This is by no means the final work but is the image I’m using for my work in progress powerpoint.
Want to try and get a title and a mock up statement in the next 30 mins!
Contained: Adapting to a hostile world
This work is attempting to convey the sense of both protection and prison now attributed to the home, in the face of changes in the broader environment. Inside the blue grey mood is textured only by the ongoing pulse. Outside the colours are brighter and swirl in an organic mist. A ring of everyday objects hug the centre, forming a barrier against hostility or simply dulling the boredom. The objects loom large, intruding inside creating a sense of claustrophobia in safety.
So feedback was that it reads as an eye and doesn’t really say what I’m trying to say above. So I need to change it or change what I say.
Yvette felt it was talking about plastics
Consensus was to keep the variety of colour
Suggestion of using ECG quilting on project one.
Also can use on project two. Yvette raised the possibility of circular which I think is a good one. Circular quilting goes on and on forever.
Not sure how to quilt project one. I could have lines of ecg quilting in the core block. Maybe also along the sashings but that would need to be done by machine. Not sure if I could physically execute that but I guess I could try.
People were interested in the process – maybe I could incorporate more about process in some way in my statement.
I’m happy to go with the narrowing down or constriction of a pupil – can use that in the statement.
I feel like the colours lack coherence. I’m wondering if I could make it a bit more coherent if I used all the same fabrics in a flatter fabric like just a quilters cotton.
I’m also wondering about putting sashing between the wedges to reference prison bars but also to increase coherence with the dyed background. I think my issue is that the tone of the colours in the wheel are not as rich as the colours in the background. I may be able to dye fabric to use as backing but I think there is loss of the detail of the photogram when I do that. I will try add cyanotype over the top and exposing longer than I would to see if I can get cyanotype highlights only. Only using one colour though to try and intensify. Maybe put the solarfast on to dry fabric. Or soak with cyanotype first and then put solarfast on top. No I think the problem is that the colour loses intensity because it doesn’t penetrate so solarfast first.
I would like to lay out the items in a more structured way so that it more fully represents a barrier but also so that I can work within the small central iris with ECG quilting that would be visible. Wondering about the possibility of the sashing being the outside fabric. So the barrier is imperfect? Maybe I should use the blue as sashing. Sneaking out through the cracks.
A ring of objects hugs and constricts
Everyday objects reflected.
Outside world on the periphery. In the periphery the outside is seen as swirling organic colours.
Contraction of the world to the everyday. – should I change the nature of the objects to be less plastic and more just everyday. Not really a link to protection from covid but more just personal objects around. I really don’t want it to look like a work about plastic rubbish. More what I see everyday. I could forget the barrier or at least more of a sideline. Not the disposable objects but actually my possessions that I value. Now it looks like one of those rafts of rubbish in the ocean.
Learnt something about word press then. I can select tiled columns to get this sort of layout but I do need to first select this and then add photos. Can’t do it after.
These three images are a start using more solid permanent objects from around the house and also using solarfast on dry fabric and then covered with cyanotype. The more solid objects allow for a longer exposure of 2 hours without losing the image. I just discovered that the rather odd shadows on these were because I accidentally had two lamps going – one directly over and one off to the side. I have changed this now to two one above the other and we’ll see what difference that makes. Previously I was using only one lamp to also stop obliteration of shadow but now I am using more solid objects potentially I could also play with lamp combinations to get different shadows of the one object. Lots of potential to trial but not lots of time.
Sue Lacey 