Exploring	
  the	
  Hoard:	
  Constructing	
  New	
  Maps	
  of	
  Understanding	
  	
  
	
  
	
  
Monique	
  Motut-­‐Firth	
  
	
  
BA,	
  University	
  of	
  British	
  Columbia,	
  2003	
  
BFA,	
  Emily	
  Carr	
  University	
  of	
  Art	
  and	
  Design,	
  2010	
  
	
  
	
  

A	
  THESIS	
  ESSAY	
  SUBMITTED	
  IN	
  PARTIAL	
  FULFILLMENT	
  OF	
  THE	
  	
  
REQUIREMENTS	
  FOR	
  THE	
  DEGREE	
  OF	
  	
  
	
  
	
  

	
  
	
  

	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  

MASTER	
  OF	
  APPLIED	
  ARTS	
  
	
  
in	
  
	
  
Visual	
  Arts	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
EMILY	
  CARR	
  UNIVERSITY	
  OF	
  ART	
  +	
  DESIGN	
  
	
  
2015	
  
	
  
©Monique	
  Motut-­‐Firth,	
  2015	
  

ii
	
  
	
  

ABSTRACT	
  
	
  

How	
  do	
  images	
  and	
  diagrams	
  inform	
  cultural	
  identity	
  and	
  the	
  navigation	
  of	
  social	
  space?	
  This	
  is	
  a	
  core	
  
question	
  motivating	
  my	
  art	
  practice.	
  
	
  
To	
  produce	
  my	
  artwork,	
  I	
  glean	
  images	
  and	
  texts	
  from	
  magazine	
  collections,	
  which	
  I	
  deconstruct	
  and	
  
reconfigure	
  into	
  new	
  iconographies.	
  My	
  goal	
  in	
  this	
  process	
  is	
  to	
  simultaneously	
  destabilize	
  
knowledge	
  systems	
  that	
  pretend	
  to	
  obscure	
  uncertainty,	
  even	
  while	
  hinting	
  at	
  possible	
  new	
  
understandings.	
  Building	
  on	
  the	
  history	
  of	
  collage	
  as	
  a	
  critical	
  strategy,	
  I	
  explore	
  the	
  role	
  of	
  technical	
  
images	
  in	
  identity	
  formation,	
  knowledge	
  production,	
  and	
  expressions	
  of	
  power	
  and	
  authority.	
  In	
  this	
  
way,	
  my	
  work	
  maps	
  contextual	
  frameworks	
  that	
  span	
  disparate	
  image	
  cultures	
  and	
  identity	
  systems.	
  
	
  
The	
  ‘hoard’,	
  as	
  a	
  type	
  of	
  collection,	
  is	
  an	
  important	
  space	
  for	
  my	
  practice;	
  I	
  see	
  the	
  hoard	
  as	
  an	
  
archive	
  and	
  active	
  site	
  of	
  social	
  and	
  political	
  possibilities	
  —	
  a	
  physical	
  manifestation	
  of	
  the	
  excess	
  of	
  
capitalist	
  culture.1	
  I	
  mine	
  these	
  archives	
  for	
  veins	
  of	
  source	
  materials,	
  looking	
  for	
  patterns	
  that	
  
emerge	
  through	
  formal	
  aesthetic	
  similarities.	
  Colour	
  and	
  line	
  speak	
  from	
  within	
  images	
  to	
  reveal	
  
possible	
  hybrid	
  visualizations	
  and	
  derive	
  new	
  trajectories	
  of	
  meaning.	
  In	
  this	
  work,	
  I	
  am	
  exorcising	
  my	
  
suspicion	
  of	
  a	
  tendency	
  to	
  slip	
  into	
  a	
  passive	
  viewing	
  position;	
  in	
  this	
  way,	
  my	
  work	
  is	
  calling	
  to	
  (and	
  
being	
  beckoned	
  by)	
  Vilém	
  Flusser’s	
  cautionary	
  writings	
  on	
  the	
  inherent	
  perils	
  of	
  technical	
  images	
  in	
  
mass	
  media.	
  
	
  
My	
  works	
  traverse	
  image	
  and	
  objecthood.	
  I	
  transform	
  print	
  materials	
  into	
  photographs,	
  then	
  into	
  
pixels,	
  and	
  finally	
  to	
  printed-­‐paper	
  structures.	
  In	
  this	
  way	
  I	
  usher	
  meanings	
  from	
  objecthood	
  to	
  image	
  
and	
  back	
  again,	
  questioning	
  visual	
  language	
  along	
  the	
  way.	
  With	
  each	
  work,	
  I	
  engage	
  in	
  a	
  struggle	
  to	
  
decipher	
  and	
  map	
  historical	
  traces	
  of	
  print	
  images.	
  At	
  the	
  same	
  time,	
  I	
  am	
  actively	
  trying	
  to	
  confuse,	
  
question,	
  and	
  re-­‐code	
  visual	
  tropes,	
  questioning	
  the	
  impact	
  of	
  images	
  on	
  identity	
  construction	
  and	
  
broader	
  ontologies.	
  I	
  bury	
  my	
  tracks	
  knee-­‐deep	
  in	
  scrap.	
  	
  

	
  
	
  
	
  
1

In	
  this	
  text,	
  I	
  will	
  refer	
  to	
  the	
  hoard	
  as	
  a	
  metaphor	
  for	
  the	
  overwhelming	
  volume	
  of	
  cultural	
  imagery	
  at	
  large	
  as	
  
well	
  as,	
  a	
  specific	
  collection	
  of	
  print	
  imagery	
  that	
  I	
  see	
  as	
  physical	
  symptom	
  of	
  the	
  pressure	
  of	
  image	
  culture.	
  

iii
	
  
	
  

TABLE	
  OF	
  CONTENTS	
  
	
  

ABSTRACT	
  .....................................................................................................................................	
  ii	
  
	
  
TABLE	
  OF	
  CONTENTS	
  ...................................................................................................................	
  iii	
  
	
  
LIST	
  OF	
  FIGURES	
  ............................................................................................................................	
  iv	
  
	
  
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS	
  .................................................................................................................	
  v	
  
	
  
INTRODUCTION	
  ............................................................................................................................	
  vi	
  
	
  
	
  
1. MATERIALS AND NOTIONS ............................................................................................. 7	
  
	
  
1.1 IMAGES	
  
1.1.1	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  The	
  Pressure	
  of	
  Pictures	
  .........................................................................	
  8	
  
1.1.2	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  Image	
  Consumption	
  ...............................................................................	
  9	
  
	
  
1.2 IDENTITY	
  
1.2.1	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  A	
  Question	
  of	
  Media?	
  ..........................................................................	
  10	
  
1.2.2	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  Imaging	
  the	
  Self	
  ....................................................................................	
  11	
  
	
  
1.3 COLLAGE	
  AS	
  CRITIQUE	
  
1.3.1	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  Semiotics	
  of	
  Collage	
  History	
  .................................................................	
  13	
  
1.3.2	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  Collage	
  and	
  the	
  Digital	
  .........................................................................	
  16	
  
1.3.3	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  The	
  Hoard	
  as	
  Cultural	
  Excess	
  ...............................................................	
  19	
  
	
  
2. BUILDING SCRAP-SYSTEMS	
  ..............................................................................................	
  22	
  
	
  
	
  
2.1	
  CYCLES	
  OF	
  REPRESENTATION	
  
2.1.1	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  Content	
  as	
  a	
  Framework	
  ......................................................................	
  23	
  
2.1.2	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  Allowing	
  the	
  Images	
  to	
  Lead	
  ................................................................	
  26	
  
	
  
	
  
2.2	
  PHYSICALITY	
  OF	
  IMAGES	
  
2.2.1	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  Questions	
  of	
  Dimensionality	
  	
  ...............................................................	
  29	
  
2.2.2	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  Correlations	
  in	
  White	
  Space	
  .................................................................	
  33	
  
	
  
	
  
2.3	
  ANALYZING	
  IMAGE	
  TRACES	
  
2.3.1	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  Images	
  Born	
  of	
  Text	
  .............................................................................	
  36	
  
2.3.2	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  The	
  Diagram:	
  Object	
  of	
  Thought?	
  ........................................................	
  38	
  
	
  
3. CONCLUSIONS: Quilting New Alphabets ..................................................................... 43	
  
	
  
Works	
  Cited	
  	
  ..................................................................................................................	
  46	
  

	
  
	
  

iv
	
  
	
  

LIST	
  OF	
  FIGURES	
  	
  

	
  
Fig.	
  1:	
  Hannah	
  Höch,	
  Zweigesichtig	
  (With	
  Two	
  Faces),	
  1927-­‐30,	
  10.7	
  x	
  16.2	
  cm,	
  photomontage,	
  
Collection	
  Marianne	
  Carlberg.	
  http://www.lalouver.com/html/exhibition.cfm?tExhibition_id=118	
  HH	
  
Zweigesichtig,	
  p.	
  14.	
  
	
  
Fig.	
  2:	
  Martha	
  Rosler.	
  The	
  Gray	
  Drape.	
  2008.	
  40	
  x	
  30”.	
  Mitchell-­‐Innes	
  &	
  Nash.	
  
http://www.miandn.com/exhibitions/martha-­‐rosler_1/works/1/#3,	
  p.	
  16.	
  
	
  
Fig.	
  3:	
  Monique	
  Motut-­‐Firth,	
  East	
  Vancouver	
  Warehouse,	
  2014.	
  Source	
  material.	
  Used	
  with	
  
permission	
  of	
  the	
  owner,	
  p.	
  19.	
  
	
  
Fig.	
  4:	
  Monique	
  Motut-­‐Firth,	
  Papilio	
  figura	
  (Beauty	
  Butterfly),	
  2014.	
  Mixed	
  media	
  collage	
  
photography	
  and	
  paint,	
  sizes	
  variable.	
  Used	
  by	
  permission	
  of	
  the	
  artist,	
  p.	
  23.	
  
	
  
Fig.	
  5:	
  Monique	
  Motut-­‐Firth.	
  Motrum	
  vespa	
  (Motor	
  Wasp),	
  installation	
  view	
  Emily	
  Carr	
  Concourse	
  
Gallery,	
  2014.	
  	
  Mixed	
  media	
  collage	
  and	
  paint,	
  sizes	
  variable.	
  Photo:	
  Amanda	
  Arcuri.	
  Used	
  by	
  
permission	
  of	
  the	
  artist,	
  p.	
  25.	
  
	
  
Fig.	
  6:	
  Monique	
  Motut-­‐Firth.	
  Brayton	
  Single	
  Shaft,	
  2014.	
  22	
  x	
  28”.	
  Di-­‐bond	
  mount	
  inkjet	
  print.	
  Used	
  by	
  
permission	
  of	
  the	
  artist,	
  p.	
  27.	
  	
  
	
  
Fig.	
  7:	
  Monique	
  Motut-­‐Firth.	
  Brayton	
  Single	
  Shaft	
  (detail),	
  2014.	
  22	
  x	
  28”.	
  Di-­‐bond	
  mount	
  inkjet	
  print.	
  
Used	
  by	
  permission	
  of	
  the	
  artist,	
  p.	
  28.	
  	
  
	
  
Fig.	
  8:	
  Steam	
  Flow	
  Automatic,	
  2014.	
  20	
  x	
  26”.	
  Mixed	
  paper	
  collage.	
  Installation	
  view	
  Mitchell	
  Press	
  
Gallery.	
  November	
  2014.	
  Used	
  by	
  permission	
  of	
  the	
  artist,	
  p.	
  31.	
  
	
  
Fig.	
  9:	
  Geoffrey	
  Farmer,	
  Leaves	
  of	
  Grass,	
  2012.	
  Installation	
  view	
  at	
  Neue	
  Galerie	
  Kassel.	
  	
  
http://www.kunstkritikk.no/artikler/documenta-­‐13-­‐i-­‐bilder/,	
  p.	
  32.	
  
	
  
Fig.	
  10:	
  Monique	
  Motut-­‐Firth.	
  Installation	
  view.	
  Mitchell	
  Press	
  Gallery,	
  November	
  2014.	
  Used	
  by	
  
permission	
  of	
  the	
  artist,	
  p.	
  35.	
  
	
  
Fig.	
  11:	
  Monique	
  Motut-­‐Firth.	
  Sliding-­‐cone	
  Clutch	
  to	
  Propeller	
  Shaft,	
  2014.	
  40	
  x	
  52”,	
  mixed	
  paper	
  
collage.	
  Used	
  by	
  permission	
  of	
  the	
  artist,	
  p.	
  37.	
  
	
  
Fig.	
  12:	
  Wangechi	
  Mutu.	
  Primary	
  Syphilitic	
  Ulcers	
  of	
  the	
  Cervix,	
  2005.	
  45.7	
  x	
  32.4	
  cm.	
  Collage	
  on	
  found	
  
medical	
  illustration	
  paper	
  http://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/wangechi_mutu_articles.htm,	
  p.	
  39.	
  
	
  
Fig.	
  13:	
  Monique	
  Motut-­‐Firth.	
  Toys	
  for	
  the	
  Younger	
  you,	
  2014.	
  22	
  x	
  30”.	
  Di-­‐bond	
  mounted	
  inkjet	
  print.	
  
Used	
  by	
  the	
  permission	
  of	
  the	
  artist,	
  p.	
  42.	
  	
  
	
  
Fig.	
  14:	
  Monique	
  Motut-­‐Firth.	
  Untitled,	
  2015.	
  Dimensions	
  unknown.	
  Used	
  by	
  the	
  permission	
  of	
  the	
  
artist,	
  p.45.	
  
	
  

v
	
  
	
  

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:	
  

	
  
	
  
	
  
I	
  wish	
  to	
  thank	
  all	
  of	
  the	
  people,	
  instructors,	
  peers,	
  family	
  and	
  friends	
  that	
  have	
  publicly	
  or	
  privately,	
  
professionally	
  or	
  socially,	
  supported	
  me	
  throughout	
  the	
  duration	
  of	
  this	
  process.	
  For	
  those	
  of	
  you	
  
who	
  have	
  worked	
  with	
  me,	
  provided	
  set-­‐up	
  and	
  take	
  down	
  for	
  me,	
  attended	
  shows	
  with	
  me,	
  donated	
  
material	
  time	
  and	
  energy	
  to	
  me,	
  provided	
  childcare	
  for	
  me,	
  stayed	
  up	
  late	
  nights	
  with	
  me,	
  were	
  
patient	
  with	
  me,	
  paid	
  for	
  me,	
  listened	
  to	
  me,	
  encouraged	
  me,	
  cheered	
  for	
  me,	
  cried	
  with	
  me,	
  drank	
  
with	
  me,	
  laughed	
  with	
  me,	
  fed	
  me,	
  sheltered	
  me,	
  distracted	
  me,	
  travelled	
  with	
  me,	
  inspired	
  me,	
  
challenged	
  me	
  and	
  enlightened	
  me…	
  I	
  will	
  always	
  be	
  indebted.	
  	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  

	
  
INTRODUCTION:	
  	
  
	
  
In	
  the	
  first	
  half	
  of	
  this	
  paper	
  I	
  will	
  introduce	
  the	
  foundational	
  concepts	
  on	
  which	
  my	
  practice	
  
rests.	
  Pulled	
  from	
  the	
  discipline	
  of	
  sociology,	
  my	
  practice	
  artistically	
  explores	
  the	
  complexity	
  of	
  
identity	
  formation	
  in	
  relation	
  to	
  images	
  of	
  consumerism	
  and	
  new	
  media	
  image	
  studies.	
  I	
  will	
  link	
  
my	
  source	
  material	
  (the	
  hoard)	
  to	
  the	
  excessive	
  propagation	
  of	
  consumer	
  images;	
  first	
  critiqued	
  
by	
  Dada	
  artists	
  in	
  the	
  1920’s.	
  I	
  will	
  demonstrate	
  that	
  the	
  techniques	
  of	
  collage	
  and	
  
photomontage	
  have	
  the	
  unique	
  ability	
  to	
  mirror	
  the	
  complexity	
  of	
  our	
  current	
  digital	
  landscape	
  
and	
  therefore	
  provide	
  an	
  excellent	
  tool	
  for	
  the	
  critique	
  of	
  images.	
  	
  
	
  
In	
  the	
  second	
  half	
  of	
  this	
  paper,	
  I	
  will	
  present	
  a	
  series	
  of	
  artworks	
  that	
  together	
  constitute	
  my	
  
thesis.	
  I	
  will	
  begin	
  with	
  earlier	
  works,	
  in	
  which	
  I	
  guided	
  contextually	
  similar	
  images	
  into	
  
predictable	
  shapes.	
  I	
  will	
  then	
  show	
  how,	
  in	
  later	
  works,	
  I	
  have	
  allowed	
  the	
  formal	
  elements	
  of	
  
images	
  to	
  guide	
  me	
  over	
  historical	
  eras	
  and	
  territories,	
  leading	
  to	
  a	
  broader	
  engagement	
  with	
  
image	
  systems.	
  I	
  will	
  explore	
  how	
  my	
  practice	
  both	
  reveals	
  and	
  conceals	
  the	
  tenuous	
  links	
  
between	
  different	
  disciplines	
  of	
  visual	
  knowledge	
  and	
  communication.	
  And	
  I	
  will	
  attempt	
  to	
  
show	
  that	
  my	
  work	
  questions	
  the	
  physical	
  dimension	
  and	
  impact	
  of	
  images	
  and	
  diagrams	
  in	
  the	
  
world,	
  wondering	
  aloud	
  how	
  this	
  relates	
  to	
  the	
  complexity	
  of	
  our	
  digitally	
  imagined	
  identities.	
  	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  

	
  
	
  

7
	
  

1. MATERIALS AND NOTIONS

The	
  following	
  section	
  will	
  introduce	
  several	
  important	
  terms	
  that	
  I	
  use	
  to	
  frame	
  a	
  discussion	
  of	
  
my	
  artwork.	
  These	
  terms	
  are:	
  images,	
  identity,	
  and	
  collage	
  as	
  a	
  critical	
  strategy.	
  Each	
  of	
  these	
  
considerations	
  is	
  broad	
  and	
  complex	
  in	
  its	
  own	
  right,	
  and	
  each	
  has	
  unique	
  histories.	
  It	
  would	
  
therefore	
  be	
  a	
  difficult	
  project	
  to	
  attempt	
  a	
  comprehensive	
  overview;	
  this	
  is	
  not	
  my	
  aim.	
  	
  
Similarly,	
  I	
  do	
  not	
  mean	
  to	
  attempt	
  to	
  isolate	
  these	
  considerations	
  in	
  order	
  to	
  analyze	
  them	
  in	
  
relation	
  to	
  one	
  another.	
  Rather	
  I	
  want	
  to	
  build	
  a	
  dense	
  and	
  textured	
  framework	
  referencing	
  the	
  
complexity	
  of	
  my	
  images,	
  which	
  in	
  turn	
  reflect	
  the	
  frameworks	
  of	
  reference	
  we	
  use	
  to	
  make	
  
sense	
  of	
  visual	
  language.	
  In	
  other	
  words,	
  these	
  principles	
  should	
  be	
  understood	
  to	
  have	
  
overlapped,	
  looped	
  and	
  entangled	
  each	
  other	
  throughout	
  my	
  research.	
  There	
  are	
  multiple	
  
routes	
  through	
  this	
  work,	
  despite	
  the	
  apparent	
  linearity	
  of	
  the	
  paper.	
  

	
  

	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  

	
  

8
	
  

	
  
1.1 IMAGES	
  
	
  
	
  
1.1.1	
  THE	
  PRESSURE	
  OF	
  PICTURES	
  
	
  
Images	
  have	
  been	
  speaking	
  to	
  us	
  for	
  a	
  long	
  time,	
  and	
  they	
  continue	
  to	
  communicate	
  a	
  multitude	
  
of	
  messages.	
  They	
  refuse	
  to	
  stay	
  silent.	
  They	
  have	
  been	
  illustrated,	
  photographed,	
  traced,	
  
imagined	
  and	
  imprinted	
  onto	
  our	
  psyches.	
  The	
  flood	
  of	
  imagery	
  in	
  our	
  digital	
  age	
  has	
  brought	
  a	
  
steady	
  stream	
  of	
  anxiety	
  in	
  media	
  theory,	
  as	
  well	
  as	
  near-­‐panic	
  in	
  popular	
  culture	
  discourse	
  
about	
  the	
  ways	
  in	
  which	
  images	
  appear	
  to	
  be	
  changing	
  our	
  society.	
  Is	
  it	
  possible	
  to	
  step	
  back	
  
and	
  truly	
  see	
  what	
  it	
  is	
  we	
  are	
  looking	
  at?	
  What	
  is	
  it	
  that	
  we	
  are	
  reading	
  into	
  the	
  pictures	
  that	
  
paint	
  our	
  experience	
  of	
  the	
  everyday?	
  My	
  practice	
  sets	
  out	
  to	
  explore	
  the	
  recent	
  past	
  of	
  print	
  
images	
  and	
  stitch	
  together	
  new	
  cultural	
  narratives	
  in	
  what	
  I	
  see	
  as	
  a	
  complex	
  web	
  of	
  
understanding	
  and	
  confusion	
  in	
  the	
  analysis	
  of	
  the	
  pictorial	
  language	
  of	
  technical	
  images,	
  
diagrams	
  and	
  their	
  connections	
  to	
  the	
  objective	
  voice	
  of	
  authority	
  and	
  power.	
  	
  
	
  
The	
  pressure	
  to	
  better	
  understand	
  images	
  and	
  their	
  relationships	
  to	
  power,	
  knowledge	
  and	
  
authority	
  is	
  growing,	
  as	
  we	
  are	
  exposed	
  to	
  an	
  increasingly	
  elaborate	
  feast	
  of	
  digital	
  imagery.	
  In	
  
his	
  influential	
  text	
  Picture	
  Theory,	
  art	
  historian	
  WJT	
  Mitchell	
  writes:	
  “Pictorial	
  representation	
  has	
  
always	
  been	
  with	
  us,	
  it	
  presses	
  inescapably	
  now,	
  and	
  with	
  unprecedented	
  force,	
  on	
  every	
  level	
  
of	
  culture,	
  from	
  the	
  most	
  refined	
  philosophical	
  speculations	
  to	
  the	
  most	
  vulgar	
  productions	
  of	
  
the	
  mass	
  media…the	
  need	
  for	
  a	
  global	
  critique	
  of	
  visual	
  culture	
  seems	
  inescapable”	
  (Mitchell	
  
16).	
  Considering	
  Mitchell’s	
  eloquent	
  description,	
  I	
  sense	
  the	
  incredible	
  scale	
  of	
  the	
  warehouses	
  
of	
  stockpiled	
  print	
  images	
  that	
  I	
  use	
  to	
  make	
  my	
  work	
  as	
  an	
  analogue	
  metaphor	
  for	
  the	
  pressure	
  
that	
  Mitchell	
  associates	
  with	
  visual	
  culture.	
  	
  
	
  
There	
  is	
  a	
  connection	
  between	
  images,	
  power	
  and	
  knowledge	
  (Mitchell	
  24).	
  Who	
  makes	
  
images?	
  Who	
  has	
  the	
  means	
  to	
  project	
  them	
  into	
  the	
  world?	
  These	
  questions	
  have	
  changed	
  
now	
  that	
  digital	
  technologies	
  allow	
  a	
  great	
  majority	
  of	
  us	
  to	
  make	
  and	
  instantaneously	
  
disseminate	
  images	
  worldwide,	
  adding	
  to	
  the	
  visual	
  noise	
  of	
  media	
  advertisers,	
  whose	
  roles	
  are	
  
already	
  well	
  established	
  in	
  image	
  propagation.	
  Considering	
  how	
  images	
  are	
  used	
  by	
  institutions	
  

	
  

9
	
  
of	
  power	
  and	
  authority	
  to	
  manipulate	
  and	
  instruct	
  the	
  public,	
  the	
  pertinent	
  question	
  then	
  
becomes,	
  what	
  are	
  images	
  saying?	
  Which	
  histories	
  of	
  knowledge	
  do	
  they	
  carry	
  within	
  them	
  and	
  
which	
  do	
  they	
  call	
  on	
  in	
  order	
  to	
  be	
  understood?	
  How	
  are	
  families	
  of	
  images	
  connected?	
  Can	
  
familial	
  structures	
  of	
  images	
  be	
  traced	
  throughout	
  time,	
  and	
  will	
  they,	
  in	
  turn,	
  reveal	
  their	
  
connections	
  to	
  the	
  power	
  structures	
  that	
  underpin	
  them?	
  These	
  are	
  the	
  relationships	
  between	
  
images	
  with	
  respect	
  to	
  identity	
  and	
  pictorial	
  language	
  that	
  my	
  practice	
  explores.	
  	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
1.1.2	
  IMAGE	
  CONSUMPTION	
  
	
  
Instead	
  of	
  passively	
  ingesting	
  the	
  images	
  that	
  are	
  generated	
  by	
  the	
  sign	
  system	
  of	
  consumer	
  
culture,	
  I	
  aim	
  to	
  actively	
  engage,	
  track,	
  trace,	
  break,	
  scramble	
  and	
  re-­‐format	
  them,	
  suggesting	
  
new	
  cultural	
  narratives.	
  Theorizing	
  on	
  the	
  aesthetics	
  of	
  semiotics	
  employed	
  in	
  cubism,	
  which	
  
later	
  influenced	
  Dadaist	
  photomontage	
  techniques,	
  author	
  Francis	
  Frascina	
  describes	
  in	
  the	
  
essay	
  “Artistic	
  subcultures:	
  signs	
  and	
  meaning”	
  why	
  subcultures	
  subvert	
  mainstream	
  signs:	
  “The	
  
social	
  experience	
  of	
  members	
  of	
  a	
  subculture	
  is	
  typically	
  contradictory;	
  they	
  are	
  resistant	
  to	
  but	
  
dependent	
  upon	
  a	
  social	
  system	
  which	
  they	
  find	
  inhospitable.	
  In	
  relation	
  to	
  available	
  sign	
  
systems,	
  subcultures	
  typically	
  ‘play	
  games’	
  with	
  them,	
  breaking	
  their	
  rules	
  in	
  various	
  ways.”	
  (175	
  
Frascina).	
  Inspired	
  by	
  this	
  stream	
  of	
  aesthetic	
  and	
  symbolic	
  refiguration	
  my	
  work	
  explores	
  
alternative	
  combinations	
  and	
  compositions	
  of	
  both	
  pictorial	
  and	
  thematic	
  potentials.	
  	
  
Using	
  familiar	
  print	
  imagery	
  to	
  trigger	
  social	
  memories	
  of	
  consumerism	
  and	
  education,	
  I	
  am	
  
attempting	
  to	
  broaden	
  the	
  discourse	
  around	
  how	
  these	
  images	
  have	
  functioned	
  in	
  our	
  recent	
  
past	
  and	
  continue	
  to	
  direct	
  and	
  predict	
  our	
  consumer	
  and	
  societal	
  behaviors.	
  Images	
  influence	
  
the	
  way	
  we	
  see	
  ourselves	
  in	
  relation	
  to	
  others	
  and	
  interact	
  with	
  one	
  another.	
  	
  I	
  aim	
  to	
  
illustrate/map/graph/capture/confuse	
  a	
  glimpse	
  of	
  this	
  social	
  identity,	
  both	
  past	
  and	
  present.	
  	
  
	
  
Sociologists	
  and	
  media	
  theorists	
  alike	
  debate	
  the	
  ways	
  in	
  which	
  images	
  are	
  influencing	
  identity	
  
and	
  vice	
  versa.	
  As	
  passive	
  visual	
  media	
  consumers	
  we	
  rarely	
  question	
  or	
  link	
  together	
  the	
  sleek	
  
pictures	
  of	
  automation	
  and	
  mechanization	
  with	
  the	
  industrial	
  and	
  war-­‐fueled	
  modernist	
  
vocabulary	
  of	
  speed,	
  time	
  and	
  movement.	
  Writer	
  and	
  new	
  media	
  cultural	
  theorist	
  Vilém	
  Flusser	
  

	
  

10
	
  
roundly	
  criticized	
  this	
  type	
  of	
  passive	
  consumption.	
  As	
  he	
  wrote	
  in	
  his	
  influential	
  work	
  Into	
  the	
  
Universe	
  of	
  Technical	
  Images:	
  	
  
	
  
“Everyone	
  is	
  at	
  once	
  a	
  mouth	
  that	
  sucks	
  on	
  the	
  images	
  and	
  an	
  anus	
  that	
  gives	
  the	
  
undigested,	
  sucked	
  thing	
  back	
  to	
  the	
  images…cultural	
  analysis	
  calls	
  this	
  happiness	
  
“mass	
  culture”	
  (Flusser	
  66).	
  	
  
	
  
Flusser	
  suggests	
  that	
  our	
  current	
  state	
  of	
  mass	
  image	
  consumption	
  is	
  overwhelmingly	
  passive	
  
and	
  self-­‐gratifying.	
  He	
  argues	
  that	
  it	
  is	
  not	
  only	
  uncritical,	
  submissive	
  and	
  indulgent,	
  but	
  that	
  it	
  
also	
  creates	
  a	
  condition	
  of	
  isolation.	
  For	
  Flusser,	
  society	
  “drifts	
  into	
  corners,	
  into	
  the	
  lonely	
  
mass…	
  interpersonal	
  bonds,	
  the	
  social	
  tissue,	
  dissolve”.	
  People	
  “belong	
  to	
  no	
  family	
  and	
  identify	
  
with	
  neither	
  nationality	
  nor	
  class”(Flussser	
  63).	
  I	
  find	
  this	
  notion	
  of	
  passive,	
  isolated	
  image	
  
consumption	
  and	
  the	
  simultaneous	
  deterioration	
  of	
  sociopolitical	
  familial	
  connections	
  in	
  the	
  
formation	
  of	
  identity	
  to	
  be	
  uniquely	
  compelling.	
  It	
  is	
  not	
  possible	
  to	
  form	
  a	
  social	
  identity	
  in	
  
isolation;	
  clearly	
  images	
  have	
  an	
  impact	
  on	
  identity.	
  Could	
  the	
  disruption	
  of	
  this	
  passive	
  image	
  
ingestion	
  create	
  a	
  more	
  critical	
  arena	
  within	
  which	
  to	
  consider	
  their	
  influence?	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  

1.2	
  IDENTITY	
  	
  
	
  
	
  
1.2.1	
  A	
  QUESTION	
  OF	
  MEDIA?	
  
	
  
One	
  of	
  the	
  new	
  social	
  conditions	
  of	
  digital	
  cultures	
  is	
  that,	
  as	
  time	
  and	
  distance	
  are	
  collapsed,	
  
we	
  are	
  delivered	
  a	
  seemingly	
  infinite	
  spectrum	
  of	
  identity	
  signifiers	
  (gendered	
  images,	
  brand	
  
identification,	
  socio-­‐economic	
  markers)	
  with	
  increasing	
  velocity.	
  Fed	
  by	
  an	
  exhaustive	
  array	
  of	
  
images,	
  institutions	
  with	
  mixed	
  commercial	
  agendas	
  vie	
  for	
  our	
  attention.	
  How	
  can	
  we	
  
conscientiously	
  engage	
  with	
  this	
  pressing	
  diversity	
  of	
  identity	
  options?	
  	
  Or	
  –	
  more	
  worryingly	
  –	
  
is	
  it	
  possible	
  that	
  we	
  are	
  over-­‐saturated	
  to	
  a	
  point	
  where	
  resistance	
  or	
  critical	
  engagement	
  is	
  
impossible?	
  Sociologist	
  Robert	
  G.	
  Dunn	
  writes	
  extensively	
  on	
  the	
  nuances	
  of	
  commodity	
  culture,	
  

	
  

11
	
  
image	
  systems	
  and	
  their	
  influences	
  on	
  Identity.	
  In	
  his	
  essay	
  “Identity,	
  Commodification	
  and	
  
Consumer	
  Culture”	
  he	
  describes	
  the	
  postmodern	
  sense	
  of	
  self	
  as	
  a	
  “tendency	
  toward	
  
fragmentation	
  and	
  dissolution”	
  (Dunn	
  113).	
  Dunn	
  attributes	
  this	
  to	
  “the	
  vast	
  and	
  rapidly	
  
changing	
  landscape	
  of	
  consumer	
  capitalism	
  and	
  the	
  evolving	
  means	
  of	
  signification	
  constituting	
  
mass	
  culture	
  and	
  the	
  informational	
  society”(Dunn	
  113).	
  It	
  is	
  not	
  only	
  the	
  number	
  of	
  images	
  and	
  
variety	
  of	
  cultural	
  signification	
  of	
  commodities	
  that	
  lend	
  to	
  a	
  fragmentation	
  of	
  the	
  self,	
  but	
  also	
  
the	
  isolation	
  associated	
  with	
  the	
  digital	
  formats	
  in	
  which	
  we	
  receive	
  this	
  information	
  that	
  
accelerates	
  this	
  process.	
  	
  
	
  
Dunn	
  echoes	
  Flusser	
  when	
  he	
  suggests	
  that	
  the	
  “…	
  sources	
  of	
  identity	
  have	
  shifted	
  historically	
  
from	
  the	
  internalization	
  and	
  integrations	
  of	
  social	
  roles	
  to	
  the	
  appropriation	
  of	
  disposable	
  
commodities,	
  images,	
  and	
  techniques,	
  selected	
  and	
  discarded	
  at	
  will	
  from	
  the	
  extensive	
  
repertoire	
  of	
  consumer	
  culture.”	
  (Dunn	
  114).	
  Given	
  that	
  we	
  are	
  bombarded	
  with	
  transient	
  print	
  
and	
  digital	
  images,	
  and	
  that	
  we	
  no	
  longer	
  rely	
  on	
  traditional	
  (although	
  often	
  problematic)	
  
markers	
  of	
  location	
  (familial,	
  religious	
  and	
  cultural	
  points	
  of	
  reference),	
  is	
  it	
  possible	
  to	
  adopt	
  
new	
  ways	
  of	
  thinking	
  about	
  identity	
  formation	
  (in	
  all	
  its	
  multiplicity)	
  as	
  a	
  means	
  of	
  social	
  
engagement	
  and	
  critique?	
  How	
  could	
  new	
  media’s	
  multiplicity	
  be	
  mirrored	
  in	
  an	
  aesthetic	
  and	
  
critical	
  landscape?	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
1.2.2	
  IMAGING	
  THE	
  SELF	
  
	
  
As	
  I	
  have	
  written,	
  my	
  practice	
  is	
  underpinned	
  by	
  several	
  questions	
  surrounding	
  the	
  entangled	
  
role	
  of	
  images	
  in	
  the	
  construction	
  of	
  a	
  social	
  identity,	
  including:	
  the	
  history	
  of	
  print	
  media,	
  
consumerism,	
  Canadian	
  identity,	
  and	
  female	
  subjectivity.	
  Women	
  and	
  gender	
  studies	
  scholar	
  
Donica	
  Belisle	
  has	
  written	
  a	
  detailed	
  account	
  of	
  Canada’s	
  evolution	
  into	
  a	
  nation	
  with	
  one	
  of	
  the	
  
highest	
  global	
  rates	
  of	
  consumption	
  in	
  her	
  text	
  Retail	
  Nation	
  Department	
  Stores	
  and	
  the	
  Making	
  
of	
  Modern	
  Canada.	
  Canada’s	
  lack	
  of	
  a	
  collective	
  history	
  created	
  a	
  unique	
  corporate	
  opportunity:	
  
“Such	
  corporations	
  as	
  Roots,	
  Canadian	
  Tire,	
  Tim	
  Hortons,	
  and	
  Molson’s	
  have	
  offered	
  a	
  capitalist	
  
solution…	
  Inviting	
  customers	
  to	
  identify	
  with	
  their	
  brands	
  and	
  companies,	
  these	
  corporations	
  

	
  

12
	
  
helped	
  create	
  a	
  consumerist	
  Canadian	
  nationalism	
  that	
  sidesteps	
  questions	
  of	
  ethnicity,	
  
language,	
  race,	
  and	
  religion”	
  (Belisle	
  79).	
  Canadian	
  retailers	
  used	
  media	
  images	
  and	
  consumer	
  
promises	
  to	
  unite	
  small	
  groups	
  of	
  isolated	
  and	
  diverse	
  cultural	
  peoples.	
  
	
  
It	
  would	
  be	
  difficult	
  to	
  overestimate	
  the	
  role	
  of	
  consumer	
  images	
  on	
  the	
  formation	
  and	
  
performance	
  of	
  gendered	
  identities;	
  media	
  images	
  both	
  reflect	
  and	
  influence	
  gender.	
  	
  My	
  own	
  
postered	
  adolescent	
  bedroom	
  walls	
  and	
  my	
  late	
  grandmother’s	
  comprehensive	
  collection	
  of	
  
department	
  store	
  catalogues	
  align	
  with	
  this	
  consumerist	
  perception	
  of	
  history	
  and	
  self.	
  
Throughout	
  history,	
  women	
  have	
  been	
  market	
  targets	
  for	
  consumerist	
  images	
  as	
  the	
  primary	
  
household	
  purchasers.	
  In	
  Germany,	
  during	
  the	
  Weimar	
  Republic	
  in	
  the	
  1920’s,	
  social	
  changes	
  for	
  
women	
  were	
  tied	
  to	
  shifting	
  private	
  and	
  professional	
  roles	
  and	
  to	
  the	
  emergence	
  of	
  the	
  mass	
  
media	
  (a	
  cultural	
  shift	
  that	
  has	
  received	
  impressive	
  comment	
  by	
  many	
  artists,	
  not	
  least	
  the	
  
Hannah	
  Höch).	
  As	
  more	
  and	
  more	
  advertising	
  images	
  were	
  aimed	
  at	
  women,	
  “mass	
  culture	
  
became	
  a	
  site	
  for	
  the	
  expression	
  of	
  anxieties,	
  desires,	
  fears,	
  and	
  hopes	
  about	
  women’s	
  rapidly	
  
transforming	
  identities”(Lavin	
  2).	
  This	
  cultural	
  shift	
  transformed	
  most	
  of	
  European	
  and	
  North	
  
American	
  mass	
  media	
  consumer	
  culture	
  and	
  tied	
  it	
  intimately	
  to	
  the	
  performance	
  of	
  gender.	
  
These	
  factors	
  help	
  make	
  collage	
  a	
  viable	
  means	
  for	
  critiquing	
  gendered	
  consumer	
  images	
  as	
  
seen	
  in	
  the	
  work	
  of	
  Hannah	
  Hoch,	
  Martha	
  Rosler	
  and	
  Linder	
  Sterling.	
  	
  
	
  
Through	
  my	
  physical	
  exploration	
  into	
  image	
  culture	
  I	
  am	
  unearthing	
  the	
  typical	
  stereotyping	
  
found	
  in	
  these	
  consumer	
  images.	
  As	
  I	
  re-­‐imagine	
  these	
  families	
  of	
  images	
  I	
  am	
  playing	
  with	
  
recoding	
  the	
  objective	
  voice	
  of	
  authority	
  implicit	
  in	
  technical	
  images,	
  diagrams	
  and	
  commercial	
  
images	
  to	
  confound	
  these	
  traditional	
  image	
  systems.	
  Materially,	
  I	
  am	
  performing	
  an	
  aesthetic	
  
intervention	
  by	
  cutting	
  up	
  popular	
  images	
  and	
  diagrams	
  and	
  re-­‐figuring	
  them	
  into	
  new	
  patterns	
  
of	
  knowing	
  by	
  using	
  my	
  own	
  painterly	
  subjective	
  aesthetic	
  and	
  my	
  training	
  in	
  textile	
  arts	
  
(embroidery,	
  sewing,	
  quilting,	
  knitting	
  and	
  weaving).	
  The	
  fragility	
  and	
  malleability	
  of	
  the	
  paper	
  
and	
  digital	
  images	
  that	
  I	
  am	
  tacking	
  and	
  basting	
  mimic	
  the	
  ease	
  of	
  multi-­‐coloured	
  fabrics	
  and	
  
deny	
  both	
  the	
  strict	
  assurances	
  of	
  the	
  diagram	
  and	
  the	
  rigid	
  materiality	
  of	
  its	
  subject	
  matter:	
  
metals,	
  machine	
  parts,	
  cabinetry,	
  steel	
  girders,	
  rockets,	
  electrical	
  grids,	
  etc…	
  	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  

	
  

13
	
  
	
  

1.2 COLLAGE	
  AS	
  CRITIQUE	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
1.3.1	
  SEMIOTICS	
  AND	
  COLLAGE	
  HISTORY	
  
	
  
Collage	
  as	
  a	
  critical	
  strategy	
  has	
  its	
  history	
  rooted	
  in	
  the	
  work	
  of	
  the	
  Berlin	
  Dada	
  artists	
  of	
  the	
  
1920’s.	
  Matthew	
  Biro,	
  professor	
  of	
  modern	
  and	
  contemporary	
  art	
  and	
  author	
  of	
  The	
  Dada	
  
Cyborg:	
  Visions	
  of	
  the	
  New	
  Human	
  in	
  Weimar	
  Berlin,	
  analyzed	
  the	
  Berlin	
  Dada	
  art	
  motifs	
  and	
  
methods	
  of	
  production.	
  	
  	
  The	
  Dadaists,	
  Biro	
  writes	
  used	
  discarded	
  materials	
  to	
  frame	
  what	
  they	
  
saw	
  as	
  	
  “imagery	
  drawn	
  from	
  everyday	
  life	
  to	
  disclose	
  invisible	
  forces,	
  overarching	
  concepts,	
  and	
  
underlying	
  types…	
  to	
  create	
  historical	
  points	
  of	
  comparison	
  for	
  analyzing	
  the	
  present	
  
moment…”	
  	
  (Biro	
  202).	
  Their	
  initial	
  artistic	
  and	
  politically	
  discursive	
  explorations	
  into	
  media	
  
images	
  using	
  collage	
  and	
  photomontage	
  techniques	
  contributed	
  significantly	
  to	
  our	
  
contemporary	
  understanding	
  of	
  media	
  and	
  image	
  culture	
  (Biro).	
  Biro	
  further	
  isolates	
  the	
  cyborg	
  
as	
  a	
  recurring	
  motif	
  in	
  Dada	
  imagery.	
  He	
  argues	
  that	
  the	
  cyborg	
  acts	
  as	
  a	
  metaphor	
  for	
  the	
  
complexity	
  of	
  new	
  media	
  social	
  consciousness,	
  “…	
  the	
  cyborg	
  frequently	
  appeared	
  in	
  Berlin	
  
Dada	
  art	
  because	
  it	
  could	
  represent	
  a	
  new	
  conception	
  of	
  hybrid	
  or	
  “networked	
  identity”	
  (Biro).	
  
By	
  splicing	
  popular	
  media	
  imagery	
  together	
  into	
  unexpected	
  combinations-­‐	
  or	
  hybrids-­‐	
  Dada	
  
artists	
  could	
  at	
  once	
  comment	
  on	
  the	
  established	
  media	
  driven	
  political	
  culture	
  while	
  offering	
  
new	
  creative	
  and	
  more	
  nuanced	
  speculations.	
  	
  
	
  
For	
  example,	
  Figure	
  1	
  is	
  a	
  photomontage	
  made	
  by	
  Hannah	
  Höch	
  entitled	
  Zweigesichtig	
  (“With	
  
Two	
  Faces”).	
  Here,	
  Höch	
  uses	
  a	
  print	
  image	
  of	
  a	
  common	
  mannequin	
  style	
  that	
  was	
  popular	
  at	
  
the	
  time	
  to	
  display	
  goods	
  to	
  the	
  new	
  generation	
  of	
  Weimar	
  female	
  shoppers.	
  The	
  mannequin	
  
served	
  as	
  a	
  metaphor	
  for	
  the	
  new	
  consumerist	
  role	
  of	
  women:	
  the	
  simplification,	
  automation	
  
and	
  mass-­‐generated	
  mechanizations	
  of	
  the	
  ‘new	
  woman’	
  created	
  and	
  promoted	
  by	
  advertising.	
  
Höch	
  disrupts	
  the	
  ‘logic’	
  of	
  the	
  consumerist	
  link	
  between	
  product	
  and	
  ‘ideal	
  woman’	
  by	
  
combining	
  both	
  the	
  statuesque	
  precision	
  of	
  the	
  mannequin’s	
  face	
  with	
  the	
  profile	
  of	
  a	
  less-­‐
stylized	
  shadow-­‐self	
  reflected	
  in	
  the	
  back	
  of	
  the	
  head	
  (Lavin	
  134-­‐5).	
  	
  
	
  

	
  

	
  

	
  

	
  

	
  

	
  

	
  

	
  

	
  

14
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
[Figure	
  1	
  has	
  been	
  removed	
  due	
  to	
  copy	
  restrictions.	
  The	
  information	
  
removed	
  is	
  a	
  photographic	
  reproduction	
  of	
  Hannah	
  Höch’s	
  
Zweigesichtig	
  (With	
  Two	
  Faces),	
  1927-­‐30.]	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
Fig.	
  1:	
  Hannah	
  Höch,	
  Zweigesichtig	
  (With	
  Two	
  Faces),	
  1927-­‐30,	
  10.7	
  x	
  16.2	
  cm,	
  photomontage,	
  Collection	
  Marianne	
  
Carlberg.	
  http://www.lalouver.com/html/exhibition.cfm?tExhibition_id=118	
  HH	
  Zweigesichtig	
  

	
  
	
  
Höch’s	
  artistic	
  approach	
  involved	
  searching	
  popular	
  imagery	
  for	
  metaphors	
  and	
  visual	
  patterns	
  
that	
  would	
  reveal	
  larger	
  societal	
  systems	
  and	
  connections	
  between	
  power	
  and	
  consumer	
  
culture.	
  It	
  is	
  in	
  this	
  sense	
  that	
  I	
  feel	
  an	
  allegiance	
  with	
  Höch,	
  in	
  my	
  visual	
  research.	
  In	
  this	
  
example,	
  Höch	
  grafts	
  two	
  simple	
  images	
  together	
  to	
  produce	
  a	
  profound	
  political	
  effect.	
  Early	
  
Dada	
  work	
  and	
  the	
  visual	
  culture	
  it	
  critiqued	
  permitted	
  these	
  types	
  of	
  didactic	
  statements,	
  
however,	
  the	
  deluge	
  of	
  digital	
  imagery	
  that	
  defines	
  our	
  current	
  moment	
  demands	
  more	
  
complex	
  and	
  less	
  deterministic	
  considerations	
  in	
  image	
  making	
  and	
  therefore	
  I	
  seek	
  to	
  increase	
  
the	
  visual	
  complexity	
  of	
  my	
  compositions.	
  	
  
	
  
Although	
  I	
  am	
  critical	
  of	
  mass	
  media	
  images,	
  I	
  am	
  not	
  interested	
  in	
  the	
  physical	
  desecration	
  of	
  
my	
  source	
  material	
  as	
  has	
  often	
  been	
  the	
  case	
  in	
  the	
  history	
  of	
  collage.	
  	
  I	
  appreciate	
  the	
  work	
  of	
  
Thomas	
  Hirschhorn,	
  who	
  has	
  nailed,	
  painted,	
  ripped	
  and	
  torn	
  some	
  the	
  images	
  and	
  objects	
  in	
  
his	
  installations.	
  But	
  rather	
  than	
  emulate	
  this	
  sort	
  of	
  disruption,	
  I	
  would	
  like	
  to	
  expand	
  on	
  the	
  
aspects	
  of	
  collage	
  that	
  are	
  evident	
  in	
  Hannah	
  Höch’s	
  use	
  of	
  textile	
  techniques.	
  Höch	
  was	
  
interested	
  in	
  traditional	
  women’s	
  crafts	
  (Biro	
  200)	
  and	
  had	
  expertise	
  with	
  abstract	
  pattern	
  
making	
  (Lavin	
  59)	
  It	
  is	
  with	
  these	
  handcrafted	
  techniques	
  in	
  mind	
  that	
  I	
  draw	
  from	
  Höch’s	
  work.	
  	
  
	
  

	
  

15
	
  
Focusing	
  on	
  the	
  aesthetically	
  formal	
  and	
  abstract	
  qualities	
  of	
  pictorial	
  language	
  allows	
  me	
  to	
  link	
  
contextually	
  diverse	
  and	
  gendered	
  subject	
  matter	
  into	
  surprising	
  new	
  patterns.	
  Just	
  as	
  Höch	
  
used	
  her	
  kitchen	
  knife	
  to	
  carve	
  and	
  critique	
  the	
  photographic	
  representation	
  of	
  our	
  consumerist	
  
world,	
  so	
  I	
  use	
  my	
  sewing	
  scissors	
  to	
  critically	
  snip	
  into	
  our	
  finely	
  woven	
  contemporary	
  image	
  
culture.	
  I	
  aim	
  to	
  critique	
  and	
  subjectively	
  re-­‐consider	
  the	
  objective	
  voice	
  of	
  the	
  scientific,	
  
consumerist,	
  mechanical	
  and	
  the	
  diagrammatic;	
  in	
  this	
  way	
  I	
  am	
  beholden	
  to	
  a	
  history	
  begun	
  
with	
  Hannah	
  Höch’s	
  use	
  of	
  photomontage.	
  
	
  
Another	
  important	
  reference	
  for	
  me	
  is	
  influential	
  American	
  artist	
  Martha	
  Rosler.	
  Her	
  series	
  
Bringing	
  the	
  War	
  Home:	
  House	
  Beautiful,	
  a	
  series	
  of	
  photomontages	
  from	
  the	
  1970’s	
  (revisited	
  
in	
  the	
  2000’s),	
  activates	
  how	
  powerfully	
  critical	
  the	
  use	
  of	
  juxtaposition	
  in	
  photomontage	
  can	
  
be.	
  Rosler	
  combines	
  glossy	
  Western	
  beauty	
  or	
  home	
  décor	
  magazine	
  images	
  with	
  pictures	
  from	
  
the	
  same	
  time	
  period	
  across	
  the	
  world	
  in	
  war	
  torn	
  regions.	
  In	
  these	
  montages	
  the	
  time	
  period	
  of	
  
the	
  pictures	
  remains	
  consistent,	
  but	
  the	
  variables	
  of	
  location	
  and	
  social	
  circumstance	
  change	
  
dramatically.	
  Rosler	
  exemplifies	
  what	
  British	
  art	
  critic	
  and	
  writer	
  Sally	
  O’Reilly	
  describes	
  as	
  the	
  
role	
  of	
  the	
  collagist:	
  “an	
  unethical	
  anthropologist	
  who	
  meddles	
  with	
  the	
  very	
  syntax	
  of	
  a	
  
culture”	
  (O’Reilly	
  19).	
  	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  

	
  

16
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
[Figure	
  2	
  has	
  been	
  removed	
  due	
  to	
  copy	
  restrictions.	
  The	
  information	
  removed	
  is	
  a	
  
photographic	
  reproduction	
  of	
  Martha	
  Rosler’s	
  The	
  Gray	
  Drape,	
  2008.]	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
Fig.	
  2:	
  Martha	
  Rosler.	
  The	
  Gray	
  Drape.	
  2008.	
  40	
  x	
  30”.	
  Mitchell-­‐Innes	
  &	
  Nash.	
  
http://www.miandn.com/exhibitions/martha-­‐rosler_1/works/1/#3	
  

	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
Not	
  only	
  does	
  Rosler	
  manage	
  to	
  juxtapose	
  two	
  very	
  different	
  ways	
  of	
  living	
  but	
  also	
  she	
  also	
  
effectively	
  combines	
  and	
  clashes	
  what	
  has	
  been	
  described	
  as	
  the	
  
domestic/private/home/female-­‐gendered	
  space	
  with	
  the	
  public/foreign/war	
  torn/political/	
  and	
  
male	
  gendered	
  space.	
  This	
  stereotypical	
  differences	
  between	
  the	
  private	
  and	
  the	
  public	
  or	
  the	
  
subjective	
  and	
  the	
  objective	
  are	
  confused	
  and	
  interwoven	
  in	
  my	
  work	
  by	
  the	
  hand	
  cut	
  quilting	
  or	
  
weaving	
  of	
  the	
  smooth	
  formulaic	
  diagrammic	
  language	
  of	
  science,	
  the	
  institution,	
  commodity	
  
culture	
  and	
  abstract	
  painting.	
  	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
1.3.2	
  COLLAGE	
  AND	
  THE	
  DIGITAL	
  
	
  
We	
  are	
  exposed	
  to	
  an	
  ever-­‐increasing	
  number	
  of	
  images:	
  print	
  ads,	
  posters,	
  billboards,	
  the	
  
screens	
  of	
  televisions,	
  computer	
  monitors,	
  tablets,	
  and	
  the	
  tiny,	
  shiny	
  surfaces	
  of	
  smartphones.	
  

	
  

17
	
  
We	
  surf	
  through	
  them,	
  buy	
  through	
  them,	
  edit	
  our	
  lives	
  through	
  them,	
  and	
  walk	
  past	
  them.	
  
They	
  stream,	
  scroll	
  and	
  flash	
  around	
  us.	
  On	
  what	
  level	
  of	
  observation	
  and	
  understanding	
  do	
  we	
  
engage	
  with	
  them?	
  My	
  process	
  explores	
  the	
  miasma	
  of	
  visual	
  cues	
  and	
  codes;	
  capturing,	
  cutting,	
  
sorting	
  and	
  re-­‐imagining.	
  	
  
	
  
The	
  techniques	
  of	
  collage	
  and	
  photomontage	
  seem	
  particularly	
  suitable	
  to	
  represent	
  the	
  digital	
  
age,	
  with	
  its	
  collapsing	
  perspectives	
  of	
  contexts	
  and	
  time	
  (Dunn	
  110).	
  Dadaists	
  and	
  Cubists	
  were	
  
pioneers	
  in	
  the	
  collapse	
  of	
  visual	
  time.	
  Their	
  compositions	
  echoed	
  the	
  writings	
  of	
  Henri	
  Bergson	
  
who	
  described	
  the	
  experience	
  of	
  time	
  as	
  a	
  subjective	
  layered	
  experience	
  of	
  reality.	
  Francis	
  
Frascina	
  in	
  his	
  essay	
  “Realism,	
  ideology	
  and	
  the	
  ‘discursive’	
  in	
  Cubism”	
  succinctly	
  summarizes	
  
Bergson’s	
  subjective	
  experience	
  of	
  time:	
  “Each	
  persons’	
  notion	
  of	
  reality	
  is	
  made	
  up	
  of	
  
memories,	
  experiences	
  of	
  the	
  past,	
  which	
  are	
  simultaneously	
  present	
  in	
  individual	
  
consciousness.	
  There	
  is	
  a	
  simultaneous	
  flow	
  of	
  past	
  and	
  present,	
  into	
  the	
  future…”	
  (Frascina	
  
138).	
  This	
  erasure	
  of	
  time	
  frames	
  a	
  collapse	
  of	
  context	
  and	
  identity	
  as	
  best	
  described	
  by	
  
Marshall	
  McLuhan,	
  in	
  his	
  often	
  overlooked	
  text	
  The	
  Mechanical	
  Bride	
  (1951).	
  McLuhan	
  explains	
  
how	
  it	
  was	
  no	
  longer	
  possible	
  for	
  people’s	
  identities	
  to	
  remain	
  fixed:	
  “There	
  are	
  no	
  more	
  remote	
  
and	
  easy	
  perspectives,	
  either	
  artistic	
  or	
  national.	
  Everything	
  is	
  present	
  in	
  the	
  foreground…it	
  is	
  
not	
  a	
  question	
  of	
  preference	
  or	
  taste.	
  This	
  flood	
  has	
  already	
  immersed	
  us”	
  (McLuhan	
  87).	
  
Collage	
  as	
  a	
  method	
  of	
  art	
  making	
  can	
  mirror	
  this	
  complexity	
  of	
  identity	
  and	
  subjectivity,	
  the	
  
collapse	
  of	
  time	
  and	
  location	
  and	
  the	
  flow	
  and	
  abundance	
  of	
  images.	
  Collage	
  allows	
  me	
  a	
  
generative	
  context	
  to	
  layer	
  a	
  mass	
  of	
  different	
  contextual	
  and	
  temporal	
  sources,	
  breaking,	
  
challenging	
  and	
  re-­‐assembling	
  our	
  notions	
  of	
  self	
  in	
  relation	
  to	
  the	
  language	
  of	
  image	
  culture.	
  	
  
	
  
Using	
  the	
  combined	
  methods	
  of	
  paper	
  collage	
  and	
  digital	
  photomontage	
  to	
  map	
  these	
  new	
  
connections,	
  I	
  work	
  to	
  shuffle	
  the	
  historicity	
  of	
  print	
  images	
  and	
  confuse	
  the	
  contexts	
  in	
  which	
  
these	
  images	
  are	
  located.	
  My	
  practice	
  maps	
  a	
  shift	
  from	
  the	
  textually	
  linear	
  to	
  the	
  interactivity	
  
of	
  the	
  multi-­‐platform;	
  from	
  text	
  to	
  diagram,	
  from	
  analogue	
  to	
  digital,	
  from	
  stacks	
  of	
  discarded	
  
print	
  paper	
  to	
  new	
  visual	
  vocabularies.	
  Flusser	
  argues	
  that	
  the	
  contemporary	
  condition	
  of	
  this	
  
complex	
  culture	
  of	
  digital	
  images	
  changes	
  the	
  way	
  humans	
  interact.	
  He	
  suggests	
  that	
  moving	
  
from	
  an	
  out-­‐moded,	
  text-­‐based	
  culture	
  into	
  a	
  highly	
  visual	
  culture	
  has	
  fundamentally	
  changed	
  
our	
  behavior	
  from	
  a	
  dramatic	
  linear	
  narrative	
  to	
  a	
  complex	
  multi-­‐dimensional	
  arena	
  of	
  
relationships.	
  	
  	
  

	
  

18
	
  
	
  
“When	
  images	
  supplant	
  texts,	
  we	
  experience,	
  we	
  perceive,	
  and	
  value	
  the	
  world	
  
and	
  ourselves	
  differently,	
  no	
  longer	
  in	
  a	
  one-­‐dimensional,	
  linear,	
  process-­‐
oriented,	
  historical	
  way	
  but	
  rather	
  a	
  two-­‐dimensional	
  way,	
  as	
  surface,	
  context,	
  
scene.	
  And	
  our	
  behavior	
  changes:	
  it	
  is	
  no	
  longer	
  dramatic	
  but	
  embedded	
  in	
  fields	
  
of	
  relationships.”	
  (Flusser,	
  5)	
  	
  
	
  
An	
  important	
  counterpoint	
  to	
  Flusser	
  as	
  context	
  for	
  my	
  work	
  is	
  sociologist	
  Robert	
  G.	
  Dunn.	
  Dunn	
  
appears	
  to	
  reinforce	
  Flusser’s	
  position;	
  he	
  summarizes	
  that	
  the	
  overlapping,	
  discontinuous	
  and	
  
inter-­‐connectedness	
  of	
  newer	
  media	
  processes	
  have	
  “transformed	
  [the]	
  order	
  of	
  experience”	
  
(Dunn	
  125).	
  Dunn	
  also	
  suggests	
  that	
  new	
  media	
  platforms	
  such	
  as,	
  	
  “[t]elevision	
  viewing,	
  
computer	
  networks,	
  and	
  video	
  entertainment	
  are…	
  mediated	
  by	
  technologies	
  whose	
  uses	
  and	
  
contents	
  destabilize	
  our	
  sense	
  of	
  place	
  and	
  time”	
  (Dunn	
  130).	
  Similarly,	
  the	
  artistic	
  act	
  of	
  
collage,	
  with	
  its	
  “rejection	
  of	
  singularity,	
  rationality	
  and	
  coherence”	
  (O’Reilly	
  8),	
  shuffles	
  our	
  
process	
  of	
  knowing	
  and	
  becomes	
  integral	
  to	
  understanding	
  our	
  current	
  sociopolitical	
  moment.	
  
This	
  destabilization	
  of	
  understanding	
  is	
  crucial	
  to	
  my	
  work.	
  	
  
	
  
The	
  strengths	
  of	
  collage	
  lie	
  in	
  its	
  ability	
  to	
  take	
  an	
  already	
  complex	
  and	
  contextually	
  multi-­‐
layered	
  image	
  and	
  juxtapose	
  all	
  of	
  its	
  embedded	
  meaning	
  with	
  another	
  equally	
  complex	
  image.	
  
Collage	
  employs	
  a	
  non-­‐sequential	
  strategy	
  creating	
  a	
  hyper-­‐complex	
  mosaic	
  of	
  understanding	
  or	
  
misunderstanding.	
  Even	
  so,	
  activating	
  dense	
  networks	
  of	
  visual	
  relationships	
  within	
  the	
  cut	
  and	
  
glued	
  edges	
  of	
  the	
  individual	
  collage	
  fragments	
  is	
  only	
  one	
  piece	
  of	
  the	
  puzzle.	
  Francis	
  Frascina	
  
expands	
  on	
  this	
  concept	
  in	
  his	
  analysis	
  of	
  early	
  collage	
  techniques	
  found	
  in	
  Cubist	
  paintings:	
  
“Not	
  only	
  may	
  parts	
  of	
  the	
  collage	
  act	
  as	
  signifiers	
  but	
  also	
  the	
  particular	
  relationships	
  between	
  
them…	
  [this]	
  is	
  crucial	
  for	
  an	
  understanding	
  of	
  what	
  is	
  signified	
  by	
  the	
  work	
  as	
  a	
  whole”	
  
(Frascina	
  95).	
  This	
  makes	
  understanding	
  the	
  layers	
  of	
  complex	
  connections	
  between	
  images	
  
even	
  more	
  important.	
  The	
  visual	
  correlations	
  that	
  I	
  build	
  upon	
  in	
  my	
  work	
  between	
  images	
  of	
  
advertising,	
  science,	
  fashion,	
  art	
  and	
  popular	
  culture	
  create	
  dense	
  playful	
  relational	
  networks	
  of	
  
similarity	
  and	
  difference.	
  	
  
	
  
Working	
  through	
  a	
  never-­‐ending	
  sea	
  of	
  images	
  over	
  the	
  past	
  few	
  years	
  has	
  revealed	
  a	
  number	
  
of	
  visual	
  patterns,	
  or	
  what	
  I	
  call	
  the	
  familial	
  patterns.	
  These	
  visual	
  tropes	
  are	
  used	
  to	
  
communicate	
  certain	
  types	
  of	
  information	
  to	
  the	
  viewer,	
  they	
  include	
  repeating	
  elements	
  such	
  
as:	
  colour	
  palette,	
  close-­‐up	
  angles,	
  perspective,	
  contrast,	
  magazine	
  format	
  sizing,	
  illustrations	
  

	
  

19
	
  
and	
  diagrams.	
  For	
  example,	
  the	
  colour	
  red	
  is	
  used	
  to	
  highlight	
  and	
  designate	
  important	
  sales	
  
information,	
  warnings	
  and	
  diagrams	
  depicting	
  heat	
  and	
  combustion;	
  arrows	
  are	
  commonly	
  used	
  
symbols	
  employed	
  to	
  direct	
  the	
  viewer’s	
  eye	
  within	
  a	
  composition	
  or	
  advertisement,	
  to	
  suggest	
  
a	
  linear	
  narrative	
  and	
  to	
  illustrate	
  the	
  invisible	
  paths	
  of	
  steam	
  and	
  velocity;	
  close-­‐up	
  angles	
  are	
  
used	
  to	
  make	
  a	
  product	
  seem	
  larger	
  and	
  more	
  attention	
  grabbing	
  usually	
  exemplifying	
  a	
  sense	
  
of	
  dramatic	
  perspective	
  that	
  includes	
  diagonal	
  imagery	
  for	
  a	
  more	
  dynamic	
  feel.	
  My	
  interest	
  lies	
  
in	
  uncovering	
  these	
  visual	
  tropes	
  and	
  re-­‐animating	
  within	
  my	
  own	
  imaginative	
  contexts.	
  	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
1.3.3	
  THE	
  HOARD	
  AS	
  CULTURAL	
  EXCESS	
  
	
  
To	
  better	
  frame	
  my	
  questions	
  surrounding	
  the	
  abundance	
  of	
  available	
  imagery	
  and	
  ground	
  
Mitchell’s	
  description	
  of	
  the	
  pressure	
  of	
  pictorial	
  representation,	
  I	
  direct	
  my	
  exploration	
  into	
  the	
  
abyss	
  of	
  print	
  paper	
  history.	
  My	
  source	
  is	
  the	
  hoard,	
  the	
  obsessive	
  production,	
  expulsion	
  and	
  
final	
  collection	
  of	
  the	
  paper	
  by-­‐products	
  produced	
  at	
  the	
  intersection	
  of	
  commodity	
  and	
  visual	
  
culture.	
  
	
  

	
  
Fig.	
  3:	
  Monique	
  Motut-­‐Firth,	
  East	
  Vancouver	
  Warehouse,	
  2014.	
  Source	
  material.	
  Used	
  by	
  permission	
  of	
  the	
  owner.	
  

	
  

	
  

20
	
  
Squeezed	
  between	
  curving	
  towers	
  of	
  old	
  magazines,	
  my	
  guide	
  and	
  I	
  sidestep	
  slowly	
  
along	
  tiny	
  crooked	
  paths	
  into	
  a	
  cave	
  of	
  a	
  warehouse	
  stacked	
  with	
  my	
  source	
  materials.	
  
It	
  is	
  unheated,	
  and	
  thick	
  with	
  the	
  scent	
  of	
  paper	
  decay.	
  Humidity	
  cloaks	
  old	
  cigarette	
  
smoke	
  and	
  pets,	
  long-­‐passed.	
  For	
  the	
  last	
  two	
  years	
  I	
  have	
  been	
  coming	
  here,	
  to	
  this	
  
indistinct	
  warehouse,	
  to	
  select	
  the	
  majority	
  of	
  my	
  print	
  materials.	
  I	
  see	
  this	
  collection	
  as	
  
a	
  repository	
  of	
  discarded	
  collective	
  memories,	
  the	
  excess	
  of	
  our	
  commodity	
  culture	
  
barely	
  contained	
  by	
  this	
  obsessive	
  space.	
  Together,	
  my	
  guide,	
  entrepreneur	
  and	
  
obsessive	
  collector	
  and	
  I	
  comb	
  through	
  the	
  stacks,	
  I	
  flick	
  through	
  ceaseless	
  pages	
  of	
  
women,	
  food,	
  machines,	
  landscapes,	
  paintings,	
  catalogues,	
  newspapers…	
  paper	
  ghosts	
  
of	
  faces,	
  objects	
  and	
  events.	
  Old	
  stacks	
  dwindle	
  in	
  height	
  as	
  new	
  piles	
  raise	
  up-­‐	
  I	
  alter	
  
this	
  landscape.	
  Often,	
  my	
  new	
  piles	
  slip	
  down	
  in	
  between	
  the	
  stacks	
  and	
  onto	
  the	
  path.	
  
I	
  crouch,	
  awkwardly	
  confined,	
  and	
  attempt	
  to	
  straighten	
  my	
  mess.	
  	
  
	
  
Nicholas	
  Bourriaud	
  believes	
  that	
  it	
  is	
  the	
  responsibility	
  of	
  the	
  artist	
  to	
  investigate	
  and	
  highlight	
  
the	
  sign(posts)	
  of	
  our	
  cultural	
  labyrinth:	
  	
  
	
  
“We	
  have	
  an	
  ethical	
  duty	
  not	
  to	
  let	
  signs	
  and	
  images	
  vanish	
  into	
  the	
  abyss	
  of	
  
indifference	
  a	
  commercial	
  oblivion,	
  to	
  find	
  words	
  to	
  animate	
  them	
  as	
  something	
  other	
  
than	
  products	
  destined	
  for	
  financial	
  speculation	
  or	
  mere	
  amusement.	
  The	
  very	
  act	
  of	
  
picking	
  out	
  certain	
  images	
  and	
  distinguishing	
  them	
  from	
  the	
  rest	
  of	
  the	
  production	
  by	
  
exposing	
  them	
  is	
  also	
  an	
  ethical	
  responsibility”.	
  
	
  
	
  The	
  discarded	
  and	
  dusty	
  decaying	
  piles	
  of	
  a	
  hoarder’s	
  obsessive	
  collection	
  signify	
  for	
  me	
  the	
  
abyss	
  to	
  which	
  Bourriaud	
  refers.	
  The	
  materials	
  in	
  this	
  obsessive	
  collection	
  provide	
  a	
  type	
  of	
  
chaotic	
  selection	
  of	
  the	
  discarded,	
  sedimented	
  over	
  time.	
  Selections	
  made	
  from	
  the	
  hoard	
  allow	
  
me	
  an	
  opportunity	
  to	
  distill	
  and	
  fantastically	
  re-­‐invent	
  their	
  original	
  message.	
  	
  I	
  see	
  the	
  hoarder	
  
as	
  an	
  unconventional	
  archivist	
  and	
  the	
  hoard	
  as	
  a	
  site	
  of	
  aesthetic,	
  thematic	
  and	
  political	
  
possibility;	
  its	
  mass	
  is	
  a	
  symptom	
  of	
  the	
  excess	
  of	
  our	
  consumerist	
  culture	
  and	
  its	
  chaos	
  is	
  a	
  
reflection	
  of	
  the	
  impact	
  of	
  the	
  digital	
  on	
  identity.	
  	
  
	
  
The	
  hoard	
  provides	
  a	
  rich	
  and	
  unique	
  source	
  for	
  materials	
  that	
  coincide	
  with	
  Bourriaud’s	
  vision	
  
of	
  the	
  abyss	
  and	
  Mitchell’s	
  voice	
  of	
  the	
  pressure	
  of	
  pictorial	
  representation.	
  It’s	
  chaotic	
  

	
  

21
	
  
collection	
  and	
  organic	
  organizational	
  systems	
  shuffle	
  history	
  and	
  intention.	
  Using	
  the	
  contents	
  
of	
  the	
  hoard	
  I	
  search	
  through	
  disparate	
  materials	
  linking	
  together	
  familial	
  patterns	
  of	
  visual	
  
images.	
  Expanding	
  on	
  an	
  extensive	
  history	
  of	
  Dadaist	
  interventions	
  and	
  exercising	
  the	
  
complexity	
  of	
  collage	
  strategies;	
  I	
  build	
  indeterminate	
  and	
  overlapping	
  compositions	
  that	
  
collapse	
  both	
  time	
  and	
  context	
  to	
  better	
  understand	
  the	
  way	
  in	
  which	
  our	
  current	
  digital	
  
moment	
  influences	
  our	
  reflection	
  in	
  the	
  media	
  mirror.	
  	
  	
  	
  

	
  
	
  

	
  

	
  

	
  

22
	
  

2. BUILDING SCRAP-SYSTEMS
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  

In	
  the	
  previous	
  section,	
  I	
  outlined	
  some	
  of	
  the	
  foundational	
  concerns	
  of	
  my	
  practice.	
  Now	
  I	
  will	
  
speak	
  directly	
  to	
  my	
  work	
  in	
  relation	
  to	
  established	
  themes	
  of	
  images,	
  identity	
  and	
  collage	
  as	
  
critique.	
  I	
  will	
  begin	
  with	
  a	
  description	
  of	
  a	
  content	
  driven	
  practice	
  that	
  evolved	
  into	
  an	
  
increasingly	
  formal	
  and	
  abstract	
  body	
  of	
  work.	
  The	
  physical	
  manifestation	
  of	
  my	
  arts	
  research	
  as	
  
seen	
  in	
  my	
  practice	
  has	
  led	
  me	
  to	
  question	
  the	
  dimensionality	
  and	
  physical	
  impact	
  of	
  images	
  –	
  
not	
  only	
  as	
  seen	
  in	
  the	
  scale	
  of	
  the	
  hoard	
  but	
  their	
  real-­‐world	
  implications	
  of	
  objective	
  authority	
  
and	
  commodity	
  culture.	
  	
  I	
  will	
  describe	
  how	
  the	
  techniques	
  of	
  collage	
  and	
  photomontage	
  can	
  
generate	
  correlational	
  thinking,	
  mirroring	
  the	
  complexity	
  of	
  technical	
  diagrams	
  and	
  digital	
  
images.	
  I	
  will	
  locate	
  my	
  practice	
  in	
  the	
  contemporary	
  art	
  context	
  and	
  analyze	
  the	
  use	
  of	
  the	
  
diagram	
  in	
  my	
  work.	
  Finally,	
  I	
  will	
  explore	
  some	
  possible	
  new	
  directions	
  for	
  research	
  that	
  I	
  will	
  
be	
  exploring	
  in	
  the	
  future.	
  	
  

	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  

	
  

23

	
  

	
  

	
  
2.1	
  CYCLES	
  OF	
  REPRESENTATION	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  

	
  
Fig.	
  4:	
  Monique	
  Motut-­‐Firth,	
  Papilio	
  figura	
  (Beauty	
  Butterfly),	
  2014.	
  Mixed	
  media	
  collage	
  photography	
  and	
  paint,	
  sizes	
  
variable.	
  Used	
  by	
  permission	
  of	
  the	
  artist.	
  
	
  

	
  
2.1.1	
  CONTENT	
  AS	
  A	
  FRAMEWORK	
  

	
  
Sorting	
  through	
  the	
  inexhaustible	
  images	
  contained	
  within	
  the	
  hoard	
  requires	
  a	
  guiding	
  
methodology.	
  One	
  approach	
  I	
  used	
  to	
  direct	
  my	
  research	
  was	
  using	
  content	
  as	
  the	
  structuring	
  
paradigm.	
  Another	
  involves	
  allowing	
  the	
  formal	
  aesthetic	
  traits	
  of	
  the	
  images	
  to	
  guide	
  me	
  
through	
  the	
  content.	
  Some	
  of	
  my	
  earlier	
  work	
  (see	
  Figure	
  4)	
  involved	
  piecing	
  together	
  imagery	
  
according	
  to	
  theme	
  or	
  content;	
  in	
  this	
  example	
  the	
  theme	
  was	
  women’s	
  beauty	
  products.	
  These	
  
theme-­‐based	
  constructions	
  gave	
  rise	
  to	
  successful	
  compositions,	
  but	
  the	
  process	
  limited	
  the	
  

24
	
  
potential	
  for	
  a	
  more	
  complex	
  investigation;	
  it	
  simply	
  reflected	
  the	
  associations	
  that	
  already	
  
exist.	
  In	
  the	
  above	
  piece,	
  I	
  used	
  a	
  found	
  collection	
  of	
  Vogue	
  and	
  photography	
  magazines	
  to	
  
investigate	
  the	
  imagery	
  surrounding	
  women’s	
  bodies.	
  I	
  liken	
  this	
  particular	
  piece	
  to	
  the	
  
Chimaeras	
  of	
  Annette	
  Messager	
  from	
  the	
  1980’s.	
  This	
  insect-­‐like	
  form,	
  like	
  Messager’s	
  
Chimaeras,	
  is	
  also	
  a	
  built	
  from	
  a	
  fragmented	
  combination	
  of	
  the	
  “fantastic	
  and	
  the	
  horrific	
  
imagery	
  of	
  daily	
  life,	
  particularly	
  imagery	
  associated	
  with	
  women”	
  (Conkelton	
  66).	
  I	
  pinned,	
  
folded,	
  ripped	
  and	
  obscured	
  the	
  bodies	
  of	
  women	
  in	
  each	
  image	
  in	
  an	
  attempt	
  to	
  deny	
  the	
  
original	
  intention	
  and	
  subject	
  of	
  each	
  photograph.	
  The	
  completed	
  composition	
  was	
  
photographed,	
  printed	
  and	
  re-­‐presented	
  as	
  one	
  united	
  form.	
  Interestingly,	
  the	
  interventions	
  
that	
  I	
  performed	
  on	
  these	
  figures	
  seemed	
  unimportant	
  and	
  insignificant,	
  perhaps	
  because	
  we	
  
are	
  highly	
  accustomed	
  to	
  looking	
  at	
  the	
  female	
  body	
  dismembered–	
  a	
  set	
  of	
  legs	
  or	
  breasts.	
  This	
  
work	
  affirmed	
  for	
  me	
  the	
  pervasiveness	
  and	
  invisibility	
  demonstrated	
  by	
  the	
  advertising	
  strategy	
  
of	
  imaging	
  fragmented	
  female	
  bodies	
  to	
  reinforce	
  and	
  direct	
  gender	
  performance	
  and	
  promote	
  
the	
  sale	
  of	
  anxiety-­‐reducing	
  products.	
  
	
  
In	
  an	
  attempt	
  to	
  further	
  complicate	
  the	
  way	
  in	
  which	
  familiar	
  gendered	
  images	
  represent	
  
women,	
  I	
  broadened	
  my	
  source	
  material	
  for	
  the	
  following	
  piece,	
  Motor	
  Wasp	
  (Figure	
  5).	
  Here,	
  I	
  
combined	
  mechanically	
  similar	
  imagery	
  -­‐	
  pumps	
  from	
  beauty	
  cream	
  and	
  perfume	
  bottles,	
  
blenders	
  and	
  household	
  taps	
  from	
  home	
  décor	
  and	
  women’s	
  Vogue	
  and	
  Chatelaine	
  magazines	
  -­‐	
  
with	
  images	
  of	
  sparkplugs,	
  engines,	
  trains	
  and	
  oil	
  containers	
  found	
  in	
  publications	
  from	
  the	
  
1940’s	
  to	
  the	
  1970’s	
  (primarily	
  Popular	
  Science	
  magazines	
  and	
  industrial	
  sales	
  catalogues).	
  	
  The	
  
image	
  aspires	
  to	
  build	
  an	
  almost	
  seamless	
  mechanized	
  structure	
  that	
  knits	
  together	
  
advertisements,	
  home	
  appliances,	
  heating	
  systems,	
  beauty	
  products,	
  electricity,	
  
telecommunication,	
  transportation	
  and	
  automobile	
  industries	
  of	
  the	
  past	
  and	
  the	
  present.	
  The	
  
links	
  were	
  made	
  using	
  visual-­‐likeness	
  in	
  formal	
  aesthetics	
  e.g.	
  colour,	
  line,	
  shape,	
  illustration	
  or	
  
photographic	
  image	
  as	
  opposed	
  to	
  thematic	
  similarities.	
  	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  

	
  

25

	
  

	
  

	
  
Fig.	
  5:	
  Monique	
  Motut-­‐Firth.	
  Motrum	
  vespa	
  (Motor	
  Wasp),	
  installation	
  view	
  Emily	
  Carr	
  Concourse	
  Gallery,	
  2014.	
  	
  
Mixed	
  media	
  collage	
  and	
  paint,	
  sizes	
  variable.	
  Photo:	
  Amanda	
  Arcuri.	
  Used	
  by	
  permission	
  of	
  the	
  artist.	
  

	
  
	
  
The	
  increased	
  density	
  of	
  the	
  resulting	
  composition	
  and	
  the	
  visual	
  similarity	
  between	
  machine	
  
parts	
  and	
  female	
  beauty	
  products	
  is	
  both	
  confusing	
  and	
  revealing.	
  It	
  serves	
  to	
  remind	
  us	
  of	
  the	
  
complexity	
  in	
  which	
  we	
  come	
  to	
  understand	
  our	
  social	
  selves.	
  As	
  I	
  discussed	
  earlier,	
  the	
  
mechanization	
  of	
  the	
  female	
  form	
  and	
  her	
  consumerist	
  role	
  were	
  a	
  concern	
  for	
  Hannah	
  Höch	
  in	
  
her	
  photomontages,	
  and	
  later	
  in	
  Marshall	
  McLuhan’s	
  text	
  The	
  Mechanical	
  Bride.	
  Through	
  the	
  
pairing	
  of	
  the	
  uniform	
  idealized	
  female	
  form	
  with	
  the	
  labour-­‐saving	
  assurances	
  and	
  ‘scientifically	
  
proven’	
  slogans	
  of	
  beauty	
  remedy	
  ointments,	
  “Beauty	
  and	
  efficiency	
  were	
  equally	
  attributed	
  to	
  
the	
  machine.	
  Women	
  were	
  encouraged	
  to	
  aspire	
  to	
  the	
  status	
  of	
  mannequins	
  with	
  the	
  help	
  of	
  
commodities,	
  and	
  the	
  commodity	
  itself	
  was	
  offered	
  as	
  an	
  ideal	
  with	
  which	
  to	
  identify.”	
  (Lavin	
  
93).	
  	
  These	
  thematic	
  links	
  are	
  well	
  demonstrated	
  in	
  the	
  visual	
  similarities	
  between	
  machine	
  and	
  
beauty	
  imagery,	
  for	
  example,	
  beauty	
  products	
  are	
  often	
  packed	
  in	
  slick	
  faux-­‐metallic	
  containers	
  
aesthetically	
  linking	
  them	
  to	
  machine	
  power	
  and	
  efficiency.	
  Tracking	
  formal	
  similarities	
  alone	
  

26
	
  
can	
  lead	
  to	
  new	
  correlations	
  of	
  understanding	
  between	
  different	
  disciplines	
  and	
  eras	
  inciting	
  me	
  
to	
  question	
  how	
  certain	
  spheres	
  of	
  knowledge	
  are	
  related	
  and	
  functioning	
  in	
  concert	
  around	
  us.	
  	
  
	
  
	
  
2.1.2	
  ALLOWING	
  THE	
  IMAGES	
  TO	
  LEAD	
  
An	
  important	
  development	
  occurred	
  midway	
  through	
  my	
  thesis	
  work.	
  Originally,	
  I	
  worked	
  in	
  
perfect	
  symmetry;	
  building	
  one	
  half	
  of	
  my	
  visual	
  hybrids	
  and	
  then	
  mirroring	
  them,	
  influenced	
  by	
  
the	
  psychoanalytic	
  Rorschach	
  test	
  or	
  the	
  insect	
  body.	
  I	
  was	
  imagining	
  the	
  imprint	
  these	
  images	
  
might	
  have	
  on	
  the	
  psyche.	
  The	
  Rorschach	
  acted	
  as	
  catchall	
  shape	
  in	
  which	
  I	
  could	
  connect	
  and	
  
layer	
  the	
  excesses	
  of	
  everyday	
  images.	
  Later,	
  I	
  moved	
  towards	
  the	
  insect	
  shape,	
  perhaps	
  I	
  was	
  
seduced	
  by	
  this	
  insect-­‐form	
  because	
  it	
  kept	
  re-­‐appearing	
  in	
  my	
  Rorschachs.	
  The	
  insect	
  seemed	
  
to	
  serve	
  as	
  a	
  metaphor	
  for	
  all	
  of	
  the	
  disposable	
  paper	
  handbills	
  that	
  crowd	
  us,	
  lurk	
  under	
  our	
  
feet,	
  in	
  our	
  recycling	
  bins	
  and	
  the	
  forgotten	
  depths	
  of	
  our	
  pockets	
  –	
  the	
  mental	
  swarm	
  that	
  
scatters	
  when	
  the	
  light	
  is	
  turned	
  on.	
  
	
  
In	
  the	
  end,	
  this	
  methodology	
  and	
  the	
  resulting	
  compositions	
  proved	
  too	
  predictable,	
  limiting,	
  
and	
  literal.	
  I	
  was	
  leading	
  the	
  imagery	
  instead	
  of	
  letting	
  the	
  formal	
  aspects	
  of	
  the	
  images	
  guide	
  
me.	
  The	
  more	
  I	
  worked	
  cutting	
  and	
  sorting	
  imagery	
  the	
  more	
  I	
  noticed	
  certain	
  repetitive	
  visual	
  
tropes;	
  magazine	
  scale,	
  line,	
  colour...	
  I	
  began	
  to	
  wonder	
  what	
  would	
  happen	
  if	
  I	
  let	
  the	
  formal	
  
elements	
  of	
  the	
  visual	
  language	
  lead	
  me	
  through	
  the	
  mass	
  of	
  seemingly	
  unrelated	
  subjects.	
  I	
  
started	
  using	
  the	
  physical	
  qualities	
  of	
  a	
  curve	
  or	
  a	
  point	
  in	
  an	
  abstract	
  gestural	
  fashion	
  pulling	
  
from	
  my	
  history	
  as	
  a	
  painter	
  and	
  textile	
  worker.	
  Allowing	
  the	
  images	
  to	
  guide	
  me	
  through	
  my	
  
visual	
  research	
  has	
  been	
  surprising	
  and	
  compelling	
  –	
  it	
  has	
  also	
  greatly	
  increased	
  the	
  level	
  of	
  
complexity	
  in	
  my	
  final	
  compositions	
  –confusing	
  the	
  reading.	
  They	
  are	
  no	
  longer	
  another	
  simple	
  
re-­‐representation	
  of	
  existing	
  materials	
  but	
  a	
  more	
  complex	
  constellation	
  of	
  gesture,	
  movement	
  
and	
  thought.	
  	
  

	
  

27
	
  

	
  
Fig.	
  6:	
  Monique	
  Motut-­‐Firth.	
  Brayton	
  Single	
  Shaft,	
  2014.	
  22	
  x	
  30”.	
  Di-­‐bond	
  mount	
  inkjet	
  print.	
  Used	
  by	
  permission	
  of	
  
the	
  artist.	
  

	
  
For	
  example,	
  in	
  the	
  image	
  above,	
  Brayton	
  Single	
  Shaft	
  (Figure	
  6),	
  the	
  colour	
  blue	
  leads	
  the	
  
viewer	
  through	
  and	
  between	
  diagrams	
  of	
  lunar	
  charts,	
  construction	
  layouts,	
  corporate	
  logos,	
  
paintings,	
  and	
  mechanical	
  machine	
  cut-­‐aways,	
  an	
  unpredictable	
  array	
  of	
  print	
  materials	
  ranging	
  

	
  

28
	
  
in	
  era	
  and	
  thematic	
  contexts.	
  Viewing	
  perspectives	
  and	
  depths	
  are	
  skewed	
  and	
  overlapped	
  to	
  
confuse	
  the	
  predictable	
  conventions	
  of	
  the	
  pictorial	
  space	
  as	
  well	
  as	
  the	
  promised	
  objective	
  
clarity	
  of	
  the	
  language	
  of	
  diagrams.	
  
	
  

	
  

Fig.	
  7:	
  Monique	
  Motut-­‐Firth.	
  Brayton	
  Single	
  Shaft	
  (detail),	
  2014.	
  22	
  x	
  28”.	
  Di-­‐bond	
  mount	
  inkjet	
  print.	
  Used	
  by	
  
permission	
  of	
  the	
  artist.	
  

	
  
When	
  I	
  concede	
  to	
  the	
  formal	
  elements	
  of	
  the	
  images	
  and	
  allow	
  them	
  to	
  lead	
  me,	
  I	
  am	
  less	
  
concerned	
  with	
  contextual	
  links	
  -­‐	
  in	
  fact,	
  I	
  am	
  often	
  surprised	
  by	
  the	
  scope	
  of	
  subjects	
  that	
  I	
  am	
  
able	
  to	
  link	
  together	
  by	
  simply	
  isolating	
  a	
  particular	
  formal	
  characteristic.	
  It	
  is	
  in	
  this	
  way	
  that	
  
the	
  images	
  are	
  now	
  guiding	
  my	
  practice	
  into	
  and	
  between	
  overlapping	
  disciplines.	
  It	
  is	
  
important	
  to	
  note	
  that	
  I	
  am	
  not	
  following	
  formal	
  variables	
  in	
  order	
  to	
  erase	
  the	
  political	
  
implications	
  of	
  content,	
  but	
  rather	
  to	
  reveal	
  and	
  complicate	
  the	
  connections	
  between	
  what	
  
appear	
  to	
  be	
  fundamentally	
  different	
  categories	
  of	
  content	
  and	
  discourse.	
  More	
  specifically,	
  
attempting	
  to	
  create	
  a	
  field	
  of	
  playful	
  exploration	
  across	
  time	
  and	
  subject	
  that	
  triggers	
  social	
  
memories	
  and	
  paradigms	
  of	
  understanding	
  using	
  a	
  type	
  of	
  aesthetic	
  kinesis	
  to	
  link	
  image	
  
histories	
  as	
  opposed	
  to	
  linear	
  narratives	
  or	
  specific	
  content.	
  	
  	
  	
  
	
  
	
  I	
  am	
  allowing	
  the	
  visual	
  vocabulary	
  of	
  existing	
  images	
  to	
  guide	
  my	
  artistic	
  mark-­‐making	
  in	
  the	
  
creation	
  of	
  inventive	
  compositions,	
  machines	
  and	
  systems.	
  I	
  am	
  using	
  machine	
  motion	
  to	
  build	
  

	
  

29
	
  
my	
  compositions,	
  imagining	
  the	
  colours	
  and	
  shapes	
  pushing	
  and	
  pulling	
  throughout	
  my	
  designs;	
  
it	
  is	
  as	
  though	
  the	
  pressures	
  and	
  forces	
  of	
  fluids,	
  gravity,	
  momentum	
  and	
  steam	
  are	
  themselves	
  
at	
  work.	
  As	
  one	
  would	
  fit	
  a	
  puzzle,	
  I	
  ask:	
  can	
  I	
  continue	
  a	
  line?	
  Is	
  there	
  a	
  colour	
  running	
  through	
  
it?	
  I	
  tack	
  and	
  weave	
  illustrations	
  of	
  pipe,	
  paper,	
  wire,	
  wood,	
  metal,	
  colour	
  and	
  text	
  scraps	
  
together;	
  piece-­‐by-­‐piece,	
  slowly	
  building	
  outwards	
  in	
  all	
  directions	
  as	
  a	
  city	
  planner	
  might.	
  
Preferring	
  to	
  work	
  on	
  a	
  flat	
  surface	
  -­‐	
  free	
  from	
  the	
  constraints	
  of	
  perspective	
  and	
  gravity	
  -­‐	
  I	
  join	
  
images	
  together	
  horizontally	
  and	
  then	
  mount	
  them	
  vertically	
  to	
  further	
  disorientate	
  the	
  viewer	
  
and	
  exaggerate	
  a	
  sense	
  of	
  compositional	
  strangeness.	
  This	
  sense	
  of	
  imbalance	
  or	
  miscalculation	
  
is	
  important	
  to	
  the	
  work.	
  	
  
	
  
	
  

2.2	
  THE	
  PHYSICALITY	
  OF	
  IMAGES	
  
	
  
	
  
2.2.1	
  QUESTIONS	
  OF	
  DIMENSIONALITY	
  
	
  
	
  
Images	
  exercise	
  particular	
  formal	
  tropes	
  to	
  imply	
  dimensionality,	
  for	
  example,	
  perspective,	
  
shading,	
  deep	
  space,	
  figure/ground	
  relationships	
  and	
  so	
  on…	
  	
  And	
  although	
  images	
  can	
  only	
  
allude	
  to	
  the	
  physical	
  they	
  are	
  capable	
  of	
  affecting	
  profound	
  real-­‐world	
  change.	
  I	
  am	
  interested	
  
in	
  exploring	
  the	
  tension	
  created	
  within	
  this	
  multi-­‐dimensional	
  dynamic.	
  The	
  locus	
  of	
  identity	
  
building	
  has	
  shifted	
  from	
  traditional	
  social	
  groups	
  and	
  relationships	
  to	
  an	
  act	
  of	
  public	
  
consumption.	
  As	
  Dunn	
  has	
  aptly	
  claimed,	
  “[t]he	
  commodification	
  of	
  society	
  and	
  culture	
  has	
  
relocated	
  the	
  search	
  for	
  identity	
  in	
  the	
  act	
  of	
  consumption	
  ”	
  (Dunn	
  131).	
  It	
  is	
  the	
  
commodification	
  of	
  these	
  image	
  systems	
  that	
  I	
  aim	
  to	
  visualize,	
  question	
  and	
  reflect	
  in	
  my	
  
structural	
  compositions	
  and	
  finishing	
  processes.	
  If	
  one	
  traces	
  any	
  given	
  simple,	
  yet	
  convincing,	
  
advertising	
  process,	
  it	
  may	
  look	
  like	
  this:	
  the	
  product	
  (object)	
  is	
  photographed	
  (image)	
  and	
  
distributed,	
  viewers	
  consume	
  the	
  commercial	
  images,	
  motivating	
  and	
  potentially	
  activating	
  the	
  
viewer	
  through	
  complex	
  emotional	
  expressions	
  of	
  anxiety,	
  fear	
  and	
  desire	
  to	
  act	
  on	
  the	
  world	
  
and	
  purchase	
  the	
  product	
  (object)	
  that	
  seduced	
  them	
  in	
  the	
  image	
  space.	
  As	
  an	
  investigation	
  of	
  
this	
  cycle,	
  it	
  logically	
  follows	
  for	
  me	
  to	
  experiment	
  with	
  a	
  ‘push	
  and	
  pull’	
  of	
  my	
  own	
  images,	
  back	
  
and	
  forth	
  between	
  image	
  and	
  object	
  spaces.	
  I	
  wonder	
  if	
  it	
  is	
  possible	
  to	
  prevent	
  them	
  from	
  

	
  

30
	
  
sitting	
  comfortably	
  in	
  either	
  image	
  or	
  object	
  category.	
  The	
  physical	
  manifestation	
  of	
  overflowing	
  
landfills	
  and	
  the	
  hoard	
  of	
  my	
  print	
  source	
  materials	
  also	
  serve	
  as	
  concrete	
  consequences	
  of	
  
mass	
  production	
  and	
  planned	
  obsolescence—	
  magazines	
  obsolete	
  with	
  each	
  new	
  issue,	
  the	
  
memory	
  of	
  their	
  visual	
  language	
  still	
  circulating	
  as	
  they	
  lay	
  in	
  forgotten	
  corners	
  and	
  recycling	
  
bins.	
  	
  
	
  
I	
  am	
  experimenting	
  with	
  a	
  number	
  of	
  different	
  methods	
  to	
  create	
  this	
  tension	
  between	
  image	
  
and	
  object	
  spaces.	
  To	
  begin,	
  I	
  cut,	
  sort	
  and	
  physically	
  combine	
  source	
  materials	
  into	
  new	
  
compositions,	
  intentionally	
  colliding	
  scale	
  and	
  perspective	
  to	
  challenge	
  the	
  viewer’s	
  sense	
  of	
  
kinetic	
  empathy.	
  	
  I	
  then	
  collapse	
  my	
  collage	
  of	
  mixed	
  paper	
  into	
  a	
  digital	
  image	
  (scan,	
  
photograph)	
  to	
  flatten	
  all	
  the	
  levels	
  of	
  time	
  and	
  space	
  between	
  the	
  disparate	
  pieces.	
  Collapsing	
  
the	
  hand-­‐cut	
  collage	
  into	
  a	
  digital	
  image	
  acts	
  as	
  a	
  catalyst	
  in	
  a	
  number	
  of	
  different	
  ways	
  in	
  my	
  
practice.	
  The	
  first	
  is	
  a	
  type	
  of	
  compilation	
  of	
  the	
  chaos	
  of	
  the	
  hoard;	
  the	
  contrast	
  between	
  the	
  
original	
  source	
  material	
  and	
  the	
  clean	
  precision	
  of	
  the	
  final	
  digital	
  image	
  serves	
  to	
  compact	
  and	
  
distill	
  all	
  of	
  the	
  different	
  levels	
  of	
  information	
  into	
  one	
  new	
  graphic.	
  In	
  another	
  sense,	
  the	
  digital	
  
image	
  acts	
  to	
  re-­‐invigorate,	
  archive	
  and	
  re-­‐present	
  the	
  decaying	
  paper	
  relics	
  that	
  I	
  am	
  working	
  
with.	
  Lastly,	
  as	
  new	
  media	
  guru	
  Mark	
  B.	
  N.	
  Hansen	
  has	
  theorized	
  on	
  the	
  infinite	
  pliability	
  of	
  the	
  
digital	
  image	
  (Hansen	
  72-­‐3),	
  all	
  physical	
  components	
  are	
  reduced	
  to	
  fluid	
  lines	
  of	
  digital	
  code.	
  
This	
  pliancy	
  of	
  the	
  digital	
  image	
  reinforces	
  the	
  ease	
  and	
  fragility	
  of	
  the	
  materiality	
  of	
  paper	
  and	
  
textiles,	
  my	
  scissors	
  denying	
  the	
  suggested	
  strength	
  of	
  metallic	
  machine	
  imagery,	
  the	
  rigid	
  
structure	
  of	
  wooden	
  construction	
  materials	
  and	
  the	
  objective	
  inflexible	
  information	
  inherent	
  in	
  
infographics	
  and	
  diagrams.	
  	
  I	
  then	
  re-­‐print	
  my	
  compositions,	
  converting	
  them	
  once	
  again	
  into	
  
print	
  material,	
  solidifying	
  their	
  new	
  existence	
  as	
  image	
  or	
  sculpture,	
  repeating	
  the	
  
object/image/object	
  cycle	
  of	
  representation	
  inherent	
  in	
  image	
  culture.	
  	
  
	
  
	
  

	
  

31
	
  

	
  
Fig.	
  8:	
  Steam	
  Flow	
  Automatic,	
  2014.	
  24	
  x	
  29	
  x	
  1”.	
  Mixed	
  paper	
  collage.	
  Installation	
  view	
  Mitchell	
  Press	
  Gallery.	
  
November	
  2014.	
  Used	
  by	
  permission	
  of	
  the	
  artist.	
  

	
  
	
  
In	
  Steam	
  Flow	
  Automatic	
  (Fig.	
  8),	
  I	
  am	
  playing	
  with	
  the	
  use	
  of	
  line	
  and	
  the	
  visual	
  language	
  of	
  
spatial	
  sequencing	
  and	
  perspective	
  used	
  in	
  architectural	
  and	
  technical	
  diagrams.	
  I	
  intertwine	
  
and	
  juxtapose	
  an	
  array	
  of	
  visually	
  complex	
  spatial	
  perspectives	
  and	
  dramatically	
  differing	
  scales	
  
to	
  build	
  a	
  new	
  imaginative	
  and	
  somewhat	
  disorientating	
  structure.	
  In	
  this	
  way,	
  I	
  am	
  tapping	
  
simultaneously	
  into	
  the	
  history	
  of	
  cubism,	
  but	
  also	
  of	
  new	
  media.	
  As	
  Bender	
  has	
  suggested,	
  
“digital	
  data	
  technologies	
  may	
  have	
  finally	
  killed	
  off	
  spatial	
  illusion	
  as	
  the	
  most	
  compelling	
  re-­‐
presentation	
  of	
  the	
  world”	
  (211).	
  From	
  the	
  explicit	
  diagrammatic	
  language	
  I	
  am	
  building,	
  a	
  new	
  

	
  

32
	
  
blueprint	
  of	
  potential	
  knowledge	
  emerges.	
  I	
  then	
  reconstruct	
  the	
  image	
  as	
  a	
  physical	
  three-­‐
dimensional	
  object,	
  pushing	
  the	
  image	
  away	
  from	
  the	
  wall,	
  into	
  the	
  viewer’s	
  space	
  and	
  
awareness.	
  	
  
	
  
One	
  of	
  my	
  inspirations	
  in	
  the	
  use	
  of	
  print	
  material	
  for	
  sculptural	
  installation	
  is	
  Geoffrey	
  Farmer.	
  
Two	
  works	
  are	
  of	
  particular	
  significance	
  in	
  this	
  regard:	
  Leaves	
  of	
  Grass,	
  2012	
  (Figure	
  9)	
  and	
  
Boneyard,	
  2013.	
  In	
  both	
  of	
  these	
  projects,	
  the	
  original	
  print	
  archives	
  were	
  given	
  to	
  Farmer	
  as	
  
source	
  material;	
  a	
  comprehensive	
  collection	
  of	
  Life	
  Magazine,	
  and	
  another	
  collection	
  of	
  art	
  
history	
  textbooks	
  (Hoekstra).	
  To	
  create	
  his	
  works,	
  Farmer	
  unfolds	
  print	
  archives	
  into	
  impressive	
  
sculptural	
  installations.	
  He	
  “…advances	
  through	
  a	
  process	
  of	
  looking	
  back…its	
  images,	
  detached	
  
from	
  their	
  source,	
  are	
  freed	
  to	
  assert	
  their	
  presence	
  more	
  urgently”(Hoekstra).	
  Although	
  my	
  
practice	
  parallels	
  Farmer’s	
  works	
  in	
  some	
  respects	
  (using	
  print	
  media	
  images	
  as	
  raw	
  materials	
  
for	
  semi-­‐sculptural	
  presentation)	
  my	
  method	
  of	
  collection,	
  presentation	
  and	
  assembly	
  are	
  
different,	
  as	
  is	
  my	
  intent.	
  	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
[Figure	
  9	
  has	
  been	
  removed	
  due	
  to	
  copyright	
  restrictions.	
  The	
  information	
  
removed	
  is	
  a	
  photographic	
  representation	
  of	
  Geoffrey	
  Farmer’s	
  Leaves	
  of	
  
Grass,	
  2012.]	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
Fig.	
  9:	
  Geoffrey	
  Farmer,	
  Leaves	
  of	
  Grass,	
  2012.	
  Installation	
  view	
  at	
  Neue	
  Galerie	
  Kassel.	
  
http://www.kunstkritikk.no/artikler/documenta-­‐13-­‐i-­‐bilder/	
  

	
  
In	
  Leaves	
  of	
  Grass	
  and	
  Boneyard	
  Farmer’s	
  image	
  collections	
  each	
  span	
  a	
  specific	
  linear	
  historical	
  
period.	
  Individual	
  images	
  are	
  displayed	
  singularly,	
  in	
  chronological	
  order,	
  en	
  masse.	
  In	
  contrast,	
  
my	
  combined	
  sculpture-­‐like	
  images	
  come	
  from	
  an	
  abyss	
  of	
  unmanaged	
  excess,	
  the	
  unruly	
  and	
  
neglected.	
  I	
  want	
  to	
  avoid	
  any	
  direct	
  links	
  to	
  curatorial	
  authority	
  or	
  a	
  collector’s	
  value-­‐laden	
  

	
  

33
	
  
sense	
  of	
  authenticity	
  in	
  the	
  source	
  materials.	
  Instead,	
  I	
  want	
  to	
  reflect	
  the	
  sedimentation	
  of	
  
commodity	
  culture,	
  the	
  undervalued	
  and	
  the	
  discarded.	
  Whereas	
  Farmer	
  works	
  from	
  an	
  
authentic	
  collection	
  with	
  a	
  unique	
  historical	
  authority,	
  I	
  work	
  from	
  a	
  space	
  better	
  characterized	
  
by	
  Julia	
  Kristeva’s	
  semiotic	
  description	
  of	
  intertextuality,	
  in	
  which	
  culture	
  operates	
  as	
  a	
  “sea	
  of	
  
copies	
  with	
  no	
  original”	
  (1980.).	
  Farmer	
  keeps	
  theme	
  and	
  content	
  consistent,	
  to	
  re-­‐present	
  a	
  
physical	
  installation	
  of	
  our	
  shared	
  historical	
  narrative—	
  a	
  nostalgic	
  display	
  at	
  once,	
  searching	
  for	
  
and	
  questioning	
  modernist	
  clarity.	
  In	
  contrast,	
  I	
  aim	
  to	
  confuse	
  meaning	
  and	
  historicity.	
  	
  
	
  
Related	
  to	
  both	
  Farmer’s	
  and	
  my	
  own	
  work	
  is	
  the	
  project	
  Mnemosyne	
  Atlas	
  created	
  by	
  astute	
  
cultural	
  observer	
  Aby	
  M.	
  Warburg	
  in	
  1929.	
  	
  His	
  major	
  work	
  (unfinished)	
  comprises	
  a	
  large	
  
constellation	
  of	
  panels	
  physically	
  ‘mind	
  mapping’	
  a	
  diverse	
  array	
  of	
  images	
  that	
  repeat	
  similar	
  
gestures	
  and	
  iconographic	
  significance	
  throughout	
  history.	
  Farmer	
  addresses	
  the	
  history	
  of	
  
these	
  gestures	
  with	
  his	
  sculpture-­‐themed	
  paper	
  subjects	
  in	
  Boneyard	
  (Hoekstra).	
  My	
  own	
  work	
  
mimics	
  Warburg’s	
  project	
  in	
  its	
  search	
  for	
  rhizomatic	
  correlations	
  between	
  diverse	
  cultural	
  
materials,	
  visual	
  languages	
  and	
  eras	
  but	
  to	
  differing	
  effect.	
  Where	
  Warburg	
  thoughtfully	
  and	
  
methodically	
  mapped	
  the	
  links	
  between	
  his	
  chosen	
  imagery	
  throughout	
  time	
  my	
  own	
  work	
  
seeks	
  to	
  confuse	
  the	
  facts,	
  quash	
  time	
  and	
  tangle	
  linear	
  narrative-­‐	
  much	
  like	
  newer	
  digital	
  media	
  
interfaces.	
  My	
  practice	
  physically	
  interprets	
  or	
  demonstrates	
  a	
  postmodern	
  awareness	
  of	
  
complexity,	
  the	
  glut	
  of	
  available	
  imagery	
  and	
  the	
  collapse	
  of	
  linear	
  history.	
  I	
  want	
  to	
  expand	
  and	
  
explore	
  the	
  theory	
  that	
  the	
  full	
  implications	
  of	
  an	
  image	
  (and	
  image	
  history)	
  can	
  never	
  be	
  
known.	
  My	
  final	
  pieces	
  are	
  complex	
  overlapping	
  networks	
  of	
  visual	
  information,	
  confusing	
  and	
  
modifying	
  current	
  sign-­‐systems	
  developing	
  new	
  patterns	
  of	
  understanding	
  and	
  discussion.	
  	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
2.2.2	
  CORRELATIONS	
  IN	
  WHITE	
  SPACE	
  	
  
	
  
The	
  tension	
  between	
  image	
  and	
  object	
  is	
  amplified	
  in	
  my	
  use	
  of	
  diagrams;	
  this	
  has	
  been	
  a	
  
compelling	
  recent	
  development	
  in	
  my	
  practice.	
  The	
  diagram	
  does	
  not	
  simply	
  operate	
  as	
  an	
  
image,	
  but	
  also	
  as	
  an	
  object	
  of	
  thought.	
  In	
  The	
  Culture	
  of	
  Diagram	
  written	
  by	
  scholars	
  John	
  
Bender	
  and	
  Michael	
  Marrinan	
  (2010),	
  they	
  recount	
  how	
  diagrams	
  activate	
  the	
  viewer	
  to	
  engage	
  
cognitively:	
  “Users	
  of	
  diagrams,	
  unlike	
  viewers,	
  are	
  functional	
  components	
  inseparable	
  from	
  the	
  

	
  

34
	
  
system	
  in	
  which	
  they	
  are	
  imbricated.	
  They	
  are	
  empowered	
  to	
  initiate	
  a	
  process	
  of	
  correlation”	
  
(72).	
  Suggesting	
  the	
  absence	
  of	
  a	
  traditional	
  viewer	
  when	
  looking	
  at	
  or	
  reading	
  diagrams,	
  they	
  
assert	
  that	
  viewers	
  become	
  users	
  who	
  input	
  their	
  own	
  field	
  of	
  expertise	
  into	
  the	
  ‘user	
  interface’	
  
of	
  the	
  diagram,	
  activating	
  a	
  physical	
  experience	
  of	
  thought,	
  visual	
  correlation	
  and	
  learning.	
  	
  
	
  
Combining	
  the	
  method	
  of	
  collage	
  with	
  the	
  complex	
  pictorial	
  language	
  of	
  diagrams	
  compounds	
  
the	
  effect	
  of	
  relational	
  thinking.	
  Bender	
  expands:	
  “When	
  diagrams	
  are	
  treated	
  as	
  material	
  
objects,	
  their	
  entire	
  surface	
  plays	
  a	
  role	
  and	
  whiteness	
  is	
  never	
  a	
  void.	
  Switching	
  between	
  
disciplines	
  like	
  drawing	
  and	
  anatomy	
  becomes	
  standard	
  procedure	
  in	
  a	
  process	
  of	
  correlation	
  
that	
  produces	
  new	
  forms	
  of	
  knowledge	
  and	
  understanding…”(29).	
  This	
  parallels	
  the	
  way	
  in	
  
which	
  collage	
  and	
  photomontage	
  are	
  read;	
  the	
  signifiers	
  are	
  not	
  only	
  the	
  individual	
  images	
  but	
  
also	
  more	
  accurately	
  the	
  relationships	
  between	
  them.	
  The	
  user	
  of	
  the	
  diagram	
  “is	
  reminded	
  of	
  
his	
  or	
  her	
  physical	
  being	
  and	
  cognitive	
  activity:	
  this	
  awareness	
  is	
  located	
  in	
  neither	
  of	
  the	
  images	
  
separately,	
  but	
  only	
  comes	
  alive	
  in	
  the	
  activity	
  of	
  correlation”	
  (29).	
  The	
  viewer	
  becomes	
  an	
  
active	
  participant	
  making	
  meaning	
  through	
  viewing/using/imagining	
  the	
  correlations	
  between	
  
the	
  individual	
  elements	
  of	
  differing	
  disciplines.	
  	
  
	
  
	
  This	
  concept	
  of	
  “user-­‐based	
  correlation”	
  can	
  be	
  transferred	
  onto	
  the	
  installation	
  and	
  display	
  of	
  
my	
  work.	
  It’s	
  important	
  to	
  note	
  that	
  my	
  work	
  is	
  best	
  displayed	
  in	
  sequence,	
  rather	
  than	
  
individually	
  (see	
  Figure	
  10).	
  Although	
  each	
  work	
  can	
  function	
  on	
  its	
  own,	
  viewers	
  are	
  able	
  to	
  get	
  
a	
  deeper	
  sense	
  of	
  each	
  one	
  when	
  encountered	
  as	
  a	
  group.	
  When	
  a	
  viewer	
  recognizes	
  a	
  single	
  
symbol	
  or	
  signifier	
  in	
  multiple	
  pieces,	
  they	
  can	
  return	
  to	
  the	
  other	
  compositions	
  to	
  look	
  for	
  
similar	
  points	
  of	
  comparison.	
  This	
  act	
  of	
  searching	
  for	
  meaning	
  between	
  pieces	
  creates	
  another	
  
level	
  of	
  correlation	
  and	
  understanding	
  outside	
  of	
  the	
  individual	
  compositions.	
  The	
  wall	
  of	
  the	
  
gallery	
  performs	
  as	
  the	
  whiteness	
  of	
  the	
  printed	
  page,	
  leaving	
  space	
  to	
  allow	
  for	
  the	
  creation	
  of	
  
alternate	
  meanings	
  in	
  the	
  gaps	
  between	
  the	
  nodes	
  of	
  the	
  diagrammic	
  compositions,	
  as	
  well	
  as	
  
between	
  the	
  gallery	
  space	
  and	
  the	
  physical	
  body	
  of	
  the	
  viewer.	
  	
  
	
  

	
  

35
	
  

	
  
Fig.	
  10:	
  Monique	
  Motut-­‐Firth.	
  Installation	
  view.	
  Mitchell	
  Press	
  Gallery,	
  November	
  2014.	
  Used	
  by	
  permission	
  of	
  the	
  
artist.	
  

	
  
	
  

These	
  visual	
  correlations	
  require	
  a	
  slow,	
  complicated	
  re-­‐negotiation	
  of	
  image/object,	
  
system/diagram.	
  The	
  viewer	
  is	
  asked	
  to	
  imagine	
  new	
  subtle	
  and	
  intricate	
  levels	
  of	
  connection	
  
for	
  a	
  more	
  complex	
  and	
  nuanced	
  position	
  of	
  understanding	
  and	
  questioning.	
  The	
  images	
  
depend	
  on	
  a	
  thoughtful	
  cognitive	
  engagement	
  between	
  user	
  and	
  system.	
  Potentially	
  activating	
  
what	
  Flusser	
  meant	
  when	
  he	
  wrote	
  that	
  the	
  “revolutionaries”,	
  working	
  with	
  technical	
  images,	
  
will	
  “manipulate	
  images	
  so	
  that	
  people	
  begin	
  to	
  glimpse	
  the	
  possibility	
  of	
  using	
  these	
  images	
  to	
  
initiate	
  previously	
  unimaginable	
  interpersonal	
  relationships….”	
  (Flusser	
  67).	
  	
  My	
  scrap-­‐systems	
  
are	
  a	
  function	
  of	
  hacking	
  into	
  the	
  outmoded	
  print	
  syntax	
  of	
  our	
  culture,	
  shattering	
  historicity,	
  
and	
  creating	
  new	
  matrixes	
  of	
  complexity.	
  My	
  images	
  are	
  structures	
  that	
  do	
  not	
  function	
  as	
  
expected;	
  they	
  are	
  loaded	
  and	
  held	
  together	
  with	
  tenuous	
  visual	
  bonds,	
  unfolding	
  outwards	
  
towards	
  new	
  utopian	
  meanings	
  and	
  at	
  the	
  same	
  time,	
  threatening	
  collapse.	
  	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  

	
  

36
	
  
2.3	
  ANALYZING	
  IMAGE	
  TRACES	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
2.3.1	
  IMAGES	
  BORN	
  OF	
  TEXT	
  
	
  
As	
  the	
  diagram	
  begins	
  to	
  increase	
  in	
  importance	
  in	
  my	
  work,	
  it	
  becomes	
  necessary	
  that	
  I	
  define	
  
the	
  significance,	
  language	
  and	
  function	
  of	
  these	
  hybrids.	
  I	
  describe	
  them	
  as	
  hybrids	
  because	
  
even	
  though	
  they	
  appear	
  to	
  be	
  simple	
  accessible	
  images,	
  they	
  are	
  a	
  type	
  of	
  technical	
  
image/object/symbol	
  that	
  exists	
  in	
  relation	
  to,	
  and	
  as	
  a	
  result	
  of,	
  a	
  text-­‐based	
  history.	
  
Encyclopedia	
  published	
  in	
  France	
  in	
  1751	
  by	
  Denis	
  Diderot	
  Jean	
  Le	
  Rond	
  d’Alembert	
  was	
  one	
  of	
  
the	
  earliest	
  examples	
  of	
  recorded	
  and	
  studied	
  uses	
  of	
  diagrammatic	
  imaging.	
  Bender	
  and	
  
Marrinan,	
  who	
  I	
  cited	
  earlier,	
  have	
  pointed	
  out	
  that	
  the	
  encyclopedia	
  relied	
  on	
  strict	
  protocols:	
  
sequentiality,	
  indicative	
  illustrations,	
  print-­‐making	
  techniques,	
  linear	
  perspective,	
  figures	
  and	
  
legends,	
  white	
  space	
  and	
  the	
  printed	
  page.	
  These	
  protocols	
  were	
  employed	
  to	
  depict	
  and	
  
explain	
  a	
  variety	
  of	
  objects	
  and	
  their	
  potential	
  for	
  everyday	
  usage	
  (Bender	
  23-­‐5).	
  This	
  dynamic	
  
property	
  of	
  the	
  diagram	
  to	
  visually	
  suggest	
  an	
  active	
  potential	
  as	
  described	
  by	
  Deleuze	
  in	
  his	
  
writings	
  on	
  diagrammic	
  language	
  (De	
  Landa	
  2)	
  seems	
  important	
  to	
  understanding	
  the	
  intrinsic	
  
possibilities	
  of	
  diagrams	
  to	
  communicate	
  and	
  suggests	
  again	
  their	
  hybrid	
  nature.	
  	
  
	
  
A	
  key	
  aspect	
  of	
  Flusser’s	
  theory	
  of	
  images,	
  is	
  that	
  contemporary	
  images	
  are	
  not	
  traditional	
  
images	
  (pre-­‐writing).	
  Rather,	
  they	
  are	
  reliant	
  on	
  the	
  “text	
  from	
  which	
  they	
  have	
  come”	
  (Flusser	
  
6).	
  I	
  find	
  this	
  definition	
  elusive	
  and	
  fascinating.	
  Diagrams	
  are	
  not	
  photographs	
  of	
  ‘real	
  world’	
  
objective	
  places,	
  objects	
  or	
  happenings,	
  but	
  are	
  typically	
  designed	
  to	
  reveal	
  the	
  unseeable	
  to	
  a	
  
reader.	
  They	
  exist	
  within	
  a	
  textual	
  framework	
  that	
  relies	
  on	
  a	
  combination	
  of	
  photography,	
  
imagination	
  and	
  illustration.	
  They	
  serve	
  as	
  a	
  bridge	
  between	
  the	
  readable,	
  the	
  visible	
  and	
  the	
  
invisible.	
  	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  

	
  

37
	
  

	
  
Fig.	
  11:	
  Monique	
  Motut-­‐Firth.	
  Sliding-­‐cone	
  Clutch	
  to	
  Propeller	
  Shaft,	
  2014.	
  42	
  x	
  56”,	
  mixed	
  paper	
  collage.	
  Used	
  by	
  
permission	
  of	
  the	
  artist.	
  

	
  
	
  

	
  

38
	
  
Sliding-­‐Cone	
  Clutch	
  to	
  Propeller	
  Shaft	
  (Fig.	
  11)	
  is	
  a	
  revealing	
  example	
  of	
  one	
  of	
  my	
  convoluted	
  
scrap-­‐systems.	
  Its	
  large	
  scale,	
  containing	
  hundreds	
  of	
  connection	
  points,	
  echoes	
  the	
  chaos	
  and	
  
scale	
  of	
  the	
  original	
  print	
  hoard.	
  In	
  this	
  piece	
  I	
  assembled	
  a	
  mass	
  of	
  similar	
  imagery,	
  including;	
  
diagrammatic	
  illustrations	
  of	
  mechanical	
  apparatuses,	
  architectural	
  layouts,	
  textbooks	
  graphs,	
  
logos,	
  graphic	
  designs	
  and	
  fine	
  arts	
  paintings	
  into	
  an	
  overwhelming	
  confusion	
  of	
  instructions	
  
and	
  meaning.	
  This	
  was	
  my	
  first	
  attempt	
  at	
  collaging	
  diagrams.	
  My	
  method	
  was	
  to	
  look	
  for	
  
connecting	
  shapes	
  and	
  colours.	
  It	
  was	
  in	
  this	
  piece	
  that	
  I	
  saw	
  a	
  potential	
  in	
  the	
  disorienting	
  
effect	
  of	
  the	
  combined	
  directives	
  and	
  spatial	
  relationships	
  of	
  different	
  diagrammatic	
  systems.	
  
This	
  scrap-­‐system	
  is	
  intended	
  to	
  overwhelm	
  the	
  viewer	
  with	
  the	
  sheer	
  variety	
  that	
  lies	
  within	
  
the	
  tangles	
  of	
  its	
  connections.	
  It	
  relies	
  on	
  the	
  sense	
  of	
  weight	
  in	
  the	
  cumulative	
  oppression	
  of	
  
the	
  print	
  paper	
  hoard.	
  Its	
  intricacy	
  emulates	
  the	
  complexity	
  of	
  an	
  inter-­‐subjective	
  space	
  where	
  
identities	
  are	
  layered	
  between	
  digital	
  images:	
  tiled,	
  enlarged,	
  centered,	
  cut	
  and	
  pasted.	
  	
  Our	
  
psyches	
  are	
  assembled	
  from	
  a	
  surplus	
  of	
  Hito	
  Steyerl’s	
  poor	
  images:	
  “The	
  poor	
  image	
  is	
  no	
  
longer	
  about	
  the	
  real	
  thing—the	
  originary	
  original.	
  Instead,	
  it	
  is	
  about	
  its	
  own	
  real	
  conditions	
  of	
  
existence:	
  about	
  swarm	
  circulation,	
  digital	
  dispersion,	
  fractured	
  and	
  flexible	
  temporalities.	
  It	
  is	
  
about	
  defiance	
  and	
  appropriation…”.	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
2.3.2	
  DIAGRAM:	
  OBJECT	
  OF	
  THOUGHT?	
  
	
  
	
  
The	
  diagram.	
  A	
  tool	
  of	
  thought,	
  a	
  technical	
  text-­‐based	
  image	
  used	
  to	
  illustrate	
  systems	
  of	
  
knowledge.	
  Diagrams	
  offer	
  us	
  a	
  chance	
  to	
  interact;	
  we	
  enter	
  by	
  in-­‐putting	
  our	
  own	
  experiences	
  
and	
  knowledge	
  specificity	
  thereby	
  activating	
  them,	
  creating	
  meaning	
  in	
  the	
  thought	
  process.	
  
“The	
  diagram	
  is	
  evidence	
  of	
  an	
  idea	
  being	
  structured	
  -­‐	
  it	
  is	
  not	
  the	
  idea	
  but	
  a	
  model	
  of	
  it…”	
  
(Albarn	
  7).	
  Diagrams	
  function	
  as	
  a	
  device	
  for	
  thinking;	
  we	
  generate	
  new	
  theories	
  by	
  applying	
  
working	
  concepts	
  to	
  them.	
  Diagrammatic	
  tools	
  and	
  tropes	
  include	
  any	
  combination	
  of	
  changes	
  
in	
  scale,	
  illustration,	
  text,	
  symbols	
  (e.g.	
  arrows),	
  line,	
  colours,	
  cut-­‐aways,	
  legends	
  and	
  graphs.	
  
They	
  also	
  play	
  with	
  linear	
  perspective:	
  isometric,	
  one,	
  two	
  and	
  three-­‐point	
  perspective.	
  The	
  
viewer’s	
  position	
  can	
  be	
  flexible,	
  interchangeable	
  and	
  disorienting.	
  Diagrams	
  are	
  visual	
  aids	
  with	
  

	
  

39
	
  
the	
  unique	
  capabilities	
  of	
  imaging	
  that	
  which	
  we	
  cannot	
  see.	
  They	
  reveal	
  the	
  invisible:	
  the	
  
macroscopic,	
  microscopic,	
  the	
  unimaginable	
  (Bender	
  60);	
  the	
  cutaway	
  exposes	
  the	
  PSI	
  pressures	
  
of	
  fluids,	
  vapors	
  and	
  voltage;	
  illustrations	
  track	
  the	
  trajectory	
  and	
  flow	
  of	
  electrons	
  and	
  city	
  
buses;	
  charts	
  plot	
  and	
  graph	
  financial	
  speculations	
  and	
  population	
  densities;	
  blueprints	
  predict	
  
and	
  affirm	
  the	
  dimensions	
  of	
  imagined	
  materials.	
  	
  
	
  
Internationally	
  renowned	
  inter-­‐disciplinary	
  artist	
  Wangechi	
  Mutu	
  uses	
  diagrams	
  to	
  great	
  effect.	
  
She	
  performs	
  as	
  one	
  of	
  what	
  Sally	
  O’Reilly	
  has	
  called	
  “unethical	
  anthropologists”	
  (19)	
  in	
  her	
  
early	
  portrait	
  collage	
  series	
  Histology	
  of	
  the	
  Different	
  Classes	
  of	
  Uterine	
  Tumour,	
  (2004-­‐5).	
  For	
  an	
  
example	
  of	
  this	
  series	
  see	
  Fig.	
  12,	
  Primary	
  Syphilitic	
  Ulcers	
  of	
  the	
  Cervix	
  (2005).	
  Mutu	
  collages	
  
images	
  of	
  women’s	
  bodies,	
  chosen	
  from	
  pornography	
  and	
  beauty	
  magazines	
  on	
  top	
  of	
  antique	
  
Victorian	
  medical	
  diagrams	
  of	
  women’s	
  internal	
  reproductive	
  organs.	
  The	
  results	
  are	
  beautifully	
  
bizarre	
  portraits.	
  	
  She	
  keeps	
  her	
  content	
  consistent:	
  imagery	
  depicting	
  women,	
  while	
  widely	
  
varying	
  the	
  nature	
  and	
  the	
  era	
  of	
  her	
  source	
  material.	
  	
  Mutu	
  collapses	
  time;	
  the	
  diagram	
  is	
  from	
  
a	
  vintage	
  medical	
  text	
  and	
  the	
  beauty	
  magazine	
  shots	
  are	
  current	
  fare.	
  The	
  diagram	
  in	
  this	
  case	
  
can	
  be	
  understood	
  as	
  demonstrating	
  the	
  medicalization	
  of	
  women,	
  while	
  the	
  glossy	
  magazine	
  
images	
  speak	
  to	
  the	
  consumption	
  of	
  the	
  female	
  body	
  in	
  pornography	
  and	
  fashion.	
  	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
[Figure	
  12	
  has	
  been	
  removed	
  due	
  to	
  copyright	
  restrictions.	
  The	
  information	
  
removed	
  is	
  a	
  reproduction	
  of	
  Wangechi	
  Mutu’s	
  Primary	
  Syphilitic	
  Ulcers	
  of	
  
the	
  Cervix,	
  2005.]	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
Fig.	
  12:	
  Wangechi	
  Mutu.	
  Primary	
  Syphilitic	
  Ulcers	
  of	
  the	
  Cervix,	
  2005.	
  45.7	
  x	
  32.4	
  cm.	
  Collage	
  on	
  found	
  medical	
  
illustration	
  paper	
  http://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/wangechi_mutu_articles.htm	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  

	
  

40
	
  
These	
  clashes	
  of	
  dissimilar	
  image	
  families	
  speak	
  to	
  the	
  public	
  discourse,	
  presentation	
  and	
  
dissection	
  of	
  woman.	
  The	
  diagram	
  acts	
  as	
  a	
  stand-­‐in	
  for	
  institutional	
  knowledge	
  and	
  objective	
  
science	
  and	
  the	
  magazines	
  are	
  seen	
  as	
  throwaway	
  or	
  culturally	
  irrelevant.	
  In	
  this	
  one	
  image,	
  
Mutu	
  brings	
  together	
  the	
  private	
  and	
  the	
  public,	
  objective	
  and	
  subjective,	
  the	
  past	
  and	
  the	
  
present,	
  the	
  valuable	
  and	
  the	
  discarded.	
  I	
  am	
  most	
  intrigued	
  by	
  this	
  work	
  in	
  its	
  use	
  of	
  the	
  
diagram,	
  recognizing	
  that	
  its	
  visual	
  language	
  belongs	
  to	
  a	
  European,	
  androcentric,	
  and	
  medically	
  
specialized	
  sphere	
  of	
  knowledge.	
  For	
  example,	
  the	
  diagram,	
  Primary	
  Syphilitic	
  Ulcers	
  of	
  the	
  
Cervix,	
  speaks	
  a	
  particular	
  language	
  of	
  authority	
  that	
  is	
  not	
  buried	
  in	
  the	
  past,	
  but	
  instead,	
  
functions	
  as	
  the	
  foundation	
  for	
  our	
  contemporary	
  systems	
  of	
  understanding	
  in	
  the	
  sphere	
  of	
  
female	
  anatomy	
  and	
  medical	
  knowledge	
  (Pizzini).	
  This	
  language	
  of	
  objective	
  authority	
  found	
  in	
  
diagrams	
  and	
  infographics	
  is	
  one	
  that	
  I	
  am	
  exploring	
  by	
  attempting	
  to	
  uncover,	
  trace,	
  expand,	
  
complicate	
  and	
  re-­‐cypher	
  subjectively	
  in	
  my	
  work.	
  	
  
	
  
When	
  Mutu	
  uses	
  different	
  material	
  sources	
  (images	
  of	
  women	
  both	
  consumerist	
  and	
  scientific)	
  
to	
  represent	
  the	
  same	
  contextual	
  subject	
  –	
  woman,	
  she	
  succeeds	
  in	
  juxtaposing	
  different	
  
pictorial	
  languages.	
  Whereas,	
  Rosler	
  in	
  her	
  Bringing	
  the	
  War	
  Home:	
  House	
  Beautiful	
  series	
  
juxtaposes	
  very	
  different	
  depictions	
  of	
  place,	
  Mutu,	
  for	
  me,	
  in	
  this	
  series,	
  effectively	
  contrasts	
  
the	
  language	
  of	
  pictures	
  (medical	
  illustrations	
  versus	
  stylized	
  photographs).	
  Similar	
  to	
  Mutu,	
  I	
  
am	
  attempting	
  to	
  investigate	
  identity	
  and	
  representation	
  through	
  the	
  language	
  of	
  media	
  
images,	
  but	
  I	
  am	
  interested	
  in	
  a	
  reversal	
  of	
  the	
  variable	
  held	
  constant.	
  I	
  hold	
  the	
  element	
  of	
  
formal	
  concerns	
  constant	
  (instead	
  of	
  content)	
  in	
  order	
  to	
  map	
  an	
  understanding	
  of	
  linked	
  
pictorial	
  similarities.	
  Where	
  Mutu	
  focuses	
  pointedly	
  on	
  the	
  depiction	
  of	
  the	
  female	
  body	
  
(particularly	
  on	
  the	
  media	
  representations	
  of	
  women	
  of	
  colour)	
  my	
  approach	
  is	
  markedly	
  more	
  
abstract.	
  	
  I	
  prefer	
  a	
  diverse	
  range	
  of	
  image	
  culture	
  omitting	
  the	
  figure.	
  Instead	
  of	
  picturing	
  the	
  
female	
  body,	
  I	
  am	
  using	
  my	
  tools	
  and	
  construction	
  style	
  to	
  assert	
  a	
  feminist	
  critique.	
  There	
  are	
  
certain	
  risks	
  associated	
  with	
  undertaking	
  a	
  more	
  abstract	
  approach	
  to	
  understanding	
  gendered	
  
identity.	
  The	
  work	
  may	
  be	
  misinterpreted	
  or	
  the	
  viewer	
  may	
  ‘miss’	
  the	
  underlying	
  femininity	
  (I	
  
am	
  specifically	
  referring	
  to	
  Höch’s	
  use	
  of	
  handcrafted	
  textile	
  techniques	
  in	
  collage)	
  embedded	
  in	
  
the	
  construction	
  style	
  but	
  I	
  welcome	
  these	
  ‘errors’	
  in	
  interpretation	
  as	
  they	
  also	
  serve	
  to	
  better	
  
frame	
  the	
  larger	
  question	
  of	
  just	
  what	
  it	
  means	
  to	
  build	
  a	
  heterogeneous	
  identity	
  built	
  on	
  
slippage	
  and	
  misunderstanding.	
  	
  	
  	
  

	
  

41
	
  
The	
  course	
  of	
  my	
  own	
  practice	
  has	
  led	
  me	
  from	
  overt	
  figurative	
  imagery	
  to	
  more	
  abstract	
  
representations	
  of	
  identity.	
  	
  It	
  is	
  the	
  formal	
  voice	
  of	
  the	
  diagram	
  that	
  now	
  directs	
  my	
  focus.	
  My	
  
inquiries	
  explore	
  questions	
  surrounding	
  what	
  could	
  be	
  understood	
  as	
  an	
  inherent	
  masculine	
  
voice	
  embedded	
  within	
  diagrammic	
  language,	
  the	
  aesthetic	
  offspring	
  of	
  a	
  scientifically	
  objective	
  
regime	
  defined	
  by	
  patriarchy.	
  	
  
	
  
	
  To	
  further	
  investigate	
  this	
  avenue	
  of	
  research	
  I	
  am	
  searching	
  for	
  visually	
  similar	
  imagery	
  linking	
  
different	
  types	
  of	
  diagrams:	
  illustrative,	
  photographic,	
  infographics	
  etcetera...	
  with	
  other	
  familial	
  
image	
  types	
  including,	
  abstract	
  painting,	
  photography,	
  advertising	
  and	
  the	
  graphic	
  arts.	
  
Diagrams	
  are	
  also	
  often	
  used	
  to	
  simplify,	
  to	
  make	
  complex	
  theories	
  seem	
  more	
  palatable,	
  to	
  
promote	
  discussion	
  and	
  often	
  to	
  supersede	
  differences	
  in	
  language	
  and	
  reading	
  skills.	
  I	
  would	
  
argue	
  that	
  there	
  is	
  also	
  a	
  public	
  consensus	
  that	
  the	
  diagram	
  is	
  somehow	
  truthful,	
  simple	
  and	
  
open,	
  as	
  well	
  as	
  a	
  popular	
  reliance	
  on	
  them	
  to	
  instruct	
  the	
  viewer	
  in	
  the	
  correct	
  way	
  to	
  navigate,	
  
behave,	
  park	
  or	
  assemble	
  their	
  IKEA	
  chair	
  and	
  honestly-­‐	
  it	
  can	
  be	
  difficult	
  to	
  argue	
  with	
  a	
  
diagram.	
  	
  
	
  
In	
  the	
  composition	
  below,	
  Toys	
  for	
  the	
  Younger	
  You	
  (Fig	
  13),	
  I	
  used	
  the	
  colour	
  red	
  to	
  guide	
  my	
  
initial	
  choices.	
  Thematically	
  this	
  composition	
  connects	
  a	
  number	
  of	
  diagram-­‐like	
  images,	
  
including,	
  abstract	
  paintings,	
  punctuations	
  marks,	
  graphic	
  design	
  letter	
  formats,	
  carpentry	
  
instructions,	
  heating	
  systems,	
  postage	
  requirements	
  and	
  nail	
  polish	
  colours.	
  The	
  resulting	
  effect	
  
of	
  combining	
  these	
  images	
  into	
  one	
  composition	
  is	
  a	
  convoluted	
  tangle	
  of	
  directives	
  bridging	
  
one	
  distinct	
  discipline	
  with	
  another	
  across	
  time.	
  	
  It	
  reveals	
  that	
  repeatedly,	
  we	
  rely	
  on	
  the	
  same	
  
formal	
  and	
  technically	
  objective	
  image-­‐types	
  to	
  give	
  our	
  surroundings	
  meaning	
  although	
  taken	
  
together	
  as	
  a	
  whole	
  they	
  produce	
  a	
  jumbled	
  omission	
  of	
  certainty.	
  	
  
	
  

	
  

42
	
  

	
  
Fig.	
  13:	
  Monique	
  Motut-­‐Firth,	
  Toys	
  for	
  the	
  Younger	
  You,	
  2014.	
  22	
  x	
  30”.	
  Di-­‐bond	
  mounted	
  inkjet	
  print.	
  Used	
  by	
  the	
  
permission	
  of	
  the	
  artist.	
  

	
  

	
  

43
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  

3. CONCLUSIONS: Quilting New Alphabets

[S]uppose	
  we	
  thought	
  of	
  representation,	
  not	
  as	
  a	
  homogeneous	
  field	
  or	
  grid	
  of	
  
relationships	
  governed	
  by	
  a	
  single	
  principle,	
  but	
  as	
  a	
  multidimensional	
  and	
  
heterogeneous	
  terrain,	
  a	
  collage	
  or	
  patchwork	
  quilt	
  assembled	
  over	
  time	
  out	
  of	
  
fragments	
  as	
  mementos,	
  as	
  “presents”	
  re-­‐presented	
  in	
  the	
  ongoing	
  process	
  of	
  
assemblage,	
  of	
  stitching	
  in	
  and	
  tearing	
  out…	
  (Mitchell	
  419).	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
I	
  see	
  my	
  practice	
  as	
  currently	
  enmeshed	
  in	
  the	
  physical	
  patchwork	
  that	
  Mitchell	
  describes	
  
above,	
  a	
  continual	
  restitching	
  of	
  materials.	
  	
  Each	
  incarnation	
  brings	
  to	
  bear	
  a	
  new	
  set	
  of	
  
questions	
  only	
  to	
  be	
  snipped	
  apart	
  and	
  reimagined	
  within	
  another	
  paradigm	
  of	
  relationships.	
  In	
  
my	
  larger	
  compositions	
  I	
  am	
  at	
  once	
  attempting	
  to	
  visually	
  represent	
  the	
  staggering	
  chaos	
  and	
  
surplus	
  of	
  the	
  physical	
  hoard	
  and	
  at	
  the	
  same	
  time	
  sift,	
  sort	
  and	
  archive	
  a	
  disingenuous	
  
representation	
  of	
  print	
  history.	
  I	
  have	
  also	
  begun	
  building	
  smaller	
  and	
  smaller	
  compositions	
  
from	
  discrete	
  sections	
  of	
  the	
  larger	
  pieces	
  refiguring	
  them	
  into	
  alternate	
  compositions	
  of	
  
understanding.	
  	
  Here,	
  I	
  am	
  stacking	
  image	
  upon	
  image	
  into	
  smaller	
  and	
  smaller	
  pictorial	
  spaces;	
  
their	
  reduction	
  in	
  size	
  belies	
  the	
  increasingly	
  condensed	
  complexity	
  of	
  their	
  collaged	
  
interactions.	
  I	
  am	
  slowly	
  distilling	
  the	
  hoard	
  into	
  smaller	
  and	
  smaller	
  constellations,	
  towards	
  the	
  
formation	
  of	
  a	
  novel	
  alphabet.	
  I	
  want	
  to	
  communicate,	
  disorientate	
  and	
  re-­‐present	
  the	
  tangled	
  
spectrum	
  of	
  relations	
  between	
  image	
  culture	
  and	
  identity.	
  	
  
	
  
By	
  surrendering	
  pre-­‐conceived	
  intentions	
  and	
  allowing	
  the	
  images	
  to	
  lead	
  me	
  into	
  the	
  fray,	
  I	
  
have	
  arrived	
  at	
  a	
  new	
  challenge,	
  that	
  of	
  the	
  nuanced	
  language	
  of	
  pictorial	
  and	
  diagrammatic	
  
representation.	
  Newer	
  lines	
  of	
  questioning	
  have	
  arisen	
  from	
  my	
  preliminary	
  investigations.	
  
What	
  if	
  I	
  begin	
  to	
  use	
  the	
  actual	
  instructional	
  layout	
  language	
  of	
  the	
  diagrams	
  to	
  physically	
  build	
  
my	
  own	
  interpretive	
  three-­‐dimensional	
  structures?	
  How	
  can	
  I	
  at	
  once	
  push	
  and	
  collapse	
  the	
  
sign-­‐systems	
  of	
  machine	
  motion	
  and	
  painterly	
  gesture	
  into	
  compelling	
  compositions	
  of	
  
fantastical	
  visual	
  machine-­‐like	
  image/objects?	
  Or,	
  better	
  yet,	
  how	
  might	
  I	
  exploit	
  the	
  inherent	
  
three-­‐dimensional	
  qualities	
  of	
  product	
  shots	
  and	
  perspective	
  drawings	
  to	
  build	
  scrap-­‐systems	
  
that	
  somehow	
  mimic	
  and	
  de-­‐center	
  real-­‐world	
  structures?	
  	
  
	
  

	
  

44
	
  
I	
  see	
  these	
  new	
  guiding	
  questions	
  as	
  the	
  unexpected	
  products	
  of	
  a	
  carefully	
  observant	
  and	
  
patient	
  artistic	
  research	
  effort.	
  It	
  is	
  as	
  though	
  through	
  each	
  new	
  seam	
  stitched	
  between	
  image	
  
edges	
  a	
  new	
  proposition	
  emerges	
  and	
  as	
  I	
  pursue	
  this	
  tiny	
  revelation	
  it	
  quickly	
  and	
  quietly	
  
unravels	
  and	
  reveals	
  to	
  me	
  a	
  multitude	
  of	
  more	
  subtle	
  questions	
  I	
  had	
  not	
  thought	
  to	
  ask.	
  This	
  
has	
  been	
  one	
  of	
  the	
  most	
  intriguing	
  aspects	
  of	
  my	
  thesis	
  project.	
  I	
  sense	
  an	
  urgency	
  behind	
  my	
  
cautious	
  abandonment	
  to	
  the	
  chaos	
  of	
  the	
  hoard	
  and	
  my	
  willingness	
  to	
  be	
  pulled	
  blind	
  into	
  the	
  
image	
  universe.	
  Ironically,	
  my	
  new	
  maps	
  of	
  understanding	
  (which	
  figure	
  in	
  the	
  title	
  of	
  this	
  
paper)	
  are	
  made	
  only	
  of	
  more	
  questions.	
  	
  
	
  
	
  

	
  

	
  

45
	
  

Fig.	
  14:	
  Monique	
  Motut-­‐Firth,	
  Untitled,	
  2015.	
  Dimensions	
  unknown.	
  Used	
  by	
  the	
  permission	
  of	
  the	
  artist.	
  

	
  

46
	
  

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Biro, Matthew. The DADA Cyborg: Visions of the New Human in Weimar Berlin. University of Minnesota
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Bourriaud, Nicolas. Altermodern. Tate Gallery. http://www.scribd.com/doc/29398878/BourriaudAltermodern#scribd. Web. February 20 2015.
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Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1995. Print.
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De Landa, M. Deleuze, Diagrams, and the Genesis of Form.
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