Ideas for end of term exhibition...

After talking about what I am doing at the minute for this experimentation with light and shadows, the influence of art I saw in London last week, and thinking about what I have done and said in this blog in the past, I think I have come up with what I want to make to go into the end of term exhibition. When speaking about that shadow drawings, and more especially the way that I was framing and choosing particular parts of the shadows to fill the sheet of paper to make the most pleasing composition, I thought that it was very much like the pages of a book. So, I intend to make a book of shadows. Think there are various ways of going about the actual creation of the structure of the book, and also what materials, what size, how long etc. When considering this, I was reminded of what I said at the end of last term about ‘cutting out’ the space and ‘releasing it’ - perhaps I could use the same method of cutting (after all this would make for very clean cut obvious shapes and would show off the beautiful forms that the shadows make), but then strangely instead of releasing it I suppose I would be containing it, in the form of a book...however I suppose I am still releasing it from its original context. This idea also draws together the interesting relationship between making something so transitory into a permanent record.

Studio space, 08.03.12...

Just to show the space I am working in, and to draw attention to the fact that even though everything is basically black and white, the shapes, the silhouettes or imprints of the captured shadow moments are I think in fact rather striking from a distance.

Mirror/Shadows...

Looking back through the folder of photographs I have capturing the shadows, on the evening of getting back from London I was drawn to these three photos which I had taken and not really considered - light and shadows, reflected off a mirrored surface somewhere in the room. Really like these glowing wispy shapes, remind me of clouds in the sky when the sun is going down on a summers evening. In response to Yayoi Kusama's work, could try setting up some photos looking further into the use of mirrors, but link it more into space as she does?

Yayoi Kusama at Tate Modern...

Although maybe a typical section of the exhibition to say had an impact on me, Kusama’s ‘Infinity Mirrored Room- Filled with the Brilliance of Life’, I thought was fantastic. Out of everything in that particular exhibition I found myself thinking about my own work the most in this room. Her interest in infinite space made by using reflective surfaces, light and general trickery leads to you being utterly engaged with experiencing the space. Personally I think the room moves the viewer to feel as though they are in a complete different environment/space to what they are actually in – I certainly wasn’t thinking about the fact that this was a piece of art, in the Tate; all I was thinking was about the enjoyment of the experience, at the expense of suspending me own sense of self. This creation of an environment with light, is similar to what I was saying about the difference between being in a space quite literally and looking at is as a photograph – it is the actual experience that matters.

Shadow drawings...

As well as the photographs capturing the moments of the shadows existence, I have been doing shadow drawings, as shown above – literally drawing round the outline of the shadow. When on paper, the negative and positive space and area of blackness and shadow become worthy of note. I like the somewhat sketchy nature of these drawings, done on the spot and in seconds, however, they become something completely different when you block in the area of shadow...the tension of the black and white edges, the edges are what the drawing becomes about. I tried to fill in the area with first charcoal, but the laborious sense of the task was evident in the final outcome, so I then tried ink – the washy quality, the fact that there are some areas darker than others, like pools of darkness, is pleasing. Another contributing factor is the fact that they are all life scale; they are the size of the shadows in real life – or at least a section of the shadow that I choose. Playing with scale, sizing them up or down may have interesting effects. Also, the cropping and framing of an area of shadow to fill the paper is almost like considering the design and layout of a page – something that could be perhaps looked into.

Shadows in the studio...

Since catching the shadow on our hall wall, I have become increasingly aware that at every given time of day, everywhere you look, you will be able to find interesting shadows. These photos are a selection from about 20 or so which I have taken around the studio on several days. I really love the idea of ‘catching’ shadows, of capturing the precise moment that they exist in that given state – their shape and the intensity of the darkness of the shadow is constantly changing every second, which I think opens a whole wealth of possibilities for development.

Perhaps the thing about the shadows which I have become most fond of and attracted too is their transitory, changeable nature – indeed all is fleeting in the world of shadows. This could lead to tracking shadows across a set amount of time, through drawing, photographs or perhaps film (many time lapse films could look into as instruction) or trying to build structure which would cast my own shadows by whatever means and seeing the shadows which are made throughout an hour, day or week. Could possibly experiment with the overhead projector, layering shapes and shadows with that? Also one area which I am quite interested in would be the juxtaposition of ideas if I was to somehow create a 3D realisation of a shadow – this could be using the shapes that the shadows cast and then making them into some kind of 3D sculpture, that you could walk around, touch and would be (unlike actual shadows) permanent. The confliction between the transitory nature and then fixing it in time is something I find very appealing.

Tracing paper windows...

This is going back to the post with the shadows and light on the glass. Again, instead of trying to show anything remotely natural, like the branches on the photos on the originals, I used the same straight lines as throughout I have been using pretty simple forms (which exaggerate the architecture and window frames of the gallery space). Opted for that again, if for nothing but ease when trying out the new addition of tracing paper on the window. I do quite like the effect, the window of bright light against the muffled - and this is an even further step towards the ideas of interference and control. Think the overall effect if I filled the whole set with this would be very different to last term, and quite interesting, but on the whole to develop this project I really think that it would be beneficial to move away from the limitations of the window frame...