Year 12 Bella C Art as Knowledge Phase 2
PROJECT INQUIRY PHASE 2 • Contents: • Focus from Inquiry phase 1 • Resolved work: Divorce Through our Mind 5 individual headpieces Mixed media • Artist’s statement • Display view • Individual panels
• Documentation: • Annotated details of resolved artworks, in order to provide supporting descriptions through the developing, researching and reflecting processes • Supporting evidence - slides used in order to show preliminary research and development of resolved work
INQUIRY PHASE 1
• My inquiry phase 1 focused on the theme of ‘til death do us part’, this is reflected through my previous body of work which focused on the different cycles of marriage; this included life-long love, death and divorce. My primary focus artists were George. F. Watts and Meagan Meli, who both explore the concepts of love and death, through different symbols within their personal style. These artists influenced my IA1 research and experiments.
ARTISTS STATEMENT • The focus for my body of work is the cycle of marriage, specifically, divorce. Divorce is a shared experience across cultures, but my exploration is how these cultures choose to either embrace or resent this ceremony. • I have chosen to create five headpieces, each different perceptions of divorce. These headpieces total to a size of 100cm by 60cm, and are each created with different materials, including cardboards, fabrics, Styrofoam, paper mâché and wire. The headpiece concept derived from artist Dawn Grant, specializing in cultural wearable art headpieces; headpieces are traditionally worn during weddings, this would be interesting to explore these can relate to divorce. Divorce Through our Mind, my body of work uncovers how cultures from across the world either resent or embrace divorce, using personal, contemporary, formal and cultural contexts. I will explore art as knowledge in the sense of exploring meaning within different cultures and representations.
RESOLVED COLLECTION OF WORK – DISP LAY V I EW
Divorce Through our Mind Five Headpieces, 100cm x 60cm Mixed media headpieces: cardboard, fabric, Styrofoam, paper mâché, wire, polyester clay, paint, paper
RESOLVED COLLECTION OF WORK IND IV ID UA L H AT 1
• The Japanese Embrace • 25cm x 30cm • Wearable art – headpiece 1 • Mixed media - paper mâché, wire, paper, Styrofoam
RESOLVED COLLECTION OF WORK IND IV ID UA L H AT 2
• The Jewish Acceptance • 30cm x 20cm • Wearable art – headpiece 4 • Mixed media - paper mâché, polyester clay, cardboard, paper, wax candles
RESOLVED COLLECTION OF WORK IND IV ID UA L H AT 3
• The Personal Experience • 15cm x 30cm • Wearable art – headpiece 3 • Mixed media - paper mâché, wire, polyester clay
RESOLVED COLLECTION OF WORK IND IV ID UA L H AT 4
• The Sikh Resentment • 15cm x 20cm • Wearable art – headpiece 2 • Mixed media - paper mâché, fabric, cardboard, Styrofoam, polyester clay
RESOLVED COLLECTION OF WORK IND IV ID UA L H AT 5
• The Islam Denial • 15cm x 25cm • Wearable art – headpiece 5 • Mixed media - paper mâché, fabric, cardboard, paper
ANNOTATED DETAILS OF THE RESOLVED ARTWORKS Developing: The personal context of my inquiry has been influenced by my experiences living in a household in which the parents are separated. My headpieces take symbols from my own life, like the idea of being trapped in a cage, as well as symbols from cultures that I am interested in to represent different positive and negative attitudes surrounding divorce. My focus on personal experience as well as cultural context is communicated by different colours, materials and representations manipulated. Researching: My main influence was Dawn Grant, who takes her culture and transforms it into meaningful headpieces and wearable art, this represents a cultural context, as headpieces are present in many cultures wedding ceremonies. I also enjoyed Mariko Mori’s work, she focuses on her how Japanese culture and transforms her experiences into symbolic artworks; I used this idea to adapt real life images and motifs into my resolved works. These artists allow me to explore both contemporary and formal contexts. For example, I found photos of Sikh people and temples in order to mirror these onto my fourth headpiece Reflecting: My visual language in each artwork was made to show attitudes towards divorce in each culture. The first headpiece, The Japanese Embrace, uses the symbol of a frog, which is seen in divorce ceremonies as a representation of change after the divorce. Another key symbol is in The Islamic Denial, where red roses are seen on the top of the artwork, these roses are a symbol for both marriage and funerals in this culture. Finally, the two hands on the front of The Jewish Acceptance, are Priestly Blessing Hands, and is used when they recite blessings on Jewish people. These different symbols and motifs further encourage exploration of cultural contexts. The use of motifs across all five headpieces symbolise my focus on divorce and how different cultures resonate with this concept.
Divorce Through our Mind (details) Five Headpieces, 100cm x 60cm Mixed media headpieces: cardboard, fabric, Styrofoam, paper mâché, wire, polyester clay, paint, paper
SUPPORTING EVIDENCE 1. 2.
Image one depicts research carried out on Japanese and Sikh cultures as well as their attitudes to divorce. The research explores different cultural expectations associated with divorce as well as any ceremonies connected. Also explored is Japanese symbols, such as koi fish; along with this is research of visual aspects of Sikh culture, which includes orange, red and gold tones. These aspects were both included in the final body of work, which represents the knowledge collected about the cultures. Image two is artist research on Dawn Grant. She is the inspiration behind the headpiece works. Her art is seen from red carpet looks to magazines. She explores her own black culture through these artworks and embraces meaning through using different artistic aspects. She uses a multitude of medias and techniques in her work, which are also incorporated in mine. Headpieces are worn during all wedding ceremonies, therefore I wanted to explore how this artist inspired me to address headpieces in a divorce setting. Each headdress depicts both the chosen culture and attitudes associated.
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SUPPORTING EVIDENCE 1. 2.
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Simple drawings made with posca paint pens, pencil and fine liner. This was created in order to have some preliminary ideation on what Sikh culture includes. Through this brainstorming page, outfits, symbols, architecture and values were uncovered. More drawings made with posca paint pens, pencil and fine liner. explored Japanese symbols, which were researched in the previous slide, each drawing has a different meaning, for example the fan represents prosperity. This allowed for clear brainstorming of what symbols were to be included in the final body of work This is the first brainstorm of ideas for the first two headpieces. In the process of discovering what the style was to look like, aiming to incorporate different symbols and aspects from both cultures. This allowed to to uncover what media and processes I would use, e.g. the manipulation of fabric to look like a turban on the Sikh headpiece, or the use of wire as the flower stems on the Japanese hat.
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SUPPORTING EVIDENCE
3.1 First Japanese cherry blossom experiment. Using origami techniques, which relate to Japanese culture, as well as wire through the middle and to represent the stem.
1 • Experimentational work regarding themes to do with Japanese culture: • 1. Experimenting with different styles of frogs, the frogs represent change in Japanese culture, they use a frog-themed gavel to break the rings during their divorce ceremonies. • 2. Japanese koi pond painting, this was completed with acrylic paints on paper. I experimented with brush strokes and other imagery which would contribute to my final body of work
2 Connection to artist Mariko Mori, who features traditional Japanese motifs, her work often explores themes of technology, spirituality and transcendence. Inspiration from her works is adapted into every Japanese experiment (her work is seen to the bottom right). Other inspirations for these works derive from real Japanese life, for example koi ponds and cherry blossoms are commonly seen as representatives for Japanese culture.
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3.2 Second Japanese cherry blossom experiment. Manipulating wire to look like a charry blossom. Some flowers have more layers and details than others, in order to test which looks best.
SUPPORTING EVIDENCE
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• Experimentational work regarding themes to do with Sikh culture: • 1. Experiment in order to recreate the look of Sikh cultural attire. Made from clay and acrylic paints. Represented using bright colours associated with this culture. • 2. Sikh Gurdwara experiment. A Gurdwara is the Sikh place of worship. This is made to be a replica of the topper on one of these buildings, made from gold and complex patterns. Making this allowed me to make refinements for my final piece, to ensure I was happy with the final result. • These works were created using real-life inspiration from Sikh followers and their place of worship. Experiment 2 was based off Akal Takht, seen in image 4, designed by Guru Hargobind. This guru was born in 1595 in India and taught Sikhs by taking up two swords, one of which symbolised spiritual power and the other symbolised material power. Experiment one is based off cultural attire that Sikhs wear, these were made to be small model people which represent how the people embody the culture through the clothes they wear. Image 3 was used as a basis of my work, there are similarities between the image and the experiment, such as their headwear and colours used.