Intentions
This module, I want to keep exploring Vanitas. As opposed to exploring more of the Vanity aspect of Vanitas, I want to concentrate more on Value and the transition from life to death.
I want to experiment more with 3D and sculpture.
Proposal/Time line
I am very interested in the genre of Vanitas.
I like the atmosphere the painting suggests, the objects in the painting and
what they represent. I want to keep exploring Vanitas as the main inspiration
within my work. As well as exploring Vanitas and its symbolism, I also want to
look at Value. I will be investigating value as in the way we value something,
both in conjunction with social and those valuations and personal value.
Vanitas and value are very closely linked anyway as vanitas represents value
within its message.
The symbolism each item or object used in the
still-life paintings represents, I find very interesting as this shows the
placement and involvement of each particular object has a meaning and reason to
be included.
I will be creating a 3d sculptural piece of
art in which will be a representation of the transition found life into death
as this is a fate that awaits us all. I want to look at life and death as well
as the human ideals of what happens after life. By this I mean what you would
like to think happens to someone when they die.
When a person dies, there is a mourning
process. At some point in this mourning process you begin to question your own
mortality and what is happening to that person now they are gone. Looking into what
I was always told happened, in which the way the soul leaves the body.
- The body is a
vessel
- The body
protects
- The body is a
cage
- What is really valuable
is inside
- Without what is
physically inside of your body you would not be alive, therefore that is
what is most valuable.
This work will concentrate on representation
and symbolism therefore the work I will be producing will have a certain
organic look to it. As well as organic techniques.
The work which I will be producing will be
3d. I will be using sculpture in order to convey my ideas. My work will be very
organic looking as opposed to a completely accurate portrayal of what I will be
making. This is because the work is based on representation and symbolism, much
as Vanitas is. Therefore, my work will process a sketch like quality.
The processes in which I use will be very
organic in themselves. I will not be using machines to make the sculptures. It
will be hand crafted and hand produces therefore it will be completely unique and
one of a kind.
As
I will be looking at the human body, the size I will be looking at will be to
scale human size.
I
will be looking at presentation and context of the art work throughout the term
in order to find the best way in which to show.
17
weeks until the 3rd June!
Week
1 – VANITAS/RESEARCH/BLOG
Week
2 – RESEARCH/IDEAS/BLOG
Week
3 – IDEAS/EXPERIMENT/BLOG/WORKSHOP
Week
4 – EXPERIMENT/MATERIALS/BLOG/WORKSHOP
Week
5 – REFINE/IDEAS/BLOG/WORKSHOP
Week
6 – IDEAS/EXPERIMENT/BLOG
Week
7 – 3 STRONGEST IDEAS GOING FORWARD
Week
8 – PLAN TO WATER HALL – PLAN GOING FORWARD
Week
9 - REFINE IDEAS
Week
10 – FINAL IDEA NEEDS TO BE DECIDED/PLAN
Week
11 – FINAL IDEA MAKE
Week 12
– FINAL IDEA MAKE
Week 13
– FINAL IDEA MAKE
Week
14 – REVIEW FULL PLAN
Week
15 – PRESENTATION EXPERIMENTS/MATERIALS
Week
16 – PRESENTATION/INSTALLATION PREP
Week
17 – INSTALL/HANG
Tradition vs Comtemporary Vanitas
Pieter Van Claesz
James Hopkins
Damien Hirst
I am very interested in the genre of Vanitas.
I like the atmosphere the painting suggests, the objects in the painting and
what they represent. I want to keep exploring Vanitas as the main inspiration
within my work. As well as exploring Vanitas and its symbolism, I also want to
look at Value. I will be investigating value as in the way we value something,
both in conjunction with social and those valuations and personal value.
Vanitas and value are very closely linked anyway as vanitas represents value
within its message.
The symbolism each item or object used in the
still-life paintings represents, I find very interesting as this shows the
placement and involvement of each particular object has a meaning and reason to
be included.
I will be creating a 3d sculptural piece of
art in which will be a representation of the transition found life into death
as this is a fate that awaits us all. I want to look at life and death as well
as the human ideals of what happens after life. By this I mean what you would
like to think happens to someone when they die.
When a person dies, there is a mourning
process. At some point in this mourning process you begin to question your own
mortality and what is happening to that person now they are gone. Looking into what
I was always told happened, in which the way the soul leaves the body.
- The body is a vessel
- The body protects
- The body is a cage
- What is really valuable is inside
- Without what is physically inside of your body you would not be alive, therefore that is what is most valuable.
This work will concentrate on representation
and symbolism therefore the work I will be producing will have a certain
organic look to it. As well as organic techniques.
The work which I will be producing will be
3d. I will be using sculpture in order to convey my ideas. My work will be very
organic looking as opposed to a completely accurate portrayal of what I will be
making. This is because the work is based on representation and symbolism, much
as Vanitas is. Therefore, my work will process a sketch like quality.
The processes in which I use will be very
organic in themselves. I will not be using machines to make the sculptures. It
will be hand crafted and hand produces therefore it will be completely unique and
one of a kind.
As
I will be looking at the human body, the size I will be looking at will be to
scale human size.
I
will be looking at presentation and context of the art work throughout the term
in order to find the best way in which to show.
17
weeks until the 3rd June!
Week
1 – VANITAS/RESEARCH/BLOG
Week
2 – RESEARCH/IDEAS/BLOG
Week
3 – IDEAS/EXPERIMENT/BLOG/WORKSHOP
Week
4 – EXPERIMENT/MATERIALS/BLOG/WORKSHOP
Week
5 – REFINE/IDEAS/BLOG/WORKSHOP
Week
6 – IDEAS/EXPERIMENT/BLOG
Week
7 – 3 STRONGEST IDEAS GOING FORWARD
Week
8 – PLAN TO WATER HALL – PLAN GOING FORWARD
Week
9 - REFINE IDEAS
Week
10 – FINAL IDEA NEEDS TO BE DECIDED/PLAN
Week
11 – FINAL IDEA MAKE
Week 12
– FINAL IDEA MAKE
Week 13
– FINAL IDEA MAKE
Week
14 – REVIEW FULL PLAN
Week
15 – PRESENTATION EXPERIMENTS/MATERIALS
Week
16 – PRESENTATION/INSTALLATION PREP
Week
17 – INSTALL/HANG
Tradition vs Comtemporary Vanitas
Pieter Van Claesz
James Hopkins
Damien Hirst
Butterflies have been a reoccurring theme within Damien Hirst's work. This installation comprised of butterflies is called 'The Souls'. This is because butterflies are said to be representative of souls of the deceased.
Vanitas Butterfly Symbolism
In terms of vanitas, butterflies have very many different means and can be interpreted in many different ways.
In terms of vanitas, butterflies have very many different means and can be interpreted in many different ways.
There are so many different species of butterflies in world, choosing which sort to focus on has proved very difficult. I decided that the sort of butterflies and properties the butterflies possess, as it was more about the shape of the butterfly. All butterflies can be symbolic of human souls and therefore the exact type of the butterfly was not important.
I didn't want a generic butterfly template, nor did I want all the butterflies to be the same. Therefore, I looked at the shape of the butterflies instead.
These butterflies are all different shapes and sizes. I feel this will create a more interesting aesthetic.
Using the butterflies and the human form I wanted to created a sculpture. The sculpture would be a silhouette of the human form made from butterflies, this would represent the transition from life into death, showing the shape as a disbursed form.
Using the butterflies and the human form I wanted to created a sculpture. The sculpture would be a silhouette of the human form made from butterflies, this would represent the transition from life into death, showing the shape as a disbursed form.
Philippe Pasqua
Philippe Pasqua's sculptures of variations of the same thing, skull covered in butterflies, is very interesting. I find this applicable to my work as it seems to have similar undertones of vanitas. He is also using human body parts in conjunction with butterflies in order to show the transience from life to death, as the butterflies is still remaining in the skull. The way in which he has taking the same sculpture base, but has slightly adapted the design each time by bringing in different mediums I feel really adds to the collection. Also the sculptures are not the same they still have a certain uniformity and signature style to them all.
Bertozzi & Casoni
The electric chair covered in butterflies I feel is very simple statement yet has a very powerful message. The butterflies are a very key component to the success of this piece. The butterflies are reminiscent of the soul, the life of this person being taken in this very chair. The sheer volume of butterflies covering this chair in itself is quite shocking. The use of creatures, although to represent the soul of passers on, i also think makes the piece quite beautiful and gives it a ornamental quality.
The Body is a Vessel
“The body is but a vessel for the soul, a puppet
which bends to the soul's tyranny. And lo, the body is not eternal, for
it must feed on the flesh of others, lest it return to the dust from
whence it came. Therefore must the soul deceive, despise and murder
men.”
―
A.J. Durai
When looking at the dead in the context of death, you do start to realise that the body is just a vessel. After death, the body starts the decomposition process and gradually started to fade away. However, the soul of that person (which I like to think of as containing the personality and elements of the person) is around forever. This may in fact be due of the morning process and a certain human ideal in which we want to think of the best. It being said though, I do personally believe, the soul stays alive.
The ribcage in itself is protection. The protects the vital organs within it, acting as a container or cage. The ribcage has many cage like elements to it.
When looking at the dead in the context of death, you do start to realise that the body is just a vessel. After death, the body starts the decomposition process and gradually started to fade away. However, the soul of that person (which I like to think of as containing the personality and elements of the person) is around forever. This may in fact be due of the morning process and a certain human ideal in which we want to think of the best. It being said though, I do personally believe, the soul stays alive.
The ribcage in itself is protection. The protects the vital organs within it, acting as a container or cage. The ribcage has many cage like elements to it.
Guido Geelen
I have decided that I want to the butterflies to be silhouettes of butterflies as opposed to full colour detailed depictions of them. This is because the whole of point of the piece is to be symbolic, the piece in itself is very organic and therefore I feel something very detailed and accurate would not lay well with in the piece.Looking more into designing what I want to make, I will be taking into consideration what I have researched so far. I will be looking at the ribcage
acting like a vessel, as well as the butterflies symbolising the
soul.
I
plan to make a ribcage which contains butterflies, the butterflies will
be positioned within the ribcage in the shape of the heart. They will
also be in the place of a heart where the body would be. This will be a
symbolic gesture of the transition of life to death. The butterflies in
the shape of a heart are suppose to symbolise the heart. However because
the heart is made from butterflies it will disburse and the butterflies
will fly away, leaving the vessel which is the ribcage empty.
The
ribcage I have made from a wire frame to give the structure some
stablity. I have then coated the structure in air drying clay. I have
done this specifical as I have used ar dry clay before. The properties
the clay possesses, which is the cracking, I feel would be very
appropriate of this structure and will add to the symbolism of the
ribcage cracking as life leaves it.
I then coated the ribcage in glue in order to crack to not become to severe as well as a coat of paint.
I
then after having already made the butterflies from card in which I
covered in Crete paper and spray painted gold, stuck together the
butterflies into a cluster reminiscent of the shape of a heart.
I carefully put the cluster into the ribcage in position.
I
had a group tutorial in which I presented this work. I originally
presented the work on a tradition white plinth. I did this as I wanted
the sculpture to have the capacity to view it 360 degrees. The plinth
facilitated this need as we could walk all the way around it.
During
the group tutorial it was brought to my attention the butterflies as
they were gold painted gold to symbolise value, they needed to look more
like real gold, although real gold was very obviously out of the
question because of the price, this was something I would defiantly be
able to look into more.
The
Crete paper I used on the butterflies, I used because of the textured
surface. The surface of the Crete paper reminded me of the tiny hairs on
the butterflies wings.
I have been experimenting with different ways to make the butterflies.
Paper Mache using Crete paper with wire inside for flexibility.
I decided to use gold for the butterflies as I wanted to make them look very value as this was part of the symbolism of the work. Gold is obviously very widely known as being very valuable and therefore using gold on the butterflies was a statement of value.
I have decided to use as the end result for the butterflies 24 carat gold leaf.
The gold is representation of the value from within in contrast to materialistic value. This is again a reference to my inspiration of vanitas as these lavish and materialistically valuable things were the route of a lot of the works. As you will see by some of the objects used in vanitas like the gold gauntlets. This was to show these sorts of objects to show these objects are at the end of the day just things. Regardless of how much materialistic wealth you have, it will never be able to stop the inevitability of death. As when it comes to death no one person is better than another.
I have chosen to make a series of 3 sculptures I will be able to create a narrative between each of the pieces. Each of the sculptures will contain a different arrangement and amount of butterflies. The narrative I will be creating between the sculptures will be the transition from life to death. The butterflies will signify life leaving the body.
SCALE: Average human sized.
Proposal for Show
Usha Ramachandran
Display Method of plinths. Displaying sculptures on plinths.
What I have tried regarding display and ruled out.
On Aluminium Shelf:
On Traditional Plinth:
Lying Down on the Plinth:
First display Proposal:
Designing Display
Modify the Plinth
Making the plinth look like the x-wing in design. Therefore it will fit into the show better. The plinth will look in uniform with the rest of the structures.
The Perspex Box
The perspex box was supposed to be made to go over the top of the sculpture. When making the box there were quite a few bumps in the road. The perspex was not thick enough to stick together cleanly and efficiently and therefore the glue was effecting the clarity of the perspex. The structure itself was not as structurally sound as would have been safe and therefore the perspex box had to be scrapped.
Display Final
I have made the revised Plinths with the perspex on top as I feel that when the sculptures at sitting on the plinths because the top is transparent, the display doesn't mess with the sculpture. The plinth is purely for display and utilise a need, it is not part of the art.
In connection with the sculptures, there were some problems we faced along the way.
Problems:
- cracking
- crumbling
- not standing up
- wires moving
Solutions:
- coated with another layer of clay
- 4 layers of glue to seal in and stop from cracking more
- preserve the clay
- Paint and Glue mixture
This is the work that I have created along with the display method which I intended for it.
This display method, which was the originally intended format for the work, unfortunately did not fit in with the expectations of the Water Hall. However, I am happy with the outcome and the over all look of the pieces. I have chosen to show my work on my blog and website as these are both vessels in which my work can go upon. The work has been display in the way that I intended it to be.
