The Installation Project: Evalutation
My themed word for ‘The Installation Project’ was discombobulate, which means to confuse. I had to respond to this theme word by designing a plan for an installation exhibition in which the contents and art related to discombobulated.
After having done extensive research into other installation artists I felt I would communicate my theme word through personal experience, allowing the audience to step into my world. I interpreted the theme in a very personal way, having put emphasis on mental conditions and emotion. I chose to use light art to create huge scale light projections to evoke emotion and feeling but also have physical objects on the ground such as large amounts of power cable and wire to show a tangled mind, but also a feeling of disconnection, two very powerful feelings I wanted to evoke to my audience. Having suffered with depression and anxiety for much of my life I felt this would be a solid starting point for a 3D Installation based upon confusion. I knew that a complex disorder such as depression could opened out into an expressive show of colour to represent emotion and physical objects to represent barriers in life. What is more, because these conditions are ones I have suffered with personally I knew the subject inside out therefore allowing me to open up and provide an insiders viewpoint. Furthermore, I felt strongly about the themes i chose to communicate because the topics are so
relatable
and could be interpreted in a different by each audience member, whether they are someone who has suffered themselves or someone who has no idea what it feels like.
I felt that my introduction of colour and light art was a positive step forward within my project. This is because my newly found knowledge of colour theory helped me to understand what colours represent different emotions. For example, having learnt that red triggers romance and warmth, I realized that was not the colour I wanted and I decided on an ‘isolating’ and ‘cold’ Blue to Purple colour pallet. This was a great step forward for me as I was able to apply something new I had learnt to allow that audience to feel and sense that extra bit more.
In addition, I feel that choosing to add physical objects was a positive idea as they were everyday objects rather than specifically designed sculptures for this exhibition. The reason behind this is to allow the audience to have a feeling of connection also to the space and installation. I chose to have massive, chunky power cables tangled over the floor space. This was to represent my tangled mind and how discombobulated i can be at moments but also to show a feeling of disconnection from the world. I feel that paired with my isolating colours this was a strong idea that the audience would pick up on.
Overall I don’t think my digital illustrations of the idea highlighted how I wanted it to look and that would certainly be an area to improve on. I felt I understood what colours and objects I wanted within my space but struggled on how to present that in a way that wasn’t confusing in itself. To develop and improve this I would’ve spent more time on the model making area as it was such an integral part to the project. I would have tried using SketchUp and other 3D modelling applications to present a model that was far clearer than what I originally proposed. Furthermore, I recognize I should have created a 3D physical model made out of paper or cardboard. This would have saved me great amounts of time fussing over my digital model, as I admit I was getting frustrated at how basic it looked. A 3D model would’ve allowed me to represent the size of the space, colours I would’ve used and placement of the tangled cables.
t was the whole project in itself. this is because it was a very conceptual project and involved a lot of thought and very minimal hands on work. I feel this was a creative risk as I usually develop my ideas through making something, or designing it as opposed to just thinking about it. However, I feel I have learnt a very valuable skill which I can demonstrate in the future, which is to be able to form an idea on research and create a whole plan and design without involving any making in the process, something I never expected to achieve.
I believe my research helped me greatly on the development of my ideas due to discovering new ways other artists form their ideas. I believe if i had not discovered Doris Salcedo and her focus on social and mental issues I would not have been so open about my mental disorders and explored them in such an artistic and conceptual way. What is more, having seen Salcedo’s and James Munro’s installation spaces I was inspired to develop and push my ideas further. For example, the use of Munro’s everyday objects and ‘Optical Cable’ installation inspired me to use large scale power cables in my own work and link it to my theme.
To conclude, I believe the one thing that has had an impact on me most throughout this project was my ability to open up about my own conditions and feelings. This has always been something I have struggled with and even though I may not have conveyed it so obviously within my Installation I feel a part of myself, my emotions was present within it and it is left to the audience to perceive and interpret it.