I was looking through artists who inspire me and my work and cabinets of curiosities and even just cabinets become an item that keep cropping up. Thinking about my work, I decided to really explore collections I should purchase a cabinet as it would allow me to see how I as an artist work with it. It could help me to push my work further.
Mark Dion and Damien Hirst are artists who use cabinets a lot with their work to display archaeology, drug packets and pills etc. They are a common thing amongst collectors to show off collections.
I decided to begin with, with my cabinet was to collect all my empty toiletries. I decided on this as they are all different shapes, sizes colours, do different things, etc, etc. I felt it was still relating to myself and being personal to me as they are all items I have used so I guess in a way shows something about me from what I use.
I then placed them in my cabinet with small items at the top, larger items in the middle, and decided to place my frogs items at the bottom as they were already in there and would fill the space…
The Frog’s were a bit out of place to be honest. I think it was more to fill the space rather than them working with the empty bottles. The frogs may work well on there own in there and the bottles separate once there are more. I need to play around with the arrangement of the items too to see what works and what doesn’t. Perhaps quantity isn’t the issue it is the selection and arrangement.
Here is the photo of the dress I have made out of my used make-up wipes. Once I had finished it, I realised it reminded me of the artist Jana Sterbek and her piece ‘Meat Dress’ (‘Vanitas: Flesh Dress for an Albino Anorectic’). Her work is inspiring but at the same time grotesque and shocking. ‘Meat Dress’ is so shocking at the sight of raw meat just hung on the mannequin, or on herself (when in performance.) We are used to seeing meat on a dinner plate or in a super market not being used as material for clothing.
Although my dress I made is disgusting in a way with these ‘dirty’ wipes they will not rot over time like the meat will. She has used a collection of pieces of raw meat, whereas I have a collection of wipes. I feel by using a collection of abject or unusual material it gives the viewer a abject feeling towards the dress or even a confused reaction as to why. This something that I am keen to explore. My dress is not as shocking or abject as Sterbek’s is, it draws the viewer in wondering what the mark makings are, before staring them in the face it is make-up. Perhaps even making them retract away as a natural defence to this abject material.
I have began sketching again. Sketching everyday and ready-made objects around me. This time when I feel like drawing, rather than by a strict routine like I had last time. I feel like I am back to enjoying drawing and making interesting mark makings again.
Although it is not quite the same as the wipes and contacts through that object form of collecting. I feel it is taking on my personal work, just through a more expressive angle by myself recording these views of what is around me at that particular time. So instead of collecting something I have used, or something belonging to me, I am creating drawings to be a collection of particular views I have. Obviously they are personal to me as it is not only what I happen to see but also how I record these views.
I feel this is perhaps a different angle to the work I am creating with my wipes etc. However I feel like these could work with my work, I’m just not sure in what way yet, but I am going to carry on with these drawings and see where it takes me.
I have began sewing together a dress out of my used make-up wipes…well attempting to anyway. I did attempt a quickly sketch of a dress but it didn’t really help at all in aiding me with the construction of it. So I thought perhaps I should just dive in and attempt to make it. It only has the basic shape at the moment, but hopefully once I do some more stitching it will begin to take shape. I think I may have to add a zip or some buttons to it if I plan on it actually being worn, if not I have no idea how it would be put on! I will post some photos up soon.
I feel like my personal collections are really working, so I have decided to carry on with this by thinking of what other items I can collect which could push my collecting further whilst still portraying me.
Contact lenses.
These are something I use near enough every day to obviously help me see without the need of glasses. I felt this relates back to the make-up wipes in a way with perhaps the idea of vanity?? I hadn’t actually thought of my wipes like that until now I have never liked wearing my glasses so choose to wear contacts instead. I suppose in a way its but it is. They are my way of hiding away from showing everybody me. The wipes make-up gives me a mask and the contact lenses hide the fact I need help in seeing. I can see without having to have frames on my face, and no-one will know.
I began collecting the contact lens cases and originally stuck some to my studio wall as an initial way of displaying them. I then later sewed some together to see what worked and what didn’t. I quite liked the way they all sat nicely on top of each other when sewed together and although I only did this with a few I haven’t really experimented with them much since so is something I plan to do to see how they can be used for the best results. I think display will be an important factor with these. I could really play on the repeated shapes of them.
