Creative Decision Making over the FMP Process (500 wds)

Creative Decision Making

Several key theories underpin the creative decision making for my Final Major Project.
I have built on my understanding of Julia Kristeva’s theory of the Abject (Kristeva, 1982). In an attempt to interpret what we find abject as humans, I have developed my own personal response. I studied artists who used the abject in their work in order to make a serious point or relay a message.
The idea that there were common global elicitors of disgust also fed into my work and influenced decisions I made. (Rozin Et al.1994)
I wanted to refer to the idea of 'Aura’ surrounding an original piece of art due to the touch of the artist, first suggested by Walter Benjamin (Benjamin, 1969). So chose to print onto silk, then prepare the fabric for hanging, which involved a lot of hands-on input from me, ensuring my work had an aura of its own. I was also influenced by the idea of an image having a ‘Punctum’ described by Rowland Barthes (1981) as something within a photographic image, which caught and held the viewer’s eye making an almost physical, emotional connection. Through the selection and combination of shapes, colours and composition, I tried to create an image that drew the eyes to a central ‘void’, point of focus or vanishing point which became the initial ‘punctum’ of the image.
I chose to create symmetrical pieces from several manipulated sections, partly to mask the nature of the objects I was using and partly again to draw the eye. It seems that balanced proportions are pleasing to humans and are present in the creative arts of most cultures and eras. (Hahn, 1998)
I made creative choices based on my study of Old Dutch Masters’ still life paintings of flowers, fruit, insects and skulls from the 17th Century such as Willem Kalf and Jan Davidsz de Heem.
I incorporated their theme of the transience of beauty; giving way to decay and death as represented by the creeping insect and skull symbolism.
I researched other artists in the field of photography in order to better understand and create work that caused a ‘Seduction/Repulsion’ effect.
The use of bright colours, simple symmetrical design and balanced composition in the work of Gilbert and George (1994,2014) have a mesmeric effect on the viewer, holding the attention much like a stained glass window in a church. It is not until closer, more detailed study that you realise there are quite unsettling objects and messages in the images. I chose to produce work with a serious message cloaked in a seductive first impression.
Many artists have used their art as a form of therapy. This has influenced the creative decision making in my Final Major Project. Artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Cindy Sherman, Tracy Emin and Yayio Kusama have all used personal experiences to inform and shape their work. Making the choice to use personal material, I too have added deeper meaning and weight. The psychology of ‘facing your demons’ described as ‘Acceptance and Commitment Therapy’ (Harris, 2014) also influenced the decision to represent all my ‘demons’ symbolically.
As a result of the creative decisions I have made concerning dissemination for exhibition, I have produced work that is glossy and attractive. The silk hangings are positioned in such a way that they move and flutter close to the viewer, making the experience haptic and sensual. The glossy paper images are slightly hidden, in a restricted space, so have to be sought out for closer consideration. The symbolic objects within the images then reveal themselves, causing a jolt. The aim is to share something of the shock and distress of some of my life experiences.



Bibliography

Barthes, R. (1981) ‘Camera Lucida-Reflections on Photography’
New York: Hill and Wang


Benjamin, Walter, (1969) ‘The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.’ In Illuminations, New York: Schocken Books) 221.


Gilbert and George
‘Naked Shit Pictures’ (1994)Available at: ‪www.southlondongallery.org/page/gilbert-george-the-naked.‬..‬‬‬
‘Scapegoating Pictures for London’(2014) Available at:
‪whitecube.com/exhibitions/gilbert_george_scapegoating..‬[ both accessed 8 August 2014]‬‬‬

Haidt Et al (1994)  ‘Individual Differences in Sensitivity: A Scale Sampling Seven Domains of Disgust Elicitors’  Journal of Personality and individual Differences
 (4. 16.)

Hahn, W. (1998) ‘Symmetry as a Developmental Principle in Nature and Art’ Germany: Art & Science Research Institute.

Harris, R. (2014) ‘Embracing your demons: an overview of acceptance and commitment Theory’ Available at: actskills.com/articles/embracing-your-demons-an-overview..‬[accessed 20. August 2014]

Kristeva, J. (1982) ‘Powers of Horror: An essay on Abjection’ Leon, S. Roudiez (Translator) New York: Columbia University Press

Rozin, P., Haidt, J., & McCauley, C. R. (2008). Disgust. In M. Lewis, J. M. Haviland-Jones & L. F. Barrett (Eds.), Handbook of emotions, 3rd ed. (pp. 757-776). New York: Guilford