Rachael ERDODY
Lilydale High School
VCE Studio Arts 3&4
Artist statement: My photographic collages explore ideas of loneliness, destruction and fear through a dark and disturbing aesthetic. I wanted to incorporate concepts and iconography similar to traditional surrealist art from the 1950s and so the work makes obvious reference to this art movement. To convey the ideas of a disjointed and fragmented reality I decided to use the traditional surrealist method of collaging. I photographed objects and subject matter from my everyday life and then cut these out, isolating them from their original context. By collaging my pieces by hand I was able to explore layering and create textures with the paper, bringing a three dimensional element to the work. When presenting my final artwork, I decided to ‘suspend’ my collages in glass frames, further communicating this idea of detachment from reality.
Also known as Giclee prints or bubble-jet prints, pigment ink-jet prints are generated by computer printers from digital or scanned files using dye-based or pigment-based inks. A series of nozzles spray tiny droplets of ink onto the paper surface in a precise pattern that corresponds to the digital image file. In dye-based prints the ink soaks into the paper, whereas in pigment-based prints the ink rests and dries on top of the paper surface.
Whilst the term is broad, pigment ink-jet prints have come to be associated with prints produced on fine art papers. They are the most versatile and archival method of printing available to photographers today. A wide variety of material on which an image can be printed with such inks are available, including various textures and finishes such as matte photo paper, watercolour paper, cotton canvas or pre-coated canvas.
