chiharu shiota

Earth and Blood (Video Still) 6 Channel Video Installation

Earth and Blood (Video still) 6 Channel Video Installation

Earth and Blood (Video Still) 6 Channel Video Installation

Chiharu Shiota throughout the years has experimented with different delicate materials creating installations, which I have found influential, as she uses delicacy within her work to portray sensitive subjects. In "Earth and Blood" Video still installation, Shiota portrays sensitivity, using fluidity to capture emotions. The colour pallet is dull and blood like suggestive anger and sadness. This reflects Shiota contemplation within her life exploring her relationship with her body, as she had a miscarriage. This arises the subject of pregnancy, which relates to my concepts but I want to capture an essence of fluidity within my  work which could reflect natural organic substances within the human body and earth. These captured series stills all have a correlation as they are located in Earth, which is a natural substance, reflecting the natural life cycle. Each material looks fleshy, suggestive to the inside of our bodies perhaps Shiota was contemplating the functions of the human body.

I would like to experiment with similar materials and a earthy atmosphere, to capture an organic surrounding which could reflect amniotic fluid, as it is a natural substance itself. 

"Untitled" Performance photographs,

Iceland

"Untitled" Performance photographs,

Iceland

These performance photographs, I was unable to locate any depth of meaning, but I feel it highlights a sense of sadness and anger, in contemplation of freedom, a release from pain. The knitting is suggestive as a blanket, surrounding the figure protecting the subject. The colour pallet is fleshy and bold reflecting a honest subject, projecting the subjects insides.The location of a scenery creates a calm and subtle atmosphere. The wind has captured the knitting creating a notion of gestural movement, almost swaying which creates a sense of fluidity.

The knitting intertwines with the human body, almost being a part of subject, camouflaging as it could be a gesture of life, blood moving around the body. 

I want to capture a essence of the development of life within my work, reflecting the fetus growing and developing, highlighting a strong element of protection and organic media to emphasize my concept. 

My Stomachache (Video work on Performance)

I was still unable to find depth of detail within the subject, but I feel this reflects her conceptual interest, portraying a sense of sadness due to her loss in a miscarriage. This subject symbolizes Shiotas stomach, which is portrayed surrounded by fluid, an emptiness which reflects sadness. The stomach is almost presented translucency suggesting the fragility and delicacy of the subject. The fluid may perhaps preserve the stomach, almost protecting it, therefore fluid which be suggestive to protection within the human body.

Dialogue with Absence

Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art, Kagawa

Current Exhibition, Walsall, UK

17 January - 30 March 2014

I feel Shiota has portray a sense of the life cycle within her installation, as it captures the notion of blood, highlightings circulations within the human body, an essence of veins suggestive to life or a matter of death. The blood is pure and repetitive perhaps reflecting heart beats. 

Having explored Chiharu Shiotas work in depth, I have researched Shiota uses thread symbolically to represent human relations, intertwining the connection, highlighting relationships through complication to broken. I feel this could highlight the relationship between the fetus and the natural human amniotic body form which intensifies a sense of protection.  Shiota weaves materials creating a disoritenting cocoons, which is highlights an element of protection as cocoons are almost peaceful and calming.

I felt it was appropriate to explore the definition of cocoon, it is described as a silky case spun by the larvae of many insects for protection as pupae, a covering that prevents the corrosion of metal equipment, envelop in a protective or comforting way and spray with a protective coating.