Throughout my practice I have continually revisited and been informed by the idea of the divide between the man made and the natural. From beginning this new project I began with the idea that there is a distinct division between the manmade and natural and this affects our emotional connections with landscapes and objects. I have extensively explored this through creating a range of of works and objects; some using natural processes such as earthware clay hardending and crack and salt crystal and others which are intentionally overly artifical using mundane materials to create artifical fabrications. I however this term have, through my practice, realised that the connections and divides are significantly more complex and ambiguous.
As mentioned in early posts on this blog, I had research Whiteheads Birifucation of nature and Victor Papanek's theories about the beauty and order we find in the natural world, the reasons we find sunsets beautiful and the intricate form of a pine cone. I had agreed with this and felt that as the romantists felt that nature has a sublime power. It was something which as humans we are in awe of and vunerable to. Conversely I felt that our relationships to the manmade and artifical were superfical and when we view objects which are overtly fake our emotional responses are dramatically changed. Having had continuous conversations about this term with various artists I have felt that gathered varying views and opinions on this matter.
To begin this discuss I shall start with ideas arroused by speaking to and listening to a lecture by artist Ilana Halperin. Ilana is a sculptor, drawer, performer and creative writer whose main focus is geology. During a emotive performative lecture at our university she described how we are nature, we are born from the earth. She feels there is no divide between humanity and nature, being one and the same thing. This I felt was best described as she discussed a series she had worked on called 'Body stones' which was a collection of stones which had formed within the human body such as kidney stones, this was biology and geology combined. I felt parrells between her interests and my own, sharing a admiration and deep interest in natural processes. Ilana has travelled all over the world in her artistic pursuit and even celebrated her birthday with a volcano.
After listening to Ilana's inspiring lecture I then had the chance to show her my work and discuss my own ideas with her further. We discussed a number of challenges about working with nature to make artwork. The main point being where the point lies where what you create stops being nature or a simple representation and becomes a informed artwork in its own right. She felt this was always a difficult point and it lies on a hinge point however as an artist it is important to set your own rules to follow to be able to stick to your core aims of what you want to present about nature. We also discussed the emotive way that she discusses her work through storytelling and she advised that this is a helpful tool for dealing with describing contextual issues of the natural world and your experiences with it. I felt this linked well to the experiences I have described on this blog as I have documented my travels.
In my sketchbooks I had thought about Ilana's words and had began to try using autonomus word associations to try to identify my connections between the natural and manmade. I wanted to do this to explore using language in my word and a signifier of my ideas and to show the connections and stark contrasts between man and nature. From this I felt that though I respected Ilana's opinion that there is no divide I felt that this may not be true from a social perspective, not purely scientific. Materialism and consumer driven society has made even nature become a commodity and our view of experiencing the natural world is now controlled and regulated.
This leads to a conversation I had with sound and sculpture artist, Linda O'Keefe. Linda discussed her work where in recorded urban and natural soundscapes people often think they are compltely different, however they are both directly influenced by each other. She also discussed and agreed with how experiencing nature is now entirely commodified, commenting on how experiences are branded like walks intended to connect you back with nature where you walk through the landscape with no shoes on to connect with the earth. This however is again an entirely false and branded experience which is controlled and regulated and therefore divides us from the true natural world as we experience it through a viel of brands and rules. This extends to how we even now approach pedestrianism. I have read into this further in Geoff Nicholson's 'The lost art of walking'. Furthermore when we are in the natural world now, nothing can remain untouched by what has happened in our urban cities or as we have been destructive to the landscape. An experience which I feel summarizes this is the overly commodified experience of visiting lands end in cornwall. Once you reach lands end there is a sign which is fenced with a £5 charge to be able to stand next to and have a photograph taken (which many people will happily pay for). Therefore though as Ilana describes we may geologically and biologically be connected to the natural when we consider the manmade and commodification of nature the story becomes very different.
Taking me back to my large sculptures they are odd and overtly fake and this fakeness makes them uncomfortable to view. However I have realised that this is what I want to represent. To confront viewers with the artifical and commodified experience which we experience of nature. To try to recreate and capture natures power and beauty is not possilbe, it will always remain a failed attempt. Therefore these awkward objects reflect this.
Materials used for these sculptures:
Chicken Wire
Kitchen Roll
PVA glue
Casting plaster
Acrylic metallic paint
Super Glue
A Rock
Associations with these materials:
Control
Segregation
Artifical
Plastic
Destructive
Manufactured
Toxic
Dangerous
Fake
Stong
Mineral
Natural
Powerful
My decision
"The power and beauty of nature is something which haunts us and attracts us as humans, we admire it and fear it. It surrounds us and it is with in us. We are born from it. The problem and destruction however is also born within us. We are scared and greedy. We conform to materialism, consumerism and greed. We want to own the landscape. We fight over the land. The land which could be destroyed by natures force. Through fear of vunerability we invest in overly protective clothing and protective wear to experience the landscape, even be it a 5 mile hike through the crowded walk ways of the Lake district. What is now natural can never be untouched by our hands, our greed. Pollution, toxic waste, destruction. We want to see the beauty of nature, we want to experience its power and escape the matierialism we create. However we then photograph it with our digital equipment, engrave our marks, want to leave a legacy in fear or being forgotten. As an artist it is wanted to create work which recreates and celebrates natures beauty however this too is fake and artifical. I can create only a fabrication which will be overtly fake. Manmade."