I have reflected on the slow process of the development and refinement of this piece. Subsequently, I have made a decision to darken the overall image through the use of glazes and tonal overlays. This has increased the element of drama and reinforced tiredness of the painting. The colour scheme has become richer and more vibrant. The intention is to echo the gloominess and monotony of daily rituals of waiting and the suspended entrapment in this cycle. Nothing will ever change. There is no escape. The best result is to survive until tomorrow.
I will gradually, through careful highlighting, bring a spark of colour and light into this image. I would like to reveal some very important details and, therefore, enhance the narrative content of this piece.
In response to my previous ethical considerations, the main character on this piece is totally anonymous.
Some of my thinking for this piece was inspired by learning from overpowering photographs of manufacturing by Edward Burtynsky. My attention was particularly drawn to images of miners.
I have just started to work on a new portrait of a young woman. She is a local worker at a market in Myiek, Myanmar. The bazaar is based next to famous hot springs. This increases the attractiveness of this placement and maximises potential sale opportunities. She is a snakes vendor. She spends all her days crouching down on her knees, while waiting for prospective customers. Although she works outdoors, her individual stall can be seen through a window-like hole in a sheet of graffitied metal. The contrast between brown and ochre colouring of the facade, raw redness of her T-shirt and the dynamic green of the grass make an illusion of quite dramatic and full colour compositional arrangement.
Her head is decorated with a traditional Burmese turban. She is very serious, almost contemplative and very tense. She looks down, perhaps away, and tries to kill time by organising one of her snakes neatly in a plastic bag, always in readiness for the next sale.
She spends most of her time waiting in anticipation for a successful transaction and making a profit. All her days are alike, full of repetition, boredom and sameness. However, competition is tough. Sales are limited. This makes her existence very uncertain and fills her daily life with misery and anxiety.
I am hoping to overprint this piece with a repetitive pattern to increase the power and the overall impact. This process will be documented in stages.
I have continued with the process of overprinting the underage. The screen composition contains a sworn of exotic flies, which surrounded the boat during a long period of waiting in the port. Following a process of robbing and washing, the captain has started to appear in the window of dynamic insects. These create an almost decorative motif framing the figure and the umbrella. The heat of the red is juxtaposed with the coldness the vibrant blues and rich violets. The violet tonation appears to be neutral in temperature, not hot nor cold, therefore making the overall piece much more ‘full colour’ and with a greater impact on the viewer. The narrative has also become more ambiguous and the image gained a new element, which helps to build curiosity.
When fully dry, I plan to the cloth with damar varnish before proceeding to machine wash it on the hottest setting.
I am hoping for at least a partial disintegration of the image and substantial bleaching of the colour layers. Ideally, there will be nothing left – just an eroded and exhausted surface. If the first wash is insufficient in achieving this effect, I will persevere with repeating this process while echoing the journey made by the Burmese Captain and his longboat between Ranong and Kawthoung.
The Captain appears to be oblivious to both his social predicament and his surroundings. This is what he does every day. The same journey, non-communication with his passengers and trapped in his own world. He not not necessarily looking for escape. He embraces the banal repetition of his job, routine and existence.
This reflection has given me new ideas. The focus of my investigation has slightly evolved from superficial repetition on one hand and uncertainty of existence at all on the other. He appears to cling to that routine as it gives him a sense of certainty and security. He believes that he knows what to expect yet works in a relatively unpredictable environment while operating an old longboat in a very uncertain territory . His real existence is very fragile and temporary. He cannot even imagine that one day, he will not be able to do it again and may not survive without an income.
I have also started to experiment by drawing into the existing image with water soluble pastels. I have found this new to me medium flexible, refreshing and expressive.
I have started to work on a long process of glazing the already existing underpainting. Every wash of colour was subsequently cleaned of with a sponge and cloth. The objective was to make the painting more moody and dramatic. This technique has also allowed me to reveal individual areas of the glaze while allowing some of the original colour to get through the layers.
This painstaking process has already taken its toll on integrity of the surface. The chips and cracks of the underage have become more and more apparent. When the work is completely dry, I intend to reinstate the machine intervention process.
I plan to video record a long and hot machine cycle. Whatever is remaining after will constitute the beginning of the next stage of the painting process.
It has taken me a long time to sort out and organise a broad range of images for further development. Despite contracting Chickungunya, my research trip to Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia, has proven to be very successful in terms of both: life-changing experiences and gathering primary sources.
I have started working on a new piece. The work portrays a Burmese captain in charge of a long boat. His job is to transport people and cargo from Ranong in Thailand to Kawthoung at the furthest southern point of Myanmar. His main clientele are poor illegal workers from Burma trying to earn a few baht in Thailand.
Following a long conversation with him, I become one of his passengers. To maximise income, he accepts as many people as possible. He even travels on the very front of the boat to save valuable space. This place is very uncomfortable and rocky. He is also fully exposed there to the power of the tropical sun. He tries to get some relief from the burning heat by hiding under a colourful umbrella.
The image is very clashing in colour – very kitsch. This is further enhanced by his crude and cramped body position.
His ankle reveals a massive tumour.
There is a gigantic growth on his leg, perhaps caused by prolonged exposure to the sun and continued contact with polluted water in the port.
My creative intention was to portray him in his usual setting, while crossing the same water many times every day.
The focus is on him. The beautiful surroundings no longer matter. He cannot see the landscape. He is trapped in his daily routine.
The colour of his shirt blends in with the orange stripes of paint on the boat.
The umbrella is feminine and looks absolutely ridiculous.
You’re not the girl with long hair, oval eyes, luscious lips and perfect teeth.
You don’t look like the girl on the magazine cover or runway,
Hell, you might even be straighter than an arrow.
But you’re the most beautiful.
The way you love hard, laugh with abandon, push your glasses back to your face, wipe the sweat off your forehead, the way that crown dances on your head.
Sure, you’re a queen,
Of hearts, of love, freedom, beauty, wisdom.
Your huge heart is large enough to hug all the children of the world.
you refuse to be undermined and wield your sword in the fight for truth.
I have just started the next phase of the long planned process of experimentation with machine intervention. I have alternated individual washing cycles with the overprinting and refreshing of the image. When the ink was dry, I used the washing machine again and programmed different lengths and temperatures to maximise the effect of uncertainty and unpredictability. Cold washes had minimal impact on the image. The screen-printed text started, however, to become softer and softer. Therefore, it appeared to be more ambiguous and difficult to decipher. The surface of the painting itself, became damaged and populated with watery holes and creases. This change to the texture and integrity of the piece has started to create an impact on the dynamics of the painting.
My plan is to continue with this process in order to find out, how far it can be stretched. What I would like to establish is the limit of uncertainty. How far can this process be taken to before the inevitable becomes the obvious, predictable and very certain. I am fascinated by a dialogue and interdependence between both contradictory perspectives and the testing of the boundaries.
I have managed to record several interesting images depicting this new to me method of working.
Final proposal for my submission to the Interim Exhibition.
This portrait is hypnotically hovering behind the text – emerging from the writing and vanishing again. The model is looking down with pride and confidence. She is emerging through the messages and remains deadpan – a distant observer.
The video instigates a sense of a dialogue between provocations and her responses to them. Despite the attention, she remains undisturbed.
The piece tries to question the presumption within our prejudice and allows us to understand the contradictory point of view – the opposite perspective. Therefore, forcing us to confront and reflect on our own behaviour in the context of making judgements without thinking and appropriate analysis. We simply devalue the status of a person from a different culture. Labelling and categorising removes individuality and creates a climate for a lack of our responsibility towards them.
The patterns and colours echo the culture of her native Nigeria. They are vibrant and dynamic, reflecting the power of pure Chroma highlighted by the tropical sun.
Earlier versions during the developmental stages were jumpy. I felt that the portrait did not interact well with the messages.
This is a smoother and more refined version in Premier. However, there is a jump at the end, which makes the looping disjointed.
1. I have just completed a long and painstaking process of reading through and reviewing my entire blog. I have also supported every post with relevant and appropriate Tags. This was suggested by Jonathan during my most recent tutorial. The idea behind this is to organise my work and have an overview of what has been done and achieved so far. Any gaps in evidence may become apparent and, therefore, can be addressed.
2. Review and reflection on progress.
This is the fairest major review of my entire output up to date.
The initial part of my research was conducted in response to my observations and experiences from Haiti. My visual experimentation resulted in the production of several portraits of local people, who I met and developed a rapport with. They all had a story to tell and this underlying narrative was of primary importance. I initiated this process by manipulating my primary source photographs and edited them as video pieces and Gifs. Some of these explorations were supported by sound recordings, voice messages sent via WhatsApp and commentaries. The essence of this stage of my project was to communicate feelings of uncertainty, suspense and waiting for change. My creative intentions were to express the idea of fragility of life and, how one deals with this phenomenon. What has become important was to explore, how we view other people trapped in anxiety and a fight to survive . Frequently, my critical analysis of ‘waiting’ leads to portraying this passive motion as the only option available and the ultimate solution to sanity.
Additionally, I started using water jet as a way of expressing this instigated by circumstances ‘torture’ . The additional creative intention was to make my work less certain and, therefore, more thought provoking. I have started to develop my thinking further and made a paradigm shift from producing work ‘of something’ to developing a project about my chosen theme: Waiting. The Uncertainties of Tomorrow.
The apparent vagueness of these images increased the element of interpretative questioning, which in turn, had led to a claim of knowledge, visual discovery and innovation.
It has certainly forced a deep reflection upon me and made me realise how ephemeral the life can be. The force of the jet wash created movement and made the surface look distressed, as it was telling a story. Accidents and risks played a crucial role in this process and became the key ingredients of my developing visual language. Despite the procedure being repetitive, the outcomes were always unique and unpredictable.
With this experience, my ideas have moved forward to the next stage of experimentation with pieces, which appeared to be even less certain. I have decided to include a form of a machine intervention. My plan was to travel to various destinations to gather meaningful data and experiences.
To make progress with the project, I have already planned the next trip to Thailand and Burma. I want to record and experience, how other people deal with their existence, cope with their worries , while waiting for something to happen and initiate change in their lives. I would like to gather new and exciting primary sources for further development in the studio.
The current image I am working on is titled Pearl Twink. This is a portrait of a young mother of 4, who lives in a privileged yet very dangerous district of Lagos called Lekki. The are used to be one of the biggest slums on in he world. The locals used to call it ‘Morocco’. Currently, the entire area is very diverse and contains ultimate wealth as well as absolutely poverty and humans desperation in the dramatic fight to stay alive.
The image below is of Pearl Twink with an overlay of my provocative text.
I am very excited to have started working on an alternative direction of my project. My new piece is a portrait of Pearl Twink, a girl I met in Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria.
The concept for this piece is to instigate a dialogue between my reflections on her definitively uncertain life, and interweave them with her responses to my provocative statements. The plan is to use a range of processes, including painting and screen printing. This will be possibly extended and developed through video and Gifs. The narrative element continues to be very important. It reinforces the ambiguity of the message I am trying to communicate and questions it’s place in the broader contexts.
The previously overused blasting process will be now replaced by a machine intervention. I will experiment with using a variety of washing powders, temperatures and lengths of cycles to remove the under image and the overprinting layers of text.
All my new work will be created on unprimed and unstreatched canvases. Currently, I am using Calico and synthetics. However, during my forthcoming trip to Burma, I intend to collect a variety of materials and appropriate, locally produced fabrics, to increase the element of authenticity of my project.
I have already started to develop an under image. It is still a recognisable portrait of Pearl Twink. This part of the process is associated with deep reflections. My thoughts are jotted down all over the piece as rough notes and the most important content is just below the image.
Subsequently, I have refined this text and its content. I wanted for my message to be more provocative as well as form a discussion between her ideas and my judgements.
A copy of the refined text is below. I have also experimented with different ways of making the text less readable and partly invisible.
Subsequently, I was faced with a dilemma: should I use a handwritten text on top of the under image or develop a typographic silk screen?
The screen idea has worked very well and the inking process was very fulfilling. I felt that this process has began to work as I had intended.
Additionally, the overprinting has started to take shape and created fine details and a sense of layering.
The message containing Pearl Twink’s response is also ready to be transferred onto a silk screen. As soon as this is done, I will initiate the overprinting process, which will be subsequently washed off by experimenting with machine intervention.
This is intended to reinforce the element of uncertainty and waiting in anticipation; worries and anxieties of what will happen during the ‘washing’ cycle. There is no stopping it whilst the process is started. All I can do is to wait to see the result and assess the accidental value of my risky approach. The potential of loosing it all is real!
As an alternative idea, I am also considering to develop an animation, or perhaps, a video piece, and include the flashing and alternating of individual stages of the overprinting process and the messages.
I could not resist to record the last attempt of blasting the ink off to reveal the content of the screen and its message.
HYPNOTIC REPETITION 