My initial idea for my degree show was to build a self-standing octagonal structure made out of wood. It would be made of sheets of MDF that would be covered with a reflective, mirrored material so that the outside of the structure would reflect the surroundings it would be situated in. This idea of blending an interior space within an interior nods towards the idea escapism especially within the films I loved as a child, e.g. 'Labyrinth', 'Pan's Labyrinth' and 'The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe'. As I wasn't entirely sure of the structure of what would be held inside it, I decided to test it out on some cardboard. I discovered that although switching the mirrored surface to the interior of the space, (similar to my last piece) I still couldn't figure out what I wanted to put inside it.
So I carried on drawing and looking round the degree show spaces. I came across a large corridor space that was offset and found that I wanted to make something site specific to fit this space. After spending some time within the space, I realised that what I wanted to make was a room that came off of the existing architecture. After deciding on this space for my proposal, I made accurate drawings of the space and worked out the cost of the materials to ensure my idea was achievable.
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Based on my previous work, I decided that making a space that surrounds an individual is of importance. After making several drawings, I came to a conclusion that making a hallway was the ideal space that incorporates elements of domesticity and it is ideal for housing one person at a time. As I was essentially making a space to be placed within another space, I liked the idea of making another interior within the hallway. I had some trouble figuring out what I actually wanted to place within these smaller space. Reflecting on last years work where I build a small interior on to a wall, I wanted to push this idea of merging my own interior fixtures into another space. This time I thought it would be fun to experiment with using a mirrored background so that you weren't given a true layout of the interior space. As the inside was warped, you couldn't place what was real and what was doubled within a reflection.
To further include more bodily interactions within this interior space, I sectioned off the entryway with a black curtain. This also referenced my influence from film and cinema. I was so taken by this visit to the Bunker, especially the tunnel that lead down to the deepest part of the space. Walking down this narrow corridor was quite chilling as it seemed to become smaller the further you walked. I decided to video this by walking with my camera. The footage overall was quite shaky but it suggested human interaction. As the image blurred it exaggerated the shape of the tunnel.
As I had a whole room to myself to exhibit in, I decided to make my own ‘black void’ for the video to reside within. Using some wood and black-out material I created a kind of cinematic viewing screen that went from the floor, off of the two side walls and right up to the ceiling. I did this so that the viewer could become involved within the piece as it became part of the room. As part of my practice, I wanted to scout locations where I could capture some footage of interior spaces that are confined and restricted. One of the places I thought of was the not so 'Secret Nuclear Bunker' in Essex. I'd been there before but never had the chance to take any good images of its interior.
Visiting the site, I discovered how important being within specific sites is to my practice and that looking at the function and shapes of those spaces has become part of the way that I research. As I felt the last piece was successful, I decided to build it on a larger scale to see if its presence would be more powerful. I think that having it placed on the ground leaning against wall made it more interactive with the view. The previous piece felt like more of an object whereas this piece is big enough to incorporate the body. I also displayed this next to a door which created a relationship with the work as they are both a barrier which stands between two spaces.
At the start of my final year I carried on developing ideas around the home, especially the space within and its divisions. Using picture frames from my own home, I created a sculpture by repurposing just the frames to exaggerate their form. I think their is something quite powerful in physically removing a frames purpose to just show its exterior for what it is.
I again, added black material to the back frame to play with the frames extending the space into the wall. It almost has a child-like quality to it where household objects become a type of fantasy doorway into another world, much like the scenes within Tim Burton's 'Coraline'. As my work has become more sculptural, I tried to retain some of my previous painterly qualities. In this 'Void' series I used layers and layers of black acrylic paint on several canvases to build up a surface. Using a dry bristled brush I created grooves in the surface, giving the painting more of a texture. Towards the end of the year, I repurposed these 'voids' to become part of my end of year exhibition. Developing my ideas around interiors, these painted sculptures became empty portraits in my staged homely environment. The choice of black was to make it feel as if they are spaces that go beyond the wall and talk about space as something that extends from an object.
In March 2016, I participated in a group show in Spitalfields market in Brick Lane. Our objective was to create our own kind of stall that would house all of our artworks. In response to the market we decided to build storage boxes out of chipboard material, that each of our works could reside within. I made several types of works, mostly sculpturally based but I did play with video and projection which was fun to experiment with. To summarise our works, we displayed a small artist statement on of the boxes to help the viewer get a better idea of what each one of works represented and deals with. Below are images of my work that contributed to the project.
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