Reading..

Bayley, S. 2004 - Ugly; The Aesthetics of Everything

Dutten, D. 2009 - Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure and Human Evolution.

Kemp, M & Wallace, C. 2002 - Spectacular Bodies ; The Art and Science of the human body from Leonardo to now.

Kristeva, J 1982 - The Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection

Kutzbach, K & Mueller, M 2007 - The Abject of Desire: The Aestheticiration of the Unaesthetic in Contemporary Literature and Culture.

JUST SOME QUOTES

As advised I have just read Natalie Fife's dissertation - which may I say is very well written and formative.

I stole some of her research - naturally.

"The body is the earth, territory of violent metamorphosis and substitution. We are all in peril of becoming thing. The grotesque gap between our humanity and this thing - the body killed, damaged, wounded is held open by metaphors." (Kutzbach & Mueller, 2007 pg 89)

"The monsterous feminine is a fragmentation of disjointed oppression and feminine self - loathing associated with the female body" (Kristeva, 1982)

"the 'other' as abjection, expelling what we find grotesque, violently through the body. The understanding of 'self' is associated with the ability to separate 'I' from the 'other' and in order to realise true sense of 'self' the borders between 'I' and 'other' must be tested" (Kristeva, 1818)

"Is society ready for an image of the idealised human?" (Bann 1994 & Nietsche & Mencken 2008)

"Abjection challenges the borders of selfhood what we find grotesque defining what is the 'real' other. The abject does not respect the 'self' no the 'other'; it uses the other in order to experiment and test interpretations of the grotesque and the disgusting in order to create distinctive borders between the two." (Kristeva, 1982)

"Disruptive material forces that is operative in the subject and in culture [...] There is a fundamental inherent disruption to abject and that points beyond cultural abjections. Abjects drain the life out of organic systems. Foul things tend to be abject for instance because of its foulness, an abundance of life is rotting from within." (Kutzback & Mueller 2007 pg 11)

Raluca Grada - Emandi

RALUCA GRADA-EMANDI (ABOUT)

Jewellery artist and spatial performance designer Raluca Grada graduated from the Interprofessional Studio at the Architectural Association School of Architecture and received her MA in Goldsmithing, Silversmithing, Metalwork and Jewellery from the Royal College of Art, London.

Her work has been exhibited in the UK, The Netherlands, Italy and Germany.

Raluca works and lives in London.

http://ralucagrada.net/

Works:

4 ACTS JEWELLERY

"The collection describes sequences of meaning in the life of the final piece. Each act represents the slow renunciation of familiar formal interpretations of beauty and value to reveal new poetics within jewellery. It plays with material and immaterial, static and dynamic, jewellery and space using silver as a symbolic neutral material for jewellery."

material: silver
size: undefined

THE 5TH ACT - OF A JEWELL

Ineffable conditions one cannot express in words, for they refer to aspects of existence too abstract to be adequately communicated. Ineffability can be described by what it is not, rather than by what it is.
Capturing glimpses of the ineffable in jewellery necessitates dematerialization, allowing beauty and value to move away from the qualities and expressions given to the material, into a more abstract, intengible realm. The ephemeral appearance of this jewellery inspires the unsettling play of an undefinable possession.

The jewellery is the play of silver dust particles in the air, slowly released from a device hidden behind the ear.
The silver powder adorns the body through its performative appearance and through the temporary forms it creates while accumulating on the body. Its presence as adornment is wrapped in uncertainty, while its value constantly dissipates in the wind leaving the body naked of jewellery. This challenges the issue of possession regarding the ownership of both the ornament and value, triggering fascination within discomfort, highlighting both the necessity of social extravagance and of possessions. This jewellery celebrates the beauty and not the possession, while its value ironically increases by letting go of the value.

FINELY GRAFTED JEWELLERY

Wearing a sample of foreign skin on the natural skin of the body questions the relevance of the material. Highlighting the human skin as a material valuable on its own, apart from the body, raises questions such as: Is it skin? Who's skin? Why dark and fair skin? Is it a reaction of the body which transformed itself into jewellery to respond to our needs?


The owner and the viewer experience the unsettling contradiction between wearing an eccentric piece of jewellery and its overall subtle, quiet look which questions the very existence of any jewellery.

WEARING SKIN, YOUNG SKIN

To illustrate youth, I have played with the contrast between the young skin captured in a necklace shaped jewellery and the older skin of the aged body. The preciousness of the jewellery relies on the indisputable value of youth, being able to replace diamonds in value at a senior age. The focus on material and form seems to fade only to give way to thoughts about our own relation to youth.

material: skin textured silicone

Collection of Menstrual Blood

As always i'm looking for ways to collect my bodily parts safely without causing harm or unnecessary disgust to my housemates.

http://www.mooncup.co.uk/

This mooncup this seems literally mazing just collect menstrual blood during my period.

Proposal

Name:

Megan Frances Baker

E-mail:

Mb96174@students.leeds-art.ac.uk

SUBJECTS OF CONTEXTUAL RESEARCH ALREADY UNDERTAKEN

Level 4:

Advertising / children development / consumerism /

Level 5:

BDSM / psychosexual analysis / exploitation / feminism / sadomasochism

AIM AND/OR OBJECTIVE OF YOUR PROPOSED C.O.P.3 PROJECT

To see why certain objects and substances are seen as disgusting to the public – and if they can be seen as beautiful in artistic contexts such as contemporary jewellery and fashion.

What research needs to be undertaken into the general and specific contexts of your practice?

Research into past and present jewellery art practitioners. Kristeva’s Powers of Horror Menninghaus’ DISGUST Research into natural processes of the body (e.g mucus membranes, sweat glands.) Advertising to inform what is ‘beautiful’ and ‘ugly’ Looking at a feminism point of view how women feel forced to remove things such as body hair etc. Public analysis Research into fashion designers / pieces.

What approach(es) will you take  and what processes, methods, materials and  tools  are to be involved in research into your practice?

Data Collection Feminism In relation to ‘What factors could disrupt your creative practice’ = The reluctance to give bodily fluids / hair/ nails etc. Empirical Investigation

What preparation or investigations do you need to undertake for your creative practice to take place?

Public reaction to my jewellery interviews or Survey (what is disgusting? What is most disgusting? Why is it disgusting? How does it make you feel?) Why are women supposed to be ‘clean’ (Kristeva) Asking modern day women’s views on cleanliness and bodily functions. Comparing and contrasting texts on ‘disgust’ from different time periods. Collecting more bodily products. Research on how to produce more bodily products (how the body works.)

What research do you need to undertake regarding who your creativity is for?

How to write in a feminist context. My work does challenge existing knowledge of jewellery art greatly as there isn’t much wrote on it. My work is for scholars and pupils – people with an interest in jewellery and fashion art / adornment / body art / body products as art / feminism / modern influences e.g advertising and products / gender differences. My ‘tone of voice’ much change to a more intellectual way of speaking, ensuring I understand certain words when speaking. Could collaborate with other people studying the same topics or even show the differences in researching from a male point of view and get a man to do the same experiments as me. (gender differences and gender influence.)

Primary Sources of Information

1.     Explanation: Questionnaire / Survey
Information: Conduct a questionnaire or survey to find out what is classed as disgusting – it will be interesting to include other things to contrast between bodily functions to find out if they are classed as more disgusting. I will include things such as age and gender to find contrasts between them. The most interesting views for me will the ones of the modern woman (ages 18-25.)

2.     Explanation: Interview with fashion or jewellery designer

Information: When Patrick Ian Hartley did an artist talk at Leeds College of Art I asked him if I could send him a few questions to help with my dissertation – he saod yes and to be adamant with the emails because he is busy. I will take the opportunity and email him when | have decided on my questions. I would like to have an insight to what a working artist’s view would be on the abject and disgust. Hartley’s work tiptoes around the subject of BDSM and bondage – his face corsets distort the face into something that would be a consumerists dream but in reality the image is a shocking and revolting sight.

3.     Explanation: Record public spontaneous reactions

I have noticed throughout working with bodily product that people will often comment on the disgusting nature of my projects. I think it would be interesting to take account of these spontaneous outburst – this information will be different to the questionnaire / survey way of research as people have time to think about the questions in a written question, when they are face to face with something disgusting they cannot hold back emotion or feeling.

Secondary Sources of Information
1.	http://www.klimt02.net - A Website that offers space of knowledge information, debates and exchanges inside the context of contemporary jewellery.
2.	On Jewellery; A compendium of international contemporary art jewellery – Liesbeth den Besten “An indiscpensible handbook of international contemporary art jewellery, introducing its tendencies and role from the late 19602 to today within the context of current trends in art and society.”
3.	Disgust; Theory and History of a Strong Sensation – Winfried Mennighaus “Winfried Mennighaus provides a comprehensive account of the significance of this forceful emotion in philosophy, aesthetics, literature, the arts, psychoanalysis and theory of culture from the eighteenth century.
4.	The Anatomy of Disgust - William Miller “Miller details our anxious relation to basic life processes; eating, excreting, fornicating, decaying and dying. But disgust pushes beyond the flesh to vivify the larger social order with the idiom it commandeers from sights, smells, tastes, feels and sounds of fleshly physicality.”
5.	Unexpected Pleasures; Art and Design of Contemporary Jewellery – Susan Cohn Published on the occasion of the Exhibition, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.
6.	Powers of Horror; An Essay on Abjection -(Feminist POV of oppression through cleanliness etc.)

Perceived problems or difficulties:

I will have to ask for the consent of the pupil due to the nature of the materials that are used in my work – I will inform them of what they are touching wher it came from etc. I understand that some of the work can be seen as offensive and I will deal with any criticism in a justified manner. I will be choosing to include anyone under the age of 16 in my studies. To ensure I do not come to any trouble in creating my pieces I will start to collect materials as soon as possible.