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Martin Creed Bells Balloons and Bulbs!
Martin Creed is a multidisciplinary artist, his works include video, drawing, sculpture and music. He was born in 1968 in Wakefield, England and moved with his family to Glasgow at the age of 3.
Martin Creed is an artist that just makes stuff whenever the inspiration comes to mind. He stated that he found it difficult to assess the importance of an idea, so he tries to choose without having to make decisions. He does not want his works to be difficult to understand.
Earlier Works
Work No 79 Some Blu-Tack kneaded, rolled into a ball, and depressed against a wall
Work no. 88 a sheet of A4 paper crumpled into a ball 1995
He was requested to make a work that could be sent in the post.
Most Famous Work
Work No 227: The lights going on and off
This is a work which consists of an empty gallery space, in which the lights go on for 5 seconds then go off for five seconds.
The dimensions of the piece are variable and the medium is gallery lighting.
Then he created the work for the Turner prize 2001 Turner prize exhibition he had nothing that he wanted to put in the room enough, so he created the work. The work has musical quality and work recreates itself every 5 seconds.
The work was purchased by the Tate Gallery in London 2013 it’s estimated value was £110,000.
In 2009 he made a similar inspired piece Work No 990 curtains opening and closing
Work No. 200 1998 – Half the air in a given space
Description of the work from the Sotheby’s page
Overall dimensions variable: calculate the volume of a chosen space. Using air, blow up white, 12 in. balloons until they occupy half the volume of the space
Video
Martin Creed has also created several video works
Below is Work No. 1431 the video for the Cribs song “Anna”
Work 610: sick film
This is a video of someone being sick
Neon Works
Creed has created several neon works
Work no. 203: EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT
You can see the work here
Is a big white bright large neon sign, it was thirteen metres in length and half a metre in height.
It was originally temporary public artwork for the Clapton Portico. The sign was installed just below the triangle shape.
Work No. 232: the whole world + the work = the whole world, 2000
This time it was put on the front of the Tate Britain you can see it here.
Music
Martin Creed also creates Music you can see some examples of his work below.
Collaborative works
Work No 1197: All the Bells in a Country Rung as Quickly and Loudly as Possible for Three Minutes.
The idea Creed had was to ring bells, to greet the London Olympics in the UK in 2012. So at 8.12am on the 27th July, bells across the country were rung. The houses of parliament “Big Ben” bell even rang 40 times, this is the was only time it had struck outside of its normal schedule. A link to an interesting article on this here in the Guardian newspaper and also the video of Jeremy Hunt MP nearly hitting someone with a bell is there too.
You can see a clip of the podcast below with visuals below
Martin Creed Turner Prize 2001 – COULD IT be Vandal Proof?
