Sunday 10 May 2015

Taking inspiration from an installation artist- Louise bourgeois

Since I have multiple final pieces, I have decided to create an installation to show case my work. For this idea, I have taken inspiration from Louise Bourgeois. She was a French-American artist and sculptor. I came across her work when browsing through various London gallery's and more specifically the Tate Modern. She showcased her work there in 2007-2008 and I was immediately influenced by it after seeing it on the internet. She has a major concept behind her work which is something I can relate to because all of my pieces have one thing in common. They are all about family, the reflection on the past and  the emphasis of  not forgetting the people that you love.
I have produced an artist response page to her work which uses only natural materials. Bourgeois has produced a vast amount of work, including sculptures and paintings. However, I have focused my attention on her installation works which she referred to as 'Cells'. She produced two series of these installations whilst in her late 80s.  Many are small enclosures into which the viewer is able to peer inward at the arrangement of symbolic objects, whilst others are small rooms into which the viewer is invited to enter. I have taken inspiration from this idea because I want the viewer of my work to be able to enter my installation to get a feel of every single object which I put into it because each one had a hidden message and acts as a symbol of my reflection upon my past.
In the cell pieces, Bourgeois uses found objects as well as personal items that carried strong personal emotional charge for her. This is also an idea I can relate to. I would like to place objects into my installation which also have a strong emotional attachment to me personally. This would give my installation a greater meaning and concept which the viewer can question.
Bourgeois' cells enclose psychological and intellectual states, primarily feelings of fear and pain, which Bourgeois states represent “different types of pain; physical, emotional and psychological, mental and intellectual pain',
One theme of Bourgeois' work which is evident in her installations is that of childhood trauma and hidden emotion. Her 1993 work "Cell: You Better Grow Up",  which I have taken inspiration from, speaks directly to Louise's childhood trauma and the insecurity that surrounded her.


I have taken inspiration from Bourgeois of using a concept to surround my work. It is clear that Bourgeois cells represent the idea of child hood trauma, and it is evident in many of her sculptors that they represent certain periods of her life. This personal relation to her work and the emotions that are attached to each and every object is something I would like to build on. I would also like to create a 'cell' in the style of Louise Bourgeois. However, mine will be surrounded my the concept of personal reflectivity and each object within my installation or 'cell' will reflect upon a person or moment in time which I wish to reflect on and remember.
As a refinement of this idea and in preparation of my final piece, I have produced a response to Bourgeois in the form of a Marquette of my final piece. This is a visual design idea which will allow me to decide the best way to showcase my emotions.


 On my A1 artist research page, I have included a design for my response to the artist and therefore a design idea for my final piece. I plan to enclose my Marquette in a box. This will form my 'cell' in which my symbolic items will be enclosed. In a large scale reproduction, this box will perhaps symbolise the corner of a room where my life size objects will eventually be displayed.
Since I have numerous final pieces, I wanted to find a way in which I could enclose all of these and yet at the same time would still be a symbolic and reflective idea. Resultantly, I came up with the idea of enclosing my personal objects inside of a wooden chest or Ottoman. A chest is often the symbol of treasure or hidden objects and therefore would be the perfect object for enclosing my personal objects which all have a hidden meaning and personal emotion attached to them.
Inside this chest, I would put in various object including drawings of family members and objects from the family members being drawn. 
Since I have researched drapery and the meaning behind the folds in fabric from artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Alison Watt and Alasdair Tompson, I also aim to include drapery into my final piece. I have produced responses to Alison Watt using fabric encased in plaster. This is a symbol of preservation. I have taken the idea of preserving garments from Alasdair Tompson and consequently drawing from them using inspiration from the drawing techniques of Leonardo Da Vinci and Mark Powell who place great emphasis of the fold in fabric and the folds in wrinkles which both tell a story. Therefore, I have decided to preserve a garment from a family member. This garment will be preserved in plaster and will feature inside of my chest. Accompanying this, will be a drawing in the style of Leonardo Da Vinci of the preserved garment which will also feature along side the chest. These will form two of my symbolic items which represent various family members.
To draw attention to the chest, I have also decided to plaster a large sheet of fabric and attach it to the corner of the chest. This will act as a symbol of the spillage of memories, the reflection of the past spilling over from the chest. It will form the idea of someone recently opening the chest and uncovering secrets and memories which were previously hidden or stored away. This fabric will start from inside of the chest and emerge from one corner until eventually hitting the floor and creating a pool on the floor. I may choose to add in objects into the surface of this fabric to symbolise a wave of emotion and memory.  

  
As a design Idea, I created a mock up of this chest using cardboard and mod rock. I chose these materials because they are sturdy and malleable.


Once I had constructed the cardboard chest, I covered it in modrock. This was firstly dipped in water which acted like a glue to stick it on to the chest. The mod rock didn't take long to dry and within a few hours it had set rock hard. This created a permanent structure which I could use as a design idea for my final piece.  

     
I placed this structure inside of the pre-prepared box which would form my 'cell'.


To create a finished look, I also added in light to brighten up the dark box. I achieved this by using battery powered LED light and small glass bottles. I though this would be a unique way of brightening up the inside and placing emphasis on my chest.

 I was then tasked with creating the plastered fabric which would overspill from the inside of the chest. This will be on a much larger scale for my final piece and I found this very tricky to mould since the plaster set very quickly. I had to wear a mask to prevent myself from inhaling the fumes.

The image below shows my finished Marquette and design idea for my final piece. I aim to have photographs which I will take in response to Tom Hussey. These will be pinned to the wall surrounding my chest. Inside of the chest will contain the board which will be of a drawing of my uncle with inspiration from Mark Powell. Along side this board will be symbolic objects of my family. These will relate to the images being drawn. For example, I also aim to drawn from the plastered garment of my nephew. this will be a baby grow. The plastered garment mounted on board will be placed inside of the chest and the drawing will either appear inside or will be mounted on an easel alongside the chest. Resultantly, the symbolic garment which is forever preserved in fabric in the style of Alison Watt and Mark Powell, will also be drawn from in the style of Leonardo da Vinci. My final piece which will be included in this cell will be of my mothers wedding dress. I was inspired to create this idea after coming across an inspirational photograph on the internet. This garment will be drawn on a large scale in the style of Leonardo da Vinci and Mark Powell. This will be the same dress that will appear in the photographs and the same dress that will also be placed in garment form inside of the chest.
Consequently, everything links. everything has a similar theme which is of personal reflectivity and family and therefore everything has an emotion attached to it. I want the viewer to question my reasons for putting these objects together. I want to viewer to question the meaning behind them and to reflect upon their beauty. Just like Louise Bourgeois.














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