Shirin Neshat
Creating a final piece
I started by making a few sketches as to what my final piece could look like:
I started with a portrait design, with a larger design on the back wall. However, once I realised the mod podge didn't completely work all the time, I knew I would need a lot of smaller design, leading to the one directly above. However, as I tried on the previous page, the straight lines of thread didn't work. They were too parallel and straight; I didn't want such a rigid structure.
I then thought about light. Perhaps there could be a hole allowing light through onto the piece, having the thread cast shadows onto other elements. I thought that would fit quite nicely with the Chiaroscuro work I did with Neshat, but there it had reason. The light would make the piece too busy and convoluted.
So I then I moved onto the two designs below, because I wanted lots of thread and almost a 'tangled' feel. This is exactly like Whitlock's work, and also means I will be able to connect all the different elements with ease.
I then tried to make some more experiments but this time using less plaster. Also, by this point I realised using newspaper actually worked really well. Despite the initial crumbling using thinner plaster and using several layers of newspaper meant it held it's shape and often meant what was underneath could still be seen. However, mod podge only worked on the thicker plaster, so it was all about finding the right balance.
After a box-fill of experiments I started creating a platform for my final piece to go on. The photos on the last page worked well on a plain white background, so I spray-painted 2 bits of MDF. The spray paint was done so as to give a plain white, uninterrupted background. Several coats were done to make it as sooth and even as possible.
The Result - click on each image to see it individually
The result was messy. But, fluid and interesting. The mod podge had faded, but was just about visible (full evaluation and conclusions are at the bottom of this page.) Half way through, I decided to add more thread Next, I wanted to create sharp ages to make the individual pieces stand out, so I used the flash feature.
Below are some manipulated photos I took to enhance some elements of the pitch:
So, the final piece worked to an extent.
At first glance, the piece looks tattered and strange - but this actually works well in line with what I was trying to accomplish. The mod podge didn't maintain it's shape and figure but the tattered feel relates back to the throwaway culture Whitley was working with. The random nature of the thread represents the tying together of all the different messages and concepts hidden in the piece, whilst also trying to enhance the message. The thread and plaster work together to try and immortalise the messages given out by all the artists and art I have investigated.
The enhanced photos were completed to make different parts of the piece stand out. In some, black and white linked back to Neshat. Mod Podge almost shone, and the colourful thread could contrast heavily to the darker shadows. Furthermore, the editing made the newspaper hidden in the plaster stand out further, making it look like crumpled and discarded newspaper.
The piece was a successful conclusion to my unit. It linked back to several areas I previously explored, and my use of thread physically linked them all together. My overall question 'How does art carry a message in the media?', up until this point, had been answered both through history, globally, and in different forms. By trying to immortalise this message in response to throwaway culture, this piece suggests that all the messages that I have explored struggle to survive. Neshat's photos and messages are only visible to those researching her work in art galleries online, Morland's messages change each week and Rodchenko's is out of date. In modern day, like Whitlock suggests, a reader and onlooker would not keep these messages in mind for long. The crumpled newspapers embodied in plaster and the sagging thread can be considered a failing to immortalise the messages that art attempts to communicate in all the different forms I have explored.