BVA313 Critique and project update 1/6/19

1/6/19 

My practice of collecting - when did it begin for my project?




Materials began to appear at an alarming rate during the first few months of 2019.

Among them are themes of objects such as recycled plastic Barbie or Bratz style

dolls - varying amounts and parts of porcelain Victorian dolls and old toys. A sort

of dystopian collection of unloved objects destined to be remade, stored or displayed.

This is because the dolls are not new in their boxes with tags - there are a great many collectors who value the object (character dolls are a good example) as a sort of currency - shiny, pristine packaging, labels - curated and stored, traded and re-sold -  never to be handled or played with .

 That is not me or why I collect.  Certainly the object might have a re-sale value as an up-cycled piece of bespoke art and I intend to sell art work at the completion of my degree, but energies are spent on the creative process to produce the made work for my third year and written theories that accompany it.

For some viewers this is outrageous and they seem to view the art as something destroyed or aesthetically unappealing - art is subjective.  Others view the up-cycled dolls in my home or the stand of dolls in the studio as objects of humor or intrigue - what are they about and why are they there?  I get asked.  They are  often touched or rearranged in a sort of play and hands on experience - discussions start about their own dolls and collections, or 'oh, I had these as a child' and 'I still have my dolls....'
- this is another aspect of informing my practice - the object and how it is viewed in a gallery....what are other methods and settings outside and away from a traditional gallery.  I won't be able to collect data on viewer feedback or how my work is received - it will only ever be comments gained from interactions with viewers and colleagues or family - or via a social media platform or my web site.  

The practice of collecting is  a joyful exercise – the same rush someone

might experience buying new clothes or online shopping is experienced at the

moment I find an object or sometimes several objects at a charity or recycled shop.

Why do I experience these feelings and how do they help inform my art making

process?

Friends, family and colleagues enthusiastically add to the object collections as some

kind of mass consciousness seems to motivate them to find and donate or direct me

to a source of objects.

The moment of discovery is linked to my intuitive creative process. This is an aspect

to document and write about and read what other authors might say, especially the

psychology components of being a collector.

The experience of discovering an object helps inform my practice by helping the

creative process, I can see an object and imagine how it could be altered to fit my

studio practice but it is more than that – because it has sparked new ideas of altering

and collecting, recycling and backing up the idea of environmental awareness of the

huge amounts of plastic that will ultimately end up in landfill – old plastic toys mass

manufactured since the 1950’s ( add example) and consumerism.




So my home and studio is a stage for dolls, parts of dolls and old toys. Many are

altered, first done to see how they are constructed and perhaps some childhood

ritual many are guilty of - in play children will disassemble things and many will tell

stories how they pulled the clothes off a doll and cut its hair......I need to research this

further, again it will be under the realm of psychology.




To inform my practice - the moment of discovery goes beyond the purchase and

ownership of an object - it is a phase of the creative process and helps inform my

practice.

The act of discovering the dolls in second
hand marts and charity shops then
taking them and remaking is part of my
practice. I am not interested in dolls in
mint boxes or as they were intended to
be displayed. I can see other
personalities and aesthetics for each doll
and am very picky about what I buy. The
alteration or removal of the hair is the
similarity between each doll or bust.
Humour is an element of any work I do,
and I love to see the look on the viewer’s
face when they see my dolls for the first
time……One of the first reasons I bought
the porcelain dolls is that they often
come on stands these are useful for
character supports.

Displaying the dolls is part of the process
baby doll with mullet hair, dress from a
teddy bear this tells a story if the
viewer wishes to find one e.g. Is the baby
in danger with the candle? Why does she
have a mullet made of fur?.......

Evolution of a character
process
of making after the discovery of a
wrestling doll added a dog head
this is Victor Barco, his character
is the tribal leader his first
version looked tough by the
addition of mustache and beard
added to his iconic and legendary
look. I knew when I first saw the
doll it was the perfect body for
this version of Victor. I had
intended just to use the body as a
reference for a wire armature
body but used the doll. This is
the way the moment of discovery
informs my practice, I am able to
visualize the object as something I
can remake or alter.


A cheap wooden plaque becomes a canvas
for a silhouette backdrop ––discoveries come discoveries come
from unexpected places such as dollar stores
––I try to use recycled good as much as I try to use recycled good as much as
possible ––to be faithful to the to be faithful to the
environmental aspect of my project i.e.
plastic pollution. I won’t use plastic
shopping bags if offered for goods unless
they are recycled. Another way that the
discovery of objects and how they are
obtained or purchased informs my practice.
For exhibition 2 --Bookcases Bookcases ––1 new one 1 new one
donated, on their side form the diorama
boxes and story. Backdrop images are from
upcycled scrapbook papers I found, the toy
on top is from upcycled objects, a chopped
plate becomes a book page, characters
clothes are upcycled and remade, characters
are coated in scenery flock (thanks Royce)
old coasters become stands for characters so
they are stable.
An important consideration is everything will
be able to be reused or remade, recycled or
re--donated to a charity store at the end of donated to a charity store at the end of
the course ––some characters if I think they some characters if I think they
are good enough might be sold or given.

My practice as a collector.......

References
Joyce, R. E. (2017, December).
The Butterfly pin; The phenomenon of object based collecting in contemporary Australian Art.
Retrieved April 1, 2019, from Research Online at James Cook University:
https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/53131/1/53131 joyce 2017thesis.pdf 
Yee, L. (2015).  This lengthy thesis might be a useful resource although I might go on to find a more relevant text that is easier to understand.  The author creates a system in which to understand collectors psychology.

Magnificent Obsessions; the Artist as Collector. Collector.(L. Dexter, Ed.) London, United Kingdom: Prestel Publishing Limited. Retrieved May
31, 2019, from www.prestel.de  This book has been most useful to understand that renown or famous artists have their own methods and styles of collecting within their practice - it was mostly items that that artists encountered in their work or objects that might be useful to the artist. 

Images
d\Dolls , Creative Commons
Photos
Murdoch, L.