University Campus Suffolk

Second Post of the Final Post

Influence – John Berger

Berger, I feel, has been an almost leading light in my piece in some way. His book Why Look at Animals has constantly been in the back of my mind whilst I have been constructing my cage. His token section is my favourite section of the book – as it is a clear explanation of zoos and has influenced the piece I have created immensely. Tokens in zoos are the painted walls, the false rocks, the toys, swings, and rock pools that are placed within an animal’s enclosure for them to live with. These tokens are seen to give the animal a much better quality of life (which if you really think about it – they probably do as it enriches their day). With my Confine cage piece, I wanted to include tokens that would enrich the homosapiens life that inhabited my piece. By including blankets and a pillow the inhabitant can build a bed of sleep in, they have a stuffed bear for company (I find it ironic that I thought of putting a toy bear in a human enclosure – toys have always played a large part in any one’s life, and although they may not be included in an actual homosapien enclosure the humour of placing a toy bear in the space had to be done. Other objects such as a puzzle to entertain the inhabitant and a book on animals have also been included. With my piece I want the viewer to feel like they are walking into their own enclosure as if they could inhabit the space and become the animal.

Influence – Artists

There are a few artists on my blog – and a lot more in my sketchbook – who have helped to guide me in some way through this last year of my degree to my final piece that is standing today. I still feel that the main three who have influenced me the most are Damien Hirst and the way that he encases animals and displays them, Bruce Nauman and his Double Steel Cage. this work influenced my decision to use bamboo and create bars within my piece as this has created a strong cage like feel to my final piece as the physical bars (be them covered by paper or not) make the viewer feel trapped and enclosed. Finally Cornelia Parker’s The Maybe where someone is a sleep in a case. This piece as informed my work a lot – firstly when I was going to have a performer in the piece for the entire private view, and also now, when I am allowing the viewer to be both the animal and the human.

Human Condition

The human condition is something that I haven’t written about on my blog a lot (if at all). The qualities of being a human is very important my work and will inform my work just by people being there and bringing their own thoughts and feelings to the piece.

The aspects of human life could be played out within my cage (hopefully they won’t be – but in a zoo setting they could) – birth, childhood, love, reproduction, aging and death are all aspects of the human condition and each can inform my work further and make my messages deeper and more meaningful I feel.

Final Post of this blog before hand in on Monday.

I have decided to create one final post – in a couple of actual posts as it’s a bit long that will be an overview of my entire blog, drawing in all my influences, reasonings for my cage build and any other little bits of information I feel are important that I may have missed and just remembered.

I am going to stagger write this final post over the next two days whilst I’m reading and annotating the last few pages in my sketchbook and also as things to come to me as I go about my usual weekend. I have also decided that I am going to write it in sections – each section will have a subtitle which will be underlined – so apologise in advance if it starts to look, feel and read like an essay and less bloggy.

Influence – Zoos

Over the last few years whilst being at University a trip to the zoo has felt more and more important especially as my animal themes started to come through to my art work throughout last year (Level 5) and also this year (Level 6).

A day out to the zoo has always meant a day out with the family where we all enjoy the summer sun, maybe get a little burnt, but most importantly enjoy the animals on show. Ever since I was little a day out to the zoo has always been scheduled in the summer calendar of places to go and things to do and it has been no different since being at University and meeting my boyfriend. We have been to two zoos so far London Zoo (in January – was cold) and also Colchester Zoo with my family a couple of times.

both zoos, I feel have played unimportant role in the way that I see zoos as an adult – seeing the animals happy in their enclosures, and also since I started this project the enclosures themselves – both have influenced my Confine installation piece immensely.

I think the main word here is INFLUENCED. I feel that my cage has been influenced by these experiences of modern day zoos – the main way being that I wanted to create a homely feel to my piece without painting on the walls and creating false token imagery of landscapes. I was influenced to bring in objects that would entertain a human in the confined enclosure – however the objects chosen have been chosen frothier simplistic qualities, their low colourings and dull appearances and qualities the longer you spend with these objects. I hope that once my viewer enters the Confine enclosure they will find their inner animal and appreciate some home comforts to begin with – bit also the longer they spend in the piece they start to feel something deeper – and feel overcome by the bars and the entrapment that not only animals feel in zoos (whether their cages are nice and homely or not – surely they will eventually get bored – this is why keepers are always finding something new for their animals to play with) but also what prisoners must feel once they are in prison and also what it feels like if you are a person who doesn’t leave their home.

Really today is the final day to add anything to my piece as Monday morning its really just about putting sketchbooks about and then leaving the studios for the work to be marked.

Today I am planning one final trek into town to get a few bit a bobs to display in my Confine piece – mainly around the sinks such as food, containers and bottled water. I’m also thinking that I may see if I can find some information signs like caution etc to put up around the sink to make it look more used. I am also going to buy one more load of straw so that I can open this up on the degree show private view and fill my area with the smell of fresh straw.

Pictures to follow soon

Day 10 – Friday 31 May 2013

Have just realised that it looks like I have only been doing my degree show put up for 10 days. I havent – its taken a lot longer and a lot of things going on behind the secenes (mainly sketchbook)

Anyway …

Last official use of a screwdriver day today … glad my cage is up is all I can say.

I spent today painting my floor … and finally hanging my images … (i have no photographs today as Im heading in tomorrow with my big camer and a tripod … will post these later tomorrow once I’m back).

Day 9 – Thursday 30^th May 2013

I spent this morning working at home on Photoshop creating a few signs to go above the sink section of my installation. The idea was that I would work on my signs in the morning, head in to University for 1ish and meet my boyfriend who was going to help me put the finishes touches to my piece and help me hang my imagery outside Confine. 2 images into the hanging part of my exhibit, health and safety struck and I’m back up the hill by half 6 very annoyed and upset and got no sketchbooks done what so ever all evening so now I am behind … Thank God for Saturday and Sunday.

Anyway – back to the signs … I have just about finished all the painted signs in my space (will upload pictures once floor is painted) and have started to do my wall signs … including a 5 a day fruit and veg signs as well as a feeding sign and a name sign … see imagery. All that is left is to go through with a tutor about the Caution low Bamboo sign and I will be done.