Win In Your Sleep
Simon weighs in on the artists' junk yard art, from Miles' sleepy exhibit to Judith's wire work.
I was thrilled to meet Jon Kessler during the filming of this episode. I admire his work and in particular his ultimate masterpiece that is on public view near Hamburg as a permanent installation in the collection of Harald Falckenberg, one of today's most adventurous collectors. I normally like to see the work of an artist before I get to know the author of the work, as I prefer not to be distracted in any way by the personality of the artist. In this competition we discover simultaneously the characters of the contestants and the works they create. While filming and watching this episode, I found Jon Kessler to be a good judge and an excellent communicator with the artists.
It was interesting to see how the various contestants went about choosing their materials in the junk yard. Most contestants piled junk into the plastic bins until they were so full they could hardly move them. Unlike most of the artists, Peregrine immediately chose the exact three pieces she later utilized for the completion of her work. She must have instantly visualized in her head the work she wanted to create. However I was not surprised that the judges didn't single out her work as one of the best or worst. It was also interesting to observe how a contestant like Ryan coped with the challenge, who entered the competition as a painter without much experience using other mediums.
I was relieved to see that Miles was taking every opportunity to catch up on his sleep, both at the junk yard and during the art exhibit as an integral part of his work. First of all it struck me that he looked quite sleep deprived since the first challenge and secondly he demonstrated that he can win in his sleep!
I concurred with the assessment of the judges in terms of the three best works. As a mentor I visit the studio at a fairly early stage, and then am not in a position to view the works properly until they are completed and hung or displayed in the exhibition. I was very intrigued by all the wires that Judith collected and assembled. Most of her competitors went for the TV sets, and I thought that her choice of material could lend itself to the making of a truly great work. I was than somewhat disappointed when I actually saw her completed work.
I felt the judges were a bit harsh on Trong and that his work was not necessarily the worst of this challenge.
