Final Project Evaluation.

As reference points the Artists and artworks I have been influenced by are Kader Attia ‘Ghost’ (2007), Damien Hirst’s ‘For the Love of God’ (2007), Khalil Chishtee ‘Trash to Treasure'(2007).The books I have researched are Roland Barthes, ‘Mythologies’ (1973), John Berger ‘Ways of Seeing’, (1972) William Gibson, ‘Neuromancer’ (1984), Lewis Carroll ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Book and television series by P.K.Dick ‘Electric Dreams’ (2017).

I have been influenced by films such as The Wachowski Brothers ‘The Matrix’1999, Stephen Spielberg’s A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) 2001, Disney’s ‘WALL-E’(2008).

I have looked into the Philosopher Plato’s ‘Allegory of the Cave’ (Plato’s Cave) 380 and 360 B.C.

Idea development

My initial idea began when I was near Whitley bay lighthouse with all its amazing beautiful scenery around it. I observed people standing around in circles staring at their phones, it seemed unusual, it later turned out they were searching looking for Pokemons using an app that was helping kids get outside and exercise. After seeing Kader Attia installation ‘Ghost’, a huge room full of foil figures, I was excited by the idea of using this material to construct a ring of hooded figures on their phones.

I was moved by the sense that the bodies were like vacant shells, an emptiness devoid of the person or spirit. Attia’s figures are praying together, I see internet as the new place to commune and to worship. As I look at consumerism. I see the foil as disposable product representing a throw away culture. The beautiful silver shell giving a, futuristic, robotic quality

I was fascinated years ago by the film ‘The Matrix’ made in 1999, this was based on the idea of human beings energy cells, harvested by computers that had taken over the world. In the film humans are likened to a Duracell battery running this computer generated world.

I investigated semiology and the process of myth creation; looking at the mythologies of a modern cultural phenomena of heavy consumerism which is symbolic of whom we want to be seen as in the world.

This theme expands from the ‘Unorthodox’ project in which I looked at Christianity and how the church harvested money from their followers based on religious mythological ideas, an invisible God that is watching them, judging them and giving out rewards and punishments depending on their behaviour.

“The cultural work done in the past by gods and epic sagas is now done by laundry-detergent commercials and comic-strip character”

Barthes (1972)

 

I was looking at the concept of money as God. I made a collage with a Buddha figure in the middle, the idea which represents Spiritual materialism, in which people are unhealthily invested in spiritualty and their God to the same level that people are obsessed by money and business to the detriment of others and their human rights.  I was going to make a piece that would have layered currencies from the top ten powerful counties in a layered grid.

 

But the idea started to change when I made a video.

The video was always going to be about fake news and fake products that would be advertised intermittently. The results of which came about after I instinctively dressed myself in foil and adopted an android persona. This then changed the whole installation, the film now being the strongest piece I had made, the foil figures would now be adapted to the narrative presented in the video.

From here I decided to make the foil shells into disposed androids, laying in a wasteland, a rubbish tip. This was inspired by the terribly sad film ‘A.I.’ where a robotic child was disposed of after its ‘parents’ were able to have real child.

Studio Practice

After various attempts of making foil figures, wrapping the foil around mannequins in different ways, I upgraded to super strength foil. Reinforcing the structures with Sellotape, I was finally able to cut the figure free and the foil hold its structure. I tried wrapping a person with foil which would have made it very exciting, the reality was that the structure did not look good at all. The softness of the body made it impossible to capture the body shape with success. As these pieces are fragile, I continued making in the Blandford Square gallery. Rather than have a squashed pile of figures, I have carefully hung the figures to make a pile of metallic bodies, some of which still maintain their shape rather than being collapsed in. The construction of foil figures was time consuming, roughly taking a day to make and hang one. I added in light from small torches that glow from the inside of the empty foil shells, this added another element to the piece. Is there conscious life in the figures? Do we as humans have free will? Or are we malleable commodities?

The video was filmed at home. I wanted the piece to be spontaneous. I love improvised performance art and the creativity that comes up in the moment. I had some suggestions of fake news and fake products that I would read only at the moment of filming, as students had written these on pieces of paper earlier. I built a set with lighting and a back drop and wrapped myself in foil. It would be decided that the video would play in the middle of the heap of discarded figures. Bringing the viewers’ attention into the installation.

Final Outcomes

I feel this project has been a bench mark using a process that feels professional. This brief required a full written proposal which completely changed the way in which I work. I have researched a greater amount and varied sources. I am pleased with how the piece developed organically with the strongest elements taking the lead.

This subject feeling so complex, the examination of what appears to be happening in our world now through an idea of a dystopian future. Questioning if we have any power or freedom in the system. Can we change things or does change happen anyway?

“How could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads?”

Plato,(380 and 360 B.C)

The Year 1 and 2 Art Exhibition.

As I constructed my sculpture/ installation in Blandford Square Gallery I was finally able to see if my ideas would work visually. There was going to be a heap of foil figures, under a few floating foil hollow bodies. The visual of the hanging figures worked well, I then realised that the heap of figures under them would have been a case of too much, spoiling the aesthetic, with little conceptual gain. A 1980’s style television would be central to the scene. On the television I then placed a crushed foil figure. As I looked, I now saw the hollow android figures looking at the defunct, crushed figure, it reminded me of the film A.I. ‘Artificial intelligence’, a scene where the unwanted robots were disposed of in an A.I. wasteland.

I felt a sense of the droids looking down, wondering with human qualities, asking ‘what is it all about? Who am I?’

The television was in homage to dystopia TV programs from the 1980’s like ‘Buck Rogers and the 21st Century’. This then married into my video that also had this feel to it. A sense of looking back at old ways the future has been seen.

Due to a technical hitch the DVD did not play on the television,  but this allowed me to put a link on the wall, so that viewers could watch the video online through their mobile phones. I was pleased with this outcome because it brought the theme full circle.

At the show there were groups of people standing around viewing the video through their mobile phones, which was my initial inspiration for the project.

It was great to get feedback. A few of my fellow students from Year 1 and 2 said that they had been discussing the piece and got a sense of the themes I am presenting.

Final words

At the end of the second year I feel I am in a place where I have learned a lot, but I realised that I don’t know much either, as if I am just scratching the surface of the ‘art world’ and art as a visual language.

I am pleased with my progress, but also as I know more it highlights the weaknesses in my work too. I look forward to my progression into my third year of Fine Art.

 

 

 

References

Artists

Kader Attia (2007) ‘Ghost’[ Plastic bags] Saatchi Gallery, London

Hirst, Damien (2007) ‘For the Love of God’ [platinum, diamond, human teeth] White Cube Gallery, London, England

Chishtee. Khalil. ‘Trash to Treasure’ New York

Books

Barthes, Roland, (1973) Mythologies, London, Cape.

https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/882883-mythologies

Berger, John, (1972)Ways of seeing, London & Hammondsworth, BBC and Penguin Nooks

GIBSON, W. (1984). Neuromancer. New York, Ace Books.

Plato, ‘Allegory of the Cave’(380 and 360 B.C)

https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/10107799-the-allegory-of-the-cave

Film

The Matrix. Hollywood: The Wachowski Brothers; 1999.

TV

Dick,P.K.’Electric Dreams ‘(2017), Television Series, Channel 4, London