15-12-11 – FINE ART

Still at a loose end as to how to approach the brief I decided to experiment away from what I had been doing so far, which is producing drawings using inks, some based in observation, others more just from imagination. I set up an overhead projector adjacent to a wall and placed some clean white paper for the light to land upon, and tried placing a mixture of items on the surface of the overhead projector to compose collages of light and shadow. I took photographs of the different compositions and also of the arrangements of the items on the projector for record but also for possible experimentation later. Finding the initial results promising but ultimately less than remarkable, I decided to add a less controlled variable into the mix, by adding water into a glass dish, to refract the light, and create more diverse results. This immediately made things more remarkable. I decided to expand upon this and add inks to the water to see how they interacted with the water and subsuquently with the light projection. The first I tried was 'crimson', though in effect the colour is more of a luminous pink, which dissolved very fainttly and quickly into the water, which whilst creating an interesting overall colouration, did not yield any interesting shapes or definitions to work upon. After, i added blotches of indian ink (black) which responded very differeny, creating a much more dramatic effect in the water and adding a much more physical definition to the light projection. As before, I photographed the effects, though I found that without the use of a tripod and preparedness in taking the photographs, I had missed the best opportunities for interesting images.

Later on after analysing the initial photographs and using photoshop to alter and experiment with them, I set up a second overhead projector in a similar manner as before, except on the floor in another corner of the room. I obtained a tripod and set up my camera in a steady position, carefully tuned and setup to take continuous photographs as the shuttter button is held down. I prepared the water and dipped a brush with indian ink into it, and then proceeded to take over one hundred sequential photographs of the projection as the ink dispersed, creating a stop motion effect. I created a video sequence of these photographs on my laptop in the lesson, which resulted in a fairly blotchy but visually interesting prototype for further experiments with similar methods and materials.

I had an in-depth discussion with Greg during the lesson about the brief, about my experiments earlier in the lesson, and about where to take my work next. It was suggested, and I agreed, that as well as continuing with the work I had been doing so far, that drawing should continue also, though perhaps not necessarily in a traditional manner. The use of abstraction and alternative techniques in applying paint and inks, such as cling film, opens up interesting possibilities and during part of the lesson I used mixtures of acrylic paints with variable amounts of water to draw onto large sheets of paper, whcih I intend to continue doing and with which to experiment further.

The following images were edited in Photoshop.

Stop motion video composite

FINE ART SPECIALISM FIRST LESSON 07-12-11

The brief we have been given is very open ended and has given us a great deal of personal choice in how to approach the various potential subjects. As I've written before, there is obviously commonality between the different areas, in that they are all inversions, binary in their nature at first glance but upon closer examination any one of the themes contains infinite amounts of depth for exploration. They are also allegorical and metaphoric in their nature – any one of them has a wealth of potential subtext if so desired, and it is in this subtext that I am most interested. Rather than necessarily take the themes at face value, and be absolutely literal with them as a matter of course, I am more interested in twisting their meanings and applying them to maybe less obvious uses in order to make a statement of some kind. At this stage I do not know what that statement might be, and I suspect that I may combine more than one of the themes together to reinforce them, as they are so closely linked. For example, LIGHT/DARK and INSIDE/OUTSIDE are linked in our imaginations when in the context of space, such as with interior locations and exterior locations, night and day lifestyles with safety and danger, inside the home and outside in the world. The theme of invasion and fortification comes up at this point. We are in our minds safer indoors at night than we are outdoors, where there are any number of threats and dangers, both in nature and in other people who may seek to use the darkness to assist them in nefarious activities.

In preparaton for the session we were requested to bring in a selecton of items of various physical qualities, such as reflective and matte surfaces, transparant and opaque, and so on. The main focus of the session was to draw basic building blocks for inspiration from what was in front of us, either by drawing from observation, or taking photographs, which was the main route that I used. I had them printed, and attempted to trace elements of the photographs onto acetate, with mixed results. At the end of the session I wasn't any clearer on what direction I wanted to take the work in, but felt that further experimentaton was the key and so I remain optimistic that further investigation and thought will yield more sophisticated ideas.

THEMES + RESPONSE TO MANCHESTER ART GALLERY VISIT 1/12/11

LIGHT / DARK

REFLECTION / DISTORTION

INSIDE / OUTSIDE

GROWTH / DECAY

All of these themes are inverse responses, contradictions and reactions. One half of any of them is incomplete without the other and all are both literal and allegorical in their use in language and description.

LIGHT / DARK

Themes of light and dark both mean literal interpretation of the physics of light and shadow, the science of colour and optical reception, as well as more romantic references to positivity and negativity, and all the numerous ways it is applied in our culture and others. Generally speaking, light is seen as good, literally as positive, and the opposite is said of darkness, that it is malaevolent, threatening, and the origin of fear. In religious context, notably Christianity, 'the light' is representative of God and His influence, and of darkness of Satan and his respective influence. Such metaphors extend beyond literary interpretation and are used and applied in every day life by some, taking those who dwell in, or clad themselves in darkness as to be not only threatening, but in some way of the Devil. On a broader level, darkness and light is a much more fundamental structure than is represented in religious texts, and there is a natural predisposition towards light and against darkness that is purely biological, linked in with the physical requirements of almost all living things upon the sunlight, and the unknown threat of what cannot be seen at night. Predators lurk and unsure footing abound in darkness. Illumination also refers to intellectuality, and the greater understanding of the world and it's systems, and it is no coincidence that the same word serves both to be observable but also one who has observed and is in a stronger position because of it.

REFLECTION / DISTORTION

Clear reflection is representation in it's purest form, perhaps uncomfortably so when the reflection is not so welcome. It could be argued that all creative output is reflection upon that which creates and the inner perspective that is otherwise unknowable. At the same time, distortion is often applied knowingly or otherwise to the reflective process, and is a constant factor in artistic practise. It is when reflection is not welcome that distortion can occur in the process, linking to the subconcious (or a more collective subconcious in the case of institutions practising in revisionism with their own behaviour – past, present or future, in order to justify the behaviour or disguise it). Images of self worth, or lack of, can lead to these distortions in self representation, most commonly in terms of physicality or perceptions of social standing. The distortion can serve both for and against self perception, but ultimately neither side of the equation is desirable as it requires a certain detachment from reality that clashes against social functions. Assuming Freuds concept of the ego is correct, it is then the most malleable and often distorted aspect of our selves, the results of distortion are ever present in society and popular culture, and is a standard tool of public relations, advertising and politics. The idea of appealing to someone's 'ego', or using someones percetions of self-worth or lack there-of, to obtain advantage, is universal and in the modern world, in constant use towards everyone with a bank account. Advertisers constantly appeal to a perceived lacking or flaw in our lives, appealing to our complicated emotions regarding our physical condition, our appearance and our status in society. Personal solutions are sold using the power of distortion upon ourselves, and ideologies are presented upon the power of distortion of the world around us. True reflection is at once both constantly available yet rarely observed, as our minds are not capable of simply observing without affecting our own personalities onto our observations, leading to universally unique perspectives, and at the same time, a lack of pure truth.

Another Freudian concept, the uncanny, is particularly involved in distortion and reflection, referring to the emotional, almost primitive response that people have to things that should be familiar, as a reflection ought to be, yet in some way unfamiliar, and uncomfortable. We experience the uncanny more and more in our society, often notably in our popular culture and entertainment – in cinema, the advent of advanced computer effects has both an effect of adding realism, yet also taking it away, providing us with images that are at once deeply considered and carefully rendered, yet impossible to actually experience beyond the frame of the film itself, which we instinctively detect as awry. This is most noticeable when attempts are made to represent living beings, especially people, with computer effects. The 'uncanny valley' refers to the concept that there is a scale of acceptance of images by the brain, and as images become more realistic, the acceptance grows until the images are at a level of realism that is previously unsurpassed, yet not authentic enough to be entirely believed to be real, creating an unease in the viewer. This concept applies also to the field of robotics and prosthetics, in the attempts of scientists to recreate and represent human anatomy and in doing so create something that is neither purely mechnical nor authentically human. Rubber is no substitute for skin, and glass is no substitute for eyes, and the brain cannot respond as it did previously if these elements are detected. The experience too of having perception altered during an experience, upon closer inspection perhaps of such an artefact, is deeply unsettling and is entirely uncanny; the realisation that the figure standing before you is not a person, but instead a clothed mannequin with a mask of latex features, can lead to a disturbance, and even possibly a hostile response, as the notion arises that somehow something has breached your defences and invaded your conciousness via your perceptions.

INSIDE / OUTSIDE

The concept of inside and outside is again just as involved in our personal lives as it is in literal intepretatons and reference to physical space. How we relate to our environments in the exterior, and our own psychological environments of the interior, as well as literal interpretations of physical spaces, of containment and of proportional sizes, are all metaphorical of each other as well as distinct in their own right. It is often used in art to represent the internal 'mindscape' as a physical realm, to consider the mind something to be explored as you would a museum or a house, full of details and artifacts inextricably linked to memory and emotional resonance, a useful visual metaphor for giving the intangible a degree of form, or at least something visually identifiable. Beyond the interior elements of psyche, we are also obsessed with our own physicality, of the function of our internal organs and our external representation and perception by other people. Tying in to the themes of reflection and distortion, situations often arise where the external and the internal are in conflict with each other, resulting in dissonance leading to disortion of self image and perception of the surround environment, or those occupying it. Associations developed over time linked with types of environment, with a variety of connotations that differ from person to person, lead to variable inclinations and oppositions to certain types of spaces, as well as specific places themselves. Incidences of trauma or even lesser forms of stress can result in specific places or specific types of places becoming tainted in the mind; a common example would be dentist surgerys, or hospitals, places that are perhaps associated with experiences of discomfort or even great pain. Conversely, the concept of 'home' is one that is typically associated with a sense of refuge, fortification and comfort, regardless of where 'home' is or what form it actually takes. This concept of home extends beyond dwellings, into wider territories such as familiar surroundings in a broader sense, or even an entire city or country, though this tends to occur more when such places are more distant and unavailable, referencing instead longing for comfort rather than experiencing it at the time. In some cases, the qualities of a location are entirely determined by shared experiences, with the actual details of a space being largely irrelevant, and instead having their estimation raised merely by being the vessel for positivity.

The physical qualities of environments, as say defined by architects or other designers, serve purpose and function, whatever those functions may be. For example, all space within one square mile of a city-centre, has been designed, considered and constructed at one time or another, however in such environments these are designs that are usually in contrast and juxtaposition with each other, particularly in areas of renovation amongst areas designed many years previously, in a different era with very different considerations to what may be the case now. You may find spaces such as office buildings, restaurants, supermarkets and small shops, parks, canals and so on. In cities, all of these areas are competing for existance, and over the course of decades, what once occupied one space may eventually become something entirely different, or be completely removed from the landscape and something entirely different constructed in it's place. Increasingly, buildings are being designed and built with more than simple input/output functionality in mind, but also as experiences, and to evoke specific kinds of emotional responses in those who enter their space. Through the results of various studies in psychology, conclusions (not always in league with one another) have been drawn as to what kind of environments are more suitable for people as a whole, depending on the desired outcome, and increasingly through the use materials, environments are sculpted around human emotion as a means to a sense of productivity or at least positivity. This isn't a particularly novel concept, as the design and creation of gardens and the design (and more specifically, the tailoring) of homes to be pleasing and comforting has been around as long as the financial means have been available in order to achieve it.

GROWTH / DECAY

Inextricably linked to the human condition and in turn to the universe as a whole, growth and decay are perhaps the most fundamental elements of existance; indeed they are the internal steps between the stages of life and death. As such, growth and expansion are very much a preoccupation with our species, and decline and destruction likewise a consistent concern and fear. We all grow from virtually nothing to complex, intelligent accumulations of experience and understanding, systems of flesh and bone and neurology with complexity on a comparable scale to astronomy, to the degree that we are not fully able to comprehend ourselves and our place in the universe. Possibly, this void of understanding is what lies at the heart of all creativity, a desire to make sense of our lives and environments and shared history, the creation of religious doctrine in order to simply make sense of the world and to govern it's contents by the only measure we are able to rely upon: rules, laws, things set in stone.

Growth is both remarkable and unpredictable, and with that lack of a reliable future comes trepidation and fear. The analogies of competing ideologies and cancer are not surprising, and represent an important bond between social constructions and the more physical realities we experience, and how we make sense of our existance. The body is our vesssel and our bible, ever changing yet constant in an individual's experience, never transferred or replaced entirely. Parts may come and go, grow strong and wither, and although organs may be transplanted or removed entirely, our brains, our minds, stay linked to the physical form. The discussion of the existance of souls is a curious one, and like all religious conceits, difficult to prove or disprove, either way. Ultimately it is a romantic concept, born mostly from the need to explain existance after death, to nullify the horror of absolute zero. Just as do not know the moment our conciousness begins, we do not know the moment it ends, truly.

The process of decay is part of the process of death, whether literally in reference to living creatures or the existance and form of inanimate objects, or objects observing a chemical process or reaction. Stars are born and also die, and in between they are defined by their chemical existance, and the consequences of their actions, the same as any person. It is unsurprising that throughout human history, objects such as the sun have been anthropomorphised to an extent, certainly deified, and given personality and character in response to their effects on civilisation. 

Thoughts - rambling journal entry

Egon Schiele

EGON SCHIELE

Egon Schiele was an Austrian born artist, trained under Gustav Klimt, who primarily focussed on portraits and who produced a great deal of self-portraits. He is well known for his unique approach to fthe figure, in particular his exaggerations of features and thematic obsessions with sex and death. At times his works were graphic and in early 1900's Austria he faced censure over the sexually explicit nature of his paintings, and was briefly imprisoned for having explicit worrks in his studio that could be visible to children. Infamously, one of his drawings was burned in front of Schiele by the judge of the trial. Despite this, Schiele found success towards the end of the First World War in a period in which he is considered to have been in his prime as an artist. The brutality of the war is reflected in his uncomfortable, jarring style of physical representation.

Schiele died aged 28 during the Spanish flu pandemic in October 1918. Though he died young, he was a prolific artist and produced hundreds of works that have come to be widely studied. His unconventional approach to portraiture is significant in it's contrast to more traditional styles of the time, and has been influential since.

The origins of Schieles very stylised approach to representing the figure are likely influenced by his obsessions with physical vulnerability, morbidity, sex, and the combinations of all of these facets. His characters, and particularly in his self portraits, are distorted, skeletal and look physically broken or sickly. Not all of his works are as extreme, however, and some of his works, though recognisably his, do not contain the physical pain present in his self portraits. It would appear that with these pieces especially there is a sense of body dysmorphia, as present in the sef portraits by Jenny Saville and other artists who are uncomfortable with their own self-image.

Schiele's use of colour is a key element of his 'sickly' style, painting flesh tones in off yellows, and creating bizarre skin contours and textures, emphasising and exaggering wrinkles, skin folds, muscle and bone structure.

3D

3D 16-11

Today we learned plaster casting techniques and produced both a mould from damp clay and a then a solid piece of work made from plaster.

Plaster is made from powdered gypsum, which when mixed with water becomes thick like liquid cement, and creates an exothermic reaction as it hardens over a period of 15-20 minutes. Plaster remains relatively soft compared to concrete or similar mixtures, and so it can be filed down or have sand paper applied to it once it has hardened, which makes it ideal for artistic uses. Plaster must be treated with care as injury can occur if hands or fingers are left inside plaster as it is hardening – the exothermic reaction resulting in severe burns.

The clay mould also has to be strong enough to withstand the fairly considerable weight of the plaster in it's liquid state. The mould requires that containing barriers are in place as per the design, to contain the plaster as well as shape it. Most of the work produced today had leaks occur due to weaknesses in the mould, typically on joining edges, and hastily prepared reinforcements were needed to secure these weak points as plaster began to leak or spill out. Care has to be taken also to prevent air bubbles that can occur as the plaster is poured into the mould – banging on the surface of the work area can collapse some bubbles, but this is not necessarily wise depending on the fragility of the mould. Alternatively, the plaster can be upset gently by hands being applied to the surface, upsetting the contents, though again care must be taken to prevent damage to the mould and to prevent injury.

My mould leaked from several small points around the edges of joins, and the weight of the plaster was beginning to push the sides of the mould outwards, so string was used to reinforce the sides.

My mould was somewhat ambitious in terms of intricate, small areas, which turned out to be a bad idea as removing clay from the plaster cast proved to be quite difficult and required a lot of effort. Applying water to some of these 'tunnels' helped to a degree, to soften the clay and make it easier to manipulate, but this took some time and was not totally successful on the day. Working with plaster requires an understanding of negative space, as the plaster fills empty space to create solid space, so the mould design is inverse to what our expectations would be of the final piece. With practise, plaster casting can result in quite dramatic results, and the piece I produced, though largely just an exercise in the medium, has some interesting features that were good for photography. My main concept when designing the mould was landscapes, and was partially influenced by H.R Giger's landscape designs for the film Alien, as see in his 'Giger's Alien' book, which I have had since a child and have long held a fascination for. The otherworldly landscapes were produced on a large scale, typically using a wooden fram base, and using combinations of large pipes, jute plaster. Giger's landscapes, both from his work on the film and in his more typical works, have always captured my imagination, and in the case of the 'Alien' designs, they definitely live up to the films' title.

Plaster cast clay mould, with too many small details to prove difficult to manage later on.

Plaster leakage meant that reinforcement was needed on the corners, and string was used to force the sides of the mould to stay together and resist the pressure of the plaster pushing them outwards.

The plaster cast after clay was removed – many interesting shapes were produced by simply pushing into the clay with a piece of word, creating regular and roughly equal sized indentations that resulted inversely in protrusions..

By linking the side and base of the mould with a thick piece of clay, inversely a tunnel was created in the mould, which although it was difficult to clear, resulted in quite an interesting effect.

The plaster, with the remnants of the clay discolouration in the fine lines, gives an impression of bone, particularly in the more rounded areas, which would be an interesting area to develop further work. The organic, fleshy or boney shapes being represented in a landscape-esque manner, combined with close-up photography, results in striking images

Images from H.R Giger's book, 'Giger's Alien', illustrating the large scale efforts on set to create the alien world. In the finished film, matte paintings were also used in post-production to flesh out the landscape well into the distance, an art form in it's right and one which has been unfortunately superceded by digital methods such as CGI, which effectively removes the painterly look of classic cinema.

Matte painting from Alien combined with model work