Throughout studio three I have maintained a research informed art practice. I have continued to look at historical imagery and events, but rather than focusing on women’s loss of power, I have used these ideas and the symbolism that’s surround them in order to reclaim the power that had once been taken away.
While on a trip to Berlin in January 2025, I visited the Evil Flowers exhibition at the Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg. At this exhibition I viewed Bernard Schultz’s Großes Migof-Labyrinth[1] (Large Migof Labyrinth), a large scale installation. The piece created an eerie and creepy feeling across the whole room. I loved how creepy it was, the figures seemed so familiar, yet so unrecognisable at the same time. After viewing this piece, I decided I wanted to create a similar experience through my own practice, not in a material sense, but rather replicating the eerie feeling that the installation gave the viewers.
Mark Fisher discusses how ideas of something being ‘weird and eerie’ disrupts our sense of reality. It is something that creates unease, but not necessarily for an obvious reason.[2] This is what I strive to achieve through my work. I am interested in inhabiting the ‘creepy’ and exploring the odd imagery that comes with it.
Expanding from my work on the persecution of witches in the first semester, my practice in my second semester has evolved to focus on the hypothetical concept of being cursed by a witch. I wanted my work to be less obvious and to instead create a creepy atmosphere. I have focused on imagery surrounding witchcraft, such as the symbolism of the goat, or Baphomet. I love the visual aesthetic of the goat, the contrast between its soft fur and its sharp horns, as well as its playful yet stubborn behaviour. More ‘creepy’ imagery I have looked at includes the photography of Dylan Hausthor, who ‘delves into faith, folklore and the inherit queerness of nature.’[3]
In terms of materiality, I use a multidisciplinary approach, exploring a wide range of techniques and mediums throughout my practice. This includes film, collage, installation, costume making. My work focuses on different areas at a time. I aim to bring them all together for a final piece, exemplified in (final exhibition).
I am also interested in working against consumerism; by using materials I already own or have been lent by others. After reading neo-materialism, I wanted to rebel against the idea that the whole purpose of art is to make someone money, if it is the person who sells the final piece or the person who sells the canvas.[4] I have achieved this by using already owned household items, such as furniture and random trinkets. This has allowed me to expand on what I can create, embracing the idea that anything can be used to create a piece of art.
Film has also been a core element of my practice this semester. I was inspired by watching Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times in a vintage cinema, as well as German Expressionist Cinema. I was fascinated by how much can be said through purely imagery, rather than dialogue. I am also hugely inspired by horror films, both silent and speaking, finding their plots and imagery camp and visually exciting. I wanted to explore this further through creating my own silent films. The way women are portrayed within the film industry, especially in silent films, was also an influence. Women are often seen as the victim, which was something I wanted to challenge.
I have also been inspired by curatorial and installation techniques. The idea of creating an interactive space, for the viewer to be a key element of the work, is core to my practice. Audience participation adds an extra depth to an artwork, one that cannot be achieved by just the artist. For example, in my final exhibition I allowed for the viewer to reflect on themselves wearing a goat mask in a mirror. I am fascinated by different interpretations and think it allows for the artwork to develop into something bigger and better.
[1] Schultze, Bernard . 1966. Großes Migof-Labyrinth Installation. Berlin. New National Gallery, Berlin State Museums.
[2] Fisher, Mark. 2016. The Weird and the Eerie. London: Repeater Books.
[3] “Dylan Hausthor - Artists - Dowling Walsh.” 2024. Dowlingwalsh.com. 2024. https://www.dowlingwalsh.com/artists/dylan-hausthor.
[4] Simon, Joshua. 2011. “Neo-Materialism, Part II: The Unreadymade.” Www.e-Flux.com. March 2011. https://www.e-flux.com/journal/23/67825/neo-materialism-part-ii-the-unreadymade/.