unfinished
digital animation on loop (gif format), digital drawing, 2024
Unfinished consists of a series of digital drawings which created a short animation of a head movement on loop. The layers of drawings consist of self-portraits, aiming to bring the feeling of movement and impermanence, inspired by the idea of cycles of life. The title plays with the idea of process (of an "unfinished" piece of work) and with the thought of restarting a cycle.
Unfinished exhibited in the Good luck to you all! Seriously... pop up show at Camberwell College of Arts, October 2024
process
At the end of summer break, I started exploring digital drawings since I found the opportunity to experiment with this tool on my new iPad. In this process, I came across the possibility of adding uncountable layers, in the same way I’ve been exploring with translucent/transparent materials so far. Although working with the materiality of the physical paper is still essential for my practice, as there’s a relation between my body and the materials in the process (especially when in the context of stitching), I found it interesting to explore another yet another possibility of drawing during my time in the course.
digital drawings
The process itself was the same as if it was in a paper, the gestural and linear mark making, but instead of the traditional materials, I was using a digital pencil and a digital paper. It made me feel as if I was working with something intangible, allowing the intangible to be visible, in a way. Therefore, a new relationship with my body was created.
In the digital drawing, it was easy to create multiple layers while still being in the same “depth” (same layer). This makes the entanglement of lines even stronger and the perception of each individual image becomes “blurred”. It made me reflect that the act of noticing what is usually harder to access — a subject that is present in my practice — was enhanced, as well as the feeling of movement and impermanence.
digital drawing
I knew I wanted to develop a work with those drawings, but at first I wasn't sure how to. Initially, I thought of dividing the drawings into different layered sections, to create a multiple-piece work. However, while going through my material collection, I came across a fabric I’ve worked with some months ago, and felt the desire to work with it again. It was a white and translucent fabric, and by being in touch with this material, it made me want to almost keep it “untouched” — to keep it as a whole organism, in its entire length and width as I had it before. With that, the plan was to create a large-scale drawing showcasing these layers of movement, reflecting on the fleeting aspect of existence and the small (almost imperceptible) changes of life. The flowy and delicate aspects of the fabric, then, could become the physical aspect in which these ideas could be expressed. The work started from both the sketch and the materiality, as I was inspired by both sides, and this was my first attempt with this work — to re-draw the drawing.
However, while trying to recreate the digital drawings through a range of materials (pencil, ink pen, fabric pen) and surfaces (fabric, tracing paper), I wasn’t feeling satisfied with any of the results. Not only visually (as I realized that the quality of the digital line of the original drawings could not be 100% replicated physically), but also conceptually it wasn’t making sense to me anymore. I couldn’t remember why I had chosen the materials in the first place, and realized I was just trying to fit the drawings into a previously known materiality, in a way. Therefore, I stopped trying to replicate those images in the physicality and continued to just explore the layers and lines digitally.
process
On October 16th, each of us had a short conversation/tutorial with Mujeeb and our peers during the preparations for the pop up show at the studio. During this meeting, I shared my digital drawings with the group and I received the feedback that those were resolved drawings. I think I had the feeling that they were not finished because I wasn’t working with a medium that I’m used to, so every part of this process felt new to me. Also, because I usually reflect on every part of the work (including display and installation) while I’m still making it, it felt unfinished as I was still wondering if this was the initial stage of a later work.
This made me reflect on the feedback I received for my Unit 2 platform, that I should be more conscious of the materials and perhaps start from them, respond to them without being too concerned about the overall project. I feel that in the process of drawing those images, I was able to do that; instead of trying to figure out everything beforehand or to think of it as a concrete/established project, I instinctively started to respond to the digital medium, by just drawing (choosing a type of “pencil/brush” on the drawing app, responding to its characteristics, responding to the brightness of the screen, etc.). I’m always interested in what ways the physical aspects of a material can evoke meaning in the conceptual and symbolical fields, creating an ongoing cycle of subject-materiality reflection.
While installing the pop up show, I was encouraged to show these drawings. At first, I felt a bit insecure to exhibit a piece that I wasn’t sure if it was finished, and that I hadn't had time to reflect on the methods of installation. The first idea I had, together with Mujeeb and my classmates, was to project my drawings on the wall. We were unsure about the scale and position, as the space was limited, but I experimented with a small projection, exploring how to show only one drawing or multiple drawings. I couldn’t find a solution to the projector (if it should be on the floor, on a plinth, on a desk, if the cable should be hidden, if it should be projected on a fabric, etc.) and I realized I had to take more time to experiment with all of these installation possibilities and be more aware of what they could signify within my work.
In this process of experimenting with forms of display with the help of my classmates, in this context specially Mriganka, Emma, Dom and Hyeyeon, I was motivated to create an animation with my drawings, as they were already made in layers, and the drawing app I used to make them also allowed me to save the layers as a video or gif. Mujeeb had also mentioned previously that I could try to do more digital work in the future, and for that I should try to find a vector-based program to work with, as the quality would increase and I would have more flexibility while working. Together with this, Hyeyeon also mentioned I could use my own iPad to showcase it, and Mriganka explained to me how to create an animation. Therefore, during the weekend I worked on the drawings I’ve made previously to create this short animated image of the movement of a head.
process of installation for the pop up show
Kim Pace mentioned once in a group crit that my layered drawings could also become an animation at some point, so I’m glad I finally had the tools to experiment with it. As my work is very much centered in the movement (gesture of mark making, gesture of stitching, lines), it made sense for me to experiment how this movement could be explored in other ways. It was the first time I experimented with it, so I’m aware it can and should be improved, but I felt satisfied with the first result and decided to showcase it as a way to share a new experimentation with the group. Using the iPad to display it also calls back to the process, as it was the medium I used to create the work in the first place.
Nevertheless, I’m still figuring out this project. I believe I’ll continue to explore these drawings and the animation process in the future, both in terms of installation (maybe placing more than one screen, or using a projector) and understanding/reflecting more on the animation itself. During the pop up show, Sarah mentioned that sometimes things that aren’t finished are very interesting, especially in the context of my personal research, which focuses on these small moments of life. Perhaps this unfinished aspect also adds to the work, it adds the feeling of something in transit, or something that is fleeting. It’s another form of existence, and it might be closer/similar to life than what is already done.
The title came from a conversation with Gavin Edmonds, in which I explained him the whole process of the work, until the stage of the pop up show, and told him about the conversation that I had with Sarah about things that aren't completely finished. He emphasized the importance that a title has in creating meaning in the work, and mentioned that it could be interesting if the title was something like "unfinished", since, in the process of building the platform, I added the title "untitled yet" on this page while I was still adding information. It "starts" and "ends" with the line (as it continues in a loop); it's still in an ongoing process (as I feel that I want to continue developing it more); it's evoking the idea of the process (as I displayed it with the tool that I used to create it). Therefore, I followed Gavin's idea of Unfinished for the title of this project.