Week 1
During my second year of Illustration and Visual Media, I found the imaginary world project opened my mind to my own world. I created 6 images of metaphorical emotions of my own. During this year I have experienced an emotional event in my life. Therefore in my self-initiated project, I have decided to extend my imaginary world even further. I want to explore a different type of imagination. I recently used the metaphorical emotion to move forward to other points of the imagination, such as things that aren’t there but which some people may see: spiritual feelings, dreams, mental health images (dementia) and explore many other things that my mind explores and use this imagination in many other ways in printmaking. Exploring my mind in many forms may even open up old wounds or finally repair the ones that have been damaged for years.
Whilst being in a tutorial I was reminded that my brain makes me do different things. My heart makes me follow the things I love and my brain can stop me from working by thinking too much from how/ what/ why/ when questions. However, over this year I have learned that using my brain can be a dangerous thing. Not using the knowledge that I have, but the anxiety/ worries that I can have for myself and personal issues. I have learned to control my anxiety throughout this course which I have confident that I will still manage this year, however, the personal problems at home are the real issue for me. IS THAT GOING TO STOP ME? No. Time to get started!
After going through what I truly love doing I decided to follow it through by reading. I went back to my spiritual form and if there’s a culture that I can say I belong to, it is that of the Native Americans. Their culture has a lot of similarities to how I think about nature and myself. The Native Americans respect their land. The see the land as their mother, just like the term ‘Mother Nature’ or Mama Pacha. The mountains are their bones, the stars their sisters and the trees their children. I believe nature and the universe have a connection with us and my mind tells me as humans one of our purpose is to protect them from evil. The Native Americans would never impair or destroy their land. Nature itself may change the balance of wildlife to its own end, so all live with endless kinship. Whether woodland or tundra, grassland or desert, the natural life of each area has a reason to have that existence.
( Indians : the great photographs that reveal North American Indian life, 1847-1929, from the unique collection of the Smithsonian Institution, Joanna Cohan Scherer, with Jean Burton Walker, 1978.)
I believe things happen for a reason and destroying the beautiful meaning of nature is the worst crime to commit. You might as well say everyone on this planet must be executed since ‘the men’ have done such damage. The ‘white men’ have caused more wars and chaos, caused misery to many people for hundreds of years. I pray for our future’s sake.
Other things that have also struck me about the Native Americans is each language was a mirror to nature, reflecting the beauties and characteristics of a particular tribal region, whether mountains or plains, cedar or sage, showers or snows, buffalo or deer. They were called ‘Indians’ a name not even their own because Columbus thought he had discovered India. Most tribes called themselves by the name of animals which they knew themselves to be the human-like beings.
I would consider my spirit as a bear because of the strength and love they give to their children. They are free spirited, brave, unpredictable and humble. I have this mind where I can look at someone and see their inner spiritual animal.
Animal-Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great and Small ;
This a book that tells us the spiritual animals and culture that the Native Americans had. It explains that the Native Americans believed humans were transformed into bears, as, like humans, bears stand and walk on two legs the stories opened up imagination so much that a group of stars was named for it: Ursus Major, The Great Bear. Seven stars of this constellation are recognizable in the northern hemisphere. The bear lunar symbol ties to the subconscious and even the unconscious mind. The animal was involved with the goddess Diana, the goddess of the moon. The symbol of black magic (alchemy) and primal instincts. (Animal-Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great and Small, 1994, Chapter 3)
The Bear Hug
The Bear Hug is by Luke Dixon. Dixon designs iconic bears, angry lions, space tigers and pop culture. Using a combination of techniques such as Lino prints and screen printing the end result is always on point. Over time Native American themes have been used, which I find very interesting as it shows the theme is being expanded in his work as well as his imagination from tigers being astronauts. I have followed a similar aspect to Luke Dixon by ‘transforming’ my former self into a bear but also showing a spiritual theme as well as the Native American patterns and design within my work. Putting things together that do not normally go is just what Luke Dixon has done with his work.
Jeff Koon’s
After visiting Newport Museum to see Jeff Koon’s work I wanted to get that surrealistic vibe by using realistic items and putting them into an unusual context. Jeff used childhood items and expanded the size. The balloon animal is one of my favorite pieces, as something that is so seen so small and imaginative has been turned into something that will bring back to everyone’s childhood birthday party. This reminds me sections of memories within the mind and I want to use my childhood with my imaginary world as well as the spiritual way of my mind.
Alice in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland is a well-known story in making the impossible possible. A young girl goes on an adventure to another world and comes across unusual creatures that help her overcome her problems. For example in the 2010 film, Alice is a teenager and has no memory of Wonderland, being forcibly married to a man she does not love. The white rabbit draws Alice’s attention, therefore, following the rabbit down the rabbit hole. Again. To be going back to the peculiar world of Wonderland, extending my imaginary World will involve me at my current age today interacting with creatures that I have forgotten about such as long lost toys, and then putting animals together in the most peculiar ways.
Coldplay- Up&Up
This music has realistic objects etc in peculiar making it has the singers was in their own imaginary world.
Andrews, T, 1994. Animal-Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great and Small. 1st ed. U.S.: Llewellyn Publications.
Scherer, Walker, W J, J B, 1978. Indians : the great photographs that reveal North American Indian life, 1847-1929, from the unique collection of the Smithsonian Institution. 1st ed. New York: Crown Publishers.
QV Documentary. (2015). Frankenstein’s Monster – The Real Story BBC Documentary 2014. [Online Video]. 13 February 2015. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JofWsm2CJ68. [Accessed: 30 July 2016].
Sinead McGeechan 