Plaster and SymbolismMy course requires me to take a subject class each block that constitutes a project focussed around a particular material. Similar happens in the first year at my English University however, here the development of practical skills continues throughout your education giving continuous opportunities to develop interests or learn something new simultaneously with your personal practice. Having free range of materials in previous sculpture courses (and choosing to focus on metal, wire and paper) it was quite a shock to arrive at my first subject lesson in the Netherlands and be told the next eight weeks would be dedicated to plaster and chicken wire, a new and daunting quest for my practice. The brief didn’t make things any more homely. Our request was to create a self-portrait – not too bad huh? The setback was that it could be anything but figurative. That’s right – make a sculpture of yourself that doesn’t look like a person. To the more logical readers this may sound ridiculous and perhaps in essence it is as a few dropped out of the class after receiving this gem. However, I felt an anxious excitement build inside me as I realised how unique this concept was. And as an artist focussed on everyone but myself why shouldn’t I fully indulge in the artistic ego this project? Coming up with a plan took a fair bit of pencil tapping I will admit. This struggle led me to admit that I am no abstract artist but within this defeat I realised my passion for symbolism and its connection between social conditioning and hidden meanings. Eventually I drew resources from my childhood and my interests to symbolise my development over time:
We all have the opportunity to work hard and become more, those who deal with loss need hope and support, not lower goals. The Making ProcessHonestly, I believed the piece to be a disaster throughout the majority of the making process. The material was new and strange, the process was long with a variety of techniques to choose from and my aim for a ‘fragile-looking construction’ threw up multiple practical issues to be addressed.
However, I let myself enjoy the process, dealing with problems in a fun and experimental way and discovered some wonderful things. For example if you pour plaster repeatedly it forms puddle-like waves and if you splatter an extra layer whilst the second is still wet it resembles the effect of water dropped on sand. Plaster can also be left very rough and the process often produces interesting contrasts between rough edges, perfectly smooth surfaces and plaster stalactites that form whilst drying if you are generous with your plaster. All of these effects were used to form a more interesting final result. A brief explanation of my process is as follows:
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24/10/2015 0 Comments An Interview with the Artist...Below is an interview between myself and Safira, also a student at Minerva, regarding 'The Pigeon Project' I completed as part of my studies last academic year. Having studied analysis techniques we have now been set the assignment to write an analysis of each others work which the following interview will become part of. If you are interested in art analysis expect more of this assignment to be published in the coming month. [The interview is as summarised by Safira and is published with her consent.] Interviewer: Safira Taylor Interviewee: Coral ST: Why did you decide to work with pigeons with your work? C: I had hit a block with my work, and my tutor tried to help me overcome this by saying ‘what do you want to do with your work/ what is the aim of your practice?’ and from that I realised, that although it’s a very broad concept, I want to make people happy. As simple and as complicated as that is. I started doing some typography work, writing different words and looking up the definition of peace and of happiness. My tutor then told me that my concept was too broad, and it would benefit me to minimize it as far as I can until I get a focused metaphor for my broader concept. Pigeons became my metaphor for viewing things in a positive light and therefore bringing happiness. ST: So you decided to use pigeons to bring happiness to viewers? C: Yes! I was trying to teach my viewers that you choose your own happiness. If you view things in a positive light, and choose to see the best and appreciate beauty in the little things you can achieve a higher happiness. The pigeons came about because they’re such a common subject; everybody in England has to deal with them everyday. They’re relatable to other cultures as well; we’re here in the Netherlands and we have exactly the same problem. Pigeons are unnoticed or physically hated in lots of places, people even kick them and get aggressive with them. They’ve introduced birds of prey in Trafalgar Square in London to kill and deter pigeons, despite it being renowned for pigeons, like the beautiful Mary Poppins scene! It is really becoming an active thing to kill off these birds. ST: Yes and they’re so close to Doves, which are seen as such a holy bird. C: Yes doves are seen completely differently and I think there’s a lot of irony in it. I’m quite an ironic, sarcastic person, I guess that’s quite an English thing, so I thought the fact that we hate pigeons was a really ironic statement. A lot of them are disabled with broken wings and damaged legs, and they’re dirty. But the thing is, originally pigeons were seaside animals, they would have lived in cliffs, and looked perfectly fine, the equivalent of a seagull. But because we turned our cities into high rise buildings and cathedrals we created a place for them to live inland, and because we drop so much litter, we made it easier for them to find food amidst our rubbish. Then we put out spikes to stop the pigeons from landing, which then damages their legs. So all of these things are caused by our negative development on nature, but we judge them. I saw it as this really sarcastic thing; we’re being so horrible to these animals, when we ruined their nature and their habitat. It made me think a lot about the way we treat the lesser fortunate in our own societies, the way that when people have to live on the streets, we judge them for being dirty, when our streets are dirty. So the pigeon became a very weighty metaphor for me, while still being fun, approachable and recognisable for everyone else. ST: Yes I agree, it’s also quite risky though because lots of people may look at your art and think ‘ew why does she have a pigeon there?’ How do you force them to think in your way? C: Even when I get those people that look at my art and think ‘why the hell have you painted a pigeon’ I feel like that is a result for me. I know that it’s making them slightly more aware of their own disgust for pigeons, and the next time they see a pigeon in the street, they will recall my visually aesthetic art and associate it with the creatures. So whether they notice it, or whether they intend it, they will always have a slightly more positive outlook on the birds. As soon as you manage it with one thing, it’s already the start of a better habit. It’s a subconscious link. The amount of feedback I got from people who didn’t like pigeons but still appreciating the colours in the panting, and I’m like ‘that’s what they look like! Have a closer look, they’re beautiful!’ I am a bit of an activist but I don’t want it to be in a confronting way. ST: I think that’s good, because then your work will appeal to the masses, do you agree this is very important with your type of art? C: Yes, you don’t want to intimidate people. ST: My next question was about goals within your art, I think you’ve covered most of them already? C: Yeah it’s mainly about happiness and improving lives in a fun and sarcastic way. Society is a massive influence for me, it’s also a personal interest, I like to read about philosophy of society, and that comes into my inspiration. ST: Which artists inspire you? Your Vogue covers reminded me of fashion designer’s sketches. C: My work varies so much, so it’s hard to say that any one style is relevant. I have a massive love for Marina Abramovic and Grason Perry. Mostly because of who they are as a person and their points of view. My work is very broad, but my viewpoint is getting people to view things differently, and I feel like Marina Abramovic and Grason Perry do this. Grason Perry makes something look beautiful then you get closer and it has reality on it; it has swear words, and ugly truths about the things that happen in the world. He is also very sarcastic and confident in his work. He is known as the transvestite potter from Essex, the fact that he can be so forward with who he is is a massive inspiration to me. Abramovic manages to have a dialogue with society without words, like in 512 hours and The Artist Is Present so this is also similar to my aim. ST: Why did you choose to make your work so accessible? C: I think it’s an issue with the art world today, that we see the art world and the public as separate. If my intention is to improve lives, why should only the people who are interested in the depths of the art world gain anything from that. I also appreciate multiculturalism and want my work to be accessible to everyone.
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