New artist I've just discovered- Mandy Greer, a fiber artist from Seattle. She completely blows my mind! The intricacy of her work, her shamanic imagery, the intensive visual connection with nature, not to mention that it's a little eyrie. So. Beautiful.

http://mandygreer.wordpress.com/

I am trying to resolve a piece that I am working on now- a performance of myself I am thinking of titling "i am animal". The intention of the piece was to try to blur the boundaries between myself and nature, human and animal.
Within the space of a five hour session done in silence, I sewed and glued hand made paper of spices and leaves onto my body to change the shape of myself into something that could blend into the animal. I used the iconographic images of ears and horns, based out of the greek tradition of putting on these attributes to identify change.

Where I'm struggling to resolve this piece is not within the performance or the documentation, but in the presentation afterwards. I showed it with the photographs and a small art object reminiscent of what was on my body. Unfortunately the art piece was not intact as I literally had to rip it all off of me. It did not have enough punch and did not convey the same type of feeling that the photographs did. I think in order to resolve this I would like to recreate the full body art piece, able to be displayed in its entirety.

One artist I've been looking at who knows how to resolve work of this same subject matter- 

Susan Clarahan

http://clarahan.com/

Such a beautiful piece, and really dealing with the subject matter in a way that I would love to be able to. She really get's the feeling fo that loss of boundary in this piece. Normally I hate the 1970's kaleidoscope effect, but in this I like the feeling it gives.

Also this essay is inspiring too, in that it uses words to dissolve that same type of subject matter together. "Animal Body, Inhuman Face" by Alphonso Lingus in the book "Zoontologies" edited by Cary Wolfe.

http://books.google.ca/

Mixed Media

6' x 32'

2009

I Give was an installation that was shown in Edmonton, Alberta for two weeks in 2009. I still like this piece, and I feel like it definitely connects with many things I deal with and thing about now, so I figured I would post it even though it's old work.

Work statement:

In our current day culture it seems that many individuals have filled our innate need for spiritual fulfilment and deeper meaning with a consumeristic approach to life. "Things" begin to fill the place of connection and "stuff" begins to fill the role of spiritual openness. 

In this installation, that artist builds 10 shrines out of current newspapers and everyday objects to the most common "gods" of our day. In front of each shrine the artist places offering plates where the public is invited to write down what it is that they give up in search of gaining more material possessions. As the installation goes on the offering plates fill with more and more physiological energetic gifts. But if one reads the papers, it is hard not to notice that what people are giving up, seems more valuable than what they are seeking.  

 

Kappa ("river-child") alternatively called Kawataro or Kawako are legendary creatures, a type of water sprite found in Japanese folklore. 

Kappa are usually seen as mischievous trouble makers. Their pranks range from the relatively innocent, such as loudly passing gas, or looking up women's kimonos, to the malevolent, such as drowning people and animals, kidnapping children, and raping women. 

As water mosters, lappa have been frequently blamed for drownings, and are often said to try to lure people to the water and pull them in with their great skill at wrestling. They are sometimes said to take their victims for the purpose of eating their livers or their shirikodama, a mythical ball inside the anus.

Even today, signs warning about kappa appear by bodies of water in some Japanese towns and villages.

-"Kappa (folklore)" Wikipedia.

Oh Japanese. You can make porn about anything. Forever inspiring. 

Jodi Sharp

2011

Mixed Media

11' 9" x 23"

50 Species a Day is a project that discusses species extinction due to habitation loss. According to the biologist Professor Norman Myers, we are witnessing the opening phase of a mass extinction of species, one of only six such events in Earth's history. Myers estimates the rate of species extinction at 50 species per day, compared to the "natural" extinction rate of one species every 3-5 years. This is mainly due to habitation loss caused by the continued desire for more resources. *

This article brings up the idea that the reason we allow for this destruction is because we as human beings feel that we own and are in control of nature, and therefore can do with it what we will. This piece is a response that discusses our priorates as a race, and what we deem to be important. 

Although these statistics may seem overwhelming, there continues to be agreement that something can be done, if we act now. In this exhibit brings up the question of why the overuse of resources should be more important to us than protecting the beauty and individuality around us, along with the realization that our choice affects the happenings of the world.

* "Mass extinction of species has begun" Macquarie University, February 23, 2006. Web. April 12, 2011 <physorg.com>

Scheduled to be shown-

2011 November 

Am I still in the power of the demon? (Has my preserver never come?)

VAV Gallery, Montreal, Quebec.

It think that Halloween costumes should be included in art, especially since I made it all from scratch. This  costume was inspired by the Quay Brothers claymation characters.

"Influenced by a tradition of Eastern European animation, The Quays display a passion for detail, a breathtaking command of color and texture , and an uncanny use of focus and camera movement that make their films unique and instantly recognizable. Best know for their classic film "Street of Crocodiles, which filmaker Terry Gilliam recently selected as one of the ten best animated films of all time, they are masters of miniaturization and on their tiny sets have created an unforgettable world, suggestive of a landscape of long- repressed childhood dreams."

-zeitgeistfilms.com

Jodi Sharp

2010

7'5" x 5"

Photography, fibers

Things I Cannot Say is a project that discusses the feelings of the female who finds herself unable to speak up about issues that are important to her. Her social norms reinforce that it is improper to state how she truly feels, and so she is confined to silence.

Dealing with the issues of the differences between genders, the artist seeks to create objects that signify her silence but then empower her and allow her to speak out. By creating sculptural forms that bring separate entities together, a space is created that allows for a change in power dynamics, leading to the ability to speak.

Installation

2011 January- Go Figure 

VAV Gallery, Montreal, Quebec

             

Things I'm listening to as I work today-

The artist I currently can't stop looking at is a photographer who goes by the name of Maleonn. His obsessive world building and meticulous documentation creates an all-encompassing feeling that I just can't get enough of.

http://www.maleonn.com/