Thursday 6 October Blogger, AA6 and RD Tutorial

• I had recorded my summer activities on "Good notes" but prefer "Blogger."
• I transferred my documentation so far, to this blog and set it up properly. 
• I can use this as a journal.  I don't have to print and stick images into my sketchbook so it's easier to add and annotate images, and I can search terms. 
• I used a digital record on Foundation and felt it helped me to be concise; I can edit as I make sense of things.

• Booked the modulettes for drypoint 
• Booked a library session with Elenor

AA2A meeting in Flaxman - Forwarded an idea for an exhibition based on remembering Stoke on Trents identity in order to create a positive social change for creation and innovation. 

• Really useful tutorial with Rebecca Davies around patriarchy's rejection of nature; how females have been assigned roles that are either unachievable, shame or demonise them. Madonna and the Witch. 

Rebecca:

• suggested looking at "Hope in the dark" by Rebecca Solnit
• referenced Bell Hooks quote "Patriarchy has no gender" 
• reaffirmed that nature = science which wasn't discovered/understood until patriarchal systems were established so is a direct threat to it. (Magic transpired to be science)  Manmade "magic" is disproven by science

 

Prep for tutorial:   I am building an Investigation into roles that women are coerced into by patriarchal control systems.   “Mother “  Serene, young, virginal, divine  aspiring to the Madonna “Deviant”. Redundant, blamed, shamed, coined as a witch and damned   2 polar opposite roles that link into good and evil - a sense that women should find a well-behaved modern place between the two.   Looking for contemporary artists that have a discourse that I can respond or contribute to.   Jenny Saville – After the Leonardo Cartoon> modern women still unable to break away from depictions of the Madonna. Cindy Sherman – Need to look at this further – works explore the depiction of women as a witch and “fairytale” – found witch photographs in Witches and Wicked bodies Book from Exhibition @National Galleries Scotland. I’ve always been personally interested in witches and natural belief systems and it’ll be good to introduce this to my practice.  I’m reading The Witch by Ronald Hutton which explore witches as a global “fear” based on a human behaviour to believe that bad things don’t just happen. There has to be someone to blame. Suspicious minds based on a dirty glance which could determine if someone has cursed you (whether they are aware or not – could be possessed )   Kiki Smith, Rocio Boliver, Regina Jose Gavlindo all explore female sexuality     Andrea Liss touches on the nature as a threat ( female reproduction as a threat  Historical artworks ‘Found Drowned” GF Watts c1850 (Woman washed up on Thames as shame of being a Fallen Women Societal judgement re sexuality / virginal purity v Fallen Woman v barren old women     Women depicted as “bewitching” men – sinister / men unable to control themselves (relates to john Currie last semester) Old women depicted as crones – witches    Practical work that I’m starting now   Juxtaposes    Young girl as witch  - How does it read? What does the act of dressing up as witch mean?  A young “innocent” dressing in a role that society has carved out for old women (that they’re suspicious of/ don’t look beautiful anymore/are too vocal) Leonardo cartoon witch Madonna Midwife / grandma eating babies  (It wasn’t witches we burnt it was women – often matriarchs of a social circle who often acted as healer and midwife but witches are depicted as eating babies). Reference to Michael S B work bringing historical events into contemporary relevance.   Considerations Gender and societal changes re expectations to have children and how mothers identify as individuals.   Exhibitions looking at Witches and wicked bodies Saville – After the Leonardo Cartoon    Reesearch http://lebastart.com/en/2016/11/patriarchy-and-witchcraft/   https://www.ft.com/content/e45716e8-0f08-11e3-ae66-00144feabdc0     ACTUAL MEETING AND ACTION POINTS / CONSIDERATIONS   At meeting I shared the above and referred to Molly Leigh the Burslem witch.  I’m interested in working in a similar way to how I approached Dolly Henry on my placement. Researching and creating a series of images. I shared the works I’ve started on and explained my approach so far.  Rebecca mentioned gender and the space in-between – how conversations are changing and there is more discourse around myth and imagination / alternative worlds which reflects what society is interested in.   I explained that I wanted to connect the Madonna and witch and was trying to understand why patriarchy had such an issue with nature – Rebecca pointed out that Patriarchy has no gender, and that nature is science, which does threaten old concepts as they were constructed before our understanding of the world. This was useful and gave me lots to think about.   We talked about dark and light – I explained that I also feel that there is a space between these polar opposites – I’ve put yellow and green behind the works in a nod to nature and don’t consider dark as gloomy but more of a comfort – I refenced how Oscar Murillo’s work made me feel comfortable in the space that it was curated.  Rebecca asked if women feel that they need to mother and shoulder these works. Consider. .. Rebecca asked if I’m creating work from a societal perspective or a personal perspective – explained that I’m a mother and personally interested in nature-based religion /wicca but at the moment I probably am framing it around a societal perspective as I piece together my own understanding. I referenced deviant behaviour and Rebecca commented that there is liberation and power in being deviant and working outside of the parameters of patriarchal expectation. So maybe I do produce work from a personal perspective as I’m creating from my own non-conformist beliefs. I feel the mediums will reflect my personal perspective I did comment that I felt there was a tenuous link between the Madonna and the witch but after looking for artists there’s a lot of discourse out there and I feel a little late to the party but RD reassured me that I’d bring my own perspective to the table. Rebecca recommended Rebecca Solnit – “Hope in the dark” to read Rebecca asked why I was referencing images – I explained that I wanted to see how they translated but RD suggests that I work without reference to see what comes out of the work: Lean into the mediums and let the images jump out – I explained that I still wanted any detailed areas to be realistic but maybe I should work without reference up to a point to see what develops. At some point mid meeting a black cat ran past outside the window with a sausage in its mouth – this may now feature as an artwork….!