Daisy Blecker

Art & Design Level 4

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Chang Lee-jin - COMFORT WOMEN WANTED

The video is based on my interviews in 7 different countries in Asia (2008-2012), including with Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, Indonesian, Filipino, and Dutch "comfort women" survivors, and a former Japanese soldier. 

Source

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Context for Display

Originally my work was going to be a 3D piece displayed on a ‘box’, however due to time constraints my work ended up being prints. Initially I was happy having them on the floor as the images could look like small holes you could fall into. I printed two versions of the work - one on matte paper and the other on glossy. I thought I would prefer the glossy version but the matte had a high quality to it that was more appealing and helped the images feel less ‘busy’. The glossy prints looked too fussy! With some help from the rest of the group my images were put up on one of the backs of the boards we assembled at the beginning of the year.

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Remembering my original idea and how it relates back to the chosen source

Looking at the work I have it's not clear how I originally got here so I've chosen to make a timeline in the form of a list to outline my steps to help me see if there are any discrepancies... -Concrete Trees -Martin Bocye's response to the Concrete Trees -A Ventilation Grill (for a house in the woods) -what is this house? -who lives here? -why do they live here -is it a place of refuge? -can it be a place of refuge? -I gradually notice a strong current of anxiety among communities about where they "belong" in their respective countries amidst the change in political landscapes (namely, Brexit & Trump's election) -specifically noticed an outpouring of posts on social media looking to calm those who might be scared in their own country (LGBTQ in particular) -started looking at methods of soothing anxiety and stress (adult colouring books, self care posts, support documents, calming words) and looked at products like stress balls, and the act of using your body to let out frustration and anger -started finding different materials to replicate stress balls, tried to make my own slime/goo with cornstarch (failed) -worked with plasticine -worked with playdough -worked with air hardening clays -creates multiple small forms from hand squeezed clay -looked into soothing textures, such as flock, fur, fluff -decided the forms weren't explored further enough so started making plans to invert their shape -made moulds of clay forms using plaster, liquid latex and vinyl -plaster was too hard a material, wanted something with more of a human quality to it so chose vinyl and latex -latex didn't work, it collapsed in on itself once it dried -vinyl worked -decided to make more vinyl forms and possibly look at incorporating flocking somehow -I couldn't make any more vinyl forms so I had to improvise, also couldn't flock anything -used the vinyl I'd already made and photographed it at various angles to emphasise its bodily quality -photographed the plaster forms too using very shallow depth of field to give it the appearance of a landscape -took the words used for my written manifesto on how to make it through and arranged the letters to looks as if they're sitting within the form, or falling into it -layered these letters with my final images

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Photographing the vinyl form was stronger than the plaster sculptures - I really love how the nodules and bumps inside the cavity sort of look like teeth. Like a grotesque mouth.

My next move is to place text over the image, moving the letters around to look like they’re falling or nestled inside the cavity.

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Things I didn’t get a chance to look into

-Social media algorithms

-soothing textures

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Struggles

So it looks like I can't make any more vinyl pieces or plaster, or flock anything as when I went to the plaster workshop there wasn't anyone there to supervise me and I was advised I wasn't allowed to use the room without a technician present. Obviously sheer dread and panic set in. It's looks like I'm going to have to make do with what I've already got, which due to the quality of the work I've already made I'm not happy with. I'm going to look at my various options, one thing I did have in mind was photographing the pieces and making some work from that either by manipulating the images or taking my original idea of how I'd like my written work to be presented and incorporating that into it.

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Post Christmas

So after getting back from Christmas break I began to put together my final idea. I hope to make a couple more vinyl forms in different colours, possibly beige coloured, or maybe just black and white - my original piece came out a strange sienna colour I don’t like. I’m then going to look at flocking the outside of the shape and then flocking the lip of the cavity to make it look inviting. With my written piece I plan to use the shape the vinyl forms make and create a small manifesto that’s formatted to mimic the shape of the cavities.

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More squeezed shapes using plasticine.

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Notes

Moving forward I hope to make a couple more vinyl forms in different colours and make them slightly smaller as my original one ended up being quite big. I liked the idea of flocking them, or at least detailing them with reassuring textures. Possibly fur?

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My favourite experiment so far! This is the outcome with vinyl. I spent a really long time squeezing and manipulating the clay piece I used this time to create the inverse and I'm really happy with the results. I plan to try this again after Christmas using different coloured vinyl. I love how bodily it looks, and how strangely inviting the cavity is!

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This shape was created by repeatedly rubbing the clay in one direction, similarly to how my mother soothed me when I was a child by stroking the side of my head near my temples with my head in her lap. I flocked the section I'd worn down to give it a soothing quality but I didn't like how it felt.

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Taking inspiration from Cassils' work Becoming An Image I took some plasticine and punched it repeatedly. Obviously I didn't go as hard as Cassils did with his piece, mine was to see how it would look texture wise. I like the dips my knuckles have made, and the ridges my skin has left.

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Another plaster form made by building clay walls, pouring in the mixed plaster and suspending one of the squeezed clay sculptures above it so half is dipped in the plaster as it sets. I really like the way it looked, however I want a 'softer' finished piece.

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I want to create an inverse of the small squeezed sculptures I made with clay so I started with plaster and then experimented with material that would leave me with a softer finish and this was my results with latex. It doesn't work as a process but it was definitely the easiest so far.

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Reassuring textures

After looking at the various shapes squeezing clay can create I decided to start looking at reassuring textures to follow through with the idea of creating something that looks calming and inviting.

-Flocking

-Velvet

-Fur

-Fluff

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Further attempts to make my own slime, also unsuccessful.