Reflection

After watching the some level 6 students do their pitch I was inspired by many of the things they spoke of and illustrated in their presentations, namely:
- The depth inwhich they spoke about their practice.
- References to their own inspirations and interests that fuelled the concepts and processes of their practice.
- The displays of their practice in the slideshow.
- The amount of indepth research around their subject(s) of interest (mainly due to the dissertation research they underwent).
- The expansion of their basis of work.

It got me thinking about what my own practice was about and what things I would talk about during my own pitch presentation. It came clear to me that at this point I would not be able to present or sum up my practice as I am still in the process of developing it and discovering more about myself as an artist.

One interesting and useful thing about watching the pitches was that the level 6 students spoke of their own artist research and the way that that research had helped further their ideas - some of the examples of the artists they showed in the slideshows caught my eye and I decided to research more about them - thinking they could be useful and relevant to my current practice.

One artist mentioned was Louise Bourgeois; this artist works mainly with sculpture but she caught my attention because of the organic structures she produces and also the indepth concepts regarding her pieces. When I researched her work online I found some pieces that were of great interest to me - organism structures and unusual abstract forms. I found this relevant to my work on life cycles and natural elements (I believe more research and background context is needed to make the project more successful).
http://www.artslant.com/la/articles/show/2710
http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/bourgeois-maman-t12625/text-summary

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/bourgeois-cell-eyes-and-mirrors-t06899/text-summary  (links to info about the artist)

 

 

 

 

 

The precise structure and almost "cruel" twist of wire or bend of the insect legs reminds me of stages in life cycles - the transition through stages and also the timeless suspension within certain stages. The insect piece reminds me of a menacing beast yet also it serves as a protector, "Spider (1997); a giant spider, reaching over 12 feet tall, straddling a cage in which there is a worn chair, among other objects. This piece in conjunction to the Femme Maison print, places the spider as a mother and protector of a home instead of as an aggressor." The construction of the thing itself is simply organic because of the reference to insect life and also the rust and decay of the cage it protects links in with the theme of cycles as everything has a life span - a duration of time before it declines and is destroyed.

 

The other piece - the anatomy piece - appears to be a representation of a body form which the sex is difficult to determine.To me it displays features both of reproduction (as the shape of the sculpture reminds me of the vulver/internal reproduction) but also decay as the "deformaties" seem to reflect a decline in structure just as plants wither and die. " The artist is interested in the mixtures of male and female aspects - the andronous features that make the sex in her body works hard to distinguish, "...her interest in the vague lines between the masculine and the feminine, and the male body and the female body. She points to the fragility of the difference between man and woman, even though society tells everyone it is unmistakable. Her use of heavy, soft, tough, domestic, ‘feminine’ and ‘masculine’ touch on this just as much as the content of her pieces."

 

The final piece just reminds me of a cage simply - but a sinister entrapment, something unaturally formed but also representing some features of something natural e.g. the spheres remind me of insect eyes, the curves of metal pieces remind me of bodily structures. The piece itself is titled 'Cell' so it refers to a prison of some sort, and yet it seems almost as if it is an internal prison like the barriers of emotional/mental pain or something to that nature. "The subject of pain is the business I am in. To give meaning and shape to frustration and suffering ... The Cells represent different types of pain: the
physical, the emotional and psychological, and the mental and intellectual. When does the emotional become physical? When does the physical become emotional: It’s a circle going around and around. Pain can begin at any point and turn in any direction. (Quoted in The Secret of the Cells, p.81.)."

 

Personally, in relation to my practice, it reminds me of a greenhouse structure but the skeletal remains of it. Instruments used to cultivate or to reshape something natural. If I were working on a similar piece I would want to create more of connection with the audience as the artist seems to want to create a distance as well as helping the audience to identify with the work (the cage keeps people out as well as locking a victim within). I would include colours  - still trying to represent an element of neglect but also bringing a more vivid aspect to the piece to exemplify the concept of their being something organic contained within.

 

 

 

NATURAL STUDY

 

 

http://www.1stdibs.com/introspective/gallery_books/cheim__read_louise_bourgeois_nature_study/

I also researched the artist's work on 'Nature Study' and the main works I found were illustrative/semi abstract paintings that reflect organic, fertility forms. There is still the theme of mixed sexes - combination of andronous features as well as combining the structure of forms to be representative of both so to reflect a reproductive theme as a whole. This links with my theme of cycles - the portrayal of the rebirthing/reproduction stages in life cycles (one that is shared by all organisms). I feel I should create almost a timeline of cycles to help me understand the processes and transitions that occur during cycles of different organisms, from plantation to humans.

The pieces are interesting to me because of the watercolour process used - I want to create ink/watercolour sketches that represent different stages in cycles for reference as well individual pieces that can be used as singular pieces as well as combined with photography.