30.1.21 - Rainbow of Socks & Yayoi Kusama Polka Dot Artist

Creating a rainbow of socks was another thing on my list of initial ideas for re-arrangement. 

I arranged them in rainbow order starting with red, where you can see my Yayoi Kusama socks at the front. I think she is a fantastic artist so I will include some examples of her work later in the post.


Due to the days still being short, the pictures are quite dark and contain silhouetted shapes in the background like trees and the church. I wanted to capture the sock rainbow without the background obscuring it, so I had to get low to the ground to get the sky as the background, but there was only so low I could go before not being able to see what I was doing. In the photo above, the flash was activated and it gives the socks a bold, contrasting tone that looks kind of artificial and surreal to me.


Next I arranged them by length. The way this creates a gradient reminds me of a graph or chart, giving it a mathematical or statistical feel,  as well as a sense of direction as if they are traveling, which is mirrored by the convenient vapour trail in the sky.






contact sheet (screenshot)


Yayoi Kusama

Yayoi Kusama, born in 1929, is a Japanese contemporary artist who works primarily in sculpture and installation, as well as working with painting, film, fashion, poetry, performance and other arts. She is one of the most powerful living artists in the world, and took much of her inspiration from American abstract impressionism. 

When I was creating my rainbow line of socks, the pair with Kusama's face on made me want to include some of her work on my blog, and the socks are colourful and vibrant like her installations. I struggle to describe how amazing I think her work is - the use of colour, space, shapes and mirrors is mind blowing and I would love the change to visit one of her exhibitions. 
She often places herself in the room like the beating heart of the artwork and she has a really distinguished appearance and sense of style. I think some of my favourite installations are the Infinity Rooms which have mirrored walls and use light sculptures to create an illuminated never-ending labyrinth. Her unmistakable signature polkadots add another dimension to the art and create an otherworldly space.
In terms of my own work, these images inspire me to be more confident in using strong colours and bold shapes in my work, I also feel encouraged that things don't have to be over-complicated to look sophisticated and interesting.















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