Working Title///

‘The passage and place of transformation’: Navigating change.

Change is constant. “Everything flows and nothing stays”. Plato in Cratylus. 

Navigating change is a daily experience, and significant personal or social change becomes transforming - when it in effect, changes us. Arnold van Gennep describes the cultural process of transformation as a ‘Rite of passage’ and the ‘almost’ place of change as ‘The liminal’. 

In practice I find myself preoccupied with change, death, language and belief. The passage and place of transformation. I desire to be transformed. I always return to the theme of death. ( I even have a little blessing I say each time I see road-kill). It’s not that I desire death, but it is a potent example of significant change or transformation. But one that leads to ‘Undecidability’

As humans what we cannot control, we fear. Of ‘undecidability’ Derrida said “A certain madness must watch over this question”. Yet in this helpless state of flux, resides a world of opportunity and elevation.

So woven in and around my art work is the idea of transformation: the materials I choose, the way I fashion them and the contexts I place them in. All circles around the experience of and the desire for transformation.In this the materials and motifs I use are key to giving voice to my work.

Aims and objectives of my practice:

Aim 1: To track, document, analyse and express, passages and places of transformation, through sculpture, drawing and image making.

Ob1: Use my Blog as a tool to explore in a free and non-self-conscious manner. Collating threads of visual ideas, images and observations and personal revelations. 

Ob2: Use summaries of the blogs as a way of documenting and collating ideas and evidence

Aim 2: Experiment and create drawings and prints concerning ‘transformation’, with a focus on use of process and materials as a transformative processes, that can then be exhibited.

Ob1: Use materials and processes such as experimental drawing, en-caustic wax, printmaking, digital imaging, layering/collaging; thinking about the integrity, history and context of the materials I am use.

Ob2: Make a body of work in sculpture on the various motifs that manifest as I research and Identify opportunities where this work can be exhibited.

Ob3: Make a body of drawing, prints, images and writing on the passage and place of transformation, that can be collated into an artist’s book.

Aim 3: In parallel with my making - establish a deeper level of understanding through exploration and research of context, history and theory around language, writing and semiotics. 

Ob1: Use a more targeted and organised approach to research, over the weeks collating applicable ideas, contexts, history and thinking into a usable document. Identify and read key texts of Derrida, in addition related thinkers and writings, on and around change, undeciability, deconstruction. Yet also maintaining an open research practice , remembering everything is research. Not being limited to just academic sources.

Ob2: Collate and evaluate and all the diasporic elements of my making practice to see what commonality they may hold. Through documentation and dialogue with peers, in tutorials. In addition find opportunities to speak about my work.

Aim 4: To establish positive grounds, rhythms and disciplines for my practice as an artist

Ob1: Instigate and maintain a sustainable, adaptive and healthy working practice using self-care as a core value. Becoming wiser about my positive emotional/creative states. Document in my Blog

Ob:2 Be fiercely myself. Make work and research that is not for approval, but for progression of my artwork, in its theoretical and practical development.

Context

Historical: 

In the 1900’s Gennep realised a common thread across global cultures, that he described as a ‘Rites of Passage’, that cultures had a particular way of and recognising change. Other thinkers have since capitalised upon his work, especially around the idea of the ‘liminal’ the in-between space where change occurs. Victor Turner in his work has since expanded upon Genneps work applying it to a wider context of larger societies along with more contemporary writers like Roberta Piazza in her book ‘Discourses of identity in liminal places and spaces’.

In creative practice Flemish game painters, Jan Van Weenix, Frans Snyders focused on still life scenes with the frequent motif of death (game animals), not in a moribund obsession but more a documentation of the normal rhythms of life along with specific symbolism. Then in contrast Käthe Kollwitz, worked predominantly with drawing as a medium also documented death, however her work laments death and the change it brings. These differing yet moving responses to death as the key instigator of change, influence and inspire my practice and preoccupations

Contemporary: 

Artists: Matthew Barney, Theaster Gates, Berlind De bruckyer, Chen Zhen, Alistaire Mackie are all influential artists who’s work engages especially with materiality and/or complex narratives. Choice, context and manipulation of materials is key for these artists. As are the motifs of death, the liminal, transition, transformation. I am lead as they are, by the materials. They are the dialect and voice of our work.

In addition movies like: ‘Joker’ (directed and produced by Todd Phillips 2019) and ‘Revenant’ (Directed and produced by Alejandro G. Iñárritu 2015) have become a rich source that needles into my subconscious as I explore the world of change.

Theoretical: 

Although notoriously difficult and obtuse Derrida’s thinking seems to weave in and out of my research. There is a wealth of writing from and about Derrida, stemming form a rich history of critical theory and philosophy, Kant, Sassure, Lacan, Chomsky have all have been influential, and the study of language has long held a fascination for me, how it structures and mediates our world.

However, the structure if you ask Derrida is not what we thought it was - it too suffers change.  ‘Everything is divisible’ said Derrida; within this we can include our thinking, our philosophy and our beliefs. Beliefs are mediated and expressed through our system of language, they can appear to be fixed, yet in truth are always in flux, always suffering change.

At the heart of my preoccupations is transformation and the change that permeates us. This therefore makes language/linguistics and semiotics a key pillar to explore and examine and reflect through my art work. Navigating the change.

Methodology

Through sculpture exploring and renegotiating the language of materials, making work that resides in a flux state between representation and abstraction. Similarly with drawing utilising unpredictable processes, Ink bled drawings, printmaking, en caustic wax or invented techniques. Working the image back and forth, layering, collage, digitally composition, to create work that is uniquely my own.

I intend to find a deeper connections to and further understanding of the passage and place of transformation; locating it in existentia (that by which essence becomes actual).  Charting passages into, through and out from the little known territory of - the liminal. 

Recording

• Artwork:  Some documentation will be held in the artwork as the realisation of my research and experimentation.

• The blog: It has already become an invaluable tool for documenting in writing, reflecting and collating images of experiments, in addition for place of reflection and evaluation. I plan to continue to develop my use of the blog and also to publish to Social Media to push my self by displaying to a wider audience with my practice being open to dialogue.

• Sketchbooks: Are a key tool for me, a place to draw, try out ideas, make notes and record. To experiment in markmaking, writing and make shopping lists.

• Personal research document: As mentioned before I intend to create a document to record the research I am making, to note: books, texts, artists I want to follow up, catalogue key texts, thinkers, artists. And my own thoughts, theories.

Process of experimentation

• Using constraints to my practice of drawing, sculpting, making to disrupt and bring change to how I work and think.

• Making in different contexts: location, time frame, processes.

• Experimental writing (Critical and prose based)

• Pushing my drawing and sculpting by working on challenging scales.

• Through collaborative projects - capitalising on the positive influence a trusted partner can bring.

• Putting myself into situations where I experiencing the state of ‘non binary’ ‘the liminal’ and ‘transformation’ to have an authentic voice.

Outcomes: 

• To have developed and progressed my making skills to a higher level in sculpting and drawing, where I am confident to exhibit and continue working in an exploratory manner.

• To have a body of sculptural art work, drawings large and small format and to have made a book of drawing, printmaking and writing concerning the areas of transformation, language and belief.

• Gained a strong subject knowledge - well read/researched/informed in the key areas identified for my study.

• Better able to communicate written and verbally about my artwork and research.

• Identified and rationalised my target audience.

• Exhibited artwork in a number of shows and contexts

• Concluded my current collaboration and initiated new ones.

• Established a rhythmn of working that is productive and sustainable.

Work Plan

Term 1::: Sept - Dec: 

Blog, research contextual artists and theory, experiment, collaborate.

Term 2::: Jan - March: 

Refine research of thought and context, especially Derrida and similar theory on language, linguistics and critical theory. Experiment in sculpture , large format drawing, photography and video and work towards some finished pieces. Exhibit in public show. Develop collaborative artwork. Read Gennep ‘Rites of Passage’ find more contemporary thinking relating to his work and Liminal space.

Term 3::: May - July: 

Collate and construct for collaboration. Generate drawings - fill sketch book. Establish areas of research. Make sculpture. Develop collaborative artwork. Define area of practice based research. Start using social media to disseminate artwork and gain feedback and networking. Use Blog to document and experiment in writing and art making and research.

Summer Break: 

Finalise collaborative and exhibit collaborative work. Draw scaled up - very large format drawings in collaboration and community. Develop social media to disseminate artwork and gain feedback and networking. Use Blog to document and experiment in writing and art making and research.

Term 4::: Sept - Dec: 

Collate Prints and drawings for print book. Exhibit. Develop social media to disseminate artwork and gain feedback and networking. Use Blog to document and experiment in writing and art making and research.

Term 5::: Jan - March: 

Finalise sculptural pieces. Finalise drawings and Book.

Develop social media to disseminate artwork and gain feedback and networking.

Term 6::: May - June: 

Exhibit sculpture and large format drawings.

Publish Artist’s book of prints and drawings and writing on transformation.

Established research on the subjects of transformation, language and belief. 

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