Destruction Project

I use to be extremely attached to my work and have had trouble giving it away. The older I get, the easier it is to give away my work. Maybe it is because I have more work than before or because I realize that it deserves a greater life than just sitting in a folder. However, this project did not call for giving away work. It called for destroying it. The thing is, those concepts are not as indifferent as they first seem, as both change your relationship with the piece if release/destruction was not your intent at the start of its creation.

I knew going into this project that I wanted to use the huge black and white charcoal piece I had from the architecture-related project that I did for this class as the base. This is because:
1. huge, meaning I had space to include a lot of work
2. I did not see it having a future being displayed
3. Even though I eventually liked the piece, I did personally care for it
4. I saw a ton of potential in the piece with adding color

In addition to my untitled black and white piece, I wanted to use some of my figure drawing that was hiding away in a folder.

Starting this project, I did not view it so much as destroying work but instead as giving the pieces away to each-other. So, I moved my carpet, pushed back my couch, and threw about a dozen pieces onto the floor. I organized them into sections based on style and removed a half of them, that either I was not ready to "destroy" or were not black and white. I wanted to start the piece off by adding black and white figure drawing to the base and then adding color. The first piece I started cutting never made it into the work but I easily made terms with it, especially since I took pictures of most of the work before cutting. 

I say but always sleepy, but while working on this I reach the perfect amount of sleepiness, that let me move past any inhibitions and follow my instincts.  The first addition was the man with a hat and then I wanted the other man with the same pale-looking skin to touch feet with him. It felt to me like a weird sign of connection. I thought it would be important to use newer pieces as well to challenge my relationship with my own work. So, I cut up my two newest figure drawings. Then cut then up some more. The cutting was inspired by how abstract the background was. I wanted to keep the piece abstract from the start. Furthermore, at this point, I settled on a limited color scheme. Then, I cut up one more piece which included two drawings of a woman. 

It became a natural moving process of college. I just kept arranging the pieces in whichever way felt justified to them and interlacing their essence, as this piece is about connection. I wanted the piece to be eye-catching and intriguing. This led to piece to be able to be interpreted as sexual in nature since "sex sells". I have no problem with this reading, and it when it comes down to it, this piece is an intercourse of art. In some of my pieces I have a set interpretation I prefer the readers to see even if it is not obvious, but at the moment for this one, I don't feel as strongly about the audience's interpretation.

I really enjoyed making this piece. When I first learned about this piece at the start of the semester, I was scared about it and destroying work, but it came at the perfect time when I was ready to take on that challenge. I am more than satisfied with the outcome and feel that these pieces became stronger together.

Yes, I was standing on the couch's arm rest for this picture.