Cut and Paste

30/10/2018

The beginning of this project was birthed with the idea that other artists were likely your greatest ally upon the first introduction into the theme of ‘Cut and Paste’. I won’t deny the term itself brings forth a great unease from my Nursery days, playing with craft scissors and getting covered in glue. I didn’t like getting dirty as a child, and I wasn’t particularly gifted with scissors either (curse being left handed). I’m a person greatly integrated into both traditional-styles of drawing and digital media, almost bypassing collage entirely in my youth. Despite this, I never completely disregarded it and always awed at those with particular gifts or a natural ability. A deep rooted respect for something I’ve never been able to achieve, simply because the idea of it terrified me; lacked control; was far too open. Which are hilariously pathetic reasons but a fault of mine is that I’m a creature of habit and new things scare me. This is why I’m at art school. This is why I’m always terrified nowadays.

So, with that advice, I began scouring resources for some artists that peaked my interest. One of which was first introduced to us in our lecture hall.

John Stezaker

Stezaker, an English conceptual artist, was the first which lit up my eyes in a way that was endearing. From first interpretation, I expected his pieces to be based around the theme of identity; with the cross-implementing of usually two faces, slit down the centre and combined delicately to make some new profile.

There is a quietly disconcerting melancholy surrounding his work; though most the original recipients are smiling, it seems vacant and hugely hollow. From appearance they seem to be home images you would take at school, or even the headshots that actors take when applying for roles and sending their face out. From further research I discovered this wasn’t too far from my analysis. “Collectors of cinema memorabilia have a name for anonymous actors who were photographed for publicity stills, but never actually made a film. They call them ‘virgins’. When I go to collectors’ fairs, it’s the virgins I’m after.” – John Stezaker

In a way the work can be interpreted that Stezaker is a form of Frankenstein, stitching together elements of faced (or scenery shots) and creating something inherently human but not quite right. With the knowledge that these are failed actors, it’s almost as if he is speaking about Hollywood and the fierce competition; which is both a comment on today and back when these images were taken. Faces blend together; perfection is sought out and never achieved and these failed actors are thrown away, only to be found by Stezaker at collector’s fairs.

I’m a person very interested in media; the movie industry having an especially prominent place in my life. As source of joy and disassociation, it’s strange to think of these fantasy worlds having so much political agenda behind them. So much hierarchy; drama; toxicity and corruption. In an effort to be authentically fake, the movie industry becomes all too real. With scandals such as Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, by default this will affect our interpretations of such media proceeding forward.

Nicole Moss

I decided I wanted to branch out from the given artists and explore the Canadian artist, Nicole Moss; someone who I had heard of in passing and decided to do a little research about. Differing from Stezaker, her work depicts a lot more colour and vibrancy; with far less subtlety in her work.

Moss’ work is drawn from a sleep disorder she has unfortunately been diagnosed with; Non-rapid eye movement parasomnia. This heightens the subjects within her dreams (able to refer and recall them in intimate detail) and allows her to sleep walk more than the average person might. Her work depicts pseudorealistic depictions of relationships, family dynamics, feminism and Western cultural precepts.

Dinner Time: “The mother attends to the needs of her daughter, while the husband attends to matters of far off importance—his face engulfed by a great celestial light, illuminating worlds so distant from his own. The mother obediently accepts the household work, her back turned on the galaxies and star clouds that exist so far from her own perception, so foreign to the cloth and woodwork of her simple home. A single door resides at the bottom of the frame, so distant from the star-scapes and the bleak domestic setting, this escape never dismissed from the mind of the woman who ever holds it in her outer vision.”

Her work is highly symbolic and seems to depict emotions through emotive imagery; using the interpretation of lightning for a kiss, implying the rush or feeling of elation of being in love; the use of nebulae and galaxies in her work Dinner Time, as though the woman depicted cannot ‘see’ further than her motherly duties, like the rest of her family can, as their faces are masked by these galaxies. That the outside world is foreign, distant and alien to the woman; whether due to the patriarchy (as the work is depicted using vintage media) or by her own accord.

I enjoy the idea of combining a political message with film, or media, in a way. I’ve had a few flittering ideas today as I’ve been working; such as recreating movie scenes with a suggestive political message behind them; either adding political figures in their place, or enunciate the quotes or text used within the film, highlighting any problematic themes that may have arisen, or that I see fit.

Around mid-afternoon today I went out to a scrap store that resell any items people don’t want for a very nice, discounted price. I picked up four old VHS tapes, one of which in particular caught my eyes prominently. It was a copy of L.A Confidential, starring Kevin Spacey. I immediately laughed out loud at the irony of having previously written about him in passing, then immediately found a tape of him, in very good condition. My mind began to tick.

31/10/2018

Today I began my experimenting with a few things I had collected. I took one of the flyers I’d picked up and began to cut everything out on the front image. Then, taking one of the VHS tapes I painted it blue to match the original background of the image. Originally, I hadn’t sanded it down; which was evidently a mistake as it all peeled and crusted off the smooth surface. So I repeated it after having sanded it and this seems to have taken a lot better than before, giving some of the paint some texture to cling on to instead of the very smooth plastic. I then stuck the graphic image to the VHS and the result turned out quite nicely.

With this, I’m experimenting with routes that I can go down. I enjoy the implementing of movie scenes onto different elements, so this might be an interesting option to go down. That, or I’ll pertain that theme more with the alteration of scenes as opposed to simply ‘implementing’ the literal perception of ‘cut and paste’. My lecturer informed us that ‘if you look at a piece and it doesn’t make sense, it’s not good’. This was a bit unnerving, as a lot of the work around the studio was very, very aesthetically pleasing however didn’t convey a particular message.

2/11/2018

I realised that I needed to start trying to find a focus for my project; that experimenting with ideas wasn’t enough (and was a very Fine Art approach). Thus, my eyes turned to the digital world and using things like Photoshop and Adobe After Effects to start trying to convey messages in my work. I had a discussion with my lecturer and he informed me that the general theme of ‘Film and controversy’ was a far too big subject matter and condensing it further was going to – not only be more effective – but actually easier for me upon looking at the second week.

Before talking with him I did some experimental After Effects work combining famous movie scenes with a controversial figure, coupling it with text which is both emotive and subtly ties in with their respective individual issues.

Shown is my edited version of the original screen-grab from the movie, Gladiator; Depicting Theresa May with a sword, with the original movie quote superimposed behind her.

This is the unedited, original scene from the movie Gladiator, depicting Russel Crowe as General Maximus.

This piece depicts Theresa May in Crowe’s place, however juxtaposing the valiant and courageous character of Maximus, through Theresa’s face the viewer is conveyed a comedic sense of childishness. She is holding a sword however it feels misplaced; the weapon itself symbolising authority and power. The term ‘Are you not entertained?’ feeling more like a petty quip as opposed to a resounding statement from a hero. The phrase itself is a comment on the ‘game’ may seems to be playing with the general public; as if the whole ordeal with Brexit (for example) is a theatrical, dramatised production.  If someone wanted to look deeper, the use of a sword itself is innately masculine, as there is deep-rooted phallic connotations with the object. Though not a comment on gender, the weapon is misplaced in her hands; suggesting her misplacement in her own role. The lighting I tried to emulate with the high contrasts and harsh light source from the top left corner of the image…

Depicted is my edited version of a scene from ‘The Shining’; conveying Kevin Spacey as a version of Jack Nicholson’s character, Jack Torrance. An altered version of the original quote has been added also.

This is the original, unedited scene from the movie, ‘The Shining’.

This piece might be slightly more unequivocal in terms of its subject matter. Kevin Spacey is depicted as a psychotic ‘mad-man’, Jack Torrance in a very predatorial manner. The scene itself proceeds the moment where Jack breaks through the door in order to kill his wife. Though very much hyperbole in terms of what Spacey has done (he – as we’re aware – hasn’t killed anyone as of yet) it accurately depicts the monstrous character that he is, and perhaps the isolation of his victims, similar to the character’s wife’s isolation in the setting of the movie. The use of the text adds a punchy, almost comical addition to the piece, almost lightening the mood of the piece. These pieces are supposed to be taken with a grain of salt. It is not diminishing the emotional impact someone like Spacey has had on the world, but is trying to be more approachable to those that might not understand the perception on Spacey.

5/11/2018

Upon further consideration, I decided that I wanted to focus on the #metoo movement; or more specifically, those accused of sexual assault in Hollywood which triggered the movement itself. Controversial figures all being at a focus of this project. I am going to experiment with symbolic pieces of work; perhaps a sequence which provides a narrative of thought. That, and I will continue my movie scene work as that ties in with the ideology that those that create the art, ultimately are apart of it; or that it reflects them as a person.

I decided to start off my doing a piece a little more ‘on-the-nose’ but still held the connotations of production and the theatrical elements; almost a parody of itself. This piece I named, PIGS! The movie:

The stars of this wonderful production? Woody Allen, Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey; all in their respective ‘pig masks’. In all seriousness, the symbolism of this is a parody of parody movies; with outlandish and silly titles with a strewn of people cast that are often desecrated for starring in such a production. The purpose of the pig heads are purely symbolic. The connotations of a pig being a smelly, unpleasant animal which thrive on farms, wallowing in their own filth and reveling it. The other side of this is that pigs are incredibly intelligent animals; often underestimated for their repugnant stereotype. To be able to thrive in the public eye for so long, these men can either be regarded an immensely intelligent for covering themselves up for – in some cases – decades at a time, or so juvenile and idiotic that they never believed they would be caught in their terrible acts. Also, more crudely, referring to someone as a pig refers to their disgusting attitudes, fat tendencies and generally a sense of dislike. There aren’t many positive connotations in referring to someone as a pig. The use of the red curtain behind the figures depicts the ‘theatrical’ element to the piece; as though once again it’s a large performance, or even pantomime. The point is to exaggerate their roles as influential figures in order to degrade their image.

In Lord of the Flies, a pig head symbolises the progression of horror and violence. In Animal Farm, the pigs depict an abuse of power and hierarchy.

07/11/2018

Today and yesterday I’ve been spending the day making a series of images which can be presented pretty well together in a collective series. The idea acts as a twisted version of the Oscars, with celebrities that have been convicted and accused of abuse being depicted in these ‘mock-up’ awards where the prizes are humourously derogatory and parodies of the real thing.

‘Greatest Fall From Grace’ – depicted by Melanie Martinez

World’s Biggest Paedophiles – depicted by Woody Allen and Jimmy Savile

Oldest Pervert – Depicted by Bill Cosby

Most Influential Sicko – Depicted by Kevin Spacey

I had to edit all of their heads on to differing bodies so that they consistently held the Oscar award in full view. Even Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey had to be edited as there was not an image of him which suited the edit, of high quality. Martinez’s edit was the hardest to achieve as I had to find a dress suitable to her style, whilst also matching her skin tone. Colours weren’t an issue as I inevitably grey-scaled all the actors, whilst giving them a more vibrant background.

The actors, influencers and celebrities hold their awards in pride; with their personas of great likeliness and humour. Depicting that once they were admirable people, perhaps role models for some. But what a label, accusation or conviction can do to one’s personal image or other people’s perception of them can have a rippling effect. I didn’t want to demonise men exclusively despite the inherent percentage of those accused in the #metoo movement being male. I also wanted to make a comment on the capabilities of women in the media also, which is a reason why I included Melanie Martinez in my ‘line-up’ of celebrities.

I ask you: what do any of these people have in common with each other? Regardless of race, gender, height, sexuality, age and body-type, it is clear anyone is capable of abusing their authority; abusing their power and taking advantage of those in either vulnerable states, or those who fear for their careers. These people are only a small fraction of those accused of sexual assault and abuse, and it is likely there are countless more that are yet to be exposed. Hollywood, it seems is a toxic environment, where the heirarchy is exploited beyond measure, and power can sway even the harshest of critics. It is now positive that movements such at #metoo and TimesUp are flushing out the offenders like fresh game, hopefully to be shot down in their state of ruthlessness. Only time may tell what will happen in the future.