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Rachel De Joode

 

Rachel De Joode

 

 

Where is this goinggg?!

Soo ive been thinking a bit about whats important in my work, if its the exact human form or a representation of it. The thing i liked about exact body casts were that you can get body language through it which is difficult with mannequins but then i feel like body casts are repeated and have been done a million times before. However if im casting small areas of the body which are then put together it will create an abstract hard to recognise figure that you would need a closer look to see the body. I also had the idea to use materials that have elements of the body such as clothing but will create a deformed non body like shape if filled with plaster/ foam. My idea for this came from...

 

Im not sure what the artists called or where i got this picture from but i like that its used a familiar maerial and technique you recognise with clothing then filled with a material that still looks wet and in a process.

 

Next i want to try casting smaller areas and see how that works, i want to use Erwin Wurms photography as a reference and may use this as a technique to decide what areas to cast.

 

 

I want to find a material to use as scrim but has larger holes in, my first thoughts were fish net tights which ill try tomorrow. I could try using strips of material in plaster to create lattice effect with holes in across the body or string? I just like how when i put the inside coat in, as though im going to take it out, that its kept in the process stage of developing and changing rather than moving to a final finished piece.

 

Also if i decide not to do an accurate cast of the body i want to try casting objects that reference the body like a chair that fits the body so i need to look into ergonomics with ways objects are manufactured to be comfortable to use.

 

Expander Foam Body Cast

 

This body cast i took from Bryony instead of a mannequin where she was laying down as i wasnt sure how long the plaster would take to set with it having colour in. I wanted to make this a really thin cast but the plaster went thick too quick and didnt work as well as i wanted. Instead of filling with plaster i filled with expanding foam, the colours worked well and the textures. It still pushed through the holes although they werent many in the cast. Everyone kept saying how the foam inside the cast looked like intestines or fat whoch works well! I just need to decide if the exact body form is important or a represenation of the body works just as well using a mannequin.

 

 

 

Coloured Plaster and One Coat Casts

Blue Mannequin Cast

 

I wanted to make a quick cast as i wanted to try out using colour mixed in with the plaster. I had to mix the pigment in the water first then mix in the plaster. I taped plastic packaging to the mannequin just to see how it turned out. I really like the cast with blue in, it makes it feel more precious and less throw away like a plain white one.

 

 

 

 

At first i was going to try fill the cast to then take out using one coat in yellow, however once it was in i really liked how the colours worked together and the different textures in the materials. Also the one coat was pushing through the holes in the plaster which i really liked as it was an element i didnt choose and just happened freely within the process.

 

Yellow Mannequin Cast

 

Because i liked the effect of the one coat pushing through the cast i decided to make another quick cast but only using a thin layer so there were more holes in the skrim. I needed a way of hanging the cast so the one coat wouldnt pour out and set on a flat surface. I hung the cast with string on two benches, although it was just set up to help with setting i liked the way it looked whilst it was still in its process. Also once the one coat was in it started to pull the cast down and bend it which is an effect and deterioration of the process, much like people do as they age which brings it back to being a human like representation.

 

Expander Foam Leg Cast

This cast i wanted to do by myself as i want to focus more on the process. I taped plastic packaging to my leg then cast over it. I then used a full can (300ml) of expanding foam after putting pure soft soap on the inside of the cast to make it easier to release.

I really liked the effect it had on the open end of the cast as it could move freely, it reminded me of skin and fat. I also like how the foot looked really strange and deformed. Next time i want to make a cast without the plastic packaging as the foam already distorts the body without the extra plastic to change the shape.

1 Minute Sculptures

Erwin Wurm

Sooo i found these pictures which i thought were really interesting and a different take on what im looking at with body transformation/distortion. It gave me that idea that i dont necessarily have to extend or change the body, just simply covering areas can confuse the brain and transform the body. Ive been having some ideas about how the viewer will interact with my piece and that they dont actually have to touch or hold it they could stand in certain places and the view to other people can be changed but the participant can be unaware. This reminds me of body dismorphia, a disorder that anyone can have where they dont see themselves how they really are but i think in a way a lot of people are like this just some are more severe.

Inna Babaeva

I found this artist who uses expanding foam that starts off working from a controlled space/object but then the material is allowed to work more organically and uncontrolled by setting freely. This links with my project because im working on the idea of transformation of the body and as the shapes start off on an object they distort and change to something as though its grown or evolved into another shape, yet still the object is partially recognisable. I also like that the shape has been spray painted afterwards, the foam reminds me of skin and fat that has formed then the control of making it another colour. I like the contrast between contolling a material and allowing it to work freely to get an unexpected outcome.

 

 

 

 

Cardboard Tube and Tracing Paper

I did some quick experiments using easy materials like paper and cardboard, The paper didnt work so well as it wasnt strong enough but card worked quite well. I tested it on peoples heads to get their reactions some people didnt want to try it because you cant see and its probably a bit embarrassing..but everyone else said it squashed their face and i collected quite a lot of makeup inside of it! I also tried it on peoples legs and arms, it made it really awkward to move in and you had to alter how you moved so you didnt fall over.

 

 

 

 

I wanted to try using a material that is slightly opaque but still blurred what was on the other side. I wasnt sure how well tracing paper would work as papier mache but it just worked the same as normal paper i just didnt add any water to the PVA. I like that you can see the chicken wire underneath, i just want to move onto something else now as all my experiments have been shapes to put on the head and i think i need to develop it more.

Plastic packaging, Paper Clips