Project Description: “Pick one of the 7 images you found (for Part I) and have someone in your group do the “what if” exercise considering a. the materiality, b. the content, c. the source (examples provided in class and below). Next, use the “what if” questions to guide and inspire you to create a new visual response to the original image using a different medium. ”
the original artwork:
“What if it’s an animation?”
This question inspired me as I’ve been interested in making videos but I’ve never made one before. It was a chance for me to try. Plus, before this question was given to me, I thought about recording the process of layering up fingerprints when I was doing research for Bridge1 Part1. So I think it would be a great starting point.
At first, I was going to do it on a sheet of plain paper, but I felt there was not enough recreation. Then I changed the material to an egg, since eggs are the signifier of the start of life. Fingerprints are the signifier of a physical human being. Everyone has different fingerprints.We are born with them and they cannot be changed.
By layering finger prints on the surface of an egg until there is no trace of fingerprints, I want imply that as we age, we shape up our identity with life experience as an individual in the society. However, we all end up being the same in some ways under the pressure of social rules(eg. gender rules), even though we have different fingerprints(uniqueness). It seems that the individuality does not matter anymore and has disappeared into the darkness of life.
If my artwork is to be placed into the general circulation of Visual Culture, it would be in a gallery for all the people who are interested in art.
What I learned from this project/making activity was that the audience might have surprising reaction to the artwork which the artist might have never thought about. We can use anything around us as materials and make them into art, and that include our own body.
The material(egg) was successful at supporting the content because it is a perfect physical representation of the biological origin of a life. It works well with fingerprints which also signify the biological identity of a person. And it is not considered as a material by many people, so I think the egg makes the artwork interesting.
What I learned about my content through this medium exploration was that identity only shines as there is only one individual, however, if we look at a crowd, it is hard to see the uniqueness of a certain person.