Christmas break
Summary:
Over the Christmas period I chose to work on two main tasks. At the end of my three week sculpture workshop I was given a list of prompts and set the task to produce work from two of these prompts. Secondly I wanted to make headway with my studio practice. In my studio practice I'm focusing on two main themes Fear and the Human capacity for violence. Primarily I’m very interested in focusing on figures and original organic forms for a primary theme for my practice. I believe that a figure is the representation of a person’s body, physique or build. Form is very similar as it is the visible shape or outline of a figure. Therefore I see a figure more of the immediate view of a person the representation of their "form", whereas form is the actual construction.
Over the course of the Christmas period I chose to work on two main tasks. Firstly at the end of my three week sculpture workshop I was given a list of prompts and set the task to produce work from two of these prompts. Secondly I wanted to make headway with my studio practice. In my studio practice I'm focusing on two main themes Fear and the Human capacity for violence; which I want to convey through my own style.
Primarily I’m very interested in focusing on figures and
original organic forms for a primary theme for my practice. I like to look at
figures as they are the perfect frame to look at if I want to incorporate
another theme of interest such as distortion, disease or perhaps deeper themes
such as fear or conflict.
However this theme raises several questions and ideas:
· What is a figure?
· What is Form?
· What defines an organism?
What makes a unique/original form?-distortion/Mutation/wounds/disease?
· What is distortion?
· What is Mutation?
In answer to these I believe that a figure is a persons body, or rather the representation of a persons body, physique or build. Likewise from is very similar as it is the visible shape or outline of a figure. Therefore I see a figure more of the immediate view of a person the representation of their "form", whereas form is the actual construction, the three dimensional object that is a person or an animal. An organism is literally an animal or plant, a human or a single celled life form, yet I'm curious once a life form is dead does its body still remain a organism? Distortion, is the action of distortion, where a form or state is taken and altered be that something is added or removed. Mutation is similar to distortion however it can either be natural and therefore potentially could be progress, however could it also be distortion of organic matter through genetic tampering which causes regress and harm?
after considering the key words Figure/Form/Organism/Distortion/Mutation, I created this list of adjectives which ultimately inspire many more concepts and ideas that I can draw upon.
Physique, build, frame, body, proportions, torso, shape, form, stature, silhouette, outline, profile, shadow, human representation, image of a person, effigy, likeness, person, personage, individual, man, woman, character, personality, presence, configuration, formation, conformation, construction, arrangement, disposition, appearance, outward form, appearance, exterior, contours, lines, figure, proportions, build, anatomy, arrangement, construction, framework, format, layout, design, organization, system, planning, order, orderliness, symmetry, proportion, manifestation, appearance, embodiment, incarnation, semblance, guise, description, expression, kind, sort, type, order, class, classification, category, variety, genre, brand, style, living thing, being, creature, animal, plant, life form, entity, organization, entity, whole, warp, twist, contortion, bend, buckle, deformation, deformity, curve, curvature, malformation, disfigurement, crookedness, gnarl, knot, misrepresentation, perversion, twisting, falsification, misreporting, misstatement, manipulation.
Construction, framework, anatomy, build, fame
These words are especially interesting as
I find the anatomy of an organism very interesting as it is interesting to
think if you were to change part of the framework of an animal how would it
alter the general look of the animal. Furthermore the actual texture, colours
and shapes of the anatomy of an animal is very interesting as it is completely original
as it is never seen in the day to day world.
Considering all the above I began to work in my sketchbook to help start to generate possible ways of visually conveying these themes. Below are photos of my sketches.
Below is my favourite sketch from above in which I've tried to create a human figure in a primitive animalistic position constructed from various unrelated body parts. I like the beastly nature of this and the chaotic appearance.
Next I began working on my sculpture workshop prompts, First I chose to answer Appropriation: Borrow something from someone else; it could be an image, an object, an item of clothing, a piece of furniture. It could be borrowed through something that is handed over, or by making a photocopy, scan or a cast. It might be from someone you know, something you find, another artist who you admire. Make this thing your own through play and alteration, distortion or transformation.
To answer this I took a standard red brick (from my dads garage) and decided to change this by considering my own themes therefore I decided to change its form. When I consider a brick I think it resembles a sturdy form, a figure of durability, therefore I wanted to maintain a similar shape yet completely alter this interpretation. So I decided to shatter the brick with a hammer and then rescuer the sections with a very brittle material, I chose to use wax as it can change state depending on shifts in temperature, its also easier to break.
Above intact brick.
Above the brick after it was shattered.
Above the brick now that it secured by wax.
Above are several photos of the wax joints, below is the finished piece. I like this sculpture due to its simplicity.
Below I've completed a second version of my character mask, this time I started with a larger face cast which stretched further around the top of my head so that it would rest easier when worn, next I layered individual crosshatched strips extending from the edges of the mask to look like a chaotic web stretching back over the head; the intention of which was to create a chaotic transition between the mask and the wearer.
As with the previous design I began to flesh out the design by adding plastacine to create the various relief of the masks surface, which I then covered again in mod roc. Sticking to the concepts of the first mask I chose to completely cover the eye sockets again removing the sight of the wearer and obstructing the audiences view of the wearer's eyes. Furthermore to link in a sense of morality I chose to mould a skull like shape into the design whilst leaving enough areas with fleshy qualities lips etc... This is especially evident around the nose where I sculpted the bone structure of a nose around the cast of my actual nose.
Finally I drilled holes through the lips and once again stitched up the mouth, this time using finer thread and closer stitches, therefore I'm still using the same concept as before however I see this as a more refined version.
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