Category: Contextual Studies

Cut Up Poetry Activities – These are the poems I have generated while doing my responding activities to the book in the palm of your hand by Steve Kowit

Here are the poems I created in response to the cut up writing tasks, this required a magazine and newspaper circling phrases and words, these words are then arranged and developed later. The aim here is to explore individual language and visuals through emotive automatist communication. I used a range of material here, some were old essays I wrote for english class and others were yummy recipes and upsetting articles, I felt this array of material would provide interesting results and I am pleased with the outcomes.

Capitalist wildlife

It was alive! Poaching, human’s territory
footsteps, after a moment of paralysis
traps have been set
they fled. Homes and business, human’s territory?
Humpback salmon. Carry on running! Outrun man!
The traps have been set!
Wouldn’t believe it, would you?
Always
outrun
man

By Faye Tikic

Instructions in December

Defrost if frozen
weeks on, soften
I held my breath, explained. All we could do was wait
time will increase, tie them into a knot
I didn’t dare ask, any of us could have asked for this
remove the giblets
I told her, she replied. Lime rind.
Weeks on, still frozen

By Faye Tikic

A political statement

the powerful hunger
left to starve, struggle
Generated, a dystopian future. Divided, corrupt, sick.
Looks back, nation required!
Think about memory, Cult classic. Reminisce
trace back, V for vendetta
Reality
Orwell! Do you know?
Do you know how much danger we’re in? Orwell!
Looks back, dad was still here
One thinks about memory, war, not so fond.
Parade around, blind, deaf.
Entertainment me.
Stomping booms, do you know how much danger we’re in?
Conclusion, Orwell?

By Faye Tikic

Ransom Note

Just

Just escape your eye
cuddle fiction
make a mystery and solve the links
you are your solutions

By Faye Tikic

Preparing for my class with the yr ones

my class with year one art students is approaching and I feel it would be best to design a range of activities that aim to accumulate the research I require.

Potential activites:

-draw your traits and feelings -abstract ideas these through visual form and colour on paper
-draw yourself as a tree, animal or colour.
-connect words and colours – create an emotional wheel
-continuous line drawing – automatist technique
-use pebbles
-poetry – cut up activities

update 2/12/18

I have decided to postpone this class for my following project as I feel it is important to consider the ethical aspect of this session, I would have liked to portray some of the students within my work as well as directly use their outcomes therefore this could raise a variety of issues such as false portrayl or copy right. This could be resolved by supplying paper work and organising supervision however I don’t have the time at the moment to organise this. To ensure I still gain in depth research around mental health and outsider art I have arranged a similar workshop with two individuals suffering from mental illness.

I felt it was ethical to speak to them in depth about what my activites involve and what I will use the work for so they are aware of what will happen with their results, each individual asked if they could be kept annonymous for personal matters therefore I will ensure all work is kept incognito. I feel it is best to use this material as a source for inspiration and development to avoid complications.

Planning the course

I want my art therapy workshop to involve a variety of processes that will mostly be undertaken in an automatic approach exploring first thoughts and expression through: poetry, drawing, sculpture. This research will provide me with an array of individual outsider art that relates to mental health issues, I have decided to create a questionnaire and inkblot test to futher research here.

Session One – colour wheel and automatic drawing

My first activity will explore what I like to call an emotional colour wheel, here they will attatch particular words to colours and create automatic drawing using the wheel as a emotion key creating visual poetry or colour poems.

Session Two – Cut up poetry

Next we would explore the cut up poetry task, creating writing inspired by Fokkina Mcdonnells poem’s ‘sunday mornings’ and ‘whitby scenes’ as well as a key page of Carl Jung’s book about dream analysis and the unsconcious, I will also ask the individuals to bring any desired text with them to futher their place in the work.

Session Three – Ekphrastic poetry and inkblot test

in this session we would continue writing poetry by responding to artworks with an Ekphrastic poem and then I would conduct an inkblot test with them.

Session Four – Visual Questionnaire and Ceramic Sculptures

visual questionnaire where the individuals outline shapes and images that stand out to them, lastly we would produce some automatic ceramic sculptures.

I will store their findings in my contextual studies folder, divided from the rest as critical primary research.

I have been exploring the book In the palm of your hand: a poets portable workshop by steve kowit, as recommended by Fokkina McDonnel. I have been utilising a range of the workshops as Fokkina explained writing and poetry are fundamental forms of visualization, I am exploring myself and these psychoanalytical processes to gain research and visual results exploring the unconcious and visual language.

I have responded to the cross-out activity here , generating 6 poems by selecting words and phrases in newspapers and magazines without thought while blacking out the rest of the text, the book explains how poet Mark Melnicove utilised this method, playfully presenting his poetry in original form so the reader can view both the poem and initial text.

 

Cross-out Poetry – needed: newspaper, magazine or book and dark sharpie

 

Soldiers

soldiers in the shape of sandbags
war recruits force
silent years mark remembrance
a performance of the bloodiest army
Grim battle. The future never forgotten

by Faye Tikic

 

Carla

Carla stars in the show
your fans, mind you.
I’m a celebrity, said Carla.
Cover gigs, festivals, show biz events
hit snapper didn’t build a male dominated industry
types of fashion have your own ability mode

By Faye Tikic

 

Night-time

Night- Time
water, present.
Architects drawing a positivity blueprint
water, asked to collectively guide our future
now look forward
inform our future

By Faye Tikic

 

Councils made profit

councils made profit
councils increase charge
Monday, Sunday, Monday Saturday
enforcement reinvested

By Faye Tikic

Vibrant world awaits

Vibrant world awaits you
naturally no luggage
no sleep
pampering excitement of a golden ship
taste something

By Faye Tikic

Dramatically, dedicated streets

Dramatically, dedicated, streets
revealed
changes against
sense

By Faye Tikic

Fokkina Mcdonnel

Today I had the pleasure of meeting Fokkina Mcdonnell,  a former psychoanalyst, published writer and award winning poet. This interview generated great insight into the realm of pyschology and psychoanalysis, discussing her profession and life as a poet in relation to my art theory and relevant work. I was intrigued by her practical methods such as employing treatments like EMDR  for people with PTSD and trauma, though I was particularly interested in her work on dream analysis.

As I’ve been exploring surrealism, Breton and Freudian theory, I was pleased to find out Mcdonnel had worked with dream analysis. Fokkina explained how dreams are treated like memories and are understood through symolism connected to the individual – I felt this would be very benefical to my work, I could perhaps begin incorporating my dreams into my automatist practice or apply this concept to my workshop, asking students to explore their imaginations and dreams.

Fokkina was able to suggest a range of helpful activites for my upcoming workshop with year 1 art students, she recommened simple tasks such as drawing themselves as an animal or tree as these activites allow individual expression and self exploration.

Towards the end of our chat, Fokkina provided me with a business card for Acacia Publications and a range of helpful literature. Prior to our meet, Fokkina had printed some poetry and front covers of helpful books to contribute to my workshops. I felt this was such a lovely touch and was grateful that someone such as herself had gone out of her way for my work. I couldn’t thank her enough for the help, this was an experience I will value professionally and personally as it was such a pleasure to meet an award winning poet and personal inspiration.