Wall to Wall Week 1

The first week of Wall to Wall has been challenging as many of the painters have not yet started on their walls other than for initial sketches, which has made it hard for me to respond to the proposals I was most interested in working with. However I have actually been really interested in two of the paintings which I didn't think I would like to respond to at all. The 'demon' like skull in Sorias drawing reminds me of my research of Charles Freger's Wildermann, as many of the ritual costumes throughout different cultures often use skulls of animals to symbolise different demons and beasts. I found this aspect of the drawing combined with the feminine aspects of it an interesting juxtaposition, as the two contrast each other. Even though it is just a basic sketch at the moment and there will be paint and potentially objects on the wall by the end of the exhibition, I think it is interesting to respond to the different stages of the paintings rather than just the finished thing, which is what I had initially had in mind. This, as I realised this week, will mean that most of the spectacles I make for this project will be quite experimental.

Whilst planning the different spectacles for this exhibition I have thought more thoroughly about the meaning behind the materials I choose and how these then effect the meaning of the work. If I use reds, pinks or blacks together then this will create a more sexualised meaning, particularly if i use materials like leather or silk. If I use browns and more natural tones - especially for the wildermann inspired spectacle, then the work will become more beast like. Thinking about this has made me realise that bright colours are especially important in my work, as I think the bright colours help to deter any deeper meaning, which will help the audience take in how the work appears in a purely visual way.  Bright colours also help add to the comical element of my work.

For Emila's painting she has created a giant gash across the wall which is both gruesome and slightly sexualised. I initially thought I wanted to recreate the entire cut which comes across the body, however I think it will be more interesting to respond to just one part of the cut and try and really focus on the textures of the wound.

In response to Anna's wall, I want to recreate a Ghillie suit, using a mixture of silky fabrics and found leaves which is what she has used to create drapes on her wall. This spectacle I think will be the most time consuming, as I want to stitch or tie each individual real leaf or silk leaf together and then onto netting, similar to the actually way of making Ghillie suits. This means that it should be done by the end of the exhibition, meaning I can camouflage myself into her wall when it is complete as well as when it is a working process.

So far every artist I have spoken to hasn't minded me measuring up their walls or invading their painting space with my materials and ideas and it has been really exciting to hear how everyone is on board with my ambitious plans.