28.09.20 - Wrapping Tools with Fabric


 

I found that this was a really interesting way to take an object out of context and transform it into something of a completely different nature. Instead of the masculine appearance of being sharp and hard, the shapes look soft to the touch and organic.

I like how the spanner looked after I put the pink and blue fabric on it, it became quite fun and child friendly looking, like a play object instead of a work tool.

The pile of wrapped objects reminded me of bones and have a prehistoric feel, like fossils or ancient tools, or even mummified limbs. They also made me think of voodoo dolls with the rough edges on the fabric and earthy tones, and the vertical form similar to humans.

I took another spanner and frayed some strips of fabric to create wispy ends to contrast with the original defined, solid edges, so it just fades away. It looks like a metamorphosis between a man made object and a part of nature like a strange creature.


 


I layered several sketches of the metal objects, including negative space and tonal drawings in a disorganised jumble on the page, I think this layout works for the subject because they make us feel uneasy due to their sharpness and surgical associations. I like the more detailed drawings of the wrapped objects because it shows the texture of the fabric which is contrary to the other metal components.


Feedback

From the comments I feel that the composition of my work was the most successful element so I will continue to work in this style.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

29.1.21 - Objects in the Bath and Shower

Image
One of the first things that came to mind when I got the re-arrangement brief was to do something with my collection of beanies. Because they are so colourful, I decided they should go against a plain background, so I cleaned the bath out and started filling it with the animals.  The first set of photos shows the animals in a random arrangement where I photographed them from different angles... For these close up images I placed the camera in the bath with the animals and blindly took the photographs, not knowing what the results would be. The flash came on for these pictures which makes the in-focus areas appear very sharp with a clear representation of the animals' surface textures. They also remind me of claw machines in arcades, which gives the images a nostalgic feel - all of these beanies were manufactured in the 1990's and early 2000's. This is the thing that opens and closes the plughole in the bath, and it created some strange reflections of the beanies which look
Read more

'Shades of Green' exhibition at St Mary's Church

Image
'Shades of Green' is a Nottingham city artists studio group exhibition, with various works about the longing to be in green spaces during lockdown and the artists reactions to isolation. My favourite was Karl Wilby's 3D piece with the whales and flowers. I think it's really clever how they seem to be floating in the air and are feeding from the flowers like humming birds, it's also really interesting to see whales represented in such a small scale, it's quite surreal and endearing. I like the contrast between the reflective coppery metal flowers and the matt turquoise whales which suggest the colour of oxidised copper, showing a transition from new to old - shiny to rusty - maybe also alluding to the endangerment of the species. There seems to be quite a strong connection between this piece and our fabricated nature project because of how naturalistic the whales are, when in fact they have been made through 3D printing which is as artificial as it gets. The meta
Read more

Mike Kelley Style Photoshoot

Image
  Mike Kelley's 'Ahh... Youth' piece inspired me to make my own version using old teddies from home, including some from my parent's childhood and some from my own - plus a recently acquired 90's troll doll from a car boot sale. I set up the studio lighting in a way that would reduce shadows behind the objects and used a white background like Kelley's image, which gives a professional atmosphere that  elevates them from being worn-out old creatures to something special and celebrity-like. I used a tripod so that they are all to scale with each other, and I like the empty space around them, it's like they have room to breathe and think. I also had to adjust the ISO, white balance and shutter speed on the camera to suit the light and conditions of the space, then I used manual focus to get the sharpness that allows you to see all the details and textures. After uploading the photos to the computer, I cropped them on photoshop and classified them into two separ
Read more