SusanWeir

Research question

My work is primarily interested in landscape as a reflection on society. I am interested in transforming the boundaries of the visual landscape and exploring the subliminal contradictions and non-literal oppositions that make environments what they are and how this reflects on culture.
I am also interested in the relationship and placement of the figure within or external to the landscape.

Context

I am interested in exploring how digital imagery can be used to depict realism, spacial ambiguities, stillness, different viewpoints, contrasting scales but also naturalism, classical balance and atmosphere.

I am interested in making work with a secular theme, showing real places with real inhabitants, but to make it appear as compelling and precious as religious or palatial art works.

I will look at the Southeast Asian extensive and elaborate base reliefs and murals, (sometimes stretching more than 2,000 feet at a time around temples and palaces), illustrating both warfare and everyday life. Such murals, seen in Thai Temples and Angkor were a rich source of information about every aspect of life in the relative societies. (12th century Cambodia/ Scenes from Hindu legends/Buddhist iconography).

From a European historical context I am interested in the expressive potential of the landscape through the nuances of light and the palettes used by the great masters and the use of narrative in the extraordinarily avante-guard epic landscapes of the gothic era such as Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s Allegory of Good Government in the city and the country, 1338-39, 2.4×14m (8×46ft)

From a current contemporary art practice perspective I am looking at artists such as Michael Blum, Valery Koshlyaker, Dean Sameslima Dirk Skreber and Juan Araujos all of whom create carefully intercepted works of controlled information about the environment around us.

Methodology

Use of photographic imagery and video.
Research into culture, history and politics.
Studying compositional elements, narrative and use of colour and light in historical landscape paintings.
Finished pieces of work would likely be in the form of video, stills or photography.

Resources

Mac, Digital Camera, Digital Video Camera, Photoshop CS, Final Cut Pro, Logic Express, Books etc.