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Final 10 Images

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Folded Form -

To bring my folded form into the story, I felt it make sense to have them dashed along the wall, making the piece inclusive to the viewer to find them all. A hoarder typically struggled to navigate their collection, unable to locate the exact thing they were looking for, and I feel this highlights this nicely. Lost to my hoarders mess.

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Final walls, with close up pictures

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Final Thoughts of Wall - I'm glad I chose to do one big collage as I find the turn out miraculous. I do not typically like doing big pieces, as I find myself searching for the smaller details, but since this is built of smaller pieces, it felt natural and almost fun to create. However I think it could have been a little more developed, with the growth of the collage coming out more onto the table and wall. Perhaps this could be something I take on further, evolving the piece as I go. I do wish I took more pictures of its progress, perhaps I could have taken it further and turned it into a gif which I tried with my collage, this is something to think for next time.

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External Seminar - Online Symposium

'Multispecies Architectures' Organised by Dominic Smith (Philosophy, University of Dundee)

During this seminar I found myself being exposed to a multitude of media, ideas and artwork that I had not thought of or seen before. It was an eye opening experience to a world I had not experienced before. There was lots of information to digest, which I feel I struggled with as this was my first symposium experience. However, I did enjoy it.

Here we discussed how architecture and the implementation of art can be achieved, and thus how it affects it's surroundings. It can be argued that everything has been created using some form of architecture, no matter the material nor the living intelligence that brought it into existence. Such as a spider creating its web or a fish preparing their home for their egg sac, thought and logic go into each creation. So how does this apply to art? Well, my take away was that where you place, and how you assemble your work has a huge impact on the interaction from the audience. As well as how this is not exclusive to art, but can be found in other aspect of life.

A speaker I found particularly interesting was Matthew Ogden with their 'When Critique Meets Reality: Developmental Hypocrisy in the BioShock Games' speech. I was not expecting to see a game talked about within this seminar so it caught my attention that way. I have played the game before, so to hear it be dissected in this topic was rather peculiar but in a good way. Interpreting the choice of architecture and social construct within the game and how it changed over the years with the growth within real society outwith the game. He explored the relationship of aesthetics and low within the rise of digital technology and the advancements within this sector. He explained how the developers would becomes hypocrites against their own design shown in their games, showcasing how blurring the line between the audience and the architecture can affect future developments. It made me think of how I utilise my own work, and how I represent it and vice versa. The effects of what I do as a person compared to the lifeless work I create, and how it births opinions on me as the creator.

I wish I took more notes, as I feel there was so much said but I have little to show for it. Next time I would need to make sure I note down what I hear so I can take more information forward.

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Development of my collage wall.

Further development, the collages now moving down onto the table, growing past it's bounds. I love the development here, It's beginning to look like a large, messy collage which is exactly what I was hoping for. I kept everything I have made this year so far, and it felt like a natural progression to include them on the wall. Keeping in with the theme of hoarding and not letting things go.

This is a video of me ripping up some prints that I did not like, using them to help fill my walls. I felt this was a good process to show since something hoarders can struggle with is letting things go. Instead of keeping it as is, I ripped it up into smaller pieces, showing it's little significance to me.

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Screen Prints

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These prints I went a little more messy, going back in my research to the exploration of the stains, I wanted to recreate how stains can look. With the printing itself, I intentionally flooded the ink (flooding is when you apply the ink to the screen, this can easily be overflown) too much on the press, making the image come through a little more blotchy.

The first two are a landscape piece by cutting an A3 cartridge piece of paper in half, allowing the print to cascade over both slices. I really like how it came out, the 'love yourself' being slowly overtaken by the overlapping 'stains', pushing it away into the forgotten.

The next four I brought back in the idea of finger/handprints. I covered my hands in some of the left over ink and smudged it onto the paper, leaving these splotchy prints. The colour was coincidence by what using what I had left over, but I think it works well. It reminds me of mould, overgrowing and taking over the home.

Finally, the last two are test sheets, but I think they came out nice which is why I have uploaded them.

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Screen Printing with added Embroidery -

Fixing yourself

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Feeling as though the prints could use some more depth to them, I decided to embroider on top of the prints to boost the story they tell. I added geometric patterns which I felt added to the piece, without taking away from the prints own personality. The stitching is to tell the story of having to patch up ones life after battling an illness which has wreaked havoc through your life. Pulling yourself together to move on from the pain of the past.

The first two are from the same pieces, the white which was two cartridge pieces printed beside each other, and the brown sugar paper ripped in half after printed on. Since they're the same imagery I swapped their halves and stitched them together. The colour of thread I chose was to compliment the colours within the ink, a natural green with a vibrant red and bold black. I love how these developed, I think the thread adds so much more depth and texture which is what I felt these pieces were lacking.

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Collage Screen Print

Using my previous collages, I printed them onto acetate and transferred the image onto the a screen, of which I then printed from (see below).

Top left; I wanted to carry through with the collage emerging from the papers bounds from my other pieces into my prints. So i placed two pieces of cartridge paper onto the base and printed onto the paper, so the ink transferred the image to both papers. I then decorated the piece with extra images I had, using colours I felt appropriate; red for the danger, and white for purity, an innocent person being bound to their illness through no fault of their own. I love the strong contrast created here.

The top left I tried the same but on one sheet of brown sugar paper, of which I then ripped in half after the ink was dried. The black ink did not come out as strong as it did on the white paper, though I think it adds a sense of aging to the piece. As though the image was left to fend for itself, aging over time being unused and forgotten.

Lastly, is another collage I made on brown sugar paper. Using the same method but with a new imagery. I like how these came out, though it feels a little flat compared to the first one. I think it would be best to stick to the white paper, though this was good for experimentation. I think I can develop these further so I will look at my research and see where I can take them.

Process - This is a video of me using the screen printing bench, applying the ink and pressing it down into the paper. I have written a more in depth explanation of the history and process of this practice.

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Collage - Pain

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These collages focus on the pain the hoarders can face as the individual going through the battle. The struggle to speak up, and if they can, the push to get them to take advice and move forward with their life. It's not something that can easily be moved on from, if they even can.

The top left has a woman trying to defend herself from an onslaught of pins being shot towards her from various taps. Hoarders can collect things that don't work in the hope that they will fix it, but in reality they never really do. Thus leaving a mess around them that can in turn hurt them if it topples onto them.

Top left is a contrast between the beauty of butterflies and the restriction of the woman's free speech. Using twine, I stuck it across the mouth of the picture and then place a cut out silhouette of a butterfly. The contrast of the freedom of the butterfly against her rights being removed, was to illustrate how hoarders can struggle to reach out for help. Realising something is wrong is the first hurdle mentally ill (or any sufferer of an illness for that matter) people have to make it over.

Bottom left is of the same meaning, executed in another fashion. A man is having his mouth covered in order to stop him speaking out against the misfortune he is being pushed through. The sink here is to reference the phrase 'circling the drain', which is used to describe when someone is unable to move from their situation. Going round and round towards what feels like their inevitable doom. I embroidered water droplet like imagery, to portray the weight of their problems pushing them down to the drain.

Finally, the bottom right is a little more straight forward. The hand stapled together to ripped, useless paper. The thread is there to imply being stuck with the items the hand picks up, them getting tangle in the hoarders web, red here signifying the danger of this. This one is on cartridge paper compared to the other 3, but I think it's just as effective here.

I really like these collages, each tells it's own story with less help needed from the creator. I placed them on my walls as well, helping to build up the larger collage.

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Collage - Growth

These ones I have grouped together as I feel they aren't the strongest for my theme. As collages alone, I like them, but pertaining to my theme I think they require more explanation which isn't ideal when you consider the audience won't always have you there to guide them.

The first one is depicting the fact that mental illness is a hidden disability that can grow within us without us even knowing. The seed of the illness is sown bellow the eyes of the beholder, blossoming later in life when least suspected. I chose flowers to represent the growth, a somber woman in monochrome with a print out of the fingerprints I had made earlier. This one is quite aesthetic but less obvious of my theme.

The next is about putting on a smile while feeling as though you are crumbling. She is framed by image of olden time movie stars, since a common thing hoarders have is holding onto the past. She is struggling to keep it together through the memories of what once was, longing the security of the past. Security is exactly what hoarders are looking for, a place to feel safe from the usual hubbub of the world. Again, this one is not so obvious, which is why I have uploaded them together.

Third is the 'love yourself sign'. I decided to use a different base for these collages, as instead of a cartridge paper base I chose a box that I had disassembled. To keep align with my theme I collected empty, used boxes of items (such as make up, perfume, skin care etc) and used them as a base for my work. It worked really well to maintain the collage as well as adding a new dimension to the piece instead of the the usual square edges. This piece shows the hands coming in to take apart the 'love yourself', striking the self love from the person and replacing it with an offering of scraps (alluding to the value of the hoarded).

Finally is another disassembled box, this time with a different meaning. The collage here is rather random, and may look out of place considering my work so far. However it does follow the theme. As a hoarder, they can feel alienated from others, made to feel as though what they are gathering is of no 'real' importance and not worthy of collection. This alienates them from society, and hence this feeling is what inspired me to create this piece. A home infested with fish, being picked and placed by the hand, illustrating how the hoarding can affect the home from an outside perspective.

These collages are some of my weirder ones that, as I have said, require more explanation than the others. However I still argue they fit my theme and that is why I have included them within my progress here.

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GIF - 'What Makes Us'

For this gif I homed into the idea of 'what makes us?', is it our belongings? For those who hoard, it very well can feel like it. Putting so much time and effort into maintaining our belongings can make us feel that these objects are one with us, feeling unnaturally connected.

When creating collage, you typically have a lot of pages with empty slots of where the item once was, and I decided to utilise it here. It was originally a picture of a boy with a teddy bear, of which I used for a collage earlier. I then cut out board games and stacked them within the space, as though the collection was filling up the space. Taking place where the boy once stood, almost replacing them entirely.

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Collage - Various

This is a collection of various collages I created over the week. Various with their meanings.

The first one is to represent being unable to speak about your problems, coming across as fine but in reality crumbling under the pressure. As stated before, it's difficult to explain your problems when you barely understand them yourself. Hoarding can misunderstand their actions as a collection, and not realise that the problems they are facing are due to their surroundings.

Top right is in reference to longing for the past. Feeling out of place in your current age and wishing for a distant past. Items of the past are common for collectors and hoarders alike, praising their age and quality and putting them on display for their history. However, hoarders are less beautiful with their collections, they are scattered and unmaintained, dashed everywhere disorganised. But they are held together by the person they are loved by, who are relentless in their goal to keep said objects.

The next one is much less obvious and not one of my favourites. It's an alarm clock with a light bulb in the middle, covered by mesh. It was to depict the way hoarders look at their belongings, seeing the light and worth within them, even when others cannot fathom as to why. This is not particularly clear without explanation, which is why I'm not as happy with this one as the others.

On the right is also less clear, subtle seems to be something I can't do as successfully, so I could use some practice with this. The red depicts danger, and the boots are large in order to take over the room. Seemingly safe, however when obsessed a lot of these can amount to an unsafe situation.

Next I thought about the loss of self, and feeling confused with the emotions felt and how out of control a hoarder can feel. I removed the face and replaced it with an image of shredded paper. As though the means to get better are lost in the pile, and to reconstruct the remedy takes time and a journey of self discovery. I really like this one, it feels it could be more clear to an audience which is what I want.

This is another child interpretation, they see the ever growing media around them but are not sure what to make of it. Not sure if it's good or bad, only that it is natural in their world.

Bottom left is about when things get back, they have to climb over their belongings to get anywhere. This is a beautified version of what it realistically like, treating it as a fun little collection of items instead of the illness it is. Selling these products not knowing the damage it can cause to someones life, belittling their trauma.

Finally, I just used the leftover flower paper and drew in their missing centers. Hoarders can feel empty, as though they have lost their real self, and hence try to fill it with something else, leading to their ever growing mound of objects.

These collages are okay, though some are better than others, mostly in terms of the audience being able to understand the meaning behind them. Despite that, I really enjoyed experimenting here, and will take some of these forward, such as using them as inspiration for printing or more gifs.

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Gif - 'Overrun'

I found this picture of a girl looking bored, with i feel, undertones of distress. I saw these Halloween themed foods in food magazine and thought, with their whimsically creepy nature, I could make them swarm the girl. As though through a young child's eyes, the hoarders addiction is less serious, and more fanciful. The items swarming them mischievously, with an almost teasing demeanor, sparked from the child sensing that this is not normal, but not truly knowing why.

I think this gif is more subtle with the meaning it is trying to portray, but I suppose the subtilty is what makes the hoarders mentality so dangerous. It build up over time, again and again, trapping it's victim to the items.

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Sketches of Collages

Using the same method as my sketches before, I drew some of the collages I have created so far. This time I tried it on brown sugar paper, though I think I prefer the white cartridge paper as it had more of a crisp finish with the monochrome contrast. These will also be used to fill my wall.

As I am filling up my wall, I feel the process of the collection is really important to my theme here. Creating one big collage perhaps? Or I could use the imagery to tell a story? I will think about this for now.

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Collage - Substance Abuse

Continuing with collage, I created these pieces in reference to hoarders commonly facing the battle of substance abuse.

Media used; Magazine clippings, cartridge paper, bus tickets, pen and a medicine prescription bag. Again stepping over the cartridge paper.

Top left is an homage to the addiction side of the mental illness. Those who hoard often turn to addictive substances to cope with the mental strain they are under, such as drink, cigarettes and drugs. These items are often found littered around their home as well, adding to their already high level of stress. Hence the 'on the rise' above the collection of alcoholic bottles, portraying the heightened possibility of substance abuse.

Top right, is a collection of random items I found in a magazine, on top of the word 'sale' which is seen through the eye of a face, underneath the word prescription. This is to bring attention to the idea of a 'prescription' to the sales, constantly in the know about what is being sold and in the hand of the media. Buying whatever they put in front of us, such as the collection of items in from of the face, with happy models to really sell it.

Bottom left was taken from a prescription bag that I crossed out the words to make a series of new sentences of what to 'always' and 'never' do. Spreading the message to 'treat yourself' to something new, when in reality, it is a curse to be constantly collecting items without a plan.

Bottom right is less obvious compared to the others. This one is mostly about the piles of items that build up, objects that are no longer of use to the holder; bus tickets. I found myself collecting a large amount of these on my daily commute to work and college, bundled up in my pockets, left to be forgotten. Resulting in an ever growing amount of paper dating where we have been and at what time, with little other meaning.

I like how these collage pieces came out, they represent this side of the illness nicely in my opinion. Focusing more on the addiction side and the spiral this causes. I will continue to experiment.

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GIF - 'Lost'

Growing from the collage, something I felt was most important was the process of me adding and moving around the pieces. So I thought about how best I could document this in a fashion that would flow in comparison to uploading individual images, so I came to the conclusion of gifs.

For this scene, I used magazine cut outs to illustrate how quickly items can overtake a home when not monitored. The original lay out of the home is lost underneath the growing mass of objects.

I like how this gif came out and I think it represents my theme nicely. The gif method is interesting, a little tricky to work out at the start but I think in the end here it worked out nicely. I think this technique has more potential to be unlocked so I will continue to experiment.

Here is the website I used -

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Collage - Collection

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Thinking of some of the processes I could use I started with collage, making sure to look back to my research to far so I could make sure my work referenced back to it. For these I focused into the piles of items that grow around the hoarder, slowly closing in.

Top left, brandishes the words 'I WILL SURVIVE', referring to the suffering the mental illness can evoke. I chose the background to be the legs of dancers, often thought of as elegant and carefree when they are in motion, the opposite can be said for the words in the foreground. These words I chose because they reminded me of hoarding for various reasons; 'you aren't gross you're just busy', a phrase to soothe the soul of it's worries about it's surroundings, 'your love, life and dilemmas answered', a nod towards the strain this illness can have on relationships, and more.

Top right was to encapsulate the feeling of everything crumpling together into one entity. Not quite making sense as a collection, so heaped together as a mess.

The bottom one is a simplistic version, alluding to the difference between collecting and hoarding, how the thin line is decided by the organisation of the items. These are laid out in a semi coordinated pile, so where do they fall on the line?

The main thing I wanted for these collages, was for them to grow out from their paper stands. The pieces are glued down to the paper, though the collage breaches the edges of the paper. This was an intentional act to push the idea of how collections can quickly grow into hoarding matters. I will keep this theme with my collages.

I will continue to explore this technique and how I can use it to my advantage, so far I am happy with the progress.

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Drawing of Items I Found

Here I made some quick sketches of the items, I didn't want them to be polished in their details but rather messy and incomplete looking. I felt this style would be more effective in displaying the nature of hoarding and how the illness can create said mess. These sketches will be used to add to my wall and act as inspiration for how I can interpret my theme further.