When looking at Dali's work I am inspired by the beauty of the imagery but am interested more in his ideas and motivation behind his work. He is known for using a technique called the Paranoiac-critical method, a surrealist technique based in the idea of the brain finding connections between things that rationally are not linked. Dali described the method as "a spontaneous method of irrational knowledge based on the critical and systematic objectivity of the associations and interpretations of delirious phenomena." Surrealists, especially during the height of the movement in the mid-1930's, were interested in the link between theories of psychology and creativity in the production of art. The surrealists at the time hailed Dali's method of accessing the subconscious for greater artistic creativity. Dali was influenced by previous art movements and artists including, Dada, Cubism, Picasso, Joan Miro, and the cutting edge Avant-guarde.
In this work, The Persistence of Memory 1931, the general interpretation of the work is the melting pocket watches are a rejection of the assumption that time is rigid or deterministic.
This is Swans Reflecting Elephants 1937, one of my favorite of his paintings and from his Paranoiac-critical period of work. I couldn't really find an analysis of this work but am interested in the ideas of one thing looking like somethings else and how it is so different but still so similar.
I'm still having trouble nailing down exactly everything I want this project to be, but I suppose being in the middle of the process that's to be expected. I am trying to follow my gut and continue creating work even if it's just in sketch form to communicate everything I want in my final show. I have also continued talking with friends who will collaborate in my final show with me to do lighting, projection, construction of set...etc. I'm curious to see how it will work out if we will be doing a collaborative "night at the Dude" for IP because my show will have a lot of elements that might have to be set up in an intermission. I was hoping that maybe my exhibition could end the night and we could have the intermission to configure my set as is necessary. It's all logistics but I'm continuing to think about it because I know this will all sneak up on me before I know it!
Today I ordered 200 peacock feathers and three larger fiber optic centerpieces. I have ideas in my head of what I will make with them I'm just not sure of what these pieces will mean. I think that maybe I will take the approach as did with the card dress, Luck Be A Lady, and start physically making and wait to see how the project will evolve. If I get too much in my head trying to conceptualize a project too much, I never get anything done, which has seemed to be a bit of a problem with my work this semester. This said, I am feeling more motivated than ever to continue producing strong pieces for my show and am excited to see where the materials take me. I hope to even be able to create more work to show for reviews within the next two weeks. I also talked to a friend of mine who does electrician work as well as lighting and set design and am interested in creating a LED floor for the performance, exhibition, show, to take place on. I really want my exhibition to have that element of spectacle, or let's call it a "wow" factor, as well as certain subtleties that the work will have.
I'm excited, (currently very tired) and am looking forward to having much more time and energy to devote to my IP next semester (I'm only taking 12 credits!)
