Development Writing

‘Figure in Space’ workshop

This workshop presented an important opportunity to experiment with new media and engage in drawing, collaging, photography and 3D exercises. The first of these exercises involved randomly splattering blobs of ink onto a blank white page; the effect of this was to make us see shapes in a different way as after creating the amorphous pattern with ink, we were told to link the dots together to create stick figures. I enjoyed this exercise and extended my exploration of amorphous shapes and forms by creating another series of ink experiments but this time on watercolour paper; due to the textured quality of the paper, the patterns created differed from the first exercise. I also noticed the visual similarities between the Chapman brothers, who subvert dot to dot colouring book exercises to create more sinister images, and my own experimentation with amorphous shapes to create forms, I developed my own dot to dot images using pages from children’s colouring books to emphasise my interest in their work. Although I found this exercise beneficial, I found the use of materials limiting so the next exercise, which involved using match sticks to created rubbings, was more enjoyable. This next stage of the workshop was intended to encourage use to see the human figure in its most essential form so to start us off, we collected images of footballers in motion and then quickly traced the basic structure of their body using only straight lines. Still using straight lines to replicate the human form, we began experimenting with fragments of matchsticks to create basic stick men. With these 3D models we then created rubbings using thin paper and graphite sticks; the subsequent images we successful as they captured the basic structure of each matchstick model while also lending the figures movement and energy. I was eager to continue working in 3D so after the exercise I went home and created a stop motion animation and thereby added another dimension to the exploration of the figure in space as I depicted a matchstick figure in action. While this experiment was successful, it was my first stop motion animation so the transition between each frame was not as smooth as it could have been had I been more experienced.

After using straight lines to depict the figure, I changed my sketching technique and began drawing using curved lines. After creating a brief 30-second sketch of a friend of mine sitting and then standing with her leg and arm at an angle, I furthered my use of curved line and used white string on black paper to depict tow body forms in motion. The effect of this was to create a negative image of the original sketches. Seeing the visual similarities between my own experiments and Matisse’s line drawings, especially his lino cuts of nude figures, I was inspired to extend the exercise further by using tracing paper, white gouache and black pen to create a layered black and white response to the original sketches. As I enjoyed experimenting with curved lines, I also began playing with thin malleable wire to create curved line shapes, which I then preserved between two sheets of adhesive plastic. From these wire models I then created rubbings using graphite and developed the second of these images to abstract the shapes of the original wire model further and create a black and white graphic response. This third experiment was also highly evocative of Matisses work especially his later collages; in particular I noticed similarities between my sketch and his series of blue nudes from the early 1940s. Overall I was surprised at the extent to which I could extend the simple notion of line drawing to create such a wide variety of responses. Furthermore, I was also pleased with my discovery of the visual connections between my own sketches and Matisse’s work as this gave me greater direction in my experimentation.

On the next two pages I continued working with wire to explore the body form and was eager to extend my lie drawing technique to 3D work. Consequently using thin wire again, I created a small 3D model of a human like form and took several photos of the experiment, each showing the model in different positions. To emphasise the continuation of my interest in curved line, I used white paint and biro to highlight the contours of the model’s frame. Although creating the model gave me greater confidence in experimenting with 3D materials, working with wire inspired me to create another set of line drawings but this time using the idea of the contours of the wire model. This five-minute exercise was the most successful so far in the project as it gave the figures I was studying body volume and greater shape and sense of proportion. As a result of this exercise, I also discovered the relevance of performance art to my exploration of the figure in space; a series of photos from the Triadic Ballet by Oscar Schlemmer, which depict dancers in strange, voluptuous costumes, related directly to my exploration of curved lines. Moreover while Anthony Gormley’s 3D wire sculptures tied in with my experiments with wire to created small models, the images of his models were also visually similar to my pencil drawings.

Unlike in previous exercises where we were require to focus on the linear outline of a figure, in the next workshop my art class were encouraged to experiment with depicting body mass and solid form. Therefore using white paper, each person created a 2D small-scale replica of a human figure and we placed these against a black backdrop to create an interesting and entertaining image. Working in paper and positioning the figures separately in a space created a sense of scale and depth in the subsequent photos we took; I then tried to capture this engaging and playful scene in an observational pencil drawing of the set up and overlapped the paper cut outs to lend the image energy and create an interesting composition. However I think the photos of the paper figures against the black backdrop were the most successful as they effectively contrasted the paper cut outs with their surroundings, thereby evoking the theme of the figure in space. Keen to continue working with paper, I created a replica paper figure cut out which I then used a knife to cut geometric shapes into. This image was intended to create a more interesting image when placed against a black background but it was actually the paper model’s shadow that made the photo’s I took of the cut out the most visually captivating. This set of photos was also successful as the images clearly reflected my experimentation with paper; not only did I manipulate the paper models into different positions but the photos showed the extent to which I had cut into the paper. The photos also drew upon the monochrome colour pallet of the previous exercises (particularly the original experiment using paper figures). After using the paper models to create abstract shapes and indistinguishable forms, I also decided to play with positioning the paper model amongst household objects and documented this experiment on my art blog. Although the photos I took of the paper model positioned on top of a peanut butter jar and standing next to a cabbage in the fridge were not visually convincing, they did communicate the purpose of the exercise, which was to give the 2D figure animation and personality.

The next exercise explored abstracting the figure even more but also focused on the figure’s relationship with it’s surrounding environment. Although I had explore the alliance between the figure and space in my experiments with the paper model, especially when I placed it alongside different household objects, these exercises did not sufficiently show the figure engaging with it’s environment and lacked narrative. Thus in the next exercise I used burnt matchsticks – they reflected more personality than unused matchsticks – as characters in a freeze. Using a cardboard box as a tower block, I positioned a group of matchsticks at the bottom of the block and had them looking up to a lone matchstick figure at the top of the structure; the scene clearly illustrated a suicide and the lone shadows of the matchsticks appropriately added to the mis en scene of the photographs I took. While the exercise revolved primarily around creating the scene and constructing a clear narrative, I was eager to explore the other properties of matchsticks; using a charcoal head, I created a sketch from one of the photos and also burnt small circular holes in the paper, which I then used to create another response to the photos.

After a week of experimenting with different line drawing techniques and methods of depicting the figure in space, I then began to look more closely at the work of artist Anthony Gormley. His work in 3D directly related to my previous exercises using 3D materials such as wire and paper, however more importantly his sculptures resonated with my exploration of the figure in space. I was initially drawn to his ‘Event Horizon’ project after seeing his cast iron figures firsthand on the rooftops near my house. Yet it was his ‘Another Place’ installation, in which Gormley placed dozens of solitary iron figures along the coast in Norfolk, that most inspired me to create my own small-scale 3D replicas of the human form. Using tea towels, I manipulate the fabric using plastic bands to create five abstracted figures, which I then hung up on the washing line to evoke the singularity of Gormley’s iron sculptures. I also intended to draw upon the soft sea blues in the photographs of ‘Another Place’ so I shot the photos of the installation as the sun was going down in order to achieve a similar colour composition. Having documented this process on my blog, I explored different ways of extending this exercise; firstly I experimented with different ways of depicting the fabric models using biro line drawing. The resultant image was successful and the line quality of the biro drawings evoked Gormley’s wire framed sculptures, which I referenced beside this experiment. Eager to continue working in 3D after my fabric models, I also created a brief response to the photos using thin wire; this image was successful as it effectively demonstrated the differences in shape and form for each of the fabric models but also further abstracted the shapes from the original photos. As I gave the image a quick watercolour wash in similar shades (blues and purples) to the photos and the Gormely shots, the experiment clearly linked in with my artist research and showed a creative progression of ideas.

Landscapes

As I had focused entirely on depicting the figure in space up until this point in the project, I then chose to explore different types of spaces and environments. It made sense to respond to the task with photography as this offered the best assessment of an environment, so during my Christmas holidays I took several wide-angle photos of the Suffolk countryside. I also picked out defining features of each environment and posted the most successful image – a photo of a hillside with starkly contrasted landscape features on the horizon – in my book. Continuing experimenting with different materials and working in 3D, I decided to respond to the photographs by recreating the hilly countryside landscape using scrap fabric and materials. I was also inspired to work with material and recreate a miniature landscape after discovering Slinkachu’s ‘Little People’ series, which documented the artist’s installation of miniature people interacting with urban landscapes and objects. I particularly liked the playfulness and humour of his work and sought to replicate this aspect of his installations in my own work.

Slinkachu’s work also inspired me to explore the ways in which different artists create installations that engage with a specific environment. Discovering art interventions such as Christo and Jean-Claude’s ‘Wrapped Reichstag’ was pivotal for my exploration of landscape and space as I realised that in order to create a successful artwork concerning the figure in space, the figure must engage or interact with it’s surrounding environment. I was also drawn to the Skyline project in New York and began to explore the impact of introducing nature into an urban environment; this conflict between the urban and the natural intrigued me and using my online blog, I documented my own small-scale responses to organic intervention. Using two boxes of cress, I strategically placed the plant in distinctly urban spaces, such as roads or between pavement cracks, in order to document the effect of introducing greenery to a monotonous grey environment. My efforts were also inspired somewhat by the actions of the guerrilla gardeners, who plant in city environments to utilise unused spaces for flowers and vegetable gardens, and Austrian architect Hunderwasser’s, whose building’s encourage people to live alongside nature and incorporate organic features into their structural appearance.

Art Intervention

After exploring different types of landscapes and the importance of engaging with the surrounding environment when creating an art installation, my art class were then set a challenge: we had to draw up plans for and create our own art intervention in selected areas around the school. As I was allotted the art room, I set about evaluating the space – I took photos of different features in and around the room – in order to get a sense of what kind of project would be viable.  After physically assessing the space, my project partner and I also discussed the connotations of the art room: to many people it represented work and thus projected a serious, formal atmosphere. Therefore taking this and the limitations of the space into account, we decided to subvert the idea of the art room as a workspace and instead change it into a space to relax and be entertained. The most obvious transformation was to turn it into a restaurant and so we began planning the room’s layout and deciding what physical alterations – such as rearranging the tables and changing the light - we would have to make to achieve our goal. We also drew up a list of props (a blackboard, table cloths, napkins, place mats and paper plates) we needed to create an authentic restaurant experience. Overall our execution of the intervention was successful as not only was our transformation of the art room complete in that we changed the purpose of the space from a work space to an entertainment space, our intervention also encouraged audience participation and engagement with their surroundings.

Brainstorm – Combinations and Alliances

After exploring different artistic techniques such as the ability to work in 3D and exploring the relationship between the figure and space, our art class focused in on the exam board’s brief by creating a room-sized brainstorm of all our different ideas. As the theme for this project was ‘Combinations and Alliances’, my classmates came up with some key buzzwords: cultures, community, marriage, protest, politics and war. Within marriage, politics and community, I was particularly interested in exploring the idea of alliances between different or hostile parties. I was also engaged by the idea of protest as a means of creating or destroying alliances and this theme proved a popular one amongst my classmates. In order to clarify the links between themes and visually illustrate our thought process, we used arrows, post-it notes and coloured string to link our ideas together in a giant complex web. To generate more ideas, we also all drew personal responses to each of the buzz words we had come up with and this was especially helpful as we were able to see the already different directions many people were heading in from the same concept.