creativeprojectpamelajwhite

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Additional Deveopments

Below are the stills from the video installation. "i am legion, for we are many"

The images were taken with my wearing a black slip in contrast to the additional images which can be seen in the previous post, where I am wearing white, this shows both the juxtaposition and acceptance of the conscious and shadow self.

Additional stills from video.

This was the representation of not accepting your shadow, which by doing so, seeps into your behaviours, your emotions. This is the unhealthy coping mechanism, which seeps through, coming out as angry, emotional, confused outbursts when intoxicated. These images were manipulated using photoshop.

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Evaluation

Creative project evaluation

By

Pamela Jane White

I decided upon applying my research into psychoanalysis, as a basis for further development into my own personal psyche and how this would then materialize as a creative body of work. I have always been intrigued with our thought processes and self-development, how our childhood experiences, have had the potential to influence the choice that we make.

 Initially, I applied the technique of automatic drawing which is seen as being free from thought, as a means of trying to appropriate the works of the surrealists, who were influenced by the psychoanalysts of the time and their interest of automatism. This created my graffiti inspired work “psychobabble”. I tried to keep true to the nature of automatic drawing, in that I had my eyes covered whilst creating the drawings, with the exception of the words. Each of the torn pieces of paper, represent clusters, personality types. This also represents my very own thought processes, how I approach my artwork. I usually have jumbled thoughts, numerous ideas which through my body of work, eventually become more streamlined, to develop into a finalised conceptual and minimal artform. I find that this particular module has been not only beneficial to my own artistic development, but also in my approach to my own behaviours. I felt at times, studying Carl Jung and his 12 archetypes of the shadow self, quite daunting and was uncertain that this element of self-analysing was healthy. I created a dream diary for looking into my subconscious and a video diary, one of which was created when I had had too much wine. I felt that this was an area I was not comfortable with in my life, how intoxication could potentially produce part of your shadow self, the part we all want nobody to see. I found this difficult to look at and I gave up drinking so much wine, shortly after.

This has been a very honest and at times raw process of research into this subject, but I am pleased that I have done so, and allowing the research both personal and structured, to inform my process. The body of work, I feel, follows and highlights my own window into conscious and subconscious, which culminate in the “canopy of thoughts”, the embossed leaves on sheets of aluminium, roof flashing. I wanted a natural form to represent the natural thought processes, that people have, how we are sometimes sheltered, how our thoughts can change, be influenced and I felt that the form of a leaf, was the perfect embodiment, due to the seasonal influences.

What I would have liked to improve was my motivation, mainly due to the overpowering and at times crippling self-analysis that I put myself through on this body of work. I did enjoy making my video on my shadow self, I felt that I became free from self-expectation and released from some  form of personal captivity.

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Final Submission folio

The following 10 images relate to the outcomes from research and development into Carl Jung's theory of the shadow self.

Image 1: Psychobabble.

Mixed media, acrylics, collage on painted dustsheet. 3.7ft x 3ft

This is based on automatic drawing, surrealism and psychoanalysis of Sigmund Freud.

Image 2: No space for my time.

Pen on A2 Paper.

This drawing is a representation of Carl Jung's shadow self and the 12 archetypes.

Image 3: Shadowpsyche

Projection of "No space for my time" onto "psychobabble"

Image 4: Empty head,

Collaged magazine pieces with cut out boxes from cardboard, then photoshopped

This is depicting how I would like to unpack my thoughts sometimes, to be able to walk around, being able to function, so that I can sleep, have less anxiety and put on a front of normalcy to society, without overthinking.

Image 5: Face to face

Photo used in Video, "i am legion, for we are many"

Image 6: Speak to the hand

Photo used in the video "Legion, for I am many", leather gloves painted and used as a prop.

Image 7: I am legion, for we are many - Dark within

Video installation channelling the shadow self, exorcising our demons and embracing the dark within.

Image 8: Nature and nurture

40 prints of leaves, using gelli plates and acrylic, symbolising the acceptance of the shadow self through semiotics

image 9: Canopy of thoughts

Close up of embossed aluminium sheets, that were cut to size, to form installation. The unification of the conscious and subconscious represented by the fragility of nature and balance of harmony.

Image 10: canopy of thoughts, full image of embossed leaf installation on aluminium sheets

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Statement of Intent

Statement of Intent

By PamelaJane White

Psychoanalysis is a subject that I have found great interest in, and my previous artworks have been formed using this process to enquire into our subconscious.

I believe that, my existing knowledge and additional research will create a body of work which will explore the thought process, allowing for both an organic and structured approach, through practical research and experimentation. This research will also include keeping a dream diary, which will be invaluable as a creative inspiration, highlighting the subconscious thoughts of my own surreal journey.

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Research and developments

The creative developments, research and final artworks have been based on the

Critical practice subject of psychoanalysis, whereby I looked at Carl Jung and the shadow self. This was an in-depth analysis which involved my doing personal research and development on my own behaviours, to ascertain some degree of honesty and potential progression in my own thought processes. I found it also interesting to see how my own thoughts worked when developing ideas creatively and applied the psychoanalytical approach of Jung, in doing so.

When working on a creative project, I usually have a whole myriad of thoughts, that may appear to some as completely scrambled, there is no linear path that is clear. My thoughts will sporadically fire off, or misfire on a subatomic level. These thoughts could be represented by clusters, ripped up pieces of discarded brown paper, from Amazon deliveries. This was the initial artwork, “psychobabble” that I created. I wanted to have no thoughts, to just draw and be free from any outside influences. This involved my having my eyes closed and drawing randomly on each piece.

Automatic drawing can not really be seen as automatic, when the intention is there to create automatically, however, by keeping my eyes obscured, this allowed for some semblance of being true to this process. The pieces were then sewn, using embroidery thread, onto a primed dust sheet., which then had graffiti scrawled over it. The words “Traum rauchen”, translates as smoke dreams in German, with the word trauma, deriving from Traum. I like this particular piece, this type of loose drawing and graffiti style, appeals to my own personal taste and I enjoy the rough, dishevelled appearance, it does not conform in shape, as a generic painting. The broken wall, with images sewn, loosely connected had some bearing on my own mind, at that time, which as the artwork and research developed, became clearer, the unconscious and conscious thoughts being integrated and accepting the shadow self.

Carl Jung

Carl Jung has been the main protagonist in this particular research into psychoanalysis and the integration and acceptance of the shadow self. Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist, who along with Freud, were highly influential in their work on the human mind, with regards the conscious and unconscious mind. Jung developed this idea further with his theory that there are two types of shadows, one which is the hidden part of the individual’s persona and the second being the shadow of society, the collective conscious.

According to Jung, the personal shadow can be seen when experiencing times which are highly emotive, under stress and or under the consumption of alcohol. The shadow is part of ourselves that we project onto others, the part of someone that we have taken a considerable dislike to. This could potentially be due to unresolved personal issues, for example, we may be incredibly shy and introverted, yet when met with someone who is the opposite, the overbearing sense of contempt for that person, takes over. Perhaps this, according to Jung, is due to our own needs to be socially accepted, to be less inhibited. The importance of integrating our experiences, unconscious, and accepting the darker aspects of our own personality, is intrinsically essential in developing a better sense of self.

The collective unconscious, according to Jung, can be broken down into 12 archetypes:

The innocent

The explorer

The sage

The hero

The outlaw

The magician

The regular guy/girl

The lover

The jester

The caregiver

The creator

The ruler

These seem to be stereotypical examples of human behaviour, which are not deemed to be seen as a sterile form for people to fit into one particular category, or bracket. What Jung appeared to suggest is that these particular characters are aspects of who we are, don’t want to be, will be.  These seem to be attributes or qualities that are apparent in most stories, fairy tales and one such example, where most of these characters are seen, is in Peter pan. The boy who never grew up, who wanted to become one with his shadow, that was continually hiding from him.

In my own research into the shadow self, I kept a dream diary and I made two video diaries, one of which, I deliberately did whilst under the influence of alcohol, to see what part of my shadow decided to make an appearance. It is quite uncomfortable to see yourself intoxicated, quite off putting, however I felt it was necessary to my own practice and development in creating works that were true.

The above pen drawing is based on the 12 archetypes and my shadow self, developed from my own dream diary

The pen drawing on paper “No time for my space” is based on the research into Jung’s theory of the 12 archetypes. The image lends itself to some form of dystopian metropolis, with parts of my personality rising and drowning. There are symbols throughout the image, somewhat cluttered, jumbled and unclear, as if there is a struggle to be seen. This could be seen as a reflection on what was going through my mind, when doing my own shadow work, trying to ascertain identity, acceptance. I quite like this drawing as an example of psychoanalysis, it has almost become a “where’s wally” version of my own subconscious.

When analysing my dream diary, which I Kept for a period of 4 weeks, I was surprised at how significant colour and animals, were represented within my subconscious. There did not seem to be any overly, psychosexual dreams, as alluded to by Freud, perhaps some slight apprehensions, about my current journey with the menopause and its relation to  the ending of that fertility chapter of my life. Two of the dreams that held some spiritual relevance to myself were those associated with my father and his mother who have both passed. Interestingly, there was a strong connection to colour, I’m uncertain as to what this alluded to, however the two dreams are as follows:

My Nana gave me a pure white, linen shawl, which had tassels. The shawl was folded perfectly, wrapped in lime, green tissue paper

Driving along a country lane with my dad, when he stops the car. A small dog runs in front. We get out and I ask my dad to go and get the dog, in case it is lost, so that we can go online to say that we have found this, curly, red dog that looked like a baby Highland cow.

The other dreams are just nonsense and I’m really not sure what is going on, however they are as follows:

Anton (lead singer from Brian Jonestown massacre, wanted to create an album art cover, whilst taking recreational drugs together. I wasn’t sure if I was pregnant with his baby. He’s a crap kisser but a nice boyfriend

My best pal Mark wanted to be my boyfriend

My tooth fell out, but it had not ben a tooth, but a yellow pac man toy

Gordon (my ex) was a serial housebreaker, breaking into women’s homes. The last woman, was a giant Irish lady, he kept going in and out of her arms, smelling her. She looked like she could handle him.

Grizzly bear sitting in top bunk bed chatting

2nd night in a row – Grizzly bear found me at my cabin. He kept wanting to hug me, which I allowed at first, but then it kept wanting to do this a lot. The realisation of what it was, made me panic and I kept trying to hide.

There was a mushroom growing which seemed to have a massive root which was green, wet and almost rhubarb in texture.

A gigantic dead stag.

The next process was integrating the parts of my shadow, which according to research and an online lengthy, psychology test, I was a combination of the innocent, the sage and the joker. This actually made sense in this realisation.

The innocent - I have a level of naivety, which I do not necessarily think is a flaw, however there are people who will gravitate towards this particular attribute, to abuse this level of trust

The sage – I am quite empathic and have an approach to society that does allow me to impart knowledge from my own experiences and understanding of people’s situations

The joker – Someone who has experienced numerous, traumatic events, who, despite their best efforts to appease, make people like them, through kind or humorous gestures, does not get the basic acceptance by those, you wish to receive it from. This if not dealt with, is particularly destructive, and if there are many disenchanted people, as a collective unconscious, becomes a serious issue.

Upcycled cherub that I bought in a charity shop, that I felt required to show its shadow self. Perhaps this could be my self portrait.

The above images were taken with my wearing a white slip in contrast to the additional images which can be seen in the next post, which I am wearing black, this shows both the juxtaposition and acceptance of the conscious and shadow self.

Thankfully, as much as I admire the Batman and Joker dalliance, I’m not particularly drawn to that level of darkness, but it is interesting the psychological relationship, that lies between these two characters. In looking more at the Joker as part of my shadow self, I decided to embrace the theatrics of it for my short video installation “I am legion, for we are many”. This almost became an exorcism of my own subconscious, taking the title from the bible, which relates to Jesus casting out the demons.

I think that this video worked well, I used photoshop initially, to manipulate several images, which I have included in this blog. I then worked on blending and layering the images via premier pro, before working on the exorcising and accepting the joker as part of who I am. The tempo and imagery are deliberately made to be impactful and disorientating, as I switch from the conscious to unconscious personas.

I would have liked to have manipulated the time better with the last part of the video, to have the imagery create a more punchy and impacting reaction, in time with the beat, but I was unable to physically work this out on premier pro, due to having lost the original soundtrack tha t I made, and then alter the sequence accordingly.

The accepting and integration of my shadow allowed for a certain degree of enlightenment, I found the process quite mentally exhausting and at times, I was left feeling lost and uncertain. I became more confident with less anxiety, which was also aided with meditating on a regular basis. I wanted o be able to reflect this process through simpler imagery, a symbiosis with how my thoughts had become clearer. This was done through semiotics, using both leaves and squares to reflect this.

Nature and nurture

40 prints of leaves using black ink and gelli plate

Andy Goldsworthy

I created prints on a5 paper using leaves. These were repeated numerous times, keeping the colour palette to black and white, symbolic of the light and shadow. The overall effect is a blur between the conscious and unconscious, the leaves reminding us that they too change, this is something that we have to accept. I looked at the work of Andy Goldsworthy, who using leaves as his main source of material in site-specific installations. The leaves represent a similar notion to Goldsworthy, in that he sees the fragility of nature, the vulnerability which is also similar to ourselves. There is no permanence, our thoughts are natural, there is the environment and our surroundings that shape and carry the leaves, our thoughts.

Goldsworthy’s work is ephemeral and beautiful, there is the consideration to the environmental impact, our carbon footprint, the connection of everything that is in nature, through its cyclical movement. In the image below, it is as though, Goldsworthy is honouring the sycamore tree, shrouding its roots, with its fallen leaves, for the beauty to be reclaimed and remembered, for the nutrients from the decay to supply life for the rebirth. When relating this use of semiotics, I am also consciously aware, that what we see, should be questioned, like Magritte’s “the treachery of images”. This is not a tree, this is not art, this is a photo of a tree, with arranged leaves. Relying on what we are told, without questioning, to see beyond the general acceptance of the juxtaposition of our own thoughts with what we truly see. This is also applicable to Jung’s theory of unconscious and shadow self.

Sycamore leaves edging the roots of a sycamore tree, Hampshire, 1 November 2013

 (Andy Goldsworthy)

Continuing with developing a more streamlined and conceptual art form for my final installation, using semiotics, I researched the artists who use the square as a means of reflecting balance and harmony. The square is also symbolic of geometrical stability, most buildings are built on a square foundation, the square represents the element of earth, so this seemed like a perfect balance and shape to interpret my integration and balance of the conscious and unconscious.

Josef Albers

Josef Albers was primarily known as a teacher and influencer at the famous Bauhaus school of art, before emigrating to America.  What I admire about his work, is the dedication to colour and the continuous form that he used over the years. This is apparent in his series of paintings, known as “Homage to the squares”, which was created over a period of almost 30 years.

When looking at Albers’ “homage to the squares”, although there is no spiritual element having been deliberately incorporated, I feel that there has been some balance restored. Perhaps this is through the use of repetition, like a mandala, with the colours used, emulating moods and emotions. There is a connectivity between the lines, tones and colours, which also allows for depth and dimension to the painting. The colours are separated but yet when looking at the image, they almost radiate through one another, glowing. I thoroughly enjoy looking at “homage to the square”, I find that the simplicity of the form and use of colour is something that can be further explored in my own practice, which I have already started to incorporate within some recent works. Recently, the importance of shape and form has taken precedent over what I actually want to portray as an image. I do not feel the necessary urge to pour everything out onto a canvas, but use a form or a shape to convey and merely suggest my thoughts.

Homage to the square (apparitions) 1959

Oil on masonite

120.6 x 120.6 cm (47.5 x 47.5 inches) (47.5 x 47.5 x 18.7 inches)

Emptyheads

This is a collage using magazine cuttings and carboard which i made into a box, I then manipulated the image on photoshop.

This artwork reflects my need for having clarity of thoughts, to not have the constant struggle of disorganised thought processes. I feel, however, that this is what I need to do, in order to eventually have a more streamlined and final approach to my work. Facing people who are nameless, faceless in society, oher people's expectations, make me feel that at times, I would literally be better off being empty. That they do not really care or need to know who you are. We live in a faceless society.