Metamorphosis

I found this image of a student production of Kafka's 'Metamorphosis' (Steven Berkoff's adaptation) - years ago(!) I studied Berkoff/Kafka's The Trial through physical theatre and this seems to link very well with shape shifting, ambiguity and narrative. It reminded me of Rego's Dog Women where the figures take on animal characteristics. The position is tense and awkward, her figure contorted to fit inside the frame.

 

One of my students drew my attention to the artist Philipa Jeffery who disguises herself with a sheep's head for performance pieces. The images remind me of the props Rego makes in her studio which then become characters in her paintings. It may be too literal a mask but I like the sense of using a different persona to explore movement or manipulate encounters.

http://globalsheepwomanresearchlaboratory.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Kerry Skarbakka

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2013/01/the-struggle-to-right-oneself-kerry-skarbakka-photographs-himself-in-suspended-peril/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+colossal+%28Colossal%29

It's amazing how quickly people start to link ideas together when you put your ideas out to an audience. My attention has been drawn to the amazing photography of Kerry Skarbakka who suspends his body in perilous situations. I love the angles, the awkwardness, danger and scale distortion. There's also something about the impossibility of the image, and in this case the twisting staircase contributes to the confusion of the angle. If this type of image was recreated in paint, would it loose the movement and spontaneity? The blurring of the hand indicates movement a the point of the image being taken - is it necessary to include detail like this which adheres to the expectations of a photographic image? or can a painted figure or figures suspended in space communicate a sense of falling ?

Robert Longo

I want to be able to extract images of the figure falling or in flight from my video clips. Although I haven't recorded the moving images yet, I hope that some will be like Robert Longo's 'Men in the Cities' series (1979), with their twisted bodies, loose and lacking in control. I am particularly interested in the way the figure becomes cropped, as though amputated and seems puppet-like, controlled by invisible strings. The monochrome imagery emphasises strong shadows which might be appropriate in my work to help sculpt form. They suggest a dreamlike state, graceless dancing, loss of stability and curiosity.
Images from http://www.robertlongo.com/work/gallery/1118

2013 Outline Study Plan

Review – What went well? 

·        The development of painting skills to experiment with techniques such as glazing, underpainting and scumbling. This added depth to the paintings and made them more tonal which held the viewer’s attention for longer.

·         I changed the structure of the composition to incorporate whole bodies – this gave a sense of scale and body positions added to the sense of awkwardness and unease.

·         A significant change was placing the figures in context which added more physical dimensions and components to the image. The environments constructed elements of narrative and transplanting figures from one context to another emphasised ambiguity.

·         Juxtaposing pairs of figures was really effective as it created shapes within the composition and suggested dialogue, interaction and power relationships.

Reflection
Post tutorial discussion there are a couple of things I need to add reflecting on elements of my practice which 'went well' as opposed to parts of my paintings.

• Being open to pushing myself far beyond my comfort zone e.g. continuing to work in one piece for a longer period of time, was an effective way of evolving my practice and moving into territory that I hadn't considered before.
• Deliberately considering the way my intentions could be communicated to the viewer and making decisions based on this - this was much more outward looking than I have operated previously and made me much more conscious of how my work could be interpreted.  This also forced me to be more objective, which in turn helped me to evaluate my work in progress to exploit the viewers' perception of meaning.
• Paired discussions were a fantastic way of a having a frank and honest crit of work one-to-one, which seemed less exposed than with the whole group. I found these very rewarding although sometimes coordinating meetings was challenging.
• Time was an overall challenge but I found that having a clear study path made my studio sessions quite purposeful and productive.

Outline Study Plan

·        All my figures were products of collage and digital composite imagery. I think this worked well but they still appear quite static. I hope to capture more of a sense of movement in future paintings. To explore this idea I intend to video figures moving, then take stills from the moving images to capture transitional movement. This should incorporate the suggestion of falling and flying, linking to the idea of spectacle. I anticipate that these photos will explore cropping and contortion more so that previous figures.

·        I noticed that I predominantly use primary colours in my work. I really want to experiment with achieving an overall colour in my work like in Edmund Dulac (shown ‘The Entomologist’s Dream’). I will begin with experimental surfaces exploring this idea – I need to know what the impact of limiting my palette will be.

·        It is very important to me that I work on a larger scale but there are logistical problems with this. Therefore, I plan to explore triptych and diptych compositions to extend the surface area of the paintings.

·        I began exploring shape shifting (scale) in the Exploratory Project and continued to manipulate viewpoints and scale in 1.3. I plan to incorporate animal characteristics or features in some way to emphasise otherness and blurring of boundaries; this may also be developed into other forms such as buildings or other structures.

Reflection
In addition I could also explore making objects which become included in paintings. This will enable me to work from different viewpoints which will make the images less static. I am already thinking about costume, creatures, structures to build onto the body.

Strategies for Unit 2:1 Reflective Practice

·        Electronic Reflection diary with making commentary/immediate reflection/reflection month later – this builds on the reflection process I already use on my blog. It may be mirrored by a notebook of studio ideas or annotated photos on iPad.

·        I must included work in progress images with annotation – I found this really useful in Studio Practice because I could look back and see when and why I made decisions and what the ongoing impact of these decisions was.

·        Another strategy I used was to sit and write notes on the ideas and intentions being communicated by my work; this was objective analysis of specific pieces which helped me to link theory and contextualise ideas as well as evaluate use of formal elements.

·        If it is appropriate I may use the Pecha Kucha format to compile reflection/evaluation with audio. My experience of doing this so far really made me consider what to include and how to edit and link ideas.

Studio Use Questionnaire 2013

What do you do in your studio or the place where you usually make work?

Write down everything you do in your studio or the place where you usually work. Include drinking cups of tea, dreaming, reading the paper, phoning friends etc.

·         Painting/drawing

·         Talking with friends

·         Planning for potential opportunities

·         Searching magazines/books

·         Coffee and picnic

·         Build and stretch canvases

·         Write about work (notes)

·         Sometimes read

·         Contemplation

Which of these things do you want to be doing and which do you not?

·         Happy to do all these things – however, other people can be distracting or brilliant for constructive dialogue, just need to be quite self disciplined to use time to maximum possible benefit. I find talking to other artists in the studios quite distracting as this is rarely work based.

What else do you want to do that you don’t? Why aren’t you doing these things?

·         Would like to print dry point etchings but have no printing press

·         Should spend more time but very difficult currently

·         Bigger paintings

Is your studio set up for you to do what things you want to do?

·         Mostly, time is more of an issue than resources

What stimulates ideas and your imagination?

·         People I see/know - girls, otherness

·         Colour

·         Animals – winged creatures, falling, flying

·         Magical environments – forest, hideaways

·         Objects/people/spaces that remind me of stories

How do you keep track of projects?

·         Post-its

·         Display work stages

·         In my head

Is it too messy and chaotic or too neat and tidy?

·         Every so often I have a blitz but it tends to hover in a workable state

Do you feel at home and relaxed?

·         Yes, I love my studio – it is freezing tho!

Can you play there?

·         Of course

Can you refine and finish work there?

·         Yes and I can leave everything out so it easy to work on a series of pieces over a longer period

Is there enough storage?

·         For now - I think I need to rethink my tool storage and work out which of my degree show paintings I should keep if any

Do you have a comfortable chair to sit in to contemplate work?

·         Yes, but it is too low to work in at the table. It is great just for contemplation tho.

Is the light adequate?

·         Adequate is probably the best description, especially in the winter I wish there was a little more light. It can limit how much time I spend and what time of day I go – sometimes I take my work outside to check that the colours I’m using are what I think they are

Are there enough electrical sockets?

·         Yes plus extension leads

Is there a good enough internet connection?

·         No internet access apart from my phone – this has pros and cons but I like to go to work so I focus. I wish I had broadband for the making days.

Where else do you make work or think about work or carry out research?

·         At home

·         Sometimes at work

What do you do in these places?

·         More computer based work or using equipment I don’t have in my studio e.g. printing press

Do you need to make any changes?

·         Think about getting broadband although not financially viable at the moment. Find more time and be strict about use of studio time.