Rauschenberg - cracks in phone (*)

Charlene, 1954

"One looks forward to a painting finishing itself … because if you have less of the past to carry around, you have more energy for the present. Using, exhibiting, viewing, writing, and talking about it is a positive element in ridding oneself of the picture. And it does justice to the picture that defies this. So that you may not accumulate mass as much as you may accumulate quality." - Robert Rauschenberg in an interview with David Sylvester, 1964.

As I look around the area I'm in, be it classroom, home or walking along a corridor I'm always aware of the objects around me. The things getting put of for rubbish (wires plastic cable in college) palettes of wood (that happen to be everywhere and in many painted colours)  old pieces of wood or anything really that catches my eye I cant help but imagine a purpose for them  Asking the questions of could I use that or would that be good for something... Like a trash tramp I laugh at myself, but at the same time I love digging around old junk.....Junk!

Robert Rauschenberg - Combines - is very literally old finds and junk.....A combination of things found or treasured, nailed glued or painted to make a work...

I love the textures and colours and live this brings out it a work.....Not to mention the questions of what is it or why would you....

For my wear and tear project I feel I'm heading down a similar path.... The cracks in my mobile phone has turned for viewing the object, to photographing, editing, lino cuts, collagraphy, materials collage and painting... to then my old phones themselves broken up to extract further detail.

My mind works best just creating, chance happening lets say......But I'm this time also trying to plan my next move and have some order in my processes....Like thinking of the collagraph and colour, pattern and detailing... Thinking of textures and adding depth to create another level.......

My canvas frame I actual made in the joiner dept I felt was a work of art in itself....A project of love and I couldnt help but be proud of the time I'd taken to create it. Learning in the moment but also creating something I'd use again and again in the future.

Like my first mobile phone of yesterday gave me the beginnings of creating and achieving something new and all I know today. Can you remember sending your first text message? Something we do now as easily and is as expected and easy as breathing itself.

Without a phone the mind begins to panic as we begin to feel lost from the outside world... The cracks within ourselves do indeed begin to show as the fear of been unreachable begins to surface. My own mobile has been broken from the beginning of this brief back in September...The cracks keep spreading out and others appearing while the phone itself while fragile keeps on going.....The camera no longer works and the layers and weakness is apparent. but it works as good as it did for phone calls, internet and messaging. The only thing it does call for is a little bit more care on my behalf.

A little bit like us all I guess... While we all can have cracks that can begin to surface for whatever reason and at anytime, sometimes all it calls for is to be aware of them...... while broken and less shiny as it/we were........ its doesn't always mean our internal parts aren't working well.....I like the many layers and built up area that I can see through the cracks on my phone, leading to the internal memory...... where photos and past and now all meet.

I would like to bring the technology and man made components of the mobile to a canvas.....but to add something of ourselves... as to how i do this I think combining all I've learn, done and intend to do will hopefully help to bring it together.....

I should read and analyse my brief again also to make sure I tick all the boxes as I tend to run in all directions....sometimes getting side tracked...

More Rauschenberg Combines