Self Directed Projects - Objects of desire.

Below are some photos of the things I have made for the continuation of the 'Moral Consequences' brief entitled 'Inside a surgeon's mind'.  For this part of the brief I want to explore the idea of obsession and control that can be influenced by one's childhood and life experiences and how they behave towards others and liven their lives.  My story is purely fictional and is based on a Surgeon who is fascinated with a 50s pin up model called Sophia Van Mere.  The surgeon (Dr Waterworth) becomes fascinated with Sophia and is obsessed to the point that he eventually controls her by offering free plastic surgery to assist Sophia with enhancing her career and helping her achieve her constant strive for perfection and to be beautiful, but by doing so his obsession with creating the 'perfect' female form turns obsessive and he manipulates and plays mind games with her into having constant surgery until she becomes so altered that she appears 'monster' like.

The key influences for my project are connected to Psychoanalysis, Aldous Huxley's questioning of what is perceived as reality / normal and also Quay Brothers dark, atmospheric work that will be used to influenced how I use lighting, sound and shadow.  I have tried to recreate Dr Waterworth's secret desk where he obsesses over Sophia, plans future surgery, and writes manipulative letters to her.  I have also tried to recreate some objects that he would of had and also things that show his personality and emotional side such as Beethoven LP, a childhood drawing and a journal he makes as well as a few collages.

Below are few images of my progress.

Sigmun Freud - Psychoanalysis (Self Directed Project Researc)

I have been looking at key ideas by founder of Psychoanalysis - Sigmund Freud and how it will feed into my current self-directed projected 'Inside a Surgeon's Mind'. There are various tenets of Psychoanalysis,  but in particular I am concerned with the following:

- In addition to inherited constitution of personality, a person's development is determined by events in early childhood.
- Humans attitude, mannerism and experience is thought largely influenced by irrational drives that are unconscious.
- Conflicts that occur between conscious and unconscious, can materialise into the form of mental or emotional disturbances such as anxiety, depression, neurosis and neurotic traits.

The above areas intrigue me the most due to curiosity and memory being the themes that are the most present within my work.  I find myself questioning what the Surgeon's childhood and life experiences were like, how did they shape him during the transition from childhood to adulthood, how they affect him mentally and what conflicts occur in his mind?, what are his obsessions? What do his personal belongings look like? What elements does he preserve? - These are all questions I am currently asking and hopefully will respond to through my project.

 



I am reading FREUD by Anthony Storr as part of my research on Psychoanalysis.  I found the following quote very interesting as I want my character to display a high level of self control:

''Obsessional personalities usually exhibit self-control to the point of appearing inhibited and lacking in spontaneity''. Storr,p.9

Artist Sophie Calle - Self Directed Research.

I was first introduced to French Artist Sophie Calle during my second year for the 'Invented Persona' brief and was instantly curious and intrigued by the way she carried out her projects and how she submerged herself so deeply within her work.  I thought it was relevant to re visit her work as part of my research for my current self-directed project 'Inside a Surgeon's Mind' as I want to open my mind in how I approach this project, I don't want to be too literal and I am keen to expand my working method to enrich my practise as an Illustrator.

I find her work fascinating and intriguing with a curious streak that runs through out all of her projects, but it is 'Suite Venitienne' and 'The Hotel' that really inspire me the most in many ways.  Sophie Calle's work inhibits the space between fact and fiction, she crosses boundaries to explore hidden meanings and exploits public spaces, investigating them with a sense of intimacy, these are areas that I want to explore for my current project as I am working in that 'space' between fact and fiction whilst creating my Surgeon's personality/behavioural traits.

In 'Suite Venitienne' Sophie Calle follows a man she met at a party all the way to Venice without him knowing, when in Venice she continued to follow and photograph him for 2 weeks.  Sophie Calle's work is inseparable from her own life, which is what I find fascinating as she submerges herself in her pursuits and curiosity to explore and observe a person who she does not know, black and white
photographs and text are used to record her thoughts, happenings and emotions - through her own perception.  Her work really gets the viewer to see it through her own eyes and in doing so draws the viewer in. 

Below are some images of the mystery man whom she followed around Venice. There is so much mystery to the photographs, they leave a lot to the imagination, also the viewpoint is interesting, and draws you into Calle's viewpoint.

''Her use of the diaristic entry, the snapshot, confession and surveillance has greatly influenced much contemporary work concerned with self-documentation and the investigation of ritual, fantasy, anticipation and desire.'' - The White Cube (1997).

The above are methods I would like to use in my work on future projects, as I am concerned with human behaviour, memories and experiences that people have encountered and they way that they project it to the outside world via a persona or a hidden way, such as clues to the lives they lead through objects, daily routine etc.  I also think this way of observing could be used for my current self-directed project.

'The Hotel' is also set in Venice and is based on Sophie Calle actually getting a temporary job in a Hotel as a Chambermaid and created a piece of work about what she thought the hotel guests were like based on their personal belongings.

''For each room there was a photograph of the bed undone, of other objects in the room, and a description day by day of what I had fund there.'' - Sophie Calle

Below: Room 47 belongings.

Self Directed Project Research: Joseph Cornell

I have been looking at the wonderful book entitled: Joseph Cornell / Master of Dreams.  I looked at his worked very briefly in my first year but didn't really appreciate it as much as I do now, especially as I have discovered more about the strong themes within my work, looking at the themes in his work I was intrigued to explore his wok further, which will also form part of me research for my journal writing.

The themes he explores in his work are memory, dreams, surrealism and mystery.  These are all things that appear in my work and make me curious as an illustrator.

''A poetic theatre of memory'' quotes Diane Waldman, this quote is beautiful and it definitely captures what his work is about.  Joseph Cornell uses found objects, vintage paper cuttings and small oddities in his work to create shadow boxes that tell a narrative, meaning or sometimes they are just mystical and it's up to the viewer to apply their own perception and meaning, again this has a resonance with myself, how I want to make work, how I create work and the themes I desire to explore in my own work.

Cornell's attitude towards the world around him is that the ''universe acts as a mirror of mysterious truths'' - some which he portrays in his box constructions. (p.13)

Box Construction - Soap Bubble Set (1936)

 

Box Construction: Medici Princess (1948)

 

Box Construction: Pharmacy (1943)

 

Click here to see more of his work.

 

 

I just loose myself in his work, there is so much to look at, it really inspires me to think where every little piece was found, they all have little stories to tell.  For my current project I am showing the Surgeon's hidden personality and traits through objects and the things he owns and uses to preserve elements of his fascination, Pharmacy (above) is a great point of reference for ideas on how I can make, the look and feel of the work fit really well with the old/worn and vintage feel I like to use in my work and the above box constructions are so rich in narrative and have a mystery to them.

 

 

Research development - Self Directed Project

Since I last posted about my initial thoughts for the Self Directed project I have been busy researching and collating ideas into a sense of place book.  The below photographs show a few pages of my sketchbook, and the types of things I have been looking at such as bones, biology diagrams and Jan Svankmajer.

In addition I have also been looking for objects that I can use within my project and have been sourcing some intense music to fit within the context, in particular Beethoven!.  Another area of interest has been within the world of plastic surgery and how it is portrayed in Brazil, which was very surprising as surgeons are regarded as gods.

Below is a link to the article I read, It's a really fascinating article by the New York Times and a gritty subject context for my project:

'A Philosophy' of Plastic Surgery in Brazil.

Sketchbook exploration

Self Directed Project: Inside a surgeon's mind

I decided to choose the 'Self Directed' project as I am really keen to pursue the 'Moral Consequences' brief further as I feel it's a natural progression and also I felt as though I had only touched on the subject matter and I want to delve further.  Whilst making the surgeon character and scenery previously I started to really think about what his private life, interests, obsessions looked like, what was he fascinated with?, did he live two lives? was he real? - With all these things whirling around in my mind I just couldn't resist exploring this further.

I am at initial stages of research, and want to look at a few things/keywords, such as;

• Personalities/traits of a surgeon
• Psychoanalysis
• Absurdity/Extreme
• Obsessional behaviour
• Blurred reality
• Persona's/hidden secrets in human behaviours
• Biology/Skeletal diagrams
• Connection of objects/History

I always like to start a project this way and I hope to gather as much research to start thinking how I will approach this project.  So far I am drawn to the idea of a persona based project that connects to objects and belongings.  As I am currently writing my journal for my final year I feel the themes/connections in this projects are things I am really concerned with in my own work and practise and feel they will enrich my writing.