throughout the borough from 6 to 22 May 2016.

One subsequent weekends at Platform 1 Gallery are two more shows: “Transcending” from artist Ema Mano Epps with Verica Kovacevska and Norman Mine, and finally, “Fragment” by sculptor Anna Flemming.

Click the flyer below to see more details:

‘Postcards’ selected for ‘Identity’ group exhibition with AWAH, Manchester

“Postcards from the Land of No People (wish you were here)”, 2015, printed postcards in a wooden rack

Kelise Franclemont, ‘Postcards from the land of no people’, 2015, printed cards in a wooden rack.

Kelise Franclemont, ‘Bedouins of the Holy Land’, 2015, postcard in a postcard rack as part of ‘Visit Palestine (See it for yourself)’, in MA FA Interim Show, 22 Jan 2015 at Chelsea College of Arts, London.

A contemporary Orientalist sees herself in Palestine through a series of souvenir postcards… whether or not she belongs or is welcome there…

This piece is about how memory and identity intermingle and become truth for the author of that history. A series of found images dated from late 1890s are appropriated from the US Library of Congress “Holy Land” archives and the artist inserts herself into the image attempting to become an integral part of the narrative by almost any means possible. This can be a metaphor for personal history, the artist having once been immersed in all things Palestinian by marriage or the images could point to some vague but potent longing to belong to the exotic “Other” culture, even for just a moment as a tourist to some foreign land. There is an element of humour here, with the artist fully aware of the “square peg, round hole” issues at play here and the absurdity of a certain tone of Colonialism that tries to overwrite history, yet there is no lacking in sincerity for the love of this corner of the Earth once known as the “Land of No People”.

Kelise Franclemont, ‘Postcards from the land of no people’, 2015, printed cards in a wooden rack.

‘My darling, wish you were here! I was disappointed to find the real Mary’s well in the centre of a car park and it doesn’t even have running water, so tourists are welcome to bring their own bottled l’eau to reenact the biblical water gathering experience.’

On the reverse of each card is written a message from the artist to “My darling” (a lover? a family member? a friend?), with the sentiment, “wish you were here!” along with a short message to share the experience with the postcard recipient.

To see this and the many other works in “Identity” (21 January to 13 March 2016), head to Manchester to Art with a Heart [AWAH], a charity arts organisation in nearby Altrincham.

Founded in 2012, AWAH is a charity that comprises of 4-5 small exhibition galleries, hosting workshops, exhibitions, charitable events, and volunteering opportunities aimed at supporting the arts and creative communities, as well as promoting Altrincham heritage and history.

If you’re in the area, have a look in!

Posted on November 12, 2015February 11, 2016 by kelise72 — Leave a comment

‘A walk through Palestine’ installation included in ‘Ruins of Time’ exhibition – The Crypt Gallery, St Pancras, London

Kelise Franclemont, installation view ‘A Walk through Palestine (collectable, artefact, relic, souvenir)’, 2015, installation of sound, printed posters, and found objects. Image courtesy the artist.

Kelise Franclemont, detail of ‘A Walk through Palestine (collectable, artefact, relic, souvenir)’, 2015, installation of sound, printed posters, and found objects. Image courtesy the artist.

This small stone was once part of pleasing mathematics in tessellated patterns… a fan, a leaf, a flower. It remained in that belonging for nearly 2000 years until one day, it was dislocated from its home. In this instant, this fragment was transformed from artefact into another kind of ruin. A relic, this souvenir now belongs to no more than a memory, a resurrected existence in minutes and megabytes, and thus has become something much easier to destroy and to forget.

If you missed seeing “Ruins of Time” at The Crypt Gallery in St Pancras, click the link to walk through the virtual tour here: https://vimeo.com/154992121 [Vimeo, duration 13:02 minutes]. My work appears at 4:45.

Kelise Franclemont, detail ‘A Walk through Palestine’, 2015, iPhone and video, duration 10:00mins (looped)

‘Caught in the Act’, 2015, series of digital photographic prints

This exhibition of digital photographic prints by Kelise Franclemont, candidly documents preparation for the final MA Fine Art Summer show in August 2015. Stealing a glimpse of artists in the act of making, the images invite an intimacy with the subject. Taken on an iPhone without the artist’s knowledge or permission, these documents are being shared publicly for the first time as Display #17 for Chelsea Cafe Project.

These images capture fragmentary moments of production, becoming part of the history and biography of artist and artwork. By sharing these perceived intimacies, the photographer is embedding themselves within a narrative to an externalised audience; invited here to observe the relationship between the maker and the made. – from Chelsea Cafe Project blog. Display #17 curated by Cherie Silver.