During the summer, I carried out a series of plein air painting sessions. While spending long periods of time observing the places I visited, I noted how each location had its own kind of atmosphere or essence that was distinct, and that I found myself responding to, while not being consciously aware of it. Piet Mondrian among other Modernists described this as the ‘spiritual realm’, which is the ‘fundamental qualities’ of a subject, as obscured by its physical reality. I am interested in exploring ways of including these unseen elements into my work, and I propose to carry out a project looking at how they can be translated into visual or tangible information via the artistic process. I will explore three main lines of enquiry:
- Methods by which unseen qualities are depicted. I am inspired by Morris Graves and other Modernists, who sought to depict the essence of a subject by way of abstraction.
- The translation process from the experiential to the tangible along with the devices and recording processes that might be used, including the human as translator.
- I am also keen to explore different uses of natural elements as material for my work, such as Olafur Eliasson’s abstract works made from light and mist, or Celeste Boursier-Mougenot’s installations that employ the movement of water, or the movement of birds to create sound.
Images from top left: 1Morris Graves, Hibernation, 1954, 2Olafur Eliasson, Beauty, 1993, 3Celeste Boursier-Mougenot, Clinamen, 2012, and 4From Here to Ear, 1999
Research and Development
I have initially identified the following artists to research:
- Morris Graves
- Bill Viola
- Cy Twombley
- Kiki Smith
- Wilhelmina Barnes-Graham
- Celeste Boursier-Mougenot
- Ana Mendieta
To begin with, I will research the theory of abstraction, as well as Modernist philosophies, depicting the human experience, processes of translation and transformation, and installation art.
Primary research will include directly observing my experiences of places and objects, and recording this in a variety of ways. I will begin with painting, but I intend to experiment with a variety of media, including drawing, ceramics, photography, 3d work, found materials and perhaps film. I don’t want to limit myself with what materials or processes could be used at this stage. I will visit locations to seek out potential materials and subject matter. I will discuss with others, show them my observations and compare our experiences, and I will aim to produce a body of work that reflects them. I will know that the outcome is successful if it can be instinctually understood, or if it unites the experiences of more than one person.
Rough Timeline
- September/ October – Initial research and experimentation
- November – Peer critique, media experimentation, ideas expansion, project development
- December – Research and development exhibition, refinement of work
- January – Development of outcomes
- February – Present work so far, continue development
- March – Group review mapping progress against criteria (evaluation and critical dialogue)
- April – Group review, refinement and production of final works
- May – Final submission, hanging, installation and curation of end of year show