Critical Reflection - Unit 1
- lkjhgf88
- 1月9日
- 讀畢需時 7 分鐘
已更新：4月28日
Unit one
Key words: Healing, Trauma, Intimate object, Visible mending
Depends on a sketch of Dad’s jacket sleeve that is the most intimate thing so far, going through the grief and sadness memory is heavy and heart broken. The review of the trauma inspired me to keep figuring out a way to stay optimistic with it. I started from drawing intimate things, what I have seen everyday and feeling of worrying to lose, then print these images by etching and lithography. Currently, I took an experiment of visible mending on the prints.
These printing and drawing the intimacy processes provide a method to deal with and reflect on the memorable trauma. As a reminding myself that I have to keep going with the unforgettable memory such as dad’s death, I prefer making art as a therapy treatment, healing method and emotional repair.
For the first 12 weeks on the MAFA printmaking course, I have experienced some inspired moments that helped and made me go through brainstorming process about how I can unpack my initial ideas. They came from workshops, artist’s talks and tutorials. Some of my initial ideas were encouraged and received positive feedback from tutors, the technician team and group members. Through some unexpected mistakes, I gained inspiration that helped me during the creating processes. In these crucial instants, I was supported and as a result looked forward to my ongoing progress.
Etching workshop was the first induction I had, which showed me different methods of develop a metal plate to print. I used hard ground, soft ground and sugar lift at the first time. Then starting on the zinc plate with soft ground and aquatint, I experimented three times with the acid and the third time was the most impressive because I met an unexpected mistake and had learnt how to deal with it.
From marking a line draft of an image on soft ground to complete my first acid etching to using aquatint to build grey tonal layers and random spots, the details of the print were delicate. This is a print that I’m trying to achieve with layers and details. However, the acid process of hand shaken aquatint at the third time, varnish was too thin to draw on the plate and the liquid faint anywhere of it. I decided to explore with open bite and there was an unanticipated accident on the plate which I printed it out since I decided to give the plate a chance. The achievement started through setting a mindset that I accept anything will be printed out, getting ready and etch the plate in the strong acid totally for 17 minutes, and at last printing it. This whole process took me several weeks but it was worth it since I learned how to deal with unanticipated instances and enjoyed it. I learnt that as a print practitioner would have open minded for the creating processes and do not know what is the print looks like until the last printing moment, and stay with other printmakers and speak to them could help to progress.
To explore the colour of etching prints, I tried À la poupée on this plate as well. Beginning with making a poupée with screen, I separated every characteristic to very light colour. After it was printed, I am wondering how to show it by etching and if I could use light colour to do layers in a print and show details just like dark colour or black and grey. With the technic À la poupée, I could use two to three colour once on the plate. I choose analogous colours to build colour harmonies and mood creation. The colours made me felt healed when I printed the images such as painful memories, feeling of worry to lose or close things. Just like I could mend myself not only through the creating process but also print and draw the objects to present feeling or intimacy.
Photolithography is another media I use a lot during unit one. While I started to learn it, I started to enjoy slow printing process, press method and colour in this print media showing. As one of photolithography work for example, drawing the feeling of hug my pets and print it with light colour. At the first print, I failed with the too light colour printing and did whole process again.
When it comes to tutorials, I always refresh my ideas after it since getting new inspirations and points to explore. At first, my initial idea was going to catch some close and touched memories that keep me feel safe to chaos. Gradually, I try to figure out main point which I want to focus on. I drew my dad’s jacket sleeve to repent the closet thing for me in the beginning, I felt heavy and heartbreaking during the creating process because facing the loose of him and I can’t do anything. I started to think if I could be healed by making these traumas as prints and how could I do to transfer the emotion to works. Fortunately, by reading Louise Bourgeois, Rachel Whiteread’s works and experimenting visible mending, I am dealing with the feeling of lose better.
‘Among these, the shoe is by far the most significant. It acts an object of identification…’(Sherry Turkle, 2011) Close things get the specific meaning that I pick as an image for prints. I started to engage in the intimate topic such as close objects, someone’s moustache, eye brow and feeling of worrying to lose in the winter break and did visible mending as a part of it.
I prefer a method that could makes me feel healed from the disappointed memory or feeling of anxiety or chaos. Printing the intimacy and visible mending are the way.
While I print, draw or do visible mending, I could mend the emotion through creating processes just like to tell myself that you could make it and everything will be alright. It is the reason I enjoy physical labor and constantly desire to stay in the print workshops.
‘Full of broken thoughts I cannot repair.’ (Becoming: Alice Maher, 2012, p25). It is what I had felt during the drawing of Dad’s jacket since I was stuck in the grief about losing. When I looked at Maher’s works Berry Dress and started to think about if ‘a dress cam be becoming or flattering; one’s behaviour can become you, as you act in an appropriate way within a social construct; and of course becoming is that nexus where something metamorphoses into something else’ (Becoming: Alice Maher, 2012, p25) which describes people act in a way they feel the most comfortable spontaneously and balance the sadness and happiness. Being an artist could express in becoming or unbecomimg way that support inner ideas.
According to Schwenger (2006, p. 3), ‘the thing is inseparable from a person perceiving it, and can never actually be in itself because its articulations are those of our very existence.’ That describes an object has been projected thoughts or ideas by people. It could be found in Fay Ballard’s series of drawings called ‘His Trace’, which refers to her father whose memory was present in the empty silence of the house after his death. I am attracted by the serious of works that could remind me to the reason why I try to mend myself during the creating processes. Self- medicate and healing previous trauma is how I get supported.
Progressing initial idea and constantly exploring intimacy with prints and mending are the next steps. There are some creative practices that I would like to keep up. For image drawing, experiment on different kind of paper by pencil and water colour is a way to test effects that my images have shown.
Printing is the crucial part of next step, especially etching and lithography. I would like to continue using soft ground of etching technique since the line after etched is delicate for showing my image. At the same time, hard ground and hand wipe skill both are able to try. Printing a plate without edge could help to express idea and release limitation of how viewers looking at. According to stone lithography, stone lithography is the next plan which I draw on the surface and print. Then I could mend with needle and colour thread in the print. I would like to try keep the knots on the both side of the paper and consider mend some Dad’s objects on it as well.
When it come to colour, cobalt is the colour I work with currently. Choosing it for lowering anxiety and promoting calmness, which mentioned by Ohwovoriole (2024) as ‘ chromatherapists use blue to try and influence depression and pain. Darker shades of blue are also thought to have sedative properties…’. I am going to experience experiments that using self-medicate and healing colour for the prints.
Reference list
Ballard, F. (nd) Fay Ballard. Available at: https://www.fayballard.com/ (Accessed: 29 Jan 2025)
Berry Dress (nd) Available at: https://imma.ie/collection/berry-dress/ (Accessed: 29 Jan 2025)
Causer, R. (nd) Rachael Causer. Available at: https://www.rachaelcauser.com/
(Accessed: 29 Jan 2025)
Kellein, T. (1999) Louise Bourgeois. Germany.
Kissane, S. (2012) Becoming: Alice Maher. Ireland: Irish Museum of Modern Art.
Louise Bourgeois: recent prints on cloth and paper (2007) London: Marlborough Graphics Ltd.
Louise Bourgeois: selected prints 1989-2005 (nd) London: Marlborough Graphics Ltd.
Louise Bourgeois: Autobiographical prints (2016) London: Hayward Publishing Southbank Centre.
Maher, A. (nd) Alice Maher. Available at: https://alicemaher.com/ (Accessed: 29 Jan 2025)
Maitre, J.(nd) Samantha Moore Champions the Curative Power of Knitting in Her BAFTA Nominated Stop Motion Doc ‘Visible Mending’. Available at: https://directorsnotes.com/2024/01/26/samantha-moore-visible-mending/
(Accessed: 29 Jan 2025)
Ohwovoriole, T. (2024) Color Therapy Types, Techniques, and Benefits. Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/color-therapy-definition-types-techniques-and-efficacy-5194910 (Accessed: 26 Jan 2025).
Rachel Wihteread (2002) London: Haunch of Vension.
Rachel Whiteread. Ghost (1990) London: The Signal Press.
Rachel Wihteread (1999) Germany: Offizin Chr. Scheufele.
Ricoeur, P. (2004) Memory, History, Forgetting. United State of America: University of Chicago.
Schwenger, P. (2006) The Tears of Things: Melancholy and Physical Objects. United State of America: University of Minnesota Press.
Turkle, S. (2011) Evocative Objects: Things We Think With. United States of America: Library of Congress Cataloging-in -Publication Data.
Visible Mending // BAFTA Nominated Stop Motion Documentary Short // Official Trailer (2024) Available at: https://youtu.be/S9VqlIISZyY?si=nmmPTMafiSWJtgWn
(Accessed: 29 Jan 2025)
Comments