Term 1: James Green Group Tutorial

During this tutorial, I discussed my new ideas regarding the scans and exploitation of soft toys. I mentioned that I was planning to merge the collage display idea with the warped scans and use the scans more to reflect animal suffering but still contain them within envelopes that need to be opened and interacted with to form the art.

James commented that he liked the more ambiguous scans where the faces of the soft toys were distorted and not fully visible. He suggested I carry on producing these scans.

James also suggested I look at ‘mummified animals’, such as the Egyptian mummification, as my duck soft toy which I had wrapped in plastic can ring holders and string reminded him of mummies. He said that obvious soft toys may not give the effect I am looking for as they are still quite ‘cutesy’. I am considering ‘mummifying’ my soft toys with materials relevant to the suffering they endure; electrodes and electrical cables for the monkey, plastics and string around the duck, etc. This made me consider a short film I had seen before about Albatrosses that were frequently dying, so an ecologist/biologist investigates the area. I couldn’t remember the film, but fellow tutorial group student Georgia Williams told me it was called ‘Midway Island’ by Chris Johnson.

Midway Island by Chris Johnson is a short film documenting and exploring the reason for the deaths of thousands of Albatrosses on one of the most remote islands on our planet. The reason; plastic rubbish from the Pacific Garbage Patch.

MIDWAY a Message from the Gyre : a short film by Chris Jordan from Midway on Vimeo.

This film reveals the destruction we can cause to wildlife without even realising, simply through the use and thoughtless discarding of our rubbish. It is an excellent source of inspiration for producing my sculptural duck piece wrapped in plastic and rubbish.

Wunderkammers, or ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ are large collections of objects yet defined in Renaissance Europe.

I love the way these collections are displayed. It is very reminiscent of museums in the manner in which they display their various and intriguing objects. Cabinets and drawers full of interesting articles that must be explored and opened to reveal what is inside is very exciting and alluring. This could be another interactive means by which to entice the audience to view my work. The more something is hidden, the more curious we are about it.

Mummified animals are most commonly associated with Egyptians. Egyptians would mummify their animals for three main reasons: love for a pet thus mummifying and bringing to the next life, to provide nourishment for the deceased in the next life and, predominantly, because they were considered sacred as animals were representational deities.

The mummified cats shown here are only recognisable as cats from the simplistic faces. All other detail and shape or form of ‘cat’ has been removed. This is what I am going to attempt when ‘mummifying’ my soft toys. I shall try to retain a recognisable form of animal without revealing detail. Mummies are ‘locked away’ and hidden from the world ready for the next life. Perhaps I could translate this into my work from an entirely different, more sinister way.