![]() ![]() The choice to use depictions of two lesser-known conflicts, both taking place on the fringes of Europe, draws attention to how the West represents conflict through its media – often-time, to privilege its own agenda. Godjamanian poses the question – how do we respond to images of human suffering that float through news channels and social media in an endless loop? The films capture the cycles of loss, grief and trauma that conflict creates, and forces the viewer to examine how they consume images of human suffering. The first, found footage of a Cypriot woman grieving at the loss of her home following an eviction during the island’s conflict in 1974: the second, a depiction of a house burning from the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in Armenia and Azerbaijan. Godjamanian, a graduate of ECA, is exhibiting two short but haunting films that capture dual scenes of grief. This work also reflects on KO’s experience of moving to Glasgow as a Black woman, evidenced by the saltire flag and neon pink traffic cone held by the smaller figure. The way that the sculpture stands, epic, firm and resolute, channels Simone Leigh’s installation at last year’s Venice Biennale, and its desire to take up space also connects the practices of the two artists. The sculpture itself is colossal, and there is a real sense of the amount of labour that has gone into its construction: a combination of papier mâché, woodwork and textiles. Of all the works on display, the joy and relishing of making is most evident in KO’s practice. The artist’s work demonstrates that imaginative and artistic interventions into such heavy conversations are needed – and that artists can, and should, play a crucial and critical role in deciding what fills our public spaces. Her work satirises these monuments while posing serious questions about why monuments to imperialists and slave traders are still standing – and what (and who) should replace them. The artist’s playful papier mâché and textile constructions feed into current conversations around the relevance of public statues in our civic spaces that depict problematic, colonial-era figures. A large Black figure, hands on hips, towers over the audience below her, a smaller figure rides on horseback, saltire and pink traffic cone in hand, mouth wide in ecstasy. Voila! A $30.00 Homemade Traffic Cone Halloween Costume Idea! The great thing is that I only had to cut one hole in the orange fabric so I can still re-use all of it.Glasgow-based Josie KO’s epic and evocative sculpture Lady in Blue is the immediate star of the show, visible as soon as you climb the stairs to the Academy’s upstairs space. ![]() I also reinforced the connection of the two parts with more safety pins. I tied some shoelaces around the narrow parts of the circle so I could fasten the base to the hula hoop once the black fabric was cut and glued/taped to the base. I had to reinforce the bottom of it with small pieces of wood and sticks so it wouldn’t bend from the weight. I cut and taped the thick poster board pieces I had on hand to form the base around the bottom of the cone. I flipped it inside out and used silver duct tape to tape around the top of the bucket to mimic reflector tape, which, would have been way too expensive for my “budget” costume (I was able to use a 40% off coupon to purchase the tape). I cut a half circle out of the top side of the pail to allow room for my son’s forehead, and, cut a hole in the fabric where his face would show. I safety pinned the sides together from the top of the pail down to the bottom of the hula hoop and left space open for the arms. I had my son place the pail over his head and I draped the fabric over it, inside out, so that the hula hoop bottom hung down evenly. I was able to purchase 3 yards of “safety orange” fleece and 2 yards of black fleece at half price! I fastened the end lengths of the orange fleece to the hula hoop with safety pins. The nearest fabric store with bright orange fabric was 4 hours away! Fortunately, we were heading out that way for a birthday party. The only items I had on hand were the hula hoop for the bottom circle, a beach pail for the top, and hard poster board (from recycling) for the bottom. ![]() ![]() My son, Jordan, had the oddball idea of being a traffic cone this year. As my kids get older I require that they get more creative with their Halloween costume ideas. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |