I wanted to begin experimenting with using photographs instead of drawings / secondhand sources, to see if I could capture a more realistic, uncanny scene. I imagined that using realistic body shapes and poses would make it easier for the viewer to relate to my art. Consequently, making it easier to find it Uncanny, unnerving, or interesting.
I chose this image of myself, because I found the pose interesting without being too busy, and the crystals are unique, spiritual props with interesting shapes.
The shape, blacked out into a silhouette, was interesting and very enigmatic. It is difficult to tell what the silhouette is holding, at first glance. And the long hair removes all inclination of a face, or neck - removing the identity completely. It is not completely obvious whether the silhouette is a man or woman, as the baggy clothing distorts any womanly curves.
The image below makes it clearer to the viewer that the silhouette is a female, due to the girlish pink and red flowers on the inside of the shape. I think that patterns on the INSIDE of a silhouette are like windows to the person's soul, or personality. In this case, it makes it appear that the figure is feminine and nature oriented due to the many flowers.
I don't find these pieces as initially impressive as I thought they would be. Perhaps the fact that they are SO natural, and SO realistic makes them boring and lifeless. I much preferred the energy and surrealism given by Kara Walker's silhouettes, and my own silhouette drawings. They may not have been realistic but they were certainly gripping.
I do still find these pieces INTERESTING - just not quite as interesting as my previous pieces. I pushed forward, making small changes, darkening, layering in an attempt to make these pieces more interesting on first glance.
Adding some depth made the piece much more interesting to me, and altering the colours to make them more eerie changed the effect of the piece altogether.
Darkening the shadows more and more made the piece more and more eerie, and less pleasant to look at. I find it very interesting how simple it is to change the entire aura of a piece, just by darkening certain places.
I enjoyed the EERIE look, so I returned to this swirling purple pattern that I find to be very fantasy-like, but in a way that is evil and unnerving, like an evil shadowy force of nature.
The pattern is very effective, although, it did not look particularly striking on a white background.
This piece is VERY dark, to the point that you can barely see the figure at all.. From a distance, it almost looks like the figure of a strange monster, rather than a human figure.
The pattern is very striking alone, although, I combined it with the previous images to make an intensely busy and striking series of images.
These pieces are very confusing, there are many different conflicting patterns and shapes. The silhouette is hard to decipher. One viewer who had seen the entire process said "if I hadn't seen the original image, (the photograph of myself holding the crystals) I would not have been able to tell that this silhouette was of a person."
Overlaying the swirling patterns makes the piece eerie, again. It overlaps the flowers and sets them in the background rather than the foreground.
This piece is my favourite, and I think that it is the most impactful. The patterns are busy, overlapping and intertwining, creating a maze for the eyes. The flowers that show through are a surreal colour that compliments the deep purples incredibly well, but together they create an eerie and unsettling colour scheme, the colours of evil alchemy, or Maleficent (the evil fantasy character). The swirling patterns over top are almost like a vortex, pulling the viewer's eyes deep into the piece. The flowers may be delicate and soothing, but the piece is unsettling regardless (due to the other aspects: the darkness, the lack of identity, the lack of explanation). The piece is incredibly surreal, and uncanny due to the human silhouette.
Below is the same piece, but larger.
I put this image up for review from peers.
Some of the responses I received were as follows:
"There is tension that makes this image scary to look at."
"The shape of the figure seems religious or symbolic."
This was also referred to as a "Magic Lantern", "Pair of scales / scales of justice" "eerie, spiritual, part of a seance"
"Like a scary bat."
"The ripples look like water." I found this interesting, because the patterns are completely artificial, made digitally, but they appear organic enough to be mistaken for water.
"Nothing is recognisable."
I found it interesting that this piece has such an eerie, negative affect on people, making them feel uneasy.
It is not specifically what I was going for, but I enjoy the fact that my art can physically make people feel uncomfortable, without using anything that is generally seen as discomforting (no gore, no blood, no horror, nothing stereotypically horrible - just colours and patterns).
I experimented with overlaying the swirling pattern straight on top of the original image.
My identity is not completely concealed, but it is distorted to an extent. Interesting, but nowhere near as impactful as the pieces with little to no identity at all.
Here, my identity is hinted at, but it is difficult to identify me due to the many layers.
I experimented with using more irregular shapes to conceal my identity.. E.G. flowers, as inspired by Pipilotti Rist.
This was much more successful. The deep colours and organic patterns of the flowers concealed all of my face apart from my eyes, leaving only a hint of my identity intact, that you have to look incredibly closely to see. The rest of my frame is covered in flowers, as if they have been projected onto me.
(I will later experiment with projection onto people's bodies, as inspired by Pipilotti Rist and this experiment.)
The colours were incredibly vivid and wonderful, so I wondered if the piece would have the same effect after being stripped to black and white. I don't think that it is anywhere near as effective, without colour. I think that colour brings life to the piece, and depth.
I experimented with the colours of the same piece.
- VERY DARK.
- VERY RED.
- VERY EERIE, almost horror like - the flowers look like gore because they are so dark and red.
- UNNERVING, UNCANNY.
- Very vivid. Almost an underwater theme.
- Vivid and scattered colours.
- Innocent. Intriguing. Not quite as impacting, however.
I experimented with a different image, making a double silhouette - a silhouette inside a silhouette, in an attempt to add some interest and further conceal the person's identity by placing a crystal in the way of their face. It reminds me slightly of Magritte's famous piece, with the apple infront of the man's face.
I edited the top half of the image green, to mimic the apple. I do not find this piece very effective, in comparison to the other pieces I have been experimenting with. Instead, I think I would like to experiment further with overlaying images, perhaps flowers or crystals over faces...
The idea of concealing a person's identity with a crystal, or a flower, is very interesting to me - I just do not think that this is the correct way to do it. I reverted back to the original image I used.
I focused on the crystal in my hand, and overlaid flowers onto it.
This way, it appeared that I was HOLDING a silhouette - the line between what is real and what is not is blurred. It is surreal, and it appears that I am holding a window to something unreal. Another dimension, like a portal.
Thinning out the flowers slightly allows the natural patterns of the agate slice to show through, provoking the viewer to look deeper into the piece. I find that layering images works incredibly well.
All of this work is digitally created on photoshop. Although it is digital, I enjoy creating work that blurs the lines between what is digital, and what is real life and tangible.
The same for the other crystal - the pointed top contrasts beautifully with the soft edges of the petals.
I used the crystal on the left to conceal my identity, further blurring the lines between reality and fantasy / surrealism.
Removing the colours from the piece and darkening it gave a brand new effect to the piece. It was unnerving, and everything was practically black other than my hands, which was very strange. Not quite a silhouette, but incredibly dark and void of personality and identity. This could be referred to as uncanny.
I presented this piece to my peers for review.
Responses:
"Shadows seem wrong."
"My eyes are drawn to focus on the hands, because they are the only things that seem real."
"Seems like there is some symbolism that we don't understand."
"Reminiscent of Scales / Libra / Goddess offerings. Cult-like."
I experimented with reverting this idea of holding crystals into a simpler, silhouette format.
The simplicity of these pieces allow you to focus solely on the concept, and the surrealism of a hand holding a globe full of flowers. There is no depth, so we are not aware of what the globe is supposed to be made of, or whether it is hollow... .... Or whether it is a vortex to another dimension. It is minimalistic, but surreal.
I experimented with making some silhouettes strictly in the shape of crystals.
I think that the contrast between sharp edges and soft petals is very effective.
These small pieces are inspired by Kara Walker's piece, and how extensive patterns are contained inside a simple silhouette.
This piece is full of enigma. The most recognisable feature is a woman's hand. The shape of the crystal is recognisable, but the contents are not. The petals may be recognisable, but since they are green, they could be mistaken for leaves. There are many questions to be asked about this piece, but ultimately it is a very soothing image to look at, due to the soft colour scheme.
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