My FMP: Updated

My FMP: Updated

After finishing my FMP, it was pointed out to me that the installation I had done for the exhibition wasn't as strong as it could be, nor was it cohesive with the rest of my project, as I didn't fully embody everything that I had been researching.

I made the decision to restart with the intallation, this time planning to add in the materials I had tested such as sand, sugar, and cereal so that it brought in elements of my experimentation. 

The first exhibition had been up for near two weeks when I started over, and my ongoing experiment to see if the pigments in the black ink I used would rise to the surface of the plaster was unsuccessful.

My final FMP is made up of numerous different elements. Of course, I kept the brick towers the same as I was happy with them, but I relocated them so that they would fit with the new layout I had come up with.

On the floor I spread out sand that was the thickest in the top corner of my exhibition and that slowly faded to nothing towards the back. My reasoning for doing this was to create a boundary for the sculptures to sit in, as before I had constrained myself to only a small amount of room so as not to interfere with other peoples work. This layout stops any interference, but because o the rich colour of the sand, it automatically becomes more commanding before, and has a much bigger presence in the room filled with sculptures and colour.

On the sculptures I have poured some of the materials that I had used that were previously hidden in handmade envelopes, this small change in texture provides a new focal point in a very much raw installation.
I hose to place three of the sculptures together in the center that varied in size, one on the very edge of the boundary, and two at the back off of the sand. The distance between each is different so that people can walk around. The sand as well brings an interesting texture for people to walk on, rather than just plain flooring. 

I am much happier with this layout as I feel that it looks more commanding, concise, and a lot stronger in terms of presentation. Whereas before I had hidden my materials in envelops, they are now flaunted and are a major part of the installation. The placement sporadic of the towers mean that rather than being apologetic, the installation is much more unapologetic.

My FMP

My FMP 2017

'Everyone is equal, but some are more equal than others'

My final piece consists of all of the theory and experiments I have tried out over the course of the projects without me actually realising it until I gave it some thought. It includes my experimentation into fragility and stability through the towering and balancing of materials, it includes the ever changing through use of ink mixed into the plaster, which will, over the course of the two weeks that the exhibition is open will hopefully change in colour and display the pigmentation the ink is made up of. It of course uses predominantly found objects, which I prefer to use over made objects. Finally, it is the embodiment of my research into hierarchy, and for me, successfully holds the meaning of the quote I chose to use without it being blatant.
In the back, while it isn't visible in the image, is the sketchbook i have actively used throughout the project along with numerous envelopes which each contain a material that I have experimented with- One holds small images of experimentation that I have taken over the course of the project.

While it is a final piece, it also serves as a final experiment. I hadn't experimented with black ink before with plaster, and so decided to try it out, knowing that some black inks are made up of numerous different coloured pigments. At first I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to use the black ink as the 'plinths' they would be placed upon already contained a lot of various colours. However, I really wanted to try the experiment out, and so made the decision to use the coloured plaster rather than just plain white plaster, which I had considered.
Hopefully, over the course of the next to weeks during which the exhibition takes place, a change of colour in the plaster should take place, and iff not, all of the plaster that I chose to use has different quantities of the ink in, and so still is interesting to look at.

I decided to place my exhibition in the corner of the room because it would give me the opportunity to experiment with using a limited space, unlike last years when my work was in the centre of the room. this year, i decided to place my installation in a way that it would lead the viewers around the room rather than into the corner. Of course, at he suggestion of a fellow classmate, I left a space behind so big enough so that people could walk behind the installation and see it from a different perspective, and I also placed my sketchbook and material envelopes behind as well, so that people would have t go behind so that they could look through the sketchbook.

I am a little worried, however, because the plinths are not solid and move when touched, and could be easily knocked over if someone happened to slightly catch the corner. I would mind if the plinths were to fall over, but it is a health and safety issue if they do fall. 

Overall I am happy with the outcome of my piece as it contains a little bit of everything that I have looked at over the past year. My artist influences haven't changes all that much, which can be seen clearly when comparing last years final piece, however I feel that with the research and experiments I have conducted throughout my FMP, even though they aren't present in the final piece, they have definitely helped me develop my work to a much higher standard than last year.

Introducing Theory

Avoiding patronisation and development of theory topic

I had rebooted my project with the intention of using slums as the base as I am really fascinated by the architecture and lifestyle within these areas. However, it was pointed out to me that while it most certainly wasn't my intention, looking at slums as a source of fascination was dancing on a very thin line between fascination and patronisation. I was also in danger of making blatant representations of the mismatched buildings seen in slums for lack of direction to take the idea.

It could be seen as patronising because I would be looking at the lifestyle of a person who lived in that situation and seeing it as interesting, whereas circumstances in the areas I would be looking upon with interest have no choice but to live their. It is a necessity rather than a choice they made.

Because I would be assuming how the people living in slums felt about living in the slums, it was suggested to me to instead look at the topic in terms of animals so as to remove from human condition, and rather than look at the architecture itself, perhaps look at structures made through necessity and instinct, like anthills and termite mounds.
Within the mounds made by these insects are extremely interesting structures made my animals born into a hierarchy; a worker ant is born a worker ant, a queen ant is born a queen ant. It is easier to assume that ants and termites don't think about their position in their hierarchy because we aren't the same species, and cannot communicate.

From here, is started looking at Animal Far, a book written by George Orwell and first published in England in 1945. The book depicts a social hierarchy within a group of farm animals with pigs being the highest on the food chain. It is an allegorical story, and tells from the perspective of animals the lead up to the Russian Revolution in 1917l, and then to the Stalinist era of the soviet union. From this book, a became very interested in the quote:

"All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others."

This quote to me became the basis of my new investigation and experimentation. I started out with the most basic of ideas; the materials I use should be of equal amounts but of different value.

I began to break down the quote into what it could mean.

while the meaning is very obvious, I wanted to see if it could hold any other meanings that could be of use to me when experimenting, but in the end, I decided to settle with the most obvious of meanings, which al comes back to hierarchy; There is no equality, only hierarchy.

My project would be focused on creating an allegorical sculpture or installation that depicts the quote, which I had reformatted to 'everyone os equal, but some are more equal than others'. I planned to depict how those higher in the food chain would say that 'we're all equal', but would live more luxurious lifestyles than most.

The piece would be made using very raw materials, as I had done throughout the project, and would comprise of towers of different heights that all held the same material on the top, which would be plaster. 

Kowloon Walled City

Kowloon Walled City

Kowloon Walled City, one thought to be the most densely populated place on earth, It was ungoverned and notorious for it's crime and drug dens. 

The city traces back to the 1600's, when it was a Chinese military fort to defend the area against pirates and to manage the production of salt, but it eventually became an enclave when the Chinese authorities leased the New territories to the British.
During World War II, Hong Kong fell under the rules of Japanese occupation, and parts of Kowloon Walled City were demolished for building materials for the nearby airport. When the Japanese finally surrendered the city, the population increased as the number of squatters moved in and made their homes there. It then fell under the rule of Chinese triads.

By the 1980's, it had become notorious for its brothels, casinos, cocaine parlors, and opium dens. It was also famous for its restaurants that would serve dog meat.
The city eventually became the focus of a diplomatic crisis, with both China and Britain refusing to take responsibility. Over time, British and Chinese authorities found the city to be increasingly intolerable, and made the decision to demolish it, despite the city's lowering crime rates over the later years. Eventually, due to lacking sanitary issues, the decision was made to demolish the city.
Some residents protested, but the government spend 7.2 billion HKD's in compensation and began the evacuation in 1991. The evacuation was completed in 1992, and in 1993 demolition began and finished in 1994. In 1995, Kowloon Walled City Park opened. In it were the preserved remnants of the South Gate to the City, as well as the Yamen building. 

At the peak of its population, the city was home to 33,000 people; 33,000 families and businesses were all crammed into around 300 interconnected high rise buildings, all constructed without the input of architects, within a 2.6 hectare block. The only open place were the rooftops of buildings, where planes often flew overhead because of the city's close proximity to Kai Tak Airport. despite the rate of crime in the city, the residents were said to live peaceful lives.

Hashima Island

Hashima Island

Hashima Island Interactive Webpage

History of Hashima Island:

Hashima Island, commonly called Gunkanjima, and also known as Battleship Island, is a former coal mining island established in the 1880's that was most active around the end of the 1950's. It gets its name because of its likeness to the Tosa Class Battleship after the inhabitants reclaimed land from the sea surrounding the island to make it three times its original size using materials dug up when digging down to make the mining shafts. the mine was closed down in 1974, and all inhabitants were relocated.

Hashima island became a world heritage site in 2015 after a long struggle against South Korean representatives due to their refusal to acknowledge the history of forced labour on the island. South Korean representatives finally dropped the case when the Japanese agreed to acknowledge it as part of the history of the island.

Since being abandoned in 1974, the island has fallen into a state of disrepair, but for the most part it's buildings remain intact. They had been built using reinforced concrete.

Introducing Theory

Introducing Theory

Over the past couple of months, I have been experimenting with various things such as stability of materials and stability its self, however it became quite clear once my ideas began to run out that without theory to work from as a source of inspiration, it was going to be extremely difficult to continue working to create worthwhile pieces. 

To find an area of interest to work from that I could bring theory from, I started brainstorming what my interests were outside of art.

My interests were as follows:

• Clouds/ Sunsets and sunrise (The ever changing nature of): I am rather fascinated by both sunrises and sunsets, but am more interested in clouds and how they are ever-changing and never the same. I like to watch how sunlight filters through or doesn't filter through, and how the shape and colour of a cloud can tell much about the cloud itself. Sunsets and sunrises are always the same, but because of the weather or how the clouds have formed in the sky, they never look the same.

• Slums (The architecture, culture of, and community between residents): The reason slums fascinate me is because of how they spring up and expand and follow the shape of the land. They residents use materials that they find in order to build shelters and homes, and what was once a temporary home can become a permanent residence. Slums, despite first appearances, have a healthy and individual eco-system, and have their own neighbourhoods and communities. More over, the community between the people living in 'squalor' is much more wealthy that the community that resident in urban environments share. I feel there is much to learn from those who have nothing but still live happily. 

• Drag (The exaggeration and community): Drag is something that influences everyday life without people really knowing it. It is an art form that is heavily looked down upon because of the stigma surrounding drag and homosexuality. Within drag there are numerous different categories that each have their different rules, and each city has their own drag 'family'. It is a time consuming art form that I respect. The exaggeration and transformations are what I really enjoy; A drag queen or king can use cosmetic that people use in everyday life to create a mask that looks hyper-feminine or hyper-masculine. I personally prefer drag Queens for the amount of effort and pain they choose to go through in order to create this second persona.

• Reading (Particularly the fantasy genre wherein a whole new world is created but still relates to reality through the uses of religion, monarchy, and hierarchy): I love that no matter how different the world, and no matter what inhabits said world, the creator will always put into place a hierarchy reliant on monarchies and religion to keep the world intact and running. It is said the a hierarchy and religion is all that is needed to uphold a community, and yet it is also what can break one down.

From my brainstorming, I was able to pick out multiple different aspects of each point (not including my interest in clouds/sunsets/sunrises) that reappears in each; that would be community and rules.
Relating this to my FMP, I thought about creating a, interactive piece that would bring people together, however the issue still remains that people can still interact with the piece alone. Instead, I decided to experiment with creating my own rules that would restrict how I worked, but would also make me think outside of the box.
At first, the rules didn't help as I didn't know where to start after hastily setting myself some set rules to work by. Once I realised that working by set rules wasn't going to work, I decided instead to experiment with setting new rules each time I started a new piece. My first rules were must be symmetrical, only one batch of plaster can be used, and must include one primary and one secondary colour, however these rules, rather than allowing me to form ideas, completely stumped me.

Of course, if I could link other parts of my contextual work into my FMP, that would give me even more ideas. Out of all of the ideas that I had noted down whilst brainstorming, I was most interested in the Slums. 

Since I use a lot of found objects within my work, I thought that I could start to bring in reference materials from slums to begin to construct things or to come up with ideas.
My first idea was to simply reconstruct a model of the Mumbai super slum Dharavi, using both found and manufactured objects. The city of Mumbai would be portrayed using materials such as bricks and plaster blocks, while the slum surrounding it would be unorganised and made up of found drink bottles, cans, and plastic cups. I thought about slowly collecting bottles and the likes over time and eventually creating an extensive 'city' that would spread out across the exhibition floor, however the more I looked at it, I decided I wasn't satisfied, and there also wasn't any development work that led up to the idea, which would have made no sense. 

I decided after this that my first rule to experiment by would be Build Up, which meant that rather than creating something that would sprawl across the exhibition floor, would instead be built up towards the ceiling. At this point, I was still hung up on my former idea of experimenting with stability, so I thought about creating something that would effectively climb up a wall and would rely on the balance of the objects used to stay upright, however, after some testing with matches, I realised that it would be impractical.

 

It would be incredibly difficult to build up on top of a structure that wasn't held down nor held together, as when constructing it, it could collapse. 

I also tried building with jenga blocks, which in comparison are much more stable that matches, however the structures I was able to create with these blocks were nothing more than basic.

I thougth about recreating a slum house that I had seen an image of, but it just didn't feel right. I liked that the blocks were all at different levels and were unstable, but it looked too put together.

What I like the most about slums in general is how people live in the small amount of space allotted to them. 

T most, the places look extremely ugly, and to the residents of the cities that the slums are in, they are more commonly seen as an eyesore than a place that hides a wealth of things we could learn from. It is the ugliness that I really like- I love how the buildings are crooked and towered on top of other buildings, and how they loom over narrow alleys and roads.

Slums are an excellent example of how something is build up and out with limited space and resources, which is exactly what I aim to show within my work limited only to the objects I can find or create. 

Stability

Purposefully making objects unstable

After experimenting with destroying stability in sand, I decided to combine both sand and plaster together, but not mixed, to make a sculpture that would crumble when I forced it to.

My idea relied on the knowledge that sand crumbles straight away or over time when water is introduced depending on how it is introduced because of a previous experiment, and also relied on the knowledge that plaster would crumble but at a slower rate because of a different experiment.

My focus for this experiment was getting a shape or layout that would work best, and where the sand could be easily reached by water. Each idea I had would always have sand as the base piece.

at first, I decided to build a tower using alternating layers of sand and plaster, but after some thought, i realised that only the bottom would crumble while the rest of the tower was like to remain stable. I chose to use triangle blocks instead, which would mean that I would have to stack up the different sized and shapes triangles into an unstable position before the experiment had even started. I planned to sit the tower in water and let it fall as the base crumbled.

I then decided to make the plaster piece larger so that it could topple over when placed on the sand triangles, which were all one size because of the trouble  had moulding them. The difference in size meant that they would either be balanced, or the top would overbalance the bottom and would be unstable.

Out of curiosity, I decided to try it with a sphere of plaster rather than another triangle.

The sand triangles I had moulded a week before, but because of the environment they were in it took them around about a wek to dry fully before I could use them.