Independent Study Proposal
Independent Study Proposal
Talia Hazard
Collage
Project Narrative
The project will be a continuation of the themes and motifs first explored in Collage/Assemblage. I am particularly interested in expanding on the theme of “Images of the Divine.” I would like to create eight large-scale collage/assemblage pieces, two interactive performances, and several altars honoring specific female deities, including:
Aphrodite/Venus (Greek/Roman) Large scale painting inspired by the deity of love and war. The painting will use foundations of collage first discovered in a previous Collage/Assemblage class. The first piece was completed by using mixed media, including shells, acrylic paint, yarn, beadwork, collage, ink, and gold leaf. In addition to the painting, I plan on creating sculptural elements with metal, such as aluminum, and bronze. I will make some of these items, such as hair combs, mirrors, and distressed organic forms like apples, and seashells. To honor the multiple attributes of this goddess, I want to create some more 3d work with clothing, textiles, and armor. In particular, I would like to do this by crafting metalwork sculptures. I would also add some animal motifs such as bunnies, dolphins, fish, mermaids, whales, sirens, and sea monsters.
Artemis/Diana (Greek/Roman) This one will be an unconventional assemblage consisting of animatronic deer sculptures decorated with other details tying in archery, animals, and the moon. The deer are quite large and will have arrows piercing them, as well as fake wounds, which are meant to portray how the female body has been wounded. I would also like to create a smaller portrait of the goddess herself to hang next to the deer. While the performance at the live gallery does reflect all the central themes presented, the symbolism in the resemblance to Artemis is the most defining aspect. After the live performance at the gallery opening, I plan to do a new contortion act which will play on a video monitor. The live performance will explore themes of gender, the divine feminine, the body, transformation, the moon, predator vs prey, archery, and the wild unknown. I would like the performance to explore the idea of the female body as a battleground for trauma, how the body holds this trauma, and how it can be healed. Artemis has many unique attributes and is also known as a protector of women, which is something I would like to embody in my performance. The costume will also be key to helping explore this, and I would like to do something that resembles an Ancient Greek hunting outfit but is also functional to do contortion. I also plan on modifying arrows myself for the act, creating new visual elements to add to my props, and also creating a way that the performances can be recorded, and watched again on display in the gallery.
Sekhmet /Bastet (Egyptian) she is the goddess of war, destruction, medicine, healing, cats, and jars. I would like to create a visual collage of her with the traditional depiction which is the body of a woman with a lion head, holding a spear. She is known to favor black cats in particular, which is where the overlap with the more nurturing aspect, Bastet, originates. I would like to honor both sides of her, which is also what could serve as an interesting concept to explore with 3d materials. In addition to the visual collage, I would like to have a couple of jars on display in the gallery with assemblage elements to tie it all together.
Isis (Egyptian) she is the Egyptian goddess of magic, necromancy, motherhood, and healing. She is particularly noteworthy for her accomplishment of bringing her husband, Osiris, back from the dead, after he was murdered by their jealous brother, Set. Isis is also beloved for her ability to outsmart other gods, including the sun god, Ra, who considers her magic superior to his. Isis was particularly important to the Ancient Egyptians for her presence during funeral rites, as it was believed that she helped protect the spirits' journey to the underworld. I would like to create a larger-scale collage/assemblage piece exploring her magical attributes and incorporating sculptural elements into the painting so it comes to life. In terms of materials used, I will use acrylic, inks, glass bead mosaic medium, glass, found objects, gelatin, yarn, fake flowers, branches, and glitter. For her altar, I would like to create a working space that I would imagine her to use when doing spell work, including healing the sick or wounded.
Hekate (Greek/Roman) is the goddess of the crossroads, night, light, the moon, graves, ghosts, sorcery, magic, and witchcraft, known as the Torch Bearer, and protector of the crossroads. She is also depicted as a triple-bodied form, her faces include the maiden, the mother, and the crone. I would like to create a painting assemblage that shows her in the triple-bodied form, with some 3d elements coming off the canvas. Since she is the goddess of the crossroads, I would like to have her section at the entrance and exit of the gallery, with some elements hanging from the doorway.
Lilith (Babylonian/Sumerian/Jewish) Her origins are complex, both linked to ancient Babylonian demonology and in the Christian bible as the first wife of Adam. As the first wife of Adam, she was cast out of the Garden of Eden after refusing to be subservient to him. Her refusal to be anything less than an equal has inspired feminist ideals for generations, and has recently come back into popular culture. She is typically shown to have half the body of a serpent, and the head of a beautiful human woman, with golden hair. She is known to be a guardian of the night, woman, and a liberator, who established herself as Queen of the Sumerian underworld. For the collage, I would like to embody her aspects as a fearsome figure who has helped women find their inner strength. Materials used will be feathers, acrylic paint, inks, acrylic medium, found objects, and colored pencils.
Leda (Greek minor deity, the mother of Helen of Troy) Leda was the daughter of an Aeotolian king, Thestius. She was famed for her legendary beauty, most notably, her dark black hair, and face which caught the attention of the god Zeus. Leda later married King Tyndareus of Sparta. Shortly thereafter, Leda was seduced by Zeus in the form of a swan. This has inspired many works of legendary sculpture depicting Leda and the swan, as well as the song released recently by the musician Hozier, entitled “Swan Upon Leda.” By Zeus Leda eventually gave birth to Helen of Troy, who was instrumental in the Trojan War. Leda is also the mother of Clytemnestra, Castor, and Pollux. I would like to create a visual representation of Leda, as well as an altar for her. For objects on the altar, I want to explore the motif of the swan and her impact on the Renaissance era which is where a lot of her lore originated from.
Circe (Greek) famed Greek sorceress from Homer’s Odyssey. She is the daughter of Helios, the sun god, and the nymph Perse. Best known for her advanced abilities of transformation, such as turning men into pigs, lions, and birds. For her visual representation, I would like to explore the idea of human-animals that lived on her island as described in the Odyssey and a portrait of the goddess herself. For her altar, I want to focus on making it the ideal workspace for a goddess and make it somewhat accurate to what would have existed in the times of Ancient Greece.
Summary: I would like to honor these particular figures as they all have things in common regarding being misrepresented or underrepresented in a lot of myths/legends. As an art historian, I have researched these figures extensively to find primary sources of important antiquities that have paid homage to them. I would like to create artwork in my style to tie these two concepts together, as a visual artist and an academic. Finally, I would like to create a gallery to display the works and to tie it all together. I would also like to perform my contortion act, and an aerial piece, for the opening of the gallery to celebrate. There will also be screens playing recordings of my performances for visitors to watch as they wander through the space. As a whole, the gallery will be an interactive experience that prompts the viewer to learn more about these figures and the cultures they originate from.