INITIAL IDEAS

When starting this topic my first idea was to continue my work on bones as bones relate to structure. Bones in a body are symmetrical, both sides of your body have the same bone structure. Some parts are more complex than others but they are a big part of us. One of many components that keep us alive & moving. 

Another key focus for me was to look into imagery that symbolises life & death, & renewal of life. My mum always says 'history repeats itself', so this is something I wanted to push forward in my work through symbolism. This lead me to look at birds as they are seen by humans to mean certain things. Following on from my past work where I looked into superstition, I found many more birds that have symbolism that could be relevant to my work;

• War = an eagle 
• Hope, peace = a dove
• Renewal of life/rebirth = a robin, a stork
• Immorality, resurrection, life after death = a phoenix (Green & Egyptian Mythology), a vulture
• Death = a raven, a crow
• Healing = a caladrius (Roman Mythology)

This is a piece I did in relation to the birds & to experiment with a high contrast media. I used charcoal & white pastel & blended them out smoothly to create highlighted areas within the raven. A raven is a dark bird that commonly symbolises death, so I felt this media would work well, especially on black paper, which made it stand out even more. The black of the charcoal was even darker than the black paper which sort of created an extra shade, blending the two colours even more.

I wanted to somehow include one of these birds in my piece for the museum but I wanted to add more to it than just the birds.

The first idea I wanted to play with was continuing layering objects to create a structured pattern, like the skeleton in my last topic. I began by experimenting with white paint on black paper, layering two skulls next to each other, but overlapping them and connecting them so some parts interlinked with each other. I created the basic outline of both skulls & then started to neaten up the lines with black biro as the paint wasn't smooth enough. I noticed this gave the piece a bit more depth and made the lines stand out more so I did the same on the edges where the two skeletons overlapped one another, so the one on the right looked like it was in front of the other one.

I accidentally flicked some paint onto the piece so I evened it out & fixed it by adding even more. It worked but made it look spacey, so I added some stars too. I still felt like this was a bit plain, so I shaded certain parts with more white paint, circling it to blend it out which made it look cloudy. I went in and added some details with black biro, including some lines that went horizontally on the outline of the skull. I did the same with the white paint to, making it look a bit digital, like a glitchy image.

This piece was purely experimental, but I think it looks pretty good, I like the image overall & the connections where the image overlaps. I also like the fact the skulls aren't completely identical as it gives a slightly different perspective. Not everyone has the same shaped skull (I don't think so anyway), so it could look like two people merging together. 

Marina Abramovic is a Serbian performance artist, well known for her works that challenge the limits of the mind, body, & spirit. Her work often involves physically & emotionally demanding performances that explore themes such as memory, time, & morality. Abramovic's work often invites audience participation & encourages a heightened level of self-awareness & introspection. Her pieces can be considered thought-provoking & controversial as she pushes the boundaries of what is considered art & what it means to be a performer, a creator, & a spectator.

I wanted to link her work as in a few of her pieces she uses bones in different ways to push forward a message / meaning.

'The Artist is Present'