GRADE 12 FINAL ARTWORK - SCULPTURE
Title: 'Mind-Full'
Medium: Metal wire and red electrical wire
Project Topic: Liminal Space
The "space in between" is the basis of our theme of liminal space. Life is a state of progression and while most people focus on the start and end point, the liminal space is where the emphasis should be placed.
With the pressures of modern day living and the increase in mental health awareness worldwide, we have become more conscious of the state of our minds. There is a constant pressure on us to preform, to keep up, to exceed and to do better, which takes a massive toll on our minds and bodies. We eventually succumb to the pressure, deteriorate and flip our worlds upside down. Our memories, thoughts and emotions seem to fall from our minds, out of our control, and as each day passes we lose more of ourselves. We begin to lose our minds and we progress from sane to insane.
The title 'Mind-Full' creates ironic literal and figurative connotations. As you progress through insanity your mind either loses memories and is no longer able to stay full or else it becomes so full of confused ideas and thoughts that it becomes full enough to burst. The word 'mindful' means to be aware of your emotions, thoughts and experiences and make conscious decisions about your thoughts and how they affect your actions. Having your mind too full however, prevents you from doing any of those things and you begin to lose yourself to insanity.
The red wire that cover the body represents the blood in our veins that keep us alive. The wire is wrapped densely around the feet and appears to slowly thin as it moves up the body until it finally fades away completely at the head. This represents the progression of the deterioration of the human body and mind, showing how the mind fades first and it is most effected by the pressured of society and then spreads like a virus throughout the body. The red paper attached to all of the veins represent our memories, thoughts, actions and emotions which disappear or fall out of the mind as the insanity progresses.
GRADE 12 FINAL ARTWORK - DRAWING
Title: 'Piece of Mind'
Medium: Graphite pencil and paper
Project Topic: Liminal Space
The space in between or liminal space is the theme for this project. The liminal space shows progression, the midpoint or middle of any timeline. This artwork shows the space between being sane and insane. This artwork represents how our mind turns to pieces and how fragments of our memories and thoughts fade away through time.
The title 'Piece of Mind' is a play on words from the original phrase 'peace of mind'. It is ironic as the phrase 'peace of mind' means to be in a state of emotional calmness, which is the complete antithesis of insanity and therefore of this artwork.
The drawing is done in pencil to demonstrate the fragility of the human mind and how easily our thoughts fade, smudge and disappear. The pieces of the body that are cut out represent the fading of memories, thoughts and loss of control over emotions and actions as insanity slowly progresses through the mind. The missing pieces are larger towards the head where the insanity and loss of memory starts and gets smaller as one moves further down the body.
The person reaching up with their hand and stands on their toes emphasizes the emotional struggle of someone desperately trying to reach for and hold onto their memories and their sanity which are fading into mid air.
GRADE 12 MIDYEAR ARTWORK - DRAWING
Title: 'Strings Attached'
Medium: Pen on white paper, and white charcoal on black paper
Project Topic: Illusions
With our theme of illusions, the illusion of choice is what I chose to represent. Throughout our lifetime we are lied to and tricked into believing that we have a choice. However, 'choice' is no more than an illusion.
Every choice we think we make has already been made for us by our unconscious mind. These 'choices' are therefore not based on free will as we were originally unaware of what we were choosing. These choices are influenced by our environment and our society and therefore are predetermined for us.
We are merely insignificant puppets imprisoned by our strings which attach us to the gear system of society that control our every move and action. Each limb is attached to its own piece of string, allowing each string to control our every action of the man. This shows us that with everything we do there are many outside influences forcing us or causing us to move in a certain way. The principal of a gear system is to show how as one gear spins, it influences the next and the next, causing an infinite chain of events that are ultimately unpredictable. These chain of events represents the predictable 'choices' we make in our lives.
The man is originally stuck in a running position, showing us that no matter how far, fast or slow he chooses to run, he will always be attached to the gear system, infinitely running but never being able to escape. This is a drawing with black pen on white paper and white charcoal on black paper. The simple black and white combination emphasizes our fixed, mechanical and impersonal society. The inverse shows that no matter which way you view it, there is still no colour or free will to be found.
GRADE 12 MIDYEAR ARTWORK - SCULPTURE
Title: 'The Infamous Circle of Life'
Medium: MDF Board and concrete base
Project Topic: Illusions
We live in a world where everyone believes in a false idea, a fantasy or a misperception. Which then brings about our theme of illusions. One of the biggest fantasies that most still believe in, is choice.
Our brains obey every law of physics, like how a gear turns in a system. Fixed, mechanical, impersonal. We believe we are all so different and unique but we are all trapped in the same system, stripped of our freedom of thought and action as we all buy into the same lifecycle. We set out to run the marathon that is our lives, not realizing that all we are doing is running in circles. We are born, we go to school, we grow up, we get a job, we grow old, we die. We follow the same routine generation after generation, trapped into the gear of society. This is the infamous circle of life. We are all imprisoned in the gear of society, condemned to run infinitely faster and faster and slower and slower, never being able to gain more ground than we had before.
Nuts and bolts are placed on the men to show how our characteristics, traits and talents are programmed into us like we are a machine. The white spray paint over the metal, shows how we try to disguise our mechanical nature. The wheel of life is imbedded into the concrete block representing our industrial society. It shows how our choices and fates are captured and fixed, never able to be changed.
GRADE 12 LIFE ORIENTATION PROJECT
PROJECT TITLE: Addressing the housing crisis for Informal Settlements
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Using a Super Power you believe you have, design a community outreach project that will overcome a social issue you feel strongly about.
PROJECT SCORE: 100%
Using my design skills I created an innovative system of housing for Informal Settlements to replace the current shacks found in informal settlements I will be using low-cost materials to build new shelters in informal settlements. The house will be in a dome shape with walls and roof made up of a system of four layers, providing increased insulation, protection from natural disasters, reduction of litter, reduction of vermin infestation, sound proofing and comfort.
The first layer consists of a thin wooden lining of wood such a plywood, which is cheap and yet flexible and can bend quite easily.
The second layer will consist of a sheet of insulation.
The third layer creates the innovative cavity wall. This incorporates the use of a metal frame work of welded mesh with a cavity that can be filled with layers of garbage to be collected by the residents from the surrounding areas. The garbage can incorporate materials such as, glass, plastic bags, food trays, plastic bread bags, cold drink wrappers, cold drink cans, food packaging and boxes, scrap tires (which due to the rubber material provides excellent insulation), plastic bottles (as the air inside a closed bottle acts as an insulating agent and any non-degradable waste material. Newspaper can also be uses (as paper is another great insulating material).
The fourth and final layer will be that of Chromadeck. This is an improved colour coated steel sheet, more practical than corrugated iron.
The floors will be cast out of concrete with the correct waterproofing underneath the cement slab to provided insulation from the ground up. The front wall of the shelter will be made from wood to allow doors and windows to be added easily. The front panel will be recessed from the front end of the roof structure to allow an area in from the entrance door to be under shelter. This not only provides a protected outside area for entertaining or relaxing, but also will provide protection to the front wall from the weather.
These shelters could also be converted and used to make ablution blocks. Each block would easily be able to accommodate 6 toilets and 6 showers all with private cubicles and doors. This would allow residents easier, more sanitary and private ablution access.
