UCA Farnham Fine Art Student Profile 2014 - Craig Davidge

Tell us what your work is about

I am often drawn to quite dark subject matters such as horror, psychology and the unknown, yet also have a interest in humour and informative narratives. 

In my current practice I have explored the issue of the 3rd gender within the horror film industry and the reproduced monsterization portrayed through history on this minority group. 

I have explored the fear of ‘the other’ to exploit the bigotry present within heteronormative society on gender and created an informative yet humorous performance piece taking inspiration from the camp horror B movies and the queer drag scene. I formed a queer monster persona for my film which engages in a séance with the late horror actor Vincent Price, the voice of horror who was himself a homosexual. I used extracts of his voice, manipulated and reproduced it to create an informative narrative with my created personas that play out the exaggerated fears of bigotry. I have appropriated the soundtrack from the original films in all their camp glory and used them within the new framework of my narrative.

I initially wanted to create humorous horror themed photographs, but through my extensive research on the concept of the ‘camp’ factor within horror films, the discrimination of the 3rd gender within these films became so apparent it intrigued me to research into this further, particularly reading "Monsters in the Closet" by Harry Benshoff. I also became greatly interested in camp budget effects and so I started to explore this aesthetic further which developed my work on from photography to moving image because of the additional scope this gave me.

I found issues with the limitation of photography as a medium to form the narrative I wanted. Although I consider myself an intermedia artist I often create fine art photography works, so exploring film was quite a new medium for me. Also putting myself in a performance work, personalised the film to some extent which was quite challenging.

Apart from Harry Benshoff and Vincent Price what else influenced the development of your work?

From a theoretical perspective I found Susan Sontag’s theory Notes on ‘Camp’ pretty influential as theory on the concept of the ‘camp’ hasn’t been explored in great detail and it was this that developed my idea into sexuality and gender. Freud also was important, looking at his theories on the Super Ego, the uncanny and Dreams was influential in creating my video and the character. In terms of practice I found inspiration from numerous sources, B movies, films, theatre, musicians, documentaries, TV and Youtubers. But with regard to artists who mediate many of the same sources and deal with the same issues is was those who incorporate performance such as; Paul McCarthy, Mike Kelley, Nick Zedd and Leigh Bowery. These were most significant as they helped me to find away to perform a persona that was uncanny, horrific, yet camp and humorous and helped me to do this on a staged set.

What is the most significant thing that has helped you whilst studying at UCA Farnham?

I found the most significant thing to be my peers. You can often take for granted as an artist the motivation and influence others can have on your own practice, and the varied knowledge others have around you that can help develop your work. With the course becoming more very self directed, your peers are a significant source to bounce ideas off, help develop your work and keep you going when things get a little rocky.

I learnt that I can create myself a professional looking exhibition with professional work, that I am now not a student but an artist and I can produce work to be proud to show to the public. It gave me confidence in my own abilities and that I can come away from UCA Farnham independent and do it again.

What are your future plans?

My initial plan is to keep motivated in the art scene. Get a job within the arts sector that I can put what I have gained into motion and finance my own continuing practice which you can check out online.

 davidgearts.tumblr.com

UCA Farnham Fine Art Student Profile 2014 - Suzie Jones

What are the main themes you have explored in your work and why are they important to you?

I looked into the theory of "The Uncanny" and the role of the mask, especially in horror films, linked with research into Freud. As my work progressed I found myself veering to how "The Uncanny" within popular culture can be appropriated. There is a running theme of mixing the familiar with the unfamiliar in my work and how this is related to Affect Theory, so that my work can create an unusual feeling for the viewer. In the majority of my work I have looked at how to successfully combine iconic children’s characters with horror films and how they might affect the audience.

To develop the idea I had at the beginning stages into something that was exhibition worthy, was a very long and sometimes difficult process. Developing the idea involved looking at different artists that related to my work and being influenced by them in one way or another. Selecting what was important to feed my work and also test ideas definitely an important aspect of my work. Looking at how artists took an idea and how they developed and resolved it was interesting.  Another key aspect in the development of my work was to keep making work and accept failure as an aspect of making. This is something that I struggled with throughout the year; as a result of this there was a period of time where I was creating pieces that were not resolved, but learned to accept this as part of the process. I also developed my work by experimenting with different mediums; this enabled me to see what worked best with my idea. For example, after trialling film I soon found that it worked well with the idea and in the end became the main focus of my practice.

Who where the artists that you learned from?

Work from Jake and Dinos Chapman has had a huge influence on the outcome of my work. Not only for the exhibition but also outside of University. Their work was a significant influence when creating work for the degree show, because of the way in which they deal with the uncanny and the unusual. The shock value in the majority of their work was something that I wanted to carry into my work. Their recent work at the Serpentine also gave me interesting ideas for different and unusual ways to present my work. Another significant artist I looked at was Joyce Pensato. I looked at her work because she uses iconic cartoon characters and presents them in interesting and bold ways. Her work influenced me to create work on a larger scale and to see the results. By doing this I found that my paintings worked a lot better on a bigger scale and as a result I used one of these for the exhibition piece. It made the work a lot more striking and shocking.

What do you think is the most significant thing that has helped you during your time at UCA Farnham?

The facilities at UCA have been extremely useful during my time here. It has been helpful to be able to sign up for lots of different workshops and learn new techniques to support my work. The screen-printing workshop I attended had a huge affect on the outcome of my work because it enabled me to develop stills from my film and work with them in a different way to see the results. In addition to this support from tutors and visiting artists have enabled me to go further with my work through the critical input they have given me. It was helpful to hear their ideas and opinions about my work and to discuss issues around making and the content. 

What did you learn from the process of producing your Farnham exhibition?

Building on previous exhibition experience, I learned about setting up a space that was my own. I learnt about the difficulties and problems that are sometimes present when setting up for an exhibition and have learnt from them. For example I learnt how to work with the space I was given and how I could arrange the space so that it worked with the pieces I was putting up. It taught me how to compromise and make important changes. Overall the process allowed me to understand how everything works.

What are you planning next?

At the moment I am planning to continue creating work that is related to my must recent practice. I would like to create a longer version of my film as I feel that it was the most affective aspect of the work I created. Ideally I would like to gain experience in working in galleries too.

UCA Farnham Fine Art Student Profile 2014 - Carrie Grainger

What are the main themes you have explored in your work and why are they important to you?

My work is an exploration of different cultural superstitions, symbolism and ritual celebrations put into practice through performance and shown through film. I have been exploring different cultural belief systems on the subject of spirituality that has intrigued me, in particular Shaman belief. My practice is also strongly influenced by the uncertainty of the uncanny subject and the films are made to dance between the lines of not only life and death, but also create an uncertainty between human and animal behaviours.

I was interested in the idea of the male gaze and read Laura Mulvey's "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" early on and framed this idea in some early photo shoots, but that soon lost appeal to me and I found my self being drawn to the ambiguous imagery rather than the sexually suggestive. I looked at the guerilla girls early on in the year and their use of costume as a means to keep the identities of the members hidden. I was more interested in the fact they use costume to create a persona that allows them to be more outrageous then they feel they could be in their own skin rather than the concepts behind the work which I think is great but not something I was necessarily thinking about when creating the films. 

I did however look into Female hysteria in which Freud took on as a subject for study in the late 19th Century. Freud believed Hysteria was a coping method for patients who had endured abuse or tragic occurrences, some of the repetitive moments within my performances are influenced by "female hysteria".  

How did you develop the idea that produced your final exhibition work? 

I decided to use the best two performance pieces to present in the degree show that linked the best and would work well together. I also used an extra piece of footage which

Was not originally intended but added an extra piece of narrative to the performance pieces in which was just as fragmented and uncertain.

I had originally planned to create a CCTV setting for the show in which was trialled and dismissed as it didn’t compliment the gothic appearance of the films and they really needed to be in a darker environment to feel the different elements going on in the film and to create a better visual aesthetic. Another issue I faced was sharing a big space with another student, because of the structure of the room it was inescapable that an audience would have to travel through one works to reach the other which would have obstructed the work at the back of the room. This was overcome by a move to a smaller space which was a lot of work to finish, but in the end the work was able to stand on its own and the room could be made darker.

Who are your heroes?

In terms of research into performance Marvin Gaye Chetwynd was significant in her movements and costume relating to culture and ritualistic behaviours. I witnessed a performance of Chetwynds for the Turner Prize a few years ago and I was fascinated by the way it could make you feel both discomfort and attraction at the same time.

Another thing that sparked my interest just after my first trial performance back in November was Butoh Performance Art which stems from Japan from the 1960s and creates elements of uncertainty during the transition after the second world war. It was founded by a dancer named Tatsumi Hijikata (1928-1986) and was a rebellion against modern dance of the time that came from the west. He wanted performance to be purely about expression of his culture and to allow his body to dance through unconscious movement. Hijikata’s performances displayed elements of what is unknown to man and he strived to tap into dormant primal and animalistic behaviours that had long been repressed.

I know Yayoi Kusama's work fairly well and am aware of Carolee Schneemann and Gina Pane's work, Chetweynd's work is very different and I'm struggling to relate them. Although Chetweynd's work is not always certain and is a fusion of different cultural elements I wouldn't say it was disembodied as her performances are a physical presence, the subject is not absolute and they mess with your mind a lot because of this uncertainty much like Kusama's work does but the actors are physical beings that interact with an audience which gives an entirely different feel to moving image or installation.  

What do you think is the most significant thing that has helped you during your time a UCA Farnham?

I think there has been a significant amount of tutorials including those with visiting artists has been most helpful and has allowed for regular critique and feedback which has created a smoother process of development. It has also opened other avenues of research that may not have necessarily been considered by me beforehand. Also being encouraged to start placing work into exhibitions from the first year encourages confidence and experience early on, which I know isn’t practiced in all art related courses from other universities.

What did you learn from the process of producing your graduation exhibition?

I have learnt that you can do a lot more in a short space of time then you think you can! If you have decent people helping you and keep at it, then the outcome can be very surprising. Compromise can also be very important and you have to take into consideration other people around you and how the show is going to look as a whole.  

What are you planning next?

In the short term I am exhibiting and screening work in two exhibitions in London as part of a graduate collective at A & D Gallery and The Strand Gallery. Before applying to do an MA in Fine Art I plan to do some travelling which will help me develop my performances further and to continue making work.