How artists and designers have used fear as a motivation for their work from a number of personal aspects. I would like to explore how over time artists have used different styles of media and techniques to explore the idea of fear. I think that over the years artists have used different techniques, but technology and other influences have allowed them to explore the ideas in depth and create a more complicated outcome. I want to focus on how they have explored the fear in their own life through their work and how they have related their work to their personal experiences. Dawid Planeta is an artist that uses his pictures to tell a story of his depression. He creates black and white images of animals with no eyes, to show what thoughts and feelings he had with his battle with depression. He has used many themes in his work including fear, loneliness and darkness. Dawid Planeta is the most recent of the artists and has used lots of digital techniques and skills to explore the theme in-depth. Laure Fauvel has used less complicated digital skills to explore her ideas of fear and present them in a more basic but still in an in-depth way. Alexandra Ballisimo presented her work the longest time ago and has not used digital techniques making her work appear the simplest out of the artists but her work still has an in-depth meaning when you analyze it more. Dawid Planeta has used mainly illustration and some photography techniques to create his work, he has use a complicated layer technique to make the image appear in-depth and give it a life like feel. All 3 artists have used layering techniques in different ways to give their images a different feel. Laure Fauvel has used a less complicated layering technique by adding an illustrated character on top of a photo, this has allowed her to create a unique picture showing something that cannot be seen or understood sometimes. This also allows her to help show fear in real life. Alexandra Ballisimo has also used a collage style approach, she has layered images and then cut out part to reveal the images underneath, this has allowed her to create a unique look to her work, her work is very simple but still has an impact and a deep exploration of fear that can be related to by many people.
Dawid Planeta is an artist who uses a combination of photography and illustration techniques to create his work. Throughout his work he uses similar styles to represent and show his feelings during his battle with depression. Dawid Planeta has used a complicated photo and illustration technique to explore the idea of fear, he has used large animal to represent what he is scared of. The animals are used to represent his depression, throughout his work he shows how scared and vulnerable it can be. He does this by isolating the person in the photo in a large surrounding, he has used a 3D technique to do this. It makes the viewer feel the sense of emptiness in the photo. He has also used animals that are not normally seen as dangerous, in one of his pieces he uses a gold fish to show fear, he has done this by making the fish a lot bigger than the human this shows how vulnerable he was and how scary it was to face it.
“I find the jungle as a place that I was scared of but also a place I could go to when I was scared.” this shows how he has explored his fear by using a place that not only scares him but also comforts him and helps him with his fear, I think that this shows how you can be scared of something but still find comfort in it to. This also shows how fears can be strange and each one is unique. Dawid Planeta has explored his fear by using digital illustration and some photography, he has created pictures that show his battle with depression. The series is called mini people, in this series the person is put in a series of vulnerable situations this allows the viewer to feel concerned and understand the feelings. The techniques that he has used allowed him to discover an almost interactive way of presenting art as the 3D feel of the image gets the viewers’ attention and makes them feel engrossed in the photo. In the piece,’ my own fear,’ he has used a large deer to represent what he is scared of. The person in the image is trying to climb up to the deer’s face by using a structure that it has built, I believe that this shows the person that in the image is confronting their fears as he is trying to get closer to the creature.
During the process of him experimenting with techniques he searched the darkest parts of his brain for ideas, this allowed him to discover things that he was scared of many of which he didn’t know scared him. Experimenting with the technique allowed him to discover new fears and new ways of battling them. He was also able to create different ways of representing fear enabling people to relate to his work and helping them find different ways to explain and deal with their own fear and how it makes them feel. In his work he has used fear in different ways, by creating the dark, mysterious atmosphere in the image it creates a sense of fear in the viewer. He has also used the world that he has created to represent his own fear and tell his story to other people. He has used layered illustration to explore his fear, he did this as it allowed him to incorporate different elements that help him present his fear and weaknesses. He has been able to create 3D atmosphere in his work allowing him to create a piece of work. This allows people to feel engrossed in the work and feel the same fear and venerability that he felt. Laure Fauvel is a French artist who works with photography and illustrations she is most well-known for creating photographs with illustrations layered on top as a main part. She uses cartoons and animals to create comedy in her pieces to show a different view on the story she is telling. Her work focuses on telling a story through the characters that she creates. Through her work she focuses on telling stories using the characters in the pieces. She aims to show how a person can battle their fear in her work. Throughout this collection she has focused on the fear of a child. In the image she also shows how children’s imaginations can be the cause of their fear. She has chosen to explore fear by making what the children are scared of real. This allows other people to see what imaginary character the child is scared of. In the images she shows the viewer that the child is scared by having the child fighting or trying to protect itself, this shows how scared the child is of the monster. Without her making the illustrations of the creatures then it would appear that he child was fighting nothing, this shows how imagination can affect how people feel.
"I wanted to show children who aren’t scared of monsters and who are able to fight them and be stronger than their fears” I think that this shows how people normally perceive others and their fears it is normally seen as people scared and not fighting back but she wanted to show how some people deal with fear differently and can stand above it. ”We're all for fighting your fears, even if your fears are the monsters under the bed.” I think that this shows how he wanted to express fear in his work, that even the smallest things can be battled against and that you should try and fight
against your fears even if they seem like even if they appear like nothing to others. In her series called terror she has a particular image of a child fighting with a spider. This is one of the only creatures that does exist in real life, it is also something that a lot of people are scared of. This was done to show how different people see fear and how they handle it. She wanted to show how some people confront fear and can be seen in different ways to different people, some imagine it like the children in the photos. The child is also confronting the spider to show how people confront their fear, this was done to show how people can react in different ways to fear. I believe that she has related it to her own experience as she wanted to show how children can be scared of things that adults can’t see but it doesn’t mean that they are not real. The artist explores fear by creating illustrations of young children confronting their imaginary monsters. She used this form of fear as it is one that we can all relate to as every child has been scared of something that hasn't been there. She also decided to have the child either fighting back or protecting themselves from it to show how you can either fight back or try and make it go away, this was done as everyone has had to choose between fighting or hiding from something that they are scared of. Both Dawid Planeta and Laure Fauvel use similar techniques to produce their work, they have both adapted a layering technique to explore their different takes on fear. Planeta has used a much more complicated technique to get a more in-depth feel in his work compared to Fauvel who has used a more simple layering technique but has still managed to get a realistic feel to her work making it appear like a snapshot from a story. In both of their pieces they have used a creature to represent fear, they have both used a living thing to represent a feeling. This has allowed them to physicalize fear showing how present it was in their lives and other peoples. Fauvel has used a more photographic style of work. Laure fauvel has used a photograph with an illustration layered on it, this has allowed her to give the illustration real life feel making it belong in the photo and helping people relate it to real life. Laure Fauvel has chosen to explore fear in clearer and obvious way compared to Planeta whose work requires a close up interpretation in order for it to become clear what the meaning of it is. Alexandra Ballisimo works by using her photography to make collages, she will use prints of her work and then cut out certain parts to allow for a unique piece of work to be made. She works heavily with people and nature throughout her work. Alexandra Ballisimo is an artist that uses a collage technique to create images about her personal thoughts and fears. She uses her work to show problems with cultures and what she believes are problems that need to be fixed. She has also used her work to create a series of pictures that shows her inner most thoughts and fears. She has related the series to her dreams, she wanted to show the real meaning of her
dreams and what people’s dreams actually mean. Through her work she wanted to make people think about the real meaning of their dreams and what it could mean. “Each piece is constructed by taking prints of my photography and physically cutting, layering, and adhering them on top of one another in order to create a one of a kind collage.” This shows how she uses a layering technique with her photos to create her unique style of work. It also shows that she does not use digital equipment to create the layering. “My own personal thoughts, fears, and feelings have been a tremendous source of inspiration for the context of my work.” This quote helps show how she has explored her own thoughts and fears to allow her to create work that helps inspire people and relates to their thoughts and fears. In her series called dreams defined she has a piece that is focusing on the meaning of fear. This piece focuses on exploring the subconscious of people's dreams and what they actually mean. I believe that this piece relates most clearly to the viewer as fear is presented in the photograph as it contains an image that could unease viewers. The roots coming out of the person eyes was done to show true fear showing that the real meaning is there and sometimes it can be painful to get out. The artist explores fear by evaluating people's dreams to get the inner most thoughts behind the dreams. She wanted to show how each dream has a meaning behind that is normally caused by fear. She explored this by creating pieces of work based around a person’s head and body, she has layered other images over top of this making the layers work as one to produce a piece of work that shows how a person mind can hide feelings and contains fear that cannot be seen normally. Alexandra Ballisimo has used a collage technique to make her pieces allowing her to create a more cut and paste finish to her pieces. This is similar to how Planeta and Fauvel created their Pieces. She has also used an object to represent the fear that is felt by a person, the same as Fauvel and Planeta using animals to represent fear. They have also both used their personal experiences to interpret their retrospective meanings in a different way. Fauvel's work is not as much a scene from a story compared to the other two who have created a snapshot from a story. Her work appears to be more of a picture but if you really think about it you can imagine the whole story. Her work also focuses on the story behind the fear where the other work focuses more of what the fear is and how, it feels. Alexandra’s work is similar to laura as she has also cut out parts of people faces or body’s and replaced them with another object, usually related to nature. However she has also used a digital technique to complete this giving her a more
realistic look to her work. She has also used a similar colour scheme to Planeta allowing her to create a more serious theme to her work. Fran Krause, is an artist who works mainly with illustration. He produces illustration of people’s most irrational fears. Each one of these appear impossible but also make you think of way that they could happen making you rethink things. Benjamin Zank, is a graphic photographer who produces surreal images. He does work directly with fear but he uses his pieces as a way to get his emotions out and make them understood. When looking at his work I feel like his drawings produce the same feeling of fear and loneliness that the artists do. As he works with a different media than the other artists his work gives a different feel, his illustrations are not as life like as the other artists, however his images allow people to imagine the scenarios making the images relate to them. I chose Zank and Krause as they both focused on showing different forms of fear through their work, they have both taken a very different approach to showing fear in their work this shows how much fear can effect a person’s life and how many forms in comes in. In my work I tried to show how fear is made and how it can be misunderstood. I wanted to show how fear can change a person which is why I created book cover about a person that changes into a monster when they are scared. I also wanted to show how hard it can be to control fear I did this by showing how often the person changes. I tried to make the viewer feel fear from the cover by showing the eyes of the creature, this is similar to Laure Fauvel who shows how the eyes show the true meaning. The story I am trying tell through my work is how fear can change a person, I wanted to explore different reactions to fear and what consequences and changes they can have on people. Overall through researching the artists and how they have explored fear and put their own fear into their work I found out that fear comes in different forms and will be different for everyone. I also learned by looking into your fear you can find out that you are scared of things that you didn’t know. All the artist techniques have allowed
them to each create a different feel of work while tackling their point. The artist’s work allows the viewers to experience a range of emotions from fear to loneliness their artwork also make’s people think about their own fear and different ways that they can battle it. Dawid Planeta has created images that create fear in people through the characters and atmosphere that he has made in the work, whereas Laure Fauvel's work shows combats fear by showing a person standing up to their fears. Alexandra Ballisimo has brought to life peoples subconscious fears in her images. Each of the artists have chosen a point of fear that relates to them which has allowed their work to relates lots of people. http://www.alexandrabellissimo.com/ https://trendland.com/alexandra-bellissimo-human-nature-collages/ https://www.juxtapoz.com/news/surreal-collages-by-alexandra-bellissimo/ https://chapter89magazine.com/2013/06/12/alexandra-bellissimo/ http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/kids-fight-monsters-in-photo-series_n_5588481 http://www.laurefauvel.com/ https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/536069161877902304/ https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.la-retouchephoto.com/un-jour-un-artiste-laure-fauvel/&prev=search https://www.ignant.com/2013/11/28/pictured-emotions-by-ben-zank/ https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mini-people-mysterious-art-by-dawid-planetadepression-nature#/ https://www.artstation.com/dawidplaneta https://www.behance.net/dawidplaneta