Reflections - Leaves

There are a lot of issues to be addressed concerning the paper leaves. That being said, I feel as though this body of work was the most resolved from the previous semester. As a result of residency feedback, I realized that leaves do not need to be legible to be successful. My primary goal this semester is to make as many leaves as possible using dyed pulp with glimpses of legible text.

Resolving these issues has the potential to enhance the formal and conceptual qualities of the work...

Consider diversification of the look of the leaf because the idea of oneness is potentially reductive and problematic

Consider how collards are used, this information can be synthesized in order to create sculpture

Questions to explore through studio practice this semester...
How to push material to add meaning?

How to synthesize sensory experiences in a way that builds narrative?

How to realize this work as fully 3 dimensional?

How to use arrangement, text, and narration to tell a story?

How does display become content?

How to merge this work with my other narratives in a way that makes sense?
 

Specific tasks to address...

Try using new material (ex. money, books, cotton, rice)

Create new molds

Explore the possibility of additional species of leaf/fruit/veggie. (ex. Watermelon, black-eyed peas, okra)

Experiment with using text (faux labels) to convey meaning

Make use of the aesthetics of research

Include narration with this body of work

Continue exploring installation potential, think of installation as if I am curating an exhibition on leaves

Mapping out the Semester - July

The beginning of Grandma's backyard

I love lists and I'm very excited about going back to Georgia this summer to visit family and friends. This trip will also grant me the opportunity to conduct some research and start projects that have been on my mind since last fall. Here is a general outline of what I want to accomplish over the next few weeks.

• Create a studio plan for the semester
• Get into the habit of writing every day
• Start Commonplace/reflectionnaire book (add to it daily)
• Find source for new library cards
• Create at least 2 collages per week
• Make a list of sounds to record while in GA
• start recording
• Decide which plants to make molds of while in GA
• make molds
• Sketch ideas for 3d collard work
• Collect and scan archival images of my grandmother's backyard
• Begin new photo series
• establishing views and details of landscapes
• grandma's backyard
• mom's backyard
• ancestral home in Harris County
• hands of the women in my family at work and at rest
• landscape/self portraits

Reflecting on the Residency

Specific ideas to explore from critique feedback that will guide my research and practice this semester…

·         Use collage as a way to sketch ideas, using metaphor to create narrative.

·         Material-based language can still help me realize my vision.

o    Look for objects that help to tell a story.

o    Think about the difference between found object vs. translating object through a different material.

§  What are advantages/disadvantages of each?

o    How can objects encapsulate a moment?

o    How can objects appeal to the viewer’s senses and emotions?

·         Work toward a unification of tone in text, narration, object and image-based work.

·         Can my work be framed as a fusion of scientific investigation and fantasy?

·         Consider more carefully ironic elements present in my practice; photographs of ephemeral sculptures, topography depicted through kitsch, etc.

·         Combining narration and the pictorial is more easily accepted by the viewer than narration and objects. Find a way to resolve this. Either make the objects/installation more immersive or more pictorial.