Unheimliche

The Uncanny (Ger. Das Unheimliche - "the opposite of what is familiar") is a Freudian concept of an instance where something can be familiar, yet foreign at the same time, resulting in a feeling of it being uncomfortably strange or uncomfortably familiar.

Because the uncanny is familiar, yet strange, it often creates cognitive dissonance within the experiencing subject due to the paradoxical nature of being attracted to, yet repulsed by an object at the same time. This cognitive dissonance often leads to an outright rejection of the object, as one would rather reject than rationalize.

Thinking about creating work that is unnerving, uncomfortable, uncanny, has that 'unheimliche' sort of charactersitic/feeling.

Reviewing my work, from now I want to think about scale and space, form and feeling...

Using different materials to create a feeling of fragility or robustness, not actually setting out to make something robust or fragile, though I could do, and achieve the other at the same time.

-making things unheimliche

-making a process unheimliche

-making drawing unheimliche etc etc...

Cotton buds...

Colour!

Looking at colour, and colour mixing, much harder than I anticipated to get the exact colours...

Got me thinking about colour and painting and Mark Rothko and feelings...

So, I plan to look of the colours of the objects that I chose (fuses etc) and create some bigger drawings/paintings. I think this could be a platform for further drawings, as they wouldn't be representational and could be more about form and feeling which I have been trying to achieve, or rather thinking about trying to achieve...

Theme

Curiosities.

Definition

-a strong desire to know or learn something,

-a strange or unusual object or fact.

I was trying to think of a theme that combines what I like; layout, collections, odd things, alice, spaces, things, thoughts, thinking.

So this is a thoughtful word that fits in (somewhere) and yet again something to consider...

Thoughts.

Decided on my words. Robust: Fragile ( but no doubt the others will come into it)

I picked my materials to work with as a starting point; so the fabrics-wool, calico, some nice bobbly wooly fabric, scrim; threads -greys, pinks,creams and blues; and I also popped in to sainsburys and picked out a few things I felt were interesting -paracetamol, fuses and matches...

I think I have decided on a theme, as when I starting making (wrapping, stitching, connecting) a few things fell in to place/ started to think about a few ideas.

Started thinking about making 'robust' solid things seem fragile; making things robust so wrapping and covering/protecting; making things fragile. Changing things.

I also thought It could be nice to think about 'Alice' in the theme.

Lots of notes have been scribbled in sketchbook...

Untitled

Hand processes II ...

Materials!

An array of fabrics, threads,scissors, cotton buds, matches, fuses and paracetamol.

Turner Prize.

A few things the artists mentioned about their work that I quite liked.

Karla Black- 'What is sculpture?' Thinking about processes, material qualities.

George Shaw- Material links to the meaning.

Martin Boyce- Making places rather than objects.

Sketchbook things...

A few pages from my exhibition/gallery/ (whatever/wherever) sketchbook featuring things from 'Alice' and the John Rylands library...

Words.

New Project, 'Sampling' and we have been given a list of words to choose; ordered opposites.
My favourites up to now are; absence: presence, tiny: massive, and also robust: fragile and order: chaos are options to think about.

I have also been thinking about the Alice exhibition, and thinking about the meaning/themes of the works produced by the artists (their inspiration from the story)

ALICE :' Journey from childhood to adulthood; language, meaning and nonsense; scale and perspective; perception and reality'

Not exactly opposites, but very interesting key words! Lots to think about.

John Rylands Library...

A few weeks ago, I went to the John Rylands library... and then I went back! Armed with a sketchbook and phone-ready to take some sneaky pictures.

There was the Annual Book-binding competition in one of the rooms, with lots of lovely book covers made by artists, students and whoever wanted to

These are a few of my favourites, by 'Paul Heany'.

Also lots of old books- bibles, science books, ones illustrating book design...

There was also an installation, 'Kindle' by Nicola Dale, in the map room -Groups of unwanted paper candles, bundled together, placed on the surfaces of the cabinets. It also carried on in another room, little made pieces placed in the old bookcases!

Alice!

Thursday- the day for Alice!

Me and H went to the Alice in Wonderland exhibition at the Tate Liverpool, it was amazing.

I really didn't think it was going to be as good as it was, I don't know what I was expecting- maybe just the original copies of the books, illustrations etc.- but it really was excellent.

The first part was about 'Charles Dodgson', who changed for the pseudonym Lewis Carrol, which I did't even know (and I claimed to love Alice..). I found out he based the story on Alice Liddel. As Dodgson was a keen photographer, there are loads of his photographs of all the Liddel and Hughes sisters which are fascinating; they have a very strange picture quality, and also strange because there are lots of photos of young girls...(apparently, some people believed he had too much interest in Alice especially, but I'm not really sure about that whole issue).

There was also a section with the original Alice in Wonderland manuscript, Dodgson's original illustrations and John Tenniels illustrations, translated copies of the book and all the related merchandise.

Then...all the modern art that has been influenced, in some shape or form, from the story of its ideas; time, age, language etc. Lots of fantastic artists.

Favourites : Dalis 12 illustrations for each chapter, Samantha Sweeting, Kiki Smith.

Mitat Bezalel

Science and Industry Museum (mosi!)

After our tutorials, me and Hannah decided to nip to mosi!

We had a little look at the textile part, where all the old textile machines are...we also found a little display by Jennifer Collier in the corner...

Upstairs we also had a little (well quite a big and rather informative) science lesson, as there was a sciency-history exhibition about scientist that had come from/ been in Manchester for some part of their life, i.e John Dalton and Ernest Rutherford.

Rather Intersting!

Also went to the Whitworth, back to see Dark Matters, and also Airpressures; very good. Go see.

Book Design

I remembered that I went to the book design part in special collections some time last year, maybe it was this year, I am unsure, but I didn't upload any photos of what I went to see!!

Silly.

So here they are now. They aren't my favourites.

I didn't really know what I was looking for...But anyway.

Actually, they are actually much nicer/interesting that I thought.

I have no idea who they are by, but I do think that the lovely fabric book is by a famous (textiles famous/known/not unknown) textile artist?! and it was new in that day!

I am planning on going back, see what other lovely gems I can find...