Project Deconstruction

Project Deconstruction Exercise:

 

Before leaving my home and my country for the first time to study abroad I have unfortunately witnessed some very tragic events that was the results of political problems.

Izmir, my home town is right by the Aegean Sea which provided an easy access for refugees from Syria. It was the last chance for those unfortunate people that tried to escape to the Greek islands and then on to Europe to search for the littlest possibility of hope and life.

Growing up, I loved being in the sea and being able to interact with the sea such as sailing, surfing etc. I love the sea, and I can really find serenity while I’m with it. However, seeing such harsh and mournful stories made me think of how others experienced the same water as I did.

 

I kept these mixed emotions and very dramatic scenes inside me for a long time that I wanted to push them out in the world by telling a story that will maybe make people stop and think or a minute.

So for my final project in Space and Materiality I chose to work with water.

 

While I was planning this project, I wanted to include some parts of myself but other than that, the story should speak for itself. I figured that I would make a mold out of my hand, which will hold an origami boat, and then I will make a cast of it.

To indicated the water feel, I colored the mold blue. Now looking back, I quickly want to stop myself from coloring it because I had a deep blue hand for two days thanks to that pigment.

After experiencing a major crash in my plans, I decided to change the way and the method that I used in the first cast.

 

I listed three different reasons of travelling/being on the sea such as Life, Income and Pleasure. For each of them I again casted my own hand but switched the prop that I was holding in my hand to symbolize the reason. For Life, I used a worn out piece of rope. Whereas for Pleasure, I used a very polished and good looking rope and wore a ring while I was casting my hand. Lastly for Income, I decided on using fishing net and casted my hand holding onto it.

 

Just like our daily lives, nothing goes perfect or to the plan in art life. We fail, make mistakes and have some troubles along the way. It may seem overwhelming and impossible to get through when you are experiencing the failure but with couple of tries and adjustments the end result becomes much more satisfying and better looking.