As I mentioned in my last post on collage (Jaime Collage!) I began by sourcing all my images before I even started sticking, with the intention of having a few mammoth sticking sessions to get all 100 out the way.
I quickly realized it was going to take slightly longer than I originally thought to get all 100 done, especially as, by collage 25 was struggling to produce collages that were in any way intriguing or interesting (I know part of the point of the collage task was to create them as quick as possible without thinking, but turns out the perfectionist in me wasn’t ready to give up control just yet!). I realized the collages that had succeeded in my initial batch had been the ones which juxtaposed text and image in some way, and so there followed another cutting session, sourcing a load of interesting fragments of text to include…Up until halfway I didn’t get too hung up on the themes, although I did have them buzzing around my head. After the fiftieth collage though I felt like I needed to refocus the themes so did a little free association with the words and some simple googling just to clarify the terms as I went about my collaging…
I then used these as a guide so I knew how many of each collage I had left to do, sticking finished collages on the wall as and when I finished them.
When the GDF project began I realised I was going to have to discipline myself to make time to finish my collages and so set myself a target of 5 a (week)day for two weeks. Despite a couple of lapses, this proved a really useful method of getting all the collages done gradually, but on time.
I found the final exhibition of the collages really interesting in terms of the ways everyone’s individual styles and interests manifested themselves in their collections final pieces and how a relatively simple brief had yielded such a range of images.Some of the collage collections which caught my eye included:
Gabriella’s collection had a surprising elegance which I was not expecting from the collages. I loved the tensions at play between the chaotic, subversive essence of collage as a medium, and the sophistication of the collection.
In contrast, some of the abstract geometric forms had a really great electric energy and urgency which seemed to perfectly capture and embrace the dynamism of the medium.
This anarchic dynamic was also evident for me in the collections below, which all have a really effective unsettling, in-your-face, almost apocalyptic effect when viewed as a whole, possibly due to the sheer amount of imagery stuffed into each one...
Overall, I was happy with my collection of collages, although ultimately I’m not sure I fully embraced or made use of the vitality of collage as a medium and wonder whether my source images I used were too small in scale to create the sort of impact evident in the collections above.
Also, because I chose to work relatively freely early on, not taking much stock of the themes until halfway through, the 100 collages lacked the extreme visual contrasts achieved by others. Were I to repeat the task, I think I would have experimented more with abstract forms, use larger scale images and perhaps work more closely to the ten themes to create a more varied, visually interesting set.
One of the reasons I found the task so interesting was because each collection inadvertently revealed certain themes and preoccupations, which perhaps exposed some aspects of the subconscious of each of us...! When I viewed my collages as a whole, I realised I had repeatedly revisited the ideas of:• (Cynicism towards) Religion and faith
• Sex and desire
• The absurd and surreal
All in all, a really interesting, engaging and challenging task which definitely got me thinking and working in a more creative and open way. Below are another couple of collages which speak to me in some way and which (along with the pieces above) I'll consider developing for the task in the coming term:
Vive Collage!
No comments:
Post a Comment