Contextual Research

| AbigailYeatsHNDCAP

Teeth/braces
i have started to explore the links that teeth have to my project; the switch from adult teeth to baby teeth, rotten teeth, teeth falling out, the alterations of them (braces). Im thinking about the biological makeup of my body and how it was affected by the genes i inherited from my parents- i had lost of trouble as a child with having an underbite and too many teeth for my small mouth, receiving braces for nearly two years and now experiencing troubles with jaw pain, teeth grinding, bite, headaches and toothaches from growing wisdom teeth. I can find similarities between this and my parental relationships- painful, troublesome but ultimately necessary and useful? Teeth are made up of four different types of tissue- Pulp, dentin, enamel and centimentum.

The earliest recorded attempt of braces were found in roman burial sites, they used thin gold wire to correct their bite. From this point on there were many more version of apparatus aiming for the same result and in the 1700s advancements were made to create something similar to what we see today. At this point we now have a more streamlined, discreet version called ‘invisalign’.
Id like to use wires to perhaps manipulate some other materials like soft plaster, clay, playdoh. im am seeing more and more strength in the teeth imagery as i go so i will keep exploring.

Mothers milk
Ive begun to explore the direct nutrients i would receive from my mother through breastfeeding. For a baby, milk is the most essential thing, it prevents infection and diseases, provides nutrients, high levels of calcium for bones and growth, and creates an emotional bond. To tie in with the project i am imagining a circumstance where maybe the milk i was fed was toxic or off- linking towards the lack of bond. I think milk used as a material offers lots of potential, it also could be interesting imagery for my writing.

“Feminine crafts“
weaving, sewing, knitting, crocheting were all typically tasks of the women in my family. Even though roles have come a long way in the past 100 years, these roles have often remained with mothers passing down their skills to their daughters. i spent lots of time learning them as a child, it as one of the more positive memories i have with me. Using these materials will be a good way to connect with the nurture a child can receive. The fabrics/materials also link heavily to comfort, i have many blankets and quilts made by the older generation of women in my family. These blankets have provided me with many experiences of warmth, comfort, care, play

Studio Project 2- initial response/research

| AbigailYeatsHNDCAP

From the mind map i feel that i want to branch of from topics that came up in my last project- It was pointed out that the ongoing themes that kept appearing were ‘care’, ‘nurture’, ‘growth’. i like these ideas, however, i think that they need to be explored alongside another theme to open up the options.
My approach for this project is to visually respond to these words as a starting point, so ive collected some images to take inspiration from.
I will likely continually add to this image bank so that i have something to refer to when lost.

  • louise bourgeois
  • louise bourgeois
  • louise bourgeois
  • Nell mitchell
  • Nell mitchell
  • Nell mitchell
  • Dave Zackin

I chose clay to work with as there is something about the process that feels nurturing, looking at the imprint of my skin on the surface and the imperfect shapes you can create. Taking inspiration from the shells and cocoons as something that feels safe and nurturing, i created these first experiments.

I like the first of these shapes but hate the last one, i need to be more relaxed and let the clay decide some of the shapes instead of recreating what i see.

These next experiments felt more interesting as the clay took the imprint of my hand; this feels relevant and touch is a source of nurture. i painted some of them with a skin tone colour which brought out some of the marks. i like where this is going but im not really sure where i can take it.

For this piece i started to just make what came naturally, ive seen lots of interesting ceramics recently and love the use of clay in a way you wouldnt see typically. Inspired by dave zackin and nell mitchell, i started to think about creating bowls that have purposes other than just holding something; i like how both artists bowls are used as a way of communication and remind me of the act of sharing. whilst making this bowl i was thinking about being young, having my adult teeth grow in and laughing till i was told to be quiet. i also explored some writing, imagining how a well-nurtured child would laugh.

Whilst creating these small objects i started to think about my own experiences, and realising a contrast between the nurturing (or perhaps lack of) i received from a complicated mother daughter relationship and the self nurturing existence i experience now. As i’ve grown older and began to ‘flee the nest’ i am noticing more how an unstable and difficult childhood has left me. I am going through a point in my life where i’m moving away from my family home (having received adequate therapy) and i am now able to take a step back and review. I don’t think i would be able to explore the topic of nurture and care without thinking about this experience so i need to decide whether to avoid or use to my advantage. i don’t enjoy getting too personal or dark because i like the relief art can provide, so perhaps if i kept things light by carefully choosing my approach, the experience could be beneficial? An interesting point that could come from this is new-found independence and looking at things with a fresh mind- i feel i have relearned what it means to be cared for. i like the idea of looking at things from a childlike perspective knowing what i know now. There are lots of related branches from this general line of topic so intend to keep it vague whilst i experiment.

I decided to refer back to my images and explore colour. i was getting frustrated most of the time because nothing looked right and i don’t really like painting when i don’t have an idea. i was trying to look at imagery like cocoons and soft caring spaces but i was lost when it came to composition. I ended up just doing what felt like doodling or colouring in which didn’t produce anything i liked that much.

i found that pastel/pale colours reminded me of a childs bedroom and the greens reminded me of growth. i liked some of the textures i discovered and figuring out how paint looked when layered. i feel like it was the material holding me back so i decided to move on to something that felt more relevant.

i found my old loom that i used to play with as a child and thought it could be relevant to work with wool because of the feeling of it and its connotations.

Although very messy and rushed i felt the material held quite a strong relevance. I remember being taught how to sew, knit, weave, crochet by my grannies and mother- when using wool it feels caring, often i would use it to make gift and through it received enrichment. it would be interesting to see how i could combine this material with others to explore an unstable experience of care in contrast.
i like the look of small windows/gaps in the weave it feels like something is missing.

WAWWA- RESOLVED WORK + EVALUATION

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Moving on from my 2d developments i used that information to create four final video clips. All are intended to play on a loop separately, i felt that because each piece of text is unrelated theres was no reason to clip them together. i also like the idea of them all playing at the same time around a room to create a cradling type feeling. They are all only around 30 seconds long so it replicates a short moment of stillness; like how you would experience when sitting down on a bench for a break. i composed the clips on the same screen to see how it would look playing together.

I colour corrected the clips to have the same green-blue shade, i felt this helped contribute towards the calm feeling and link them all together. If they were all displayed in the same dark room it would create a glow, something i feel would be soothing and comforting, similar to the calm atmosphere of dusk. It took a while to decide whether the colour of the animation should be the same or not but ultimately i feel the orange glow unites them well in its intent to feel optimistic and warm. The consistency of colour throughout means that the viewer can focus on the writing and visuals. Although i like the final videos all together i can see quite a few tweaks that could be made. The clips feel a bit dark and cold which could bring the general mood down. The different speeds on animations is a bit unsettling so i could adapt that to be a bit more harmonious. Another problem is also the sound, the white noise i think is essential in each separate clip but if all played together it is too loud and aggressive- a solution could be headphones for each clip or i could record some white/background noise that plays in the room instead which would do the same job but feel more peaceful.

I played around lots with how the writing can be incorporated but ultimately settled on a subtitle approach. They give you time to read whilst not dominating your focus, i found a scrolling text or text in random placements wouldn’t allow the viewer time to relax and absorb. In my final crit we discussed the topic of spoken word, i have attempted to record versions of this ,however, i wrote the text without the intention of being spoken so i have never felt that it sounded right. i think that a voice over the visuals would feel too controlling, and that the viewer using their own inner voice helps them to interact in their own way. the silence continues this slow/calm feeling and as someone who gets overwhelmed easily, moments of quiet are so important to ground myself in surroundings. As the concept has developed from ‘living a life away from social pressure’ to ‘acceptance and explorations of time passing’, i have arrived at a point where my goal is to create work that makes the viewer feel still, with no pressure to learn or move forward or think but to just hold a moment for themselves to breathe. I found this project to have many challenges because of my limited focus and lack of sources for inspiration. Perhaps if i had access to a library my explorations might have been more broad, however, i am glad i was able to switch between practices like drawing and sculpture to allow for more opportunities. Digital has been really beneficial in opening up my options and i am excited to use the skills i have learned in future projects.

In some of my earlier experiments i was exploring the idea of rooms for self care/ slowing down/ alternative ideas of productivity and most people responded to it well. However, i came to the conclusion it was too time consuming and decided instead that it was possible to create a virtual room experience. when deciding on the presentation, i found that using waiting room chairs helped influence the pause in thought and that the full wall projections enveloped the viewer in a nurturing way. Using and online ‘ikea room builder’ allowed me to envision what it could look like had i had the resources to take it further. Again i do feel like the resolved work could feel a bit cold, so going forward maybe there are other ways to soften the room e.g curving corners, replacing chairs with soft items or perhaps even displaying the work outside across from a bench. Overall im happy with the outcome, there are many more ways i can explore this concept and i dont feel like this is an end point.

WAWWA- Drawing + Writing

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After a 1-1, i have taken a few things onboard.
– i need to let things happen and then attempt to find what i like instead of only creating when i know what the end product looks like.
– i have very little confidence in showing my writing but this doesn’t mean i shouldn’t. im going to be less scared and lean into the love i have of writing – and go forward with any advice i get.

saying this, i have been playing around with how the layout of the words affects the look and way it is read, this has helped me to decide on four pieces of writing to use for my videos. After reading “bluelets” by Maggie Nelson and “Dont let me be lonely” by Claudia Rankine, i found that i love something that feels in between poetry and a journal. The moment of calm you get from poetry is the exact type of slowing down im looking at.

This written exploration has helped me to figure out how the word can be altered by its position, size and font. They are all things i have written during this years lockdowns and reflect the stillness of this time.

After looking at Hayley Tompkins and loving the colours in her work it influenced me to go back to drawing. i was finding digital quite hard as there is a coldness about it. i still want the work to feel soft and not overly made up- with video you can lose the roughness, connection and expressiveness of other physical mediums. Creating drawings will help me connect back to that instinctive reaction to the work and feel the process more closely.

From this work i am drawn to the greens and blues as they feel like growth and calmness. The yellows are more assertive but could be nice as a small hint. i think that too many vibrant colours together like a kaleidoscope would be too flashy and fast. the greys reminds me of the comfort of being inside on a rainy day. im also drawn most to the circular shapes, so i think i will continue on that path like the videos before. i still have no conclusion about the words but i will make some decisions when i return to adobe after effects.

Hayley Tompkins

| AbigailYeatsHNDCAP

Hayley Tompkins, born 1971, is a visual artist working in glasgow. She creates installation and produces work that can move between object and painting. i was drawn to tompkins work for the colours and the atmosphere of her paintings. Often i look for a concept or try to understand the reason for creating, however ,i’m trying to enjoy and experience work more for just the visual qualities.
“I don’t want people to feel alienated by the objects i actually want people to ,ideally, look and think i know that already” – she talks about the viewers interaction with the art and i feel that this is an important point for my theme. i want people to see comfort and caring within my work and i think that comes from recognising familiarity.
Her work ‘digital light pools’ (2014) for the venice biennale was displayed over two rooms on the floor, with a collection of photography amongst paintings, it feels as though you are sifting through visual memories. i love her muted colours that feel so nurturing, you aren’t forced to look for anything specific. The minimalism of the work helps to break down our observations and simplify it though colour. she very carefully thinks of how the work is presented, in the bottom left picture, the canvases are spread at uneven intervals; i like how this softens its presence without feeling too assertive. Her work has inspired me to take a step back from the concept and explore the visuals of my work more.

Douglas Gordon

| AbigailYeatsHNDCAP

Douglas gordon, born 1966, is a scottish artist that lives and works in berlin. Known for his video work he explores the subjects of collective memory and repetition often using his audience as an important part of the work. He uses old found footage along with text and performance to challenge and question his audience. Gordon avoids imposing meaning onto his work , as his aim is to motivate people to take time to think; his work opens up a world for self- exploration.
-His work often uses words to address the viewer like ‘i’ and ‘you’ creating a direct connection with the artist. It can be confrontational or relatable, with words so directly connected with communication its hard to ignore what they might be trying to say. On the contrary, his words convey ambiguity the viewer can place any meaning they like within these works.
-I like how words can be taken out of context and altered to the readers state. i feel that no matter how clear you are with what you are trying to say it will never be read exactly as intended. this made me think about how automatic writing can be used; often the bits of writing can be incoherent, something that makes sense to you could be nonsense to someone else.
– you can see in the way gordons words are often presented are so structured and thought through, the placement of his words are heavily considered so that it holds importance.

– In other works such as “24 hr psycho” he manipulates well recognised footage to alter its intentions- he slowed down the film “psycho” by Alfred Hitchcock to span over 24 hrs. The storyline is lost, it creates a break in time; you begin to investigate other elements of the original video and consider our own response.
– Often when taking time to daydream/meditate/slowdown words make their way into my mind that dont always connect. Having looked at douglas gordon’s work i want to play with this in spoken word and video to show passing time and movement; experimenting with the permanence of words.

WAWWA- CRIT FEEDBACK + RESPONSE

| AbigailYeatsHNDCAP

Really interesting concept – the opposite of productivity

What’s the opposite of productivity – what do we see as productive or unproductive? – Is a continuous upward line productive?  is a circle a more productive

Is it productivity in a personal sense or in a cultural/economic sense?

Reminded me of Kate Raworth’s book Doughnut Economics

 – proposes the doughnut instead of the diagonal line as model for world economics

 – in first chapter she talks about the importance of visual language to our understanding of economics

Could use the doughnut / circle for pattern, symbol or process

A room for each emotion – the room to cry in’s clever – tissue curtains, drains in the floor

 – if you don’t now where to go from here maybe it’s an idea to stick a pin in

Alan – help from Nat Doyle for digital can be organised

Fi – really likes the rooms – would be interesting to see what you could do with them

 – suggested Chef’s table episode with the monk

Brooke – caring about oneself and others seems to run through your work – there’s a film on at Collective called Navel Gazing about the gut and intuition.

Alan – you’re in a very good position at this stage of the project and there’s a number of things to consider

 – likes the idea of the rooms but worried it may take a lot of time to produce a room for each emotion

 – there’s a range of opportunities within the digital and analogue and an opportunity for text and sound (maybe you reading automatic writing)

 – try opening up your experimentations a bit to make sure you don’t go down one path too early

RESPONSE

-The idea of thriving instead of growth in the cultural/ economic context is super relevant to the development of my work- it also supports the circular shapes/animation i have begun to explore; i will read into kate raeworths work.
– Brooke raised an important point of caring for oneself and others, i want to continue to be part of the larger focus of my work. i want it to provide comfort and nurture and i feel the focus on slowing down does that. i wonder if there are other ways i can push this forward- thinking about materials that supply the familiar comfort of a loved one.
– There is a lot of support for continuing the rooms i have created, which i think are a good idea, had i had unlimited time, i feel i could have created something really interesting to look at and contextually sound. However, alan raised the point that is it perhaps not the best use of time as it doesn’t allow lots of room for development and too much room for failed execution.
– The opportunities digital can provide for this project extend much further- there is also the possibility of continuing the idea of a room space into the digital realm. creating a virtual room space could allow many more options to become apparent- the results of experiments can be seen more instantly and in can create more engaging work by using sound and moving image.

WAWWA DEVELOPMENTS

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Moving on from the initial responses I wanted to continue developing the drawings of still moments. I brought some of them into photoshop to play around with where I could take them.

Throughout this project I have been creating pieces of writing that reflect my line of thought about this topic. I have never felt confident in my writing however I feel like it is really relevant as the writing is alway created in a moment of slowing down and reevaluting. For these works I used a piece of automatic writing I had done with the intention to play and visualise the words.

-Working in digital helped me to create quick developments + to not be so precious.
-I feel like they replicate quite well a pause in thought or a moment of boredom.
-Feels flat and I don’t like the lack of physical texture.
-Layers make it feel like thoughts coming in and out of focus/ soft daydream like.
– I like the writing however I have a tendency to hide it so it isn’t legible- which means that it only provides visuals of the letters and not actually the context.

Video developments

I wanted to create videos that take inspiration from the ideas developed in the digital photos. I have been collecting footage over this project that captures still moments of observation similar to my drawings. I wanted to further the written side of the work and also the idea of a visual pause.

At the same time I was seeing adverts all the time for apps, such as “calm”, that are used for meditation. They often use animations that involve gentle movements or growing and shrinking shapes that you can match your breathing to.
-I took inspiration from this to create some simple animations using ‘Adobe after effects’- this turned out to be a lot more complicated than i thought however i love the opportunities it has for digital work.
– although difficult and time consuming i feel at this point it is the best route to follow to create work that is connected to my theme.

-I feel like these short videos continue my drawing work in a way that interests me more.
– i need to play around with words/subtitles more- some of it feels distracting and doesnt allow you time to watch the video
– are there other ways i can display the writing? spoken word, animation, displayed next to the video?
– how would the work be displayed? as a clipp joined into one or on separate screens? how will the sound work with this?
– i like the footage i have taken for these and i aim to capture more to choose from or perhaps link them together.

Guido van der Werve

| AbigailYeatsHNDCAP

For 24 hours Dutch artist Guido van der Werve stood on the north pole, turning at the pace of the earth in the opposite direction of the earths rotation. “Nummer Negen: The Day I Didnt Turn With The World” (2007) plays with the chronological understanding of time by physically turning away from it- the movement of sun and shadow show a visible cycle of time whilst the central figure shows a constant unchanged form. Condensed into a video of 8 minutes is an observation of an ultimate standstill moment- the focal point being a point of calm immersed in passing winds and ice cold temperatures. This work shows a simple stillness contrasting with the endurance of the artist and internal stamina, you can only images the thoughts running through his head over this lengthy period of time.

Van der were extends the ideas of his work into his own life, splitting his time between a quiet lakeside in Finland for half the year and busy, social Berlin for the other half. He talks of Finland being a place to refuel without the pressures of deadlines and time saying that “lots of good ideas are born from boredom”. This relates to the idea of slowing down being a powerful tool in creating something great .

I like how this work enters a meditative realm with a moment separated from time and environment- I hope that this work inspires time based explorations and helps to investigate a ruminative state within video. The vast and bare landscape along with muted colours provides a representation of calm that I can use to influence my work.