Identity went missing

? Identity went missing ?

Together Quinn and myself chose Lynda Benglis because we struck by her minimalistic and abstract style she used in a single-channel to play on the idea of a mirroring effect in our present. Thereby the Benglis decided to prerecord the image of herself which was visualized through a television monitor, which we found very brave and risky to do so. In addition, we could hear and see sounds, gestures and words. The image was a mix of aural static to high-key, artificial colors to tight crop, which blurred the monitor behind. Meaning that the viewer was torn between being confused and realistic. In other words, we were confused between reality and the virtual world. Is reality an illusion, are gender roles an illusion, are memories an illusion. We were confused and at same time inspired to build upon this experience and concern she questions/raises with this artwork shown. Having said that, our aim is also to blur reality with fakeness, blur reality with virtual reality and mirror present social abstractions with in in it. Therefore, we will include, the ideas of reality vs fake, mirroring effects and questioning gender roles in our collaborative artistic work.

Key roles:

Gender roles
Mirroring effect
Fakes vs reality

Artists Biography: Lynda Benglis is an American sculptor and visual artist who lives currently in New York. She was born on the 25^th of October 1941 and did her BFA of Ceramics and Painting at Newcomb College, New Orleans. Benglis is particularly known for her waxy paintings and poured latex sculptures, whereby her minimalistic, abstract and rebellion voice as an artist is very present and to bear in remembrance. Her work is based on blending imagery with real observations and experiences she made. One of her biggest influencers are Barnett Newman and Andy Warhol. Already in her early works Benglis questioned the physicality of humans and crossed boundaries to visualize that experience and concern she saw in the past society. She is very effective by visualizing her point of view through abstract and minimalistic forms of communication, which has a mediate effect on the viewers perception and in recall of memories.

Today her work deprives upon questioning gender roles, hyper masculinity and female modesty. Her work is very inspiring and so now, which she does by tearing everything apart into dozens of puzzle pieces, reassembling them and questioning them.

: Now, Lynda Benglis

: Now, 1973

: Now, 1973

Identity vs. gender role

Who am I? What am I? Male or Fe+male? No clue. Just question marks.

The young designer duo Quinn and Lisa both got inspired and confused by her blurring reality with virtual reality. In other words, between real and fake moments and memories of life. The figure created should be a visual abstraction of reality vs fake, identity, gender roles and mixed genders. Zipper, the character is not like mainstream, not like average, he is different, he is a mixed persona and gender. He is a vector figure with a mask, locked inside the adobe illustrator program. A character who is a smart, creative, eagle eyed persona that searches for his and others gender role and identity in the present of today. Together in Seminar Class the two designers wrote a poem about Zipper, the vector file and its story.

Zip-up

I am for silence

I am for noise

I am for being voice

I am for being what I can be when I want to be

I am a vector file living

I am not gender

I am living in the fake reality of today

I am real and fake

I am a shadow

I am an observer

I am an escape artist

I am calm and shy

but loud creative

I am a question mark living

Some think I am not human

I am looked at and captured behind a screen

The screen protects me

From evil eyes

Noise and silence so sharp it cuts my paper skin

The reality of German culture

The fake personas of today

I might be wrong

But you should question me

A culture whose identity went missing

Just like its love

Just like its respect

Just like its compassion

Why do we have to fit?

Why do we want to fit?

Why do we create separations? Can’t we just be?

My questions never get asked

I am floating in space

I’m sick of being virtual

I miss my identity but tomorrow I won’t

I am passionate today but tomorrow I change

I am Vise Versa

Upside down

Black, white and grey

But reality is not but why?

They Watch me suffer

I am not a billboard on two feet

I am not black or white,

fake or real.

I am both, when I want to be.

I am a mish mash living.

Harmony is boring.

In darkness, I merge.

Merging is dangerous.

Merging is me.

Darkness is generative, fake and real.

The generation of the new, where we question the unknown.

Darkness follows me. Darkness attracts me.

I dress in darkness and observe in darkness.

Darkness is chaos.

Darkness is cool.

Darkness is simply beautiful.

I am bored by reality and love mistakes.

I give chance its space to happen.

The space where creation happens.

Creation has always been in the shadow.

The shadow that follows me.

My instinct, my inner voice, my secrecy

Hiding faces, hiding reality

I remember a saying …

“You can only do the work of making by not quite knowing what you are doing” by Rebecca Solnit.

Simply me. Not mainstream but different.

I am passionate today but tomorrow I will change.

Because people needs and ideas change.

And so, do I.

I hide in the darkness, not seeing the light.

I come when you don’t expect me and go when you feel most certain.

Probability not for me. I come when I want to and go when I have to.

I am more human than abstract. I am more real than fake. But people only listen when my abstract self is revealed.

I am an idea emerged on the edge of shadows, on the edge between fake and real, on the edge living and crossing boundaries.

I am a vector file living.

Over looked by most and observed by some.

The nitty gritty detail that keeps a secret. That is biological and artistic both.

I am Zipper, the unknown living.

The unknown of tomorrow, where we don’t know how.

I am not stiff

I am tied down

I am wish mash living

Calm and quiet

The shadow tracking you

I am loud and energetic

I wear a mask to protect myself

From everything around, me

But I will be there when you want me to.

I come at day and go by night. I am with you when you walk, eat, draw, create and observe. Your daily assistant.

Online at day, offline at night. But with you 24/7.

Its ok to be different

To be different by being the same

Its ok to be real

Its ok to be fake

To be oneself or be no one at all

An original 2017 file

A vision of the reality of tomorrow where people are not price tagged and deprived of their identity

We are what we can be when we want to be.

By Quinn & LD13 (Lisa)

Making the print

Together in Studio class Quinn and Lisa developed the design of Zippers mask to hide his identity in the present of today. In order to make that design real/being able to print it the two translated the sketch into a illustrator file and the illustrator file into a rubylith cut out. After that the print got printed via UV light into the silk screen which was used to print T-shirts, coats, bags, paper etc. in red (red because its a alarming, warm and vital color to Quinn and Lisa). Since the print didn’t work out on the coat the two designers cam up with patching the back by using a cut out print of one of their left over t-shirts and hand sea on to the army coat. With that fine and small stitching enriched the coats designs such as two hand prints were added to highlight the drama of being a soldier, a persona in a army checked and its identity (he might also need to/or has to wear masks every day). throughout the line, one can see that the persona created is search for or wants to hide his or hers identity, but can speak if he or she wants to and has to.