Artist Research - Rachel Whiteread

 

This piece by Rachel Whiteread is really dramatic, she has inverted a negative space by building layers of concrete inside an empty house before it was dismantled. The rest of the row of houses is gone so it stands alone in a derelict space like a skeleton of its former self, but the materials suggest permanence and durability unlike real memories which are less fixed and become distorted over time. I think it's quite a sad image because the rooms are no longer accessible and there's no going back, reflecting how life is a process of constant change and moving forward. I chose a black and white photo to talk about because it alludes to the past and mirrors the greyness of the concrete, so the method of photography brings out the message of the piece which is about history and the physical spaces where we exist and form memories. 

Unlike Whiteread's piece, my ceramic works are merely suggestions of buildings, and have a clearer mark of the maker due to my hands-on approach and all the imperfections. The materials have similarities such as being solid and durable, but I have used colour, texture and words on mine to create something more intimate and detailed - I have put specific references to history with the text and dates whereas Whiteread's doesn't give us any clues about what significance the building ever had, so the way it is completely devoid of colour and detail creates this feeling of mystery and anonymity.