All posts
MARCEL TOLEDO
“Marcel Toledo’s aim is to transform their suffering into something beautiful”
Marcel Toledo creates sculptures replicating the scares of a victim of domestic abuse, he does this by using metal and metal moulds as well as using his hands to
Dear diary,
My target for this lesson is to find more artists that link to my work and show ideas of what I am experimenting on and doing.
I am also going to try and create different examples within my sketchbook to show my development and different ways of my work coming together, this will also help me to select a design that works best and I think is most apropreate and effective.
Comparisons through my art and other art in everyday life e.g. restaurants other art work in public places
Update:
I have worked in my sketchbook for most of the day and have been photo copying my original designs and drawings to then experiment on the copies. For example I have used material and fabric, glass and card to create the different ideas and experiments.
Dear journal,
Today I did a ten minute task which was to create a sculpture or structure using only three pieces of thin wire. I decided to create something that linked into my FMP and therefore I decided to create a face using wire which was one of my original ideas that I have yet to bring to life and develop however doing this task meant that I have developed the idea by creating a small 3D version. I am happy with what I created in the small amount of time given. To me the wire work shows a basic face sculpture which allows the viewer to use their imagination to create a story behind the work or what the message could of been if i had more time and was able to use other materials then just three pieces of wire i would have used fabric within the wire gaps to create a more detailed look also by adding different textures and colours it would help create a story behind the piece as colours/textures can represent feelings and emotions.
I have then continued to work in the workshop however I have also been designing further ideas for example i have seen work that shows a sculpture coming out of a frame which I love the idea of as it’s a cross over from fine art and 3D (artist inspiration for designs Ib Burnstein who creates realistic sculptures of people/objects within a frame)
Design one is a design that shows the controversy between two people and the relationship between them. For example the person on the right is happy and content with life where as the person on the left is putting on a front towards their partner when the reality is that she is in pain and uncomfortable with her life feeling trapped and consumed by the relationship they are in. I have designed it in a way in which it looks as though the person suffering is calling out to the audience o expressing how she really feels to those viewing it I did this by creating the sad face facing towards the viewer i also did this to help engage them with the piece of art and to help express the feeling of suffocation which is also why i based the sculptures in a frame like the artist Ib Burnstein to create the deception of a picture perfect love however with a dark twist as the frame holds the person in place only to be admired by others such like their partner and to keep their mouth shut and to just look pretty. I have also kept their identity to a minimum e.g. not giving them a gender as i feel that domestic abuse can relate to anyone with any sexuality or gender therefore by creating the person on the right as a girl its suggesting that mainly women are the victims of abuse where as it can also be men, elderly and other types of people, however I want my art to be something that all types of people can relate to whether they are the victim or abuser.
I chose to base the sculptures in frames as it gives that sense of enclosure and suffocating which is what I want to portray within my work to express the feelings of the victims as they are consumed by their lovers, by my work showing the person trying to escape it expresses that although it may look like a pretty picture or something to admire (the relationship) it’s not as it seems, which is why I chose a frame to suggest that the art of love and what people see is something different to what it actually is. However I would also like to work with light and other elements such as sound to create more of an effect and connection with the public as I believe that light can express and determine moods so I would use red lights in the corner of the frames to lower the mood and to reflect off the materials such as metals and glass within the sculpture again helping to bring the piece of work to life and reflecting the message behind it.
Materials that I will be using throughout my experiments.
Clay:
Pottery is clay that is modeled, dried, and fired, usually with a glaze or finish, into a vessel or decorative object. Clay is a natural product dug from the earth. It is important to note that a clay body is not the same thing as clay. Clay bodies are clay mixed with additives that give the clay different properties when worked and fired; thus pottery is not made from raw clay but a mixture of clay and other materials.
Clay may be modeled by hand or with the assistance of a potter’s wheel, may be jiggered using a tool that copies the form of a master model onto a production piece, may be poured into a mould and dried, or cut or stamped into squares or slabs. The methods for forming pottery is as varied as the artisans who create them.
Pottery must be fired to a temperature high enough to mature the clay, meaning that the high temperature hardens the piece to enable it to hold water.
Reference:
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Pottery.html#ixzz5iX0NVMQm
Clay is a malleable substance, which means it can easily be moulded by hand so that you can create a piece of work that is personalised, unique and individual to the artist. I like the idea of my work being hand made by clay to create something that is different to other works of art and to me art is about expressing your individual perspective on things and connecting to other people through the message you portray, however by using clay this also means that the art that it would be able to be mass produced as by creating a mould (using the original clay work) so it would save time and money.
Clay is also a material that can be continued to be worked on as long as is stays wet and does not have the chance to dry as by spraying it with water then wrapping it up in plastic to make it air tight it will stop the clay from drying so that you can continue to develop the piece of work and add further details. I like the idea that I can continue to work on it as long as the clay is wet as it means that I do not have to rush working on it and risk it being a low quality piece of work.
When researching about clay I also discovered that it allows you, once fired to be painted or other materials can be added. Further more clay while wet also allows you to add other materials such as wire or fabrics and then once the clay has dried it holds it in place.
Clay also allows you to create texture and detail as by pressing in fabric you can indent the pattern onto the clay, or you can use objects that create the texture that you want, having learned this I plan to use fabric and other objects to help me to create detail and texture into my work to express further the impact of domestic violence.
The characteristics of clay have positive effects from an environmental and health perspective as clay is a natural binder, and it obtains its firmness simply from air drying, no chemical binding is necessary it is also made from a natural substance which is also why I have chosen this material as I have learned from my last project ‘futures’ is that future artists and designers will be/should be using more eco friendly materials.
Wire:
Wire is available in many different lengths and different types of flexibility. the metal wire, is usually made by a process of heating and stretching. Wire is used in many industries and can be easily brought. It comes in a single strand or several strands twisted together. Wire is made of different metals like aluminium, bronze, copper or steel and has different gauges. A gauge is the thickness of the wire’s diameter. The larger the gauge, the thinner the wire.
wire is a material that can create a strong sculpture with detail and simplicity too, as all it is, is a thin line/metal strip that can be layered to create a 3D sculpture. it is flexible and allows you to bend it when heated or when at normal temperature which means that when you are working on it you are able to adjust or go back on what you have done and if you make a mistake you can reheat it and correct the error, but once left to cool it becomes a strong, clear and simple but effective piece.
Through experimenting I have learned that copper sheets and high temperature wire can be used for glass slumping as the metals can withstand the high temperatures needed to fuse together the glass this then creates a melted glass slap thats two pieces of glass moulded into one another with the metal wire sandwiched within the glass that creates a pattern or shape.
(2019). Great instructions for slumping these draping, thermal shock, fused glass art, glass slumping | Fused Glass | Glass fusing projects, Fused glass art, Fused Glass. [online] Available at: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/13370130120580336/ [Accessed 4 Apr. Glass-
fusing-made-easy.com. (2019). Glass Fusing Information. [online] Available at: https://www.glass-fusing-made-easy.com/ [Accessed 4 Apr. 2019].
glass
Glass recycling is particularly possible. It can be recycled again and again without losing any quality. New glass is only required to keep up with growing demand and because some glass is never collected and put back into the system. Glass is not the only product that can be made.
Dear diary,
During this week I am going to write up my 500 word review on the project so far this should include artists that have influenced me, the experimental designs, problems that I have solved along the way and what I plan to do in the next few weeks, I will also be questioning myself on the work that I have done so far to see weather I am happy with my progress.
Today I am going to research some materials that I am using in my experiments I will also create a separate blog post mainly for research so that it is easier to find and is all based it one area.this is under “materials research”.
Today I have took the time to create some more ideas based on domestic violence that show the hidden side of being abused.
I have completed my pen drawing which I will then add water colour for a bruising effect (i will do this tomorrow as one of my targets) I have decided to use water colour as it is transparent showing that people see through the abuse and only focus on the image that they can see not the image hidden behind the smile. I have done a line drawing of a woman in pen and will continue to work on this over the next few days. I decided to do it in a line drawing as it would give me a better understanding of the shape it would be in if I made it out of wire as in the next few weeks I hope to create a similar if not the same sculpture made from wire and metals as it could represent the caged feeling and the feeling of being trapped as wire and metals are often used for cages or restriction.
For the rest of the day I will be bringing my ideas to life through material experiments and materials in the workshop giving me time to experiment with ways in which is best express the message that I want my art to portray. During my time in the workshop today I have been able to create a face using clay I used a plaster mask which I found to use as my template and a base for the clay I then rolled out a thin layer of clay long and wide enough to be placed over the mould, I then used water and my fingers to push down the clay into the indents to create the face shape, by using water the clay became much softer and easier to work with and created a smooth surface and texture it also helped it not to crack when pushing it down to create the shapes such as the nose and mouth. I will continue to work on the clay face when in collage and keep adding detail to it until I am ready for it to be painted I will then try different paints and materials to create a textured face expressing the difficultiesand pain behind domestic violence.
Update:
When working on the face as it was very fragile as it was a thin layer
Dear journal,
My target for the first session is to make sure that my journal is up to date and is as detailed as possible.
Update:
I have spent the session updating my blog and I am now happy with my blog and it is now up-to-date and detailed. I will now continue to blog my development and proggression through out the rest of my FMP.
TATE ARTISTS:
Today we went to Liverpool to collect primary research based on our final major project theme, for example mine is domestic violence. We went to the Tate where I collected some images of the work there that I thought related to my FMP subject.
This piece of art work to me showed the feeling of being powerless, as in the picture she is in a position that she can’t get out of alone and is held up by the plank of wood that when she gets to move can become unstable showing the similarity that many victims of domestic abuse feel with the idea of being powerless and have the need to rely on others to help or to be under someones control and being unable to move unless they release them or say they can move, victims also feel like they should do anything for the person abusing them and that it is love and the reason why they abuse that person is because they care for them so much, so the fact that the girl in the image Is powerless to move or is in a position that she can’t get out of shows that maybe she is willing to do what the abuser wants and will stay there to please him.
This is a black and white collage made from many different individual faces. It appealed to me as it made me think of how someone facing domestic abuse is hidden in society thought the crowds of people in everyday life that no one really stops to pay attention others .
I loved this piece of work as it reminded me of how a victim of domestic abuse can often feel venerable in their own homes and don’t feel safe in that environment as seeing how fragile the house looks can represent how venerable and unsafe the victim feels as it’s a shell that is falling apart. Also that fact that it is being held in a hand suggests that they have crushed the house and that it is under their control. Another thing I like about the image is how it can represent the damage that domestic abuse can have on a family and their lives as the house is a home for a family and if that is shattered it can suggest that the abuse has torn the family apart too. I also found out that the artist used flakes of skin to create the house to represent identity which I found fascinating as it is something that I never thought would be used to create art.
Andy Warhol’s self-portrait 1986:
This is an acrylic paint and screen-print work on canvas. It is a large portrait of Warhol and employs an arresting colour scheme in which the artist’s vivid red head floats against an empty black background. the contrast between the black space and the red face creates an almost sinister feel and look which is what I would also inflict through my project.
“The artist’s neck, shoulders and torso have been excluded from the portrait, focussing the attention on his face, expression and hair”. Warhol expresses deep emotion through this which is something that inspires me with my own work as my project is based on a theme that contains strong emotions and has a very deep meaning therefore I would like to use some of the ideas behind this piece of work to such as the colour red used on his face as red is also a colour that is seen to represent anger, pain and love which can also represent the emotions of a victim of domestic violence so I think that it is important to connect the viewer with the emotions and feelings of the victims and colour is a good way of doing this.
…………………………………….
Dear diary, today I am extending my research and knowledge about the topic of domestic violence so I am able to narrow down my knowledge on a smaller area of my topic.
I will start to pick out parts from my research and images I have collected and expand on them with analysis showing that I am analysing and developing key features this will help me to begin my design ideas.
Within my sketchbook I will be showing the links between the artists that have influenced me and will take apart their work and change it or place it back togetehr in my own way and showing my own style and the message that I want to portray. I will be working on my sketch book over the week at home to show how I am exploring domestic abuse in art form and not just through research.
FMP Domestic Violence 