Beautiful Paper Hanging Cuts

I recently saw this piece at Top Arts at the NGV. I thought they were absolutely beautiful. The way they hang quite still, moving softly in the air, simply strung by cotton. The shadows they cast on the wall was the most amazing thing. The cuts of the faces and expressions was the most interesting, and so intricate. The artist, however, did not overdo the exhibit. Because each piece is so complex within itself, it works perfectly to just hang the images very simply. The pieces hang so flat, and as they slowly rotate and you see them as 2D pieces, you see their fragility.

I would like to hang my dancing girl because I think that hanging these delicate paper cuts accentuates their fragile nature, and really enhances their qualities as delicate and flimsy paper forms. As I was trying to picture ways to display the dancer (pictured below) I found the best way was to hang her, as she is such a light and airborne form...she is jumping through the air, so it makes sense for her to be strung up on string.

Because I am so happy with the intricate shape of the dancer I decided not to complicate my piece. I have decided to cut out the exact same image many times, but in four different sizes, starting at only a few centimetres. I will hang the smallest pieces at the top, and hang the larger in graduating tiers downwards, and less as they get larger, until there is only one big one at the bottom. Because this shape is so fine, I think that it will be hard to tell what the shape even is when there are many of them hanging together and very small. By doing this I am interested to see the effect of the paper as delicate yet ambiguous shapes.

All of this will be hung in a structure that is reminiscent of a lamp, inspired by my research into paper lanterns.

I hope the dancers will hang delicately and make for an interesting feature.

Hanging Paper

These paper hanging people are a little too stiff for my liking. Paper should hang delicately! Moving slightly with the air...

Paper lanterns

The paper lantern - such a simple shape but so beautiful hanging. I am going to make a more complex design (probably simpler construction) inspired by a paper lantern. Paper is such an interesting way to capture light, and so my design may not function as an actual lantern, but will be reminiscent of one.

SCATTERED

Discovering the scatterbrush tool....speaks for itself. 

Dance some more!

 This dancer was trickier. Her form as an object with depth as in the above photograph is very interesting and detailed. However, when made into a flat shape the form doesn't come out as well because of the way the figure is positioned.

Notice that this shape gives quite a different feel than the photo it is based on. If you were to look at this first you probably would not think of associating it with the original piece. Despite the fact that they are very different, with a different mood...I still think this is an interesting shape. It is not as predictable nor is it a cliche dancer pose. Still full of movement, but somehow more masculine, and could even be fighting rather than dancing...

Dance! Jump!

Papercuts

 As a dancer myself I know the feeling of light and joy that dancing can bring. I am interested in representing this in a silhouette of a dancer. I chose this picture of a dancer because of the way she is jumping so freely through the air, and also because her body forms such an interesting shape. I thought it would work for this exercise.

This is the finished shape after having put the photo through Illustrator. I used the lasso tool in Photoshop first, then proceeded to the shape in Illustrator. I tweaked the outline quite a bit to get the desired shape, and to clarify some of the shapes a bit more.

I like the pixie-like form that has taken shape here. This picture portrays what I set out to.

Colour blind

This is my first piece for uni subject DIS1103. It will be exhibited at Horse Bazaar Gallery in Melbourne on a giant projector.

This triptych is created from three photos I have taken at various points of my travels.

"a little moment of light and joy"
The first photo I took over summer. I love the effects of direct sunlight in photography. I like the movement of the little girl in the picture, she looks carefree and in her own world. It is a little moment of light and joy. We are all beings of light and joy on some level, we just need to believe this and find this within ourselves. This is what this photo means to me.

"reality confusion"
Similarly, the photo on the right features a little girl. This brings the viewer back to the real world with a light thump. The photo is realistic in colour unlike the other, and we can see a more detailed view of her in that moment. The other, in comparison now seems superficial and shallow. The photo on the right is more complex. What is she thinking? Who is she? Where is she from? What was happening in her life when this photo was taken? Questions arise. Life isn't simple. Confusion and hardship gets in the way of our little light-hearted childhood self prancing in the summer sun.

The central photo breaks these opposing yet similar photos up. It is about dreaming and philosophy. It is also lurid like the first.