The text bellow is the first draft of text that is going in the documentation booklet, it highlights the order in which i propose to write it in and the basic structure of the text. In the book i don't want to talk about the work as such but more of how everything has shaped me as an artist and how its all come together to inform my final piece. The artwork in the book have all one way or another shaped my understanding of my practise. One piece that i did create this year was the wall to wall fabric, i haven't included this as i don't personally feel like it has informed my degree piece and i saw it more an experiment that didn't really achieve much in the form of developing my practise.
Contents page will consist of -
Breakthrough - forget-me-not
Exploration - The bearer of hope (ginkgo leaves)
Research - dissertation
Documentation - Pressed plants
Experimentation - dehydration
Completion - herdera (degree show piece)
Planning to have the intro as my artist statement giving an overview about me as an artist
My work is concerned with the natural world; more
specifically looking into plant species and their symbolic meaning. The act of
walking is the starting point for my research, it allows for the natural
connection between me and the subject to organically form. Researching into the
species history, symbolism, traditions and mythology attracts me and is the
focal point of my practise. I use my research as a platform to inform my
sculptures, often casting directly from the plants themselves creating a connection
between the manmade and the natural. My fascination with the natural world
further extends to museology, which I use as a platform to present my
sculptures.
Breakthrough will be relating to my piece forget-me-not which was the turning point in which i felt i was finally creating work that i was proud to exhibit
Breakthrough
In the early stages of my artistic career, Forget-me-not
(2018) came as a breakthrough. It was a resounding moment in which as an artist
I felt a feeling of accomplishment with something I had produced. This success
propelled me to explore the natural world further, looking more closely at
plant species and their origin. Having grown up around nature, the countryside
is where I feel the most comfortable and is often an escape from day to day
life. Making connections between my personal life and my artwork have allowed
my investigation to flourish organically. It has created an environment in
which my work flows naturally bringing a much more personal connection between
all three aspects of art; artist, artwork and audience. Making this connection
is key throughout my artistic investigation being able to connect with the
natural world in a way that gives my work a poetic atmosphere as well as
enthralling the audience’s curiosity.
Exploration looks at the first steps i made after the breakthrough. at this stage i now have a better understanding of the direction my practise is taking and beginning to feel more confident when approaching my work.
Exploration
After establishing connections between my personal life and
my studio work, I began surrounding myself in natural material. This presented
both a positive and negative effect on my method of making; I had more material
to work with than ever before yet unable to decide what avenue to venture
first. This evidently led me to investigate the material I had collect looking
at their origin, mythology and symbolism. Sourcing material before knowing its
background unintentionally introduced a sense of curiosity. There was no
original purpose for selecting the materials, it was purely down to
fascination, thus creating an inquisitiveness that I desired the audience to
reflect. At the forefront of this realisation was The Bearer of Hope (2018);
firstly, the curiosity and fascination which bloomed into captivation having
explored the history. This pattern of emotions intentionally gives it a poetic
feel without it being forced.
Research
My dissertation Artist, Audience and Artwork – Their
Relationship within Performance Art highlights the relationship between the
three aspects of art within performance art. However, it indicates crucial
points which can be transferred to my own artwork. Neither the audience nor I
can establish the overall meaning of an artwork as each resides within the
individual, yet collectively these individual perceptions give the artwork
meaning which is continuously evolving. This theory highlights that the context
of an artwork resides collaboratively with the audience and the artist, while
the artist creates opportunity for such interpretation. This research indicated to me that I must
allow for the audience’s interpretation and to not push my intention upon them.
It created a much more open atmosphere for creating as it meant I could create
before coming up with the intention and allow the meaning to naturally
generate.
Documentation looks at the way i am documenting my first hand research. Collecting plant material as research and finding a way of preserving this. The forms of the plants inform my work as well as allowing me to experiment with different display techniques
Documentation
Reflecting on previous works highlighted the collection of
natural materials that would wilt and fade which hindered the notion of keeping
its natural beauty. By uprooting the plant its death must serve a purpose, to
discard the plant would mean there was no reasoning for obtaining it in the
first place. How could I obtain its living beauty even after it dies?
Reminiscing brings forth the past time of pressing flowers; something I
explored as a child and took great fascination in collecting. This process became
a form of documentation, sustaining my curiosity in an object. The
documentation has been on going throughout and has unsuspectingly formed a new
purpose of becoming an artwork.
Experimentation relates to me finally being able to experiment with materials and different forms without having the meaning. It has freed my approach to art and has allowed me to create things more freely, delving into the research after.
Experimentation
The importance of experimentation throughout an artistic
career prevents stagnation. Being confident with what I am producing propels me
to pursue alternative methods of making to further extend my skills.
Understanding that my most accomplished works have been through bronze casting,
experimenting with different mould making techniques is a logical next step.
Being able to transfer skills from one casting method to another widens my
skills set while still maintaining a coherent method of practise. The outcome
of these explorations, dehydration (2019).
Completion looks at my degree piece itself and how everything above has come together to inform the piece. without the previous i wouldn't have been able to produce the sculptures i currently am.
Completion
Incorporating everything that I have learnt throughout this
creative process has all come together to inform my piece Herdera (2019).
Working in bronze has been my preferred method of making, for this reason I
decided to extend my skills in this material. Exploring how to create an
organic form out of hard materials came as a challenge. Working hands on with a
material allows for a personal connection between the artist and the sculpture
to generate. My intention for this piece was to express my fascination with the
natural world. I didn’t want to inform the audience but to thrust curiosity
upon them. The history, mythology, symbolism and traditions are all known and
have informed the making process, yet the initial inquisitiveness is how the
sculpture is portrayed. At my breakthrough I felt as though I had achieved
something I was happy with, now I’m producing work that I am not only happy
with but also confident in. I have explored different methods of making and
developed a comprehensive skill set. Reflecting indicates how comfortable I am
with the work I am producing and how excited I am for future endeavours.
Bellow is the design layout that i made for the zine i was planning to make. Not all the images are my own images as i was using them to help inform my layout ideas. I plan to use the professional photographs from the photo shoot of my work to make the book look more professional.
i showed my design for the book to a graphics student who informed my that if i want it to look minimalist that there was a way to do it that would make it look more interesting. So with that i collaborated with the graphics student to help me design a zine that is professional and print worthy - there is no point printing it if it doesn't look right. I wanted the zine to look minimalist yet still sticking with the theme of plants and museology, this is when i sourced reference images of botanical books. I don't want my zine to look exactly like the books but maybe the font and the way the images are laid out may reference botanical books slightly.
Comments
Post a Comment