Unit 3: Art as knowledge Project – Inquiry Phase 2
Focus In modern society, we all feel disconnected; maybe disconnected with society, people, or even with landscapes. This project will be exploring the concept of disconnection. Disconnection is often associated with the feelings of detachment, isolation and even alienation. However, it also allows individuals to immerse themselves in their inner world, and sometimes even becomes a spiritual pursuit.
Artist Statement The lack of connection between me and the landscape where I spent most of the time living is a metaphoric depiction of the distance between me and society. Terrified of being detached from the modern existence yet obsessed with the immersion in isolation; the sensibility of being disconnected and the struggle to find a balance between the two has become a vital part of my life. The installation named Disconnect is an abstract presentation of my inner world of how I interpret the concept of disconnection. Each part of the installation serves as a visual metaphor that conveys the complex relationship between the landscape and I. Beyond the sense of insecurity as a result of the depressive setup, the sense of emptiness and detachment is embodied through the ambiguous representation of the contradiction of fear and love towards being disconnected to the landscape.
Display View
Disconnect 3500 x 2000 mm Mixed Media Acrylic on canvas, tracing paper, fishing line, woven fabric, leaves, plain masks, yarn, cardboard, acrylic, impasto medium
Resolved work Individual Panels
Mixed Media Acrylic on canvas, woven fabric, leaves
Resolved work Individual Panels
Mixed Media Impasto medium, plain mask, acrylic on canvas, yarn
Resolved work Individual Panels
Mixed Media Acrylic on canvas, fishing line, tracing paper
Annotation
Canvas 1
Canvas 2
Canvas 3 Developing & Reflecting: Personal context –Personified concept of being addicted to the feeling of isolation. Naked body, seductive ghostly eyes not only indicates “addiction”, but along with the expressionless face, also reinforce the concept of emptiness as a result of disconnection. The choice of desaturated palettes for the skin tone represents a ghoulish and unhealthy figure, emphasizing the feeling of negativity. The posture of the ghostly-like girl presents the feeling of being manipulated by the sense of isolation – ‘She’ holds my mood, and my interchanging (disconnected) mood is interconnected with her. Researching: • Euan Macleod’s colour palette is used in all three paintings to enhance the gloomy atmosphere, emphasizing the sense of insecurity and melancholy as a result of disconnection. • Macleod’s use of visual motif and symbol of the lonely anonymous figure creates unity and emphasizes the theme. • Jenny Saville – tracing paper visually breaks up the composition, and the contrast in medium shows the inharmonious between the landscape and I, reinforce the concept of disconnection. • Fabric as a medium and the abstract representation of landscape
Developing: Personal context - the abstract representation of inharmony from the feeling of forcing myself to connect with the landscape Researching: • Ways to destroy canvas to combine multiple ideas, inspired by Joan Miró (canvas 1 and 3) • Macleod’s sculptural use of paint to create harsh texture. • Vernon Ah Kee’s use of texts to emphasize the theme.
Developing: Personal context – Intertwining yarn, indicating precarious and complex intricacies and the contradicting ideas. Sometimes connected but sometimes disconnected. Hanging instead of gluing down reinforces the concept of disconnection.
Supporting Evidence
Dramatic& encrusted paint and transforming rivulets
Mostly landscapes and the human presence within
What could my visual motif be? The whole concept of disconnection is a very personal thing. The feeling of isolation, detachment and alienation as a result of being disconnected to the landscape have significant effect on my mood. Can faces be my visual motif? đ&#x;‘ˆđ&#x;‘ˆ đ&#x;‘ˆđ&#x;‘ˆ Effective use of colour palettes to evoke emotion and atmospher e, positions the viewers to experience the feeling of fear as a result of disconnect ion
Experiment: Personifying the feeling of isolation and the relationship between the feeling and I
Macleod use of visual motif creates visual interest and unity in his works. His motif was the ambiguous alone figure. How can I use the idea of using tracing paper when creating my visual motif?
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Was not effective in communicating meaning, the physical feature of the girl does not give any indication to “addiction”. I might have to consider ways to make the figure look more seductive and evil.
Artist Research:
Joan Miró: •
This innovation was generated through a cultural context: the holocaust and wars produced a generation of artists who developed a radical new approach to painting • Burned objects usually have a very cool effect on the edges.
Installation setup plan
Black background: colour symbolism, indicating the theme is associated with negative emotions
Symbolises precarious intricacies?
• Three paintings about disconnection with the use of a range of mediums, use Euan Macleod inspired palettes, Saviile inspired mediums and Miro inspired idea of burning canvases. Put the most significant painting in the • mIntidedrtlweitnoinmgaykaernitthe fsoycmabloploisinets.precarious and complex intricacies and contradicting emotion towards being disconnected. • Euan Macleod’s inspired use of visual motif and symbol, following the role of three. • Vernon Ah Kee’s use of key words and related sentences and quotes to emphasize ideas.