B Des (Hons) B Ed

BOUNDLESS Red apple, Steel pipes, Repurposed poster board 40 x 40 x 40cm This work is physically and theoretically centred around the apple. The most iconic fruit is heavy with symbolism significant to areas of desire. I investigate the continual and schematic associations with knowledge. Knowledge, like desire is infinite and insatiable; there is no point where everything is known, just as there is no point where all desires have been satisfied. The apple brand is a fine example of desirability. These products are built to enable access to the tomes of knowledge available on the Internet, yet this particular brand is designed to impede accessibility and technological manipulation. The apple logo was inspired by Newton's discovery of gravity, yet another example of cognitive wealth. In my work I have used all recycled materials except for the searched for, compared and proudly purchased Apple. This methodology for material a aquisition was practical, yes, but it also serves to question the modes of thought that have created feelings of stagnation in the acceptance of our desires. The steel pipes are old and have been repurposed without much thought, care or understanding of their original use. This apathy towards the material history mirrors the apathetic attitude many people have concerning the validity and modern appropriateness of many schemata that act to demerit and bar the possibilities of human desires. Like the pipes, much contemporary thought surrounding the subject of desire are simply the most popularised views of the past, which have been accepted and clung to due to cognitive laziness. Laziness that stems from fear; fear of being wrong, fear of opposition, fear of the unknown and ultimately, the fear of an unbound psyche. The apple, through much religious and traditional artworks has become a symbol of this cognitive freedom. It is theorised that in some traditional artworks that the apple has been utilised as a more discreet indication of naturally occurring hallucinogens, particularly of the 'fly agaric' mushroom. In the primordial Christian fable Adam and Eve eat from the tree of good and evil also known as the tree of wisdom; for this show of rebellion, indeed knowledge seeking act, the progressive history of mankind it tainted. This fear of knowledge has been consistent through history, just as contemporary governments censor mass media to maintain social lethargy. Thus, the large red apple that I chose to centre my work around acts as a microcosm for the desires we all have, that are caged by historically prevailing social constructs. What needs to be remembered is that our desires are boundless and allowed to be so. Desires are a unique form of sustenance. As the apple nourishes the body, personal desires nourish our will.

Venus Verticordia-Rosetti,1866 Shown holding an apple, the goddess of love and 'desire'. The balance of fruit and breast is emphatic of the fruit's symbolism as an object of desire. Both in a literal way, for it's fleshy sustenance and sweet taste; but also theoretically, a symbol of imparted knowledge. This symbol within art may allude to the more provocative notion of hallucinogens, also indicative of cognitive revelation.

Wim Devoye has tattooed pigs with well known brand logos and media characters. This links into my investigation of our complete submersion within desirables. Snow White, in particular, is a symbol of desire or the inability to deny desires as shown through the apple. This idea generates thought about the apple itself, and it's continual association with desire; E.g. Adam & Eve > the acquisition of knowledge > Apple as a teacher's accessory > Newton's law of gravity > the apple logo These topics are all inextricable linked with desire and progression, which desire ultimately fuels.

The weight of desire 'The Weight of Desire' explores the human fascination and want for things that we may obtain or pursue. The forms in the image are inspired by Maslow's famed 'Hierarchy of Needs'. The base triangle is subtly suggestive of the established hierarchy while the inverted triangle represents human desire. Unlike the base triangle, the area of inverted triangle has no solid or recognisable divisions; yet it does have a tapered form denoting the continual growth of desire as previously desired States and objects are amassed. In his text 'Desire and Pleasure', Deleuze states, "Desire is a process, in contrast with structure or genesis; it is an affect as opposed to a feeling". (Deleuze, G.; McMahon, M.; Desire and Pleasure, 1997; sect.G) Deleuze conveys the notion of desire as one of progressional action and reaction. Contrary to popularised thoughts of desire as a state of yearning that may be satiated through the acquisition of the desired, Deleuze suggests desire to be the action of acquisition with effected "zones of intensity, thresholds, gradients, flux." (Deleuze, G.; McMahon, M.; Desire and Pleasure, 1997; sect.G) In my image the connected shapes are reminiscent of an hourglass. This emphasises the idea that desires are subject to change, continually shifting with time. The red triangle is shown to be either wedged or spilling over the yellow triangle of 'needs'. I aim to portray the commanding presence of our desires within daily life and how after our basic needs are met it becomes easier and easier to let our desires overcome us. Imminently, the top heavy triangle will pierce its way to the bottom, over throwing and eventually sinking the most basic of human needs. This can be seen in cases of addicts, where commitment to satisfying a desire eliminates physical and psychological health and safety. I hope to inform that without a balance, which is possible between these two shapes, though precarious (imagine point atop point), desire has the ability to blind us of our most prevalent needs.

this piece documents the possessions within the confines of  home. I similarly represented my own belongings, but through a soundscape.

Simon Evans’ work ‘Everything I Have’ inspired me to work with found (personal) objects and colour. this piece helped inspire both major works ‘PINK’ and ‘WEEK’

Emin’s piece similarly deals with the constraints of space and the ideals of possessions.

these images show how each day is different from the next. Nothing is permanent, except that which you choose to document.

Using audacity to play around with soundscapes

Do not put glue on places you have hair! OR YOUR FACE

A week after loosing my cement chunks I found them in somw bushes near my house!

The third piece is untitled. The piece consists of a mess of glue skins glued together. The piece was designed to hang and be visibly hollow. This empty vessel represent the person. The skins were made from the top of my hand. This suggests a lack of physical involvement and more of a theoretical role of sharing information. The human is portrayed as a means of information conveyance and continuity. The bodily representations within the work suggest the necessity of an individual to document anything. A context can be documented through many forms but it is essentially the presence of the individual in any given context that makes the moment worth documenting. The final piece ended up being more of a coagulated lump of glue skins. This, surprisingly, pushed my point home by accentuating the necessity of process involved in documentation. The incongruency of planned and actual product denotes to the immeasurable difference between the moment and the falsified memory of that context.

Major Piece 2- PINK (pt1)