SO FAR. (PROPOSAL)

Fuelled by early experimentation and an exploration in unconventional materials, the development of my project thus far has been based upon a link between shadow and memory. More specifically, I am considering the way in which we process visual information through memory and recognition or in other words, a means of 'filling in the gaps'. Four of the key words that are driving my project are representation, memory, recognition and material.

Research around the psychology of memory was influenced by an autonomous action, recognised during an experiement to further my experience with unfamiliar materials during the process of dressing. Furthermore, the link between shadow and memory became evident. I had not satisfied the emotional or physical sensation of being dressed until making a cornflour and water concoction that was piled ontop of a gladwrap singlet. Although most of the subtance remained stuck to my body after the experiment, I had felt it neccessary to fill in the gaps to pose for a photo. The photo of myself 'wearing' my 'singlet' was somehow more valid if the straps were obvious and the silhouette was more sinlget-like. This prompted some key questions like: can we have reminants of a garment to feel dressed? Are memories shadows? Are shadows valid? Are memories of dress valid?

A dictionary definition states: Shadow: An imperfect and faint representation; adumbration; indistinct image; dim bodying forth; hence, mystical representation; type. The new garment becomes a shadow or a 'representation' of what previously existed. As the wearer, I was compelled to fill in the gaps based on what I already knew about how a singlet should look and feel on my body. This has prompted more specific questions to guide my research, based around the recognition of an object, how it is catalogued and contexualised, which effectively alters perception. As a concept, I am interested in exploring ideas that perhaps disrupt this process of interpreting visual information.

A series of images that epitomize the direction of this project, were produced by artist, Beni Bischof. He digitally manipulated photographs of historical castles so that they become mere representations of what was before. The windows were removed, along with any internal, foreground and background details. With little visual information, the viewer is still able to recognise the object as a castle by interpreting basic features such as verticle lines, curves and diagonals. With these features appropriately catalogued to form a silhouette, we recall information from our memory to 'fill in the gaps'.

Also exploring the idea of perception, artist Ricky Swallow plays on our typical associations by drastically changing the material in his work. Wooden sculptures depict soft or draped objects, creating a paradoxical experience as a viewer. Swallow's work is revelent to my project in terms of the substitute in material and how it effects the nature of the object. A specific example is the carved wooden beanbag, titled, 'Come Together'. No longer is the object something desirable and comforting - the usual connotations of a beanbag - but estranged and foreign, although in reality it is still a beanbag.

The notion of substituting the material of an object to provoke a disruption in the visual process is something that I wish to further explore. Aspiring to create a representation of a garment in this manner, I experimented with silicone. I wanted to see whether this material would successfully clone a section of an old pair of jeans - intending to capture the creases and details of the fly area. As a result, an "imperfect and faint representation" was certainly achieved, as the jeans were made from a subtance that is pink, rubbery and broken in places, with only vague impressions of the garment features.

I would like to explore correlative ideas, provoked by this kind of 'vague impression' and indistinct segmentation through a more focused materials exploration. At this stage of the project, a plausible direction is to consider skin replication - perhaps blurring the borders between skin and garment in order to combine visual information. However, there are still a new series of questions that need to be answered, such as: In what way will the viewer 'fill in the gaps'? How will the wearer be considered? What parts are integral to the garment? In what way will I disrupt this processing of visual information / memory recognition?

During the next six weeks, I will endeavour to answer these questions, so that a final outcome will become clearer, as a representation of my personal responses. The way in which I create the piece (or series of pieces) will depend soley upon the material of choice.