First Concept (Compemptoray Art Practice)
With Contemporary Art Practice I really wasn't sure what it was that I wanted to do or wanted to create. The type of art that we looked at was not all that appealing to me, and I found it hard to connect with any of it. From my mechanical and engineering background, I did however take a liking to the machines made by Jean Tinguely. This made me think of working in a similar fashion, but on a smaller scale.
I thought about working on an electrical scale rather than a mechanical one, and considered deconstructing some sort of broken electrical device and trying to build some sort of machine (which would most likely not be able to move). Whilst this idea intrigued me, I wasn't sure what I was aiming for. I didn't know what sort of machine to create, and I had a harder time than I expected getting my hands on some disregarded electrical items. Due to environmental reasons, the college and a couple of companies I asked, were unwilling to give me some of their broken electronics.
Whilst I was working on this, I had another idea. Instead of deconstructing an object and then reconstructing it in a new form or shape, I considered the idea of perfectly deconstructing something into the simplest parts. I liked the idea of clinically dismantling something. But the problem I had with this was it didn't exactly lead me towards a final piece. But I was excited about the idea of taking something apart to this level.
I'm a big fan of Lego. Have been since I was a kid. And whilst thinking about this idea, I had the thought that maybe I could recreate a Lego Inventory page. Basically, at the end of a Lego instruction booklet (and in most instruction manuals for things like flat pack furniture), there's a page that lays out all the components that game with the set that you'll need, organised neatly by the size of the part (from smallest to largest) and stating part numbers and quantity.
The above is an example of such an inventory, which has been taken from a small Lego Car set. The uniform nature of it is oddly appealing to me. Looking at it now, it's organised by colour, smallest at the top, biggest at the bottom. The uniform position of the parts is also pleasing to look at. Still though, I wasn't sure how I wanted to do this, or even what parts I'd be using. I could draw the components out digitally once I'd taken something apart and create a digital image like this. I could also paint it. I'd considered creating an image like this on a big canvas.
As well as medium, I still didn't know what I wanted to do for focus item (ie, the item I'd deconstruct). It led to me thinking about something more theme related. I thought about maybe doing an inventory image for something organic, like a tree or cave, with the parts being made up of leaves, sticks, trunks, etc. This led to me thinking about adding elements that weren't physical, like sunlight and water, etc. Parts that weren't literal components. I didn't really entertain this idea for too long.
The idea of a non-literal component did appeal to me though, and whilst I was still thinking of using an electrical item as my starting point, I did think about adding non-literal elements. For example, if I deconstructed a mobile phone, I could add a Credit Card into the inventory to represent credit or money used. The idea of adding a social commentary to the piece really excited me, though I honestly wasn't sure what I wanted to do or how I wanted to do it. As with most of my work, I thought of adding an element of humor. For example, if doing an inventory of an engine, I considered adding a Hamster and a Hamster wheel into the components.
Whilst I was struggling with subject matter, I was also still struggling with the medium. I wasn't sure how I wanted to get the image across. All I knew was that I wanted it to be methodically laid out. I thought back to when we looked at Cornelia Parker, primarily her pieces Thirty Pieces of Silver, and (pictured above) Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View. The idea of hanging the parts by wire to lay them out as a sort of floating inventory was one that, whilst it did appeal, would pose a real challenge for me in terms of construction. I still have no idea how Parker was able to construct these pieces. It must've been an infuriating practice.
I still wasn't sure. On any of it. I looked at other ways I could lay out and display an inventory or a deconstructed item. All I really knew was that I wanted it to be clinical and methodical. I thought in reverse, and went back to how items came originally packaged. An idea that came to me was the old Airfix model kits. These were toy models, usually of vehicles, that came in plastic parts that you had to build and assemble yourself. The plastic parts came molded into a single sheet of plastic, that you had to cut or twist free. It was cheap to manufacture, and I honestly remember spending hours as a kid building these types of models.
The above is an example of one of these sheets, which is an plastic molding of a Mig Fighter Jet. It shows how the individual parts are all part of the same fitting, attached to each other. I thought about how I could use this in my own project, perhaps finding a way to mount the parts of my 'item' into a singular frame. Maybe even make a casting and make my own original mold that would replicate this style and image. Though it was a new idea, I was still nervous about doing something like this, and I still hadn't found an image that I really wanted to deconstruct for the project.
There have been example of people doing similar projects with this idea. The above image is an Airfix model created from a real car. Famously, James May from Top Gear (at the time) tried to recreate a life-size Airfix model of a Spitfire plane. Obviously, I would never be able to do something this scale or this incredible (frankly), but if I were to make an Airfix frame, the parts would be lifesize. Especially if I was working on a small scale with electronics.
Ultimately, I was struggling to find something that I wanted to take apart. Most modern electronics, phones and such, are pretty boring on the inside, with a singular flat computer chip forming most of it. The subject seemed less and less relevant, and the mediums I wanted to explore were large and not something I had experience with (in a big way). This led to me deciding to abandon the idea. The one thing I took away from it though was that I knew I wanted to do something that had a social commentary to it. A takeaway from my earlier idea of adding non-literal components.
I thought about working on an electrical scale rather than a mechanical one, and considered deconstructing some sort of broken electrical device and trying to build some sort of machine (which would most likely not be able to move). Whilst this idea intrigued me, I wasn't sure what I was aiming for. I didn't know what sort of machine to create, and I had a harder time than I expected getting my hands on some disregarded electrical items. Due to environmental reasons, the college and a couple of companies I asked, were unwilling to give me some of their broken electronics.
Whilst I was working on this, I had another idea. Instead of deconstructing an object and then reconstructing it in a new form or shape, I considered the idea of perfectly deconstructing something into the simplest parts. I liked the idea of clinically dismantling something. But the problem I had with this was it didn't exactly lead me towards a final piece. But I was excited about the idea of taking something apart to this level.
I'm a big fan of Lego. Have been since I was a kid. And whilst thinking about this idea, I had the thought that maybe I could recreate a Lego Inventory page. Basically, at the end of a Lego instruction booklet (and in most instruction manuals for things like flat pack furniture), there's a page that lays out all the components that game with the set that you'll need, organised neatly by the size of the part (from smallest to largest) and stating part numbers and quantity.
The above is an example of such an inventory, which has been taken from a small Lego Car set. The uniform nature of it is oddly appealing to me. Looking at it now, it's organised by colour, smallest at the top, biggest at the bottom. The uniform position of the parts is also pleasing to look at. Still though, I wasn't sure how I wanted to do this, or even what parts I'd be using. I could draw the components out digitally once I'd taken something apart and create a digital image like this. I could also paint it. I'd considered creating an image like this on a big canvas.
As well as medium, I still didn't know what I wanted to do for focus item (ie, the item I'd deconstruct). It led to me thinking about something more theme related. I thought about maybe doing an inventory image for something organic, like a tree or cave, with the parts being made up of leaves, sticks, trunks, etc. This led to me thinking about adding elements that weren't physical, like sunlight and water, etc. Parts that weren't literal components. I didn't really entertain this idea for too long.
The idea of a non-literal component did appeal to me though, and whilst I was still thinking of using an electrical item as my starting point, I did think about adding non-literal elements. For example, if I deconstructed a mobile phone, I could add a Credit Card into the inventory to represent credit or money used. The idea of adding a social commentary to the piece really excited me, though I honestly wasn't sure what I wanted to do or how I wanted to do it. As with most of my work, I thought of adding an element of humor. For example, if doing an inventory of an engine, I considered adding a Hamster and a Hamster wheel into the components.
Whilst I was struggling with subject matter, I was also still struggling with the medium. I wasn't sure how I wanted to get the image across. All I knew was that I wanted it to be methodically laid out. I thought back to when we looked at Cornelia Parker, primarily her pieces Thirty Pieces of Silver, and (pictured above) Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View. The idea of hanging the parts by wire to lay them out as a sort of floating inventory was one that, whilst it did appeal, would pose a real challenge for me in terms of construction. I still have no idea how Parker was able to construct these pieces. It must've been an infuriating practice.
I still wasn't sure. On any of it. I looked at other ways I could lay out and display an inventory or a deconstructed item. All I really knew was that I wanted it to be clinical and methodical. I thought in reverse, and went back to how items came originally packaged. An idea that came to me was the old Airfix model kits. These were toy models, usually of vehicles, that came in plastic parts that you had to build and assemble yourself. The plastic parts came molded into a single sheet of plastic, that you had to cut or twist free. It was cheap to manufacture, and I honestly remember spending hours as a kid building these types of models.
The above is an example of one of these sheets, which is an plastic molding of a Mig Fighter Jet. It shows how the individual parts are all part of the same fitting, attached to each other. I thought about how I could use this in my own project, perhaps finding a way to mount the parts of my 'item' into a singular frame. Maybe even make a casting and make my own original mold that would replicate this style and image. Though it was a new idea, I was still nervous about doing something like this, and I still hadn't found an image that I really wanted to deconstruct for the project.
There have been example of people doing similar projects with this idea. The above image is an Airfix model created from a real car. Famously, James May from Top Gear (at the time) tried to recreate a life-size Airfix model of a Spitfire plane. Obviously, I would never be able to do something this scale or this incredible (frankly), but if I were to make an Airfix frame, the parts would be lifesize. Especially if I was working on a small scale with electronics.
Ultimately, I was struggling to find something that I wanted to take apart. Most modern electronics, phones and such, are pretty boring on the inside, with a singular flat computer chip forming most of it. The subject seemed less and less relevant, and the mediums I wanted to explore were large and not something I had experience with (in a big way). This led to me deciding to abandon the idea. The one thing I took away from it though was that I knew I wanted to do something that had a social commentary to it. A takeaway from my earlier idea of adding non-literal components.
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