Conceptual Statement
Lost in Wonderland is how I interpret the world from pessimistic observations through to having an optimistic outlook on life. My project represents a range of interpretations of how everything in society can be overstimulating to our minds. The environment that we are placed in can affect the way in which we perceive the world. “When you are surrounded by all these people, it can be lonelier than when you are by yourself. You can be in a huge crowd, but if you don't feel like you can trust anyone or talk to anybody, you feel like you're really alone.” - Fiona Apple. During the semester I reflected on Alice in Wonderland’s version(s) of what ‘Wonderland’ is and related it to my interpretation of ‘Wonderland’, and the reality for me moving to Auckland City.
At the beginning of the semester my project was Unknown in Wonderland because I wanted to explore a range of creative practices before finalising what I wanted to present. I was not 100% certain that shadow art was something I wanted to pursue and I could see that my project was lacking originality and my creative style. I realised that as a creative practitioner I am passionate about creating my own designs and then printing them or constructing them onto different materials. Designing a variety of my interpretation of ‘Wonderland’ allowed me to have 30 diversely range of images. From that process I chose six designs that portrayed what ‘Wonderland’ could be and how I see society from dark tones through to bright and vibrant colours. The contrasting colours reveal my mood and how it can drastically change from one image to the next. Producing a series of digital prints onto silk charmeuse portrays an art gallery feeling, where the audience can see the work and interpret the art how they perceive my version(s) of ‘Wonderland’.
Considering it is my last semester of Creative Technologies I wanted to learn more soft skills and make tangible products. My model of ‘Wonderland’ allowed me to explore ideas through a range of creative and technology processes including: laser cutting, physical computing and soldering. I was able to re-create ‘Wonderland’ from Alice in Wonderland by making my own objects and a range of other purchased objects to create an installation model that portrays what ‘Wonderland’ could look like. I designed the roses to be layered and purposefully painted some layers red just like how the Queen wanted red roses, this conveys us that characters had to paint the roses. In this situation I can relate to the Queen because we often want to change ourselves or the things we have just to ‘fit in’ with society’s perception of beauty. Although I did not make glowing mushrooms as an end product, I did create a circuit which conveys the idea of how the mushrooms would glow by fading in and out. I have chosen a range of objects from the story and different films that have been made based on Alice in Wonderland for symbolism purposes that relate to where I am as an individual at this point in time. The key represents liberation and freedom after graduation. Mushrooms symbolise the opportunity of me growing as an individual and being in a leadership position this year for university (Vice President of our Student Association). The watch is a representation of time and symbolises how I am not in control of my life, but as long as I have a plan and structure to follow I am one step closer to my destiny. A flower in the jar symbolises youth and how much growing I have to do whilst being passionate about life. I have chosen each card to symbolise who I am at this point in time: Hearts represents vulnerability, Clubs represents education, Diamonds represents responsibility and Spades represents environment.
I have also written a short story to illustrate how I perceive Auckland and how I feel placed in the world at this point in time. To structure my creative writing piece I used quotes from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland story this retells old literature in current formation. During the process of writing I wanted it to be clear to the audio-story listener how overstimulating Auckland City is and that images are “the spam of the earth” (Hito Steyerl).
To conclude I locate my project in the ‘visual art world’, my project is fundamentally more creative compared to technology based. Although, I have implemented technology into my exhibition and have used a range of technology machines to produce the main objects and images. I feel I have had a better understanding of technologies that could benefit my future: mainly the fabric digital printers and laser cutters have taught me a range of design skills which has placed me in society as a novice creative practitioner.














