Joe Black

Some inspiration for my final artwork. I have been thinking about creating a mosaic of voyeuristic images that together make up one single image and have just discovered the amazing work by Joe Black. He uses the same idea but the smaller images are usually objects.. in these two cases below they are pins with porn on them for Marylyn, and for the skull they are flowers.. I love this style of presentation and allows for some depth in a single image as well as conveying quite a bit of information as the smaller images could include renders or anything relevant.

 

5th yr Project

“Comfortable existence has come to mean conforming existence.”

Looking back through history we see times of oppression and tension which result in the banding together and mobilisation of creative ‘free thinkers’. The result of which isa group of avant garde individuals who see the world from a different perspective, and when the pressure gets too much the tipping point comes and these individuals ignite with a new world view.

Examples…

– Archigram and Situationists were responding to the pressures of post world war 2 with the impending technological age ….

– Also we see people like Andy Warhol reacting to consumer driven pop culture of the 60’s …

To varying degrees these people were revolutionaries who were able to step away from the status quo and even run against it in order to influence a new perspective..

Without these people humanity is left as a homogenous machine marching forward like a moth to the flame, blinded by the spectacle of “modern” life. They are the “spice” in the world mix that should be encouraged not stamped out.

Nietzsche talks about the constant power struggle that exists in the Apollian/Dionysian dichotomy, and it seems evident that as civilisation marches on we are moving in the direction of a purely Apollian society. To exist as a “life affirming, dynamic civilisation” there must be a balance between the Apollian and Dionysian virtues.

Through history when society has fallen too far towards an Apollian civilisation, the free thinkers have sought out solace and safety in the darker places, the places that embrace the more primal and emotional urges of man. From the cafes and opium dens of France, to Andy Warhols ‘Factory’ these underground places have nurtured the creative minds that are needed to drive humanity forward

This project seeks to act as a commentary on modern civilisation by creating a space that embraces the Dionysian virtues whilst acting as an incubator for change in a post consumerist world.

Drugs and the creative mind

“The general premise is quite simple: A doctor (in the employ of the US government, of course) dosed an artist with acid. The artist was given an “activity box” full of crayons and pencils. Over the course of his trip the artist drew nine different portraits of the doctor and, along the way, reported on his psychological state as his trip and his portraits progressed.”

“As you can see from the drawing on the left above, the artist is highly skilled, technically speaking. And as you can see from the drawing on the right, the acid has an absolutely remarkable effect on his work, leading him to pure abstraction.”

http://thejailbreak.com/2010/07/23/drugs-and-the-creative-mind-art-under-the-influence-of-lsd/

The Factory

An obvious precedent for the project is Andy Warhol’s factory where he created his pop culture machine. The factory was home to Warhols motly crew of artistic companions, along with A list guests. They would indulge in extravagant drug and sex parties along with filming, painting and screen printing the various pieces of Warhols collection.

This underground art culture interests me as it touches onto the subject of drug culture in the arts. Not only the arts but from, Baudelaire to Einstein, Picasso to Steve Jobs, there have been a very large amount of artists and creative thinkers that have found some form of catalyst in altered states of mind. Wether that be from the escapism, transcendence, detachment from social pretences or just plain enjoyment, the connection is there and deserves to be investigated.

“..our attitude to drugs is really one of motes and beams: we overlook ‘our’ drugs, and demonise ‘theirs’, whoever ‘us’ and ‘them’ might be, both in place and in time.”

Maybe creating a full blown drug den is too much but, the fact that an altered state can create an altered perspective is a powerful notion in the area of the arts. For this reason I would like to investigate the underground art culture throughout history and seek to find precedents that support this idea. The project may take the form of something that may seem unconventional or maybe even plain wrong according to the moral views of today, but that could be just the thing that draws in the creative minds, and allows them to mix and release their full potential.

Renew Newcastle

A strong influence for the project of the ‘art hub’ is the Renew Newcastle initiative. Thinking maybe the project could become a place that is a hub for the various Renew Newcastle projects around town. Maybe a place that they all share a common interest in, and therefore feel a part of and would use as a place to congregate.

A major problem in making a place specifically for this type of underground art culture, similar to Situationist architecture, is that, once it is designed it is not spontaneous anymore. The renew newcastle idea works as it is the art culture taking over an underground, neglected part of the city which is what comes naturally to the culture. A designed building that is purpose built for them would likely have the opposite effect.