Natural World - 'Mutation'

For the first project of third year, I decided to approach the brief from an 'authorstrator' standpoint, selecting the theme entitled 'The Natural World'. Amongst the keywords relating to the Darwin-inspired source were 'evolution' and 'mutation', which I chose to use as my starting points. An example of mutation in nature that interests me is the infection of insects and arachnids by the Cordyceps fungi:

Inspired by this, I painted this piece using gouache. I was interested in the idea of this fungi affecting not only insects, but humans too: 

I was pleased with the result of this piece considering my inexperience with painting, though I decided not to continue producing more, because I didn't want to keep portraying people. I changed my media choice to pencil drawing, and decided instead to focus on skulls: still a human subject, yet more visually interesting to study. I decided to produce a series of drawings of skulls, each with a different form of mutation or abnormality. I liked the idea of leaving it to the imagination of the viewer as to how the living subject may have looked, and their story... The following are some examples.

I produced eighteen drawings in total, before beginning to introduce my images into contexts rather than just negative space. One means by which I did this was to combine these drawings with photos of mine, all being examples of urban decay that were taken in abandoned hospitals. The two themes of urban and natural decay work together interestingly, sharing similar processes, like the gradual reduction to 'bare-bones' internal structure. Furthermore, the growth that occurs in urban decay is almost a form of mutation, with the unpredictable transformations that happen as a result of nature reclaiming. With these pieces, I tried to echo the nuances of the urban decay with my drawings in how they were incorporated.

Berlin

This Summer, I spent over three weeks in Berlin- my first visit to Germany. The city is a fascinating place, where history meets modernity, and urban decay meets urban art. As the former heart of the Third Reich, the city was half-decimated during the final clashes of the Second World War in Europe, and then physically divided during the resulting Cold War. The city as a consequence is full of contrasts, whether it's the architectural styles of the former East and West, or the clashing areas of old and new structures in a constantly-changing patchwork: something that's still very much ongoing, as the skyline of cranes shows.

As a military history enthusiast and collector with a particular focus on the Third Reich, the city was of course of great interest to me- Museums aside, evidence of the city's past is everywhere, from conspicuous open areas where bombed buildings once stood, to bullet-scarred walls, Nazi architecture, war memorials and plaques.

The history wasn't the only aspect of significance however. Creatively, Berlin is now a place of endless expression in many forms, with posters, stickers, graffiti and murals scattered almost everywhere you look- ranging from political to the purely aesthetic. Furthermore, Berlin is the birthplace of some of my favourite music: the home of Rammstein, and the temporary residence of David Bowie, which inspired him to create his iconic 'Berlin Trilogy', most notably "Heroes". I was lucky enough to see Rammstein live while there, and of course picked up Bowie's "Heroes" and Low records...