The Mind and Body

Progress and Achievement:

So far in this course, I have learnt to experiment with different techniques and materials, combining them to create pieces that are new and unique compared to work I had done before the course started. With this new knowledge, I am able to use methods that I didn’t know before.

 Context:

The body has become a very important part of the artistic genre as a way to claim ownership over themselves and to combat issues of gender. Frida Kahlo explored her physical illness through her paintings; she often painted body casts and surgical equipment that dominated her life. Barbara Kruger uses quite upfront imagery but in the form of text. Her work is very graphics based and uses bold phrases to confront controversial issues around the body, such as abortion and gender representation. I have chosen these two artists because they both use different disciplines but challenge the same themes. I wish to create a body of work that comes from different avenues in the art world, creating pieces that combine all I’ve learnt from the different masteries.

Aims, Method and Realisations:

In previous projects, I have developed pieces that explore the microscopic parts of the human body which could be said to objectify the body; the divided body becoming inhuman. Because of my fascination with the body I wish to develop this further and look at the body as a whole instead of as separate fragments.

I aim to follow the theme of ‘Mind and Body’. I want to focus on physical and mental illnesses that surround the body and the struggles and ideals that enclose it. The body is central to understanding issues of race, gender and sexuality. People often modifying themselves to fit into certain social groups or doing the opposite and rebelling against social conventions. These subjects are important to me as I have connections to certain illnesses and people who have suffered with them. I will use my own personal experiences as building blocks to base my work on.  As part of this project I will do some background research into the ways these illnesses effect a person and the social prejudice that surrounds them.

Throughout the project I will use my research to create collages, made from magazines and found books, and photographs, taken by me of the female and male form, to analyse the social expectations on the body, at the end of the week creating a mixed media fanzine. I will them move onto explore physicality and creates several series of poetic photographs, of hospital corridors and waiting rooms, and drawings, of the skin/damaged skin and cells, that symbolise the parts of being physically ill. In week three, I will explore safety objects and create a collection of objects that are used to help cope with mental illness. I will also dive into animation/drawing to create several small films denoting either different mental illnesses or the effect they have on a person and their family.

 Evaluation:

Throughout this project, I will document my progress through workflow and my sketchbooks. I will create my pieces of work on separate pieces of paper so they can easily be transferred into my portfolio. I will use the crits to help develop my work and give me ideas to spring my project from.