Travis D. Hendrix Freelance Artistrator Berlin!
Donation protected
Traditional maps assert, “This is how the world is,” and expect the reader to agree. Artist’s maps countermand that complicity, saying, “This is my vision, and I encourage you to construct your own.” Harmon, Katherine (2009, 11)
Hello there!
My name is Travis D. Hendrix. Originally from Australia, I am now a resident of Berlin, drawn to its history, inspiration, creative energy and the people that make it so. I originally came to Berlin by invitation to participate in the 3 month TAKT artist residency which culminated in a group exhibition at Tapir Gallery. Since then, I have been working here as a freelance artist and illustrator.
The first part of this gofundme project allowed me to accept a second invitation to the Pilotenkueche International Artist program in Leipzig for a 3 month residency starting October 2019 and it is partly thanks to your help that I was able to make this happen. Thankyou to all those that supported me. Through this program I have had two professional art exhibitions in Leipzig, particpated in 'Artwalk' fashion show at the 2019 Design Open Press Conference and open studio at the Dietzold building.
http://westside.pilotenkueche.net/?page_id=8318
Now I need your help again, so I am continuing this project into the new year! With my visa up for renewal at the beginning of March 2020, I require support for costs associated with running a studio and arts practice. Your donation will assist in studio rent, business marketing and advertising, art supplies and production and exhibition costs. And of course, postage of your rewards to anywhere in the world!
As a donor to this project you will be eligible for certain rewards, as listed below. In addition, you will be contributing to the greater creative arts industry, visual art research, cultural exchange and the career of a passionate artist (me). Most importantly to me, is that this work may inspire the viewer, set off a spark that turns into an idea that turns into an action that otherwise would have never been.
My artistic research:
It’s about art and mapping in contemporary society. How mapping affects us in our everyday lives and how this relates to each one of us and our construction of space, location and travel.
More recently artists are using maps and their established conventions to challenge assumptions by subverting cartographic rules. What knowledge can studio based enquiry reveal that may not be revealed by other modes of enquiry? I explore how the use of absence evokes a universal sense of mystery and wonder in the viewer, thus allowing them space in which to exercise their own imaginations.
My works, as geographical maps, are rendered useless through their omission of relevant reference information. However, instead, they relate to social space in their propagation of conversation, including internal dialogue, generated from these omissions. As there is nothing in an empty space to perceive, it often acts as a mirror, reflecting back at us our own imaginations that fill the void. This manifested in my studio work as a change in the focus of maps from the visual to a more sensory +approach. I began to omit crucial information to generate emotional reactions to the space rather than logical ones.
My work relates to anyone who has the desire to explore the unknown; those who face the void with infinite curiosity and a sense of wonder. This work is designed to inspire the viewer to look to their own semiotic blanks, beyond the boundaries at the edges of their personal, mapped space with the desire to roll back the borders of their known world.
Your support will allow me to continue my dream of living and working as an artist in Germany, collaborating with the local community, advancing knowledge and inspiring. I look forward to having you along for the ride, sharing my progress and rewards with you.
Thank you.
Rewards:
As my way of saying thank you for your support, there are a range of gifts available with the donation of different amounts.
€10 – 3x professionally printed postcards.
€25 – 1x hand painted postcard + what´s above.
€50 – 1x professionally printed (A2), hand signed poster + all of the above.
€100 – 1x 14 page zine + everything above! (link back to fb and behance for example images)
€250 – 1x original piece of artwork on paper (up to A2) + yes, you know it, all of the above!
€400 – 1x commissioned work on paper (up to A2) + the usual. (above)
€600 – 1x commissioned work on paper or canvas (larger than A2) + yep.
€1000+ Let´s sit down and talk about what I can do for You!
Contact details:
Travis D. Hendrix
[email redacted]
https://www.facebook.com/Travis-D-Hendrix-112488672101091/
https://society6.com/travisdhendrix
https://www.instagram.com/travisdhendrix/
For a deeper examination, including excerpts from my Exegesis:
´How can contemporary art practice extend cartographic discourse in the consideration of the ‘semiotic blanks’ in mapping´.
Mapping can be understood on many levels that surpass the face value of the areas they represent. Although every map is created with a distinct purpose in mind, it can be read through a language that speaks of underlying political, religious, commercial, social or cultural influences, among others. Not confined to mere geographical representations, Peter Turchi, asserts that to create maps is to create stories and as the authors of these stories we: refuse simply to share and thereby reinforce the collective perception; we want to get at something else, something that hasn’t been perceived or hasn’t been presented the way we see it (2004, 157). Under this premise, maps become codified devices for communication and, collectively, form historical narratives. How then do we interpret this with the advent of digital mapping technology? It has been suggested that what we have lost in more recent maps is the sense of excitement, the notion that the world could be further explored.
In the introduction of the exhibition catalogue Mapping Our World: Terra Incognita to Australia, Andrew Smith writes, ‘…our explorers changed the world by constantly pushing its boundaries’ (2013, xi). Through my studio research I will examine how the desire to push these boundaries and fill in the ‘blanks’ upon our maps continues to evolve through to this day. Turchi identifies the blank as a challenge engaged upon by us in order to ‘know more about where – and why, and how – we live.’ He suggests that ‘we are both inspired by and unsatisfied by what we know and what we’ve read’. Some have argued that blank spaces upon our maps represent much more than gaps in our knowledge.
Blank spaces on maps, upon which we project our hopes and fears in place of knowledge, represent a type of ‘otherness’ which in turn forms the ground for the metaphoric search for identity. Maps can be seen as ideological tools rather than translations of reality, thereby making questions of their accuracy invalid. When examining them for their cartographic conventions, inclusions and omissions through time, we can begin to see a map of abstract space that reveals more about ourselves than was ever intended by their makers. ‘The continuities of maps, and map-inspired notions of the world are displayed by this transhistorical analysis to allow an analysis of the connectivity…’ (Ryan 1996, 10) between world views not only across cultures but across time.
This idea of the Semiotic Blank is ingrained within our social culture as an expectation of knowledge to come, and as such, taunts us to explore into the void. These semiotic spaces have continued to evolve as a mode of expression in art, assisting in the contextualization of our surroundings.
Many artists such as Yves Klein, Rachel Whiteread, and Art&Language, have explored the Semiotic Blanks, their varied approaches challenge the viewer and urge them to reconsider the space they inhabit. I explore how the use of absence evokes a universal sense of mystery and wonder in the viewer, thus allowing them space in which to exercise their own imaginations. Artistic research such as this explores concepts of blankness and the infinite imaginative power that an empty field can generate.
During the middle of the twentieth century, the pioneers of Minimalism and Abstract Expressionism, would often reduce a canvas to a single colour (Mark Rothko), or lack thereof (Robert Rauschenberg), in order to evoke a response from the viewer and force the onus of its content and meaning upon their own imagination. This new expression of art was vital in generating ideas and knowledge that helped society to re-adjust its perception to an ever changing world. A leading figure in this respect was Yves Klein, whose ‘entire creative energy and all his art projects were aimed at expanding and intensifying human awareness of the actualities of existence’ (Stich 1995, 7), these works held the potential to become something new upon each viewing, bringing nothing more than what its audience projected upon it.
Full copies of my exegesis are available upon request.
REFERENCES:
Harmon, Katharine. 2009. The Map as Art: Contemporary Artists Explore Cartography. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.
Ryan, Simon. 1996. The Cartographic Eye: How explorers saw Australia. Cambridge: University of Cambridge Press
Stich, Sidra. 1995. Yves Klein. Stuttgart: Cantz Verlag
Turchi, Peter. 2004. Maps of the Imagination: The Writer as Cartographer. San Antonio: Trinity University Press
Williams, Nat and Woods, Martin. 2013. Mapping our World: Terra Incognita to Australia. Canberra: National Library of Australia
Hello there!
My name is Travis D. Hendrix. Originally from Australia, I am now a resident of Berlin, drawn to its history, inspiration, creative energy and the people that make it so. I originally came to Berlin by invitation to participate in the 3 month TAKT artist residency which culminated in a group exhibition at Tapir Gallery. Since then, I have been working here as a freelance artist and illustrator.
The first part of this gofundme project allowed me to accept a second invitation to the Pilotenkueche International Artist program in Leipzig for a 3 month residency starting October 2019 and it is partly thanks to your help that I was able to make this happen. Thankyou to all those that supported me. Through this program I have had two professional art exhibitions in Leipzig, particpated in 'Artwalk' fashion show at the 2019 Design Open Press Conference and open studio at the Dietzold building.
http://westside.pilotenkueche.net/?page_id=8318
Now I need your help again, so I am continuing this project into the new year! With my visa up for renewal at the beginning of March 2020, I require support for costs associated with running a studio and arts practice. Your donation will assist in studio rent, business marketing and advertising, art supplies and production and exhibition costs. And of course, postage of your rewards to anywhere in the world!
As a donor to this project you will be eligible for certain rewards, as listed below. In addition, you will be contributing to the greater creative arts industry, visual art research, cultural exchange and the career of a passionate artist (me). Most importantly to me, is that this work may inspire the viewer, set off a spark that turns into an idea that turns into an action that otherwise would have never been.
My artistic research:
It’s about art and mapping in contemporary society. How mapping affects us in our everyday lives and how this relates to each one of us and our construction of space, location and travel.
More recently artists are using maps and their established conventions to challenge assumptions by subverting cartographic rules. What knowledge can studio based enquiry reveal that may not be revealed by other modes of enquiry? I explore how the use of absence evokes a universal sense of mystery and wonder in the viewer, thus allowing them space in which to exercise their own imaginations.
My works, as geographical maps, are rendered useless through their omission of relevant reference information. However, instead, they relate to social space in their propagation of conversation, including internal dialogue, generated from these omissions. As there is nothing in an empty space to perceive, it often acts as a mirror, reflecting back at us our own imaginations that fill the void. This manifested in my studio work as a change in the focus of maps from the visual to a more sensory +approach. I began to omit crucial information to generate emotional reactions to the space rather than logical ones.
My work relates to anyone who has the desire to explore the unknown; those who face the void with infinite curiosity and a sense of wonder. This work is designed to inspire the viewer to look to their own semiotic blanks, beyond the boundaries at the edges of their personal, mapped space with the desire to roll back the borders of their known world.
Your support will allow me to continue my dream of living and working as an artist in Germany, collaborating with the local community, advancing knowledge and inspiring. I look forward to having you along for the ride, sharing my progress and rewards with you.
Thank you.
Rewards:
As my way of saying thank you for your support, there are a range of gifts available with the donation of different amounts.
€10 – 3x professionally printed postcards.
€25 – 1x hand painted postcard + what´s above.
€50 – 1x professionally printed (A2), hand signed poster + all of the above.
€100 – 1x 14 page zine + everything above! (link back to fb and behance for example images)
€250 – 1x original piece of artwork on paper (up to A2) + yes, you know it, all of the above!
€400 – 1x commissioned work on paper (up to A2) + the usual. (above)
€600 – 1x commissioned work on paper or canvas (larger than A2) + yep.
€1000+ Let´s sit down and talk about what I can do for You!
Contact details:
Travis D. Hendrix
[email redacted]
https://www.facebook.com/Travis-D-Hendrix-112488672101091/
https://society6.com/travisdhendrix
https://www.instagram.com/travisdhendrix/
For a deeper examination, including excerpts from my Exegesis:
´How can contemporary art practice extend cartographic discourse in the consideration of the ‘semiotic blanks’ in mapping´.
Mapping can be understood on many levels that surpass the face value of the areas they represent. Although every map is created with a distinct purpose in mind, it can be read through a language that speaks of underlying political, religious, commercial, social or cultural influences, among others. Not confined to mere geographical representations, Peter Turchi, asserts that to create maps is to create stories and as the authors of these stories we: refuse simply to share and thereby reinforce the collective perception; we want to get at something else, something that hasn’t been perceived or hasn’t been presented the way we see it (2004, 157). Under this premise, maps become codified devices for communication and, collectively, form historical narratives. How then do we interpret this with the advent of digital mapping technology? It has been suggested that what we have lost in more recent maps is the sense of excitement, the notion that the world could be further explored.
In the introduction of the exhibition catalogue Mapping Our World: Terra Incognita to Australia, Andrew Smith writes, ‘…our explorers changed the world by constantly pushing its boundaries’ (2013, xi). Through my studio research I will examine how the desire to push these boundaries and fill in the ‘blanks’ upon our maps continues to evolve through to this day. Turchi identifies the blank as a challenge engaged upon by us in order to ‘know more about where – and why, and how – we live.’ He suggests that ‘we are both inspired by and unsatisfied by what we know and what we’ve read’. Some have argued that blank spaces upon our maps represent much more than gaps in our knowledge.
Blank spaces on maps, upon which we project our hopes and fears in place of knowledge, represent a type of ‘otherness’ which in turn forms the ground for the metaphoric search for identity. Maps can be seen as ideological tools rather than translations of reality, thereby making questions of their accuracy invalid. When examining them for their cartographic conventions, inclusions and omissions through time, we can begin to see a map of abstract space that reveals more about ourselves than was ever intended by their makers. ‘The continuities of maps, and map-inspired notions of the world are displayed by this transhistorical analysis to allow an analysis of the connectivity…’ (Ryan 1996, 10) between world views not only across cultures but across time.
This idea of the Semiotic Blank is ingrained within our social culture as an expectation of knowledge to come, and as such, taunts us to explore into the void. These semiotic spaces have continued to evolve as a mode of expression in art, assisting in the contextualization of our surroundings.
Many artists such as Yves Klein, Rachel Whiteread, and Art&Language, have explored the Semiotic Blanks, their varied approaches challenge the viewer and urge them to reconsider the space they inhabit. I explore how the use of absence evokes a universal sense of mystery and wonder in the viewer, thus allowing them space in which to exercise their own imaginations. Artistic research such as this explores concepts of blankness and the infinite imaginative power that an empty field can generate.
During the middle of the twentieth century, the pioneers of Minimalism and Abstract Expressionism, would often reduce a canvas to a single colour (Mark Rothko), or lack thereof (Robert Rauschenberg), in order to evoke a response from the viewer and force the onus of its content and meaning upon their own imagination. This new expression of art was vital in generating ideas and knowledge that helped society to re-adjust its perception to an ever changing world. A leading figure in this respect was Yves Klein, whose ‘entire creative energy and all his art projects were aimed at expanding and intensifying human awareness of the actualities of existence’ (Stich 1995, 7), these works held the potential to become something new upon each viewing, bringing nothing more than what its audience projected upon it.
Full copies of my exegesis are available upon request.
REFERENCES:
Harmon, Katharine. 2009. The Map as Art: Contemporary Artists Explore Cartography. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.
Ryan, Simon. 1996. The Cartographic Eye: How explorers saw Australia. Cambridge: University of Cambridge Press
Stich, Sidra. 1995. Yves Klein. Stuttgart: Cantz Verlag
Turchi, Peter. 2004. Maps of the Imagination: The Writer as Cartographer. San Antonio: Trinity University Press
Williams, Nat and Woods, Martin. 2013. Mapping our World: Terra Incognita to Australia. Canberra: National Library of Australia
Organizer
Hendrix Travis
Organizer
Berlin
