Planet of the Arts Volume7 Issue5 page 8 RATTLES NOT ONLY FOR by Andrew Robulagk and Justin Miles Carole Itter is an assem- blage artist who teaches at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design. She’s been involved with numerous group shows and has had several solo shows, prob- ably the best known of which was her 1990 instal- lation “Where the Streets are Paved with Gold” at the Vancouver Art Gallery (see photo this page). Carole Itter’s rattles are assemblage constructions of, mostly wooden, found objects. The rattles are, in part, viewer activated pieces, though they have served many different ar- tistic purposes from stage props for adance company we 4 to objects in performance rot; technically, which parts rot first. Subse- quently I’ve been able to re-wire better: if I use a little wooden box I know the corners are going to come apart quickly and so then reinforced them with each subsequent rat- tle. They eventually be- came clumps of rattles that the viewer could walk rightintoandshake. It was a nice experience to walk right into them. With"Winter Garden" the sixteen white rattles were lit by slide projections. So they always changed because I had a dissolve _< : unit between the slide pieces. This interview was conducted at Carole Itter’s "Where Streets are Paved with Gold"; Carole Itter's 1990/1991 floor-spill assemblage at the Vancouver Art Gallery, in collaboration with Luke Blackstone and Al Neil. (Length: approxiamately 30 ft.; width: 10 ft. Medium: found objects, pump organ, etc.) photo: projections. The colour flowed across them: I[ pulled them up to white home and studio in Janu- Carole Itter ary, 1992. Carole Itter: Try me on one of your questions. Planet of the Arts: Alright, we'll throw a big one at you, then. What is art? C.1.: Oh, you rat! I think the definition of art changes all the time; to fix it too thoroughly, be it day to day or century to century, would tend to limit us. It’s the making of things. The verb ‘to do’ or ‘to make’ is in there and it has, in our case, to do with images in the visual arts. I don’t know that I look for definitions—I don’t need them. I don’t know why we do, I think they may just close us up. POTA: How did you arrive at the idea for your rattles? C.I.: Being a natural collector, collecting every- thing all of the time is part of it. Collecting is done randomly and I do it out of love for this little object or that little object. There’s a point where I want to place a little bit of my own aesthetic order on to it by maybe pushing these objects closer together, juxta- posing them, finding things that work well. The rattles came about with the help of my partner [collagist, musician and multi-disciplinary artist] Al Neil. He gave them that word when he saw the first one that took shape. It wasn’t me who said "Oh, these are rattles". I had made one and wired it together, it was about seven feet high, two metres high, and figurative in shape. I was working outdoors then because I didn’t have a studio and Al walked over to the tree where it was hanging and shook it really hard. He said: "Well, there’s a few good sounds". And | thought, right, why not make them make sounds? Then they were rattles; rattles not only for children, rattles for all ages. Rattles are part of every culture. My rattles make a random kind of guttural sound as the pieces knock together. It came really simply. Some early ones are still hanging outside and I’m watching them rot. I’ve learned by watching them sometimes if I'm questioning too closely... I stop working as an artist i" to be in there. I was working with my hands and learned quite intentionally so that you could then project slides on them. Light is. of light, especially slide projection. POTA: How did you encourage people to enter your rattle assemblages? Did you post notices about their viewer activated qualities? C.I.: Yes, yes. Something like, ““Please Touch”. Children, age two and a half to about seven, they’re the best of all. They just get in there. In one set of rattles, "Choir of Rattles", the back row is ten and a half feet high [see photograph this page], I think they were rattled, I estimate, by about 10,000 people. If a piece flew off now and then, it didn’t worry me too much. I didn't have any trouble with that. POTA: What sort of formal training have you ad? C.I.: I went to the predecessor of Emily Carr College for three years. Prior to that I did one year at UBC in General Arts and a year later in their College of Education and one year in Rome, Italy. Three years at the Vancouver School of Art were certainly formative years and I had some exceptional teachers. It was a very small place and very poor facilities. But that didn’t make any difference in a way. I also did a lot of my learning through the job I had all those summers while I was going to school because I worked backstage in professional theatre with a big crew in Vancouver. I was very mucha Girl Friday at first. I did anything I could just a fair amount. Eventually I knew I didn’t want to go into theatre. Nonetheless, the work I did I was well paid only because I worked a 65 hour week. I used machines then to cut wood and shape wood, which I don’t use now but I learned to do that. We painted on “drops”, which were sewn canvas sections. Scenes, background scenes, they were forty feet long and twenty feet high. We had an electric bridge that went up and down so Planet of the Arts Volume7 IssueS page 8 RATTLES NOT ONLY FOR by Andrew Robulagk and Justin Miles Carole Itter is an assem- blage artist who teaches at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design. She’s been involved with numerous group shows and has had several solo shows, prob- ably the best known of which was her 1990: lation “Where the Streets istal- are Paved with Gold” at the Vancouver Art Gallery (see photo this page). Carole Itter’s rattles are assemblage constructions of, mostly wooden, found objects. The rattles are, in part, viewer activated pieces, though they have served many different ar- tistic purposes from stage propsforadancecompany to objects in performance ~Where Streets are Paved with Gold"; Carole Itter's 1990/1991 floor-spill assemblage at ion with Luke Blackstone and Al Neil. (Length: pieces. This interview was the Vancouver Art Gallery, in collal conductedat Carole Itter’s approxiamately 30 fi.; width: 10 ft. M home and studio in Janu- Carol ary, 1992. Carole Itter: Try me on one of your questions Planet of the Arts: Alright, we'll throw a big one at you, then. What art? €.L.: Oh, you rat! I think the d it too thoroughly, be it day to day or century to century, would tend jon of art changes all the times to fix to limit us. It’s the making of things. The verb ‘to do’ or ‘to make’ is in there and it has, in our case, to do with images in the visual arts. I don’t know that I look for definitions —I don’t need them. I don’t know why we do, I think they may just close us up. POTA: How did you arrive at the idea for your rattles? C.L.: Being a natural collector, collecting every- thing all of the time is part of it. Collecting is done randomly and I do it out of love for this little object or that little object. There’s a point where I want to ‘order on toit by together, juxta place a little bit of my own aesthe maybe pushing these objects clo posing them, finding things that work well. The rattles came about with the help of my partner [collagist, musician and multi-discip! Nei that took shape. It wasn't me who said "Oh, these are wary artist] Al He gave them that word when he saw the first one rattles". I had made one and wired it together, it was ab n feet igh, two metres igh, and figurative in suse I didn’t have was hanging "sa few good shaps ‘a studio and Al walked over to the tree where and shook it really hard. He said: "Well, the sounds", And I thought, right, why not make them make sounds? Th rattles; rattles not only for children, rattles for all ages. Rattles are part of I was working outdoors then ber n they were every culture. My rattles make a random kind of guttural sound as the pieces knock together. It came really simply. Some early o hanging outside and I'm watching them rot. I’ve! sometimes if I'm questioning too closely. working as an artist whi Subse. quently I've been able to rot; tech parts rot first re-wire better: if I use @ little wooden box I know corners are going to apart quickly and s0 then reinforced them wit ntrat tle. ‘They eventually be came clumps of rattles that the viewer could walk rightintoand shake. It was a nice experie to walk right into them: With"Winter Garden"the sixteen white rattles were lit by slide proj si because I had a they always eh; unit between the slide projections. flowed across them jum: found ob 1s, pump organ, ete.) photo: pulled them up to white quite intentionally so that you could then project slides on th Lightis. of light, especially slide projection POTA: How did you encourage people to enter your rattle assemblages? Did you post notices about their viewer activated qualities? C.L.: Yes, yes. Something like, “Please Touch”. Children, age two and a half to about seven, they're the best of all. They just get in there. In one set of rattles, "Choir of Rattles", the back row is ten and a half feet high [see photograph this page], I think they were rattled, I estimate, by about 10,000 people. If a piece flew off now and then, it didn’t worry me too much. didn't have any trouble with that. POTA: What sort of formal training have you ad? " C.L.: went to the prede College for three years. Prior to that I did one year at UBC in General Arts and a year late in their College of Education and o Rome, Italy. Three years at the Vancouver School of Art wer and [had some exceptional teachers. It was a sor of Emily Carr I stop vertainly formative years very small place and very poor facilities. But that didn’t make any differ Talso did a lot of my learning through the job I had all those summers while I was going to school because I worker backstagein professional theatre with a big crew in Vancouver. I was ve mucha Girl at first. [did anything could just " tobein there. [was working with my hands and learned 4 fair amount. Eventually I knew I didn’t want to go into. theatre. Nonetheless, the work I did I was well paid only b I worked 65 hour week. Tused machines then to cut wood and shape wood, which Tdon't usenow but [learned to doth t. Wepainted on “drops”, which were long ie bridge that went up and down so ground scenes, they were forty and twenty feet high. We had an el