the submarine models – imperial war museum

Submarine Models

the submarine models – imperial war museum

Two separate female tourists draping themselves over the second world war ‘biber’ submarine for a photo opportunity. Inches from the controls where a lone German operator died. That sinking feeling…plumbing the depths ? What is the culturally accepted passage of time before respect is ceded ?

Reflections

I ended up developing an image that used the cold green-black colour that could be interpreted as linking well to the sea – but not the pleasant blue of seaside association, rather the wild, deep and threatening colour one might be used to well beyond the coast in desperate conditions. The lines marked out reminded me of measures on an instrument for recording ‘depth’, as on a submarine, or down the side of a ship. The moodiness of the painting’s overall ‘look’ seemed to work better in reflecting the girls’ obvious lack of connection with what the equipment was used for, or what it stood for, as opposed to light and frivolous colours that might have been used in a more ironic way.

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plus ca change – (working) london

Plus Ca Change

plus ca change – (working) London

Humans – like sharks. The need to keep moving (forward) to survive. Work, location, relationships etc…The need for creativity or the propsect of death from inertia/boredom.

Reflections

The sense of movement in this painting has been created by incorporating chevrons into its design. Interrupting the rhythm of these are two small square panels in the bottom corners, implying obstacles in the way of its flow. There is also a hint of a shark’s gills in the angled lines, but these proved to be entirely accidental. All these lines have been filled-in with a sharp pink paste which, when dragged across the surface, gives an appearance of a warm coloured X-ray.

This ‘X-ray’ seems to look into and emphasise the structure of this movement, and in doing so brings to mind a sense of looking deeper into the painting’s ‘body’, revealing something different to conventional marks and splodges of paint