Tuesday, January 25, 2011

1/25


This semester I am actually planning to leave behind the majority of last semester’s work. I intend to head in a different direction, and work on projects that deal more with the human form. Though this direction is admittedly very unlike last semester’s, I believe that it is a natural progression from the work I was exploring earlier.

Last semester I harvested a large number of mechanical parts from various machines. I intend to put these parts to good use this semester, and I expect them to play an integral role in my projects.

My plans for next semester involve costume creation, flexible sculpture, and adornment of the body. Lately I have been very inspired by expressive, avant-garde, haute couture fashion. I intend to create works of art and design that use the body as a vehicle for expression, works that require the human form in order to be complete.



Last year, I created this mask/hood. There are panels for the eyes, the nose and the mouth. My intention was to create an accessory for myself that would allow me to control how much of myself I expose to the outside world, and how much of the outside world I expose myself to. Ideally I would also create ear-flaps created from some kind of sound-proof material. 

This hood is meant to serve as a form of voluntary sensory deprivation. As a very private person, I sometimes find it overwhelming to be out in public. This hood is a sort of symbol for the ability I wish I had, the ability to hide/have ultimate control. 

Next semester I plan to create more work like this. Not necessarily about privacy and protection, but work that specifically involves being worn on the body, work inspired by “fashion,” in an extremely loose sense. 

Some artists that inspire me are Matthew Barney, Rebecca Horn, Philip Treacy and Alexander McQueen, among others. I am also doing some research into African and Asian cultures, and the importance of body decoration in the every day lives and rituals of those cultures. 

I am very excited and pleased with the direction I’m heading in. I feel that I have more focus and motivation this semester than I did last. 


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