Ok, maybe I should explain.

Plus, I have to write an artists statement and get my head around this stuff for Monday(it's my turn to have a group crit/installation thingy!).

Ok, so for me my new work is talking about, or at least attempting to talk about, a lot of different things. Possibly the most important thing to say first is that it is about photography. I realise I have some problems with photography and this new project considers that.
Essentially what I am doing is replacing objects or moments with a photograph (or collection of photographs) of that object or moment. I am trying to reference the ideas about photographs as documents, as memories, as memento mori, as representations and re-presentations, as art. I am uncomfortable with a lot of the roles photography performs, and am interested in what it really means to take and show a photograph, and to look at a photograph. I suppose I am trying to out photography by putting photograph back into the context they were taken from, rephotographing them, and this time putting them in the context of art, where they can be explored and their mystery unraveled. The main influences on these works without a doubt are my understandings of David Hockney's views of perception and conception in his photocollages, and my misunderstanding of Magritte's paintings as conceptual works more than surreal works.

A big question hanging over the work at the moment is how important is it to be technically accurate. Originally perfection was my intention, I just didnt realise how difficult that would be. And I really liked the first failures! But it defintely needs to be considered because different things happen in each type of image. For instance, a technically perfect image might look real. ie, not like photography, maybe with a hint that something is off. Less perfect scales and colours tend to look more visually appealing, but perhaps then the viewer is more confused by what it is I am trying to do. More experimentation is the way to resolve this.

Another issue is the content. I have to be aware that the things I photograph have meanings of their own that will naturally become relevant, and find a balance between seeking out appropriate things and photographing more bland(?) things so the content doesn't overpower the subject.

I know I have loads more to say but since nothing more is coming to my head Ill leave with this for now, and perhaps add additional comments later.
I guess the work is pretty conceptual, but it's also a lot of fun! It's becoming more and more tongue-in-cheek as I realise I can purposefully replace things incorrectly, for instance the male and female images on a bathroom door. There seems to be lots that can happen with this and for the moment I am enjoying getting carried away. There will be plenty of time for pinning it down soon enough.

I've started making things.

These are kind of like random exercises, but I like them!

woodman, magritte and existentialism save my practise???

hello hello!
Update- the thesis seems to be going grand although I somehow didnt realise Im still way behind on the reading, but Im sure Ill manage...going to try and get a draft of chapter 2 ready for wednesday (would LOVE to get it out of the way this weekend!), but it will need a lot of editing once I get more reading in!
Studio- not looking so good! Made a shoddy attempt to get my thinking back on track before my progress review, but all it proved was how unsettled I actually am. REALLY need tutorials, but completely avoiding them as I have very little to say! Also, quite worried they'd end up more like therapy time than art tutorials! Basically in my reviews they were somewhat aware of how little work I had to show, and it was mentioned that Ive been in this position of feeling like I cant make work before, more than once, and that proves I can in fact overcome it. I have before. I just need to start. The usual really. There was more, but my memory of it is very on/off.
So Ive decided to focus my research really narrowly to avoid my usual scatteredness. I am looking only at Francesca Woodman, Rene Magritte and Existentialism (not forgetting my thesis research- Roland Barthes, Theodor Adorno, and Charlie Kaufman). Today was a good day, if very late coming. Im scared to write down my thoughts in case I begin to hate them again, as that seems to be a recurring series of events with me, but here goes. Im thinking about representation and reality in a more accessible way. Literally replacing or covering 'things' in their representation. Photographic representation probably. but not necessarily realist photography. Im not really sure yet, but I really want to be able to start it very soon. I should really start tomorrow. It should be easy enough to start by photographing photographs as they cover the thing they represent, and see where that takes me. One of the starting points for this idea is the cover type thing 'they' have started placing on buildings during renovations, the ones that 'represent' or pictorialise the building in a slightly animated way. Perhaps I can start to play with these representations and start to use 'absurd' representations! fun! I will also think about using representations that arent photographic, realistic or maybe even pictorial. Uh, I could pixelate the images!!! exciting. I have obviously also started thinking about doing this with the human body. Actually paintings by magritte such as 'Philosophy in the Boudoir' also helped create the original ideas. It reminded me of what I was trying to do with the skin clothes last year, and I really liked it. last year I also tried life drawing straight onto body casts, which is also somewhat similar! Ive a lot of thinking to do yet about this in particular in relation to the body/identity ones, but hopefully Ill soon start! Whoop Whoop!
Note: The reason for existentialism is that it keeps comingup as one of my main interests, in the thesis, in Woodmans and in Magrittes, and just inlife. At its most basic I am interested in the fact that we exist at all and that is what I want to look at, and now I am! (If its not clear the reason for Magritte is because I have always been fascinated by paintings like 'The Human Condition', 'This is not a Pipe', and 'The Key of Dreams'. Also, as a surrealist he brings insights to Woodmans work, and sure did I need to say more after 'the human condition'!