What am I trying to do?

So far, throughout these lectures and tutorials I have been drawing to assist my theoretical understanding of drawing philosophy and what it really means.  I have been concentrating on the understanding of the facts of representation verses expression, abstraction and performance, and also personal embodiment in my work. I have been using a range of processes to produce drawings in relation to these aspects.

Using my previous style of drawing in more  of a representational drawing and stretching my own understanding of my style and pushing my confidence with these new drawings that I would not usually create. I drew different versions of representation and expression  next to each other in comparison in a way that I understood the theory of Collingwood.

Practicing performance and use of materials in an unconventional way is another boundary I have been pushing throughout my drawings. This in terms of using bleach as an unconventional way. Bleach is something that is very hard to control and not always a known outcome occurs. Not drawing with a pencil or pen asks whenever anything else is really a drawing.  Another way I have been adopting this theory is by drawing without looking. This links in with the expression vs. representation aspect. By looking we are only seeing not feeling. Here is were the embodiment relates as I have also been involving myself through my drawings by feeling the materials and using my hands to make the marks and also my feelings, involving my actual mind and thoughts processing this into drawings.

Throughout all this I feel I need to create a hypothesis for my work to build upon –

Are there really certain types of drawing or does it all come under one category?  How can we really define a drawing? How far can this definition be stretched? 

Dissertation Prep

I have sort of finalized my choice of research for my dissertation. It is a rough proposal on the world and its cultures including a textile twist. It is following on from my previous posts that Britain, or should I say more England has a lack in identity in the textile area. Why do other countries seem to have a stronger identity with the subject? Thinking about my background and where I come from England; do I have a culture? What is the English culture? Why is the textile identity missing?

Generally thinking about artists and designers that have been British and have had an influence of textiles and the country off the top of my head I come up with William Morris but there was no true identity to England there. Even design movements such as Art Nouveau and Deco were influenced by other countries which in my opinion were mostly linked with France. England seems to have more of a regional identity through textiles with  different areas of the country relating to embroidery and quilting. More Folk art.

So much for the United Kingdom?

My possible question/hypothesis – Why is there cultural identity deficiency in textiles for Britain compared to other countries?

Key words associated:

Identity

Culture

Representation

Expression

Pride

Strength

Weakness

Tradition

Textiles