To create a voice you have to work out what kind of vocabulary it uses and to do this I experimented with the word "oops". I used this to make a big stencil and spray painted it onto walls. I noticed this could change the context of it's background and it's background can change the context of the word "oops". So I wrote it on loads of white stickers and walked around Glasgow sticking them to objects and people and each photo kind of 'tells it's own story' now it's got a voice.
This is just some of the photo's I took when creating this voice. When I look at them I wonder does it say "oops" because of the contxt of the photograph for example the wet floor photo - is it "oops" it's wet or is it "oops" because the sign should be standing up and warning people the floor is wet but it's fallen over? No matter the context, I find it quite amusing, it might just be that I'm easily amused however, ha.
I began this project knowing I wanted to work with text because it was a simple idea that could make a massive impact and change the meaning of something, for example the context of a photograph for example. I started my research in the library where I came across the work of Jenny Holzer who uses LCD displays and posters and creates pieces shown on public buildings to stimulate awareness of our social conditioning.
I was really interested in her use of lighting and technology but the more I thought about actually using text the more I thought using light could be irrelevant so I decided to look more at the artist Barbara Kruger and her layered pieces of work which question the viewer.
I love how the text creates such an impact due to the colours of the text and the red background. It is this simple thing such as changing the colours of the font and it's background that give it it's impact and really draw your attention to the piece. This si the kind of impact that really interests me.
From these thoughts, I went for a wander down by the Clyde and photographed the graffiti that decorates the walls and the underneath of the bridge. When I saw the graffiti down at the Clyde I realised that the graffiti artists were creating a voice but because of the fact they use spray paint in a public place it somehow becomes illegal instead of freedom of speech and from this I decided to research Banksy. I bought Banksy's new book which really imressed me as I had only seen a small amount of his work before.
Banksy's stencils are both controversial and really funny, and I found most of his work very interesting and very well done. I decided to try and take this further by buying spray paint and making my own stencils using phrases I had thought about using earlier. I particularly wanted to see what "I heart my art" looked like on a bigger scale so I made some bigger stencils and hung them up to dry on the washing line in my garden. Funnily enough it looked pretty nice swinging round on my whirly gig so I photographed that aswell.
The more I experimented with the spray paint and the small stencils the more I had an urge to go out onto the streets and see what it felt like to actually spray ONTO a wall........ so I made bigger stencils from cardboard (nothing too complicated) and decided to go back to the word "oops" again to add a sense of sarcasm and humour. I never realised how time consuming making larger stencils is and boy did it take a lot of time!
Spray painting onto the sides of buildings and up the back of lanes is actually quite exciting, there seems to be a strange thrill from thinking you could get caught from it and so I would quite like to try it again sometime with more stencils.
Compared to some of the "tags" you often see all round Glasgow and especially in Clarkston where I live, I was pleased that my graffiti was more aesthetically pleasing that the rubbish you see outisde the old Odeon Cinema!
Working with the spray paint was fun and I am quite interested in the other pieces by Banksy such as his bigger muriels and I had ideas at the beginning of this project that I wanted to work on quite a large scale. From what I've done so far, I think I am still looking for the right vocabulary for the voice that I am creating in my work. I still have the idea of working with light and text in the back of my mind so I think I am going to have to do what I did with the spray paint and just go for it to get it out my system!
This is just some of the photo's I took when creating this voice. When I look at them I wonder does it say "oops" because of the contxt of the photograph for example the wet floor photo - is it "oops" it's wet or is it "oops" because the sign should be standing up and warning people the floor is wet but it's fallen over? No matter the context, I find it quite amusing, it might just be that I'm easily amused however, ha.
I began this project knowing I wanted to work with text because it was a simple idea that could make a massive impact and change the meaning of something, for example the context of a photograph for example. I started my research in the library where I came across the work of Jenny Holzer who uses LCD displays and posters and creates pieces shown on public buildings to stimulate awareness of our social conditioning.
I was really interested in her use of lighting and technology but the more I thought about actually using text the more I thought using light could be irrelevant so I decided to look more at the artist Barbara Kruger and her layered pieces of work which question the viewer.
I love how the text creates such an impact due to the colours of the text and the red background. It is this simple thing such as changing the colours of the font and it's background that give it it's impact and really draw your attention to the piece. This si the kind of impact that really interests me.
From these thoughts, I went for a wander down by the Clyde and photographed the graffiti that decorates the walls and the underneath of the bridge. When I saw the graffiti down at the Clyde I realised that the graffiti artists were creating a voice but because of the fact they use spray paint in a public place it somehow becomes illegal instead of freedom of speech and from this I decided to research Banksy. I bought Banksy's new book which really imressed me as I had only seen a small amount of his work before.
Banksy's stencils are both controversial and really funny, and I found most of his work very interesting and very well done. I decided to try and take this further by buying spray paint and making my own stencils using phrases I had thought about using earlier. I particularly wanted to see what "I heart my art" looked like on a bigger scale so I made some bigger stencils and hung them up to dry on the washing line in my garden. Funnily enough it looked pretty nice swinging round on my whirly gig so I photographed that aswell.
The more I experimented with the spray paint and the small stencils the more I had an urge to go out onto the streets and see what it felt like to actually spray ONTO a wall........ so I made bigger stencils from cardboard (nothing too complicated) and decided to go back to the word "oops" again to add a sense of sarcasm and humour. I never realised how time consuming making larger stencils is and boy did it take a lot of time!
Spray painting onto the sides of buildings and up the back of lanes is actually quite exciting, there seems to be a strange thrill from thinking you could get caught from it and so I would quite like to try it again sometime with more stencils.
Compared to some of the "tags" you often see all round Glasgow and especially in Clarkston where I live, I was pleased that my graffiti was more aesthetically pleasing that the rubbish you see outisde the old Odeon Cinema!
Working with the spray paint was fun and I am quite interested in the other pieces by Banksy such as his bigger muriels and I had ideas at the beginning of this project that I wanted to work on quite a large scale. From what I've done so far, I think I am still looking for the right vocabulary for the voice that I am creating in my work. I still have the idea of working with light and text in the back of my mind so I think I am going to have to do what I did with the spray paint and just go for it to get it out my system!
