Eduardo Kac website
Eduardo Kac's GFP Bunny
Adam Zaretsky
Monday, 3 May 2010
Sandy Skoglund
Sandy Skoglund website
"Spirituality in the Flesh"
Sandy Skoglund’s Spirituality in the Flesh, created for Artforum
magazine in February 1992, shows a photograph of a mannequin as she sits on a stool. She wears a sleeveless blue dress and has a blonde wig on, the whole portrait, at first glance, looks just like a stereotypical commercial portrait photograph. However, when looked at closer we start to notice some oddities about the image, her skin isn’t smooth and shiny as it should be if it were a plastic mannequin, and it is of the same material as the stool, floor and walls. It is only with further inspection that we begin to notice that the material the mannequin and other objects are made from is of raw ground beef. We find this image repulsive and shocking, however the sight of a raw beef burger does not have an effect upon us at all. I feel that this is because we are shown for what the human really is, raw flesh and meat. Sandy Skoglund wrote a six line text to accompany the image: “The body is buried in animal flesh. A russet field of ground beef surrounds folds of blue velvet. It is the hour before decomposition begins. The glowing, moist field will turn dark and crusty, as the oxygen molecules in the room begin to invade the bits of fat and muscle. Yet the appearance of the torn tissue is far from the violence that made it. Its colour is not bloody; the stench is gone. A muted calm overwhelms the grim evidence. Although the event is over, we see it still. Death is arrested as the enemy approaches-and it is a photograph
"Spirituality in the Flesh"
Sandy Skoglund’s Spirituality in the Flesh, created for Artforum
magazine in February 1992, shows a photograph of a mannequin as she sits on a stool. She wears a sleeveless blue dress and has a blonde wig on, the whole portrait, at first glance, looks just like a stereotypical commercial portrait photograph. However, when looked at closer we start to notice some oddities about the image, her skin isn’t smooth and shiny as it should be if it were a plastic mannequin, and it is of the same material as the stool, floor and walls. It is only with further inspection that we begin to notice that the material the mannequin and other objects are made from is of raw ground beef. We find this image repulsive and shocking, however the sight of a raw beef burger does not have an effect upon us at all. I feel that this is because we are shown for what the human really is, raw flesh and meat. Sandy Skoglund wrote a six line text to accompany the image: “The body is buried in animal flesh. A russet field of ground beef surrounds folds of blue velvet. It is the hour before decomposition begins. The glowing, moist field will turn dark and crusty, as the oxygen molecules in the room begin to invade the bits of fat and muscle. Yet the appearance of the torn tissue is far from the violence that made it. Its colour is not bloody; the stench is gone. A muted calm overwhelms the grim evidence. Although the event is over, we see it still. Death is arrested as the enemy approaches-and it is a photograph
update
Haven't posted on here in far too long so this is likely to be a fairly lengthy post.
I have been looking at other ways of getting across what I want to say, as using a human with a mask didn't seem to work well, the mask was deemed too scary and evil looking so people were unable to sympathise with it. Instead I've bought some cuddly toys off ebay and plan to use them in some way. We think of children and innocence when toys are mentioned, and cuddly toys especially are made to look cute, so it would be more repulsive when we are visually attracted to the object or it evokes personal feelings within us. I have tried different uses with the toys, including creating a mock slaughter, stuffing with meat, cooking them. I'm not sure whether to use one as an sculpture or keep it to photography.
I am also creating another stop motion animation (if i don't run out of time to finish) of a red man and a pig. I wanted the man to be red as I am wanting it to represent his flesh and blood.
Last thing I'm doing is things with meat, bought a couple of packs of mince, and along with stuffing the cuddly toys I sculpted a face and cooked it in the oven, taking photos of the process. Not the prettiest thing I've ever seen!
I think my whole point I'm trying to get across in all the pieces I'm doing is that we should give the animals we eat a little more respect, and while we raise them for slaughter, treat them well and give them the life they deserve. When it comes down to it we are flesh and blood just like them, the only difference is we have superior intelliegence and I wouldn't always say that is a good thing considering the mess we as a race make of things.
I emailed another abattoir a while ago after the one in Inverurie never got back to me. This one was in Portlethen and unfortunately decided to ignore me as well, figured it was best to give up on that idea, someone really doesn't want me to see animals die.
I decided to use three folders to keep my reasearch in, one for why I should eat me, one for why I shouldn't and one for artists and miscellaneous articles. I'm hoping this will help define my research better and help me to even out each arguement.
I have been looking at other ways of getting across what I want to say, as using a human with a mask didn't seem to work well, the mask was deemed too scary and evil looking so people were unable to sympathise with it. Instead I've bought some cuddly toys off ebay and plan to use them in some way. We think of children and innocence when toys are mentioned, and cuddly toys especially are made to look cute, so it would be more repulsive when we are visually attracted to the object or it evokes personal feelings within us. I have tried different uses with the toys, including creating a mock slaughter, stuffing with meat, cooking them. I'm not sure whether to use one as an sculpture or keep it to photography.
I am also creating another stop motion animation (if i don't run out of time to finish) of a red man and a pig. I wanted the man to be red as I am wanting it to represent his flesh and blood.
Last thing I'm doing is things with meat, bought a couple of packs of mince, and along with stuffing the cuddly toys I sculpted a face and cooked it in the oven, taking photos of the process. Not the prettiest thing I've ever seen!
I think my whole point I'm trying to get across in all the pieces I'm doing is that we should give the animals we eat a little more respect, and while we raise them for slaughter, treat them well and give them the life they deserve. When it comes down to it we are flesh and blood just like them, the only difference is we have superior intelliegence and I wouldn't always say that is a good thing considering the mess we as a race make of things.
I emailed another abattoir a while ago after the one in Inverurie never got back to me. This one was in Portlethen and unfortunately decided to ignore me as well, figured it was best to give up on that idea, someone really doesn't want me to see animals die.
I decided to use three folders to keep my reasearch in, one for why I should eat me, one for why I shouldn't and one for artists and miscellaneous articles. I'm hoping this will help define my research better and help me to even out each arguement.
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