Category: My Work

Link, Zelda, and the Totalitarian State

Alright, not really. Zelda’s not present. I just made this post (first post of many like these) to feature some of the articles I have been reading to bring me closer to a concrete idea. That is, if I can stop myself from stirring the concrete before it sets. Might not be a terrible thing however — like most things, this little thing is transient.

Article/blogpost by Jennifer Linton with an alternative, societal definition of ero guro nansensu, taken in the context of counterculture rebellion.

Sketches, Development and Shiny New Books

JPEG image-2FFB065C4E52-1

Progress is made. I got a new book/reference, and found new direction and key words to look up.

new doc 6

Looking into the theme of ero-guro or ero-guro nansensu (erotic grotesque nonsense), a rebellion of grotesque imagery exploring the fragmentation of the body in Japan of the 1930s. I expanded the fragmentation of the society with its instability and purported that the body was an extension of this fragmentation, broken up in reflection of the political and economic turmoil. Looking to the works of Michael Reedy for examples of anatomical fragmentation, and The Sick Rose for examples of renaissance medical illustration, I hope to be able to make progress in this direction and to explore a narrative possibly surrounding the sick, the healed and the resurrected.

Below are selected sketches:

IMG_9957

Idea III:Ero guro and Japanese Setsuwa

Overview/Abstract

This (experimental) project has to do with a previous work for URECA surrounding mythology as well as previous research in the field of Japanese erotic-grotesque (ero-guro-nansensu) With a special focus on grotesque representations in Japanese tales, this work hopes to shed light on the contexts and reasons behind Setsuwa tales.

Aesthetic Approach

  • Illustrative
  • Dotwork and linework
  • Typewriter
  • One color, Black and white
  • Watercolor and hard lines (Aubrey Beardsley)
  • Ukiyo-e effect
  • Fabric Application

Content

  • The Grotesque and Disembodied in Setsuwa tales
    • Setsuwa Tales: Setsuwa means “spoken story”. As one of the vaguest forms of literature, setsuwa is believed to have been passed down or presented in the form of narrations. Setsuwa are based foremost on oral tradition and existed primarily as folktales or in other non-written forms before being recorded and committed to text. However, some writers question whether all setsuwa tales were originally oral tradition, or only mostly so. Although there are no formal rules regarding what constitutes setsuwa as a genre, stories in the setsuwa style “have in common brevity; an uncomplicated plot unfolded in plain, direct language; character delineation through dialogue and action rather than through description and psychological analysis; and a predilection for amusing, starting, dramatic, or marvelous subject matter.”[attribution needed]

Setsuwa vary quite considerably in topic, but can be divided into two main groups: general and Buddhist. Buddhist setsuwa often contain themes of karmic retribution or miracles, while the content of “general” setsuwa is largely either secular in nature or focused on traditional Japanese religion and spirituality such as Shintoism.

Many setsuwa collections were compiled during the Heian and Kamakura periods (8th-12th centuries, 12th-14th centuries). These collections were often assembled by Buddhist monks, but the authorship of many such works is still unknown or heavily debated.

Keywords/ themes

  • Narrative, graphic storytelling, lore, mythology, history, japanese culture

Proposed mediums/methods of research

  • Journals
  • Zines
  • Books
  • Art books
  • Fabric pattern design

Artist/writer references

  • Ambiguous Bodies: Reading the Grotesque in Japanese Setsuwa Tales, by Michelle Osterfeld Li
  • Makoto Aida
  • NOBUYOSHI ARAKI

Idea Sheet and Early Development

 

Idea I

Overview/Abstract

The project aims to propose an alternative way of looking at the way our bodies work, reversing the way bodily reactions to viruses or certain illnesses maybe referred to as deformations instead of adaptations. The project will also explore the abjection of bodily fluids, looking to turn their compositions into patterns.

Aesthetic Approach

  • Illustrative
  • Anatomical
  • Dotwork and linework
  • Aged
  • Typewriter

Keywords/ themes

  • Abjection, illness, anatomy, transformation, body horror

Proposed mediums/methods of research

  • Medical Illustration
  • Codexes
  • Bestiaries

Idea II

Overview/Abstract

This (experimental) project has to do with documentation and a personal habit of journaling. Combining poetry and drawing, this project proposes an insight into the narrative of constant creation.

Aesthetic Approach

  • Illustrative
  • Dotwork and linework
  • Typewriter
  • One color, Black and white
  • Watercolor and hard lines

Content

  • Stream of consciousness
  • Stories
  • Fragmentation
  • Narrative

Keywords/ themes

  • Narrative, graphic storytelling, diaries, journals, found items, libraries, stories, poems, words, experiences, personal, memory

Proposed mediums/methods of research

  • Journals
  • Zines

Artist/writer references

  • Anais Nin