My work aims to showcase how normal objects can have their intended purpose manipulated and changed to now be viewed as works of art. I also want to convey how artists should be sustainable in their own practice and reuse and recycle materials whenever they can, my work reflects this ideology by the fact that all objects used in my project were intended to be thrown out and dumped in the charity shop I work at but I took them and was able to repurpose their uses to become sculptural art pieces. My work also will have links back to my initial theme of boundaries and how by manipulating and combining vinyl’s and CDs or other objects I am creating new combinations and larger surface areas meaning boundaries are being expanded and also how in art there is no boundary to the objects an artist can use in art.
What does it look like?
My exhibition will have the main focus on my sculptures, one that is made from vinyl’s that will displayed on the ground so people can walk up to it and the other will be made of melted CDs together and it shall be displayed by being suspended from the ceiling, again allowing people to walk up to it to get a closer look. With both structures I want the feelings of intrigue and interest to be evoked, both because of the random structural shapes both pieces will be but also into why the structures were made out of the objects they are, further allowing this idea of using and recycling objects in art to be realised and talked about by people. I want both structures to emit this feeling of flow, the CD one will however exude this in a calmer way and the vinyl one is a harsher way.
What are your key influences?
My key influences have both been artist and the piles of dumped objects I come across in work. Artists such as Joan Miro and Jeremy Gobé have been major influences. Miro’s work has been a constant influence in the way I approach abstract design and even when moving onto sculptural elements I still followed some of his design aspects as they helped me to better inform and understand were I wanted to go in my own work. Gobé promotes sustainability in his practice and although his main focus is coral reefs, it was his ideology of reusing and recycling materials in general such as plastics found on beaches or just recyclable materials in general that helped inform my own ideas of recyclability in the objects I was using in my own art. Anslem Kiefer was also an influence with his more structural pieces and how they are deliberately made but still give the random flowing energy between each piece used which is what I want my work to also act like. As for when I am in work, I constantly am throwing out objects that haven’t sold or are broken but I started to take some home with me as I got them for free and saw new uses and possibilities for them, no objects I got were the same and so I was constantly being given new ideas.
Joan Miro has a surrealism style but with a personal touch and it was his was of expression through art that drew me to initially began researching him. Miro was a painter but also produced wonderful unique sculptures and both of his practices have helped inform my work this semester. One such work titled ‘the tightrope walker’ was a bronze and steel sculpture created by Miro in 1970 and it combines humour with suggestions of violence. I was draw to this work of Miro’s in particular as I wanted to further explore the world of sculpture in art and also the idea of sculptural forms that look like multiple items combined but still hold recognisable forms within the mass. Miro himself stated that his aim was to create “an unlikely marriage of recognisable forms” – (https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/miro-the-tightrope-walker-t03402 – accessed 12/4/23), and it is this ideology that I wanted to project inti my own mindset for this project, I want to actually use normal objects and manipulate them into an expansive form that tells it own story but the original objects are still in plain sight. Miro’s painting style is also still a constant inspiration to me throughout my project as I have learnt how to express myself and the meanings of my art through abstract designs. Miro used abstract designs and shapes in order to create impressive works that drew you in and cause you to ponder upon what his true intention was and if their is hidden meanings within the works, this is what I want to try and use my own designs and shapes to convey.
Anselm Kiefer
Anselm Kiefer is a German sculptor and painter whose work caught my eye and greatly held my attention after being introduced to it by my course teacher. It was his way of either building out of his paintings to add a visual 3d effect or the way in which he creates sculptures out of a mass of naturally occurring materials in an often random matter that I felt the most strongly towards. I wanted to take the same approach as Kiefer to my own project and apply his way of combining ready made or existing objects and creating a unique sculpture out of them such as the vinyl’s I have started to use or my CDs/vhs tapes. The two sculptures featured above by Kiefer speak wonders to me about recyclability of objects and also sustainability. Kiefer’s works represent the struggle between life and death through these materials he uses as even though he uses rather cold solid materials emotions are still vividly felt. The use of these random materials such as furniture or wheat or branches allows his work to become expansive and limitless, allowing for his works in his exhibitions, especially ‘Die Ungeborenen’ to exude feelings of life to shine out against the darker tones and meanings. “Anselm Kiefer’s work often deals with breathing life and spirit into dead matter.” – (https://artismore.tumblr.com/post/43335888661/die-ungeborenen-anselm-kiefer-galerie#.ZFfHgnbMLb0 – accessed 15/4/23). Kiefer explores in his new works as seen by the exhibitions photos above questions of non-belonging and the struggle of life and also evokes questions through his use of materials, this is what I want to take inspiration in with the materials I end up using, I want the viewer to question why they are used.
Jérémy Gobé
Jérémy Gobé is an artist who places his focus on global solutions and contemporary issues within his replicatory works. Gobé works reflects sustainability by putting weight onto to the issues of global warming and the impacts it causes to coral reefs which is why I was drawn to researching about hm for my project. Gobe’s subject matters are not similar to mine in the slightest but this idea of sustainability and using sustainable or recycled materials in his art is the way I want to view how I’m using recycled vinyl’s and objects from the charity shop. Gobe’s art comprises of delicately produced and painstakingly thought out forms that reflect those of coral, of which is endangered and often destroyed, being made of clay emphasises the fragility of coral life allowing for their beauty to be appreciated in a sustainable and safe form, no harm comes to the true subject matter. Gobé explores the relationship between life and how it can be conveyed in a synthetic form while still emitting the same emotions , “an art that has life does not reproduce the past, it continues it” ( https://www.caringgallery.com/artists/42-jeremy-gobe/overview/ – accessed 7/3/23) his work CORAL RESTAURATION VARIATION 16, 2017 features many harsh saturated tones of blue with softer tones throughout scattered over the clay sculpture, the choice of blue both evokes feels of tranquillity and calmness but also fear and the unknown, it brings us back to the sea. Gobé uses art to promote how we as artist should use our talents to help preserve the world around us and he places a keen focus on an art science industry project crated by him to help fund saving coral reefs which is named ‘corala artefact’. Gobés work encapsulates these ideologies and reflects the world of sustainable art by raising awareness and protesting against this issue and as a form of contemporary art he brings light to how appreciation and understanding can help shed light onto both an issue but at the same time bring out its beauty again this is how I wish to represent vinyl’s or CDs, using them in such a way that reflects their beauty in a form of art which gives them a new purpose while also reflecting how artists should be sustainable in their practices and strive to recycle materials when they can. As seen above one of his works was made of recycled plastics found on beach’s and so with my CDs and vinyl’s I also want to repurpose objects in art like this.
Over the course of the main workshop timetable we partook in a few workshops in which we explored different aspects of art such as life drawing, video editing and working with clay. In this post I have documented the workshops and the work I got from them.
The first workshop I done was a life drawing one where the model posed for us for different time periods so that we could try and capture the flow of movement. This first one was a bunch of few second poses so that we had to work fast and not look at our page when using the chalk.Next we done sketches of a few 30 second poses and layered them on top of each other again.Moving on we upped the time of each sketch and I believe this one was 1 minute.I found it hard to use the chalk at times as when I tried to layer it it would not stick to the page and I found it difficult to achieve the level of detail I wanted in these few minute sketches.This was a 5 minute sketch and I enjoyed drawing on the black pages as it allowed my chalk to be more clear.This was the first 15 minute sketch I completed and I was happy with how I was able to capture the light reflecting off the body by using two different colours of chalk, in my case I was using light and dark blue so I had the contrast of light and dark represented in my colours.This was my second 15 minute sketch I completed and I also liked it but I felt as if the lighter paper meant I found it harder to layer the details I wanted. I did enjoy having the time to focus more on the light and dark areas but I still think there is a lot of room for improvement which how I use chalk.This was another one of the 5 minute sketches. Overall I feel as if I could achieve more detail in my chalk sketches aa between my 5 minute and 15 minutes. I feel as if there is soon for improvement especially if I could incorporate parts of the background into the drawings.We all also partook in a colour mixing exercise but sadly I had an appointment to attend that day and missed the first demo. I did make a colour mixing wheel of a sort to try my own hand at mixing the red yellow and blue like they done in the workshop.Another workshop we tried out was a second colour mixing one but this time focusing more on saturation, I missed the start but was able to join a group and we made a colour saturation gradient using yellow red and black and white.This the the overall tidied gradient of oil paints.I partook in a ceramics workshop were we were given a plain slate of clay and used different colours of slip to create imprints onto our clay slates, therefore creating new unique transfers onto the clay. I did have progress photos but sadly my phone broke and I lost all photos I had taken the past month. Using paper and damping it to transfer slip onto the slates was process I had never tried before and I very much so enjoyed it. I also used little stamps to press marks into the slate, I mainly used the end of screws as I liked the imprints they left.When it came time to turn our slates into something I considered turning it into a little tray like was demonstrated but I wanted to create an abstract shape that folded in its own way and so that is what I done and cut random parts ad secured them together using slip and scoring methods.Overall my ceramic piece matched my intention I had for it in the workshop and it was nice to see it held its shape when fired and did not crumble or break.The next workshop I partook in was the green screen workshop in which we were tasked with both shooting our own video in front of the green screen and making another video or photo to place in the background. For this I decided I was to stay on route with my vinyl’s and so I mixed up green paint to match the screen the best I could and painted shapes on 5 different vinyl’s which then would be tied onto me.
Above is the finished video from the greenscreen part and I am incredibly pleased with how it turned out. I wanted to capture this flowing but ridged movement with me and the vinyl’s, almost automated looking in nature. I was rather nervous about shooting the video but once it had started I was fine and I enjoyed the workshop as a whole very much!
Next I had to also shoot the video that would replace the greenscreen parts, and for this I decided to take a cassette and pull the film out of it along with smearing red paint over it. The video turned out well and I was intrigued as of how they would turn out when put together.
I used Davinci Resolve to remove the green screen parts of my video and superimposed it on top of my background video I took. It isn’t to that hight a standard of editing by any means but I was still pleased my intention of painting areas of the vinyl’s to create shapes turned out okay and overall I am happy with the video. The next final step was just to add sound effects.
To add the background sound of a cassette tape being inserted into a player I screen recorded the sound and then added my green screen video on top of the sound layer so that it matched up timewise and length! I am really happy with how I was able to achieve everything I wanted from this workshop and overall I just had great fun learning more about editing software! I would love to explore the use of greenscreens or video projection in my work in the future as it has such a versatile range it can add or cover.
Starting off in my sketchbook I decided to begin with considering my theme of boundaries from before as I already had a well established body of research and previous works that I could draw inspiration from. At this point I knew I wanted to create a piece that was comprised of many different objects and elements that reflected my overall intention.From the charity shop I work in I was able to rescue lots of Vinyl’s, CCs and VHS tapes that otherwise would have been thrown out and I immediately knew that I wanted to try and incorporate these into my art.On these two pages I done idea sketches of concepts I could image myself exploring with the vinyl’s or other objects from the charity shop and I jotted down ideas for directions my project could take. My idea was that I could base my project solely on using objects that otherwise would have been thrown out in the charity shop and surpassing the boundaries of what their intended uses are.I sketched a plan of another idea I had if I produced three canvases with different displays of vinyl paired with a background of some sort.At this stage I didn’t want anything to go to waste so I used the sleeves from the records and also the inner protective paper parts that had designs as collage elements to put in my sketch book and then I sketched on top of them as I was considering if they would make a good base to sketch on top of.Continuing on with the collages I used multiple sleeves to make a combined concept as I felt as if these small collage could then inform painting ideas or larger scale collages.Following on from my previous research into Joan Miro I focused more on his sculptural works rather than his paintings but still took major inspiration from the way he incorporates chaos with shapes and designs in his works and used them to inspire the forms I tried to achieve in my work.Miro inspirated symbols and collage elements.I then created another collage but put a lot more thought into the placement of colours and I included a mix of vinyl arts and sleeves. This was because I then took this collage and translated its shapes, colours and overall feel into a painting that I felt exudes the same energy overall to help inform my practice of how I could represent vinyl’s in art as I still wanted to experiment with abstract paintings before I fully committed to sculpture.I really loved how black Indian ink stood out against the sleeves of vinyl’s and also matched the deep black of the vinyl’s themself. This page in particular I love as I felt like the ink lines mimic soundwaves and the flowing but still random nature of them really matches the feel I want.Some more Miro shape inspirationAt this stage I was given a lend of a soldering iron and had the intention of soldering pieces of vinyl I had snapped into pieces together in order to make unique random forms. I did successfully do this quite similar to the design drawing above however I dropped the piece soon after and it also broke apart and so I realised the solder iron alone was not enough to secure the part together.I decided then to plan to do a few more paintings but this time on the vinyl sleeves. I took inspiration from the shapes and forms of Miros I had been inspired by but first I made some sketchbook plans so I could have a clear reference to go back to if I didn’t see a clear thing to paint.here is the designs I sketched out. I really enjoy the variation but also similarities between them all, each one had its positives in terms of form and design to me.I have enjoyed painting flowers before and so at my allotment I anted a few flowers that where around the area and thought about how painting onto vinyl’s with landscape designs could be a possibility.combining painting onto the actual vinyl and not just the sleeve was an area I did sit and consider for a while but it just lacked the random and chaotic 3d qualities that I love to play with, I knew I had to snap up or change the vinyl’s themself in some way, adding something on top if them was not enough alone.This idea of a branching out random form has always been a vision throughout the project, I want to create a piece that expands out and winds different directions and so when letting my mind paint what I was feeling I found myself going back to this design quality.After going to the golden thread gallery and watching the performance video I painted this piece quickly as I felt like the layers of the stones and their forms was really visually interesting and I wanted to capture this form of layers in some way.At this stage I then was given a bunch of cassette tapes form the charity shop that were to be thrown out and I wanted to see if I could use them in my art in the same way I did the vinyl’s so far. I then decided I could use then and combine them in different ways to make a mini structure when combined with vhs tapes and parts of vinyl’s.This page was just a combination of shapes and elements along with handprints as I was considering if I could combine printing my hand onto vinyl’s in some way as it added a further unique quality if I was to create a structure with them.Using the receipts I printed my hands onto them using hand sanitiser as the alcohol reacts with the chemicals in the receipts allowing detailed prints to form.I was advised by my course tutor how using latex could be an option to use on the vinyl’s and so I took a full vinyl and a piece of a broken one and smeared layers of latex onto them. This was a fun experiment and once done many of the grooves on the vinyl were present in the latex as well as absorbing some of the colour from parts of the vinyl. As much as I really enjoyed this I didn’t see a way that I would expand upon it further but in the future I now know that latex is a unique thing to experiment with.Taking some of my flower paintings and ripping them up then arranging them with Miro inspired abstract shapes to see how they contrasted together.Going onto the green screen challenge I knew I wanted to incorporate both visual elements and sounds that linked to the vinyl’s and so I planned to paint green onto the vinyl’s themselves as well have playing sounds from a broken record over the top of a cassette being destroyed.The idea of soundwaves overall as mentioned is something I find appealing due to the forms they make. The winding random nature of them is what I want to try and convey in my final outcome and so its the random but flowing feel I want to produce in my works.It was suggested to me that I make a mini sculpture of some sort combining different recycled parts that I had and so I made some plans of how I could use a vhs tape and its parts alongside pieces of broken vinyl and a cassette tape.At this point after I had made the mini sculpture I weighed up how useful vhs tapes were to me at the moment and decided that making the sculpture was really fun and what I desired, however, there was still too much uniform to it overall and I still wanted a more chaotic randomised approach to my sculptures.I then decided I wanted to combine vinyl’s together in a randomised way and so taking pieces of the sleeves I collaged them together into a random form in which I then was to try and take inspiration from when creating a sculpture. This means I will be creating a piece tat is both randomised but planned which is what I intend to do.At this stage I was still considering painting onto some of the vinyl’s illustrations but I came to the conclusion that I wanted only to use the raw materials and manipulate their core forms to make artwork.The design I drew in the middle exudes the kind of ‘flow’ energy I want my final piece to give off but rather than achieving that through painting on vinyl’s or CDs or illustrations like this design, I want to achieve it through purely using one recycled object. this will mean the flow will be harsher but have a greater impact overall ss to how these materials can be used in art. I want to create a structure than can either be displayed on the wall or hanging from the ceiling.This is one such idea I had for my final piece in terms of the overall shape. Just having a looping wire that mimics the shape of the front of a cassette or vhs tape but then attach lots of broken pieces and different shapes of vinyl around the whole thing.At this stage I had been set on only using vinyl for my final piece but after being given lots of CDs in their plastic cases I started to wonder how they would be like to melt with the heat gun leading me onto the fact that I actually enjoyed melting the CDs far more than the vinyl’s as their smaller scale made them so much easier to manipulate the way I envisioned. This is why I then started to plan some structural ideas of how I could arrange the CDs and their cases and melt them, taking inspiration from how palisade cells in the body appear in terms of structure.This page was just a quick idea sketch page of the initial ideas that came to my mind when I thought of how I could melt and arrange the CDs and their cases.I still was unsure of if I should completely change my idea of using vinyl’s into CDs and so I then sat and drew two designs that exuded the feeling I wanted to create in my final piece, they are seen above and to the right. One is more harsh and rough with many rough angles the other flows more and has a calmer approach. I did however continue on creating and building up my vinyl structure to match the feel of this vison.When looking at these two concepts I came to the steady conclusion that I did want to use CDs as I wanted to create this flowing feeling from one CD into the next and with the way they melt with their cases I knew I just had to go for it and use them.And so I created two designs that further went into the feel I wanted the final piece to give off to the viewer. I knew I wanted the CDs to follow a winding route but was unsure of how it would be best to go about this, should I melt them all together or use a glue gun. Thankfully from experimenting melting the CDs before I drew this piece I knew that melting the CDs together secures them in place and so I was ready to start creating my final piece whenever I felt was time. I also took inspiration of the winding shape from one of my previous Miro inspired paintings onto a vinyl sleeve.I was extremely nervous at this point as there was so many factors that had to be considered such as, if I would get the flow I wanted, if the CDs would melt and stick together properly and if my final piece would represent everything I had worked towards. it is for this reason right before I commit to making my final piece that I plan to create a bigger A3 plan of it so that I can refer back to my notes.
I also had another sketchbook that contained ideas of compositions or just extra research I had done after my first sketchbook had already been filled.
At this stage I was sticking to my firm choice of using vinyl’s and CDs and other recycled objects in my work to create a structural piece that both spoke about sustainability in art and the materials we use while also still relating back to boundaries and how the uses of the objects usual boundaries have been expanded.When exploring artists who created installation structures I looked at some of the works made by Jodie Carey and Tanja Smeets. I evaluated the ways in which they used materials in their structures and the forms they created with them, taking into account what aspects I thought I should consider when creating my own structure and what parts I did not think matched my intentions.In these two pages I just had cut out of other works I had looked at by Tanja Smeets and also some close up of areas of Miro’s artworks and I was just looking into how different designs can create the feel of different textures.I also explored artwork that involved using vinyl’s as a installation piece just like I intended, however, I came to the conclusion that having the vinyl’s flat and not changed in any ways didn’t reflect what I wanted fully since I intended to break up parts but I still appreciated how using the vinyl’s in this way was a unique idea what I had experimented with before.Tanja Smeets also produced installations that involved building out of furniture objects which I had tried out before with wire but in one particular install she used flowers which brought me back to the concept of painting flower and plant onto my vinyl’s in my structure.Collage of artwork and sleeves with paint.I stuck in the CDs on both their sides along with the sleeves they had as it meant when I look at this I could see clearly my materials and how the blue and white stood out and it would allow me to formulate new ideas. At this point I was considering what way I could use the melted CDs in a collage like work.I enjoyed taking my pen and just letting my mind wander while I made shapes mindlessly with the pen resulting in a unique mesh of lines which I then shaded in parts after. this allowed me to see new ways in which shapes and lines could compliment each other that I then could employ when combing different shapes in my structure designs.,When I began to melt the CDs and their cases I done some sketches of how I wanted them to look or designs in which I thought they could be used in due to the shoes they made.Abstract design that would showcase lots of broken viny parts falling part and changing colour as they do so. This would be a final piece idea I would consider such as dipping the ends of broken parts in paint or wax.This is a colouring pencil work I done that was reflecting how I wanted to create work with contrasting colours which the two sides of the CDs enabled me, the numbers represented how the two colours in different sized sections would mirror each other. I did not end up continuing with this idea however.This page features a collage I created that involved nature elements also against hardware cut-outs, which showed the relationship between vinyl’s and nature I considered going for but also just the shapes of the stickers and how they complimented each other which is why I liked the idea of breaking VHS tapes as even when broken their overall shapes still complimented each other, especially hen still connected by the tape. inside.When thinking about how I could use my vinyl’s in a structure I was very much set on continuing on with building u my vinyl mass structure but I still wanted to think up other concepts that were possibilities. I considered taking inspiration from my green screen challenge in which I tied the records to me with string and I thought about how I could tie lots of them to the ceiling or a beam and attach different sizes of broken parts to them. As much as I love this idea it is one that lacks overall mass and I intend to hang part of my bigger structure anyway.
Overall using my sketchbook to create a wealth of ideas that I could refer back to has been extremely helpful and has allowed me to explore many different routes and evaluate how well they matched my ideology for my outcome before I fully committed to them. There is ideas in here that I would love to revisit and expand upon further in future art projects as well as starting new ideas stemming from ideas first though up in these little books.
Paula Rego is a contemporary artist who employs the use of femininity, gender and sexuality as recuring themes in their art. Rego uses topics often shunned as taboo to evoke reactions from viewers and to make the statements about topics she desires ad feels that they are not as often addressed in todays society as they should be, “I’ve always taken great pleasure from things that aren’t supposed to be art,” – (https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210709-paula-rego-is-this-britains-greatest-living-artist – accessed 20/3/23) . One of her works in particular titled ‘snow white and her step-mother’ uses the guise of classic fairy tales that usually portray woman as wicked old witches or pretty young princesses, however, Rego then places a spin on this concept and in her artwork the identities of the people are far more complex telling a much deeper story. “There’s a snobbishness that acts as a censor. I’ve always liked cartoons for instance, and Disney films and many illustrators.” – ( https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210709-paula-rego-is-this-britains-greatest-living-artist – accessed 20/3/23) When viewing Rego’s art its grotesque nature ellicts both feelings of disgust but also intrigue as we are conformed by society to shun these topics and issues but the more you look at her art the more powerful the meanings become and subsequently the impact and emotions become more prominent when paired with the references to cartoon films.
Bibliography
D’Silva, B. (2021). Paula Rego: The artist who helped change the world. [online] www.bbc.com. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210709-paula-rego-is-this-britains-greatest-living-artist.
Steph Harrison ‘I Can Walk For Miles In My Imagination’ , 2021
Steph explores many themes in their work with the main ones concerning a sense of place which incorporates land, ancestry, identity and history while trying to communicate her own struggles and frustrations though her art. Steph also expresses traces of memories through the use of mixed media and her printmaking through the use of lines and mark-making along with the colour scheme they choose to achieve this sense of belonging in her work. Harrison never uses white or black paint in their art or when mixing colours, instead they opt for grey or beiges to bring a warmer feeling to their work. The purple tones amongst beige contrast well and so this combo of colours is used in places to draw your eye to reflect what areas that light is shining Upon creating the focal point of the art and taking you into the fields and landscapes that Steph has travelled further communicating the joys Harrison finds in landscapes and also conveying to the viewer how disability is never a limit to creativity. Varying intensities of purple represent wisdom and spirituality however hints of darker shades also elicit feelings of sadness and frustration perhaps relating back to Harrison’s own physical limitations due to a disability.” Remembering allows concentration, my physical limitations lose importance and I am free to “walk” for miles in my imagination”(https://andculture.org.uk/whats-on/unearthing-steph-harrison – accessed 20/3/23)
Starting off in this main workshop my intention was to carry on using the them of boundaries and utilising any materials I could source for free or recycle.From the charity shop I work in I was able to get loads of old vinyl records for free that were going to be thrown out otherwise and I just knew that it was the right idea to bring them into university and see what ways I could turn them into art in their own right.I started off my breaking up the vinyl’s and wrapping wire around them as I had the idea of having a branching out work that held all the pieces of a broken vinyl but still connected them by wire.This idea was good but I quickly realised it didn’t have enough room for further experimentation and exploration however I still really liked the outcome of the first experiment I made as deconstructing items is really visually interesting to meI also experimented with the idea of just combining multiple records together using a glue gun as layering them could be an area that I further explore.I had the opportunity to borrow a soldering iron and when used on pieces of vinyl it allowed unique textures or holes to be melted into the surface area, I done this to a few smaller pieces of vinyl to try it out and also soldered a few parts together at some point to make a mini structure but it was very unstable and broke apart as soon as I set it down and so I knew that soldering was not enough to hold what areas I wanted together.I then took a piece of disregarded carboard and smashed up a record and as previously mentioned I wanted to experiment with the idea of bringing all the broken pieces together again and so I glued all the individual parts onto the board and really liked how it ended up looking as it had this explosive expansive feel to it.As previously mentioned I was given the soldering iron and so I then took it and instead of soldering smaller parts I tried to use it to create designs on full vinyl’s.Vhs tapes were also acquired from the charity shop that were to be thrown out and I liked the idea that even when snapped in half the film roll still connects the two parts, there is no true boundary between them as they are still together in some way.Taking the vinyl that I soldered a pattern into I then glued them together and part of a vhs tape to create a combined piece as by this stage I realised I wanted to make a structure that either combined multiple different objects to multiple of the same object that were manipulated differently to have unique forms.After having experimented with objects for a while I decided it was time to create an artwork that reflected the feel of the vinyl’s but by using paint as I wanted to try and spark more ideas within me by trying to achieve the same feeling I wanted my structures to have in painting form.I was extremely happy with how this abstract painting turned out and I was glad of my research into Miro as it helped me to envision new design aspects that I then was able to translate into the painting. It reflects the feeling of broken records and also this flowing energy that I desire in my art due to the contrast of the curving blurred lines and the straight harsher ones. I wanted to create more paintings like this but add a new element to it which would be painting onto the vinyl sleeves.Painting onto the vinyl sleeves allowed me to use more parts of the vinyl’s and so further recycling them and turning their use into artwork. I really enjoyed painting onto them but this first one was too harsh with the shapes I used.I loved how this one turned out as this time I made sure to be more free flowing and random with the curves, lines and overall design I made with paint while still being influenced by Miro. It is this flowing nature I always want to try and achieve for this project.I then had been thinking about and writing about in my sketchbook how I could directly paint onto the vinyl’s themselves so as an initial experiment as of how well paint would stick and dry on them I used both a sleeve and the vinyl itself this time and created a work that I love visually just due to the contrasting shape of the circle and square. The colour scheme is too dull though and so if I was to do this again I would strive for greater detail and expression through colour.I also experimented by attaching a cassette tape and its film onto a vinyl, dying pats of the tape red with paint. I liked this concept as the colour of the cassette stood out against the darker vinyl background.Going back to the idea of printing handprints onto receipts it made me start to think if I could incorporate handprints into my work in some way such a printing my hands onto the vinyl’s but I didn’t feel like this matches the ideas I wanted to work towards.After making a few collages in my sketchbook using the vinyl sleeves I took one of them and translated the shapes and colours I saw and used them to inspire this painting. I also incorporated pieces of vinyl and painted on them also. I was pleased with this work but I just felt like I could not achieve what I wanted through paint, I could get close to it but I needed that 3d element still.This was another painting I started to make that included more parts stuck on and painted over but I just realised that painting over these vinyl’s or their sleeves took away from the unique feel they bring to my art, as I want them to be the focus since I’m heavily making all my pieces a statement about how artists can recycle and use any materials in the world of art.I also took a plastic sleeve one of the vinyl’s was in and used a heat gun to see the ways in which it changed shape when exposed to heat, it was really cool to watch and I added a bit of paint on top afterwards to add more of a focus on it, however, I am unsure if it brings the feeling I want so I may experiment with melting pure plastic again.
I also put the heat gun onto one of the vhs tape cases and it was intriguing how it melted the case became bent backwards. I want to see if I can use this case or just a vhs case in general in some kind of sculptural artwork.Another experiment I conducted with the help of one of my tutors was using latex on the vinyl records and so I mixed up the latex solution and painted layers of it onto two vinyl parts.Once dry I was able to peel the latex of the vinyl and was really impressed with how it captured the patterns of the grooves in the vinyl. As much as I enjoyed using the latex I don’t see a path for further exploration right now in this project but I certainly want to try using it again in some future art project!This piece has ended up being one of the favourite works I have made and even though its so simple a concept I just am drawn to the deconstructive nature of it. Simply by snapping up a tape and replacing the parts and gluing them back into the case I was able to make a work that was made purely from the objects parts and I think this is the way I want to continue, trying to use the pure material and nothing else when I can to heighten the feel and effect it exudes.I created plans in my sketch book of ways I could make a small sculpture to try out combining different elements and objects and so I used the parts of vinyl’s, vhs tapes and a cassette to create this work. Overall I really like the concept of it but my only thing is that I feel like its too neat and tidy. I want to create a larger structure that has an element of randomness in it and that all the parts feel like they are actually flowing into one another.I began to explore how the heat gun would allow me to manipulate and bend the vinyl records and I was really impressed with how it worked. I was able to bend the vinyl’s into bowl like shapes and cause their edges to begin to curve and produce forms that were far more visually interesting than just a flat vinyl.Being able to turn up the edges meant that if I used these vinyl’s in a sculpture they would have a greater impact and allow me to build out my artwork more and so I began to melt lots of vinyl’s in this way, each one unique in the way it folded and melted.I then had the idea of taking the vinyl’s I had melted so far and trying to combine them in some way. To decide what shape to make them I made a random collage to create silhouette and shape I would try and mimic.Starting off I really struggled combining the parts as each vinyl was a unique shape which meant they didn’t all fit well together and so using a glue gun proved difficult and I couldn’t manipulate the overall form of them the way I wanted to.I just kept building up as much as I could by adding any new vinyl’s in new angles that I could to both try and gain height and mass.I had gotten to the point in building the structure that I was finding it hard to expand out as with each vinyl addition the structure was becoming more unstable. I also at this point had stopped melting the vinyl’s due to health risks and so it was harder to get a wider range of shapes with just the flat vinyl’s and so I snapped and broke them up a lot more to try and achieve a diverse range of shapes.Sadly the top part collapsed in itself as the weight was too heavy at the top and the glue gun could not support that much. I managed to keep the structure in these two parts and I plan to suspend this smaller broken apart top part above the bottom half which I am going to try and build up again.when building up the bottom half again I was able to learn from my previous mistakes and made sure to equate in the weight on each placement of new vinyl parts and I also began to saw vinyl’s in half at parts so I could slot them together meaning the structure had more support overall. I also broke up a lot more vinyl’s to achieve the range o f random shapes I wanted and secured all parts with the glue gun.At this stage I was completely done with the rebuilding of the bottom part to a standard I was happy with and I also had added some more parts onto the top half that was to be suspended, however, I was having to wait until the top half was suspended to be able to add some more extra parts to it .After acquiring lots of CDs and their cases I tried out how they reacted to the heat gun and knew that they provided a much easier way for me to achieve the final piece that I wanted, they would allow me to achieve the ‘flow’ I had been planning to. However, before I fully committed to this idea I knew I should experiment with the CDs and their cases first in order to be 100% sure of making this decision change.I first of all took a singular CD in its case and held the heat gun on it at different angles. I was amazed at how easy and quick the plastic started to bend in its own ways. Both the CD itself and the cases combined together and produced a now solidified art sculpture.Next I then tried what it would be like if I combined a few of the cases together. Taking into account that the backs of the CDs were blue this allowed me to add burst of colour into the works that meant the structure immediately became more visually interesting and eye-catching. The cases when melted and pressed together hardened and cooled so that when lifted they were a solid unit. This works well as with the vinyl’s it was this lack of combining solidly that was their downfall.I also then took two of the cases and melted them on top and over each other. I liked this idea the best as I feel like it completely gives the flow every that I want my piece to have.I had a lot of vinyl cases and their sleeves left over and so to further recycle the materials I wanted to find a way I could use them all and so I decided to make a massive collage that included multiple different elements.This is the result of the collage. I used multiple different parts of things I had made from CDs, vinyl’s and vhs tapes alongside their cases and sleeves. Overall I really love this work as it encompasses my entire project as a whole, all the different parts are present. I made this to solidify my theme in one piece.I did try to melt all the CD case wrappers together but they didn’t create the same effect as the vinyl plastic cases did so I will not be using them in this project.I then started to melt lots of the CDs and bend them in unique ways so no two were the same. This was because I planned to create a larger work from the idea plans in my sketchbook.I started to assemble sections of the CDs and their cases together and secured them with either a glue gun or melting them side by side.Once I had combined all the melted CDs and their cases in a grid like layout I then added black Indian ink and melted gold wax along the top. As much as I enjoyed putting this piece together I came to the realisation I made the mistake of being too ordered and structured with their work, I lost the flow and element of random placement that I loved to see in artwork.I also think adding the black ink and the wax takes away from the CDs and the way they are melted as the blue underside of the CDs is enough colour to make the work stand out and I feel as if the CDs when melted are the main art and they need to be appreciated in their raw form with no additives.However, it was sections such as this top corner which allowed me to see what I actually liked as the melting plastic spilled over into each other and held that flow that I wanted.It was then that I decided with the remaining CDs that I had left I would make my final piece, one that reflected my intentions of having a flow throughout the piece and only using the raw materials to express my intentions and overall showcase the statement that artist should be sustainable in their practice and use the materials around them that can be recycled to turn into unique works. I also took inspiration for the shape of my final piece from one of the paintings I done on the vinyl sleeves and the designs present on it that had been inspired by my research into Miro.I started off by arranging the CDs and their cases in the way I wanted them so it was all mapped out then I was able to start melting the cases and CDs in unique ways, making sure that each case linked to the next through the melting process. This was a long but fun process as I had to wait between melting and attaching each piece to move onto the next so that it could cool and solidify the shape. I used a mixture of the fronts and backs of the CDs as I wanted the blue colour of the underside to be present but not overwhelming.Once I had attached all the pieces I was able to look at it and see if I needed any additions, I had a few cases left so I took the plastic parts of them and melted them on certain sections to add further building out. I am really happy with how it turned out and I plan to display it suspended from the ceiling so that both the front and back of the piece can be seen and so that people are able to walk around it to view it. I would like to expand on this idea but for my own heath I have realised melting plastics is not good for me as it was starting to affect my asthma and so for now I am pleased with what I have done and believe I have conveyed all my intentions in this work.When ir came time to assembling and securing my Cd structure to the ceiling it broke apart as i was liftingit ito sections butthis was acctually a good thing as i discovered that te cssettee tape i was using to tye up the Cd parts was very weak and would not have been able to hold up the structure as a whole but worked perfecty on smaller sections. and so i began to tye on the casseette tape in preperation for handing the parts from hooks.I was givena corner area to display my structures and so before i started to secure my CD parts anyhwere i first repainted parts of the wall with a fresh coat of white paint.As the ceiling was too high up for my CD parts i adapted by getting a plank of wood so i cold place it diagonlally between the two boards in ther corner. this meant it would be easier for both em to secure and display my work but also it look more visuallly pleasing as a whole for viewers.Once i had secured all the hooks in the wood and place it between the corners i began tying and securring parts of theCds onto the hooks. this was difficult at first as some parts did snap and i had a few more breakages but i learnt how to be careful when handleing the tape ad made sure to layr it up when tying parts together.I initailly did not plan to have the tape hndfing off from lots of parts but the mess of it added to my work emmessely and so i was gald of its pressence. also at thi stage i had all my main parts secuured but i felt as if as a whole it was too flat and some parts should be at differnt depths, not ujust differnt hights.And so i eccured parts onto the wall or maniculated the way they were facing by tying tape from them to pins on the wall. this decsion was 100% the right one as i loved how the parts were all connected still by teh tape and how the depth brouht frurtehr impact from the work. I also added some parts just directly onto the wall to give the feel as if they were falling off or expanding apart. I painted te wiooden part they were securred to white at this point as so it was not a dissratction and that it didnt take the attention away from the main piece.I absoletly love love how my final piece turned out as throighout the process there was so many things that happpened that meant i had the chage my itial ideas and apapt with what i had. This adapting has eneded up becoming what makes this piece even more appealing to me and it perfecly matched what i set out to convey which was how i wnated to show that in the world of art artists can maniulate and change every day bjects to create structual works that give the objects new purpeose. ARtsts should be moree sustaianble in tehir rcatices and look to the places around tem to source second hand materials or materials that otherwise would be thrown out and disregarded. The piece also has the flowing energy that i enated in my work, your eye travel from part to part and even tho they are not all one mass the tape begween the connected their boundaries and allows the piece to be seen as a whole.Once i was given my area to display my work i was bale to move my two halfs of the vinyl structure over. I began by positioning the lower half and displaying it on bed of vhs tape.
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Ther was then a wooden board on the ceiong that i was ble to secure the top half hannging from. To secure it on i useed VHS tape to tie around the parts of vinyl so that it could be safely and securely sispended. Vhs tape is a lot stroger than i thought and i wa impressed with hhwo well it helf up my structure.I initally had not planed to have the VHS tape connectig the top and bottom parts, however, the bottoom parts was unstable and fragile and had a tendency to fal over which leads to breakages and so i used the tape coming from the top half to wwrap around and secure the bottom half in place also.I am really pleased with tis work also as again it refelcts what i set out to convey and as a whole it gives the visual impression i want. I do also ove the shock and horror people react to the piece with due to the fact i have chooosen vinyls as my objects to beuilf this piece. One thing bout thi work that i do think could be better is the stength of it, overall it looks good but if its knocked it could break which is a probelem and so i knwo in furture that a glue gun my nto work when working with ehavier lrger objects/materils. Ovrall i am extremaly happy with how my exhibition corner has turend ot nd i presented. i think my final peceand supporttin pice both complemtlt eachother in uniqye ways and te contracts between larger abd smaller materils but both tem beig msucal in a wauy also ties them closey togther. i los think my choice of using vjs tape and casssete tape to tie up my wprks was gret as it ahs allowed anothe rlayer of depth and sustainnabiity to be displayed in my structures. Over the course of the past weeks in the fine art wrokshops jall my exepeime and reserach ahs led me to thei spoint and i can now say that i can recginnse fully how important expeimentaion and research truey is as when veiweing my works i cn see how my ideas hanged and eveolved for the better.
Meghann Riepenhoff’s work drew me in with its striking blue colours produced through the unique process of cyanotype, a process that involves no cameras but uses photosensitive ink that changes colour when exposed to light, rather like developing a photo. Riepenhoff’s innovative take on producing works involves elements rich in water or shorelines along with her actually utilising these subject matters in her work to produce the unique imprints, a substance such as snow or rain will reach produce its own design upon the page when paired with the photosensitive ink. “Bold contrasts of the deepest midnight blues, crepuscular golds and foamy whites churn and cascade across the picture plane, or break and crash like king-tide waves.” (https://www.sfgate.com/art/article/Meghann-Riepenhoff-s-grand-and-pretty-6707785.php – accessed 20/3/23 ). The way in which she portrays nature and landscapes through the use of her actual subject matters impressed me immensely and this paired with the dep blue swirling tones of the cyanotype ink evokes feeling of both sadness or longing but through it all a feeling of calmness and tranquillity within me. One of her projects titled ‘Ice’ has a distinct style of the layers that you may observe in ice being present in each of the prints, the composition for each being different but untimely the same theme and idea runs throughout all, her unique take on using nature for cyanotype reflects the innovative and changing nature of her work overall just like the way the flow of water or ice can switch and adapt to their surrondings.
Gerhard Richter , Abstract Painting (Grey) (880-3), 2002
Throughout Richter’s art, he has tested the ability of art to explore the aspects of personal history, memory and identity in the context of World War 2 and German society while also reflecting a sene of place, “When I look back on the townscapes now, they do seem to me to recall certain images of the destruction of Dresden during the war” (https://www.gerhard-richter.com – accessed 4/3/23). The aspects of personal history and memory reflected throughout Richter’s work explore the faded and vivid memories, in this case through an abstract style. A series of Richter’s famous paintings is named ‘Grays’ in which oil painted townscapes of Paris created in the 1960s give an example of Richter’s early works and includes the transference of small, insignificant black and white photographs found in newspapers, magazines and family albums being transformed into paintings. Richter himself states, “Grey. It makes no statement whatever; it evokes neither feelings nor associations: it is really neither visible nor invisible.” (https://www.gerhard-richter.com – accessed 4/3/23). Richter expanded his exploration of neutrality and the colours’ chromatic through this series of abstract paintings that collectively became the ‘Gray Pictures’. The ‘Grays’ series is extremely intriguing and interesting as I think that the very neutral tones he chooses to paint within this piece emphasize to the viewer, the antiqued nature of the combined image painting reflects an overall sense of place as does the colour grey, just not in a warming way. The ‘Grays’ are a clear representation of Gerhard Richter’s focus on the place between figuration and abstraction, with the figuration being the obvious representation of the buildings, structures and clear vivid memories throughout the painting. Abstraction itself is the loose, expressive brushstrokes used to create irregular and freely placed buildings, the sense of concrete and faded memories in an area is captured successfully throughout.
