Project — inquiry phase 2
Inquiry phase 2 explores the concept of ‘Art as knowledge’.
This project provides opportunities for you to enrich your knowledge and aesthetic experience of the world through critical thinking, making and responding to art in the contemporary, personal, cultural and/or formal contexts.
As an artist, you will continue to extend your knowledge as you develop your art practice and use your artwork to communicate this knowledge to an audience. You will be challenged to consider the way art can communicate your individual interpretation of an idea/ concept/ philosophy/ or culture in reaction to the thoughts and concepts of others.
You will create and resolve art work/s that communicate the concept ‘Art as knowledge’, and the focus and context/s you defined in inquiry phase 1.
"Life"
Water colour, mixed media
29.7 x 42cm
Change is an inevitable part of our lives. Learning to accept and embrace the new, albeit transient experience it leads us to enables an outlook shaped by an eagerness to merely enjoy life. One’s positive outlook shielded by feelings of elation, invincibility and permanency can quickly dissolve into a rather grim perspective due to the fallibility of the mind. Taking care of our human mind with the ‘stitches’ in place covering our wounds in the shape of our surrounding relationships, our goals and sources of joy help smoothen the transition between the ups and downs of life. These triumphs and tribulations although not always welcome is what makes life exciting. The sense of paralysis felt as one is burdened by dread and fear during the midst of a negative period can be hard to overcome. But the stitches one spends their lifetime sewing can slowly lead us back to a period of joy and hope.
Change is an inevitable part of our lives. Learning to accept and embrace the new, albeit transient experience it leads us to enables an outlook shaped by an eagerness to merely enjoy life. One’s positive outlook shielded by feelings of elation, invincibility and permanency can quickly dissolve into a rather grim perspective due to the fallibility of the mind. Taking care of our human mind with the ‘stitches’ in place covering our wounds in the shape of our surrounding relationships, our goals and sources of joy help smoothen the transition between the ups and downs of life. These triumphs and tribulations although not always welcome is what makes life exciting. The sense of paralysis felt as one is burdened by dread and fear during the midst of a negative period can be hard to overcome. But the stitches one spends their lifetime sewing can slowly lead us back to a period of joy and hope.
"Luna"
Acrylic paint on canvas
51cm x 40cm
The dark mountain shadow overlooking the lake gives a sense of darkness and fear. Not knowing what's in the mountain and what could be happening. The shadow over lurking the lake trying to engulf the precious water which we need for life. Luna is an artwork which shows the precious materials that we need on earth and how grateful we should be for it. Luna also shows that we are so insignificant when in the wild. This is shown as a boat on the water. We are surrounded by animals and goods which create the whole world. Luna give a lot of meaning away at first glance and even more meaning when looking harder into it.
COUPER BASKUS
”An individual”
acrylic and oil pastel on canvas
1100mm x 600mm
Does popular culture reflect society or does popular culture affect society? Popular culture and the trends within pave the future for consumerism, television, theater, music and advertising.
Ever since the dawn of media, advertising and television western culture has hailed the beast in which we call popular culture. “OMG look at him” questions identity juxtaposed with interactions concerning mainstream culture and social media. As an authentic popular culture gives a scene of shared identity, meaning and lifestyle it may also shield or cloud our views from who we are. As the artist I personally believe that there are certain humanly characteristics that correlate with popular cultures idols emotions and personality types. This work could be classed a self-portrait for myself, speaking attributes and traits which I hold dear.
“Here, have more”
3x mirrored acrylic etch
800mm x 400mm
Everyone is occupied posting denouncements of consumerism with one fist whilst snatching deals and swinging plastic and cotton with the other. Fellow buyers will validate that western culture lives within the heart of consumerism. Represented by ‘the winning tickets’ we are rewarded with after a purchase. This object is called a receipt and the more ‘shit’ on the receipt the better you should feel. Right? No.
My works aim to force audiences to step back and ponder on how they have been affected by this powerful force. Reflecting on consumerisms positive and negative impacts.
You need to have a stable relationship with your consumption, it is, if you have a direct constant relationship with spending it will cost you your life. It isn’t about how much you have; it is about how well you use it.
JORDIE HAWKINS
‘Society’s Impact’
Pencil and pen on paper
9.5cm x 40cm
‘Impress Everyone’
Acrylic paints on canvas
55cm x 35cm
Feeling pressure to comply to society’s social expectations is a daily routine. Society's extremely judgemental attitude towards the youth of the 20th century creates tremendous pressure to fit in. Diving into the notion of putting on a mask, hiding personal beliefs and being someone they’re not. This physiological mentality finds personal thoughts and opinions being hidden in fear of rejection for being unique.
Through the transition from childhood to adulthood, finding acceptance is a vital part of building relationships. However, this compulsiveness it fit in shouldn’t destroy personality, but manufacture life-long charisma. A Columbian university discovered people are six times more likely to participate in drugs and alcohol if peers are (Nova Recovery Centre, 2016). Demonstrating how strongly peers’ actions reflect on surrounding people. ‘Paying for acceptance’ through fashionable and trendy brands assists in feeling less vulnerable. In turn creating a judgemental adolescence crowded with uncreativeness, terror of individuality and boring people afraid to be courageous.
JOSHUA STATHAM
How does society influence social behaviour?
50cm x 50cm
Box Frame ( x5 )
In every aspect of our lives, expectations are placed upon us. These expectations categorise us into stereotypes, which ultimately influence our thoughts and actions. “He’s an athlete, he should look, think and act like this,” or “he’s a musician, he should look, think and act like that.” Expectations and stereotypes are powerful influences on social behaviour. While these expectations may facilitate a sense of community and belonging, they also aid in spreading large negative effects of prejudice and discrimination. Furthermore, individuals may attempt to conform to expectations due to peer pressure or fear of failure by compromising their own unique ideas and behaviours. One may choose to stop playing violin because it is not what “rugby player’s do,” or one may choose to stop studying for their maths test because their friends think it’s not “cool” to study. My body of work aims to illustrate how expectations and stereotypes placed upon us by our peers can pressure us to conform, therefore influencing our behaviour and identity. If we are not careful, we can lose our individuality and our unique purpose in these expectations. To visualise this concept, I have decided to make a body of work on five foam boards digitally printed. Each piece will highlight how expectations influence behaviour in the main aspects of my life. Each work features a goofy character. Each character represents the most stereotypical representation of a particular environment in my life (eg. TSS student = successful, studies, plays rugby, model citizen, uniform neat and tidy, etc.) They depict what I would look like and how I would behave in the most extreme case of this stereotype. The characters, however, are seen to be lifeless and unhappy, showing that if I were to fully conform to these expectations, I would be compromising my own individuality, happiness, and fulfilment.
LACHLAN BIGNELL
'Misery'
Digital printed painting
Digital printed painting
Digital Print
42 x 59.4cm
'Despondency'
Digital printed painting
Digital printed painting
Digital Print
42 x 59.4cm
Depression is the one of the most common cases of mental health issues in today’s society with 45% of Australian adults facing a mental health problem in their lifetime.(Beyond Blue, 2020) Depression creates emotions of hopelessness which often cause people to feel as if they are “trapped”. These digital artworks have been designed to display this feeling of entrapment with objects that are associated with tying people down. Using dark colours with contrasting bright colours, I direct the audience to the focus of hopelessness. These artworks have also been designed like a poster to bring forward a contemporary and cultural context to them. The audience should see that a confrontation is being made between the public and artist to expose peoples neglect towards depression. So, why is one of the worlds most common mental health issues being ignored so much in today’s society?
LACHLAN GOLDIE
Life Choices
Digital media printed on canvas + collaged found objects
80cm x 53cm
The injections of daily life choices are a true reflection of our appearance in the real-world. The person we become is a contaminated culmination of life decisions. The environment we live in will subconsciously control our options in life. It is then what we choose from those options that will affect our lives. The intimidating injections of knowledge we feed ourselves, inherently stimulate the very depth of our personalities and is reflected in the public arena of life, through beliefs, wealth, education and image. The ability to make life decisions and ride the journey of those choices is an ever-failing skill of the millennial and generation Z population. This piece allows for self-reflection and acknowledgement of our past’s. It offers a safe environment to be aware of how powerful the choices we make truly are and the ability to objectify the decisions we make in the overwhelming complexity of life.
Utopia
Digital media printed on canvas
44cm x 67cm
The human brain accumulates a lifetime of knowledge. It consumes information significant enough to constructively influence individual opinions, characteristic traits and morals, as we each see the world from our own perspective. We rely upon our basic senses to feed our brain the information surrounding us, and yet the brain is a professional at lying to itself. The ability to formulate utopias within the mind are simply mental Scotoma’s, to attain proficiency in awareness of our environment; to face the reality we cannot see because of our experience-based filters. The ability to turn a blind eye and demonstrate ignorance or negligence is to deny a new perspective and continue living the utopia. The capability to nurture an individual and their perspective is accomplishable by changing their environment, thus it is a powerful tool in stimulating a parochial society to strive for progression towards a positively modern lifestyle.
Scotoma : a partial blind spot in an otherwise normal visual field.
Parochial : having a limited or narrow outlook or scope
NASH THORNBURGH
Sins ( x1 )
Paint & Oil Pastel on canvas
76 x 50cm
The religion of Catholicism is often perceived to convey a historical and monumental movement. With approximately 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide and a religion dating back to the 1st century, there have been a wide range of different religious leaders throughout the generation, such as Popes, Cardinals, Chaplains & priests. Fast forward to the Catholic Church’s hierarchy of todays society, we are often perceptualized with many different viewpoints, viewpoints on whether these leaders truly abide by the conceptualized message in which Christ set out to achieve.
“Sins” is a reflection on the group of religious leaders who have been accused of committing treasonous acts & the locations all around the world.
In the background I covered up all the locations to express the notion of how we easily turn a blind eye to the situation, there are so many countries and locations that have claimed to be sufferers from this abuse.
Is it true? Or are they innocent?
Only God can tell.
OLIVER WEIR
‘raison d'être’
Acrylic on Canvas
64cm (diagonal) x 10.5cm (depth)
As the viewer is reading the text, they must look into the mirror to understand the sentence. With numerous symbolic references to religions, cultures and values, their aim is to resonate with the viewer. This in return makes the audience view themselves through the mirror and evaluate their own life purpose which creates a sense of uncertainty. Not many people are certain on the meaning of life and what makes them who they are and why they choose to believe in a religion or faith. The artwork will provoke a feeling of puzzlement as the viewer is evaluating their own personal beliefs. Everyone’s reaction to this work will be different based on their own personal beliefs and values.
Definition:
‘raison d'être’ - The significance or purpose of one’s life.
Puzzlement - A feeling of confusion through lack of understanding.
‘raison d'être’
Acrylic on Canvas
64cm (diagonal) x 10.5cm (depth)
As the viewer is reading the text, they must look into the mirror to understand the sentence. With numerous symbolic references to religions, cultures and values, their aim is to resonate with the viewer. This in return makes the audience view themselves through the mirror and evaluate their own life purpose which creates a sense of uncertainty. Not many people are certain on the meaning of life and what makes them who they are and why they choose to believe in a religion or faith. The artwork will provoke a feeling of puzzlement as the viewer is evaluating their own personal beliefs. Everyone’s reaction to this work will be different based on their own personal beliefs and values.
Definition:
‘raison d'être’ - The significance or purpose of one’s life.
Puzzlement - A feeling of confusion through lack of understanding.
OSCAR BILLSON
Repetition
Paper Mache, wire, book, motor
30 x 20 x 25cm
Paper Mache, wire, book, motor
30 x 20 x 25cm
The sculpture builds on the idea of culture at my school. It reflects on the learning that has come from traditions of the school and is a metaphor for the dualism of pain and comfort, boredom and amusement, learning and perfecting. Repetition is the device used to emphasis this notion. As the character knocks his head against a book it inadvertently connects the ups and downs of the learning process at school into one visual representation. Learning comes with hard work and dedication depicting the emotion that is attributed to the life of someone at school. The gravity of the counterweight resembles the gravity of school life which bears down on everyone. This weight keeps the head upright and continuing its correct orientation just like students at school. The sculpture brings viewers into this known world where they can imminently connect to the emotion displayed.
History of Tradition
Pencil on collage
841 x 594cm
Pencil on collage
841 x 594cm
School is unavoidable. Yet, like so many other things, is determined by a culture created. Culture is created over a lengthy period; not instantly birthed. Through the journey of school, we go through immense changes in form and mentality. My drawing explores the deep history of school which has created its own culture. The old boys from 1907-13 form the building blocks of my school and therefore my work through culture created by symbols, signs and systems. Sitting on top, is the image of the iconic clocktower. Built later in the school’s lifetime, it represents the public face of the school and brings deep connections with those who call it home. The two components form a time aspect for the work that shows the students of the school developing. This living history is what makes a culture and is what the students feed off during their school experience.
Present day founder
Ink on paper
60 x 50cm
Ink on paper
60 x 50cm
It determines the present and directs the future. Yet although history consumes us in its presence it is often lost in the day to day world. This work pulls history back to the forefront by creating an image of the founder of the school over a map of the present-day school. His actions are still pertinent in our activities of modern school life and his values still shape what the students do today. The map of the school buildings form a symbol of his vision and how his ideas have led students to prosper in the art of academic, sports and social. The founder looks East towards the new day symbolic of time and its connection with the evolving school and work. The paper is free for more development of the map as time passes the school will continue to grow and develop as the future changes.
OSCAR PORTELLI
'In light of'
Acrylic on canvas
125 x 92cm
'Destructive construction'
Photoshop - Digital print
42 x 59.4cm
Political incorrectness. The attitude or policy shown by someone who does not care if they offend people in society who has been treated differently because of their race, sex or disability. Following the self-directed focus question, I decided to take a much more intellectual and mental outlook on how we can give in to negative influences. Racism without a doubt is a negative disease like infection that is alive in every country. This body of work focuses on how racism uproars Protests and riots. “In light of” shows how racism is still active in Australia, and especially targeted towards people with middle eastern descent. “Destructive Constructive” shows how aggressive and passionate people are for change, with the adaptation of the recent Protests for George Floyd. The artwork also comments on how anyone with a social media and following can be considered a social activist by getting likes and posting a black screen.
WILL McCOY
Euphoria Three
Acrylic paint on canvas
122 x 92 cm
Euphoria One
Acrylic paint on canvas
122 x 92 cm
Euphoria Two
Mixed Media: Photography, digital photo editing, printing onto water colour paper, finished with acrylic paint
29.7 x 42 cm
An innocent child, in a developing country, stands in misery amidst a rubbish heap of discarded first world technological devices. My paintings question what global technology has caused beyond the screens we gaze upon every day? Through flat, monotones, I capture the muted dullness of one child’s existence – representing the many. How has our throw-away culture, our thirst for everything new, changed his culture? On the contrary, the planetary media assures that we bear witness to his plight, on those same devices.
Will we idolise the child making him our hero, change him and his culture to better fit our agenda so we feel better? Will he live in a utopia of glorious colour and golden opulence or will we simply manipulate the image so we can sleep at night whilst a culture is destroyed? Time will show us.
ZENDER LIAO
Facebook Launder, Periodic Tweets
Digital Media
2 Pieces, 21cm x 29.7 cm
Both artworks are reconfigured to fit the ominous recollection of misled information used in social media. The combination of digital media apprehends the actuality of merging societal problems with religion, politics and more specifically, technology. Technology obstructs the form of interactions, which forms numerous conflicts surrounding present day media for earning a paradox of money through different ways of expressing emotions and derogative mainstream applications. The artwork Periodic Tweets imposes the direct orders of President Trump and his authoritative control representing a two-faced imposter of reality. All of the tweets (combined and collected) are President Trumps most famous tweets. These have not only startled many mixed reactions but shaped his image. Facebook Launder expresses the correlation creating a bond between Facebook and religion. The replacement of religion by social media platform Facebook can be seen today as people engage and learn new ‘values’ through using this technology.
