My PDP projects are where I have recorded my development and thought process weekly or daily, describing my thoughts and feelings towards my work.
Assemblage - 2014
Monday, 13th January
To beginning my project, I produce an small spider diagram to help define the aspects I will be looking at and so on - to develop ideas and to set the foundations. I also use this project to think about what I want to achieve as a artist, the thought process and theory behind my work. As an quick answer I wrote..."Within this project I aim to express my opinions towards art, influencing my form of communication to be focused on convincing the public that art isn't just about the beauty (or discovering a different type of beauty) but the process which becomes of them whist viewing art - this is also what I wanted to achieve within myself as I feel I still have objections towards what I see as art"
Today as a group, we remind ourselves what fine art is to us and our definition would define the process we have made so far. At first I described it as an practice to express my creativity - stunned as I feel it's hard to define fine art because of it being so 'open' and has no boundaries.To help encourage this practice we tried to describe it using just one word at a time. Imagination, Creativity, aesthetics, 2D - 3D, Communicate,express, inform,educate. From this we were imagining the endless possibilities fine art could be.
You can't precisely define it, but what is interesting is how it defines us.
We use art to make an statement or to question something to the viewer, ether to express ourselves or our opinion or someone else's; communicating own insights into cultural experience or can make controversial issues apparent - making people aware.
Tuesday, 14th January
After the leature my colleages and I , started the parstice the naming process and unlimiting our imagation with the object. To start off, we all chose an fruit and name it, mine was called Adam the Apple. We then started to bulid there personaties such a; there favoutie colour, favour favour crisps, cake and etc. This pratise allow us to open are imagation and question objects. These images are exploations of how I interatate my apple though line.
Thursday, 16th January
Monday, 20th January
You can't precisely define it, but what is interesting is how it defines us.
We use art to make an statement or to question something to the viewer, ether to express ourselves or our opinion or someone else's; communicating own insights into cultural experience or can make controversial issues apparent - making people aware.
From investgating this, it came to how powerful art is and therefore how
powerful I am. Is seems God like how I can change the way someone thinks,
persuaeding them to think the way I do. I thought how the world was already
doing this such as prproganda, which has made us think the way we do so when it
comes to a different way of thinking , to an indiviaul it shocks them. It is
that process which is powwerful because it has given them the opporiturity to
think otherwise whcih can fuel the indivial to question the world and therefore
themseves - new personal experience that could change the indiviual.
This teory could go as exsteme as to control the indiviual or create
confustion in myselfs. it is this process that has made it clear to me that
there is always an narrative langage
behind any artwork.
Tuesday, 14th January
Today I was given an leature by one of my tutors Robin on the theory on
combining found objects. Of cousre there our many different theories but today
the subject was on Metaphysics/Metaphsical - 'Beyond the physical' and how we
are can simpily change an object purly from the naming process. In todays
culture we name an object giving it an concept and then on, asociating with the
concept, thinking nothing more. It is this process that I need to step away
from to be able to be creative with objects and discover my own asocations with
them.
Wednesday, 15th January
Having no influence in the objects I had brought in, I felt the need to look else where. My object seemed too little and at an small scale from the ideas I wanted to experiment with or how I saw assemblage.
Making it clear I wanted more found objects, I was told that my college had thrown a lot of objects outside ready to be move to the tip. I saw this as on opportunity to see what I could take and add to my collection. My problem was solved and I took an desk with a draw and cupboard that interested me. Whist moving the desk it fall to pieces because of how long it was outside with the rain getting to it - at the time I felt upset but the whole idea of creating an assemblage of my own made sense to brake the desk and recreate as something else.
It spiked an idea of looking into associations to space. When you look at an draw or cupboard you associate it with the space it contains within it or what it holds and if we don't know what is within it, it pokes are curiosity.
I discovered someone else skip, where they were throwing away house future some of them being doors which happen to (old, tradition, thick and heavily) that interest me and 'fuel' my idea of looking at concealment - doors concealing rooms , information and objects behind them. After taking two, doors I thought more deeply about concealment and what defines it. Concealment is to hide, does it necessary mean an object or space or can it be an idea, thought or mind? My idea now is to purpose an assemblage that has aspects of concealment and play with the idea of hiding elements that stimulate the view mind, to create there our opinion to what they see is hidden.
Today, I visited Yorkshire sculpture park to observe to work of Dennis Oppenheim who is influenced by found objects and has created Assemblage that are currently being exhibited on the parks grounds. The park has been an interest of mine for quite a while especially in my previous 'Public Art' project consumed with sculpture work, but as illustrated within one of the sculptures at the park; 'Everything is connected' and I still aim to be influence by them and the past on my development.
Tuesday, 21st January
Today we had another discussion and lecture on "Metaphorical Poetic
Conceptual", recapping the idea of changing the function of an object. On
this discussion we spoke more about the objects new identity once its function
had changed but also the relating images of objects such as drawings.
"When we look at the object as a drawing we relate it to the object,
but it is not. Although the drawing has Potential of the object, it has to
perform the given function of the object to be called the object".
Still having concealment in mind, I decided first to experiment with the practice before thinking to much into it. "I have learnt in the past and from continuous advise that something the best ideas come from just playing giving ourselves no limits or restrain to our creativity" Experimenting, I was quite enthusiastic towards my shoe collection and my found broken draw & cupboard. As an starting point, I began to turn the cupboard upside down, on its side or any possible ways it would stand with other parts of the draw & cupboard built on it. At first I was uncertain about my playing but when I started to combine, the practice felt thrilling and as if I was bringing back my childhood creativity, when I use to make a little den out of everything I could find.Moving on to my collection of shoes, I felt the urge to swap my paired shoes around making them odd due to colour but still remain to have an left and right for all pairs. Paring them, It was as if I had an instinct to tied them together once paired using the shoes's laces and created an knot joining them. Once added, I added them to the assemblage.
I found success and interested in the geometric
shapes I created as well as being successful in recreating the objects so that
the object was no longer there, they were something completely new.
Stepping back at my work I focused on how I placed the shoes and formed the structure. After that, my colleagues and I had an peer assessment/ group critique on
our current Assemblage, deciding what we did, why we did it and what we were
thinking at the time. When it was my turn, I made it clear of my thoughts
towards concealment and my great interest towards my old shoes I had collected.
During the critique, It was suggested that my shoes all conceal things - the journeys they had been on and could suggest the person were wore them. Going
deeper into the discussion, it was my tiring of shoes that was of great
interest - why change the pair and why tire them together?
Well with anything we do are subconscious as a play; from what they saw, I
created an act of 'joining' with these shoes as if to blend them together.
Representing a bond relationship as such marriage which I am leading up to this year and so I subconsciously represented that. Both shoes where different from
one and other, like man and woman which I later learn that Left represents
woman and right man. This encourage symbolic references that interested me
which I am choosing to be inspired by throughout the project, as such as this
concept of bonding through knots and contrasts between men and woman.
Beside the shoes, I felt my variation of media could also represent men and woman because of how different they are; wood being masculine, hard and strong and shoe fabric being feminine, soft and
weak.
Wednesday, 22nd January
Just reviewing what I found, I started to think of how powerful curiosity is. In many forms curiosity is the reason why we are here today, doing what we are doing and the knowledge we have - not only as an individual discovery but our ancestors. It is odd to think I am curious about curiosity, the extremes to it; the extent we are willing to go to stratify ourselves and the idea of not having that knowledge - it's an example of the mental taking over the physical. I began to remember yesterdays notion of Eve's desire to eat an apple from the tree of knowledge to gain that knowledge. She was forbidden to eat the apple but curiosity (the devil or perhaps the apple) persuaded her.
Later on , I was thinking of what to use for print, I found interest into printing onto my found objects or using them to make a print. Because of this, I refer back to my shoes and found that I had an greater interest forwards the Knots of the shoes, then the shoes myself. It was me referring to the pair as a 'couple' and the knot was what was keeping them together - a bond.
this links back to the thought of men and woman - as biblical eve was the first woman and her partner Adam, the first man. It is this story that is said
to decide the nature between the two and the roles they should have, men being greater and light whilst woman are below and dark because Eve was the one to be tempted by the devil. This is the idea I like the most about concealment, the curiosity to whats inside. The temptation to intrege the viewer.
Genesis 3.6 - "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and
that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make
one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband
, who was with her, and he ate."
Monday, 27th January
Wednesday, 5th February
When it came to the prints, my first technique of using two colours weren't
successful - I used two laces both soaked in two different inks. They were unsuccessful, mainly from errors of my own, the two laces had wet ink on them
and combined together with knots, the colours were mixing together as well as with
my other use of inks. 
Thursday, 6th February
Wednesday, 19th February
Monday, 24th February
Ideally and mentally, I have given myself this week to finish off my projects work ready for my trip to Paris next week - having no idea off the influences that will develop from my trip and so within my future work, I wish to finish my current work before on embarking on further studies. Although, I have decided to continue my artistic exploration into knots, I wish to look and explore more into the many forms physical, spiritual, mental and biological.
Today I got involved in an print work shop ran by Alan Birk at Liam Spencer studios in west Yorkshire. On the visit, me and my colleagues took to see the works of all the artist that work and study there;
Further details of my visit - 27th January
Within the print workshop I bought along my converse shoes to see what different ways of methods I could interprete them or print with them. However, Alan had set an plan for us to do using perspex his style of printing. I traced over my converse laces from the photocopying within my sketchbook.
One shape that stood out the must was the 'infinity' shape that looks like two circles side by side and join in the middle - In Indian beliefs represents the joining of an man and woman. The symbol as the concept of an knot - having no brakes in it and being an continuous line joint together. Infinite as many definitions however my summarily is that it means everlasting just like the line of an circle and so in an poetic sense represent internal life.
Monday, 3rd February Further details of my visit - 27th January
Within the print workshop I bought along my converse shoes to see what different ways of methods I could interprete them or print with them. However, Alan had set an plan for us to do using perspex his style of printing. I traced over my converse laces from the photocopying within my sketchbook.
One thing that was tricky about the technique is that once you have made an mark you are unable to remove it so concentration is of the essence. Using the perspex, I traced over my converse laces from the photocopying within my sketchbook to create an new composition and learn new many to representing my knots and the laces.
Monday, 27th January
Today, I wanted to continue my assemblage but was stuck to think of my next step. I took a step back to look at the assemblage and admired its geomagnetic shapes and lines and the repetitive forms of them within the piece. It was this aspect that made me feel like it was successful to what I wanted to achieve
These imagery are of my Assemblage to collect a series of compositions taken from different angles.
These imagery are of my Assemblage to collect a series of compositions taken from different angles.
I noticed that the hard materials that represented men was consumed with
right angle shapes such as squares and triangles whist the soft shoes that
represent woman had small circles and round shapes. Interested in the shapes symbolic meaning, I learnt that the shapes were often associated with gender and
the pairing within my investigation are associated with one another.
Squares, triangles - Men - Hard -
Circles - Woman - Soft - Womb
Tuesday, 28th January
From yesterdays interest in symposium I did deeper research to how shapes
could represent Men and woman and what geometric symbols there are. Within my research, I found that circles where of an great importance's representing life,
the moon, the sun and the earth, including its elements as well as a men and
woman (their spirits in some beliefs) As
I explored the different symbols, I wondered why circles where used so often representing complently different things. There must be something about an circle that illustrates them all, because of this I only focused on its form. I
could understand how it is associated with the planets because there share the
same 2D reprantational form but how an man and woman. I choose to look at more
circle symbols to find out.
One shape that stood out the must was the 'infinity' shape that looks like two circles side by side and join in the middle - In Indian beliefs represents the joining of an man and woman. The symbol as the concept of an knot - having no brakes in it and being an continuous line joint together. Infinite as many definitions however my summarily is that it means everlasting just like the line of an circle and so in an poetic sense represent internal life.
The life of a men and woman and the everlasting life and relationship between them both.
To start of the week, I started by reviewing my work and discussing it to my
colleagues; how my assemblage formed from concealment and how I wish to combined the idea with knots which within the project symbolize bonds and relationships
- leading the idea to hidden and concealed bonds within relationships such as
marriage or spiritual bonds within ourselves (our hidden masculine and feminine side). Explaining, I realized my great
fondness for knots, how simple the object and its function is and yet has
created just an in depth concept to me and an attachment - the knot is
representing my thoughts of my near marriage, the joining of myself and my
partner. With this in mind, I wanted to experimented with knots more and
discover more ways I could present them. Currently I am using them in print
working with there textures and now wish to push them into the assemblage but
also ceramics, were I could look at there many different forms.
Because of this idea of using
ceramics, I visited the 3D tecnition to discus ways I could create pieces with
them or the impression. The main technique that inspired me in the discussion was
using liquid clay - I would dip the
knots into the clay, creating an layer of clay around them which would later
become solid and fired in the kiln. I have may arrangement to experiment with
this on Thursday. Preparing for Thursday, I chose to create cotton knot samples
to be dipped. Cotton was recommended because of how absorbent it is meaning that
when it came to the liquid clay, the clay would soak in and fill the sample
creating an stronger structure when dry and less likely to crack.
Just playing with the cotton I find myself desperate to incorporate circles which I feel was influenced by my symbolism research and the connection it has
to marriage - wedding rings.
Tuesday, 4th February
Today, I focused on my assemblage. At first, I was a little confused to what I could do to the price that would make it
seem like an concealment. However from thinking, I realized I was thinking to
much into it, as the piece was created
from an cupboard containing an concealed space - already an form of concealment.
Even though the assemblage no longer contained its competently concealed space it
as it's influence.
From the process of creating the assemblage, I changed the objects function
and so the object. To encourage this transformation, I decide to paint the piece to completely change the object and make it my own sculpture. I chose to paint
it white as if I was priming an canvas ready for future development and for
now, leaving it as I have no current firm ideas/composition for the piece. I do
however, feel the need to encourage metallic colours gold and sliver representing a man and woman (feminine and masculine sides).
I collected more materials to create knots with; rope and natural string
that have a very different texture from laces and wanted to discover what sort of
pattern or lines they took create within print. Unfortunately, I was advise that
they were too thick and contained an cicner form which most likely be unsuccessful because of them being 3D, printing on 2D - but maybe an future
experiment and used in the 3D workshop.Bring my laces back into print, I wanted to move onto using two colours
using the same techniques as last week. I wanted to use two laces both having an different colour and joined together with a Knot or knots. I develop compositions this these ideas before printing to prepare.
From this, I learnt to focus on one use of colour for now, to learn more
about techniques first and how to produce successful prints that pick up texture and detail of the lace and knots. from last weeks prints, today's were more
successful in an form that the context of developing an idea of characteristics was more present because of my chose for encouraging colour and involving symbolize.
Thursday, 6th February
Encouraging different ways to recreate knots I started to produce ceramic
pieces with my cotton samples. I have never used liquid clay.
In the process, I development concerns advised by the technician that the samples may not remain its shape or may break once fired because of there thin and fragal forms. Because of this I collected some rope that has a thick and durable form that would have a better chance in the kilm just in case the cotton samples brake. I then left them to dry and tomorrow will add another layer to thicken the coat, giving them better chance of not braking.
Monday, 10th February
Back in the ceramics room, I decide I also wanted to do impression of
knots, playing with the ideas of space/form and the thought of concealment. -
hiding the knot but revealing the place it once was. It suggests of having knowledge of texture and elements of the knots but builds curiosity of knowledge it doesn't show. Once fired, I will be glazing them with an colour palette that will encourage
the symposium of masculine and feminine nature.
Tuesday, 11th February
Artist Research
Within my first development of my assemblage, it was noticed that as an individual and within my piece, I am quite influenced by geomagnetic shapes show in previous projects and now within this one. It was suggested that I should research into Constructionism and perhaps I could be influenced. I was already familiar with the movement and its features within art which intrigued me to see how I could incorporate similar styles with my symphonic influence at the moment which both contain circles and triangles. On my research I favored two artists; Liubov Popva for her repetitive shapes and layering techniques and El Lissitshy for he simplest use of shapes and layering.
Liubov Popova
Liubov Popova
El Lissitshy
I have always admired layering in works, especially when they create the impression of depth and pictorial space which is something I am interested into portraying onto my assemblage - using this technique to alter the perception of its structure. I wanted to do this to hide areas of the piece at different angels - to echo the element of concealment. Unfortunately, I lack confidence/knowledge of achieving this successfully in the way I imagination but will be an challenge I will develop in the future.
To develop this idea, I have taken my previous imagery of the assemblage at different angles to create my compositions - using itself to hide itself as do we. I plan to also involve my symbolic influence though colour and shapes combined with the composition shapes which will be simpler.
Wednesday, 12th February
Working back into my assemblage, I wanted to do something beside odd
pairing my shoes and creating an knot but also something that is not too dramatic that it takes away the simplicity of the symposium and the shoes themselves. I have thought of this before and automatically wanted to paint onto
the shoes - which when I did paint one shoe, it made me feel as if it was an
mistake. I disliked the fact I took away
the 'personality' of the shoe which I felt towards it and had created. I have
develop this thought process of giving the shoes (objects) personality or think
of them more then just on object - wanting to think outside of modern society and develop an bond with my objects.
With my thoughts in place, I decided not to do much to them but to clean
them up or make them presentable. Whist cleaning I felt I was yet again taking
something from them, the journeys of where they have been, and as well , it would be more interesting and thought provoking if they had dirt remaining - as if to
create an wonder of where they could of possibly been. I started to think where i had taken them and
the many feeling I had with, including my feminine and masculine nature which
the shoes represent. I wanted to push the many different 'shades' of nature thought my shoes that could simply be presented in subtle shades.
I researched into many different techniques people have used onto shoes
(practically converses) to build ideas. I came across an bleaching technique that was prefect for creating different hues within dried fabric. Once the blench
with place onto fabric it has an reaction towards it 'burning away' its colour relieving another which would be within the ink - In most cases it acts as an
white or yellow. The technique is unpredictable which made me admire it more
because of how human nature can also be unpredictable and I wanted to see how my shoes could 'behave'.
This is my first tester which I covered in blench and felt it over night.
Monday, 17th February
Today, I started to develop compositions to transfer onto my assemblage inspired by constructivism. I developed them from my images of the assemblage at different angles, focusing on the geometric shapes and applying my symbolic colours within the compositions. My main co lours are sliver, gold/light yellow, black and white.
I chose to use hues which had an opposite connection to where they have been
seen to have dramatically differences or associated to be opposites; Black and
white both at the very end of the colour spectrum and sliver and gold associated with wealth or ranking, gold is seen as better or greater than the
other - which links into today's allegations of men seen as greater then woman
viser vrster.
Tuesday, 18th February
Idea Note - Reviewing my work so far I felt I have only really explored the
different forms knots can get. Although there is more I could explore in the
area and will, I have recently been influence into looking further into the
mental but now into the biological - looking at how we believe to feel knots
into inside us, "My storage is in of knots". This is an idea I have
noted and wish to come back on in future development, perhaps FMP.
This is an interest of mine because its pushing the idea of looking beyond
the physical that is an interest of mine and will be to find ways I found
represent the none physical , physically thought sculpture.
I continued to develop composition from yesterday and disciplined myself by limiting my colour palette as I felt some the hues I was using could of represent both male and female because of how and where I was apply them in the composition.
I also decide to check up of my clay piece. My piece was dry enough to be fired and was arranged to be placed in the kilm Monday.
Monday, 24th February
Ideally and mentally, I have given myself this week to finish off my projects work ready for my trip to Paris next week - having no idea off the influences that will develop from my trip and so within my future work, I wish to finish my current work before on embarking on further studies. Although, I have decided to continue my artistic exploration into knots, I wish to look and explore more into the many forms physical, spiritual, mental and biological.
Once I had finished the composition, I felt it was time to interpret them/it onto my assemblage. I was aware that transferring an 2 Dimensional composition on an 3 Dimensional structure was going to be an challenge because the composition would no longer be flat. However my problem was my change of angles, as anytime I wish to allipy the paint my angle was changing. I wanted to be able to look at the assemblage at certain angles and be able to look at an impression or illusion of an 2D composition or aspect on the assemblage. To overcome this angle difficulty, I came up with the idea of using an template of an shape or line, to guild my paint. As an experiment, I tried at on an cardboard box using its corner to see if it create the impression of 2D circle.
It was successful has the template guild the spray paint only in to area I wanted it. I also place the template vertical position to my eyes so that then I look at the template I also saw an flat 2D shape.
Tuesday, 25th February
I started the day off with continuing my Assemblage, rotating
around it and discovering the different angles I could play with. With the same
ideas as yesterday, I felt the need to create at structured line. Having the same problem as yesterday, I choose to use masking tape as an guild because of it already being an line and straight. I applied the masking tape so that when I looked at the assemblage I saw the tape as an 2D line. Once I felt it was right, I used pencil the draw around the tape and used paint within the lines once the tape was removed.
Wednesday, 26th February
As planned from Monday, my clay pieces had been fried and ready to be glazed. All the pieces had remained their form and were a lot more successfully from the prediction that the thin cotton pieces were likely to brake because of the pressure of the heat and its
All the artist styles and disciplines were completely different from one another, so it was exciting to see...
There were three female artists I noticed had similarities towards my project, similarities with knots, binding and found objects; Joyce Coulton a textile artist, Maria Walker an MA student, Paula Fenwick Lucas fine artist and of course, Jane Fairhurst fine artist.
Joyce Coulton
Maria Walker
Jane Fairhurst
Paula Fenwick Lucas
Thursday, 27th February
Friday, 28th February
Friday, 28th February
Monday, 10th March
No comments:
Post a Comment