A process of deconstruction
Posted on October 30, 2017 by Stephanie
My art and expression through materials has always been very organic. My arts practice has specialised in creating mosiac art, its theories however dont necessarily lend to this spontaneous approach of making.
On the completion of Case Study 2017, a 9 month personal and artistic journey that explored my difficulties with language and my relationship with my dyslexia, I discovered that the intense theoretical processes connected with traditional mosaic art was not seemingly complimenting the natural functioning process of my brain type. An aspect of my art practice I had not thought about from a practical or cognitive perspective.
Case Study enabled me to create positive associations with my dyslexia through my art. This was realised by using a process of making where spontaneity and subconscious thought was being encouraged, not over planning as I had experienced with mosaic.
Deconstructing the mosaic
As a mosaic arist all tesserae, tiles or glass, are just one tiny piece of the bigger picture. But I have always had a deeper fasination to the purpose and intergity of each individual tessarae, than just its appearance alone. As I see, the tesserae can be a metaphor, have a deeper meaning that leads to the story behind the artwork.
This was inspired by research into ancient Greek mosaic art, where Music, Muse, Mosaic and Museum, all derive from the same Greek rooted word, μουσική (music) being 'A divine order' Mosaics are called, l’arte musivum, the Art of the Muses'. Museums were always at the heart of my inspiration, for their layout and investigatory purposes. I felt liberated.
Mosaic art had not allowed me to obviously explain these layers of thought, with the conventional and traditional restaints of tile being held by cement. I felt disconnected as a mosaic artist, to the ancient artists and practices, I needed to explore the collective wealth within the 'divine order'.
Mosaic art forumlas are still feeding my thought processes toward making. However, combining a multiple of tecniques and making processes have opened opportunities to explore painting, assemblage and installation art. Therefore beinging to release the tesserae from the confinements of the cement.
Now the tessare and cement became layers of information.
I became liberated.
A personal study into self and my dyslexia called Case Study, demonstrates my new sence of 'becoming set free from the cement'.
The diminished presence of the complex structure and appearance of mosaic art, has allowed me to express myself as never before. My art has more layers of intrigue, diversity and emotion contained within them.
Embracing 'multidisciplinary art' has allowed me to adapt a new visual voice, where materials are my language and process is part of the story. The andamento, a mosaic artist used term for the movement of the line, flow of mosaic tesserae or music, becomes the stucture of the story.
