Claire Curneen Visual Response

Claire Curneen Visual Response 

I unfortunately I did not get the chance to go to Mission Gallery to view Claire Curneen's work but instead I read the information and viewed the photos of her work on the Misson Gallery website and created my visual response from that.

The sculptures that really caught my eye and gave me an instant idea of something I wanted to photograph were these...

Photo taken from http://www.missiongallery.co.uk/exhibitions/to-this-i-put-my-name/

The main reason that I was drawn to this sculpture is because it reminded me of a photo set that I have wanted to do. I have had this idea for quite a while to draw or paint over a body with different patterns or what ever inspiration I have at the time and then photograph it in different locations like a studio or perhaps inter grate the patterns with a specific location depending on what has been drawn. Seeing this has made me want to do that more. 

Photo taken from http://www.missiongallery.co.uk/exhibitions/to-this-i-put-my-name/

To begin with I wasn't really sure what I was looking at or if I liked it, but after reading some of the information offered on the Mission Gallery website it has been suggested that these sculptures show suffering. I then came back to look at this image and then I realised how much suffering and how relatable this was. When we cry or go through great sadness we fall and find comfort in our hands, something that is always there, two things that will always be there to comfort and in ways look after us. When our face fills up with tears we collapse into our hands. This sculpture shows that. It shows this person has been crying (the blue) and the tears, the misery has been spread across their face. Some blue has sunk through the gaps in the hands showing that there is too much to cope with, too much blue to cope with, too much to cope with causing the blue in the first place.

I found that I could relate to this sculpture really well having a bad few moments of suffering recently, I found myself cradling my face in my hands and smearing my tears across my face and completely soaking my hands and face and it was because I was crying so much dealing with personal suffering.

Photo take from http://ferrincontemporary.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/curneen_Ferrincontemporary_2013_blue..jpg

I wanted to try and recreate a combination of the sculptures so I found a close up image of the pattern of blue and gold that had been painted so I could use it in my own photo.

This is my visual response. I became really involved with the suffering and hands idea that I saw in Claire's work and wanted to do my own story I guess using her sculpture as part of it. My photo is the before moment, before every thing becomes too much. When tears only start to fall so they don't completely overwhelm. Using the drawing desire that I have had and the pattern that she uses I have tried to create something pretty out of a sad thing. I like the obvious blue for sadness and I want to gold to show something pretty.I was trying to make the body look paler to be similar the white body in the photo above but then I ended up having the arms and hands very pale which to me made the blue seem like it was draining the life out this person, and thinking in the terms of depression when a person goes through great suffering and misery, their life does get drained away and their bodies can become pale.

I really enjoyed doing this photo, I love being creative with photos and when I have to be some what artistic with the props or subject that is to be in my photo I'm really happy and considering how much I felt I could relate to the suffering I saw in Claire's work, I like the irony of of how much I enjoyed doing a response to it.