Irony within anorexia.

After a lot of thought of what path I'd like to go down, I have decided to include an ironic aspect into my work. Firstly I shall be looking at irony within anorexia. I will also work with some recycled materials, as that's what I enjoyed the most from my current practice. One of my favourite pieces of artwork that is ironic is by Banksy; a British graffiti artist. It's called 'I don't believe in global warming.' Obviously the reason why I like this is because of the blatant irony implied and how effective the statement is in it's context. 



Anorexia Nervosa:

Anorexia Nervosa, also known more simply as anorexia, is a mental illness and potenially a life threatening disease. It is characterised by self-starvation and exessive weight loss. Usually, a person with anorexia has 15% less body fat than usual. Extreme weight loss can cause dangerous health problems and in some cases death. 

A lot of people believe that those who suffer with anorexia are self destructive. This however is not always the case. Some people enduring an anorexic lifestyle, merely can't allow themselves to eat. As earlier stated, this is a mental illness and can progress even if weight is not an issue. 

People with anorexia nervosa often use food and eating as a way to gain a sense of control when other areas of their lives are very stressful or when they feel overwhelmed. Feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, anxiety, anger or loneliness can also contribute to the development of the disorder. Others affected by eating disorders may have troubled relationships, or have a history of being teased about their size or weight. Pressure from peers and a society that equates thinness and physical appearance with beauty can also have an impact on the development of anorexia nervosa.

Anorexia plays a huge role in many people's lifes. To me it is an interesting subject and I want to approach it from a different perspective. This is where I will include a ironic aspect.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

A potential path to follow.

During my mini-photography project I have become interested in the idea of irony, contrasts and juxtaposition. This was after I photographed an old-fashioned car on an abandoned street in London; it looked out of place. The way this idea links in with what I already have produced, is by the way I used a subtle idea of decoration within a practice of nature. I also like the idea of recycling, which I've already involved, therefore I may further this.

   

Analysis of Exhibition.

After the initial 'Holding on; Letting go' project, I then produced a second life for it. I developed my practice from changes within nature to the concept of time. Alongside my Second Life Exhibition, I have created a blog which documents the changes of a tree through time. Each week I will photograph the same tree and present it on a blog. This is a one-year project, therefore it will portray the effects and development throughout seasons. 

For my exhibition  I researched several artists interested and influenced by similar subjects. Andy Goldsworthy, Nina Katchadourian and Tehching Hsieh are among the most important in my project. During my researching process, I experimented with guerrilla gardening, photography and shadow work. All of which help me express time and evolvement.

My first piece is 'Mud balls.' Basically myself and some friends went on a walk across some fields and I collected all of the mud from the bottom of our shoes; where I then created balls of mud. Instead of presenting them solo, I decided to accompany them with a dustpan and brush. I changed the dustpan and brushes surface by spray painting and scratching away, to suggest time and worn out. I removed every bristle in the brush and replaced them with twigs, to create the effect of recycling and re-creating. This is similar to the work of Nina Katchadourian and her spiderwebs. The concept of this piece was the journey we endured and the documentation of changes. 

My second piece was a cup of flowers. Again I involved the aspect of recycling, therefore I placed the flowers into a cup and covered it in spray painted paper. I didn't spray the cup itself, as I wanted to achieve a manufactured effect. I produced  the flowers and painted them silver and black to suggest decay. To link both pieces together, I also took the pebbles from the first piece and included them into thee second. The concept of this piece is to show the decaying of nature through time.

Harvard Process.

(1) 'The life and Work of Theodore Garman.' Publsihed by the New Art Gallery Walsall.
ISBN Number: 0 946652 740

(2) 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.' Authored by Hunter S. Thompson.
ISBN Number: 0 679 78589 2

(3) 'People Should Smile More.' Written by Newton Faulkner.
Hand Built by Robots.

Art, beer and too many people...yes, London time!

3rd November 2011.
After a long, ridiculous strategy of handing out tickets, we all managed to get on the train before it was too late. The train journey...standard. I tried to sleep whilst a business man bragged to a stranger how successful he is. We arrive in London and go to our hotel, Royal National Hotel. Checking-in appeared to be an impossible task; it was too hot and unorganised, but a Twister ice lolly made everything better. After a good hour, it was time to start the day. We strolled the streets in London to the train station, where myself and a handful of others were separated from the rest of the team. (The photo is of Louise telling her Dad how we were already lost).

This was due to the hectic London lifestyle and a certain someone walking straight into a lamp post (not mentioning any names....Graham). We decided to take it upon ourselves to follow the so-called itinerary, yet didn't manage to find anyone until the Whitechapel Art Gallery at about 5-6ish.  As Newton Faulkner says, 'People should smile more.' The staff in the Whitechapel Art Gallery took themselves too seriously. Vyner Street Galleries and the First Thursday entertainment was amazing. I loved walking up and down this street full of hundreds of people, appreciating the artwork...with a beer! :)  One of my favourite artists was Anya Red; a BA(Hons) Fine Art student who created work around the fascination of high heels. Her question was 'Do they provoke a sexual thrill or show a woman's desire for power in the Man's world?' After working up an appetite a few of us went to an Italian restaurant, where of course I order more than I can manage. Louise and I ordered a starter of garlic bread each which turned out to be as big as a large pizza. We demolished that easily and was applauded. Then when our huge portion of lasagne came, all I can say is I almost exploded. I don't like to be defeated. Louise was managing more than I was, so tactfully I made her laugh to ensure she wouldn't be able to eat another mouthful. Genius! We then all separated and did our own thing.

4th November 2011.

After a few snoozes on the alarm, we went for breakfast at 9am. Again we ate too much. A bowl of cereal, a bowl of fruit and three pieces of toast. How I hate my competitive ways. Anyway, as we'd pretty much covered all of the galleries on our own the day before, we departed from the group and went shopping in Camden. Self explanitory really; it was amazing.

We explored Tate Britain and Tate Modern, before heading back to the hotel for 6pm to collect our bags. We got our bags at 6.20pm! But all was cool, because we finally spotted our first celebrity. Well some guy out of Emmerdale but hey, we were at Euston Station after all. 7pm got on train and had an amazing little nap. Thanks Mark and Dave for photographing me whilst asleep...very grateful! haha 8.30pm we arrive back in good ol' Stoke.      

Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas...

I'm currently re-reading one of my favourite books, 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.' Alongside the surreal text, I'm in love with these gnarley illustrations. Ralph Steadman = genius!  

Photography and Fine Art.

I am currently producing a mini photography project alongside my other work. From analysing several ways of working with photography, I narrowed it down to two responses; Intervention and Landscape/Location. Due to many reasons these interested me the most, therefore I had to again narrow it down to one. Below is my thought process on both topics.

Intervention:
Wim Delvoye, 'Out walking the dog' 2000. Civic typography. Grand idea. Mixture between public and private. Can use photo manipulation. David Shrigley, 'Ignore This Building' 1998. Adam Chodzko, 'Better Scenery' 2000. Finchley Road, London. Describes how to get to the Arizona sign and vice versa. Offers an escape. Nina Katchadourian, 'Mended Spiderweb #19' 1998. Responding to natural breakage.
Landscape/Location:
Naoya Hatakeyama, 'River Series/Shadow #050' 2002. Interested in urban spaces, especially at night. Sets camera looking down onto Tokyo river. Light on water. Poetic like. Almost painting in itself.  10 minutes, same spot and rephotographs it. Andrew Gursky, 'Untitled XIII' 2002. Large format, negatives. Scans to manipulate. Viewer far away from subject. We feel God like. No focal point. Immaculate consistancy. Richard Long, 'Walking in a line in Peru' 1972.

Although both ways of working are relevant towards my general practice, I have came to the desicion of basing my project around 'Landscape/Location.'