Final Show

Final Images of work

The Caterpillar

The Mad Hatter

The Queen of Hearts

The Cheshire Cat

The White Rabbit

 

Final Evaluation

At the beginning of the Final major project I was really stuck with what I wanted to do for my idea, I got stressed out by not wanting to limit myself down to much with an idea but also not have it be to broad of a subject. I went for the starting point of Alice in Wonderland as it has been something of a big influence in my life. It is something of a reoccurring subject matter that I have dealt with within my artwork for many years now. I wanted to come back to Alice and create an installation space to transport the viewer into the land of Wonderland. I had the basic concept of wanting to create a space where the viewer would crawl through a tunnel and be presented with the artworks. However, I didn’t have a clue what exactly I could make for the work itself. This was something that I struggled with very personally as it kept giving me panic attacks daily not knowing where my project was going and being unable to get words out of what my concept was. Once I sat down and started researching into Alice things started to pull together. I started by watching six different movie versions of Alice. Each being so similar being that they followed the book but visually so different, each having their own personal spin on things. Alongside watching the films I read through the full book of Alice’s adventures in Wonderland, the sequel Alice through the looking glass, and even the original manuscript for the book Alice’s adventures underground. It was interesting to see how closely the films stuck to the original book, but also how most of them took characters and scenes from the sequel mixing the two books together. Characters like Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee are from the sequel book not the original, yet in nearly every film adaptation these characters appear. As Alice has been a big part of my life, I have a sizable collection of different copies of the books. I spent some time going through all of the ones with different illustrations to the most famous of the illustrations (John Tenniel) to see how different illustrators interpreted Alice and the other characters.

For the next step in my project I did some character association and wrote down what jumps into my mind when I think of the six main characters I chose. This helped me get ideas flowing about what I could actually make for each individual piece. First off to enter the piece the viewer would be required to crawl through a tunnel, representing the trip down the rabbit hole. This would consist of two hula hoops and some fabric sewn together. I considered lining the inner walls of the tunnel with something to represent the furniture and other items Alice sees on her fall. My first idea for the pieces was for the Cheshire Cat. I wanted to create a piece consisting of lots of alginate casts of mouths all strung together. I had seen an alginate cast done of a mouth by a fellow student and I really liked the way it looked, capturing every detail to the smile. However later on through a discussion with a friend about this idea, they suggested that I make some fake teeth instead of the casts as it may look a bit rough. I liked this idea but decided instead of making teeth I would search EBay to see what kind of teeth they had, real or fake I wasn’t bothered as both would be creepy. I found some realistic looking acrylic teeth and ordered them. I wanted to create a grin with too many teeth, adding an unsettling vibe to the piece. I was unsure at the time whether this would be the grin on its own, or attached to a soft toy of a cat.

The second idea I had for a piece was for the Queen of hearts. What I find ironic about the Queen is that being that she is the Queen of Hearts she should be associated with love. However due to her cruel and angry nature. I came up with the idea to use discarded valentine’s day gifts from charity shops. These objects have a sort of sad irony to them as they are bought out of affection and to say ‘I love you’ however once these objects are thrown away to charity shops or wherever that sentiment is gone, the item is underappreciated or that love is completely over. I had the material I wanted to use, yet I didn’t know what I wanted to do with the items themselves to make the queen. I considered making a 2D canvas like one of my previous works this year, or making a dress out of them for a mannequin or making the entire human form out of the teddies. The next piece I worked on my idea for was The White Rabbit, for the rabbit I wanted to make a rabbits head from mod roc and cover it in some of the real rabbit fur I had left over from my ‘Unorthodox’ project. However, I didn’t have much light colours fur left so I would need to find a way to bleach or colour the fur myself. Next up was The Mad Hatter, I wanted to create a figure buried under all sorts of different hats, as if the hatter himself has been buried under the hats he has created. For the final character I would make The Caterpillar, I had the idea to create the caterpillar out of vape tanks as the character is seen smoking a Hookah pipe in the original book and most adaptations, to me I see the vape pens as a modern day equivalent to smoking a hookah. However, this was something that would be hard to source as the pens are fairly expensive to buy and to get enough it would be pricey, so I would need to find peoples old broken ones to use. As I was unsure if I would be able to source enough of them I had a backup idea of creating the caterpillar out of many shoes and spray-painting them blue. I really wasn’t sold on this idea as I really wanted to do the Vape pen idea but it would be hard to source enough. You may realise that in all of these character ideas I never mention Alice, that is because I feel that as the books are ‘Alice’s adventures in wonderland’ I wanted it to be the viewer’s adventures in wonderland so I didn’t feel it was necessary to create Alice as essentially I am turning the viewer into Alice.

To begin the making process, I started with the White Rabbits head as that one was the cheapest to make, it also helped that it was the one with a shape I could go off of. I started with a ball of newspaper and build up layers of mod roc, squeezing it to shape as it dried I repeated this process with the ears too, once fully dry I got some fake white fur and glued it all over the head. I had wanted to use real fur, but I didn’t have and light fur, it wouldn’t have got here in time ordering some more and through research I discovered that bleaching it could damage the fur so I made the decision that it was too risky. I attached red teddy bear eyes as it is stated in the book that the rabbit has pink eyes. The next character I started was The Caterpillar, for the shape I got a blue sock and stuffed it with fluff.  I found out you can buy the vape tanks for only one pound in cheap shops so I was able to acquire enough of them to make the piece I wanted. I glued the tanks all the way up the body of the caterpillar, I used vape pen batteries as legs and to balance the piece upright. Next came the Cheshire Cat, I found a toy cat in a cheap shop, I decided that I would test the teeth on a cuddly toy and if it didn’t work right I could always get more teeth and try again. I made a big grin out of the teeth on the mouth of the cat, I then filled in the grin with extra teeth to make it more disconcerting and uncomfortable to look at. I feel that this piece ended up working well so I decided I would keep it. The Queen of Hearts came next, I felt that the mannequin was better suited to my ideas so I went with it, finding a cheap mannequin I found an old dress of mine that I had kept for sentimental reasons for my previous relationship, however since that relationship is over I felt nothing for destroying the dress and in a way it went well with the rest of my materials. I hot glued the valentine’s day teddies too the dress, cutting them into pieces to make them go further.

The next step I took in my project was to make the tunnel for the entrance to my installation, I was intending to make it out of two hula hoops and some fabric, however during a group crit one of my peers told me they had a children’s tunnel they were getting rid of that is designed for a bed so it was rather large. They brought it in and it was perfect for the job. It just needed a few adjustments to make it work in the space, I had considered changing the fabric of the tunnel so it looked earthier, however due to it being a child’s tunnel I liked that element as a lot of my work often reflects childhood. Going back to the caterpillar I wanted to make him a mushroom to sit upon like in the books. Using one of the hats I had gathered for the hatter piece I found that the caterpillar sat perfectly on the top of it, and it had a mushroom like shape to it, using some plastic pots to make the stem I had the basic shape for the mushroom. I covered the pots in paper then in empty cigarette cases to follow on the theme of smoking. For the head of the mushroom I again used the empty cigarette cases to build the slits on the underneath of a mushroom, for the top I used empty cigarette boxes. For the mad hatter I decided it best to make an underneath shape for the hats to be glued onto to easily achieve the human form. I had in previous years seen plaster casts being made of a full body. Wearing old clothes and a swim cap I got into position while a plaster soaked bed sheet was draped over me. More buckets of plaster were poured over me and left to dry between layers for nearly a whole hour. This was such a surreal experience to be trapped in one position under warm and heavy plaster for an hour. Once it was fully dry and I was able to be released from the cast, I found I actually really liked the piece as it was and felt the hats getting glued all over would have totally ruined it. Instead I decided I would scatter the hats around the base of the figure, to still have that hatter element.

Once all the pieces where complete I then moved onto my installation space, I needed to cover the walls with something to transform the viewer from the college space. I had considered painting onto canvas but I’m not a confident painter and I didn’t even know what I could paint. This led me to deciding upon using fabric as a wall hanging to change the space. I chose three different fabrics that to me looked like Victorian wallpapers. They also all are a shade of green to add that Wonderland nature element to it. This really tied the whole room together and complimented the pieces well. I now need to work on the door and the flooring in the space, however that wont be done until just before the show.

As my project stands almost 100% complete I am thrilled with the outcome of the installation. Each piece captured the personalities of the story characters well. I feel with the walls being changed and crawling through the tunnel the viewers will feel that sense of Wonderland and that they have been transported to another realm.

Idea Development – The backdrop

Once i had been given the space where my installation would be for the final show, i needed to work on the setting for the room. I was going to paint backdrops onto some canvas stapled to the walls, i even got as far as to hanging up a whole wall of canvas. However, i hadn’t a clue what i would actually paint. Im not the strongest of painters and didn’t want the backdrop to end up ruining all the pieces i had made. But the space needed something as the white walls wouldn’t transport the viewers into Wonderland. I settled on buying fabric as it was the quickest and easiest route. I also feel that it would look better in the long run for the installation. I chose fabrics that looked almost like victorian wallpapers as they felt best suited for the job. Using a wooden stick the height of the walls, with the aid of my Dad we cut lengths of the fabrics. We then went around with a staple gun attaching the lengths to the wall. Instead of stapling the whole fabric we let it drape down, only attaching it to the top. Giving the fabric some natural folds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We covered the walls in three different fabrics. I feel the fabrics worked well with each other as they are all similar in colour. They really helped transform the space. Before the show i need to work on the door and the flooring next as they stand out a bit too much in the space. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As i had been given a room, as apposed to a space i no longer needed to worry about creating a curtain. The room i have chosen has a doorway without a door. The tunnel fits perfectly into the doorway. Using some of the fabric from the walls i covered the remainder of the doorway above the tunnel so that you can’t see into the space until you enter it. In the room there is also a second door that can be used as an alternative for people unable to crawl through the tunnel, as well as serving as an exit to the installation.

Idea Development – The mad hatter

For the underneath shape of the mad hatter i wanted to create a plaster cast of a human form to better get the shape of a human out of the hats. I had seen a student’s final piece consist of such a plaster cast in previous years so knew a technique was possible. To make the cast you need a person, a sheet and some plaster. Wearing old clothing and a swimming cap i decided i would be the model for the cast. I sat down in the position i wanted the figure to be in, while the old bed sheet i had bought was being soaked in plaster. The sheet was then draped over me and positioned correctly making sure that you could see that it was a figure but also leaving me enough room to breath underneath.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A bucked of PVA glue and plaster was then mixed up. The PVA was added to the plaster to increase the elasticity of the plaster so that it wouldn’t crack too much. This bucked was then poured over the top of me and the sheet as there wasn’t enough plaster covering the whole sheet already. This layer of plaster was then left dry fully to see if it was hard enough or if it needed more

 

 

 

 

 

 

When this layer was fully dry it wasn’t quite strong enough in quite a few places. So two more buckets of PVA and plaster where mixed up and poured over me. Again this layer was left to fully dry. once dry it was finally hard enough, A few people helped to peel the plaster that was sticking me  to the sheet off and then the cast was lifted off me and i crawled out. The cast remained without me inside of it is so much better than i expected it to be. I feel that my original plan for gluing the hats all over it will ruin the piece. so i need to rethink what i will do with the hats, as it still needs that hatter element to it, i am currently thinking that i will place the hats around the bast of the figure so that it still looks like the hatter is madly woking on these hats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being cast under a sheet for nearly a whole hour was such a surreal experience. The calm glow of light coming through the sheet, and the warm heat from the plaster. Being completely unable to move any body part for that length of time was painful. for something that could have been quite an alarming thing for some people, i found it almost peaceful (minus the pins and needles) to be stuck for such a long amount of time, where time seemed to pass by quicker than it did. 10 real minutes seemed to only be 2 minutes to me.

 

Once i got the backdrop for my installation room complete i was able to move the cast into the space and remove it from the dirty sheet. I then scattered the hats i had collected around the base of the figure. I am happy with the outcome of this piece and feels that it is extremely creepy and ghost-like.

Idea Development – The mushroom

I needed to make the mushroom for the Caterpillar to sit upon. To make the mushroom i began by taking a piece of paper and marking out how big the caterpillar was as the top of the mushroom needed to be big enough to fit the caterpillar. I was then going to build the shape out of newspaper and mod roc much like the Rabbit head. However when i was busy with this i noticed one of the hats i had for my mad hatter piece looked very close to a mushroom shape already. I tested the caterpillar on it and it fit perfectly. The next step i needed to figure out was the stalk of the mushroom, i was thinking i was going to have to use wood or something similar, when i then noticed these empty pots. They fit perfectly into the hat and there was stacks of them that i could use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took a small stack of them and pulled off their handles. Then using a glue gun i attached a few of them all together. I put the hat on top of the stack to check if i was happy with the height of the mushroom. I then rolled it in the paper i had originally started using as to not waste it. The paper helped to cover the ridges of the pots giving me a flat, even surface to work on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once the pots were rolled in the paper they made the perfect shape for the stalk of the mushroom. Using empty cigarette cases i created a alternating pattern all the way around the whole stalk. The reason i used cigarettes is to make it fit in with the Vape tank caterpillar as it is a form of smoking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the underneath of the mushroom head i wanted to add more of the empty cigarette cases to it to create the look of ‘gills’ of a real mushroom. I tried 3 different patterns with the cigarettes. i decided that the one with the filter ends sticking out at the end looked best, so i went around with a glue gun sticking them around with small gaps in between to add some shading to each side. I think this worked well and helped it look like a real mushroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

To finish off the top of the mushroom i first cut up the packaging from the vape pens as they had labels on them stating that the product contained nicotine, i haphazardly glued these on all over. I then got all the empty cigarette packages i had gathered and spaced them out around the hat. I left the centre of the hat empty as this is where the caterpillar will be sitting so it needed to be left as a flat surface. With the top of the mushroom complete i only needed to glue it onto the stem i had previously made. I am pleased with the outcome of the mushroom as it fits the caterpillar well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Idea Development – The tunnel

As stated in my initial idea for the tunnel my intention was to make it using two hula hoops and some fabric. I got as far as to buying the two hula hoops but during a group critique one of my peers told me they had a kids bed tunnel they were throwing out that i could have. As it was made to go onto a bed it is a fair size, and would probably do the job. When they brought it in for me i saw that it was perfect, however since it was designed for a bed without being attached to it, it layed flat. I took it to the workshop and Johnny suggested that it should be screwed onto two wooden lats and that would solve the issue. As it was designed to be attached to a bed it already had the holes for the screws so it was a quick and simple job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am happy with how the tunnel turned out in the end and it works so much better than the two hula hoops ever would have. Next i need to decide if i will change the look of the fabric, this could be achieved by stitching new fabric onto it, or painting it. However at the current time i am considering to just leave it as i like the childish element it brings to the piece.

Reading the books

Along side watching all the movie adaptations of Alice that i own, i read both ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ and ‘Alice Through the Looking Glass and what Alice found there’ so that i could better understand where the movies had gotten their inspiration for the films and to see how closely they kept the the actual storyline of the original book. As well as reading these i read ‘Alice’s Adventures Underground’ the original manuscript of the story. Sent to Alice Liddell, the inspiration behind Alice, as a Christmas present off Lewis Carrol who made the story up for her and her sisters one summers day when she was a child. The book is written in Lewis Carroll’s handwriting and has his own hand drawn illustrations. It was interesting to see how different the story originally was to the version we all know today. Characters like the mad hatter and cheshire can’t aren’t even in the original story at all.

Lewis Carroll’s illustration of Alice in the story

Lewis Carroll’s drawing of Alice Liddell

Idea Development – The Caterpillar

To start the caterpillar piece i looked at pictures of caterpillars to get an idea of what shape they actually are. After this research i decided that the easiest way to achieve the shape of a caterpillar was to use a sock, i chose a blue sock as in the book the caterpillar is described as being blue.

” … her eyes immediately met those of a large blue caterpillar.”

Using teddy bear stuffing i stuffed the sock till it was the desired size that i wanted. I then also stuffed some wire on the inside to give it a bit of movability so i could pose it how i wanted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I then stitched up the end of the sock, this became the face end of the caterpillar. I used the natural shape of the sock as it was fairly close to the actual shape of a caterpillar. I found out i could buy the vape tank and batteries from various cheap shops so i was able to source enough of them easily to make the piece. It took a lot more of them than i thought it would so i had to take multiple trips to the shops to buy more each time. i stuck them on in rows to make use of the space and to try to fill it a bit quicker. I used the Vape pen batteries to make the legs of the caterpillar aiding in it standing up on its own. I had one old used tank that i was given that was a lot bigger than the ones i bought, this was perfect to glue on as the face and i feel it adds character to the caterpillar.

Idea Development – Cheshire Cat

After a discussion with a friend of mine about my idea for the Cheshire Cat piece they suggested that i could make some plastic teeth rather than using the plaster moulds as it might not quite look right. This got me looking at fake teeth on Ebay, i found out that you can find realistic looking teeth for fairly cheap. This gave me the idea to create a grin with too many teeth. I think this would be a creepier piece than what the plaster moulds could make. so i decided i would buy these and give it a test out, if i didn’t like it i could still always go back to my mould idea.  I am unsure on whether or not the grin will be just a grin suspended in the air, or if i will attach them to a soft toy of a cat.

I ended up deciding on getting a soft toy cat and attaching the teeth to it for the piece as i like having that childhood element to my work and this best worked for the work. I bought a toy cat from a cheap shop, it wasn’t quite what i was looking for at first but after making the piece i think it actually works really well. I stated by using two of the bigger teeth to make the front teeth and build the grin shape stemming from there. Using a glue gun to stick them on one by one. I then filled in the middle of the grin with extra teeth to add that creepy element with their being more teeth than a mouth should initially have.