Taking photos
I’ve been out taking photographs, some are in focus others I have intentionally taken out of focus, to give people an idea of how I see the world.
Above image blurred photo
The photos document the barriers I face on my journey to and from university and the materials these are made of -
Concrete, Perspex, glass and steel kept cropping up, so I want to try and incorporate these materials during this module.
Concrete
It’s cold hard to the touch but can be smooth and absorb the heat of the sun, It’s used for its strength and offers us protection but can become weakened when Combined with steel.
It’s grey in colour and is a material I struggle to navigate, lamppost etc all blend into this grey material and on a grey winter day there is no definition between the sky and concrete city I live in
Above image photo of concrete
Perspex
Is versatile ,Transparent, represents safety for many but I find this translucent quality a hindrance because it’s Invisible to me, sometimes I can sense it’s there but I struggle to navigate around it taking away my independence.
Above image perspex barriers
Rust
Is bright in colour, represents age and decay to many but to me creates high visual and textural contrast.
I wanted to investigate these materials in the university workshops but there is inductions for the next few weeks, so I will carry on exploring print at home and look for external workshops until I can use the workshops at university.
Research
Whilst in the library I came across a book on Gerhard Richter, a German painter, photographer and printmaker his blurred paintings and photographs resonated with me, because it’s how I see the world and I’ve been exploring ways to share my vision with others for a long time. I was intrigued to know why he used this blurring technique. So I did further research and found this quote
“I blur things to make everything equally important and equally unimportant. I blur things so that they do not look artistic or craftsmanlike but technological, smooth and perfect. I blur things to make all the parts a closer fit. Perhaps I also blur out the excess of unimportant information.”
Notes, 1964-65 Gerhard Richter: Text. Writings, Interviews and Letters 1961–2007, Thames & Hudson, London, 2009, p. 33
I picked that particular quote because my sight means I take in a limited amount of visual information and at times I’ve found this useful but more often than not it’s been a challenge or I’ve felt I’ve missed out on information, this quote made me feel the opposite, maybe my site is my very own filter?
Collagraph
I’ve been creating several collagraphs inspired by the photographs I took of the barriers I face, they are full of geometric shapes, representing stairs, pavements, sharp hazards etc.
To create the collagraph’s
I cut my design into the surface of the mount board and applied PVA on areas I wanted highlighted, when dry I sealed them with button polish. I like the versatility of collagraph’s, you can create a textured surface out of so many things, polyfiller, acrylic paint, wood glue, carborundum, textured recycled materials and for me I always prefer the plates to the prints. I like their tactile nature and I see them as pieces of art in their own right.
Above image Collagraph plate
They are considered a nontoxic form of printmaking because no acid or ground is used. It is often undervalued compared to other processes. Personally it’s one of my favourites and I rediscovered it last year during my first residency in Canada and I’ve been experimenting with this process ever since.
Below image Collagraph print
Alexia Tala is a Chilean artist/printmaker who creates collagraph installations, I’m drawn to the intense colour, scale and the tactile nature of her work.
Above image Alexia Tala . from Mixed media and printmaking by Brenda Hartill and Rchard Clarke
For a long time I’ve wanted to make my prints more installation based, seeing artists work like this reinforces, my desire to do this. I just have to improve my 3D skills.