Year 12 Amalia L Art as Knowledge Phase 2
Amalia Levick - Project Inquiry Phase 2 Contents • Focus from inquiry phase 1 • Resolved collections of work: Beauty within 5 Mix Media works 21 x 29.7 cm (A4), 14.81 x 21.01 cm (A5), 10 x 22 cm 2 Sculptures Charcoal, watercolours, art line pen, coloured paper and acrylic paints on watercolour paper Wire, tissue paper, watercolours, thread and wool
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Artist’s Statement Collection of works Close up Sculptural works Close up mix media works
• Documentation o Annotated details of the resolved artworks to support performance descriptors in developing, researching and reflecting criteria o Supporting Evidence: o o
Preliminary studies Further developing and reaching to support final body of work
FOCUS – INQUIRY PHASE 1
The focus of my body of work is the perspective that humankind creates on beauty and decay. Labeling decay as disgusting and not putting thought into the processes and needs it undertakes for our world. My inquiry phase 1 explored how artists communicate the idea of the spirit animal through a personal and cultural lens. My primary focus artists were Deb Mostert and Sally Smart, who explored the concepts of collections through the manipulation of various materials and processes. These artists influenced my experimental research, in which I created a collection of collages using different materials. My experiments revealed my personal aesthetic and a tie in of a cultural lens, to explore animals and their collections.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Beauty within 5 Mix Media works 21 x 29.7 cm (A4), 14.81 x 21.01 cm (A5), 10 x 22 cm 2 Sculptures Charcoal, watercolours, art line pen, coloured paper and acrylic paints on watercolour paper Wire, tissue paper, watercolours, thread and wool
Exploring the connection between the perspectives of beauty and decay through a personal and formal lens. Humankind continuously dictates what is beautiful and what is not. In which decay has been categorized as disgusting, as we associate it as a symbol of death. However, the cycle of beauty and decay can be interpreted and depicted in limitless forms. The combination of organic matter and materials has been significantly influenced by Kathleen Ryan, Anya Gallaccio and Joel Armstrong, who explore how beauty and decay are represented. The sculptures conveys a pear and a lemon in the early stages of decay, created with the effects of the watercolours and wool. The thread sewn in to the sculpture conveys a metaphor in which the rotten fruit is being repaired and put back to together. In the way society wants the decay to be perfect again.
RESOLVED COLLECTION OF WORK Collection of works
Beauty within 5 Mix Media works 21 x 29.7 cm (A4), 14.81 x 21.01 cm (A5), 10 x 22 cm 2 Sculptures Charcoal, watercolours, art line pen, coloured paper and acrylic paints on watercolour paper Wire, tissue paper, watercolours, thread and wool
RESOLVED COLLECTION OF WORK Sculptural works
Beauty within 2 Sculptures 41 x 70 cm, 50 x 40 cm Wire, tissue paper, watercolours, thread and wool
RESOLVED COLLECTION OF WORK Mix Media Works
Beauty within 5 Mix Media works 21 x 29.7 cm (A4), 14.81 x 21.01 cm (A5), 10 x 22 cm Charcoal, watercolours, art line pen, coloured paper and acrylic paints on watercolour paper
ANNOTATED DETAILS OF THE RESOLVED ARTWORKS
Developing: Personal context – inspired by my own experiences of my grandma passing in which the cycle of decay was evident. An experience all humankind will have yet decay is categorized as disgusting. Formal context - With this personal aspect I was able to draw from it to society’s views around beauty, in which humankind depicts what is beautiful and what is not. Yet something so normal and experienced daily is categorised as unsettling and gross. My focus on ‘humankind’s perspective of beauty in which decay is labelled as not ’ was communicated through the metaphor of the thread stitched into the rotten fruit, society’s perspective fix it up to be perfect again.
Researching: Research influencing my central focus: Joel Armstrong’s formalistic processes and materials of wire and tissue paper sculptures to create clear forms to the audience. Anaya Gallaccio’s Preserve ‘Beauty’ (1991 – 2003) installation creates an immediate focus to normalise the processes of decay as it is beyond humankind’s control and is something we experience daily in the others around us. Kathleen Ryan’s sculptural pieces ‘Bad Fruit’ explores the focus deeper, using the metaphor of gemstones as beauty in her work in which represent decay. In which I used thread as my metaphor on the take on humankind’s perspective. Reflecting: My initial experiments allowed me to develop a deeper connection with the concept of decay which was further represented through the series of mix media works. This allowed experience the process firsthand in a way I haven’t before. This allowed me to use materials which created the aspects of decay as where the fruits were an unformed in places. The repetition of wool fibers around the mold creates a textural element in the work and the realistic aspect of mold being furry. The repeated use of stitching created a metaphor to represent society’s views of the concept of decay in which everything must be prefect – when broken it needs to be but back together.
SUPPORTING EVIDENCE Preliminary Studies
Experiment Work 2 7 x 19 cm Leaves, coloured thread
Studies were undertaken to further the concept of decay with a personal take on the topic. My family recently experienced the cycle of decay as my great grandma was passing and the process of her body beginning to shut down. I only was born in the late stages of her aging. However, still developed deep connection with her for our love of the arts. My experiment undertook a survey taken from individuals in my life, and their perspective on colours whether they are appealing or not. Only a small sample but can show some interaction on the views of the rest of society. All the leaves experience decay even the colours associated with beauty. I will take this aspect of a personal context to my final collection of works.
Experiment Work 1 Digital Photographs Various types of fruits and flowers
I took photographs of various fruits and flowers for a period of 2 weeks undertaking the process of decay. By doing this I was able to observe nature's breakdown of organisms firsthand. Further to this I could implement aspects taken into my final collection.
SUPPORTING EVIDENCE In terms of materials and processes, Joel Armstrong was a dominating inspiration in the manner with the media I used to present my work. Armstrong’s use of wire and paper creates a clear and minimalistic finish to his sculptures in which I aimed to portray in my own works
Armstrong’s use of materials and processes had a prominent influence on my sculptural aspect of my collection to achieve the look of decay by the unformed wire creating the fruit to be in the stages of breaking down.
I used wire to create the shape of the sculptural pieces. Papier Mache over the form to create a minimalistic element to the collection. Adding elements of watercolour and wool to bring texture to the pieces inspired by the sculptural bugs of Armstrong's work.
Joel Armstrong, Wire beetle Tissue Paper, watercolours and wire SOURCE: Joel Armstrong’s official website <https://www.joelarmstrongfineart.com/>
SUPPORTING EVIDENCE Anya Gallaccio’s installation Preserve ‘Beauty’ (1991 – 2003) became a prominent influence in the development of my central focus. Preserve ‘Beauty’ focus on this overlap between commodity culture and natural objects, specifically in relation to the waste and decay that is usually hidden from consumers. The processes are beyond the control of the artists or the viewer. Instead invited to reflect on the themes of ‘place, life, decay, death, beauty and renewal. KEY THEMES of Anya Gallaccio’s artwork: • Use of organic materials • Memory of those who experienced it • Process is beyond human control • Viewer are focused to use their sense of smell • Normalising decay
Anaya Gallaccio’s installation inspired me to take a series of photographs of organic materials in this case various fruits, experiencing decay firsthand and exploring my senses, especially smell.
By exploring the processes, the fruit undertook this soon became a prominent detailed various mix media works where I was able to explore these photographs deeper within my final body of work. Gallaccio’s focus of normalising and finding the beauty within decay remained a central focus of my collection of works. Anya Gallaccio, Preserve ‘Beauty’ 1991 – 2003 247 x 130.8 x .6 cm 500 red gerbera, Glass and Fittings SOURCE: LEHMANN MAUPIN
SUPPORTING EVIDENCE Similarly, to Gallaccio's ‘Preserve ‘Beauty,’’ Kathleen Ryan’s ‘Bad Fruit’ series juxtaposes an intimate, focus of beauty at first glance but creates a sense of ugliness and unease to the audience when the works are further observed
Kathleen Ryan’s sculptural installations prompt me to include a sculptural element in my body of work, not using the same materials as Kathleen, however. Her central focus of creating something categorized as ugly by the perspective of humankind into something beautiful plays a major part in my collection as well. Ryan’s textural element created by the stones inspired me to have an element of texture in my work, this was created by the wool fibers. Allowing further depth and detail into the molded areas of the fruits.
Kathleen Ryan, Bad Fruit 2009 6 x 8 x 6 in Amber, amethyst, rhodonite, rose quartz, serpentine, tree agate, jungle jasper, Smokey quartz, glass, steel pins on coated polystyrene
The metaphor of the tread stitched into the fruit coveys to the audience the idea of repair and putting back together, in which humankind wants everything to be perfect. Representing society’s view on decay in which the fruits are experiencing.