Looked at liberating the traditional painting from its canvas and frame to create sculptural work. Looked at practice of Alexis Harding, Jonathon Binet, Angela de la Cruz and Mia Taylor. Angela de la Cruz summed up her practice when she said ‘One day, I took the crossbar out and the painting bent, From that moment, I looked at the painting as an object.’
Here are a few of my experimental pieces:
Continuing to explore the concept of restriction and restraint. I had big, but rather physical plans in mind for my work. Unfortunately, as a result of recent surgery I had to re-think my final outcome.I decided to show a performance piece based on the restrictions placed upon my ability to make work following my operation and the frustration, mental and physical disorientation that accompanies it. When you are unable to to the things that you normally would you have to learn a new way. You see things from another perspective.
‘Half a cup of water and a kettle full of tea’. (stills)
Following my operation I had been told to lift nothing heavier than half a kettle full of water, light dusting only, plenty of rest and to maintain my pelvic floor exercises! As you can see from the title of my performance I was somewhat confused by these restrictions!
Considered instability/restriction and restraints. Looked at work of Matthew Barney ‘Drawing restraints’. I stood on a drawing board which was balanced on a small spinning turntable. Standing carefully on the stool to try and maintain my balance I then held a long piece of dowelling in each hand, onto which paintbrushes were taped to each end. With these restrictions in place I painted images from my unconscious onto the wall and the floor. I further experimented by laying across a spinning chair and from within the restrictive space of a wooden box.
In her essay on perspective, Hito Steryl looked at ‘Slave ship’, painted by Turner in 1840. This led me to look at the way in which Turner had depicted instability / disorientation with the loss of the horizon line. The painting challenges our view. Working with loss of control and disorientation I experimented by filming myself rolling on the floor and spinning. I was able to create a short simple film before collapsing! I tried projecting the spinning film onto the wall and performing in front of it.
Read an interesting essay by Hito Steryl titled ‘In free fall: A thought experiment on vertical perspective’. Led to questioning on how do we navigate?, what is falling? and how do we look at things? In response to the essay I produced a perspex cylinder, lined on the inside with a google map of my village. I was thinking about what it might be like if we lived inside a cylinder instead of on the outside of a sphere (earth). Would our perception of perspective change with the absence of a horizon?
A selection of prints from the identity performance.
I wanted to incorporate print and performance. I rolled ink onto a large polythene sheet. This sheet was to be my ‘stage’. I used my body to express insecurities and emotions that I have carried from the womb and into the present. Laying out different pieces of paper and fabric on the ink I made movements on them which left traces/prints of the performance. I used myself as a doormat, I rolled into a cocoon, I sung of childhood memories, I drew and stamped my hands and feet. I find the video of the performance hard to watch, yet when performing I felt very little anxiety. It was easier than speaking.I was aware of my audience but focused on myself and let my unconscious take over.
A still from the video – singing ‘mummy loves you’
From the moment I placed the brown paper bag on my head I felt different! I felt more confident and aware of my own presence. I could find words without speaking. This was to be the start of a new journey. Performance artists use the body as a medium. The body can be seen as the subject and object of a work of art.
Take a large format sheet of brown paper and create a self-portrait…
Re-visiting the theme of ‘Identity and Portraiture’. I created a short stop-motion video to explore how I struggle to know who I am and where I am going. The feeling of being pulled in different directions.
PAULA MUSGROVE 