Mood & Memory Collage

For the Mood and Memory brief so far I have been working in 3D and created a 'House of Memory', I've also revisited my love for collage and played with the idea of creating characters made up of their surroundings.  On Tuesday I attended a group tutorial and the feedback from my tutor was that my collages shouted a bit too much Vogue/Fashion! which I totally agree on as that's where the material has come from, due to my love of fashion and how the models are portrayed in the magazines.

My tutor advised me to reconsider the integrity of the material a bit more and how it connects to the nature of the project, and how it will affect the overall look and feel of my collages.  It was very helpful and useful advice, and so I acted on it by getting into the Empire Exchange in Manchester, I love this place there are loads of old books and boxes of ephemera and old letters.

I really think reconsidering the material has helped.  Here are some collages I made since....

Collage - Mood & Memory

Below are some collages I made to represent my fictional character for the Mood and Memory brief.  I wanted to show how my character is made up by her surroundings and how her image is transformed constantly...

Research - 'House of Memories'

Whilst creating my 'House of Memories' I looked at 'altered art' for inspiration, here are some things that influenced me.

I love how they are made from old and new found parts and objects and the idea of memory is present.

House of Memory (Mood and Memory Brief)

Below are some images of my finished 'House of Memory' for the 'Mood and Memory' brief.  Initially I experimented with making collages of my fictional character and the environment and surroundings in which they lived in, naturally I progressed to making as it's just me!.  I decided to visualise a distorted memory of my fictional character.

I created a 'Persona Boudoir' where my character gets ready, alters her appearance and changes the way she looks, a 'Mirror Room' where my character years to see her reflection but she struggles, a key-memory room that consists of mis-match keys and vague messages and also a memory room that is lost in time but filled with distorted photographs.

The project leads me to question if she really did exist or was it a fragment of my memory?.  I plan to carry on creating a few more collages.

Mood and Memory Research - Polly Becker

Polly Becker is a illustrator based in the states and creates 'assemblages' from found and old parts of all sorts and creates people, animals and characters.  Polly's work has also been a influence during the research stage for the Mood and Memory brief.  Her work is breath taking, I really like how she uses found objects that would be in the surrounding environment and merges them with found imagery for the faces, they tell a narrative.

Check out her website here: http://www.pollybecker.com

Maissa Toulet: Artist

One of my peers introduced me to Maissa Toulet, what can I say!, Maissa Toulet is a french artist who creates characters from found oddities and also makes cabinets of curiosities.  They evoke an eerie feel, but they are also mysterious, secretive, innocent and tell stories in themselves.

I have been looking to Maissa Toulet for influences for the 'Mood & Memory' brief.

To view more of her beautiful work, see  http://www.maissatoulet.fr/

They have a wonderful surreal element to them. 

Mirror Mask

I watched Jim Henson's 'Mirror Mask' yesterday, being a huge fan of Jim Henson's work (in particular Labyrinth) I was naturally drawn to this film.  Mirror Mask is a fantasy film about a girl Helena who feels trapped within the family circus, she draws characters and worlds to escape, however her drawings come to life when she is swept away into a surreal world.

The film gave me some great ideas for my current project 'Mood & Memory' as I am looking to explore dreams and reality and how they cross over with one another into every day to day life.  I also really appreciated how the film is made and the look it has, it's a combination of film, animation, drawing and mixed media.

Dave McKean was the Art Director for 'Mirror Mask' his work is also amazing. Here are some images from the film that I was most drawn to.  There were some beautiful ideas within the film like the mask shop, the clock singers and the small musical box.





 

'Mood & Memory'

I really love this 'Mood & Memory' brief, and I can't leave it alone!.  I have been looking at a few things lately such as elegant jewellery, vintage furniture, interior of rooms and crazy fashion for ideas and influences.
I have also been working in collage a bit too, which is really nice as I don't seem to do much these days compared to when I studied at Foundation level, I really love old ephemera and cutting up books and magazines, it's beautiful to create something from something else!.

Below is my 'Mad House' collage, it's a place where my character lives and below is the 'Eye Cupboard' that I made from a old piece of dolls house furniture.

Mood and Memory brief

Over the Easter break I will be prioritising making a start on the final brief of the second year!. The brief is entitled 'Mood and Memory' and is very open in terms of response (which I love). Initially I was a little unsure how to respond, after speaking with my tutor I began to get lots of ideas. After listening to Gustav Holst's 'The Planets' which is mentioned in the brief, I thought about which planets and meanings stood out to me, I was instantly drawn to Uranus the Magician and Neptune the Mystic, Saturn the bringer of Old-Age and Mercury the Winged Messenger also interest me.

To start with I will begin a 'Sense of Place' and start to research various ideas. I may also explore the idea of visualising a person I wish I had met or a fictional character I remember meeting. Saturn (Old Age) stood out at me as I thought about a tale or story from memory, I may also consider creating a Invented Persona as a route.

I am also in the process of watching Jim Henson's 'Mirror Mask', It's already triggering of loads of crazy ideas!.