by emilyryderphotography

Research: Collage

German Dada

Dadaism appeared at a time of literary and artistic revolution. Movements such as Cubism, Futurism and Expressionism came about, especially in places in Europe such as Italy, Germany and France. It came about as a response to the war, artists created work which spoke of their views on the current affair and did not hold back. The works are described as ‘nonsensical’ and ‘satirical’. The aim of Dada artists was to replace traditional art rules and values and replace them with new ways of thinking.

“Revolted by the butchery of the 1914 World War, we in Zurich devoted ourselves to the arts. While the guns rumbled in the distance, we sang, painted, made collages and wrote poems with all our might.” – Hans Arp.

German Dada came about in 1916, near the start of the Weimar Republic. The work created was groundbreaking, it became influential to artists such as Picasso and John Heartfield. The work has aspects of text, photographs, found imagery and text, poetical writing, anonymity and an overall anti-establishment feel to it. The work is provocative and carries great meaning to this day. The movement carried a continuous message that many artists responded too and added weight to.

Linder Sterling

Sterling is a British artist and photographer, best known for her feminist photomontage and collages. Her work started from ideologies of the punk movement, her work explores the female body and how it is linked to sexual male desire. It often shares machist ideas in the way men are shown in the images.

The photomontage / collage work often shows nude women covered by household objects and appliances over their faces, or symbolic objects such as flowers over the genital areas. Sterling takes great interest from magazines and has created important pieces which provoke male dominance ideologies and empower women.

“Her battle is a strong and continuous provocation, the denunciation of a world that confines human beings in absurd categories and that still isn’t exactly a fair fight.” – Excerpt from https://www.collater.al/en/collage-linder-sterling/

Gillian Wearing

‘Confess All On Video. Don’t Worry You Will Be in Disguise. Intrigued? Call Gillian Version I‘

The video lasts just over half an hour, with 10 scenes of people in disguise. They each tell a secret, unedited. The ‘characters’ wear cheap-looking disguises, including wigs, sunglasses and false beards. They sit in heavy lighting, causing big shadows behind them. The speakers detail acts of revenge, sexual acts and crime.

I find the work interesting as it allows people to be completely honest and authentic, without truly doing so. People often only tell the truth if they can do it without repercussions or being noticed as themselves.

Some stills from the video:

Much of Wearing’s work has been confessional and a vessel for people to speak their truths. For example, her series ‘ Signs ‘ made great acclaim. She asked members of the public to write something down on a piece of paper, hold it up and have their picture taken with their ‘confessional’. The pieces are somewhat nice, but also sad and emotive.

The collective holds 50 colour photographs.

I find these works and artists interesting and inspiring to my own practice as I have often hid my ‘truth’ with fear of judgement and hostility. Inspired by the works I could potentially create some work with parts inspired by each artist. I find there is a strong connection between the roles of text with image, the possibilities with narrative and structure of the overall work. I like the playfulness of colour and the roles that unconscious ‘doodles’ may add to the work, much like in the works of Sabrina Ward Harrison’s journals.

The age of Collage

Pending pick-up from the library.

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