Year 3 Worcester University BA Fine Art

I want to try out some more screen prints again, I enjoy this process.

Its is a way for me to advertise the puppeteers game, ‘The great hoardings and the publicity neons of the cities of capitalism are the immediate  visible sign of ‘The Free World’ […]It proposed to each of us that we transform ourselves, or our lives, by buying something more. This more, it proposes, will make us in some way richer – even though we will be poorer by having spent our money.’ (John Berger, Ways of Seeing. 1972.)

I want to print using a screen printing process to portray my thoughts on a vicious circle. Wake Up. standing for a alert, attention. but I feel ‘wake up’ is more towards take note, open your eyes. ‘ The contrast between publicity’s interpretation of the world and the world’s actual condition is a stark one.’ (John Berger)

I want to put my own writing within the poster using screen printing. the idea I want in the world. This thing I want to portray through performance.

The above demonstrating the black and white version but I want some color in the image.

I was thinking of the color combination above. though the backdrop will not be the same. its will be more of a scrapping the prints different every time. I want to make 10 of the posters each one different I will do this by using a blank screen.

The first screen after the background will be the above I want to set the base for the print.

The second, the written piece. to allow for the written words to overlay on top of the first print.

Finally the border to give the NOTICE a hard matter of fact. John Berger (1972) states that capitalism survives by forcing the majority of people to have as narrow interests as possible it does this by imposing false standards.

Semiotics is the study of meaning-making, the study of sign processes and meaningful communication. This includes the study of signs and sign processes, indication, designation, likeness, analogy, allegory, metonymy, metaphor, symbolism, signification, and communication.

Dan Funderburgh, Vigilant Floral.

Juxtapose of the contemporary with classic, what we see and don’t see. the control of society hidden in the twee background of our culture.

Puppets as the face of a lie, happy go lucky but the hidden truth is that they stand against what is deemed right! Pinocchio for one lies, the funny thing is that his nose grows with the lie, could this be a symbol in itself, one that describes the arena we call society. He says he wants to be a real boy but when physically crafted he is forever carved to be the way he is! An all pervasive symbol of the clutch of government on society.

Paul Davis, DebutArt

Discusses the position that a Citizen may fine themselves. The cloud of thought generates the entrapment of the person figuratively speaking one becomes a brain the brain becomes a box which distinctively hides the Identity of the person.

‘Mary Douglas points out that dirt is the by-product of a system of order. Dirt has been rejected in a process of classification as the elements that are out of place. Douglas argues that if we look at what counts as dirt, then we can begin to understand and identify the system that rejects it.’

Joe Briggs & Ian Walker, Doll.

Innocence of childhood hidden under layers of dirt. A comment on the way in which we discard childhood as quick as we get it, forever being told to grow up learn and become a loyal helpful citizen, cog to the machine?

Recently I have been thinking about how I can physically show the idea of a Vicious Circle. Maybe I cannot, I could physically display the idea of a Vicious Circle as a piece of art work however, I do not feel that this is the way to go.

I have had thoughts on the idea of the puppet and the puppet master. The idea that the puppet master is ‘the Man’. The puppet his pawn. This is not the case though… I had thought that the puppet in fact is the rise against ‘the man’. the puppet is able to portray what one is not able to do legally. Punch and Judy for instance.

I did some research just to see if anyone else had a similar Idea to me and as it turned out they did. Peter Schumann speaks of this stating that:

‘people exist as citizens, and puppets are insurrectionists and therefore shunned by correct citizens – unless pretend to be something other than what they are, like: fluffy, lovely, or digestible.’

I broke this down.

1. Exist – solely alive and there, to exist is nothing without a voice
2. Citizen – person part of a country, belong to that country, according to Robert A. Heinlein citizenship must be earned and therefore allows for special privileges.
3. Puppet – controlled non-being. usually wooden controlled by string attached to body parts.
4. Insurrectionist – somebody who stands against ‘citizenship’ a rebel against the government.
5. Correct Citizen – Drone.

A puppet is subversive, it rejects the ordained world and creates it’s own, it does this as it knows nothing of the everything around it. It is not obliged to orders. Yet still controlled; it is in fact controlled to portray the meaning of control. Is its meaning in life to portray what lies in front of us?

Research using John Bell, 1999. Puppets, Masks, and Performing Objects. TDR Books.

Group Crits are something that puts the fear into any art student. I decided that I would use the opportunity to put away this fear and use the presents of my fellow students to perform a new piece of work in front of them. the performance starts with the audience being presented with 3 objects. A silver beer barrel and rope in a circular pattern around the barrel, with slip knots tie on the ends the third object a wooden sword/knife placed onto of the silver barrel.

I gathered the audience around the perimeter of the rope. I walked around in a circle placing the rope in the audiences hands. after this I walked around looking at the the barrel assessing how I could approach this. I did this in a menacing way to in still tension into the piece. the potential was there to be used as I wished I had control I had told the audience what to do and they did this. I walked around and around until i decide to pick up the wooden object and hit the barrel in a considered manner right left up down right left up down. I placed the slip knots onto my wrists and started shouting and hitting the barrel. the instructional questions insue. ‘am I still getting louder?’ ‘wont you stop me?’ ‘Is this what you want?’ these questions aimed upon the barrel.

The audience stayed and started to pull on the rope to restrict me with one last blow of the barrel the wooden object broke and I was pulled into a crucifix type position unable to move.

Above the installation of the remains of the performance.

Comments on the above performance.

• Painful
• angry
• confusion
• teamwork
• hurt
• crucifixion
• industry
• nuisance
• torment
• Violence
• ambiguous
• Arena
• Childs play

Arena

One person felt i had set the performance up like a gladitorial arena , the had expected me to wrestle with the barrel.

Childs play

it was commented on the wooden sword being a Childs toy and that what we learn through play as a child affects our later life.

Ethics 

• escalated quickly
• Steady build up but ultimately erupted into noise but the build up had more tension to it than the explosion. build up scary.
• Choice/no choice – are we all controlled by the man is the performer actually in control and did we just fall for his trick. are we as bad as those in charge.
• Protection of self
• Ropes around wrists  – control or control of audience
• humanity and generosity
• ritualistic
• torture
• menace

Things to look at

• savagery of the performance
• ‘the trial’ film?
• mil-grim experiment
• costume?

last week I performed for PiLot at the university. I tested a performance where i dragged a box using a pulley system and rope backwards and forwards.

Feed Back

1. Is this performance Site Specific?
2. Is it about the setting
3. Creates Drama and tension
4. Monastic
5. would it work as a film?
6. absurd
7. Pointless
8. indication of pain
9. does it need a start and an end?

I had a few answers for thes points and questions and by answering them it may help me develop other work and help me come to a conclusion to what I am looking at.

1. Yes and no if a space is set up correctly then it may work well and/or differently in a white cube space. Something I aim to look at in crits later on this semester.
2. Something also I would like to experiment with the setting can really play with the horror content. Covered face and black suit.
3. tension i can see with the ‘whats going to happen next’ also i found there was a feeling of loneliness I was on my own dragging the box in the cold especially when the audience left.
4. I had to research ‘Monastic’ and I like this observation especially in relation to my earlier research project.
5. I am attempting a film version but through film you must question does it provide the physicality? and the knowlege that the performer may be sill going once the audience moves away. Its about the illusion of the continuous vicious circle. Its haunting.
6. absurdity found within the setting the costume and the actions which i like maybe it could be more absurd.
7. pointlessness found within the absurdity
8. pain found within the actions within the performance.
9. No not for the ideas i am running with.