Summative Post: Contextualisation

1: Graham Hancock – The War on Consciousness

This post is significant for the understanding of what excites me and motivates me to create artwork. The talk involves my passion for social change; at this point in my practise I realised that I wanted to project this passion onto other people and to use art to be in that position. I visited London to attend a very similar talk by Hancock also and his ideas were a crucial push in the direction in which my context went.

2: Andre Breton & Surrealism

I always considered involving my dreams in my artwork because they’re a significant part of my life but until I learned more about Breton and his strong manifesto’s, I didn’t feel the contextual connection. During my dissertation I researched heavily into surrealism, particularly Breton’s manifesto in 1924, where I discovered a strong resemblance between his and my own ideas and motivations which suggested a way in which I could engage people.

3: Claire Bishop on Installation Art

This book was crucial in understanding the deliberation of consciousness within art. Bishop’s perspective on what installation art is and can do in terms of disorientation and embodiment, left me adamant that my artwork must immerse my audience because of the impact that has on an individuals state of consciousness and self-awareness. Bishop’s ideas also satisfied my aim to consolidate subjectivity of consciousness, being a big influence in my decision to attempt installation practise.

4. The Red Studio – Henri Matisse

Working on surreal dreamscapes derived from a dream diary, I found Matisse’s Red Studio to influence how I depicted the obscure perception from within a dream. I incorporated the block colour in most of my subsequent collage/paintings/drawings, intending to distort the shape of a room the way Matisse achieved.

5. Richard Serra, Gagosian Gallery

Evidently leading on from being curious about installation art, I enjoy Serra’s artist incentive, but visiting his exhibition amplified what I knew about his material emphasis. I immediately understood his use of material by being immersed by it and that urged me to consider how I wanted a viewer to feel in relation to the elements that make up an installation piece and so I began considering the use of fabric to represent a metaphysical mind.

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