2. Statement
I feel that my practice has developed significantly during this module. I’ve synthesised new materials and processes with my knitting practice and my visual language has also developed considerably. My current research has been much more focused through working with metal and mould making, researching the work of other artists, applying critical theory and trialling ways to combine diverse materials. It all builds on my research for MF002.
Assimilating these different facets of my practice, I’ve attempted to make visible aspects of Jung’s individuation by installing four precarious sculptural assemblages. Together they form a self-portrait, an embodiment of the ongoing struggles for balance between parts of my Self. Discovering that the metal and cast feet together were physically unstable at a late stage, adds to their poignancy; being challenged at the crit on Monday to make the installation more transgressive and playful has been another interesting part of my research. The ways I have resolved both has, I feel, added to the installation.
Another area of development has been understanding further the role of my body in my practice. The mark of my hand has long been critical, but now I see potential in the possibilities of the mark/s of my body, as the physicality of these new processes has involved the whole of me. Poses from my Body cocoon performances became the outlines of the metal sculptures; I was drawing with metal, using the form and force of my body. Casting my feet involved hours of standing, and the emotional and physical labour that entailed. I see it as the labour of performative making.
My intention is that my assemblages will communicate complex meanings and provoke a range of conflicting responses. They’re made up of parts, some uncanny replicas of body parts (Freud), others alluding to the body. There’s also a sense of the abject (Kristeva), and the absurd (Camus) is evident through the surreal hanging elements and the shoes. Each blurs boundaries between Self and Other and is associated with our mortality. The deliberately sloppy craft adds depth and meaning. However, I think certain aspects might also make people laugh.
After the last module I was asked ‘What would happen if you stopped knitting?’ I can’t stop knitting. Instead, I’m working with new materials and processes as well. It’s as if I’ve been ‘knitting together’ key aspects of my research - colour, form, surface, materiality, concept and critical thought.
Assimilating these different facets of my practice, I’ve attempted to make visible aspects of Jung’s individuation by installing four precarious sculptural assemblages. Together they form a self-portrait, an embodiment of the ongoing struggles for balance between parts of my Self. Discovering that the metal and cast feet together were physically unstable at a late stage, adds to their poignancy; being challenged at the crit on Monday to make the installation more transgressive and playful has been another interesting part of my research. The ways I have resolved both has, I feel, added to the installation.
Another area of development has been understanding further the role of my body in my practice. The mark of my hand has long been critical, but now I see potential in the possibilities of the mark/s of my body, as the physicality of these new processes has involved the whole of me. Poses from my Body cocoon performances became the outlines of the metal sculptures; I was drawing with metal, using the form and force of my body. Casting my feet involved hours of standing, and the emotional and physical labour that entailed. I see it as the labour of performative making.
My intention is that my assemblages will communicate complex meanings and provoke a range of conflicting responses. They’re made up of parts, some uncanny replicas of body parts (Freud), others alluding to the body. There’s also a sense of the abject (Kristeva), and the absurd (Camus) is evident through the surreal hanging elements and the shoes. Each blurs boundaries between Self and Other and is associated with our mortality. The deliberately sloppy craft adds depth and meaning. However, I think certain aspects might also make people laugh.
After the last module I was asked ‘What would happen if you stopped knitting?’ I can’t stop knitting. Instead, I’m working with new materials and processes as well. It’s as if I’ve been ‘knitting together’ key aspects of my research - colour, form, surface, materiality, concept and critical thought.