Study Proposal

STUDY PROPOSAL

INSIDE AND OUTSIDE

— VISUALIZING THE PERSONALITY OF PEOPLE AND MATERIALS

RESEARCH QUESTION

With the amazing advancement of the society and the development of the individual, the way people think has undergone profound changes related to the past time.  The definition of happiness and safety is very simple in people’s mind during the bygone days, but that kind of happiness and safety cannot satisfy them in the contemporary society.  As a consequence, they are seeking for more things either physical or psychological to make them feel happy or safe.  They cannot be themselves like they were yesterday.  Eventually, part of them loss themselves under their huge desires that are not always fulfilled, and meanwhile, they are gradually becoming more and more complicated. The complexity can be reflected in people’s personality.  Not only do split personality mental patients have totally different two personalities, actually the normal persons also have two ones, even multiple personalities. 

   

The point that I am exploring will do a great job in evoking people to rethink about themselves and discover their inner thoughts that they always ignore or push aside, so that they can know themselves more deeply and control the personalities properly under different situations.  What’s more, it will exert beneficial impact on seeking the balance between positive and negative personalities in one body for the lost generation.

RESEARCH CONTEXT

My original research bases on a quote “Words are unreliable” by Chinese artist Xu Bing, which is the theme for our first two-week project.  I did the work “You make me feel so safe, Jessica.”  to prove the quote.  From my own perspective, a sentence in different context is totally different. The feeling of safety can be transferred to unsafety, even risk.  Actually, not only do words are unreliable, everything around is also unreliable.  Take the people as an example, sometimes people do things that always goes against the real thoughts of their heart, and then they will confuse why they did that and why the behavior cannot be the same as thoughts on the grounds that people do not really know themselves deeply or they cannot control their behavior with a kind of objective reasoningly look on.

METHODOLOGY

Firstly, my research driven by practice in different studios in Camberwell College of Arts, and I will make full use of the resources that are available in school, like Letter Press, Print Making, Digital and 3D Workshop.  Before doing that, I will do some research and analysis on different materials at home due to the fact that the material, like human being, have different features in different situations. Secondly, it is universally acknowledged that London is an international art and design centre and the city is distinctively attractive, so I will visit exhibitions as more as possible regarding to art and design in the UK, especially in London, to expand and complete my design ideas.   Last but not least, the resource in the library is an integral part of my research and it is the major source of theory to support my viewpoint.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Andre, S. (ed) (2006)  Trace:Installation Artspace Cardiff. Bridgend：Poetry Wales Press Ltd.

Berger, J. (1972)  Ways of seeing. London: British Broadcasting Corporation and Penguin Books.

Clarrie, W. & Andrew, W. (ed) (2011)  Barry Flanagan Early Works 1965-1982. London: Tate Publishing.

David, L. (2011)  Narcissus Reflected. Edinburgh: The Fruitmarket Gallery.

Glenn, A. & Jane, P. (ed) (2011)  Postmodernism Style and Subversion, 1970-1990. London: V & A Publishing.

APPENDICES

The story of “You make me feel so safe, Jessica”

Who is Jessica?  In my work, Jessica is changeable.  Different people may have different definition or feeling of safety in the different relationships.  For a mental patient, different kinds of medicine can make him feel safe.  Under this circumstance, Jessica is a kind of medicine… Because of the safety that the medicine brings, his personality was split to two parts, one is himself and another one is Jessica.  Gradually, he fell in love with Jessica… In order to possess the kind of safety forever, he finally killed Jessica.  To love means to destroy, to destroy means to possess.  The death of Jessica makes him feel safe.  Actually, Jessica is himself, which means he killed himself.  The death of Jessica can make that kind of safety to be eternal.