Ethnograpy based art , Auto-art-ethnography and Art-theraphy
Multidisciplined dialogue with self through the art practises
Reflection on an art practice by observing results of a Drawing Module. With the short summary of a work in progress and supportive theoretical, historical, and philosophical inspirations.
The method that is both process and product - is what interests me the most. In this installation I was trying to present images, and a picture of mind brought to awareness by that images, as well as of process of making it.
Using methodology of the Investigation board /mind map, to reflect on how theories and techniques leads from one to another, how they connected in the practice and thoughts, for the self analysis, and art technics investigation:
I chose that particular space for presentation because of the furniture, the window, and the sequence of small sections of the walls.
All of that helped me create a multidimensional investigation board.
As the vision is rooted in and takes place among the
things(Merleau-Ponty),I kept furniture in its space,and everything was growing in coordinates with it.As Merleau-Ponty formulated, this was my “ map of the “I can” combining with the “map of the visible” (p. 3 Eye and Mind) where I could see steps of the journey, my abilities, limitations, shortcuts, points of attraction and resentment, prefered materials, shapes, forms, ways of evasion.
Every week during the Module we were introduced to a different drawing techniques, and to a variety of body related theoretical consepts and themes. Which I was adding in practice to try them out.
We looked at “Eye and Mind” by Merleau Ponty and continued with phenomenology and embodied experience with Ben Spatz’s “Embodied Research”, that broth me back to my ethnology researches, and lead to the ethnology based art concept.
Laura Mulvey’s “Visual Pleasure and Narrative in Cinema” and Jacques Lacan’s “ The Mirror Stage as Formative of the I Function” added some dimentions to my knowledge of the western understending of man’s and child’s perception.
We also looked at how we look at others and how others look at us. Which brought me to the realisation, that I enjoy “looking” at the people (and drawing them) at the cellular level, which facinates me the most in the body.
After, we were introdused to text “The Uncanny” by Freud, and to the consept of UNCANNY in the art, we considered what constitutes the uncanny and how it is represented in art. I also did some collaging and drawings on it, which gave a clear realisation, that this theme is not that inspiring to me.
When we looked at a surrealist collages and exquisite corpse, we tryed it in our group (each supposed to have 2 days to draw):
The presentation of this work on zoom from multiple cameras and the recording of the process added a multidimensional effect to this practice of the past centuries artists.
New technologies have imperceptibly entered many aspects of our practices and this should be noted both as a natural course of events of the society, and as an art methodology.We also did practical exercise in visual analysis and critical inquiry. Used Gillian Rose’s “Visual Methodologies: An Introduction to Researching with Visual Materials” and “The ‘Body’ in Fragments: anxieties, fascination and the ideal of ‘wholeness”.
When talking about “wholeness” it is always caming to mind that within a Eurocentric philosophical tradition the artificial separation of mind from body of René Descartes theory, whose philosophical ideas established the foundations for a mind/body dualism at a time when modern Western thought was beginning to take shape . This dualism informs how most of western public think about and treat bodies in social research.
I adhere the philosophy of the ancient Taoists and Zen Buddhists, whith the Ideas of the integrity and interconnection of the human body, mind, nature and cosmos. My main pieces for the Drawing Modul are based on the awerness of inseparability, interpenetration of body, mind, nature and society.
Reflecting on, and visualizing the cells of the human body, giving them conscious reverence, comprehending their vital significance and functions, admiring its impeccable mechanisms, I instantly applyed it to the social mechanisms of the surrounding reality.
Both of these works turned out to be three-dimensional,it happened naturally in the process of creating a work.In piece “Blue blood” threads and ligth provide 3D element, a floating feel, to illustrate resembles of the enveloped information passed by post, with the blood cells of the vascular system of the body, presented in variety of drawing techniques and materials: drawing with acrylic threads, drawing with a scalpel, drawing with oil pastels, drawing with light and shadow from a natural light source; and upcycling used envelopes that came to my mother’s house during this Drawing Module.
Various materials and elements increases the phenomenological activity, facilitated by the space around the artwork -the window and the threads became the basis for the organization of this installation.
In the interdisciplinary art piece “Portal” I focused on the self-awareness of the cellular level, and on the analysis of representations of female subjectivity. Articulating the problem of attitudes towards female body, transferring the point of view to a level, where the canons of beauty, as well as any social, racial, aesthetical norms, do not operate.
In the multi-layered pen drawing I am using structure of the ovum in socio-biological discourse. The first circle represents the skin level images of human body, and varieties of its potential realisation. The ovum is not purely biological part of the body, the implementation of its function depends entirely on social activity. And the result of its realisation is the crucial point of society as such.This most social cell of the female body is the Maker in the body, and the Maker of the body. The starting point for both — the biological and social aspects of humans.
The next two leyers of drawing represent the “visceral darkness” (it will be on the black color paper at the final version of this drawing). The viscera, internal organs, and its cells, never appear to the light, always staying invisibly not only to the outside observer but to the owner.
Bring awareness to this body’s levels is my main practice. For this I am combining theoretical and scientifical approaches, using cytology, sociology, psychology, zen buddhism, taoism and feminism as referential fields.
Following the worldview of the ancient Taoists, which echoes can be found in the works of the Existentialists, among whom I am mostly attracted to Heideger, and phenomenological philosopher Merleau Ponty, since reflecting on foundational role of perception in human life is one of my maine research points.
When talking about foundational role of perception in human life I am firstly looking at my own perseption of self and surroundings, that is where I imply the Auto-art-ethnography, using art as an Art-theraphy, and methodology of an Ethnograpy based art .
P.S.
Botles that holds the ends of the mind/drawing threads
Plucked plants in bottles symbolize art ideas, that, after expressed in words (in texts) acquire a unified form, but cease to be alive...… although, become easily accessed to a wide public. Which is also might be useful, so, I need to accept this writing side of an artistic life. And practice more.
