1. What do you understand by the word 'claymation'?
It is a process of animation that works with clay figures that are moved and captured by stop-motion photography to produce a short film and a realistic look.
A form of stop-motion animation that uses actual clay figures which are molded into different positions for each frame.
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2. What is meant by the term 'surrealistic Garden of Eden'? and 'all that is natural goes awry'?
The terms ‘surrealistic Garden of Eden’ and ‘all that is natural goes awry’ is a metaphorical method of describing Djurberg’s unusual and bizarre works. She created a piece of work especially for The 53rd Venice Biennial’s Own Pavilion in the Giardini, it is “a strange room called ‘Experimentet’ with monstrous plastic flowers and a Claymation film projection. It is very dark and the video presents an absurd Garden of Eden” (Lambert, n.d)
Her monster-like flowers and the surrealistic Garden of Eden are specifically sculpted and made to give a unrealistic and unnatural image, to create a sense of an eerie feeling towards her viewers.
3. What are the 'complexity of emotions' that Djurberg confronts us with?
Djurberg’s stories all seem to show characters that are peaceful and serene but slowly changes into unsettling and disturbing characters. The sudden change of the storyline leaves her viewers disturbed and alarmed towards the grotesque scenes.
Flowers from the Experimentet confronts viewers with emotions in a ghastly and creative way, emotions such as violence, cruelty and violation are also evident in her work.
4. How does Djurberg play with the ideas of children's stories, and innocence in some of her work?
Djurberg’s stories often relate to folktales that mainly include traditional themes and roles such as “the good, the bad and the kind helper.”(Ryberg, 2005)
Her films also feature a range of magical scenes of humans flying, trees being able to walk and animal characters that are able to talk to humans. The ideas she communicates through her work tell stories and cover topics such as war, violence, sexuality, sadism, and the darker side of the human soul. She combines clay figures with traditional tales to hide her ideas and trick viewers to thinking that it is nothing but a typical childish work.
5. There is a current fascination by some designers with turning the innocent and sweet into something disturbing. Why do you think this has come about?
Viewers automatically associate the idea of ‘Innocent and Sweet’ to a childlike theme, free from terror and death. Turning ‘Innocent and Sweet’ into a more mature and disturbing scene would create stir and chaos, leaving viewers shocked and disgust. This would eventually turn into an issue, which will attract more attention and media towards the designer(s) who is/are responsible for this effect. Looking at it more from a positive
note, the fascination over this theme can also be an advantage for some designers, for they can create and produce art works and/or a trend which may result as a beneficial outcome.
6. In your opinion, why do you think Djurberg's work is so interesting that it was chosen for the
Djurberg’s plasticine figures in Experimentet features bodies that are merged together showing the madness of eroticism in a form of art, it is the issues human struggle, “the acts of sex and violence.”(Simonson, 2009)
She created her work by carefully sculpting eerie human-sized flowers, known as the ‘surrealist Garden of Eden’ and clay figures that were animated into a short film. The theme of the exhibit was Making Worlds, “the phrase “making worlds”: “making” implies putting things together, cohering, structuring, while “worlds” implies a multiplicity of discrete parts, diffusion, discontinuity.”(Simonson, 2009)
Personally, I find Djurberg’s works very interesting, her ideas communicates to viewers and clearly relates her work to the themes of human reality.
7. Add some of your own personal comments on her work.
I found Djurberg’s work very interesting to analyze and research, it’s different in somewhat a unique way, although at the same time, disturbing and strange. With all the ideas, emotions and messages combined together in her works, she has me drawn to her art.
References:
Claymation, (n.d.) Retrieved July 21st, 2010, from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Claymation
Lambert, U.G.(n.d) The 53rd Venice Biennial's Own Pavilion in the Giardini. Retrieved July 20th, 2010, from http://premierartscene.com/magazine/biennales-own-pavilion/
I like how you explained the underlying concepts in Djurberg's works - the darker side of human nature.
ReplyDeleteI think she has done a very good job at gift wrapping the sadistic or dark examples of human curiosity, and presenting it in a way that makes the viewer as comfortable as one can be while they watch something as odd as some of her story lines. I believe if she didn't fuse these dark stories with the light, innocent image of claymation figures to keep the balance, her works would be looked at much differently and she'd probably be chained to a bed in a mental hospital somewhere.
Nathalie Djurberg's works are quit interesting and Claymations is a fresh type of arts that can attract viewers' emotion effectively and directly.
ReplyDeleteHer work can be a representative of Surrealism arts.I really like the sense that she gave to us especially in the work "surrealistic Garden of Eden".
Just like your point that "Garden of Eden are specifically sculpted and made to give a unrealistic and unnatural image, to create a sense of an eerie feeling towards her viewers.
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The whole idea of sweet and innocent turn sour and sinful is a great idea, and how she pointed and showed this fact is very surreal. To me, it opens up to what were also shown in front of the idiot box and how it programs kids and even us to this day on how we see things in this world, to pointing out what is good and bad through examples like big bird in comparison to oscar the grouch. Her work also kind of shows about hyper-reality.
ReplyDeletei found alot of her work quite weird and wacky but that idea/theme that is coming across is interesting "innocence and sinful" she could have created many different pieces of artwork behind this theme but in my personal option i dont really like her work. darren makes a good point about what influences that t.v can have over us
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if you also found that it was absurd that such a method of film; Claymation, would be used to portray a corrupt and R rated storyline. I felt that the two don't collaborate well. It is something that Children would be attracted to watching, but parents wouldn't or shouldnt allow. however i found it an interesting aspect of her work, and although i question the film techniques use, i understand that the kwirkyness does attract a wide range of viwers.
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