Week 25

This week I had my last tutorial to discuss my 1000 word proposal for my research report next year, which I have been working on the back burners (so to speak) all of BA2b, my main concept is too focus on a similar plan to my 3000 word text from BA2A; as the concept is close to my practice and of great interest to me. Overall the topic of the text will be to consider the margin between Human and non-human, furthermore how the hybrid of the two shatters the linear margin separating the two, thus explaining the stigma with which society views such figures. The topic will be studies focusing on Wolves and humans as the two have a rich history with varying views and relations across different continents. Furthermore the lycanthrope is perhaps the most famous hybrid of the human and the non-human certainly perhaps the most interesting.

Plan:

Wolves + humans

Discuss the relationship between humans and wolves throughout history, the fear rural villages and towns in Europe viewed the creatures, the mass culling's during the 1800's and the cease fire in WW1 between Russia and Germany to hunt a super pack of wolves killing soldiers from both sides. Furthermore the respect with which the wolves were seen with by Native Americans mostly the Pawnee tribe who were called the Wolves by other tribes.

Origins of the werewolf story

A discussion of how the werewolf has dominated modern media in horror and sci-fi, but look at how the werewolf began through tales of rogue beasts, and animalistic murders in Europe, and superstitious tales of members of the Pawnee tribe who possessed legendary wolf like abilities to hunt and fight.

Clinical lycanthropy

Look at how some people have beliefs of lycanthropy yet suggest how clinical lycanthropy hasn't captured the medias attention as well as the fictional physical metamorphosis from human to wolf due to the possibility that the clinical lycanthrope is still just human yet with animalistic tendencies. Alternatively the physical werewolf is a human with the physical superiority of a wolf allowing him to realise and indulge the dark aspects of the human condition. Case studies including Sigmund Freud's investigation into the wolf man.

Human/ non-human margin

Either in a separate discussion or conclusion consider the margin between human and non human organisms and how the werewolf is a controversial figure for shattering this margin. 

Furthermore this week I have started painting again to try and find a new medium to convey the themes of my practice. I aim to create a detailed portrait of a human in a violent state perhaps a still from a tv show or film, therefore I settled on a scene from Vikings in which the main character Ragnar is covered in blood. Vikings seemed appropriate as the characters act impulsively and truly to their basic instinct. Once I've finished the portrait I want to scan and print it onto calico which I will paint a stitch into.

Below I have documented the development of the painting this week:

This has reminded me how annoying painting can be, normally 80% of the time I hate the painting its only in the last 20% of the paintings development that it starts to take shape, alternatively with sculpture theres a sense of the works progression throughout the works development hence why I enjoy sculpture so much more.

Furthermore later this week I disposed of the stop motion stage (which failed) which I made several weeks earlier, as I was pulling it apart I made an accidental discovery, the single layer of latex which I painted over the stage was pulled into a thin transparent sheet which I then started to push my hand through, I was trying to use the latex to disfigure the human form: