impact, 2013

My latest work.  Actually, this a shortened version of my double monitored full length work playing at Stole My Bike.

feathers

Feathers  have been associated with warmth in the form of duvets and insulation in jackets.   The lightness in texture and soft rich, milky, creamy feathers is something I would like to use to convey that sense of warmth and comfort.   The thought of them is very personal as my grandmother made quilts many, many years ago: feathers have been in our family psyche for a very long time.  Interestingly other students coming in to the studio can’t help but bury their hand into the soft, downy jars.

Another source of warmth and comfort to me is chocolate.  I thought the dark, richness, lush colour would add warmth and a sense of contrast to the feathers.  A double layer maybe. Time to experiment.  Beuys certainly perceived it on a metaphorical level as a source of energy for body and mind.

WAC | Joseph Beuys | Materials

Food was another important medium for Beuys. He enjoyed the immediate recognition of edible materials, as well as the metaphorical image of art as the essence of human nourishment. Chocolate, sausage, gelatin, margarine, and butter are all foods that Beuys utilized in his artworks. He often used foods that over time would transform, and welcomed materials that were not fixed, but rather had the ability to go through chemical reactions, color changes, decay, and regeneration. Beuys also recognized that specific foods had deep roots in certain religions or traditions, such as bread and fish, which carry symbolic meaning in the Christian faith, among others.

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The chocolate melted beautifully.  Testing how the down feathers would stick, because of the ball shape they had a tendency to slip down the sides.  I Added feather and down to the chocolate and mixed with my hands.  I wasn’t expecting the feeling of suddenly having warm hands covered in chocolate.  I then slathered it over a net covered ball to see if the chocolate would hold better using the net.  Interestingly the net and feathers completely soaked up the chocolate.  No contrast there,  just a mixture mess.  I’m sure the chocolate will take on change over time, will have to watch it.