University Campus Suffolk

During the course of my Degree I have felt a strong inability to conform to the courses philosophies. Although i feel it is an important part of the curriculum to research and refer to the works of notable mainstream artists, my personal influence comes mainly from street art and images obtained from the web, where the source is more often than not unobtainable. I have tried to ascertain why this form of art holds so much resonance for me, maybe its because i can connect with the anonymity of the work, and the artists need to create work without recognition, or because by omitting the artist i am free to appreciate the work without any preconceived views of the artist and their work…..or maybe its just to conceal my incredibly crappy memory!! I am aware that my memory is such that without constant referral to any given artist, the name will desert me far sooner than the image, so perhaps i refer directly to images to compensate for my poor ability to retain information. I am drawn to colour and subject matter and find it very difficult to contextualise the work which i view. i think this relates to the aversion i have of voicing my opinion, however my observations never really tend to evoke a deep narrative and contextualisation, instead focusing more on the juxtaposition of colours, objects and apparent meanings and messages. When i wrote my dissertation ‘When does an object become art and when in turn does that become a commodity.’ it was in reference to the ready made. I hoped it would help me understand and define my art more easily, but in fact it has only served to leave me more disillusioned with the system and society. It became apparent that anything could be declared as art, and that it only took a single person to view an object in this way to declare it as such. On the face of it this should have left me feeling more confident about my work….but it hasn’t, I now feel more responsible for my work than ever before.

Question everything…this has become my new mantra and will form the theme for my degree show. I have designed a basic stencil image and intend utilising this in a variety of ways in order to build a brand. I feel that if my work has to have a dialogue then it should be one that reflects my immediate thoughts about the subject matter at hand, which in this instance is the internet and media. The image representing the threat of dis-information. dis-information refers to false information which is spread deliberately in order to manipulate and deceive.

I had a tutorial with two students from the Royal College of Art (RCA) a few days ago. Whilst this proved helpful in some ways, it’s somehow left me feeling that i need to justify my figurative work more. I am interested in advertising, from its design to its integration into society and the impact advertising can have on peoples lifestyles and beliefs. The figurative work is integral to the core theme which runs through my work and is something which has existed in essence since the beginning of my studies. The figures represent society in a generic sense and were intended to act as canvases for my narrative. However, with the acquirement of discarded computers these plaster figures have developed into my present work. I was also asked to justify why I have chosen to use crystals…this is primarily due to a previous piece of work I did which was heavily influenced by Damien Hirst’s For the Love of God. Untitled is a plaster figure with crystal covered gas mask, which came to symbolise a kind of war between society and consumerism with the crystals representing false wealth and ideals, my new work is a natural progression from this. Secondly I believe the crystals work well with the precious and semi precious metals I am using at present and will be further enhanced with the use of mirrors and lighting which i intend experimenting with in the next few days. I have spent alot of time over the last few weeks trying to ascertain why I make the work I do. My initial thoughts are that I make work automatically, I have an idea which comes into my mind based on the objects I find or possess. I do not consider the reasons or meaning behind it, I just know that it is an idea which feels right. The work evolves through a process of creative construction, if something does not look right I change it. The processes and materials used can alter throughout the development of this idea, however the original concept remains the same. My interest has always been to create figurative work and although i have been advised against this by a number of people in preference to juxtaposing and displaying my materials as unmodified readymades (which i fully intend doing to some degree) I struggle with the idea that i can have ownership over work I make and exhibit in this way. I agree that the un-modified components that I am using are interesting and for the most part aesthetically beautiful,which certainly puts them in the category of objet d’art, however i don’t feel like i can take credit as an artist for its existence. I keep being told that all I need to validate the work as my own is the idea, yet without some form of involvement or effort on my part I struggle to agree with this. I was advised at the time of my tutorial that sometimes, no matter how much hard work and effort you have put into a piece of work if its not working you have to let it go. This comment has caused me a great deal of contemplation as it was in reference to my figurative work. Whilst i agree with this comment to some extent, I feel that up until this point it was this work which i felt the most happiest with, feeling secure in the fact that even if it wasn’t appreciated by everyone, I had altered the materials and spent enough time and effort on it to be able to claim ownership of it. As much as i understand this is the opinion of one person, it has caused me to question my work,its direction and its place within a fine art setting. Do I go in the direction dictated by my own ideas and abilities? or do i go in the direction dictated by others? (which makes me feel uncomfortable yet could prove to be more gallery worthy). Is it possible to do both?

i’m much happier with the shape and have started to add the boards.

The crystal application is coming along peachy! I have worked out a technique and modified a pair of scissors which prevents the crystals blowing away. This has definitely increased production! i have covered approximately one third and am pleased with my progress.

My figurative work on the other hand…not so great! I have been assembling the head section without any real precision, going by eye rather than measurements and attaching pieces that seem to fit together. However I’m really not happy with how its looking at the moment, particularly the eyes and gas mask section. I have now taken these off and will continue working on it tomorrow.