When I say I've delved deep for this project: you have absolutely no idea.
I mentioned in my previous post about letting go and having fun with this project, and it's only JUST becoming possible for me to do so. It was a lot harder to say than to do, worryingly and surprisingly!
This idea of allowing things to go wrong, the relish of being free to make mistakes: it's all rather foreign to me. Maybe I'm just speaking for myself, but the truth is it's a lot harder to let go than people say it is. In fact, I've found it near impossible.
However finally, we have lift off. I knew that FMP was supposed to be challenging, but believe me, the stress I have encountered in the early stages of this project was unbearable: trying to pick my brain for the most PERFECT theme, the MOST COMPLEX concept, the BIGGEST ideas - I quite frankly drove myself insane before I realised that there are no perfect ideas, there are no right answers and there is no wrong. I realised that my very own insecurities were what were restricting me from producing good work, and I decided to challenge this. This was when my work became more autobiographical, without me realizing so, than ever before.
With the stress of going to university and all that comes with it approaching, I've subconsciously attempted to battle my all time fear in art form: growing up. Ever since a very young age, I've never wanted to grow up: to the point of screaming and crying on my first day of primary school ( because apparently being 4 is too old) and now I'm approaching university... Something that creeps into my mind quite often is the worry that I didn't expect myself to live this long, although how could I of? I couldn't have imagined what it would be like to be 18 than I could imagine being 30. And somehow I'm here (not 30 I am 18!!). And I feel kind of lucky in a way, even though I haven't had any death scares! But that's a rant a don't really want to get into considering I should be trying to finish this one. I know it's a little bit deep for a Sunday night, but it's quite strange to consider your own mortality, and something that's always fascinated me: the thing that makes us alive.
We are fascinating as human beings: everything about us; anatomically, philosophically, spiritually and intellectually. And I'm completely enamored by that beauty: I see it in crowds, in old people, in books and in artwork. That thing, that makes us completely and utterly human, isn't one thing: it's a bunch of things all working together, in a perfect mechanism. With this, comes chaos, mistakes, losses, and gains: a roller coaster of experiences, that we think we can control, but ultimately, it's impossible. And I think that once you appreciate that, maybe you can become less insecure about the small things that ruin your day, and appreciate the 'happy mistakes'. But how, in a world that revolves around control, money, appearances, can we let go and realize what's truly important? This is what draws me to the mind of a child: the state of being completely naive and the ability to see things with fresh eyes.
Henry Krokatsis believes we can do it through the removal of the ego. "Chance doesn't recognize boundaries.......you set up a system to free yourself from the ego" he says, in a book I read of an exhibition his work featured in: Drawing and Random Interference, touring from the Hayward Gallery a few years ago. In the prestigious exhibition which I wasn't lucky enough to have seen myself, artists put together ways of new and innovative ways of drawing. There methods were bizarre and sometimes it's hard to believe that what they produced was worthy of even entering a gallery, but the concept behind the work was to lose the control and let the element of chance take over.
I've become more and more interested in this element of chance and letting go of what we can't control, and it's a theme that has started to feature more through my work. As a child, we revel in this lack of control because it means that we have less to worry about, yet when we get older it seems like we almost want the control, we want the stress and worry. Until we realize what it actually means and the responsibilities that come with growing up. Moreover, what I think people find even more terrifying is the realization that we don't actually have control over our lives, no matter what we do or how hard we try to.
Now you might be wondering how does one create their OWN artwork, but not actually have control over it. How can a person put something like art to chance, when it's supposed to encompass so much skill and control? The answer to that question, is with great difficulty.
I've looked at tonnes of different artists, all set out on the same mission of relishing in the lack of control, the happy mistakes and the creation of something completely innovative and unique. One of which being Picasso, in his very famous light drawing series. I was particularly drawn to Picasso's work because of the element of spontaneous imagination and freedom you are placed with in the experience of creating a drawing that exists for a fraction of a second. When there is hardly any gradual progression, no actual final drawing and no real limitations, (until a photograph is taken) making the possibilities endless. Picasso produced drawings of mythical creatures, Greek symbols and his signature. I think what makes this method so endearing is the way in which we can see his imagination taking place in front of our very eyes in the photographs: haven't you ever wondered what goes on in the mind of a great artist, writer or musician when they create their work? If anything, this gives us a very personal and close view of Picasso and his artwork.
Another artist empowered by the ability of the imagination, Andre Breton, produces a crayon drawing titled 'Exquisite Corpse', which I saw exhibited as part of the Constellations exhibitions at the Tate Liverpool. What makes the piece so exquisite in my opinion, is the element of play in his work: he used a method inspired by a game called 'consequences' where in which a group of people produce a drawing together, each drawing the different bodily parts, creating a strange composition of a human being.
Lastly, another innovative way of tracking people's mind, imagination and general thoughts creatively, is tracking there movement to subconscious actions. A lot of artists do this in various different ways, for example Susan Morris. Morris attached light sensors to her body and recorded herself performing her daily actions, which was eventually developed into a huge long canvas of a record of her movement digitally. I like this idea of taking something subconsciously, something that isn't performed to be beautiful or exceptional, and making it into something complex and abstract.
Andy Goldsworthy also uses experimental methods of tracking sheep: by placing the food bowl in the middle of a canvas sheet attached to the floor, he records the movement of the sheep by the mud on their feet. I like the idea of not having full control over the outcome, and the fact that this is a completely natural happening, created into something really beautiful.
I've been trying to find different ways of losing control and being more experimental in my work in many ways: from blindfolding myself while I draw, to making Alfred Schilling's inspired 'spinning paintings' using a potter's wheel. It's all very well throwing paint around, but for me it's about a perfect balance of control and intention: I want to create something with the perfect measurement of imagination, intention and creativity while maintaining the spontaneity and newness of creating something completely new and un-replicable. I know, I'm not asking for much am I? Wish me luck.
I mentioned in my previous post about letting go and having fun with this project, and it's only JUST becoming possible for me to do so. It was a lot harder to say than to do, worryingly and surprisingly!
This idea of allowing things to go wrong, the relish of being free to make mistakes: it's all rather foreign to me. Maybe I'm just speaking for myself, but the truth is it's a lot harder to let go than people say it is. In fact, I've found it near impossible.
However finally, we have lift off. I knew that FMP was supposed to be challenging, but believe me, the stress I have encountered in the early stages of this project was unbearable: trying to pick my brain for the most PERFECT theme, the MOST COMPLEX concept, the BIGGEST ideas - I quite frankly drove myself insane before I realised that there are no perfect ideas, there are no right answers and there is no wrong. I realised that my very own insecurities were what were restricting me from producing good work, and I decided to challenge this. This was when my work became more autobiographical, without me realizing so, than ever before.
With the stress of going to university and all that comes with it approaching, I've subconsciously attempted to battle my all time fear in art form: growing up. Ever since a very young age, I've never wanted to grow up: to the point of screaming and crying on my first day of primary school ( because apparently being 4 is too old) and now I'm approaching university... Something that creeps into my mind quite often is the worry that I didn't expect myself to live this long, although how could I of? I couldn't have imagined what it would be like to be 18 than I could imagine being 30. And somehow I'm here (not 30 I am 18!!). And I feel kind of lucky in a way, even though I haven't had any death scares! But that's a rant a don't really want to get into considering I should be trying to finish this one. I know it's a little bit deep for a Sunday night, but it's quite strange to consider your own mortality, and something that's always fascinated me: the thing that makes us alive.
We are fascinating as human beings: everything about us; anatomically, philosophically, spiritually and intellectually. And I'm completely enamored by that beauty: I see it in crowds, in old people, in books and in artwork. That thing, that makes us completely and utterly human, isn't one thing: it's a bunch of things all working together, in a perfect mechanism. With this, comes chaos, mistakes, losses, and gains: a roller coaster of experiences, that we think we can control, but ultimately, it's impossible. And I think that once you appreciate that, maybe you can become less insecure about the small things that ruin your day, and appreciate the 'happy mistakes'. But how, in a world that revolves around control, money, appearances, can we let go and realize what's truly important? This is what draws me to the mind of a child: the state of being completely naive and the ability to see things with fresh eyes.
Henry Krokatsis believes we can do it through the removal of the ego. "Chance doesn't recognize boundaries.......you set up a system to free yourself from the ego" he says, in a book I read of an exhibition his work featured in: Drawing and Random Interference, touring from the Hayward Gallery a few years ago. In the prestigious exhibition which I wasn't lucky enough to have seen myself, artists put together ways of new and innovative ways of drawing. There methods were bizarre and sometimes it's hard to believe that what they produced was worthy of even entering a gallery, but the concept behind the work was to lose the control and let the element of chance take over.
 |
| Henry Krokatsis, experimenting with ways of drawing beyond using a pencil: drawing with the carbon deposits from burning rags. |
I've become more and more interested in this element of chance and letting go of what we can't control, and it's a theme that has started to feature more through my work. As a child, we revel in this lack of control because it means that we have less to worry about, yet when we get older it seems like we almost want the control, we want the stress and worry. Until we realize what it actually means and the responsibilities that come with growing up. Moreover, what I think people find even more terrifying is the realization that we don't actually have control over our lives, no matter what we do or how hard we try to.
 |
| Picasso's Light Drawings |
I've looked at tonnes of different artists, all set out on the same mission of relishing in the lack of control, the happy mistakes and the creation of something completely innovative and unique. One of which being Picasso, in his very famous light drawing series. I was particularly drawn to Picasso's work because of the element of spontaneous imagination and freedom you are placed with in the experience of creating a drawing that exists for a fraction of a second. When there is hardly any gradual progression, no actual final drawing and no real limitations, (until a photograph is taken) making the possibilities endless. Picasso produced drawings of mythical creatures, Greek symbols and his signature. I think what makes this method so endearing is the way in which we can see his imagination taking place in front of our very eyes in the photographs: haven't you ever wondered what goes on in the mind of a great artist, writer or musician when they create their work? If anything, this gives us a very personal and close view of Picasso and his artwork.
 |
| Andre Breton (and friends) Exquisite Corpse |
Another artist empowered by the ability of the imagination, Andre Breton, produces a crayon drawing titled 'Exquisite Corpse', which I saw exhibited as part of the Constellations exhibitions at the Tate Liverpool. What makes the piece so exquisite in my opinion, is the element of play in his work: he used a method inspired by a game called 'consequences' where in which a group of people produce a drawing together, each drawing the different bodily parts, creating a strange composition of a human being.
Lastly, another innovative way of tracking people's mind, imagination and general thoughts creatively, is tracking there movement to subconscious actions. A lot of artists do this in various different ways, for example Susan Morris. Morris attached light sensors to her body and recorded herself performing her daily actions, which was eventually developed into a huge long canvas of a record of her movement digitally. I like this idea of taking something subconsciously, something that isn't performed to be beautiful or exceptional, and making it into something complex and abstract.
Andy Goldsworthy also uses experimental methods of tracking sheep: by placing the food bowl in the middle of a canvas sheet attached to the floor, he records the movement of the sheep by the mud on their feet. I like the idea of not having full control over the outcome, and the fact that this is a completely natural happening, created into something really beautiful.
I've been trying to find different ways of losing control and being more experimental in my work in many ways: from blindfolding myself while I draw, to making Alfred Schilling's inspired 'spinning paintings' using a potter's wheel. It's all very well throwing paint around, but for me it's about a perfect balance of control and intention: I want to create something with the perfect measurement of imagination, intention and creativity while maintaining the spontaneity and newness of creating something completely new and un-replicable. I know, I'm not asking for much am I? Wish me luck.
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