TRACEY EMIN

Tracy Emin- Why I Never Became a Dancer 

Tracey Emin I think is un-recognised for her video art but this is one of my favourites. I have briefly spoke about her in my research post but I thought I'd post something of hers. 

 

Hope you enjoy. 

BRAIN

Over the past month or so I have been reading Alan Fletcher- The Art of Looking sideways. It has become my new found Bible. This book is defiantly a must read and even calling it a book is an understatement. It could broaden the narrowest of minds and it has open all kinds of possibilities when it comes to my own way of thinking. I just wanted to write a quick little review on a page in the chapter that I fount most relevant in my recent brief. The 'Brain chapter,

Fletcher spoke in his 'Brain- I am my brains publisher" chapter on a small crumb he thought was from a ginger biscuit. But as he focused and watched the crumb "Reality intruded. Actually it was a tiny orange spider. I think they're called money spiders". He then went on to speak about how money spiders have the ability to design and re-design webs over and over again. His writing then followed one rhetorical question after another making me ask myself my own questions. Are mind sets genetically formed or is it taught? Why is it a spider naturally knows how to spin a web, but we are taut how to walk? Why is an animal as small as a crumb can live without looking at anything with real value? His style of writing is very personal and the whole book simply follows his chain of thought. Being able to read and indulge myself  in The Art of Looking Sideways and the style of writing, creates more of a learning than simple words on a page and brings the book to life.

It helped me in my recent brief to see things as they aren't usually perceived. It taught me to always question what is and the value of everything you see, is only based on your own judgement. It also personally made me understand that its okay if I don't know everything, as long as I know something.

"If our minds are simple enough to be understood then we would be too simple to understand them"

Merry Crimbo, Megan Clayton.

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

RESEARCH (MEANING OF LIFE)

During my research I began to look deeper into conceptual artist mainly surrounding the idea of Movement. In the brief I found by focusing deeper into one concept rather than serval different concepts worked better for myself to create a clearer body of work.

The first artist I looked at was Anish Kapoor, Anish Kapoor became known in the 1980s for his geometric or biomorphic sculptures made using simple materials .Such as granite, limestone, marble, pigment, and plaster. These early sculptures are frequently simple, curved forms, usually monochromatic and brightly coloured eg. ‘The wax cannon’. I liked the idea of a conceptual piece and I wanted to re-create this idea of mark making by throwing materials on to a blank canvas. This inspires me to work deeper into sculpture work and possibly experiment with clay and video editing. In Kapoor’s pieces I partially noticed the fact the rooms where painted ‘clinically’ white and the wax to be blood red. This also made me begin to think deeper into the way I could interpret his pieces. Not only looking at them at a photograph but as an experience. Imagining myself being there as the cannon was being shot and what I would be thinking.

While brainstorming. This then followed into the idea of ‘the mind’. I wanted to create my own conceptual piece based on ideas and thought. I will present this idea around limbs and the loss of limbs, as an example. This is because often when people loose limbs, they seem to find they can still feel them present. I plan to use transparent materials to re-enforce this idea of the way the mind works. This is because our minds are so used to seeing the everyday that when something is lost, it’s not necessarily seen as gone. And what I mean by this is not so much objects but more the idea of society. I think Britain will never be seen as a socialistic country but I think that’s something that has society has been force to accepted. I mainly want the concept of this piece is to remind people that, what isn’t may be more important than what it is.

I then chose a selection of different video artist .Vito Acconic inspired me most, mainly when I was watching his interview videos. The way he spoke about Art as a whole I fount really moving. That Art doesn’t always have to be seen simply as a surface that you as forced to absorb. But an interactive format (such as a video) is more personal and that is something that Art has to be. The following being Tracey Emin’s. Tracey Emin’s created a video called ‘Why I never became a dancer’ The way she overlayed vintage effects over slow moving images I plan to slow down the speed of the images and use the effect tool. I also consider putting a voice over on my video edit.

- AMISH KAPOOR 'THE WAX CANNON'

EVALUATION (MEANING OF LIFE)

Throughout the begging of this Brief I found it hard grasp the idea of ‘The meaning of life’. As I see life as a constant contradiction and I found it difficult to make the brief relate to myself. I decided to mainly focus on photography work and movement. I went out and took photographed people in every day scenarios and study peoples body language. This also helped me understand clearer how to create a successful composition in my photography pieces. Once I started researching and experimented I understood the brief more. Originally I didn’t considered a conceptual piece being so controversial that I could be as simple as videoing a drop of ink or tapping a piece of paper to the floor. As long as I could explain myself into what my idea was and as long as it’s personal to myself it will be a successful piece. I think next time I would have researched deeper and taken many more photographs in different areas. I do think I’ve gained a lot more understanding from this brief. Although it could have been a lot more successful had I only been more organised.