an artistic 'zoe', or bare life
the absence of the objects that protect me
i decided that for my final major project i would completely remove the objects that were in my bedroom, and see how i would react to spending time without the things i had hoarded and surrounded myself with. i would attempt specific periods of 'isolation' with only a mattress to sleep on, and a few art materials. i would be allowed to leave the room to go to the toilet, but i wouldn't eat any food for 48 hours, and wouldn't see anyone for 48 hours. i would have no concept of time, and simply a few basic art materials and a camera to record the process and how i felt.
the experience itself was extremely tough; the lack of food resulted in drifting in and out of sleep, and not knowing the time seriously confused me. i would try and work out how long i had been in the space, try and guess how long i had left in isolation ...
i produced a sketchbook full of writings and abstract drawings, expressing how i was feeling during the periods of isolation.
after i completed two periods of isolation, i experimented with various methods of conveying the experience. i wanted to explore the notion of creating art as a healing, therapeutic process; as a means of overcoming the negative time spent whilst in isolation.
this resulted in creating forms suggestive of the various emotional states during the isolation experience; toxic, cancerous or plague like forms created using a range of materials. the act of suspending the sculptures was to suggest the idea of vulnerability, weakness, and the threat of collapse.
i created a looped video documenting the time spent during the isolation experiments, and decided to include it in the final exhibition.
final outcome
