Your talk was fantastic - as a Historian I love the historical context, especially the political use of collage. Last night at BHF we had Linda Jaivin speaking on Mao's Bombard the Headquarters campaign which utilised prints, posters and pamphlets to initiate the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and which later resulted in the democracy wall where people could post their individual forms of dissent. It's a great book.
Thank you for sharing about your process. I'm also considering a residency, as a collage artist too, I can only imagine how uncomfortable it must be not to have all your material with you. Are you in a town, where you can go and rip posters at night? 😏
This residency is a bit of an odd one, as it is located in the next town from where I live, only a 5 minute drive away. So I *do* have all my materials.
I've never really been one for going and tearing down posters to use in my collages. The papers tend to be thick, creased and wrinkled, whereas I have always gravitated to the smooth and glossy papers that you find in say magazines. I do use posters, but they tend to be ones being given away by cinemas or record stores rather than ones I've torn off walls.
But that is part of the problem here. My library, my archive of materials tend to be modern: fashion magazines, design books, comics, rave flyers, that kind of thing, and the collection doesn't really lend itself to artworks or subject matter with a vintage, historic, or colonial vibe.
There are ways around all of this. I know that there are. Solving these problems is not impossible. It's just an adjustment. And it's that adjustment I'm getting stuck on.
Your talk was fantastic - as a Historian I love the historical context, especially the political use of collage. Last night at BHF we had Linda Jaivin speaking on Mao's Bombard the Headquarters campaign which utilised prints, posters and pamphlets to initiate the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and which later resulted in the democracy wall where people could post their individual forms of dissent. It's a great book.
Thank you for sharing about your process. I'm also considering a residency, as a collage artist too, I can only imagine how uncomfortable it must be not to have all your material with you. Are you in a town, where you can go and rip posters at night? 😏
Is your work at the residency imposed?
Hi Emily.
This residency is a bit of an odd one, as it is located in the next town from where I live, only a 5 minute drive away. So I *do* have all my materials.
I've never really been one for going and tearing down posters to use in my collages. The papers tend to be thick, creased and wrinkled, whereas I have always gravitated to the smooth and glossy papers that you find in say magazines. I do use posters, but they tend to be ones being given away by cinemas or record stores rather than ones I've torn off walls.
But that is part of the problem here. My library, my archive of materials tend to be modern: fashion magazines, design books, comics, rave flyers, that kind of thing, and the collection doesn't really lend itself to artworks or subject matter with a vintage, historic, or colonial vibe.
There are ways around all of this. I know that there are. Solving these problems is not impossible. It's just an adjustment. And it's that adjustment I'm getting stuck on.
Basically, I'm in my own way.
I'm sure you will find ways! Constraints trigger creativity as they say
Since writing all that, I've already had a bunch of ideas!