Reworked Proposal for Studio 2

February Updated Proposal for Studio 2 Project – Module 527 

(The Acute Stress Response) 

From this point of my developing project, I believe I have come to a more defined idea to continue with, compared to my initial ideas from October. I have and am continuing the theme of ‘The Acute Stress Response’ and am now totally focusing on it. My project now centres around two main desires I want to fulfil for this work, one being to create a piece or pieces that are relatable, understandable, or enlightening relating to my subject matter. The other focus is to recreate these feeling and experiences and to embody these instincts into a physical matter and form, I’m currently exploring a characterisation of each of the fight or flight responses. I’m continuing this path of my project for a few reasons including finding this subject matter fascinating, I’m thoroughly enjoying my research and experimentation with concepts as well as finding it illuminating.  

Talking first hand to people to understand my subject matter more has created great interest and desire to depict this experience of the human condition. I want to research my subject matter a few ways conceptually, artistically, biologically, and psychologically, I want to look at artists that have dealt with similar concepts as well as research how the acute stress response became known and psychologically how and why it affects us. I’m also interested biologically, about how our mind and body are linked in this regard and how anxiety and the fear response affect our body and maybe include these physical feelings into my artwork somehow.  

I’m currently furthering my research both second hand online and in books as well as planning to note down conversations from firsthand experience. I am also staying true to what I proposed in my last proposal, which was to experiment more with mediums and experiment more in general. Currently I have done a bit of deconstructing and mixed media but mostly I have just discovered and learnt how to dry point print. I’ve only just started but I am very confident and excited by this new technique, I’m planning to book out the print room more, maybe every week or so to experiment more with this method. I might also experiment by combing print techniques or combine them with painting. 

I am currently looking at one artist Jill Mulleady for inspiration as she has done work based on the flight response and has also used printing in her work, I also have been recommended artists from tutors such as Duncan Cameron, Sarah Kane and more whom I plan to research. I’m hoping researching artists more as well as my subject matter will help in combination with my further experimentation to lead me down a finalisation route to come up with an idea for my final piece and installation.  

I’m pretty sure form this standpoint my final artwork will involve multiple pieces, either painting, printing or a combination reflecting either embodied characterisations of the Flight or Fight response or settings/narratives of the experience. 

My current timeline plan is: 

• Next 3 to 4 weeks, Continuing research and continue to experiment with techniques, mediums, compositions and finalise details of concepts. Start planning final installation. 
• Final weeks leading up to end of year exhibition, Completing and finalising work as well as planning how its going to look as an installation.