new thematic context

the process of transitioning from masters to phd continues to play heavily on my mind, and its impact on my approach to my entire practice cannot be understated. the whole process takes about 2 months from start to final approval from the research centre at the university. i'm at the very last hurdle and there is, as i've noted in previous posts, a refining and reworking of my general premise.

fortunately, this juncture is the perfect opportunity for such a review of one's work. in the interest of laying out some thoughts to help in my grappling for a clearer thematic expression of my 'project' here's where i'm scrambling:

+ the title of my work, chaos calls, was meant as an evocation of 'nature calls' or 'the call of nature' and how it both calls for us (our attraction to it and our need for its resources) and to us (in the sense that we are the articulated expression of nature, it has 'talked' us into existence). chaos is simply a better description of nature and a way of extricating the true meaning of nature from the limited perceptions of it that are controlled by a historical interpretation of that word - 'nature' - and all the 'old' connotations of the wilderness, the other, and the objective. However, the title has not been well received by the professors at uni and at some level i can see their point. its implication is of something far wider in scope than the actual creative production i am undertaking. that is, the body of artwork that i have produced speaks to a far more refined aspect of nature, or chaos even. where chaos evokes the entirety of nature and, well, everything, my actual art evokes issues of a human interaction with nature. the nature i use in my work is almost always a 'culturalised' nature - nature controlled, manipulated or constructed by human engagement (pot plants, gardens, logs chopped from street trees etc). this is truly the essence of my work and while i may be dealing with a broader overall interpretation of nature, the actual physical manifestation of my ideas in these material creations is definitely dealing more specifically with the human use of 'nature'. 
and so, with a chance to renew my project, in light of the phd upgrade, it would actually serve me better to more clearly refine my thematic approach in that context and to rename my thesis. so far, the strongest thematic idea that comes to mind is something like 'second nature', 'new nature', or a similar expression of the idea that human interaction with nature, often facilitated/mediated through the use of technology, consequently produces a 'new' nature.

review, rethink, reboot

yesterday i went to plead my case for an upgrade of my postgrad - from mfa to phd. a rather nerve-wracking process, but the unexpected positive side of the experience was the chance to collate my art from the last 18 months and review it as a collective body of work. it brought into sharper relief some of the themes running through my work as well as some of the weaknesses with it. of course, the feedback provided by the professors after my presentation also assisted with this process and as a result, i find myself refreshed and reinvigorated. 

 Rhythm Code 2009

Plane of Composition 2010

 HigherBreeds 2010

it was especially interesting to reconsider the conceptual premise i had been assuming was underpinning my work, after some of the feedback. 

where i go from here, will of course depend partly on whether i am granted the opportunity to extend my research into a phd, but i am feeling that i have been granted an opportunity to rethink the underlying impetus of my work. for example, it is more apparent now that i am only dealing with 'nature' in a very cursory sort of way. it feels perhaps more reflective of my practice to argue that i am dealing with networks. networks that incorporate some elements of a mediated nature perhaps, but the treatment of 'nature' in my work is not at the forefront of its operations as much as i had been thinking it was. whether i push it more into this realm, for example by injecting more of a natural focus, i need to reflect on some more. perhaps my interest does in fact lie with networks, and 'nature' is merely an aspect of thinking about networks and it is this approach that is more in-keeping with my creativity.

i do know that this particular body of work has been a very productive period for me and provides me with a jumping off point to aspire to a stronger and more refined creative output. the desire to step up my game and make better work is ever present.