Self portrait, life size, 22.7.20 and ongoing,
work in progress
work in progress
MF7004
4.11.20 This sculpture is still waiting to be finished, but packing it away in a body bag presented an interesting photo opportunity. The body parts themselves are curious as they are, I think, ie not finished. They are uncanny, abject. The body bag introduces further associations with death, of course. As Julia Kristeva says: 'Death is the ultimate in abjection.' It makes me wonder whether I should leave it as it is and not 'finish' it. I've written about body parts here., in relation to Freud's Uncanny, and here in relation to Frankenstein's monster. I've also written about using body bags here.
MF7003
31.8.20 I have done more work on this, but realise that I almost certainly won't have time to finish it before the assessment, sadly. Working on the metal sculptures and mould making has been time consuming (and wonderful!)
I have been thinking about Frankenstein's monster as I've been making, and then Derrida's. Lots more to think about there. It's also been really interesting to work with cloth and stitch at the same time as metal - old skills and new, some transferable; hard and soft, malleable and rigid, differently difficult. I've been working on abstract self portraits with both so these contrasts are intriguing.
Here are some images of the next phase of making. I think I quite like the documentation of making as an actual piece of work.... but I'd have to record it differently, I think. Another time.
15.8.20 Sculpting my body parts: hands (canvas, tights and stitch)
I think these hands have worked really well. I used my own hands as models and tried to sculpt the replicas so that they look like mine. I was especially pleased with the fact that they are curved and have body. I used canvas as I could too easily identify the wadding as wadding on the feet. At some point I think I'll modify the feet using canvas too.
13.8 and 18.8.20 Sculpting my body parts: torso, continued
(canvas, quilting and stitch)
(canvas, quilting and stitch)
22.7.20 Sculpting my body parts: feet (tights and stitch)
(See also my Undergraduate dissertation: Second skin: used clothing and representations of the body n the art of Louise Bourgeois and Christian Boltanski and 7.9.20 Shoes or cast feet? for more reflections on the links between clothing and body and meanings in art.)
I wanted to create the same kind of effect with the limbs that I had successfully produced in my much smaller soft sculpture Self portrait: puppet, basically using tights, wadding and stitch, but I wanted to make them more life like and life sized.
I have used clothing in my work before and it can be very effective. Using tights in art has similar associations to using any other clothing. They have links to the body, obviously, and the legs specifically. The colour I chose (American tan) is like a version of white Caucasian skin, and the texture of tights, for me anyway is skin like, familiar, and yet at the same time distinctly synthetic and unpleasant. I know they will provoke a range of conflicting responses, especially amongst women. Maybe for some people there will be erotic connotations? I have yet to find out.
I used hand stitch this time, as I wanted some work to do in the newly established studio at Locksbrook. I actually haven't yet finished stitching them, as I think I prefer the machine stitched version, but I'll think about that. I do especially like the hairy toes. Another hint at abjection?
I have used clothing in my work before and it can be very effective. Using tights in art has similar associations to using any other clothing. They have links to the body, obviously, and the legs specifically. The colour I chose (American tan) is like a version of white Caucasian skin, and the texture of tights, for me anyway is skin like, familiar, and yet at the same time distinctly synthetic and unpleasant. I know they will provoke a range of conflicting responses, especially amongst women. Maybe for some people there will be erotic connotations? I have yet to find out.
I used hand stitch this time, as I wanted some work to do in the newly established studio at Locksbrook. I actually haven't yet finished stitching them, as I think I prefer the machine stitched version, but I'll think about that. I do especially like the hairy toes. Another hint at abjection?
30.7.20 I've started to upscale the canvas puppet maquette I made last week. It's life sized and based on my dimensions, but will be an abstract representation of me. Here are some images of the work in progress, so far:
I have changed certain aspects of the construction as I think it will work better. This time I'm adding side sections to make it more sculptural. I'm quilting most of the body and body parts but decided not to quilt the breasts. I'll stuff them instead, using trapunto. I might use some darts too to sculpt them.
The way I work is very methodical, but also very intuitive. Although I have a rough plan, and the puppet maquette, I know that the final piece will be a very different sculpture. I make decisions as I work, stopping now and again to think, or draw an idea. Drawing definitely helps me to tether my thoughts, but also to work out what I want to do. It helps to have something to refer to and also to have a record of what I've done. Making is intense and, I find, quickly leads to Csikszentmihalyi's flow state.
There are a number of trains of thought that I want to research further related to this:
1. Freud's Uncanny, Camus and the absurd and Kristeva's abjection
2. Cloth and body
3. Self portraiture
The way I work is very methodical, but also very intuitive. Although I have a rough plan, and the puppet maquette, I know that the final piece will be a very different sculpture. I make decisions as I work, stopping now and again to think, or draw an idea. Drawing definitely helps me to tether my thoughts, but also to work out what I want to do. It helps to have something to refer to and also to have a record of what I've done. Making is intense and, I find, quickly leads to Csikszentmihalyi's flow state.
There are a number of trains of thought that I want to research further related to this:
1. Freud's Uncanny, Camus and the absurd and Kristeva's abjection
2. Cloth and body
3. Self portraiture
