studio gateway @bridiepeacocke - Tumblr Blog

past, present and future education!!

Experimentation with Sculpture

We experimented with moulding clay in order to create the blank body parts that will have images projected on them. I aimed to create a human eyeball! As I was in the process of making the eyeball we began discussing painting logos on the body as a statement, so instead of carving a normal iris into the eye I decided to carve the Chanel logo to show obsession with material objects.

Here is my Chanel eyeball, which unfortunately did not survive the travel home so could not be included in the final event.

I also constructed a miniature Opera House out of clay purely for research and examination of the structure. It also did not survive the ride home, which is ok as it was never intended to be included in the final work. The structure of the Opera House is not mimicked by my miniature sculpture of the landmark, but by a collection of sculpted hands spaced out.

aprilmad-blog

Capitalist Prostitution: Group A

We had a practice run today and are happy with how the sculptures & performance video work together well. We have all created performance videos which are being edited together and will be reflected on the sculptures and a screen behind the works.

bridiepeacocke

In our practice run you can clearly see our hand sculptures as representatives of the Opera House as well as various body parts! The projection on top of these sculptures is particularly powerful as it is a metaphor of the unjust use of an Australian icon as advertising space.

Capitalist Prostitution

Our group has been fuelled by the concept of using one’s body as capital (as discussed in the Week 5 Body Politics slides) and current affairs concerning the controversial projection of advertisements on Sydney’s iconic Opera House to produce the idea of capitalist prostitution. Our concept involves the idea of selling body parts as advertising space to make a statement about current fads of logo-mania as well as the vacuous selling out of cultural icons for commercial purposes.

Through projecting a series of film clips onto objects and a screen, our event metaphysically makes a statement about the current status of our society that worships at the altar of brands such as Christian Louboutin and Gucci that exploit their customers by using them as advertising space. We have used our bodies to ironise the concept of capitalism through actions such as painting the bottoms of our feet red, symbolic of the Louboutin shoe, painting dollar signs on our finger nails and writing statements on our bodies.

Directive statements such as “Make my face your $$ space” are bold enough to make our audience question their implicit role in our capitalist society posing important questions about the necessity of material objects.

Our event is multifaceted through the projection of these videos onto blank sculptures that represent both the human body and the Sydney Opera House, therefore making a bold statement about the power of advertising in terms of our bodies.

Rationale

My take on this question was essentially the idea that the most rebellious thing you can do nowadays, is to create art that has no deeper meaning, or design that does not function.

From this thesis spun the concept that true rebellion can only arise out of necessity or survival- for example the Me Too movement. Therefore, people utilising rebellion for its grungy aesthetic defeats the entire purpose. Throughout the production of Assessment 2 I aim to explore and satirise the grungy aesthetic through memes and clichéd motifs such as brick and leather.Feedback from my brick and graffiti poster stated that it was not obvious enough that I was satirising the concept of rebellion. This is why it is my first priority to ensure that my picket signs look satirical and comedic- with no room for ambiguity.

The inspiration for this assessment was initially taken from Sharon Hayes’s exhibition titled See You at the Barricades. The exhibition featured videos of a group of people with different sexualities reading out a love letter to symbolise the concept of revolutionary love. The video exhibition was decorated with balloons that eventually deflated to show the passing of time. Sharon Hayes’s work made me consider the myriad of motives behind rebellion- particularly how some (mainly adolescents) would rather seem rebellious in nature than actually rebel for something they are passionate about. I also took inspiration from a passive aggressive meme regarding being a housewife- juxtaposing an image of a smiling lady next to the words “Why, I’d be delightedto put my needs last again!”. Though both the meme and the exhibition are expressing genuine concerns that impact many, they are both demonstrations of rebellion that are fuelled by purpose and need for improvement. I decided that I wanted my concept to focus on the opposite- satirising those who borrow the aesthetic of rebellion just to seem edgy.

Using the Procreate App on my iPad, I drew three black and white motifs that symbolise the aesthetic of rebellion. Following on from my first poster, one of the symbols was a brick wall. The Mohawk vector stemmed from research that led me to an article stating that the Mohawk is the most visual symbol of rebellion for males as they “radically altering their appearances to signify displeasure, disgust, and rejection of the status quo, punks firmly drew a line in the sand,”. I decided that it would make an interesting aesthetic addition to my work, as well as add historical significance. Similarly, the leather biker jacket has long been the uniform of bad boy rebels since the movie “The Wild One” starring Marlon Brando emerged in 1953.

These three vectors accurately conveyed the theme of rebellion, however they did not accurately represent my theses: that one isn’t a rebel if they set out with the intention to rebel, and that the most rebellious thing you can do is create art with no deeper meaning. With this in mind, I paired the images with sarcastic sayings that would make it obvious I was satirising those who borrow from the rebellious aesthetic for their personal gain. “Leather is SO in right now” depicts an ignorant person who is using a symbol of rebellion to conform with what everybody else is doing, which is an oxymoron. I incorporated elements of context and ecologies from the slides on Moodle to conclude that when you take symbols out of their grungy context (for example my brick and graffiti poster), and contrast them against fonts and colours from other contexts, you can communicate sarcasm. The words gave my work a certain meme element which I enjoyed, but decided to develop further.

Due to the initial critique that you could not tell I was satirising, I decided to take my satirical challenging of the sentiment of rebellion one step further, making it obvious with no need for an explanation. I did this by juxtaposing the visual hard core, clichéd motifs against the text ditzy, vapid text- and placing the combination on a picket sign. A picket sign is predominantly used in protest, therefore, putting my meaningless sayings on to picket signs will communicate a very ignorant rebel without a cause concept. Picket signs keep the intention of rebellion clear, whilst the sarcastic messages remedy the idea that you aren’t a rebel if you set out with the intention of being rebellious.

Bibliography

Rebellious Motif Research

“Second Skin: Nothing Screams Rebellion as a Leather Jacket.” The Economic Times, 4 Dec. 2011, economictimes.indiatimes.com/second-skin-nothing-screams-rebellion-as-a-leather-jacket/articleshow/10972542.cms.

Foreman, Katya. “Culture - Rebel Rebel: The Biker Jacket.” BBC News, BBC, 24 Apr. 2014, www.bbc.com/culture/story/20140424-rebel-rebel-the-biker-jacket.

Idea Generation/ Inspiration

Sharon Hayes’s“See You at the Barricade: Revolutionary Love” https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/artsets/ubee72

“The Wild One”, László Benedek30 Dec. 1953

Miss Rosen “Photos that Celebrate the Mohawk as a Symbol of Rebellion.” Another Man http://www.anothermanmag.com/style-grooming/10248/photos-celebrating-the-mohawk-as-a-symbol-of-rebellion

Psychology Behind Rebellion

“Rebel with a Cause: Rebellion in Adolescence.” Psychology Today, 6 Dec. 2009, https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/surviving-your-childs-adolescence/200912/rebel-cause-rebellion-in-adolescence

Final Product

My final product is three picket signs that encapsulate the notion that you are not rebellious if you set out with the intention of being rebellious.

Practice Led Research

Based on the rebellious motifs and quotes, I believe it is somewhat clear that I am critiquing the consumerist model of rebellion. The feedback that I received from assessment one stated that my poster “needed to be clearer in it's critique", otherwise it cannot be differentiated from any other rebellion- type poster.

Due to this critique, I have decided to take my satirical challenging of the sentiment of rebellion one step further that will make it obvious and need no explanation. I believe I can do this by juxtaposing the visual hardcore, clichéd motif against the text ditzy, vapid text- and placing the combination on a picket sign.

A picket sign is predominantly used in protest, therefore, putting my meaningless sayings on to picket signs will communicate a very ignorant rebel without a cause concept. Picket signs keep the intention of rebellion clear, whilst the sarcastic messages remedy the idea that you aren’t a rebel if you set out with the intention of being rebellious.

Ecology/Context

Through the lens of ecologies, the concept of people borrowing from a grungy aesthetic that emerged from necessity and people’s need to voice what they are passionate about can be exacerbated. The statements that I wrote, eg. “Leather is so in right now” are jarring in themselves, especially as leather biker jackets have been viewed as a second skin to rebels since the 1950′s.

What worsens these statements is the type of writing font and the colouring of the words. When something rebellious is posted, it usually involves large, threatening graffiti sprawled against brick walls. The context (or lack thereof) of the statements on a plain white background, coloured pink, purple and orange, purposely detracts from the rebellious message.

Therefore, a lack of context can make ignorant statements seem even more vapid, such as when you take the rebellious motifs and statements out of there predominantly urban contexts and ecologies.

These are some quotes that I came up with that I believe accurately portray the level of sarcasm that I am trying to communicate. Paired with the images that I created, it would look quite apparent that the concept of rebellion, and the thesis that the only way to be rebellious nowadays is to produce art with no deeper meaning. Furthermore, that if you are rebelling not out of necessity or for survival, but to borrow the aesthetic that rebellion implies... then you are not a rebel.

These are three vectors that I drew on Procreate that I believe accurately articulate the satirical rebellious concept that I am trying to create. A leather jacket, a mohawk and a brick wall are motifs of the clichéd grungy aesthetic that I am aiming to represent, however- much like my brick wall poster- with no explanation it is hard to gage the concept behind the images.

These three experiments regarding the grungy aesthetic of rebellion have prompted me to explore other ways that will get the satire across. I am going to look at sayings that I can pair with these images that will make my concept very clear.

Initial Concept

“Can creative acts be rebellious if rebellion has been canonised in art, design and media histories? What would a contemporary creative rebellion look like?”

My take on this question was essentially the idea that the most rebellious thing you can do nowadays, is to create art that has no deeper meaning, or design that does not function.

Feedback from my poster stated that it was not obvious enough that I was satirising the concept of rebellion. This is why it is my first priority to ensure that my picket signs look satirical and comedic- with no room for ambiguity. Here is an example of a sarcastic meme that I will take inspiration from:

Alternatively, the exhibition See You at the Barricades, by Sharon Hayes focuses on the emotions that fuel protest. The video encapsulates a group of Queer activists reading a love letter aloud. Though both the meme and the exhibition are expressing genuine concerns that impact many, they are both demonstrations of rebellion that are fuelled by purpose and need for improvement.

My concept will be focussing on the opposite- satirising those who borrow the aesthetic of rebellion just to seem edgy.

Final product for assessment one!

Rationale

As my initial approach to the topic of rebellion, imagery of barbed wire, spray paint and brick walls popped into my head as I attempted to mind map my way to an idea of what a contemporary creative rebellion would look like. All it took was a Pinterest search of the word “rebellion” to come to the realisation that revolt has become a cliché, with artists un-ironically utilising the grungy textures associated with the theme for a ‘metro chic’ aesthetic as opposed to trying to communicate something meaningful. I immediately knew I wanted to satirise these seemingly brooding artists who all produce the exact same works.

With so many artists producing deeply meaningful works, I figured the only way to be rebellious in a society so saturated with ‘disobedience’ is to create art that has no deeper meaning whatsoever, or a design that cannot fulfil its function. In a society that prides itself on seamlessness, challenging the functionality of objects or the meaning behind art has proven to be disturbing. I noticed this last semester during design gateway when my class was shown a ‘frustrating’ image of a watering can that was unable to be used.

To capture this idea in my poster, I came up with ideas to satirise the ideals of rebellion that we know- such as picket signs with random phrases or question marks on them to portray the idea that not many people have a deep understanding of what they are protesting.

My final idea uses the grungy aesthetic of rebellion as well as overused synonyms of the word “revolt, resist, refuse” to communicate a generic, trying-too-hard, rebellious message that mimics the countless similar images that came before it! My sourcing of the words was inspired by Clare Milledge’s ‘Painting as Unforgetting’ in which the artist paints various alphabetised words or phrases she received during Tinder conversations. I emulated this by using alliteration in my poster, with the final rhetorical word “…right?” to communicate the uncertainty that comes with a lack of individuality.

Discover recipes, home ideas, style inspiration and other ideas to try.

This is a Pinterest board I put together of all the images that emerge when you search ‘rebellion’. You will see that there is a surplus of jagged writing on walls, trying to communicate words in an edgy and unique way!

I personally find it hilarious that a word that means being different and straying from the status quo could conjure up so many of the same exact images!

For my poster, I have decided to take words from the photos that are synonymous with rebellion and combine them against a brick wall to satirise these exact photos and poke fun at the current status of the word ‘rebellion’. I am aiming to keep the simplicity of my poster consistent with my initial idea by having few words on a blank wall, but still making it clear that I am making a joke somehow!

The sourcing of my text was inspired by Clare Milledge’s ‘Painting as Unforgetting’, in which she paints on glass various alphabetised words or phrases she received during Tinder conversations!

I hope my poster has the same impact of ordered chaos as I might use alliteration or some other language technique.

Poster Ideas #2

I remember seeing the first photo during Design Gateway last semester and finding it quite interesting- the fact that a designer would go out of their way to make their product functionless! I think this frustrating design embodies the modern creative rebellion that my poster will try to convey. In a world that runs so seamlessly with an endless amount of products aimed at making life easier it is refreshing to see something that is unapologetically useless!

The second photo is some notes that I took in response to the question, showing my three initial poster ideas.

Poster #1

My chosen question for the poster assignment is this:

“Can creative acts be rebellious when rebellion has become canonised in art, design and media histories? What would a contemporary creative rebellion look like?”

I aim to create a poster that speaks for itself, and my answer to the question. I firmly believe that, because rebellion has become the status quo, non- rebellious art is impossible to come by, meaning that the most rebellious act one can commit is to create art that has no deeper meaning to it- it just is what it is. Likewise, it is rebellious to design an object that has no actual function.

My poster will poke fun at those brooding artists and designers who take themselves a bit too seriously, hopefully satirising the rebellion that has become stereotypical and overdone in today’s society by being refreshingly simple and frustratingly meaningless! Thus demonstrating what a contemporary creative rebellion looks like.

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

studio gateway