Creative Mind Map 2: Practice
This week, the materials I chose to Engage and Reflect on were How To Be An Artist By Night (RAQS MEDIA COLLECTIVE), as well as Mona Hatoum's studio visit TateShots youtube video.
Week 4: Process, Materiality, Practice
Mona Hatoum Reflections
Whilst listening to Mona Hatoum speak about the ways in which she approaches her studio practice, I noticed some similarities (connections) with my own practice.
In my work, I tend to consider using materials that, due to their qualities, connect to my subject matter in a conceptual way. Sometimes after completion, I notice even more meanings incited by the materials that were not consciously made (in connection to Hatoums notes on her work that she created on soap (for seemingly no set reason) and her more recent reflections that the material choice was subconscious, but similarly to her subject matter in this work, soap is temporary, it will dissolve).
For example, I'd like to discuss a piece I created in my diploma foundations program titled "You Made Me". In this piece, I used a "house" that I designed and my partner and his father assembled.
In basic ideas, I was using the house to very literally represent a line in the poem I included with the work,"This house isn't home". Now, reflecting, I consider new meanings from both the words of my poem and the visual artwork that resulted. I think about the body as a home, about the all too often used saying "at least you have a roof over your head" (yes, i acknowledge this is a thing to be grateful for and is a privilege. but not a replacement comment for supporting someone dealing with hard things). I'm sure I could generate many more "new" ideas about this work by sitting with it and considering it further.
Hatoum's soap comment inspired me to consider bringing material quality into my work once again as an additional layer of concept.
________________
I also connected to Hatoum's comments on how she "modifies objects to create new meanings or opposite perceptions". I engage in a similar process quite frequently. but with childhood images and documents as opposed to objects. I intend to scan all of the home photographs my family has, eventually. I currently have a folder on my laptop of the images and documents I've scanned already. I work from these files and collaborate with these archives/memories to create new meanings and to put simply, "juxtapositions", to explore generational trauma.
Branching off Hatoum's practice, I may want to think about using objects to do this as well, even though I most commonly work with drawing and painting. My mom's house (childhood home) still holds essentially all of my toys, books, etc... so this would definitely be achievable.
You Made Me. Mixed Media. 2019.
Quote from "How To Be An Artist At Night". + Thoughts.
"How To Be An Artist By Night" Reflections
I really enjoyed engaging with this reading. I was able to reflect on my own experiences (in education/studio practice), and I made connections with a set of "rules" that were written by an artist I admire (mentioned in my last creative mind map), Corita Kent.
reflecting on my experiences in connection with this reading
When I was deciding what I wanted to do after high school, all i knew for sure were 3 things
1. I wanted to move a distance from home that would allow me to have boundaries (time away from my family) but be close enough that I could still visit, on my own terms.
2. That I couldn't afford this on my own, but I was not mentally well enough to take on a job, save up, and make this a reality
3. That the one classroom I enjoyed, felt safe in, and seemingly did "well enough" (grade wise) in, were my Visual Arts courses.
Because of this, I made the decision to go to college for Visual Art. I didn't really have a definitive reason beyond the fact that I could move away from home, being in school would allow me to access OSAP Funding, and art was the only thing that filled me up rather than burn me out.
I tell this story because of the link to the reading in which being a student of the arts gives time for learning, reflection, experimentation, a gap between primary and secondary education and a full studio practice.
through my years being a post secondary visual arts student I've learned that even when i am in a course in which i feel like I'm not learning anything valuable to me, that interests me, I am still learning skills I can merge with another medium or process that i am more intrigued by and engaged in. ie: I can apply abstract art processes (my favourite) to figure drawing (a class I've always loathed) and create new possibilities, but I must explore both first, as you never know what methods you will be good at or attracted to unless you try.
the link to sister corita kent
Sister Corita Kent. https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/corita-kent-the-big-g-stands-for-goodness/.
Ever since I was introduced to Corita Kent's "Rules" through artist Marlee Grace's book "How To Not Always Be Working", I have admired them dearly and shared them widely with friends and even professors. I have the rules posted on my fridge at home, and have rule #4 "Consider everything an experiment" posted as a sticky note on my monitor and as my phone wallpaper.
As I was reading How to be an artist by night, particularly the screenshots shared below, I made clear links to the readings suggestions and Kent's "rules" (which as the last line implies, shall be forever changing).
Sister Corita Kent's Art Department Rules.
consider everything an experiment. nothing is a mistake. there's no win and no fail. there's only make.
"save everything- it might come in handy later"
students: pull everything out of your teachers and fellow students
teachers: pull everything out of your students
it's the people who do all of the work all of the time who eventually catch onto things. there should be new rules next week.
An image of my partner and i's fridge, with Kent's rules posted.
RESEARCH FOR FINAL PROJECT
As suggested, to get an idea of themes that may better suit my current practice and interests, I explored the 3rd Module and ended up interacting with the Carework: Disability Justice writing. My notes are shown in the images above. I have decided that my final work will include themes of care and disabillity justice.
some brainstorming thus far. guided by questions such as: who is our , what is our present moment, what is eye to the future for "our" people
engagement with workshop prompts
in response to critical questions i posed in archive to revisit
realized project: research, experimentation, exploration
a failed attempt at needlepunch on black linen. as you can see near my fingers, the fabric just ripped in response to tool.
a successful attempt at needle punch on burlap. decided to use this as my material for final project.
