This week I decided on my mantra: 'To what extent is concealment comforting?'
I chose this because I wanted to explore human nature and the reasons why we conceal parts of ourselves or physically hide. In my previous research, I have found that hiding can be for fun, for safety, or survival so I wanted to ask how comforting this natural instinct is. This is especially relevant in the current lockdown, where we have to hide ourselves away to protect ourselves, and some people find it more comfortable than others.
I started this week by gathering more primary imagery of remote places- this time focusing on the different enclosed and exposed landscapes. I researched claustrophobia and agoraphobia to find out more about people who feel anxious in these settings. I found that these phobias can start in childhood due to traumatic experiences and it can cause panic attacks. This is an example of concealment being uncomfortable, because the person feels vulnerable and alone.
^ Photography of remote landscapes- enclosed and open
I did some timed sketches of the landscapes and I really liked the shadows, especially in the enclosed spaces. I could use these to create an impression of entrapment in my work.
^ Timed drawings- 5, 2 and 15 mins
My research led me onto thinking about childhood and the way hiding is much more playful and less sinister in childhood. I read an article about how children hide and how they often just cover their eyes because they 'egocentric' and relate their own visibility to what they can see. I decided to do an intervention and made a den using sheets, like a childhood game. I got interested in the light and textures of the fabrics and how they only partially hide things. I hid some plants in the den because of my previous research into how animals hide in nature, so I wanted to switch the plants' roles. I also hid everyday objects that would be missed and then made it the den comfortable to contrast the hiding in fear that I have been previously looking at.
^ Den intervention
I did some 'observe and abstract' drawing inspired by the folds of the fabric and Katrin Coetzer's compositions.
^ 'Observe and Abstract' den folds
^ Katrin Coetzer's 'Dreaming & Growing'
Finally, I wanted to try and recreate the textures of the fabric using different types of paper, by layering and folding. I like the way the light interacts with the folds and I could use these in my collages.
^ Fabric textures using paper
I moved on to thinking about the feeling of entrapment people feel in concealed locations and decided to use clingfilm because it is transparent, so the subject is behind a physical barrier but their emotions are still visible. I was inspired by Wes Naman's distorted portraits and I liked the light and dark of the cling film.
^ Portrait photos about hiding parts of yourself, using cling film
^ Wes Naman tape portraits
I experimented with the clingfilm by printing with it to capture the textures and then incorporating it into my drawing to distort the image and play with the translucency. Using new materials like this will help me explore physical concealment in my work.
^ Cling film printing
^ Cling film portraits
After a tutor review, I decided to research the way people conceal themselves for their own safety. I looked into stories of Jewish people who had hidden from Nazi persecution during the second world war and found an article about a woman who had hidden in her own house, which had been taken over by a Nazi and his family. She successfully avoided him despite being under the same roof and managed to survive the war, I found it very interesting how her safe, domestic space was turned into a dangerous place that she had to hide in. The physical act of hiding was probably terrifying, but being successfully concealed was a comfort, because it represented safety. One of her prized possessions was a painting by Egon Schiele, which was sold by a relative to pay for food. I decided to use Schiele's style of perspective and colour in paintings of my den, to play with the contrast between childish, playful hiding and hiding for survival.
^ Paintings from my den intervention
^ Egon Schiele's 'City in Twilight (The Small City II)'
I cut out elements of these paintings and arranged them to see how I could hide the woman and decided to place her in a window, to show insight into what was actually happening inside the unsuspecting house.
^ Collage compositions
I used elements from my experimentations in a final collage, which shows the divide between the depressing outside world and the woman hiding in her own home. I incorporated cling film because it is suffocating and only partially conceals things and thread to show the mess of the situation. I continued Schiele's painting with charcoal and made the window look more like one from the actual house. I looked at Erik Winkowski's video collages and was inspired by his use of colour blocking. His work has inspired me to develop my collages next week and add an animated element.
^ Collage based on 'The Nazi Downstairs' article
^ Screenshot from Erik Winkowski video collage
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