Working Title for MA Research: Love in the City
Passage ( pg. 224 ) :http://www.haraldpeterstrom.com/content/5.pdfs/Roland%20Barthes%20A%20Lovers%20Discourse%20fragments.pdf
Thematic content
Topic Themes : To interpret a selected passage from Roland Barthes’ work A Lover’s Discourse into a visual art form, keeping in mind the triangular relationship of graphics which are text, image and sound. In this particular case, the passage of Tenderness is being dissected in order to construct a feasible body of art. It must always be remembered that the passage’s meaning, the artist’s personal interpretation, and the interior and exterior should be intertwined. The narrative that takes place here is of a first date.
Interior : Pillows are a key element of what my work is about. The passage that Tenderness conveys brings to mind many things, but it is the image of pillows that stand out the most. Pillows are one of the basic products within the interior of an area. I chose the standard pillows found in one’s sleeping quarters to be an appropriate representation of tenderness, love and for the interior theme. The feeling one should get upon touching and seeing the pillows, should be one of comfort and warmth. It should also bring to mind the bed of lovers, that of sensuality, light desire “ do not forget that I desire you,- a little, lightly, without trying to seize anything right away “ ( Barthes ) and security and secrets. The pillowcases have been left with an impression of sewer grate patterns on them. These have been placed with the use of a roller, to signify touch (albeit perhaps a bit of a rougher kind since it is a roller and not, say, a brush ), which is one of the many intimate form of tenderness. I also specifically chose purple pillowcases for an affiliation with London Metropolitan University, for no other deeper reason than being a student from that university and it is a small salutation in that direction.
Exterior: Instead of bringing the exterior to the interior, I have decided to bring the interior to the exterior and the work to the public instead of the public being invited to view the work. The pillows ( interior ) will be placed as temporary installations at certain parts of the city ( the exterior ) : general “date spots “ to be more exact. The narrative here is of a casual, budget-friendly, first date. To be even more exact, the places I have chosen are a cafe, a moviehouse, an art gallery, a casual dining restaurant, a park, an outdoor market place, a tube station and the London Metropolitan University itself. I have narrowed this down further to keep the pillows within closer proximity of each other, and to keep in mind about the narrative of a low-budget date. I eliminated the movie house as this was pricey and the furthest away from all the other locations. The restaurant was eliminated next since the outdoor market place has a dining area. A cafe, an outdoor market place, an art gallery and a park were therefore chosen. They will be left to their own fate to whatever the city has in store for them. This is to mark the non exclusive hold tenderness can also pertain “ tenderness by rights, is not exclusive, hence I must admit that what I receive, others receive as well “ ( Barthes ).
There are a total of 8 individual pillows, therefore equalling 4 pairs. They are to be left at the sites as pairs to represent the lovers.
On the pillow cases there will be an impression of London city’s sewer grates. These are, again, not to make the pillows look ‘hard’ or to camouflage the nature of their softness, but rather to make them adapt more to it’s city environment and to portray a sense of tender touch. Sewer grates were chosen to be the impression on the cases because they make the best ones of the city. They have a unique, deep texture perfect for capturing with a roller and are heavily associated with ordinary city sights.
As also mentioned before, these are temporary installations. While they are not to be collected again by the one that put them there in the first place, it is believed they are not to be seen again in the same spot after a full day.
Simple photo documentation will be done. There are to be no recordings of observations of people’s reactions as I feel I should give these the same treatment as I would upon exhibiting works in a gallery – after mounting them, I don’t exactly hang around to record people’s reactions to my paintings.
My main aim here, aside from interpreting the book’s passage, is to remind about love that the city can have if one cares to look.
Research methods: what external and local sources, processes, materials, and outlets will you need to research?
The city itself was being researched upon. Simple strolls or walks around the area of London along with taking photos of the city were done in order to try and better understand and come up with ideas for the exterior theme.
Textile printing workshops, those being conducted by the university itself, were attended, in the hopes of getting more information regarding, perhaps, an alternative way of showcasing sewer grate impressions on a pillow case. Letterpress workshops were attended as well, to see if more ideas to refine the simple technique of rolling paint over a pillow which is over a grate, could be found.
A trial run was also conducted wherein the pillows at a park bench were left and recorded observations regarding people’s reactions to them were done for a few hours.
Information about related artists Ringo Bunoan, Li Juan Hua, and Lucio Fontana was also researched on.
Material Processes & Technical Skills:
Basic sewing and ironing ( for the pillow cases ), basic printing press knowledge, common sense, experience in fine arts.
In order to produce the look of these pillows, a pillow case was placed on top of the sewer grate as a roller with black or white acrylic paint was pressed and rolled over it, capturing the texture of the grate. The paint was not saturized at all by water. Depending on the pressure of the roller and the thickness of the paint, the impression left on the pillow case will either be faint or even splotchy, giving a non-repeatable pattern on the case. The pillow case then outfits the pillow and, in pairs, these are dropped at certain places found within a city.
Passage ( pg. 224 ) :http://www.haraldpeterstrom.com/content/5.pdfs/Roland%20Barthes%20A%20Lovers%20Discourse%20fragments.pdf
Thematic content
Topic Themes : To interpret a selected passage from Roland Barthes’ work A Lover’s Discourse into a visual art form, keeping in mind the triangular relationship of graphics which are text, image and sound. In this particular case, the passage of Tenderness is being dissected in order to construct a feasible body of art. It must always be remembered that the passage’s meaning, the artist’s personal interpretation, and the interior and exterior should be intertwined. The narrative that takes place here is of a first date.
Interior : Pillows are a key element of what my work is about. The passage that Tenderness conveys brings to mind many things, but it is the image of pillows that stand out the most. Pillows are one of the basic products within the interior of an area. I chose the standard pillows found in one’s sleeping quarters to be an appropriate representation of tenderness, love and for the interior theme. The feeling one should get upon touching and seeing the pillows, should be one of comfort and warmth. It should also bring to mind the bed of lovers, that of sensuality, light desire “ do not forget that I desire you,- a little, lightly, without trying to seize anything right away “ ( Barthes ) and security and secrets. The pillowcases have been left with an impression of sewer grate patterns on them. These have been placed with the use of a roller, to signify touch (albeit perhaps a bit of a rougher kind since it is a roller and not, say, a brush ), which is one of the many intimate form of tenderness. I also specifically chose purple pillowcases for an affiliation with London Metropolitan University, for no other deeper reason than being a student from that university and it is a small salutation in that direction.
Exterior: Instead of bringing the exterior to the interior, I have decided to bring the interior to the exterior and the work to the public instead of the public being invited to view the work. The pillows ( interior ) will be placed as temporary installations at certain parts of the city ( the exterior ) : general “date spots “ to be more exact. The narrative here is of a casual, budget-friendly, first date. To be even more exact, the places I have chosen are a cafe, a moviehouse, an art gallery, a casual dining restaurant, a park, an outdoor market place, a tube station and the London Metropolitan University itself. I have narrowed this down further to keep the pillows within closer proximity of each other, and to keep in mind about the narrative of a low-budget date. I eliminated the movie house as this was pricey and the furthest away from all the other locations. The restaurant was eliminated next since the outdoor market place has a dining area. A cafe, an outdoor market place, an art gallery and a park were therefore chosen. They will be left to their own fate to whatever the city has in store for them. This is to mark the non exclusive hold tenderness can also pertain “ tenderness by rights, is not exclusive, hence I must admit that what I receive, others receive as well “ ( Barthes ).
There are a total of 8 individual pillows, therefore equalling 4 pairs. They are to be left at the sites as pairs to represent the lovers.
On the pillow cases there will be an impression of London city’s sewer grates. These are, again, not to make the pillows look ‘hard’ or to camouflage the nature of their softness, but rather to make them adapt more to it’s city environment and to portray a sense of tender touch. Sewer grates were chosen to be the impression on the cases because they make the best ones of the city. They have a unique, deep texture perfect for capturing with a roller and are heavily associated with ordinary city sights.
As also mentioned before, these are temporary installations. While they are not to be collected again by the one that put them there in the first place, it is believed they are not to be seen again in the same spot after a full day.
Simple photo documentation will be done. There are to be no recordings of observations of people’s reactions as I feel I should give these the same treatment as I would upon exhibiting works in a gallery – after mounting them, I don’t exactly hang around to record people’s reactions to my paintings.
My main aim here, aside from interpreting the book’s passage, is to remind about love that the city can have if one cares to look.
Research methods: what external and local sources, processes, materials, and outlets will you need to research?
The city itself was being researched upon. Simple strolls or walks around the area of London along with taking photos of the city were done in order to try and better understand and come up with ideas for the exterior theme.
Textile printing workshops, those being conducted by the university itself, were attended, in the hopes of getting more information regarding, perhaps, an alternative way of showcasing sewer grate impressions on a pillow case. Letterpress workshops were attended as well, to see if more ideas to refine the simple technique of rolling paint over a pillow which is over a grate, could be found.
A trial run was also conducted wherein the pillows at a park bench were left and recorded observations regarding people’s reactions to them were done for a few hours.
Information about related artists Ringo Bunoan, Li Juan Hua, and Lucio Fontana was also researched on.
Material Processes & Technical Skills:
Basic sewing and ironing ( for the pillow cases ), basic printing press knowledge, common sense, experience in fine arts.
In order to produce the look of these pillows, a pillow case was placed on top of the sewer grate as a roller with black or white acrylic paint was pressed and rolled over it, capturing the texture of the grate. The paint was not saturized at all by water. Depending on the pressure of the roller and the thickness of the paint, the impression left on the pillow case will either be faint or even splotchy, giving a non-repeatable pattern on the case. The pillow case then outfits the pillow and, in pairs, these are dropped at certain places found within a city.