FINE ART 2012

http://carlylouisefletcher.tumblr.com/

‘We do not dwell because we have built, but we build and have built because we dwell, that is, because we are dwellers.’ Heidegger, M. Building Dwelling Thinking. (1971)

I collect redundant, aged objects and have a fondness for items that are on the brink of being condemned, deemed unfit for their intended use or function. With these items there is a beauty and wisdom within them. I photograph and re-use these items, and either relate them as they were intended or transform them, employing a position of high regard or adoration.

My current work utilizes reclaimed items focusing on the use of space; how we interact with it and also how we use it. I have been particularly interested in what a space can provide for us, even if the space is devoid of objects.

The exploration of Portraiture in my practice stems from a fascination with identity and non-identities. Within the act of being photographed, you invariably suffer from a sense of in-authenticity. For me to make an authentic portrait of someone I have to break this barrier. So the work produced challenges our perceptions of what we preconceive a portrait to be. Through the use of certain props, mis-en-scene and Photographic manipulation, such as Double exposure, masks and multi layering. The notion of “beyond a portrait” reveals itself. The images question our social, historical constructs within culture, done so through the use of self-referentiality attached to the myth of the “artist genius”. Landscape, The abstract and Transcendentalism are key themes in all of my work and when photographing, I use a camera as an extension of my own eye. Photography is a form of meditation for me, when making transcriptions of paintings or just photographing natural/Environmental Scenes.

My work proposes elements of design, placement and choice towards various spectacles in society, with my current concerns revolving around the display of imagery and visual communication. There are continuous gestures relating to permanence, existence, spectacle and language in my work, in some way questioning or re-addressing a relationship with it. It is most often through photography that I formalise my work, as it is a medium that deals with image, design and the dialogue of spectacle most directly. ‘Shit Sprayed Chrome’ attempts to create a conversation between notions of Guy Debord’s and the situationists as well as the medium of photography.

Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.

“Britain is a nation of animal lover’s with an estimated 8 million dogs in 2011, but with the popularity of owning a pedigree dog comes a darker side of the demand. Inbreeding has become commonplace amongst certain breeds, to continue the desired traits and features, and due to this, suffering and despair prevail. As a pedigree dog owner myself, I wish to express the distress not only for the dog itself, but also for the owner fighting the defects that appear through inbreeding. The notion of inbreeding in humans is taboo for a reason, so why would we willingly put other species through this just for aesthetic purposes?     

My main interest is the transformation of materials; I have been exploring the process of melting and sculpting with sugar as it offers a clear renewal of an object, from being contained by context as a household commodity, the material starting off being white and granular, to becoming beautiful, gold singular strands. My work is always created in the space in which it’s exhibited due to its fragility; viewers will experience a sweet familiar smell that isn’t usually experienced in a gallery context as I present this process through the means of a live performance.