ASSESSMENT 1:

Digital Art Proposal

‘Lost and Found’

The topic of refugees was one of the first things that came to mind when thinking of ‘Lost and Found’. There is no personal connection with asylum seekers but hearing stories of refugees and seeing what has been happening around the world recently, has struck a cord with me. But the topic of ‘Lost Identities’ has a personal connection with me, particularly when referring to deteriorating illnesses like Alzheimer’s and Dementia. By using both the idea of identities, it links the two words together, and shows that both are involuntary reasons, and both have devastating affects.

There are a few books that really stood out relating to asylum seekers, ‘Tears From Kabul by Michael P. Buckley’, ‘The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis’ and ‘The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini’. All three books illustrate the utter desperation and affliction experienced by refugees, who built up the courage to write about their encounters. Later on throughout the creative process, references to the Refugee Council website may be made, to refer to personal stories of refugees.

Turning sadness and suffering into art has always been an interest of mine. The idea of turning something negative into something beautiful is fascinating; the fact that a piece of art can strike a variety emotions in people depending on their interpretation.  This topic has been a major issue and has been in the spotlight for quite some time now, which is why I feel the pieces I create are suitable, and open for people to either like or dislike.

The artwork will be a series of portraits and a video, demonstrating the affects of war, forcing people to seeking asylum. The artwork will stick to a hyperrealism theme, keeping the sensitivity of the concept alive. The first two pieces will look similar to each other; portraits. They will illustrate the concept of masks and how refugees lose their identity when feeing their country of origin. The third piece will either be another portrait of a mask, or two hands gripping onto each other tightly, further highlighting the concept and demonstrating the struggle to let go when leaving their homes. The final piece will be a video, to tie in all the ideas; that although individuals lose their identity when leaving their papers and all their belongings behind, they will always remain true to themselves, and can never truly ‘lose’ themselves.

Since the focus of this concept is on ‘Lost Identities’, the artist I would like to focus on is a man called William Utermohlen. Alzheimer’s disease is never easy to hear, for anyone. He decided to show the affects of the disease through is art, ‘…before his death in 2007, Utermohlen created a heart-wrenching final series of self-portraits over a roughly 5-year period documenting the gradual decay of his mind due to this crippling disease.’ His work inspired me to create pieces that illustrate the affects of suffering, whether it be Alzheimer’s disease or seeking refuge from a war-torn country. The pieces below give you an idea of just how bad the disease is, and how William slowly lost all idea of his identity.

Who are refugees, 2011, Refugee Council, viewed Monday 21 March, <http://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/fact-sheets/who-are-refugees/refugee-stories/maturs-story/>

ArtFido 2014, Artist with Alzheimer’s draws self portraits for 5 years until he barely remembers his won face, viewed Monday 21 March, <http://www.artfido.com/blog/artist-with-alzheimers-draws-self-portraits-for-5-years-until-he-barely-remember-his-own-face/>