Jul 27, 2020
Beginning of the End - Mariko Mori
seen from Canada
seen from Romania
seen from Romania
seen from Romania
seen from Italy
seen from Ireland
seen from Germany
seen from Netherlands
seen from Italy
seen from Poland
seen from Canada
seen from United States
seen from Canada
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seen from India
seen from T1
seen from Malaysia
seen from Kazakhstan
seen from Canada
seen from Russia
Beginning of the End - Mariko Mori
Der Findling - Tim Ulrichs
Boxing Ring - Judy Chicago
Portrait of an Artist as a Nude - Melanie Howard
Wrapping Oneself In Cotton Wool (2016) This was a really interesting shoot that tested me. I thought perhaps the cotton wool would either be blood-curdling or easy, but what struck me the most is how hot I got the more layers I strapped to myself. After three rolls of cotton wool, I started wrapping myself in bubble wrap and it became harder and harder to breathe - I was poking holes in the bubble wrap to get fresh oxygen in all the time. At times I thought I was going to suffocate. At first, the action was going to be me wrapping myself then falling over in the studio with all this bubble wrap and cotton wool to protect me. After I tried falling unsuccessfully, I was getting very hot and bothered, so I decided to rip the wrap off. However, I decided to document this process and what happened was a lovely ‘emerging’ from this cotton wool cocoon. In the bottom large picture, you can see it almost looks like I’m wearing a dress and I am experiencing an ecclesiastical rapture, or even a rebirthing. It’s clear there is some kind of struggle with the sweaty head and pained expression.
I’m also starting to become interested in the performance ‘leftovers’. If the last photographs of the action are seen, does the process matter or is the performance process an integral part of getting to the ‘end scene’? How would it be received if it was displayed only as the ‘leftovers’ or ephemera? What is the relationship between process and product here?
I Wish I Could Live In Andy Warhol’s Dream Of America (2016) I conceived this photograph about 3 months ago, but decided to take the plunge. At first I somehow imagined a teal motif, but as the sense of Warholia grew, it seemed to be the red, white and blue hyper-real American motif that led the look, including the red, white and blue of the suit. The fake nails served two purposes: firstly, it mae tasks like eating, opening a can of coke and using a tin opener very difficult, but secondly it also gave Warhol a ‘wraith-like’ appearance. It’s almost as if this is a ‘queer zombie apparition’ of Warhol rather than an imitation, parody or direct copy. The excessive consumption alludes to the idea of high capitalism and high commercialism in his art, and the way it embodied the American ideal. Of course, Warhol has used these motifs himself in his work, including Campbells and Coca Cola, while he has commented on McDonald’s. There was also a strong ‘red’ colour throughout the brands. Surprising if this colour is the epitome of socialism.
The act of consumption is, in itself, gross and grotesque. The “Warhol wraith” devours the goods, making the food go from neat and ordered to messy and discarded. It seems in itself needless, messy and greedy. There is a question behind it, leaving the act seem ultimately unfulfilling and selfish.
The Cack Swan (2015) More test looks in the studio
GNDRFK/FKGNDR (2015) Doing some test looks in the studio