Claude Cahun

I.O.U

A photographic collage based on herself. (What does she owe?)

Uses masking techniques of make-up to cover the eyes.

All four faces stem from one neck, which could symbolize that individuals have many different faces/emotions/personalities etc.

The image is broken up and placed back together, and is described as shattered and splinted-
"The image, making the viewer painfully aware that it is constructed in and through ideology."

Around the four heads reads
"sous ce masque un autre masque. Je n'en finirai pas de soulever tous ces visages"
(Beneath this mask, another mask. I will not stop removing all these faces.)

I found this piece in a book named Self Image by Amelia Jones.

"The photographic image, which seems to promise but ultimately evacuates the 'presence' promised (by postmodern ritual images)."

This sentence made me think about photography and how human figures are seen.
Does the photograph take away all living qualities of the figure?
If so then surely what we see are people that have passed away?
Is photograhy a weapon?- We say "shoot" when video recording, but what would happen if people actually died?

Removing all personality. Taking away inhibitions.
What would happen if you paint/change a persons appearance and then take a photo? Do they become that inigma?
If so the photographer becomes in charge, the creator.

Tearing through material to see the person underneath/wiping paint off of the body.
Contrasting imagery as the person would still seem living even after the 'presence' has been removed.

Pamela Reykjavik

Bow Human (2012)

Links well with my previous work of coverings.

Hanni Bjartalíð

Saw Hanni's work at the Liverpool Biennial and it reminded me a lot of Emily Speed, so I will research more into this artist at a later stage.




Hanni Bjartalíð at the North Atlantic Pavilion, part of City States, Liverpool Biennial 2012 from Prohyena on Vimeo.

Drawing with uncommon materials

Today we did a workshop that consisted of us using materials that we wouldn't normally use for drawing.

Using three starting points, we had to make unusual marks that people would find interesting and hard to copy.

The three 'catagries' were:

Ambiguous map of the body

Using graphic stencils

Perspectives of the studio

By ripping paper into strips of around 4 inches wide, i was able to construct a long, thin background to work on that spread the entire length of the room.

I then went on to try and make unusual marks using and mixing together:

Black paint

Tipex

Wire sponge

Garden wire

Charcoal

Stencils

Shoe polish

Face wipes

Toothpaste

Washing powder

Chalk

Sandpaper

Sudercrem

Biro pen

Marker pen

Pegs

Kurt Schwitters

Schwitters work is mainly about collage and creating something from found objects e.g newspaper, receipts, posters.
For a while the images of his work were starting to look the same, until I came across some with figures in which I found more interesting like the one below by Barbara Kruger.



I am going to do some experiments using collage and see if I can get some interesting effects, as normally this style reminds me of primary school.

Emma Hauck

Basically visible internal monologue, sometimes random words that enter the conscientiousness.
Emma reinforces her emotions with the words by layering and using different forces of pressure on the work.
This links with earlier work when I experimented with using emotions as the force behind mark making.

First experiment using writing and pressure. The words are from songs that I was listening to at the time.

I would like to create more work this way.

Emphemerality

Something with limited life.
Only has a passing meaning.

Examples:
the spoken word
performance
blood
environment
junk mail
litter
packaging
lining/tracing paper
emotions
news
propaganda
food

University....

Really loving university so far, although it is quite different from what I am used to at college.

Yet to start my sketchbook, but I am keeping up with my reflective practice after sessions.

Kohei Yoshiyuki

The Park (1971-1979)

Throughout the 70's Yoshiyuki went out in the streets of Tokyo documenting the busy night life.
He managed to take photographs of couples and groups engaging in sexual activity.



I really enjoyed this exhibition as it was somewhat interactive- visitors were given torches and directed into a dark room. When shining the torches around the room, it became apparent that there were a series of photographs hung. On inspection, These photographs were quite explicit.
Holding the torch yourself made you feel like you was actually in the moment, watching the scene. Maybe this was to make the viewer feel uncomfortable.
Overall I feel that the exhibition worked well being part of The Unexpected Guest as it created a kind of hospitality that the viewer felt obliged to accept.

http://liverpoolbiennial.co.uk/whatson/current/all/580/the-park-1971-1979---love-hotel-1978/
http://liverpoolbiennial.co.uk/programmes/festivals/programmes/4/2012/42/the-unexpected-guest/

Liverpool

Loved our trip to Liverpool, although it was quite strange being away from home for the weekend!

During the weekend we visited around 12 galleries- some I found more interesting than others.

My favourite would probably be the Open Eye gallery.

Bellow are some photographs of architecture around Liverpool. 

Cardboard Artists

http://dbqp.blogspot.co.uk/2009/03/bbc-in-alb.html#!/2009/03/bbc-in-alb.html

http://telavivartdesign.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/nina-lindgren-stockholm-new-realities.html

http://inhabitat.com/cartonlandia-incredible-cardboard-city-made-from-hundreds-of-recycled-cards-and-photographs/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimoun/5132580374/in/photostream/

Cardboard display

Been playing around with how I want my exhibition to look. I covered the whiteboard up with cardboard, and thought it would be a good idea to pile some boxes up to play my laptop in. I thought that this linked well with Emily Speed as the boxes could provide a hiding place and shelter. By taking some photographs of me within the boxes, I could see that it worked well and I really like how just a small area of the body on show makes you realise that there is a whole person hiding.

'Leaves'

Made an initial material by glue gunning leaves onto a piece of fabric. This helped me to practise positions and where the lighting is best.
The material didn't work as well as i expected as the backing fabric was white... It would have been better if it was darker.
Doing this experiment helped me to realise that i did not want a flexible piece.

 









I went on to look at different ways in which I would make something with more structure. My favourite method was plaster casting. This was a quite simple technique that took a couple of people to complete. As the casts had to be of me, I had some help with the casts. They worked well using scrim, but other materials such as some fabrics were not as strong.

After the cast dried, i did a dark base coat as to not make it visible in final photographs like the first attempt. I took some photographs to look at composition and lighting again. Some shots worked really well with the shadows.












I then proceeded to cover the painted cast with leaves and debris from the ground in which the test shots were taken. i did this by covering the cast in PVA glue and pressing the debris onto it. this process took a couple of goes as some leaves were hard to glue on.

In the second attempt of photographs, i noticed that the inside of the cast can be seen in some shots. this would be no good for when it is placed in the exhibition. i painted the inside of the cast brown as to blend in with the soil. This worked well and i am very pleased with the final outcome.

Territory/Vunerability

"In addition to clarifying ownership of people and possessions, people jealously guard the space that immediately surrounds them. Humans create an invisible bubble around themselves in which they function. Placing objects between yourself and others, spreading your arms across your desk, and wrapping your arms around yourself are ways of guarding your personal space.
In normal circumstances, most people respect one another's personal territory. Sometimes, however, space invasion is unavoidable. When an invasion of your space occurs, you feel uncomfortable. Another person entering your space can penetrate your guard. Even when a persons space is invaded, they still find ways to limit the invasion as much as possible."

Ruvanti

How does the vulnerable human body experience the hard reality of steel and the physical power and the violence of the industrial machine ? What does the body feel inside the stressed, nervous industrial space ? The human body is connected to the body of the earth and alienates inside the industrial space. The human body feels by his nervous system. Copper is the nervous system of the earth. The performance "Body - Nervous System - Steel" consists of two parts.

In the first part the students are tied up to the machines of a steelplant while it is working. They are dressed in yellow ( nervous colour ) and are using copper wire ( nervous system ). While interfering in a symbolic way in the production process they feel the force, hardness, violence and weight of the steel and the machine.

During the second part four students are sitting motionless under a yellow cloth facing each other before a life audience in the hall of the steelplant. Only their heads are visible and motionless for the public eyes. The yellow cloth stands for nervous system. Their heads are enlarged by copper coloured hats. The form of the hats refer to the inquisition hats worn by heretics. The students are sitting between two videoscreens showing images of the first part. During the performance the students try to feel the vibrations connected to the industrial space. Under the cloth, invisible for the public, they write down their feelings.

http://aboiten.home.xs4all.nl/ad371.htm

http://users.telenet.be/ruvanti/artgallery7.htm

Proxemics

Proxemics is a type of non-verbal communication. It can be described as "the interrelated observations and theories of man’s use of space as a specialized elaboration of culture".
Communicating by gesture, touch, body languge, eye contact and facial expressions- they are used to send and recieve messages between people.
Proxemics is also about the space between the sender, and how the receiver of a message influences the way the message is interpreted. There are said to be four types of 'torritory' assosiated with proxemics:

1. Primary territory: This refers to an area that is associated with someone who has exclusive use of it. An example is a house that others cannot enter without the owner’s permission.
2. Secondary territory: Unlike primary territory, there is no “right” to occupancy of secondary territory, but people may still feel some degree of ownership of such space as they develop the custom of occupying it. For example, someone may sit in the same seat in church every week and feel irritated if someone else sits there.
3. Public territory: this refers to an area that is available to all, but only for a set period, such as a parking space or a seat in a library. Although people have only a limited claim over that space, they often extend that claim. For example, it was found that people take longer to leave a parking space when someone is waiting to take that space.
4. Interaction territory: this is space held by others when they are interacting. For example, when a group is talking to each other on a footpath, others will walk around the group rather than disturb their interaction territory.

Pebble Dashing

Roughcast or pebbledash is a coarse plaster surface used on outside walls that consists of lime and sometimes cement mixed with sand, small gravel, and often pebbles or shells. The materials are mixed into a slurry and are then thrown at the working surface with a trowel or scoop. The idea is to maintain an even spread, free from lumps, ridges or runs and without missing any background.

Roughcasting incorporates the stones in the mix whereas pebbledashing adds them on top.

The best way to start is by painting a base coat that will be your brick mortar color. That's the lines between the bricks. Next you will tape off your brick pattern. Using 3/4 inch blue tape, you'll line off what will end up being your mortar lines.
After you've taped off the wall, you can paint the main color of your brick over the wall and the taped mortar lines. Usually if your brick sample is primarily red, this is the color you'll paint solid first.
Next, if you are using other colors to create more realism, you can mix your other colors individually in glaze.
I have found that a sponge is the best tool to apply the additional colors. A tip for applying additional colors is that I try to build up the colors from the most to the least.
For example, if the brick is mainly red, that is the solid base. If you see more black or brown as the next primary color, that should go on next using the sponge to allow plenty of red to show through. Then let's say you notice a little white or yellow, just apply a little of this glaze with your sponge just as a highlight.

Camouflage into environment

Tried to camouflage into the environment using material and lino with patterns that would be present originally.

Found some material in the textiles room which i wrapped around myself and took photographs on a timer. This helped me to work out what positions look good and how the material is wrapped. I found that this work linked well with Grace Ndiritu.

I also found some wood/ lino that i thought would good good against the shed. At first I wrapped it around me and it wasnt flexible enough, so it looked silly. I then held it vertically infront of me which worked very well. I tried to show parts of my body to show that there was a person behind.

People in locations