The Shape of things forced us to explore the value and purpose of objects. It made me question why we keep objects and why we place such high value and purpose over these objects and materials that are usually left laying somewhere in the house. I was interested in the neglected objects of society and I was also interested in Materialism. We live in a society that highly values manufactured objects and materials that actually serve no purpose and eventually decays or chips until we finally throw the item away. I grew up in a very cluttered household where people in my family (including myself) hoarded objects. I believe that when you grow up in an environment that is clustered with objects from the past with no inherent meaning or value, you tend to progress less and you start to feel constantly weighed down.

In the series Russian Doll, the writer uses the Homeless character to talk about materialism and how the more ‘stuff’ we accumulate, the less room we have to be free and mentally and physically move. I find this so interesting because I’ve always struggled to let go of the past and I tend to place great value over objects because of the memories and feelings that it evokes. This isn’t necessarily an awful thing, I just think that it leads to a manifestation of hoarding objects that only have temporary meaning and value.

Living in an urban City, we are constantly encourage to buy new items, which encourages this blind over consumption; I link this to the modern food that we eat now as well. The food in the city is most likely packaged in plastic and already made or cut up for you. In our household (luckily not anymore), we use to buy food that would go moldy very quickly, especially if it wasn’t stored properly; the food would go mouldy but we didn’t do anything about it because it happened so often and food is everywhere nowadays so the mould didn’t matter to us. I think when you hoard objects you start to treat everything else around you in the same manner. For example, I would keep all these unnecessary items and store them wherever, not caring about them; when you don’t care about things around you but you keep them in your life just make you feel less lonely (or for other reasons), you begin to treat everything else in life the same way - even your food. I documented the process of food molding and I thought it would be interesting to link this with my final - the idea of time and neglectance and transformation.

I mainly focused on the idea of decaying mold to show the transformation of objects and how there meaning or purpose changes over time, which just makes you question whether you need them at all in the first place. It was also key for me to experiment with scale and space, I wanted to create a large installation that a subject becomes a part of. The larger mold is, the less likely you are to ignore it; when there are cracks within a small object we ignore it all the time, so I wanted to create something so big that you can’t ignore it. I feel like problems in society constantly manifest until the matter is too large for us to handle.

This was a cardboard box that I transformed into a moldy, torn box, whilst keep some brown, torn features of the cardboard. I really like the end result and I’m happy that I chose to make it look as though the box is consuming the subject; the subject has become a part of the decaying environment. I wanted to fully eradicate the subjects face and identity, making this piece slightly more disturbing. I also think people can relate to it more because the face is hidden so it could be anyone. I like how this piece completely objectifies the subject, as the subject has just become an object; the same object that we store in our house and forget about.

Overall, I am very pleased with the outcome of this project; this was by far my favourite project that I have done. I think I could have experimented more with developing the image, for example, I could have tried printing these photos on Silk screen printing - I think this could have added some interesting colours and really defined the box. I would also like to experiment with even more multimedia - I would have liked to use more layers to make this box appear really heavy.

Previous experiments for this Project

These are some images of some of the experimenting I done before I created the Box. I wanted to experiment more with multimedia, so I tore up thick indian recycled silk paper and wet them before sticking them onto the canvas; I found that wetting the paper really helped me manipulate and mould the paper. I then allowed it to properly dry for a few days and painted over the top. The little bumps that you can see, is salt and PVA glue mixed together, which gave this really nice graininess to the painting. I decided to leave the painting there because I liked the simple contrast of two colours. This fueled me enthusiasm for multimedia.

Lorenzo Vitturi uses photography as a medium to present his abstract work. He combines objects with people and usually disguises their faces with objects and items that have been used and discarded by people. Some of his work experiments with rotten fruits and vegetables; he stacks food on top of eachother and creates a sculpture that replicates someones face and body. I find it interesting how he intertwined objects with humans, as the objects have almost become a part of the people. It is possibly a comment on consumerism and materialism in less developed countries. A lot of these objects and plastic is importanted and originated from the west. 

The first project that I saw was ‘Money must be made’, which explores the markets in West Africa, such as Lagos that has become heavily influenced and dominated by Western businesses and corporations. However, the biggest source of business is China. Vitturi’s multidisciplinary art comments on the impact of China and Western culture is overwhelming and has consumed most of West Africa’s authentic market; although the business’ may think they are helping by bringing new resources for people, they are actually causing more pollution and plastic production and putting local businesses at risk of closing down. His work presents objects as meaningless when clustered together; the purpose of each object is eradicated when taken out of its context.

I find it very interesting how he uses these objects to consume people and eradicate their identity; materialism is a problem. Objects were altered with paint and pigments and assembled into still lives and sculptures that Vitturi photographed, printed, re-altered and then re-photographed. Through this continuous process, Vitturi observed the encounter and transformation of two local contrasting realities, which reveal the complexity of Lagos’ society and economy, and that of the geopolitical landscape at large. By the objects transforming, it highlights how places like Lagos are slowing undergoing change. His work has inspired me to experiment with transforming objects into something that eradicates its purpose and original meaning; making the object lose its commercial and industrial purpose. I also want to now experiment or possibly make a final piece that is more immersive and forces the viewer to question the value of objects and how they affect our identity. 

Ibrahim Mahama is a contemporary artist that combines discarded objects together in order to find the true history and essence of each object. These sacks were previously made in India or other places in Asia, to then be shipped over to Africa, in this case Ghana, to be used for cocoa beans and coal. Mahama investigated the conditions in which the workers in Ghana have to endure through in order to sitch the sacks and get them ready for transportation. He keeps the sacks in the same conditions and usually emphasises how torn and damaged these sacks are by re-stitching them. The sacks are stamped with ‘PRODUCT OF GHANA’. When Mahama displays these sacks in exhibitions he usually puts them in direct contrast with white walls and concrete buildings in order to enhance the dirtiness and noticeable worn effect of the sacks.

I find Mahama’s work fascinating as it explores the living conditions and globalisation through used objects that are hidden from western society due to its dirtiness. These sacks are often hidden and are constantly transported and restitched; a material object can constantly be altered and changed but the dirtiness and history of that object will never wear off. I am inspired by the way he uses these sacks the consume a whole building, as his installation does not conform to the social norms of how a traditional painting or sculpture should be displayed. Ibrahim Mahama’s most recent work focused on the era before Ghana gained their independence in 1957, the project was called ‘Parliament of Ghosts’. It commented on the lies and corruption and the failed promises that were made before their independence was gained. Mahama focuses on Post-colonialism and the effects of colonialism in the past - just because Africa has gained their independence it does not mean that places like Ghana are economically and financially stable.

“I use my training as a painter in exploring materials that have a significant history and memory – sometimes at the stage of neglect – which is very relevant to production systems, especially within modern-day history.” - Mahama

El Anatsui has very similar work and uses discarded bottle caps and copper wire to create large-scale sculptures and installations. Anatsui’s work is a comment on the current trading system; he investigates the past of these objects and how they first arrived to West Africa. These bottle caps initially represents the consumption of alcohol but Anatsui converts this meaning to a historical and cultural meaning. The bottle caps were used during the trading era when slaves were traded for items, objects and alcohol. It represents how mass consumerism and consumption all began from Western culture and ideologies. The fact that Anatsui has connected all the bottle caps together highlights the immensity of mass consumerism but how it all links humans together from European culture to West African culture. The way he has connected some of his work also represents the Kente cloth design which is deeply rooted in African culture.  

Mark Bradford uses large scale canvas’ to reflect society and the environment that he lives in. He uses various materials such as paint and paper or boards that he has found on the street; he constantly adds layers to his work. He often cuts his work or rips pieces off, evoking various emotions such as anger. Bradford’s Work takes a long period of time to finish which enhances the idea of time and history. His work is truly inspiring as it has encouraged me to use different mediums in my work and to layer work. I recently went to visit Bradford’s new work at Hauser and Wirth gallery which was very overwhelming. I was completely taken back by how large the paintings are and how many different elements there are to it. His work really captivates the audience and forces the viewer to engage with multi-media in such a unique way. The explosion of colours and the multitude of layers really grabs your attention and coneys this sight of chaos and disorder, however when you look at his paintings from a distance, all the colours seem to be in harmony together. I really like how the piece completely changes in with the amount of distance between the viewer and the art work; it provokes completely different emotions when your up close and far away from the piece. I really like this playful and interact side towards Bradfords work, as it encourages you to interact with a stationary art piece.

All these Artists encouraged me to experiment more with multimedia and discarded objects and materials. That is why my final piece consists of ripped up paper, a cardboard box and fluff from an old stuffed toy.