Process:
Much of this was really on the fly. I set myself a pretty ambitious task building not only my manifesto but a video around it as well as managing a working practice outside of my current degree studies.
TIME MANAGEMENT IS NOW MY BEST FRIEND!!!!!
(wish this calendar still looked this blank!!)
With this said, theres a massive lot of components to this that I'm absolutely thrilled I managed to pull off!!!! I created multi layering for this film, including a mural back drop. The piece speaking to our global identity and that of my manifesto relating to us as a whole.
I've been waiting now for an opportunity to play with some different techniques with my painting, experimenting with combining realism with my signature illustrative style.
Using photo shop to mock up, I then projected the design onto a wall, etching in the rough details with acrylic and taking two days to paint in with spray.
I would love to have painted her on a far more public wall, but as is the nature with an illegal art form, I just didn't have the time of resources to be able to spend 2 days in and out of dodgy paint missions.
She is my portrait of art. A manifestation of our identity with her. Dark and foreboding, she urges on baited breath, watching us with intensity. Playing upon the direct gaze and its relationship to the viewer with its scale. Directly locking you into the messaging of the piece as a whole.
On reflection.... I probably should have stopped on this one about 10 minutes after laying down the arcrylic. I actually prefered the far rougher image to that of the layering with the cans. The rawness it held.
I have a love affair for words. I writing for a national column as well as being an artist and have really struggled to see how these two practices would merge or support one another. Delving down my rabbit hole approaching this work I became enamoured with Jean Micheal Basquiat. Someone I had purposely have avoided to be honest. Every Graffiti article I have ever read seemingly building justification of everything street on his name alone.
But how could I not love him after reading his poetry scrawled upon urban landscapes.
Paying homage to him, I used much the same technique he did, painting public spaces, with immediacy, Having written our 500 word manifesto, I pre chopped and spiced some sentences I roughly wanted on the wall but its layout and final composition were very instantaneous.
I can neither confirm nor deny that there were many other sentences written in many other places. Basquiat intoxicated me with his possessive influence.
In all honesty I could pile this blog up with snippets and edits and cuts of film but in order to get everything shot, with very little assistance with such a tight deadline, it has been the last thing on my mind. Spending 4 days editing and multiple days and nights filming to have enough B stock to shuffle through. Have most assuredly learnt that you can never have enough B stock. That and having cohesive direction helps.
My biggest issue tends to be that I work backwards a lot. Being able to generate ideas for final out comes very quickly, I become quite fixated. Perhaps this is a result of the size of the ideas I am always attempting, They tend to leave little time to stop and think about much else other than the getting to doing of creating.
So I forget to stop myself and plow forwards, forgetting to document a lot along the way, Something I am slowly getting better at. However I do find restrictions around being able to show process with film without uploading a million rough cuts you don't really want people seeing to Youtube.... hhhhhmmmmm thoughts to ponder....