10-18-09 Artist Post

I do believe I have stumbled upon this artist several semesters ago, but I have found her website once again. It interests me in several new ways particularly that a lot of her work is jewelry. I am currently taking a beginner jewelry class this semester and I'm planning on taking surface design next semester. Her name is Julia DeVille.

http://www.discemori.com/

Also a taxidermist, much of her jewelry incorporates animal parts. I would describe her work as steampunk taxidermy/Victorian goth jewelry. Quite interesting.


Fascinated by death at an early age, she enrolled in an Advanced Diploma in Gold and Silversmithing at NMIT in 2003 where she knew jewelry was the perfect medium to express her mortal concerns and views of death. Jewelry has always played in important roll in the adornment of the dead. They have been found in tombs and resurfaced graves throughout the world! Certain cultures and peoples (pirates for instance) wore jewelry so that after they died the jewelry could provide gold for an acceptable burial.

Julia's quote concerning death is absolutely what concerns me and my art.

"Death is a taboo subject. We're so obsessed with looking young [and] finding ways to prolong life. We need to remember that every day is important. Life is important. I want to inspire people to contemplate their own mortality in a positive way. I'm not a morbid person, but I'm not afraid of acknowledging that I'm mortal."

She says her jewelry is inspired by "the Memento Morie jewelry of the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries of Victorian Mourning jewelry." She is interested in the acceptance of death of these periods.

It is strange to think death was more readily accepted those days than today. Today medicine and technology prolong life. Everything is ANTIDEATH. People live longer than they used to and science is constantly pushing the limit. Our culture is so concerned with the future and is literally run by time. Our connection and interaction with the natural world and its order is fading. This transition has increased rapidly with more recent inventions of cameras, advancements in TV and movies, the internet, medicine, and instant communication. Communion with nature is far and few in between though I think one natural question lingers in the back of everyone's mind. Death?

WOW... I think I may have just written part of my artist statement in that last paragraph. It's so relieving I almost feel like crying! Take a look at Julia's other work:

Work Update 10-14-09

I feel like I haven't shown anybody any work in a long time. It's been two weeks since I had a meeting with either Jeff or Paul and the midterm critique is this Monday! I'm disappointed because I feel like every week my work seems to change. The photos I will be printing out have little to do with each other except for the materials I have been using. I guess you could say they relate to my confusion with art, life, and the future, but it's not necessarily what they are about... I think. I will only get to see a few people at the midterm critique, so any feedback anyone could give me on any image would be helpful.

What do you think they are about? Do they provoke certain thoughts or feelings? Are they just uninteresting?

Also, the last two photos are a dyptich (which is also something I don't normally do).

Visiting Artist Lecture: Brian Ulrich 10-14-09

I enjoyed how much Brian Ulrich's work really got my brain ticking. Here it is 3 hours later and I'm still thinking about his work. I can relate with his scientific approach to document while creating art. I particularly connected with his Ghost Box and Dead Mall series because they were particularly beautiful landscapes and (so far) fairly free of inhabitants. I also believe this series is stronger than both the Retail and Thrift chapters because these two really bolster each other and are not as conceptually strong without the other. The Dark Store, Ghost Box, and Dead Mall chapter speaks to the panic concerning our economy and doesn't rely on either other chapter to strengthen its concept.

I appreciated the process and the evolution of picture/camera quality that evolved with every chapter of his work. He examines first the outer layer and works inward to finally explore the inhabitants of every environment. I also felt like he took an overkill topic (our economy, consumerism, etc) and made it new and thought provoking. It was great that he cited websites as one of his main vehicles of research. The internet has changed every aspect of our lives, and he taps into our need to connect with society through widespread similarities and the concern of paranoia- particularly in our economy.

I thought of a question after the lecture that I would have really liked to ask. How does the dwindling economy effect children today? I particularly remember visiting a mall near my grandparents house in Staunton, Va when I was a kid (we must be talking elementary school and maybe even before). The mall was always SO empty, especially compared the our busy malls up in Northern Virginia. On a level I understood that the age group and income level of people living in Staunton compared to Nova was not the same. It was never something I verbally acknowledged or even asked my parents about. Now I find myself wondering why. I never would have thought it was part of what is happening now. Even the malls in Northern Virginia have empty stores now. Working at Ritz Camera, I too have experience three store closings within the last year alone. This issue has been on my mind a lot more lately and Ulrich's presentation leaves me asking more questions. Do children today know what is happening? Is it something parents don't want to explain for fear of spreading their stress or worries to their children? Are kids asking questions? DO WE REALLY HAVE THAT MUCH TO WORRY ABOUT OR IS THIS ALL BEING BLOWN OUT OF PROPORTION?! At first I thought most of the worry was created by the media, but after a firsthand experience I'm not sure what to believe.

Ulrich's work:

Can you believe this Target has at least 33 checkout lanes?!

I actually came across this image at some point during my hyperlinking research over the past two weeks. Now I recognize it!

10-14-09 Idea Post

I wanted to go back to my work at the beginning of the semester and even something I was interested in when creating "After I Die" a year and a half ago. The idea of the relic.

Wikipedia Definition:

A relic is an object or a personal item of religious significance, carefully preserved with an air of veneration as a tangible memorial. Relics are an important aspect of some forms of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Shamanism, and many other religions. The word relic comes from the Latin reliquiae, meaning "remains." A reliquary is a shrine that houses one or more relics.

It came to the forefront of my attention at the beginning of the semester when I watched the tv series "Out of Egypt." An entire episode was dedicated to the hallowed dead that had been preserved and worshiped universally throughout history as relics. These objects have been attributed with such incredible power and meaning that they influence entire religions. Even the every day dead have a certain power within our culture that requires a wake, funeral, headstone, and even annual visitations.

*****

The photograph to the right is a relic containing the humerus of St. Francis Xavier (a missionary born in 1506) in St. Joseph's church in Macao, China. The right forearm of Xavier that was used to bless and baptize his converts was detached long after his original burial and the humerus was sent to to Macau in a silver reliquary.


This is a photograph of the Shroud of Turin, or the Turin Shroud. It is a linen cloth thought to be the burial shroud of Jesus Christ that bears his crucifixion image. The left half of the image is the actual shroud and the right half of the image is a contrast heavy b&w negative of the image for easier viewing. It is kept in the royal chapel of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Italy.

St. Bernadette Soubirous lies in a glass coffin at her convent in Nevers, France. She was exhumed 33 years after death and was found to be 'incorrupt' or preserved from decomposition. Two additional times she was exhumed and examined to be 'practically mummified' over a period of 49 years. A wax face and hands were molded from imprints and photos and Bernadette was placed in the Chapel of St. Bernadette in Nevers.

*****

I have also recently found out that VCU offers a death and burial class through their anthropology program. I want to take the class REALLY bad, but have only one already full semester left. I did find out you can continue to take classes at VCU after you graduate, but you are the last to register and have to pay part time tuition ($250 per credit hour). Graduate school is something that has crossed my mind, but can a photo student go to grad school for anthropology?

I feel like my work over the past two weeks (exploring materials in a 'real space' rather than 'non-space') has traveled in an opposite direction of the above research I have been doing lately and I am as confused as ever. I plan on showing four photos at the midterm critique (only 5 days away) that are so completely different. The only way I can relate them to each other is to explain my confusion and the new avenues of searching I have developed within my work.

10-11-09 Artist Post

Alex Randall is a sculptural artist who focuses primarily in creating work with light (chandeliers, lamps, etc). She is interested in the memory of every day objects and their compulsive use within our culture. Some of her work involves taxidermy and I would consider this work more 'fashionable' (if lights can be that) than conceptual. Her other work involves serious metal working, of which I am growing ever fonder. This is where her concept seems stronger. Perhaps it is the way she photographs her taxidermy lights that I feel they have less conceptual strength.

While she doesn't chemically preserve the animals herself, she works closely with a taxidermist to produce her final sculpture. "Most of the animals we use are shot as vermin and their bodies either used as food for other animals or left to rot. By giving them a purpose, they become quite beautiful." -Randall

Her pigeon pendants and pigeon desk lamp(below) are based on society's view of the pigeon as a vermin and the abuse they endure (being fed gum, shot, and kicked). Each pigeon carries its own light to represent their remarkable adaptation from their Egyptian background to cities around the world.



She also expresses the need for society to reintroduce character back into their homes. After shopping for cookie cutter furniture at Ikea or in Better Homes magazines, living spaces are begging for individuality and personality. A re-emergence of taxidermy in society today is a direct reaction to the sameness established from industrialization.


Grey squirrels were introduced to the parks of England in the 19th century by wealthy Victorians for personal enjoyment. Since then, the grey squirrel has devastated the native red squirrel and other woodland bird populations with diseases and American parasites. They are bigger, faster, and braver than the red squirrel and have adapted to both city and countryside life. Their population is often thinned in attempt to regain natural balance. This is also how she gains materials.



If your home needs a little personality, you can buy these light sculptures at http://www.alexrandall.co.uk/salescommissions.php

10-07-09 Idea Post

The last two shoots I have done I have combined real animal materials with fake materials. This is something I want to investigate further especially when considering the preservation of death. Taxidermy, mummification, embalming, etc are all ways in which we try to preserve the living in an eternal state of 'what was.' While I had recognized it all along but never realized it pertained to my work, no preservation looks real. REALLY real (I mean). They use real materials and with the help of glues, chemicals, plastics, fabric, and even the right lighting always FAIL to preserve true life. Of course there are really great taxidermists, but think about the animals in the Smithsonian in Washington DC. I was impressed by the size, textures, colors, lights, surroundings, sounds, etc, but they still looked fake. This is an international museum we are talking about!


Well done taxidermy is breathtaking, don't get me wrong. I am much more interested in taxidermy that has a voice or has been altered in some way by the artist. Nate Hill (previous research artist blog) would be in this category. It's growing ever more popular to take two or more species and combine them into one new taxidermy creature.



Even more exciting is Merly Smith's "Excess Bagage," a piece she created for an exhibition when asked to make sculptures that were suited to be international carry-on luggage. This is not taxidermy. There are no real animal parts in this sculpture, but it certainly is convincing. Louis Vuitton has copyright issues with this piece.



Unfortunately, I couldn't find Smith's website (if there is one). I would have to say, if I were going to buy a Louis Vuitton bag, this $3,000 one would definitely be mine!

*** Wikipedia: ***

Taxidermy (from the Greek for classifying skins) is the act of mounting or reproducing dead animals for display (e.g. as hunting trophies) or for other sources of study. Taxidermy can be done on all species of animals including mammals, birds, nematodes, reptiles and amphibians. The methods that taxidermists practice have been improved over the last century, heightening taxidermic quality, and lowering toxicity. The animal is first skinned. This process is similar to removing the skin from a chicken prior to cooking. This can be accomplished without opening the body cavity so the taxidermist usually does not see internal organs or blood. The skin is tanned and then placed on a polyurethane form. Clay is used to install glass eyes. Forms and eyes are commercially available from a number of suppliers. If not, taxidermist carve or cast their own forms.

Taxidermists may practice professionally, for museums or as a business catering to hunters and fishermen, or as amateurs, such as hobbyists, hunters, and fishermen. To practice taxidermy, one must be very familiar with anatomy, sculpture, and painting, as well as tanning.

Visiting Artist Lecture: Penelope Umbrico 10-05-09

Penelope Umbrico has a specific work process I very much admire. She has a concise reason for every action and decision she makes within her artistic process and each project or study logically connects to the next. I can most strongly connect with her works based on consumer home improvement magazine and website images. She explores the connections between consumer and image through the examination of objects in idealistically photographed rooms such as books, mirrors, windows, pillows, etc.

Her observation of the reflection in mirrors showed objects that replaced the viewers as if they were in the room. The reflections (such as curtains, flowers, and plants) are all objects the viewer would expect to see in the room and projects themselves onto. Have you never seen a photo in a home improvement magazine and not pictured yourself in it?


Building off her mirror work, she turns to windows as another gateway in which the viewer can move into and even beyond the magazine photos. The windows act as an idealistic escape which is attainable only through the room. This promotes a desire to own the room or be in the room OR buy the products in the room. Her strongest work stems from this examination of consumerism.



Other objects within the rooms have specific projects dedicated solely to them. Open books invite the viewer into the inhabitants personal life. Black and white photographs represent the classic representation of happy family memories. Books turned backwards on shelves degrade the writings of their historical worth and reference technology as the new sole tool for research and language. Beautifully organized shelves and armoires give the viewer a sense of longing for cleanliness and order.

Her other works speak more towards images being shared between people on the internet. She examines reflections in internet posted photos and the similarities of mass photographed objects.

10-04-09 Artist Post

I know many people have already written about Gregory Crewdson in their past artist research posts, but he was recommended to me by Jeff. So... here goes another one!

Gregory Crewdson came up in my most recent meeting with Jeff because we were discussing lighting. Crewdson is one of the many kings of lighting in the photography world, directing an entire cast to create his epic visionary moments. He conducts an elaborate movie-like set complete with actors, special effects crews, lighting teams, and even a director of photography. Meticulous lighting is always the key ingredient. [[If only we all had the resources, right?]] His images are often tableaux in nature and have been referred to as "micro epics."


I admire his photography as 'almost unreal moments'. I say almost because I suppose they could be replicated. They are the images that exist in dreams and movies: anti- or meta-real moments. Focusing on the fears, mysteries, desires, and anxieties of the American suburbia, he builds off the every day moment to create an unanswered narrative film still. He is heavily influenced by his father (who is a psychoanalyst), cinematic devices used in horror and science fiction films, and contemporary photographers such as Cindy Sherman.

“I’ve always been interested in the uncanny, in looking into ordinary situations and finding something fantastical or mysterious. I’ve always been interested in domesticity; I’ve always been interested in photographic beauty; and I’ve always been interested in a kind of realism.” -Crewdson