For my 'Art of Protest' project I explored the use of hand signals and what they symbolise universally within a protest environment. For example my final piece in this project is based on the first "Ban the Bomb" march in 1960, finishing in Trafalgar square, and at the centre of the piece is a hand sculpture displaying the widely recognised "peace sign". Although my final piece and main outcome of this project is confined to one medium and one march the process was a huge development through a lot of exploration and experimentation of many different ideas.
There are two key artists that have inspired me the most in this process, Bruce Nauman (mentioned below) and John Brickels. Brickels inspired most of my ceramic building style and detail. I practised his techniques the most, either by replicating his work or creating my own in his style to develop my design for how I would display the buildings in my final piece. As an artist he is known for adding a bit of a twist to his work, whether it be a wonky wall, an out of proportion door or even the entire building on a exaggerated tilt. I took this as inspiration and didn't stay true to the scale of my buildings and shoes to mimic his twists but also to symbolise the great efforts of the marchers united in the protest.
My favourite piece of work would be my ceramic hand that is one of the pieces that make up my final piece. The idea for it was to replace Nelson's Column within Trafalgar square, I created this affect by surrounding it with buildings replicating those in the actually square. My inspiration was the march itself, from Aldermaston to London in an attempt to prevent the use of nuclear weapons. I researched many artists who worked in the area of sculpturing hands and came across Bruce Nauman. Although Nauman worked in the medium of bronze he was my main inspiration for the construction of detail into the sculpture, especially the visible veins and tendons in the back of the hand. This is my favourite piece because I am proud of how it turned out but also because I really enjoyed the process of practising different techniques of various artists who differed in style and mediums to produce a piece displaying all of them, creating a style of my own.
For my personal investigation project next year I am planning on exploring the different mediums and styles of portraiture, varying from simple line drawings to complex mixed medium pieces.
I can't wait to display my art work at such a prestigious event such as the Manchester Art Fair. I am also looking forward to the experience of running workshops to inspire younger artist and help them develop their individual styles. I also can't wait to mix with artists who have inspired in my projects over the years.
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