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Obscured Sky

Cred: Bram Stoker’s Dracula

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Wk10 Exercise "Transform one stage to another"

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Final Submission / Presentation 

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Statement - Assessment 2

In the last assessment, I discussed about the relationship we as humans have with 'non-humans' and the environment. I found that relationship to be conflicting because of the dominance we establish, yet we have compassion and sympathy towards non-humans and the environment. I attempted to further focus on the outcomes in this conflicting relationship/ ecology humans have created. Because we have this upper hand dominance  in this world/ space we share with non humans and the environment, It has arguably become a human world. I explored human interaction with other organisms and how there is now a human essence in everything. Manipulating genetics in animals and plants, especially for human consumption/ production, makes them not original or unique to their species. These human adjusted organisms are now human. When we genetically, surgically or synthetically change something, its with human made materials. Even if these changes involve 'naturally' growing materials, it is synthetic. Non humans have become human with our technology to be able to recreate their unique genetics and create human approved human animal or human plant. We have created this synthetic relationship in which humans benefit from. It is quite ironic that we still associate animals as non-human, even though there is a human component in their being.

 I took inspiration from Patricia Piccinini's use of creating hyper-realistic objects and establishing a grotesque element to her creatures to enhance and promote a negative message towards her concept of mutation and biotechnology that humans take advantage of. My final work's form was heavily influenced on Patricia Piccinini's 'Protein lattice (2000) as she uses mix media graphics to create these false creatures but in such a realistic image of the world. I play on the methods of mutation as does Piccinini. In the Human Rice piece, there was an experiment of producing rice with human lysozyme (a human enzyme) that would benefit humans but it would not benefit the breeding and pollination of the environment. I created the reality of that experiment and exaggerated the imagery to further express the disturbing act. The tomato and 'Tough Skinned Apples' are also another reality of what other experiments would of become if they were released for consumption. Salmon contain a certain trait of genetics from the evolution that allows then to withstand the extremely cold water temperatures. Bio scientist have experimented with this gene in tomatoes to allow them to withstand the weather to benefit human production and consumption. I brought these experiments to a reality with creating hybrid images of these environmental objects into my concept of the human being in everything.

 In my work, I played around with hyperrealism and the way it can transform an object or image that is not real, become reality. There are different types of hyperrealism but I focused on creating an image that resembles a real-life image, evoking shock and confrontation from the audience. This is mainly coming from the Human Rice, 'Tough Skinned Apples' and Salmon Tomato piece. All three of them rely on creating a grotesque appearance to enhance the conceptual message that human's have become part of everything in this relationship with non-humans and the environment. I also used religious figures in my collection of mix media pieces for its symbolism of human beings created the same way non-humans and the environment. These figures, Adam and Eve, have a well known story that also involves manipulation and greed. There is a contrast of humans and non-humans in the way that their story ended. There is a part of us (as human kind) that doing wrong is the right thing, but we also know that doing wrong can result in having negative outcomes. I wanted these two figures and the story to represent humans and our part in this relationship we share with non-humans and the environment. Eve is seen consuming an apple juice box and not the traditional 'organic' apple. The juice box is represented as the human adaptation and of the human apple with it being the form of synthetic human materials (paper, plastic and aluminium foil).

Bibliography 

https://www.wired.com/2016/08/new-nih-rules-let-grow-pigoons-cant-breed-em/

https://www.biofortified.org/forums/topic/are-there-gmo-plants-with-animal-genes/

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/gmo-demon-seeds-keith-dillon.html

http://www.widewalls.ch/hyperrealism-art-style/

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Experiments

Here are my mix media experiments. I liked working with human skins as a representation of us and our biotechnology. I wanted to use mix media because it represents the technology that we have and how it can really manipulate and mutate beings. The first image is exploring the concept of the human evolving and being the adaptation of everything (non-human and the environment). This is further explained in my statement.

The second image is exploring the human mutation and flaws becoming the desirable.

The third and fourth are images of the mutations becoming a part of normal everyday life and reality of this world we share with ‘non-humans’ & the environment.

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Studio Exercise

For this exercise, our group arranged objects in terms of their colour palette. This categorisation was inspired by artist Gabriel Orozco’s photograph “Cats and Watermelons” where she organised supermarket items via colour not function.

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Week 5 exercise - Desire Our ‘Take a Seat’ experimental object of desire

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Final Submission

When first taking apart the question of challenging the relationship between humans, non-humans and the environment, I was unclear about the term ‘non-human’. What is non-human? Why was it not animals and non-animals? Was it that we feel a sense of superiority over the environment and animals which suggested associating ourselves with animals was downgrading? I felt a conflict with our relationship with animals as we feel superiority but also sympathy because we recognise a sense of similarity we share as beings. Being human meant we are more intelligent and have total control over the world humans, non-humans and animals share. I tried exploring that with my poster in collage form. I didn’t think a two dimensional screen print could express my concept as well as a materialised form that straight away was linked to the discussion of environment and how we take advantage of it but also try to nurture it back. Using images of human waste floating in the sea, I created a landscape which shows our attempt to nurture back the destroyed,

Taking inspiration from  Patricia Piccinini’s works that involved one of her grotesque creatures, she explored how biotechnology had created these unpleasant looking beings that somehow resembled human features. Her works such as The Young Family (2002) and Protein Lattice (1997) projects that sense of familiarity and sympathy for the creatures. Although shocked at their grotesque physical makeup, there is affection that washes over.

In my poster, I represented the superiority and sympathetic relationship we have towards non-humans and the environment by merging an unaffected person and a conflicted person into one being/ figure. This suggested that we have a complicated view towards our surroundings and non-humans as the figures overlook man made damage that we attempt to restore. It becomes a cycle. The 'Super cow’ and vacanti mouse (mice bred and used to grow human parts/ biotechnology) are places in a way that seems like we’ve allowed these creatures to roam freely. I tried playing around with how currently we as a society as so implemented on contributing to the widely expanding freedom of speech for any kind of politically inflicted issue. The sympathetic side of us are fighting for the right of non-humans and the other that feels superiority keep them controlled and in their human bred state.

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More experimentation

Damaging and nurturing the environment. I took some inspiration from Yao Lu’s collection of rubbish mountain landscapes.

http://hyperallergic.com/70772/mountains-and-oceans-of-trash/

Using our expanding freedom of speech to act on our sympathetic emotions for ‘non-humans’ after our superior views have done the damage

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When first exploring the relationship with humans and non humans, I experienced with text, but later thought it was too much of a traditional poster. But I will put this up as an example of how humans don't like to call ourselves animals even if we biologically are.

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Wk 3 exercise Political body We experimented with making a wearable item that related to the issue of what was deemed 'appropriate' for women to appear in public. This causes insecurities for women to look a certain way and that's why we've created grotesque and confronting Hair leg pants.

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Wk 2 exercise Roll. We put 'roll' into action by just continuously rolling up paper into rolls and combined the results

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Wk2 exercise I was taught how to whistle using my hands and in return I taught my partner how to snowboard down a slope

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WEEK 1 Design a new clock face In this exercise, we were challenged to take a contemporary approach towards our chosen concept. What is time? How is it represented? We took away the traditional way of using a rounded face and man-made clock/time system to create our own version of a clock time system. Forgetting numbers and automatic dials, we (using what little materials we could retrieve) created the clock which time is told my fate. Wherever the single dial points to based on your manual spin of the dial, let ‘fate’ decide what time it is

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This piece was my favourite because it reminded me so much of Kathryn Del Barton’s work which i really admire.

Final Work- who am I?

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Final Submission 

The Glitch Game

A game that was made to fail. When first purchasing this game, it came with no instructions or an explanation of what it was. Just “Game Set”. When placing new batteries into the game it kept flashing “Game Over” so you had already failed before you even started.

I wanted to further explore the failed nature of this game. Opening up the inside of the game was challenging and cost me a few cuts on my finger. Not knowing any thing about electrical engineering, I went ahead and ‘adjusted’ and ‘rearranged’ the data of the game. Now I have created a new game called The Glitch Game. 

Sort of like Glitch Art, the results were by chance. damaging the data and recreating a different imagery. My new game is not that much different to the old in terms of the game play. You’ve already failed before you started because the buttons are wrongly placed and the data has changed. But still it invites you to play and try to overcome the goal of losing.

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Experimentation Here I have damaged the data plate with scissors to see what would change in the screen of the game.