Third Year Second Semester

28th Jan 202323rd Apr 2023 | harussell1

‘Bird flu is the new oil spill’

Week 1

After reflecting back on last semesters work I decided to continue with the work I did for the landscape module as this had worked successfully which after lots of contemplation I realised was due to the fact that I was pulling my information more from fact then from my imagination.

Contamination station!

I realised that the performance art/photography and gestural mark making had worked well but I thought about the subject matter and how the dying birds became part of the ground and part of the soil and that it made sense to connect that to clay.Talking to the claywork technician we discussed the contamination side of the project and how clay had to be separated so that it didn’t contaminated each other and about the cleaning process.We also talked about how due to my dermatitis (a condition I have had for the last few years which has put me off using clay)would mean I would have to wear gloves which linked in with the contamination aspect aswell.So I decided to film myself with the gloves on making the clay figures.

Inspiration

Daniel Silver

I started off wanting to make a gnarly looking seed which could be filled with oil but which would also leak oil thus representing life and yet destruction.But as I started the process I found myself somehow creating vessel like creatures.Strong and hench which I felt was inspired by Daniel Silvers creatures that I had viewed in his exhibition during the summer.I personally liked how each piece had it’s own characteristics whether it had facial features or not.I feel that the one piece that didn’t have facial features was the most sucessful of them all.

This piece was pieced with holes in the middle so that oil could flow from it and it could therefore contaminate the other sculpures aswell as intimidate with the structure.The top part was created with Donald Tumps mouth in mind in relation to the oil indusrty.

Photoshop

I decided to experiment with adding my gestural work to my performance work.I fel that it was sucessful in expressesing the movement of the wings.

My favourite piece as the gestural mark on the wing shows it’s upwards motion.

INSPIRATION

Idris Khan

The above piece inspired the edit of my performance work by adding layering of my gestural work but only via photoshop where as Khan’s work seems to be a mixture of printwork and photography.

Reflection.

Upon reflection I feel that the first week back was really sucessful.I felt fully charged from having spent the previous week in Berlin and Amsterdamn and having viewed work from the KW art institute and the Contemporary Fine Arts Collection.Claywork really helped kick the process off giving way to lots more ideas.I can’t wait to glaze them in two weeks time and pour oil through them.I sent a few pictures to friends and asked for words that came to them when they saw them and ‘corruption’ ‘power’ and ‘greed’ were some of the words which enabled me to know that i as on the right track.It will be interesting to see how the works also evolve when they are glazed.

WEEK 2

Gestural Mark making

Experimental mark making using watered down oily mud found from the beach mixed with black watered down acylic.The black and brown representing Oil before and after it is photo oxidised by the sun.I felt that this piece was particulary effective at highlighting the issue and also my emotions of anger felt towards it with the splatter and explosions of the ink and mud had quite a rebellious ‘punk’ feel to it.

‘The birds’

All three pieces were made using a bamboo stick dipped in the muddy oil,the skeleton of a bird beak and a piece of rock found on the beach for the parts where the bird has been killed in a ‘Mercy killing’ which was the case of some birds i found in Orkney. Altho I like these pieces asthetically I think that they are to gentle and almost ‘poetic’ aswell as literal.I discussed this with a tutor and he said that there was nothing wrong with the work being ‘poetic’ and that the point can still be expressed and maybe to use words as a sideline to co-incide with the destress that the bird feels.

Gestual drawing made using a bamboo stick.

Inspiration

My gestural work was inspired by this scratchy looking Tracey Emin print.

‘Constructivism’

Altho this takes on a more structured approach the colours and marks made are really interesting.

Jerry Springers ‘final thought’

This week was a very productive one,due to most of the studio being away in Berlin I was able to use most of the floor space to do lots of messy markmaking/gestural work which really got me into the swing of things because the main thing is to get into the motion of the swing of things and get the ball rolling of the thought process becomes stagment.I feel that this weeks work was sucessful in expressing my thought pattern but especially the poured paint/expressive mark making in expressing the problem mixed with my anger over the issue.

WEEK 3

Bunrt wood found on the beach I have been using as charchol,bird bone as a tool and sculpture.

Bird bones found on the beach in Orkney (I proberly shouldn’t of collected them due to bird flu but I haven’t died yet so should be fine) Created this sculpture from them to represent the unnatural contortion of the bird’s body when in pain from bird flu which causes them to stretch their bodies into unnatural positions.I then decided to use the sculpture as a mark making tool to great tally marks representing the amount of death’s due to bird flu which was inspired by the quote I found from a news article which stated ‘It’s not just a pandemic,it’s a catastrophe’.I also used some cracked plaster that I found which i felt perfectly symbolised the fragility and vunerability of not only life but the life of a species which isn’t human and not able to speak up for itself.A species very quickly being killed off,a species that may one day become instinct because nobody spoke up for them and the goverment never cared.

Gestural marks created using a bird beak,bird bone sculpture/tool and charchol found from the beach.I found that this excercise worked alot more sucessfully then I thought it would And i think next week i would like to try it on a much larger scale on the wall and by attaching the found object sculpture to a bamboo stick with twine.

Experimental piece using clay on a bamboo stick on some packaging paper.I liked the fact that this had a very primitive look to it and looked almost like a found piece

Glazes

Particualry pleased with were the darker glaze hit as this was esactly what I was wanting.

I suspefically choose glazes that were either black or brown or would like like they were contaminating each other when they had been fired by looking through samples and discussing with the technician the kind of ‘gnarly’ effect I was looking for this seemed best.I also used different methods of ‘dipping’ the sculptures into the glazes.using painting brushes to flick and drip the paint on.Due to a large majority of my work having not been fired due to it being too wet Sean advised that i could ‘wet glaze’ but this came with the risk that thoose particular pieces may ‘collapse’ in the kiln depending on how wet they got so i had to be careful not to put too much glaze on them.I am excitied to see how and mor particulary (if) they work out!

Reflection

This week was particulary a sucessful week for mark making and I can’t wait to try it out on a larger scale in regards to the ‘tally marks’.Glazing has been particualry a case of ‘trial and error’ and i have more to glaze next week but i am also anxious as to how this weeks sculptures will of glazed and whether or not they will of survived the kiln.It seems to be alot of ‘trial and error’ mixed with alot of patience (which is something i really struggle with as I like to work fast and see instant results).

Week 4

Mark making continued.

I decided to use the found object sculpture in a different way by attaching it to a bamboo stick.

Inspired by tribal and cult-like shaman’s staffs I decided to use the bird sculpture as a tool in a different way,I also felt that this would work well in regards to ‘contamination’ working with the bones of the bird at a distance.

The bamboo stick didn’t allow for much flexibility so was hard to get the lines I hoped to get with it so I ended up removing the bone sculpture from the stick and using it how I had done previously by hand.To start with I wasn’t really liking the painting but I decided to just keep going with it because nothing ventued nothing gained and if I don’t like it then I can allways paint over it with white emultion and start again. I used a variation of methods in the end and brought together the symbol for the molecules mixed with the lines from the tally mark and some paint/mud thrown on top to represent the oil contamination.I experimented with the gannets being in different positions but decided to give the appearance of either several gannets falling of one gannet falling stage by stage in the black rain of death.I feel that this piece has grown on me over the last few days aswell as it having had good feedback and fellow classmates stopping to look at it.

Winged creature

Final glazed creature which I am really happy with.

I think that working in clay has really helped my creative process incredibly well by helping me to build more ideas in a 3D sense and also on paper.Conversing with my advisor she mentioned the sculpture being made into a giant puppet which is actually something I had thought of myself whilst making the piece.It made me think a bit of a giant puppet at one of the Pink Floyd stage shows.We discussed this happen as prehaps part of my degree show and who I could contact.I decided to email one of the tutors who makes giant puppets and she has agreed to meet with me for a chat and to help me with the creating of it for the degree show if need be.

I think it makes so much sense that the sculpture becomes a puppet as people and the goverment seem to feel a ‘disconnect’ with them and this puppet will hopefully make them feel re-connected.I have been considering as to whether it is important that the audience reckonise it as a gannet or that there is a fantasy element where the bird is more of a creature who’s characteristics are ‘sorrowful yet loving’ I personally imagine it to have a character much like a horse where it gives gentle nudges to the audience,which also acts as a reminder that it is still there.

The above was in response to he Idris Khan gas tank photo/print that I posted lasst week mixed with the tally mark theme.The white card held a much better contrast and I liked the effect of drybrush painting on it in parts.Combined with pouring on some of the muddy oily water it gave a kind of ghostly transparent effect which I felt connected well with the how ‘forgotten’ the birds are.

Ready with a stoneware glaze and oxide ready for the kiln!

Considering two of the above were ‘wet glazed’ they turned out particulary well apart from two of the beaks falling off none of them ‘collapsed’ in the kiln so win win.The glaze and oxide on the screaming bird worked out particulary well in giving a really gnarly/distressed apperance which is what i was aiming for.Since I had noted down all the glazes and oxides used for each,I then doccumented what worked well and what hadn’t and used them on the new pieces that went into the kiln this week.

Research

Ingela Ihrman

I really like the textural element of her performance costumes,this bird in particulary looks like it is made from natural fibres which is something I feel would be important to add to the puppet in the future making of it.Apparently one of her performances as an oilbird will be happening in London on March 23rd so I may see if i am able somehow to go down and see it as I feel it will be beneificial to my practice.

‘How it felt’

I am considering contacting these guys in regards to puppet making (altho i’m not sure if they make puppets on the same scale as i want to) as they are post graduates of DJCAD. I really like the fact that there work is socially enganged and for people with ADHD.

Yes men fix the world

I like the fact that this activist duo reveal the problematic social and political truths that need to be heard in the best way possible via hoxes and their theory that ‘lies can reveal truths’ which is something I may consider taking forward into my work.

Marcus Coates.

I like the fact that Marcus Coates tries to ’embody’ the animal and become it but that his work also has a comical element when he mixes with the public (Altho i’m unsure if his work is supposed to be seen that way)

Week 5

Birds and bowls.

This week I felt like I had hit a bit of a block in regards to clay work so I decided to try some large scale gestural paintings of the birds like one of my tutors had suggested. Altho I liked the bottom drawing as I felt that it had a primitive feel to it I disliked the drawing above as the scale wasn’t write and neither was the wing,so I painted over it twice in order to readjust it and try different techniques but I just didn’t feel satisfied with it.I decided I like the bottom painting but ended up throwing paint over it thinking this would help it conect to the painting next to it but ended up disliking it after that aswell.

Whilst creating the above bird I completely forgot myself and forgot to add the wings on with slip as they were added seperately which was frustrating as the left wing broke off in two places once I piked it up to move it.When speaking to the tutor she suggested prehaps keeping it like that because a birds body breaks up when it disentergrates anyway.She also discussed my sculptures not all being made flat underneath so that they stood in different ways.And when my work is displayed would the birds be displayed in ways that they were like items being discovered or ready to be found?These questions made me think and question my work in ways I hadn’t before.I somehow hadn’t even realised that all my clay pieces had flat bottoms underneath but will strive to change that when I create more.

I wanted this piece to represent the pain and anguish that these birds go through with each sharp cut.I plan to use this dish to balance it on me whilst the dirty/oily/muddy water seeps out onto my top.I plan to use both this bowl and another bowl that i have made in the performance on the beach which shall be happening next week

Experiment with the use of some straw/hay that i found in order to make what appears to be a bird’s nest.I really like the placement of it in this corner with what looks like the gannets falling into it.

Experimental placing of the items within the nest.I found that the items became lost in the nests so it didn’t present them properly as such but the nest hides them in such a way that it may be an interesting way of discovering them.Or prehaps if they are hidden amongst the straw?

Research

Brian Eno

I feel that the use of light gives an almost ghostly feel to Brian eno’s images and the fading aswell.I would like to introduce this kind of ghostly appeal to my work in some given aspect of it in the future.

His music also gives a real feel of time and space and captures you in the moment which is something that i want my audience to be aware of.

Project Maping

This week I signed up to a project mapping workshop as I felt like it may come in handy when it comes to my degree show.Especially if I do plan on making a large scale piece like a puppet that could prehaps be projected onto.

Hospitalfield

I’ve chosen to volunteer at Hospitalfield (which is one of the most incredible buildings) So that my foot is in the door in regards to being contacted with assistant artist/lead artist positions over the summer. I would also absolutely love to do a residency here and already have ideas of a performance piece that I would like to do in response to this room!

Upon Reflection..

I don’t think this week has been the most creative practically as I have felt quite frustrated but it has been a good week for new ideas and gathering new ideas from people with an outside perspective such as the tutors.I hope to take these ideas forward in order to ‘keep the ball rolling’ and the process of creativity.

Week 6

Performance

This week I decided to perform a performance at Balmerino that I had been planning for a while but I had been waiting for my bowls to go into the kiln first.

Altho I had tried to plan this excercise via my sketchbook,it wasn’t untill i was on the beach that i realised that this wouldn’t work and I thought of what Alister Mckennan had said about practising everything before I try it out.I realise that i really should of practiced this prior.I personally think that it looks kinky with the fact I decided not to wear a bra as i didn’t want it to show but now my boobs are showing instead and my tutor mentioned it looking like a kidnap which is true also!I will deffinately be practising prior in future!

I like the fact that the oily/muddy water has stained the groves of the bowl which is what I was hoping to happen.I would say this was the only sucessful thing to come from the performance.

Costume making

I decided to use voile,mixed with mud from the beach and some charcoal that i found on the beach to create the wings.Altho the dust from the mud started to make my nose,throat and chest burn slightly.So I am considering using coffee as a back up option.The voile was stiched loosely onto the arms so that it would fall off and could be torn easily.This outfit was inspired by an outfit of Alistair Maclennan during his ‘Land to sand’ project’ and due to the fact that Alistair suggested I make an outfit that I can tear which would move in the wind and the pieces flying in the air would then link with my gestural work mixed with the photography.I am going to trial adding pieces to the back and front to see what this would look like also and also to give the back a birds tail.

Voile wetted,stuck to the wall then charcoaled wood from the beach applied which not only gave a great texture to the material but the wall also!

Alistair Maclennan.

‘From land to sand’ was a piece that had inspired the outfit through it’s use of scraps.Altho i haven’t used food waste and more material and paper.

Alice Auaa

I love the ‘goth glamour’ used in Alice Auaa’s work particulary the way she roughly cuts the material and leaves it to hang at the bottom,this is something that i intend to try.

Dancers

After speaking to Kate Mcleod last week about doing a collab with dancers from the dance school I had a teams meeting with Eddie Gaines,one of the teachers from the dance school,he suggested that I spoke to one of the MA and fourth year students at DJCAD about how I direct the dancers as this isn’t something that I have done before.But said that I was only ‘A few steps’ away from working with the dancers’.He also said that he would put a BA theatre student in contact with me who was specialising her study in the decomposition of bodies and that this could be the potential for a collab?I feel that this would be a great idea and am looking forward to being contacted by her. I have arranged to meet with Shannon Maitland on Monday to talk about directing the dancers and i’m still awaiting to hear back from the masters student.

My idea for the dance would be that it is more focused on movement,very slight which was taught to us at the Alistair mclennan workshop then the performance would pick up pace bit by bit untill it was in complete chaos. And then gradually back to slow small movements. This would represent the life and fall of the bird,the preciousness of a life beggining,contrasting with the chaos of a life taken down and stricken with pain and agony whilst the costumes fall apart piece by piece. I think I may get the dancers to respond to music particualry a classical piece which also means if I decide to use that footage that I can keep the music in due to copyright laws.

I was hoping to use the paper wings for the dancers but my tutor suggested using the material ones and prehaps making arm pieces to attach the material to.After contacting a friend who studies fashion she said that elastic would need to be attached to the top of any arm pieces but my best bet would be to just crop tops right up past chest level and to prehaps thread the voile through slits in the arms? I feel that this would altho cover the whole arm would maybe stop the pieces falling out of their own acord but the dancers could prehaps pull them out?

Clay work.

This piece was the piece i like the best before it was glazed but I think that it may of got squished slightly whilst being on the shelf and waiting to be fired as the mouth is slightly stunted and the hole meant for liquid coming through has moved aswell.I think i may position it half leaning during the crit so that the liquid is able to sucesfully come out of the mouth.

The walking mouth/chest had taken on some really interesting textures,the only disapointing part is that the glaze seems to of covered up the hole in it,so next weeks task for the crit will be to free up the hole as i have purchased some fake IV drip bags so that black oil can make it’s way slowly out of it.

Artist’s book Collection.

This week myself and a couple of others were given access to the artist book collection.This was a fascinating display of may different artist’s books and i also found out that DJCAD has the biggest collection of them in the u.k!It was interesting to see what is considered as ‘a book’ and lots of different ideas of how to display work.

‘It all started with a bic’

A second year exhibition,created using bic,I enjoyed the mixture of abstract and realism.

My particulary favourite piece as the person had thought ‘outside the box’ and used sculptural elements which could also be used as a costume piece.

Reflection

I feel that this week has really picked up the pace,with the ball rolling across many different area.I think what I want my main focus to be on now is creating these outfits,and researching and working through how I will direct the dancers by talking to other people with experience of this.it will be interesting to hear from Shannon and what her thoughts are.

WEEK 7

Performance based mark making

I decided to use performance using the wings and dipping them in ink to create marks aswell as using the clay piece I had made to project ink onto the paper before attaching the paper to the wall and allowing the fan to create the material on the paper to move and create more marks on the paper and the wall.

I decided to play around using a fan to see how the material would react and move.It worked better having the fan on the floor then at height.I also really like this shot and may try doing more shots like this in the future.Especially the change of position at the begginging.

I love the uncontrolable motion of the material,ghost like a flowing it was hard to control what it would do or how it would make contact with the paper,the ghost like quality of the material made me think of some images I had seen from a book called ‘Photography and the Occult’

These images were taken by the pshycic and photographer ‘William Hope’The material I used for the performance had the same transparent qualities and movement as the material used to create these photo’s of supposed ‘spirits’ from the early 1900’s.

I love the way that using the fan creates a back splatter of ink similar to the marks made if someone is shot to the head using a gun.

A replica of the claypiece itself?

What I found particulary interesting is that the ink that spouted from the claypiece created an ink splatter which then in turn resembled the claypiece itself.An interesting coincidence?It’s almost like a symbol left by the monster that created the spill.I think i may create a series of drawings inspired by it.

Another coincidence?!?

The marks made created a bird person!

The material did’nt create as many marks onto the paper as I hoped for,but I still like the movement of it.

Marks made by the performance.

An interesting range of marks created by both performances.

Glaze

A glaze and mixture of two oxides.I’m intrigued as to how these will react when mixed with each other.

Cancelation of dancers and Organising ‘Wing Defence’

After sending my proposal for the dancers to the head of the dance school I was told it was now ‘too late in the term’ and to come back next term.

So I decided to problemsolve the issue.What else could I do?After speaking with one of the fourth years who uses performance in her practice she had suggested using other students so I had the lightbulb moment of deciding that I would use a excercise during the performance workshop that we did with Alastair Mclennan where one person almost plays ‘piggy in the middle’ and the two other people don’t let them escape.So I have decided to do this excercise with both dancers and non-dancers to see how they use there bodies in reponse to this.

The reason i have choosen this excercise is because i want the bird to be trapped in the middle with birdflu/oilspill on either side not letting it go anywhere.

The people depicting ‘birdflu’ will wear only black whilst the bird will wear the outfit.

I have booked a room and equitment for Tuesday and I am collaberating with Naia who sits beside me in the studio as she specialises in filmography and I have asked some people who were previous participants of the performance workshop to attend.

Upon Reflection.

I think this week has been a great week of experimentation not only with mark making but with the outfit aswell.How does it move?How can I move to be at one with the outfit aswell?The mark making proved to have some interesting results but I can’t say it has created my favourite painting due to this.As I prefer the previous painting which used more agressive techniques and mixed the ink with the oil.

This week was also a learning curb aswell in regards to communicating with professionals and problem solving when outcomes don’t go your way.

Week 8

‘Wing Defence’

This week focused on the performative aspect of my work combined with redeveloping the costume.

I decided to use Lewis as the Northern Gannet due to his height and that corresponsing with the wing span of the gannet.I also added the black eye make-up to make him more convincing as the gannet.This activity was a great collabrative effort, Lewis really helped with what area we should use in the room for the performance and sectioning it off accordingly. Naia and Lewis were great with what filming angle I should use.We communicated really well as a team which was the most important part. I gave the group loose instructions and ordered Emily and Georgia to ‘block lewis in any way possible with your bodies’ they then decided upon themself to strip him of his ‘feathers’.The piece was filmed aswell as photographed but i decided that the photographs were so much stronger then the filming because it was photographed using long exposure which caught singular moments of movements as the material swished and caused such a beautiful poetic blur.I felt that this balanced really well with the rest of my work which has a poetic feel to it.

I asked the participants to make the end scene look like that at the end of Rocky Horror where by ‘Rocky falls and everyone dies’ To show the effect that the death of the seabirds will have upon the whole ecosystem and with the spreading of bird flu now occuring in humans and mammals the human race too.

Left to his own devices,Lewis started to experiment with the outfit,he took it upon himself to hold onto the end of the sleeves which has made me decided to cut holes in the ends of the sleeves.The movement of the sleeves created some great shot using long exposure and look great togehter as a contact sheet altho I wonder if it would maybe be better to have the darker shots together and the lighter shots together.

Inspiration

Alexander Mcqueen’s ‘Oyster dress’

The movement of the wings has made me decide that i want there to be more movement/ flow/twists and turns in the dress overall more like Alexander McQueen’s ‘oyster dress’ I want the movement to not only replicate the fall of the bird but the angst,tension and physical/mental torture that they suffer also.

Shamanic Shape shifting.

I feel I need to add more to the outfit so that the soul of the seabird can be emobodied much like the shaman who was a shape shifter.

‘In the shaman’s world, animals are kin, an ancient belief reflected in mythology and in animism — the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings. It is a mental world where the seen and the unseen; the material and the spiritual merge Dorothy H. Eber, “Recording the Spirit World,” Natural History Magazine, Sept, 2002, p. 54.’

I think it is really important that the material and the spiritual merge not only in regards to the seabird but by using the essence of Occult photography from the 1800’s within my work.

There are rules that have been created in order to help you merge with your spirit animal which I think I will use once the outfit has been adapted further.

Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon, Study after Velazquez’s Portrait of Pope Innocent X

I love this study particulary as it suggests this other wordly movement of him moving into another dimension.

Reflection

This week has been a really sucessful one,I enjoyed collaberating more then I thought i would of which was a learning curb for me.It has also made me consider starting up a performance art collective in the future with these conections that i have allready made as the uni doesn’t seem to have one.

The photo’s are also something that I want to consider doing using either long exposure or continous shutter speed.

I think the outfit will improve as will the photo’s with the more material I add to it to give it a more shamanic feel and to embody the seabird more after researching and finding the shamanic guide.

Week 9

outfit additions/embodying the gannet.

Rules.

Create sacred space as you would for other spiritual work, dim the lights, and sit comfortably erect in a chair or on the floor.
Close your eyes and take a couple of deep breaths.
Call upon an animal that you have an affinity with. Visualize and invite this animal spirit to come into your body and consciousness.
Meditate with it. Be open to the feelings and sensations of being that animal. It is not uncommon to be and see the animal at the same time.
Simply observe whatever happens for a few minutes, and then thank the spirit animal and release it.

Dorothy H. Eber, “Recording the Spirit World,” Natural History Magazine, Sept, 2002, p. 54

Outfit was given more material which ranged from voile to another kind of polyester based material that my classmate donated,these were again partial dyed using the oily sludge found up and down the coast line.

These were ‘practice shots’ taken using my phone with a count down timer on it which worked not quite as effectively but almost as effective as using continous shutter speed.I’m really pleased with the way the material moves in these greating an otherworldly/freefall effect.

I unconciously recreated one of the images that has inspired the use of this material from the ‘photography and the occult’book.

Playing by the rules.

Using ‘the rules of shamanism’ I created these photo’s whilst deep in mindset trying to capture the movement and inner angst,torture of the bird.

These are rules that I hope to use in the future with the dancers for my dissertation.I’m really pleased with the outcome of these photo’s as the camera technique/editing/costume and technique perfectly encapture what I had envisioned which is an 1800’s stylized photo ecapturing the torment and angst of seabirds whilst wearing a shamanic style outfit.

Inspired by

Sondra Perry

Pina Baush

Pina Baush’s work uses movement to display torture living within the soul.The way she uses her body with the males is jarring and thought proving.

Francesca Woodman

I love the ‘outerworldly’ effect that slow shutter speed has on Francesca Woodman’s self portraits giving them a demonic/haunted feel.I like the fact that one small effect can have such a huge impact on the work itself.

Claywork

Very pleased with how this particular piece has turned out due to the textural qualities displayed not only with the clay itself but with the oxiide giving a feathered look.The claywork teacher suggested next time adding feathers to the clay and then letting the feathers burn out to give an imprint which I think is a great idea.For my final installation I’m going to experiment with different ways of balamcing this piece onto the mud/sludge i have collected from the coastline and piling it into the stomach/chest area.

Reflection

Moving forward.

Next week I plan to try some ‘on location’ shots myself,I have also talked to my aerialist teacher and a few other students in regards to performing some hoop moves that are bottom of the hoop spin based and tumbles.I was hoping to use the ‘open rig’ which gets used for performances as the union but due to difficulties with DUSA (the usual) they cancelled the slot twice and i couldn’t make the third date due to work,so this will take part in the studio during open training.

Bottom of hoop style that I wish to use for the project as it incorperates the most movement.

Otherwise,I feel that this week has been the most sucessful wee in regards to the solo shots that were taken,i’m now just trying to figure out how i can edit my work down and what i will show for assesment as there is so much!I’m also unsure as to whether or not i should print my photo’s at A3 size because the bigger they are the less photo’s/work I can fit on the wall.

Week 10

By the beach/aerial photosAerial photo’s.

I did a huge series of shots (but word press doesn’t like the size of the files for some reason) Not that it matters too much as i didn’t find these photo’s sucessful in regards to movement/positioning of my body (i think this will improve once dancers are able to do the movements for me) and the fact that rachel hadn’t set the camera to long exposure)

This week I got one of my fellow aerialists from the aerialist society to perform some ‘bottom of the hoop’ spins wearing the outfit whilst i captured them using long exposure.I had hired a tripod but the top of the tripod was broken,but I found that it was easier for me just to use my hands anyway.The aerialist really struggled with this due to the heat of wearing a polyester outfit and spinning at the same time but continued on bravely! Pat (the aerialist) is also a fellow creative and made a few suggestions,one of them was to lie underneath the hoop and to move the camera whilst using long exposure.I found these photos to be the best ones.The issue I had tho was forgetting that i had put a filter on the photo’s that i had edited which then makes them grainy for printing and effects the quality,it did however turn out that this would be the least of my problems as the grainyness actually suited the style of the photo’s,it was more the fact that printing them at A3 distorted the images and some images printed much darker then they showed digitally.

Research

Chiharu Shiota

‘State of being dress’ the art of berries is a piece made by Chiharu Shiota which interweaves materiality and the pshycic perception of space using black thread to hold the item in a suspended space.I find this very haunting and poignant and would like to use this inspiration in the future and when thinking of hanging the dress for installation.

Daniel Wurzel

I love the use of material and lighting in this piece.In the future i may try to use lighting possibly with the dancers.

Week 11

INSTALLATION.

This week was installation week for the final assesment.I found myself almost having too much work to choose from so I had to think about what my strongest pieces were.I wanted to showcase everything but had to think about which pieces connected well and theire placement. I decided upon mostly letting the photography mostly have it’s own section,the lone photo’s of me performing astheically mixed well with my gestural and clay work so decided upon having them in the same space.

The hanging of the dress

INSPIRATION

Saint Serapion by ZURBARAN

A paitning I have discussed in my written report for my disertation is that of ‘saint serapion’ by Zurbaran.Instead of opting to tell the realistic tale of events in his painting (where the monk was brutally tortured) he instead to opt for a christ-like crucifixition painted in a realistic style his hope being that the realism would make be question whether they would be willing to die for there faith.I want this dress to impose upon the audience in a haunting manner in a similar fashion but to make the audience question whether they are doing enough?The audience also has to walk through the aunting figure to enable them te reach the next part of the installation and therefore having to face it.

Francesca woodman self portrait

The Ring

‘Samara’ in the ring had a drooped head which is used to intimidate the audience and which the dress recreates with the drooping of the poloneck at the front

The exorcist

The exorcist also uses a similar ‘crucifixtion’ style pose which could be seen as a mocking of the trinity but is also used to intimadate the audience

Installing Claywork

Gloopy potentially oil filled mud from the beach mixed with ink.

I wanted to create a scene of pure chaos to start with,then once the mud and ink had dried I decided to pick up the sculptures and look at what marks had been made,the big bird sculpture had left the most incredible mark almost like a ghost,I actually got a little bit emotional because it seemed to right and so poignant that this image be left instead of the sculpture because if we don’t take action this is all that will be left,a memory of what was,a ghost,a spirit.Seabirds will become the lost souls of the sea.

My dream installation.

My dream installation would of been to of had the images projected onto the material used for the dress and hung from a high ceiling.I think it would of looked amazing in a church type building especially with the dress hung in a crucifixtion style.

Or possibly have the images moving but just ever so slightly or in slow motion like in a Bill Viola exhibition that I saw a few years ago at the RA in London called ‘Life death rebirth’ which featured some people underwater on giant cinematic screens who would slowly breath bubbles.It was such an immersive experience and one that was hard to forget which is what I would want my work to ideally be like.

Reflection.

I am really pleased with my final installation,I used alot of thought and asked alot of different classmates for their opinion. How did the installation make them feel?Alot of people were intimidated by it and one of the teachers said it made him feel ‘dirty’ walking through the dress which is what i want.A shared experience/connection between human and seabird.For us to feel as one.But also intimidation and fear of a future that could one day become very real if we don’t take action now.

Third year week five. Silent Group crit.

22nd Nov 202223rd Nov 2022 | harussell1

You think I’m funny?

This week was the week of silent group crits.Personally I would of prefered to of had crits before this point so that i could gain more opinions and reactions to my piece which would of helped shape it better.But I know that’s not everyone’s preference.

I personally felt that everyone took the performance far too seriously and looking for deeper meaning when it is meant to evoke a feeling of unease and humour through the absurdity.The audieces reaction was far too quiet even when I played Taylor’s piece which made me question alot of things.How does this piece fit into the world of art?How do I evoke more of a reaction?People I had shown who aren’t in the art world seemed to understand it better then the people who were.I think that’s because they took it at face value.I want my art to be availible to the general public so does it really matter that a select group of people didn’t react the way I hoped and instead rather awquardly.

I loved the motion of the movement of the jelly.It was mentioned tome during the crit that it should prehaps of been casually thrown at the audience?Or that i should of tried to of served it along with the mucus.

Reactions weren’t as I expected.

You think I’m funny?!?

I wasn’t going for as much of a comedic value with this video so i’ll let people off on the laughing front.

Reactions from the crit were as follows;

‘Dark,gross and disgusting.funny,scared would be made to drink the mucus.Are the party cups to do with parties and socialising?Beer pong.Tutor interupted to ask how the videos were read? Did Taylor applying the green to her face symbolise it could be passed on?Covid had been made more light hearted through this.Without the covid test could it still be read as covid?Isn’t the mucus dependent on the individual?Sterile and unclean,clult/infection spread,mindmap,green liquid as a starting point for disease,are the tests too much info?Less info ont he performance and just show the jelly?Show items one by one.Cup with overpour of mucus.Green works well itself.Just keep pouring untill no water left.Bobby Baker table of occasions.Calm but chaos,no reaction to the chaos from the covid monster itself.Have people standing in a line constantly smudging each other with the green paint or use red thread and get people to walk to one another with it.

Third year week 4:The birth of the covid Monster.

14th Nov 20222nd Dec 2022 | harussell1

I felt that a bedsheet was the most fitting for the covid monster because if it was gonna spring up from anywhere it would be your bed!Especially as you spend the most time in it whilst ill.

Dylon dilueted in water and salt.The colour turned out much better then expected and esactly what I wanted considering the dye sachet was only meant for a small amount of material equal to that of a shirt.

I used a mixture of pva and olive green paint in order to gloop it onto the bedsheet and make it seem as realistic as possible giving the effect of snot/mucus.

Using the plasma cutter in Welding I cut out the shape of the ripe sternum using the card maquette that I had made previously (something i do which helps me work out the size and how things will work/not work.I had drawn out the outfit but it wasn’t untill I tried ti on in realisty that I realised it could easily be mistaken for a hijab which ofcourse I didn’t want.It made sense that the ribsternum needed to be detached from the headband as it was the headband and the colour grey that as making the outfit look most like a hijab and that the rib sternum should be made into a necklace to sit where the ribs are.

The theory behind the plague Doctor outfit was that it would ‘isolate’ the doctor meaning that they wouldn’t get contaminated.Much like the modern day PPE.I wanted one of the eyes to give resemble one of the plague dr goggles/gasmask.

I wanted the covid moster to resemble almost that of a scooby doo villian in terms of it’s mischieviousness but with a more sinister intent.

Same of the scariest masks are some from the victorian era,outfits would most commonly be made using ‘crepe’ paper (something which was new to that era and everyone was very excited about) masks were however made using paper mache,fabric and paint all of this left terrifying results!I wanted the covid monster to be infuenced by the simplicity of outfits like these almost with a mixture of a ‘bedsheet ghost’

Amazingly sad movie but I love the fact that altho the outfit was just a bit sheet the meaning was so much more then that.

I decided to attach the positive covid test first using super glue and then by stitching them on and adding the positive symbol in the middle of the ‘eye’ and then adding the pva and ink gloob to the other eye area.The necklace then gave great shape to the head and the shape of the rest of the gown had a rather formed yet high fashion shape to it the fitted ends of the sheet giving great shape to the arms.It resembled a body bag tho but also the hood used before someone is hanged.I hoped that the body bag shape wouldn’t cause offense to anyone who’s family member had died due to covid as that isn’t what i have intended.

The hooded head reminded me of a hang mans sack.

‘Pirates’ was a show I watches as a child and the top right character who allways remained in a sack reminded me of the covid monster.As I child I forever wondered who was in the sack which I want the audience to do with covid also.

A mixture of pva,ink and olive green paint left int he plastic pot from pouring onto the sheet turned out to make a perfect eye!

A poster I made and put up in the corridoor in order to see what people would respond.The respose wasn’t as interesting as I thought it would be.I think I will mayb put more up around the uni and see what happens.

On the left a collage piece aiming to resemble the gloom of the covid monsters.I find this to be quite an effective way of resembling it.

On the right is a page from the book ‘A brief history of the dance of death’ by Ian Breakwell.I think I would like to overlap the faces of thoose who have had covid with the covid monster.After speaking to a tutor who knew the artist himself he said that most of his work was actually done on the photocopier which is something I used to be really keen on years and years ago.

Third year week 2.’WHen life gives you covid make a cup of mucus’

14th Nov 20222nd Dec 2022 | harussell1

This week my project took a full 180 degrees turn.What was meant to be a weekend visit to my partner who lives in Okrney turned out to be a full week due to us both getting Covid.In my fevered delirious state i started to wonder if the cloaked figure I had imagined was actually a premonition of my own covid due to the fact it had a rib sternum as a face covering.I had felt so lost with what esactly the world was going to be that connected to the cloaked monster but now I knew.That world was this world and Covid visits us when we least expect it.The most hideous monster of them all

Covid Feels like.

Covid feels like: Burning hot pokers pushed into your eye sockets.

Covid feels like: Having your head crushed slowly by a car door.

Covid feels like: A lump in your throat that will swallow YOU whole.

Covid feels like: ‘Welcome to the worry factor’

Covid feels like: ‘I’m gonna fail,I’m gonna fail’

Covid feels like: ‘I can’t afford it’

Covid feels like:’Rich,Rich,RICHARD’

Covid feels like: *SNORES*

Covid feels like: *Cough…spew…cough*

Covid feels like: ‘it’s chocolate,it’s something you like’

Covid feels like ‘Not on your nelly,not one little bite’

Covid feels like: Missed opportunities.

Covid feels like: -£900.18

Covid feels like: There had to be a positive.

I wrote this in the midst of covid and altho I felt down and burnt out by it to start with one night whilst wide awake with the shivers I felt inspired to write this.

I also kept a diary entry.

When life gives you covid make a cup of mucus.

Day 1 8pm: It all started when I went for dinner with Richard and the girls. He wanted to sign up to

Rev comps and I was trying to ignore the fact that I felt ill until he went to sign up and it delayed us

leaving so I blurted out ‘I feel ill! Please don’t!’ Can we go now?

We watched 1408 as it seeped in I sure as hell wished we hadn’t as most Stephen King movies are

like a fever dream anyways and I swear this just made it worse. I didn’t know what day of the week it

was by the time it had finished and my temperature soared through the roof. Rich tested me.I was

negative which was the positive in my mind.

DAY 2 5am: Searing pain in my eye sockets, my head feels like it’s been slammed in a car door several

times. The pain keeps me awake the chills make me not want to leave my bed to search for

ibuprofen. Decided to wait until almost day light (which takes a while in Orkney in the winter) to

wake Richard because I couldn’t handle the pain much more. Out of the goodness of his heart he

wet me a small towel and applied it to my head and eyes. It was a small gesture but one I was so

grateful for. I finally slept until 9am.

He took the day off to look after me.

He’s too sweet.

I lay on the couch lethargic and coughing up flem balls like flemy cat.

Somehow, we came to the unanimous decision that going to the spa would be a great idea.

(It was not)

Turns out the sauna and steam room did not clear the flem in my throat it just made it SO much

worse. It felt like the thickest flem ever that I couldn’t clear or get up. The coughing was leading to

me gagging, which was so embarrassing (especially in public)

Rich told me to spit.

I’d rather swallow.

I was meant to be going home tonight but I had to reschedule due to feeling so ill. It cost me £30 to

reschedule.

Day 3: I slept so well!!!!I woke up so refreshed!!I never sleep like this, I barely even noticed Rich

leaving for work! The hill is alive with the sound of…shivers? The cough of doom? FFS. At least I

managed to get the clothes washed and some of the dishes done though. I decided to run another covid

test because something isn’t right here…

POSITIVE.

Messaged Rich because he was in a meeting. He comes home then…

POSITIVE.

Couples who get covid together stay together right?

His &hers

How sweet.

I had to reschedule the ferry (again)they let me do it for free this time though because to travel with

them with covid is against their policy. Thank God as I had no money left.

Feeling so para about Uni, had to cancel my welding session, tutorial and everything. I didn’t want to

fail.I can’t fail. I really don’t want to fall behind but what can I do?

I messaged Pernille, she said t would be ok to talk to her about it. That and the 10,000 other things

keeping me behind just now. My Dads ill ,my cats ill ,I’m ill. I have no money. Urgh.

I can’t differ again. Not this time.

We played stardew valley. It was addictive yet therapetutic I can see how people got hooked during

lockdown and how it helped mental health. Planting, listening to rainfall and relaxing music.

We watched Goodfellas.

Day 4:I couldn’t sleep, Rich’s bed is as solid as a mortuary slab and my hips and back cant take it. I

shivered so much, hugged him for warmth but even he wasn’t his usual warm self. I didn’t wanna get

up because I was too cold to turn the heating on. I finally got up and turned it on. Tossed and turned

consistently. My back and hips hurt, it was too hot it was too cold, coughing,I thought covid was

meant to make you lethargic? I thought up a spoken word poem about covid and all of a sudden it hit

me,

THIS IS A POSITIVE.

The hooded creature with the rib sternum IS COVID. The elephant in the room!!The ultimate

creepester in the room! The one guy you didn’t invite to the party but he turns up anyways

UNINVITED. No matter how big or how small he is he’s there.

I moved to the livingroom to sleep but the ideas paced and paced my head.

Day 5:I can’t smell or taste. Somehow I never noticed this until now. It makes life so abysmal.I keep refusing food and Rich is getting worried. Trying to makesure I atleast take supplements. We went for a walk across the beach. I only managed half way before feeling absolutely freezing,I feel that this was mostly down to me not eating. Everything tastes like textures. My head feels heavy. All I want to do is sleep constantly. I moved the ferry again to Friday this time. Luckily having covid means you can’t travel with them so they will transfer the trip for free.

Day 6: We chanced a walk to Tesco. The exercise did me good and if it was Richard’s way we would be climbing mountains by now but am I fuck. He tested negative. Can’t help but feel bitter about it! Starting to wonder if I will ever test negative at this rate. Or even get my taste and smell back. Not looking forward to getting the ferry home tomorrow especially feeling like this.

Day 7:Even packing for the ferry was a killer let alone getting on it. It was pouring down too which wasn’t great, the ferry wasn’t too rough atleast.

Day 8:I had to wait atleast 2 hours on the train. Forcing myself to eat food I couldn’t taste and then struggling with my luggage to the taxi rank. Taxi driver felt so sorry for me after I told him my multiple sob stories that he gave me a can of energy juice.haha.

Day 9:still positive and I need to pick the cat up.My brothers autistic OCD traits were going into overdrive. Sanitising my hands at his door, wearing a mask. wouldn’t let me use the toilet or touch anything that wasn’t Tia’s. I’m definitely greatful that this happened now and not during lockdown as I spose I would of faced this off everyone. Went to the shops, bought food but barely ate it.

Day 10.Still positive although my mentality is not.Apparently I am well over the infectious stage so is ok to return to the public even though I feel guilty about doing so.Rich is sending me vitamins.I managed to eat breakfast and lunch although it felt like yuck. Mushroom stroganoff tasted like the texture of slugs. Emily made me eat a banana for her project because the joke is that I ‘wouldn’t be able to taste it anyway’ I still hated the texture. I couldn’t even swallow so I spat. Spoke to Pernille, feel better about things now. I will just take everything one step at a time and stop comparing my workload to last years. Done printmaking prep which was an effort and a half. Pushed myself to stay all day and do as much as possible

Did you know your an amazon warrior?

I decided to smear body paint where i felt it the most which was my eyes,head and throat,I also felt like I was drowning in my own mucus which wasn’t particulary a pleasent feeling.Mucus which never comes up.

During a talk from a lecturer (Delia) in my expansive module she mentioned how Amazon Warriors use a type of red seed which is also used to colour cheese in the West and cheesey crisps etc to smear there bodies with in order to protect them from measels!I was in shock as I knew nothing about this but instinctively I was drawn to do this!

I think when I return to uni (hopefully next week) I will ask fellow students who have had covid to go over their stories of it and to choose a colour that they feel best resembles their experience with covid aswell as interview them about their experience.

The covid monster.

I decided to play about with the idea of covid as a monster,the cheap halloween costume kind made from an old snotty bedsheet.But first I decided to create it in shadow form watching over me whilst I slept.

One..two..Covids coming for you.. I like the fact that this shadow figure was reminiscent of ghostly figures from the victorian era.

An abandoned church in a chzech village was filled with lots of statues made by a local artist ‘Jakub Hadrava’ His work was to try and save the abandoned church and was meant to resemble the ‘Sudetan German’s’ (ethnic minorityGerman’s) who were expelled from the country atfter WW2 to Austria and Germany.

On the right the figue of ‘Nadja’ from ‘Art and the Occult’ prehaps ‘The Covid Monster’ is like a spirit figure only ever seen by thoose who are hallucinating due to fever.

Through out dark times in history,people have created art.What I like the most about American Gothic is the fact it was painted during the ‘great depression’ and yet the couple seemed to be in some kind of depression themselves,the painting is such a satire.I want my work to be this,dark humour,based around a dark era in the world’s history.

In this age of darkness,do we need a modern day demon to blame our troubles and woes on?Can we blame our woes on ‘the covid monster?’ as it seems that everything esp at the time of the full lockdown was blamed on Covid.Businesses being behind with workloads,people not replying to emails when they should etc etc.

Semester 2 Week 11 Final video’s/Collaboration/displaying work.

21st Apr 202221st Apr 2022 | harussell1

This week was mostly about tying up loose ends in regards to video work and looking at how I could pull all my work together and display it for assessment.

Firstly,I decided to add some music over both edits of the Red Lady and the flag combo.I decided to use music that gave the feeling of tension with a beat that seemed to echo that of a heartbeat as I felt that it was important that the viewer felt the tension and fear that the red lady feels.The swishing had a space-like feel which I felt added to the dystophian feel behind it.

The Halloween edit gave more of a creepy vibe then the tension I was seeking but being a sucker for a baseline I decided to make this edit anyway as i felt like the flash imagery worked well with the beat.

Collaboration

I got asked by a fourth year Claire Gamble if I would want to collaborate with her in a photoshoot which would be shot by a local photographer (Lydia Smith Dundee) as she was making viking styled jewlery and thought it would be a great idea to incorperate the Red Lady’s asthetics with it.So I modeled holding an old book with jewlery on it,a challice with earings in it and a stuffed crow on a branch with jewlerry hanging from the branch.There was a white mark which had appeared on the hood of the cloak which Claire tried to remove with a wet wipe which ended up leaving a wet mark on the hood which the photographer wasn’t happy about.It was decided to tie a shoulder throw made from crow feather around the hood area.I agreed to this altho it doesn’t particualry go with my aethetic.Upon viewing the photo’s afterwards i realised it looked more like hair and I can’t say i was a fan of it but these photo’s were to be used by Claire for her degree work mostly so I didn’t say anything and luckily the wet hood dried for the ‘in character’ shots that I did. I particulary like some shots that were done using red lighting and the ones which were up close to my eyes are it looked like I was going to cry (but really I just had hayfever eyes that day haha).Sadly the photo’s are not yet availible so i’m not able to post them to the blog but hopefully in the future they will be so that I can add them here.

Displaying for assessment.

It’s difficult to get a real perspective from this photo alone but I had originally envisioned having the head cage up on a plynth as I felt that it was a very important part of the story so I wanted to draw attention to it but I felt that it would distract from any other found items/sculptures I also found that the other pynths weren’t long enough for the other items particulary the long spear shaped found item.

A class mate suggested turning the longer plynth on it’s side.I liked this idea height wise because it instantly makes the audience member crouch down and therefore starts to get them actively ‘involved’

Dirt!I decided that why not involve the audience member in what I found most exciting,which was a huge part of the process and also part of the story an archaelogical dig/found items

Digging style tool used by Archaeologists which has a similar shape to the digger tool that I forged

I decided to merge alot of the strong ideas together for the final assesment piece.I took Maria Fusco’s advice and filmed a performance piece where the Red Lady appears and leaves her mark and tell’s her story by making cave-like paintings.I felt that it was important to partially use natural colourings due to the Red Lady’s surrounding being the woods, so I mixed the compost used for the dig in a little water and used a mixture of sticks and an electric cable to paint the images I also mixed the red paint with compost water to give it a darker grungier tone.I also used the cable to scratch in some detail to show frustration,anger and a feeling of being on edge.It also helped with the primitive feel.

I felt that the reverb of the door slamming went well with the reverb present in the music.I wanted the movement of the red lady painting herself to be almost as if she was praying and moving in a hypnotic motion.

The image on the right is her abusive husband warning her not to meet or gossip with others.

The red lady then uses her time traveling powers to travel through different decades leaving items and hints at what is to become the future for women if they don’t act now.

“Nolite te bastardes carborundorum”

(Don’t let the bastards grind you down) (Margret Atwood 1985)

The handmaids tale has played a huge part in this project I think more subconciously then conciously as I am a big fan of the books and TV series. Something that has echoed in my mind is that in the second book ‘The Testaments’ there is a chapter where many decades on into the future diaries are found written by Ofred which then become artifiacts as the historians try to piece together what happened and I like to think that about the ‘unknown artifacts’ left by the Red Lady as people try to piece together what these items are and where they have come from.

I have been following a facebook group for a while called ‘Remebering the accused witches of Scotland’ which is a petition which has been started to get the goverment to issue a public apology for the hanging of scottish witches. I found that this radio programme discussed the issue in more depth.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0015bdj

Also the fact that woman are still being painted as ‘witches’ in today’s society should they be too outspoken.So really how much has changed?Particulary in the sense of abortion laws being brought back into states in America by states either goverend by ‘christian’ males or ‘christian’ females but more often then not males. This is why I felt that it is important that the narrative that the red lady is trying to tell is that the past is going to repeat itself in the future if the change doesn’t happen now.I feel like the rust on the items particualary the headcage ties in with these ‘age old’ laws and ways of thinking.And yes,some of the items may look medevil but it is a physical representation of age old laws making a revival.

Here are the states that have passed laws restricting and enshrining abortion access

This article lists the states which have banned abortions.

A woven piece of wood which looks like a vagina a symbol of the female being entrapped and restrained.

I wanted some of the prints to look like little gifts from the red lady to the audience to enable to give us little clues of her past.

I think I am mostly happy with the resolved display altho I would of liked use of the projectors so that I could of had my video work of the red lady and the flag displayed over it. As this is an important part of my work but I understand that projectors are prioritized to fourth years at this time of the year.I also wish I had more space so that things could be laid out a bit better but hopefully that oppertunity will come in maybe third year and hopefully fourth year. But I feel like all in all I have used all media’s to the best of my ability and tried to pull them all together along with the performative and story-telling aspect.I hope that the audience are able to participate and feel a sense of excitement,thrill,horror but also take into consideration the more serious undertones.

I feel like my creative journey to get to this stage has been a bumpy yet exciting ride,I am firstly super glad that I differed so that i was able to use the workshops and really draw them into my practice. I have learnt alot of new skills through them which I hope to take into my future practice. Secondly, I have learnt the importance of a strong narrative from speaking to Maria Fusco which had a really strong impact on my work as I felt like the narrative had to many loopholes and was too ‘lost’ prior to speaking to her.I feel like the mixture of story telling with the feminist undertones has relayed real problems that are still current for women in today’s society.

Semester 2 Week 10 Found objects,the blood robots and The making of the flag pole

6th Apr 202223rd Apr 2022 | harussell1

This week,I started to look over some of the found objects that i had found and how i could display and put them together.I also looked at how some of the found objects relayed with others and how they could be combined.

The lightbulb was half filled with water that never seemed to come out.I felt like finding this object was a breakthrough moment (even if it was later on in the term as it gave the project the dystophian feel I had been hoping for but for some reason I had found myself lost without realising it using materials that only suggested a medevil era such as steel,rusted objects and natural objects.This has been a complete learning curb for me and has taught me to consider the use or materials in regaurds to the narrative of the story/project more in the future.

I liked the way in which the objects fitted together

The Blood robots

After finding the lightbulb I felt that this helped draw in the dystophian influence and it also made me think of an Angler fish ,I decided what would happen if I mixed this with a robot? The edwards sciccor hands syle blades are hollow and draw the blood from people which in turn fuels the light bulb and also fuels the light within the town.

The mouth was also inspired by the Angler fish.

The blades were inspired by Edward Scissorhands.

Giant bomb inspired the tank in the stomach that fills with blood.

The making of the flag pole

To the right are two samples of the twist and a diagram showing me when i would need to twist.

Something I should of done prior to making the flagpole was measure inside my car as the flagpole proved to be too long for it,so I had to take it back to the workshop and remove a good 20cm.The technician suggested making an extension so that it could still resume to it’s original height.I did this by welding a bigger squarer pieces of metal to a smaller piece enabling the flagpole to just slip inside of it.Altho this was a great idea at the time it just seemed to make the flag pole to ‘top heavy’ and removing the extension from the bottom of the flag pole made it less so.It was also really difficult to get the right kind of soil for it to stand in.The soil was either to hard or too soft.It managed alot better with the harder soil altho it took a while to pitch it into the ground.

Flagpole extension.Bottom Half slides onto the rest of the flag pole and acts as an extension (it also meant the flagpole could fit into the car)

https://youtube.com/shorts/dr4la4ur8t0?feature=share

A slow motion edit of the flag up Law hill.The wind was super strong that day and the flag pole had to be held up towards the end and the flag started to tear out of the eyehole it was that strong so I had to hold the flag pole and the flag after a while.

https://youtube.com/shorts/lTgnt13uBw4?feature=share

A clip of the flag moving in real time.

This shot I felt was particulary powerful due to the way it caught the sun right in the middle of the eye symbol.I choose Balgay park to film this part in as I had allready scouted out this particular area last time I was there and noticed that the lighting was amazing at that time of day and how it made the leaves look red and how eerie the trees looked.I only edited the warmth slightly in this shot along witht he contrast as the sun was doing most of it for me.Sadly tho due to how loose the earth was and the fact it was on a hill I wasn’t able to get the flagpole to free stand.

Different edit where by I enhanced the blue of the sky and the warmth of the flag more so.I felt like doing this gave the sky much more of a dystophian/outer worldly feel.

I decided to overlay the Red lady with the movement of the flag as I was interested in how the material of the flag would move with the cloth of the hood.I also wanted the symbol on the flag to tie in with her torment and torture.I have just kept the orginal sound in for this video as there seems to be a scream in the background without it even being purposeful.Altho I have wanted the video’s to be soundless I may experiment with some with sound too.

This edit uses a slightly warmer tone and did’t turn out quite as condensed as the first one (I’m still trying to work out what I did differently it may be due to how I exported it).All in all I’m really pleased with how both of these have turned out and I think is amongst my most sucessful piece so far.

Just lately I have been watching the Andy Warhol diaries on Netflix.What I found particulary interesting from this doccumentary is that few people really knew Warhol as his personality was part of an act and a persona and most of all part of his art.I liked the fact that this doccumentry wasn’t another run of the mill doccumentry about his work but rather a deeper and darker look into Warhol himself via his diary entries.It made me think about ‘The Red Lady’ and how much of a cross over there is between my personality and hers.I think we certainly share the same strength of character.

Semester 2 week 9.Photoshop/beach combing.

21st Mar 202223rd Apr 2022 | harussell1

The tree that bleeds.

This week I edited some images from photo’s I had taken at Roslyn country park a few weeks ago.I felt inspired by a scene in Pan’s laberynth where Ofelia climbs inside the dark looking tree where a toad lives with a key in it’s mouth.Mixed with ‘The tree of the dead’ in Sleepy Hollow which of the grave of the ‘Headless horseman’ and contains the bodies of all his victims.I felt that the image of this tree would help piece together some of the story telling in regards to the main character.Prehaps this is where she was tortured and once a year the tree bleeds reminding everyone of her final resting place.The white filter on the tree was my favourite as there is a better contrast with the blood.I also altered the colour of garlic grass surrounding the tree to a black looking mould to add to the feeling of decay.

‘The tree of the dead’ containing the victims of the Headless horseman.

A haunting

I decided to use a couple of filters on some pre-exsisting images taken at Roslyn Country park.I felt that it was quite symbolic the removal of the face as by being silenced she had lost her identity,it also connected with the hole in the tree.This image of the woods at Balgay had red lighting without even a filter being used which I felt was perfect.

Flag

if the hole was even slightly too big then the eyelet would fall through,was a bit of struggle to get it to the right size!

Due to illness,the technician had to cancel the forging of the flag pole for this week but I’m going to try and get booked back in for hopefully next week or the week after.The 4th years have the workshop from the 1st April onwards so hopefully I can get booked in before then!

One of the least patriotic flag making video’s I could find.And the technique seemed the easiest.I drew up a similar design and took it to the technician who agreed.

Found objects

I found the metal looking grill on the beach and decided it would be great to use for weaving

Following on from the binding theme I decided to hang this almost hang man figure to the wall.The split at the bottom of the ropegiving the inanimate object legs and a life of it’s own.

https://youtube.com/shorts/Gj5Sp6IHkVI?feature=share

I travelled to Balmerino again on order to beachcomb.The tide was very nearly in but not quite (I keep wrongly judging the tide times online) so I managed to have a quick rumage and somehow pull this light from the beach which must once upon a time of belonged to a ship.Water had entered the lighbulb and it had little growths on the bulb also which made it all the more interesting!I feel that adding the lightbulb as a found object will give more of a ‘dystophian’ theme as i feel that everything else that i have made is more medevil.

What I imagine was once the end of a wall?

1 to 1 tutorial and written work.

This week I decided to have a 1 to 1 with the amazing Maria Fusco,her advice really pointed out what my work had been missing,a stronger narrative, Maria posed the question; ‘Are we visting The Red Lady or is she visting us?And that since the Red Lady doesn’t have a voice what about visiting one of the locations I have been to and doing some impromptu writing?So I wrote the following;

Underground.

The damp moist leafs.The smell of dirt rich in my nostrils.The smell of pine needles my only relief.

I scream,the birds fly.

These creatures, they reach unbelievable places,

Don’t.

The box is too tight.

But that’s the point, isn’t it?

Discomfort,pain,agony and torture because I felt too much pleasure. I felt too alive and now they want me dead.

My legs are bound. No such thing as wriggle room.

I had too much wriggle room.

My head is caged so they can hear my screams.

They.

Females,women,girls.

And god forbid the animals should cause such a racket.

My face is hot.

The cage is heavy.

I try to kick the top of the box with my bound legs.

Of course, they made it too high.

The creatures itch, they tear at my skin.

I welcome death now,

I demand death now.

But I also demand

HIS.

The Cage.

The cage.The dreaded cage.The cold hard steel weighs heavy on my limbs.My view is partial.

Too many friends,

Too joyus.

He never had any.

I did.

My hands are blue.

I don’t talk now.

My throat is seared with heat.Dry hoarse heat.

This death is too long.

It’s night now.

Or is it?

My hands are heavy.

Pulling.Something is pulling.

Is he coming back for me?

Please don’t.

My ribs, piercing like sharpened daggers straight into my lungs.

The rope is too tight.

Mock me.That’s okay,it reminds me I’m still alive.

I’m cold

My ribs hurt

My hands are heavy

I don’t forget.

We also talked about how my work would be displayed in an exhibition context and how would the red lady visit?By the touching/moving of these artifacts do we bring her alive?Is she upset by changes in her environment? No matter what decade in which they should occur?Maria also suggested that aswell as having the artificats laid out and the video’s playing what if she enters the room and paints on the wall with the twine/straw.The item is then left aswell as the painting telling part of her story and adding to her own personal narrative and Maria also posed the question how would she of been able to paint herself in the other paintings that i had done.How would she know what she looked like?And that prehaps these paintings were best left as records of what happened by locals adding to the story.

1921 – Six characters in search of an author

Maria mentioned the playwright Pirandello Web and his play ‘six characters in search of an author’In this play the characters visit the audience in search of an author to make their characters more ‘complete’Prehaps the Red lady will visit the audience in order for the audience to give her her ‘voice’ by understanding her paintings.

Maria had suggested one of her own pieces of work ‘Master rock’ mainly due to all the different elements that came together to create this ‘experimental drama’ it was interesting to think of all the different narratives combined from the poetry to using the narative of a survivor called a ‘tunnel tiger’ who dug through the mountain and was the only person to survive,to an artistical mural and a musician as the voice of the Master Rock. It made me wonder if prehaps I could bring spoken word back in and prehaps use it over the videos.

Another person mentioned was the writer Ursula K. Le Guin and her science fiction based short stories ‘The Buffalo Girls’ which features a dystophian world and a play which is currently on at the Royal Court.

The play features a woman in a windowless cell in an Asylum in 1863,the audience visits her there where she has no memory of whom she is and becomes the accomplice of a medium who requires a new assistant.Altho I like this narrative I think that it’s all too common that we visit the character and what is expected instead of the character visiting us which changes the whole dynamic.

Semester 2 Week 8 Move for Ukraine/short movies

11th Mar 202222nd Apr 2022 | harussell1

This week was a great week for many reasons,but especially in reguards to the fundraiser.Sunday night a reporter contacted the #Move for Ukraine facebook page from ‘That’s TV Scotland’ asking if one of us would mind giving an interview about the walk.Kristina and Taylor were obviously going to be too busy with the walk and would want to save there phone batteries incase anything were to go wrong.Alyssia was working so I volunteered to do it. It was via zoom and the journalist made it as relaxed and as friendly as possible.I was really nervous but knew that it had to be done to get as much coverage as possible for the cause.

https://www.facebook.com/ThatsTVScotland/

She asked me to send her any photo’s related to the cause and asked me how we came up with the idea,how Kristina was feeling,about her connections to Ukraine and how much we aim to raise etc etc.The interview only lasted about 10/15 minutes but it was enough time to get the point across.

That afternoon I decided to make some art in relation to the project using movement.So i used my feet and hands to create the ukraine flag.I felt that using my feet had an important significance as people had walked 1000’s of miles fleeing the war and i wanted it to represent that.

The left hand side was made using my hands and the right my feet.Altho i liked the ‘swishy’ sea like motion that the blue had made on the left I felt that the flag on the right was more symbolic.

https://youtube.com/shorts/D_dpcsOwYJs?feature=share

https://youtube.com/shorts/9ZeJcIx7C_0?feature=share

Wee blue and yellow bird made by Rachel in my studio.Was unintentially painted the colours of the Ukraine flag and given to me.Thought it would serve as the perfect wee emblem for our project.Birds reflect freedom,flight and most of all movement.

Poster I made for the protest expressing concern at the actions of Putin reflecting Hitler’s.

The girls finally completed there walk around midnight on the Thursday night.Kristina said that they were tired but mostly from not getting a proper night’s sleep due to the cold and that they decided to double up the end of their journey so that they didn’t have to spend another night in a tent.And that they had managed to book a hotel for one night at Burnt Island along the way and that that really helped give them the energy to spur them on.

Rather frustratingly,my toilet decided to leak (yet again) all over my bathroom floor so I wasn’t able to attend the protest which I was really wanted to attend but I heard from the girls that it went well.

Our current amount is sat at £740 so hopefully by the end of the month we will of reached our target if all continues to go well.

This project has turned into something that i would never of imagined and I am so proud at all the hard work put in.I had never met any of the girls prior to this and we have all worked so hard to get the project to where it is at.

Headcage

I like how the cage frames particulary well areas of the face.

This week I did some filming with a friend who is a fellow student.We have been in education together now for a few years and she is an amazing director and films really well so I love having her film my performance pieces.I wanted to display anguish whilst in the head cage but we also realised through trial and error that the filming worked best when the hood was fully up and the cape was tied right up under the chin in order to create more shadow and the hood moved really well particulary in slow motion.

https://youtube.com/shorts/NikBsR5ZMCs?feature=share

I feel that the movie’s work well but that the images alone are more striking.I think i may work on shortening the video’s down even more so that they just consist of a few images.

I grew up watching this music video on repeat as my dad was a big fan of Jean Michel Jarre.I can’t seem to find who the artist was that shot this video but it also was the inspiraton behind the headcage shots altho the Red Lady’s eyes are deffinately more threatening!

Ana Mendieta

Mendieta would often use chicken blood in her work to raise awareness of issues women faced such as domestic abuse and rape.

Joseph Bueys

‘The Pack’ I like the way Bueys has transformed these inanimate objects into looking like living things.

Anselm Keifer

Der Gordische Knoten by Anselm Kiefer. I appreciate the darkness in Kiefers painting and the way he incorpates Norse mythology by marking Runes into his work.I also like the dark textural effect.

‘Field of the cloth of gold’I particulary enjoy Kiefer’s exploration of the tension between beauty and terror which I feel that this painting depicts well and the textural elements.

Mark Dion

I feel that my fascination for beach combing and for curiosities long hidden within nature could be compared with that of Mark Dion’s work.Altho he doesn’t re-purpose the objects as such he stores them more as artefacts but in an artful and interesting way.I suppose this could be something to consider when it comes to displaying my ‘Artefacts’ publicly.

‘The Texas cabinet’ The Texas cabinet actual reminds me of a cabinet within my house where i store alot of curiosities.

Goshka Macuga

From Gondwana to Endangered, Who is the Devil Now?, 2020 Altho this tapestry is based on economical issues mixed with humans portraying animal characteristic as part of the ‘furries’ trend I look the dark dystophian feel to this picture.

Hanna Tuulikki.

‘Deer dancer’ Taking from a performance piece at the Baltic.

I like the way Tuulikki communicates words with movement via her performance pieces and the simple,effective yet symbolic use of costume.

Semester 2 Week 6 What once was lost now was found.

27th Feb 202222nd Apr 2022 | harussell1

Waterless Lithography

I started off this week by finally printing off the symbol I had created onto material.I was advised by the teacher that wetting then drying out the material (untill it was damp) would help the ink to soak into the weave of the cailico creating quite a bold print which is what I was looking for as it went with the bold punky aesthetics.Due to the stiffness of the material it created creases in the final piece which was accidental but I created an aged look which gave it more of the feel of being an artifact.The next phase is to make the pole to attach it to which I plan to forge and use the ‘pineapple twist’ technique for the handle.

image on cotton was much bolder then when it was printed on dry calico,

The offical welding of the headpiece!

Welding the headpiece together cause alot more issues then was first thought.In regards to how it would be welded (this was tricky when trying to attach the inside) Try to bend the circle just right (this required bending it around a plastic pipe with grippers and by hand.And part of the head piece needed to be forged in order to be bent around the plastic piece at the side of the headpiece as due to the fragility of the metal and the plastic it couldn’t be welded together.This took alot of adjustments before it could be put right.It became alot more time consuming then what we initally thought.Luckily the technician found some hoops that he had made for another project and suggested that for my next appointment we just attach them as they were the perfect size and it wouldn’t be a waste of metal.

Decided on a mixture of steel rods and circular steel as if i made it all with the steel rods it would be far too heavy.I plan on making the circular steel rust by spraying it with salt water.

Found artifact #no5.

The welding technician said that he reckoned the top half of the object was once a door hinge.

I wanted to attach the triangular top half of this piece to the rod and knew that welding wouldn’t be an option to the amount of rust on both object and by the metal being too corroded and thin and if i sanded down the metal it would end up coming through due to the fragility of it.So after conversing with the technician we decided the best idea would be to bolt it either with an already rusted bolt or with a new bolt then spray salt water on it in order to rust it.I will need to research the ratio of salt to water because altho i have heard teachers talk about it I have never done it myself.

I want the drawings to tell a story to help viewers piece things together.I want the drawings to look almost primitive/medevil through the use of sticks and finger painting to using ink and fine details.

Aboriginie cave paintings painted in the Northern territory of Australi believed to be 50,000 years old.These paintings depict ceremonies,to ancestrial spirits to animals brought over by the europeans and even drawings of the now extinct Tasmanian tiger.

Medevil ink drawings

Medevil ink drawing.In order to do anythink with ink it first had to be made using quite a labourus process which included cutting down boiling hawthorn.It was also quite matriculous because if it wasn’t boiled down in the right way it couldn’t be used.I don’t know if I would have the patience to use this process but in this modern day we luckily have lots of other alternatives.

The red lady ft the white lady

I was introduced by a fellow classmate to Balgay Park.I knew nothing of the history of the park and the cemetry and it wasn’t untill I got home and had posted some photo’s to my art instagram that a friend told me that the ‘white lady’ supposedly haunts the bridge that lays between the cemetry and the woods.It turns out that there are many stories about the white lady,but one thing that is agreed upon is that she was a beautiful lady,a beautiful lady torn apart by grief,after her lover tragically dies she throws herself from the bridge in despair.In other stories she hangs herself and another tale is that a wicked witch living on the other side of the bridge in a hut on the cemetry side throws her from it and that you can still hear her screams to this day and see the dent in the rock where her head hit.The rumour is that if you ever cross the bridge at night you will meet the same fate as the white lady.Ledgend also has it that if you run over the bridge backwards and forwards 12 times on the night of hallloween that she will appear.

I found it rather ironic that I found this location the perfect location not only to place objects that belong to the red lady but prehaps to also film whilst knowing nothing of the ledgend of the white lady.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is wp-1646295209415919960699852202409.jpg — I felt that this was an appropriate place to place this object as prehaps the white lady was unhappy at her surroundings being cut down so let this as a warning?

Placed beside an old grave waiting to have the trigger pulled…

I feel that this will be the perfect next location for filming.I didn’t realise how many red tones there were with the leaves untill after I had taken the shot.I love the exposed tree roots and the way the light falls.

Mothmeister.

An artist I have become quite interested in latley is Mothmiester who is a collab of two artists from Belgium who create grotesque post mortem style fairy tale characters who often come complete with a stuffed animal and a variety or curiosities from their own private collection.I love the darkness of these characters and how they go against the fairy tale ‘norm’.

As a child I allways loved darkfariy tales like the Grimms brothers and Mothmiester reminds me of them.

Another source of inspiration that is allways at the back of my mind from my childhood is Queen Mombie from ‘The return to Oz’ Her stare,poise and voice were allways very powerful and literally terrified me as a child yet drew me in as I allways wanted to watch more!And altho I don’t plan on my character speaking there is alot to be said as I found out during my crit about the power of the stare,my friends mother would only have to glare at us and tighted her jaw and this was more frightening then words alone.

My plan next week if I get a chance between the group project is to film myself screaming inside the headcage when it is made.I wanted it to be filmed in slow mo and silent almost like the Sirus Black Azkaban prison shot in Harry Potter