Since the last blog post, I have gone out a few more times, exhibited in the William Johnston Building, and started drafting my initial studies for the final series. This stage of my project is all about creating the optimal imagery and headspace to reflect the duality/diversity of my subject matter.
I got some solid documentation during my first trip to Recess, which I found to be a little underwhelming in comparison to the rave. However, the pool and the variety of celebratory costumes for the “senior bar crawl” lent themselves to a very unique and very FSU experience. This crown was different from the Pots crowd at the Marauda show, and the crowd felt like less of a community and more of a jumble. There is a great view of Doak from the rooftop and lots of Florida State pride throughout, but the music is comprised of sad club remixes of Y2K pop earworms, and most of the experience is trying to keep from falling in the pool. Not my favorite place.
In the previous blog post, I discussed the series I was creating for my Narrative Painting class that had similar subject matter to this thesis. This diptych, Ecstasy Of, utilizes imagery appropriated from the social media pages of popular Tallahassee clubs, and collages them to create chaotic yet euphoric figurative scenes. These paintings were included in a class exhibition titled, Paracosm, in the William Johnston Building’s Gallery (seen in the images attached). I learned a lot from creating these two, especially from seeing them exhibited. I definitely want to maintain the use of glitter and a glossy finish in my honors series, as I really enjoyed their interaction with the gallery lighting. However, despite these works being exhibited for my NarrativePainting class, I feel that they are lacking the key component that I want my honors series to maintain, narrative. The only figures that get considered are the women in the very front, whereas the figures behind them and in the distance become brushstroke as opposed to individual. I am looking to expand the variety of emotions, personalities and experiences demonstrated in the frame, creating a kaleidoscopic view of a very specific subculture.
Because the intention of my series is to speculate about the college experience through the lens of the party scene, I am taking a narrative approach to developing my imagery as well. Drawing from influences such as the ensemble casts of Richard Linklater’s and Robert Altman’s films, to the micro-narratives found in illustrative works such as the Where’s Waldo series, I have been slowly developing vignettes in attempt embody the various personas present at the club on any given night. Exploring the canon of college party films (as questionable and outdated as some of them are) like Animal House, Neighbors, Everybody Wants Some and Spring Breakers has developed my understanding of the frequently drawn-upon visual language of media discussing the college party scene. I feel that layers of interactions, scenarios and emotions will create nuance and contrast that allows for the viewer to play a more active role in the scene. Even exploring the ethos of popular party music has allowed me to get into character in a way, developing more interesting narratives. So, I guess that writing two-sentence stories while dancing to Rihanna is part of my creative process now?
I have also begun creating Photoshop collages and mock-ups for my series, using my many photos to create layered narrative environments. Right now, I am experimenting with the images appearing as obvious collages, with seams and repeated landmarks/figures to mirror the repetitive nature of club music. I will need to make some physical studies to see if this “seams out” effect is effective or jarring. Once I have developed my full series of photoshop collages and ran some physical tests it will be time to paint!
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