Digital Images related to silk screen project

Silk Screen

Drawings for Silk Screen

Silk Screen

Our new project is a silk screen based brief looking at the theme of protest. After much research i decided to look at the necessity of protest in modern society and how people  in my own country seems to have forgotten the importance of this.

My work is a  response to Ireland's recent economic recession and the apparent reluctance of the nation towards protest or demonstrations. This reluctance is in direct contrast to the nation’s cultural heritage as the pioneers of revolutionary protest methods such as the 1913 lockouts and innovators of peaceful consumer activism such as the act of boycotting.  Pride in ourselves as a nation, working class ideals and our wiliness to make our voices heard were the driving forces behind such innovate and organised demonstrations. We can see a striking polarity with these acts within our society today. We are all willing to speak to each other on the subject of our discontent yet there are very little of us willing to make our voices heard in the form of protest, walkouts or boycotting. In my research I am inquiring if our nation’s cultural identity and therefore our nations pride is diminishing.

The symbol of the stag is a traditional symbol of Irish pride. In this work the use of the stag was used to represent not just the diminishment of this nations pride but also, as the stag was once the image imprinted on the Punt, as a symbol of the decline of our economy. This is also the case with the image of the stags skull married with the Gaelic word for pride ‘Bród’  The news headlines are from various national newspapers which relate to my topic of investigation which we as a nation seem to ignore daily. This work is the first in a series in which I will continue to investigate.

TURING

Charcoal and pencil drawings of Alan Turing

Alan Turing - Drawing and Digital

A few images based on drawings of the pioneer of the modern computer, Alan Turing.

Briefly put Turing was an English mathematical genius who famously cracked the Nazi enigma machine codes and in turn wrote unbreakable codes for the Allies during WWII. He pioneered computer programming and is believed to have been among the first to formulate the idea of Artificial Intelligence.
Soon after the war he was persecuted because of his homosexuality.He was convicted  in the U.K. for "Homosexual Conduct" in 1952. He was forced to endure chemical castration as a "treatment" which, as a known side effect, led to him to have extreme bouts of depression. Two years after his conviction Turing apparently committed suicide by taking two bites from an apple which was dipped in cyanide.(this has been rumored to be the inspiration for the Apple Industries logo)
Turing, despite being awarded an OBE for his wartime work, was obviously not appreciated in his time . My previous investigations led me to look at AI which led me to research Turing. In my investigation i couldn't help but wonder, if there ever is a true A.I. how would it view someone like Turing? Would he be just a step in AI evolution or would he, as the father of computer programs, be viewed as a sort of demi god?

Intaglio and Aqua Tint

Artist Statement.

This is my Statement for the Intaglio Prints Project.

I have always had a personal interest in the advancing technology of today and how humanity is leaning towards utter dependence on machines, artificial devices and computers over the past century. I have always found it fascinating how quickly humanity on a whole adapts to what are massive leaps in technology. (i.e. the internet as we know it has been in existence for little over a decade yet most people take it for granted, as if has always been here) 

 Over the course of my research in these areas I came to notice a pseudo cult pattern emerging for multimedia computerized devises, media devices such as I phone and social media outlets such as Facebook. These have come to develop in recent years all the necessary foundations for a major religion. Foundations such as power over the masses, some pretty strict rules and some seriously fanatical devoted users. 

I begin to document and create imagery from  this fervor and devotion with its striking similarities with major world religions,  I looked back to the 15th and 16th century Catholic church (then at the height of its Christian power). In this research I found striking similarities between Michelangelo’s floor plans for the evolution of the Vatican and plans for a structure being constructed in the U.S.A. designed by Apple founder Steve Jobs before he passed away. This building, when completed, is intended to be the mother hub and world center for Apple Industries 

I created imagery that juxtaposed floor plans of the Vatican, the center of Christian power with the plans for this Apple hub which will be the center for Apples power with other imagery such as the founding algorithm for the birth of Facebook and the first blueprints of the i phone. Through my research into the devotion at this time I was reminded of the work of the artist Stelarc. His work with robotic and social media epitomized the core of my investigation particularly his most famous works  having an internet connected artificial ear implanted in his arm, and microphones attached to his inner chest to pick up his heartbeat to be listened to by anyone with an internet connection at any time. Stelarc’s arms equipped with ear and heart with microphones are shown in my work. 

Patrick Dundon

Stelarc

Stelarc is an Australian performance artist who epitomizes the devotion and worship of technology for my line of research. Stelarc has experimented with various cybernetic, 3D programmes and surgical technology's in his work. He has built himself a robotic "Third Arm" , a cybernetic "Spider Suit" and has even had a surgically grafted "Third Ear" attached to his arm which will eventually be installed with a microphone that anyone with an internet connection could listen into at any time.

Reasearch

Through my research into the pseudo cult status of media devices such as I phone and Facebook i came across the blueprints for what will be the world center for Apple Industries which was designed by Steve Jobs himself before he passed away. When i came across these images i was struck by the similarity with the floor plans of old churches and places of worship. So i looked up images of floor plans from the era of the height of the catholic religion and began drawing images which juxtaposed elements of both. I thought this resounded greatly to my investigation, showing the similar foundations of  devotees centers at ground level .

Blueprints for Apple Industries Internation Center.

Various Renaissance Church Floor Plans.

2nd Year Printmaking and Contemporary Practices

Far too long since i posted anything on this blog! So i got into Printmaking and Contemporary Practices (PCP) at the end of last year!! Our first project was on News, Media and Story's in which we had to use the acid etch, intaglio and aqua tint processes. 

After much research i homed into what area i wished to investigate within the brief we were given, I wished to look into the area of ever growing human dependence on technology and the devotion to various devices (ie. I phone, social media)

Color mono print

Reprinted some prints from my first plate and used some color to ontemporary the light and create a different atmosphere, really happ with how this turned out!!

New mono print

A very quick intaglio and mono i did of a man reading a paper surrounded by graffiti on a subway.

One day project wood cut