Judaism

I have been researching the Jewish faith and have attempted to convey some of the ideas and information that I have discovered through this mood board.  The main themes that I want to get across are the idea of sorrow juxtaposed with joy and the importance of community in the Jewish faith.  Judaism places great importance on interactions within a community, for example many prayers require the presence of ten adults, a minyan. The idea of true joy always being mixed with sorrow is also an important teaching. In the wedding feast, the breaking of the glass originally symbolises the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem.

I have used imagery from the holocaust as the basis of this piece. The background picture is a photograph of piles of spectacles taken from the Jews in Auschwitz along with a photograph of the stolen suitcases. Across the top is a photograph of the infamous slogan of Auschwitz; ‘Arbeit macht Frei.’ I have overlaid this with a painting of a prayer in Hebrew which is decorated with flowers.  I have layered the flowers over the top to blur the Holocaust imagery somewhat, giving the impression of the sorrow being in the past. The flowers bring to mind rebirth and the growth of something new.

I want to convey the idea of joy and strong community in the foreground. I feel that the photo and the painting of the men dancing together are strong and joyful images. In Judaism, dancing is a tool for expressing joy, purifying the soul and unifying the community. On the left is a Jewish wedding contract (a Ketubah) with a picture of an orthodox Jewish couple incorporated on to it. This is to highlight the importance of marriage in Judaism. The Ketubah is also a traditionally highly decorated object and is a way to show traditional Jewish artistic style.

To the bottom left is a painting of the western wall in Jerusalem by the artist David Yohanan. The picture layered over the top is a photograph of Jewish men praying at the wall. I have included this reference to convey the importance of Jerusalem in the Jewish faith and also the centrality of prayers and religious observance.

I have I incorporated other recognisable symbols of Judaism including the Star of David, the hand of Fatima. The fashion photograph on the left is a from a KTZ collection which used the Jewish faith as inspiration for their style.

The majority of colour in the piece is dictated by the colour of the clothing which is black and white. The other colour comes from the decorated wedding contract and prayer which are bright and natural colours such as blues and greens and yellows. Gold is also used in moderation. In the Jewish faith, the decoration of ritual objects is seen to be a way of glorifying God and as such, religious objects are often beautifully and intricately decorated.

The painting of the western wall uses micrography to form the bricks of the wall. Micrography is a traditional art form in Judaism as many Jews believe that the second commandment forbids them from creating images. The second commandment declares; ‘You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image or any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above or in the earth below. Conveying these images using words is a way of getting around this rule.

All the information that I have gathered is taken from the internet. I have used four paintings from the Israeli artist David Yohanon who specialises in the decorating of religious objects and calligraphy. I have used one ink drawing by the artist Michael Levin who takes inspiration from the Hassidic Jewish community. The painting of the dancing men is by the artist Zalman Kleinman. The remaining images are photographs taken from the internet.

I am generally very happy with the outcome of the mood board as I feel that it expresses the ideas that I wish to convey. If I were to change anything it would be to use a wider variety of sources, media and artists. I think that I have used too many images from the same artist and all of my sources are secondary sources; more variety would be better.  In my opinion, the most effective part of the piece is the background which conveys meaning as well as creating an attractive image in itself.

Damien Hirst

Damien Hirst 

Damien Hirst is a conceptual artist who has become a cultural icon of our time. He is the most prominent member of the group known as the young British artists who are known for controversy, using shock tactics and unconventional materials. He has spent his career exploring the relationship between art, life and death. He puts it best himself when he says, “Art’s about life and it can’t really be about anything else … there isn’t anything else’’ Since the late 1980’s Hirst has been using sculpture, installation, painting and drawing to explore and challenge contemporary ideas of life’s big issues such as religion, belief and faith. Hirst’s mother is an Irish catholic which may have been part of inspiring Hirst to ask questions about and challenge the idea of religion in his art work.

In his work ‘pharmacy,1992’ he created an installation with glass cabinets filed with packaged  pills and medicines and office furniture to resemble a pharmacy. The space had three coloured apothecary bottles on the desk to represent earth, wind and fire to bring to mind traditional methods of healing used in ancient times. Hirst commented that ‘in a hundred years’ time this will look like an old apothecary.’ In the centre of the room were pots of honey comb and a fly killer. Hirst wanted to infer that people are drawn to medicine with its promises of relief only to die anyway and possibly a more brutal death than before. Hirst  had created a ‘Temple’ to medicine, putting medicine and science in the same category as other belief and faith systems offering hope, salvation and redemption to its followers.

 In 2005 Hirst exhibited his first major print exhibition; ‘New religion.’ This show used silk screen printing, sculpture, installation and painting to explore his belief that “Science is the new religion.” Hirst again created a ‘Temple’ to medicine; installing his exhibition in All Hallows Church in London in 2007.

The show used medical objects and imagery juxtaposed with religious imagery.  Works shown included a cedarwood crucifix inlayed with pewter pill. This raises idea that people now put more faith in pills, medication and science than the healing properties of a higher power. In the past people may have put their faith in God to cure them of illness whereas now many people put their faith in a doctor. Hirst questions how much we know about medication. We all put our faith in it to cure us but how do we really know it works? Isn’t it just another form of faith?

Hirst also displayed a wooden crucifix displaying photographs of real medical wounds to represent the stigmata of the crucified Christ who ‘died for our sins’. This brings to mind the people who have died and been used as guinea pigs for medical testing to make medicine more effectual for the rest of us.

Hirsts work ‘The soul on Jacob’s ladder’ Uses silk-screen printing to create a butterfly on black background. This suggests to me the idea of the soul as a fleeting occurrence in the scheme of life. Just as the butterfly lives only a very short life only to be replaced by the next, human life is the same; a fragile, fleeting, beautiful but ultimately doomed moment in time.

I am inspired by Hirt’s use of media and materials in an innovative and thought-provoking way to convey his ideas. His work uses metaphor to explain the subject but I feel that the work has a stong an easily understood narrative which appeals to a wide audience. I agree with Hirst’s idea that science is a kind of faith that people believe in which is not fully understood. I do not believe that science is on the level with religion as yet as it offers no promise of after-life or an eternal life as yet….

KTZ

KTZ

KTZ are a fashion house consisting of creative designer Marjan Pejoski, operational manager Sasko Bezovski and head of design Koji Maruyama. Following the success of Pejoski’s own brand, KTZ arose mutually by himself and Sasko Bezovski.  Pejoski studied fashion design at Central St Martin’s University. Bezovsi was an internationally renowned DJ in the 1980’s. It was shortly after the launch of KTZ that Maruyama was made head of design. The first store ‘Kokon to Zai’ was opened in 1996, followed by a chain of umbrella stores in London and Paris. KTZ are known for their outlandish and original street wear which uses wide-ranging influences from music, fashion and different cultures.

The 2014 collection used inspiration from a trip to Morocco and the Muslim culture there. The designers are very interested in national geography and discovering different cultures, religions and peoples.  They were inspired by the Berber people who are an ethnic group indigenous to North Africa. Today the Berbers are located mainly in Morocco and Algeria and the majority are Sunni Muslims . The designers explain that they wanted to ‘highlight and elevate’ this culture in their show.

They embraced the culture while bringing it up to date using natural fabrics, linen and cotton mixed with newer fabric such as plastics, metals and patent leather.  

 Using the story of their journey from Israel to Morocco through the desert as their theme, the designers used lots of Islamic imagery and patterns in their clothing. From the tessellated Geometric prints that look to be inspired by the Islamic decorative canon to the Studded metal applique of the hand of Fatima on the clothing. The women’s wear included head dresses and burquas which are traditional in Islamic culture as many Muslims believe that the religion demands that women’s faces should be covered. The designers fused this idea with modern street wear that uses the traditional idea but with a very different outcome. This can be seen as controversial as the Islamic way of dress can be seen as a badge of honour and solidarity among the people and in this way it is open to all. It can also be seen as sexualising the traditional dress by using fabrics such as sheer fabrics which expose the body which is the antithesis of the Muslim ideal.

As well as their clothing, styling and fashion shows, KTZ carry through the mood and style of their brand in other media such as video and photography. This video form the SS13 collection conveys the dark, satanic influences of the collection as well as the sports element.

 http://vimeo.com/59181970

You can really see how their aesthetic has evolved from the beginning of their collaboration to now; to create a strong identity as a brand. The use of inspiration from a wide variety of sources is evident in their work and creates an exciting and original perspective. Each show uses different inspiration and to create a strong theme and mood which follows through each piece in the show.   The sources used are not always representational in each piece but taken as a whole it is clear to see the story the designers wish to tell.

I am inspired by the designers obvious curiosity and interest in life which keeps them constantly researching and learning more about the world them. This really shows in the diversity and innovation of their work. This shows to me the importance of varied research on a wide variety of topics and genres. The use of Islamic decorative patterns is something I which to explore in my own work.