Assessment 3 Collection Submission

BODY OF WORK: COLLECTION

Submitted Images, by Maegan Scott

What is the use of a book without pictures or conversations? - Alice, 2013

I'm late, I'm late - The White Rabbit, 2013

Curiouser and curiouser - Alice, 2013

 

 We're all mad here - The Cheshire Cat, 2013

Why is a raven like a writing desk? - The Mad Hatter, 2013

Off with their heads - The Queen of Hearts, 2013

Artist Statement:

DOWN THE RABBIT-HOLE

“There is a place. Like no place on Earth. A land full of wonder, mystery, and danger! Some say to survive it, you need to be as mad as a hatter...which luckily I am.” (The Mad Hatter, Alice in Wonderland, 2010)  This collection explores the wonders of Alice’s dream-like land, in which ‘everything would be nonsense’. I was inspired by the way in which the eccentric nature of the novel creates an indescribable reaction in the reader. The intention was to expose the bizarre and curious characteristics of Wonderland and consequently experiment with challenging the viewer to look beyond what they first see, and appreciate the peculiarities.

Essentially this collection is influenced by my childhood. From reading various novels, picture books and watching movies, to playing scrabble with my parents, making up words and ignoring the rules of the game. After having previously experimented with using scrabble in my photography, I found this was a quirky way of elaborating on the fantastical qualities and oddities in the novel, as well as expressing well-known quotations.

The collection uniquely considers the use of subtle aspects to characterize the unusual, with the push and pull between reality and illusion. Normal, everyday objects, and scrabble tiles, alongside strange or manipulated aspects, highlight how each character is fascinating in their own way, by both their physical traits and dialogue. Although one collection, each image has individuality, similar to how each character has their own individual quirkiness. As a collection, they highlight the bizarre imagination of Alice and create sense of uneasiness.

A Nikon D5000 with an 18-55mm lens was used to include all of the subject matter and allow for cropping in Photoshop. Using a Nikon DSLR camera enabled me to work with and digitally manipulate high quality photographs. Alongside digital manipulation, the use of tea cups, jewellery, playing cards and scrabble tiles, gave me the opportunity to play with and represent the quirky, creative ideas present within the novel.

The photographs as a collection take me on a journey through wonderland, without losing sight of reality. In the end, we are chased back to reality because we know it is not real; however, it is nice to have a moment where we allow our imaginations to fall down the rabbit-hole.