{"id":1517,"date":"2019-01-24T15:38:33","date_gmt":"2019-01-24T22:38:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.unsw.edu.au\/clic\/?page_id=1517"},"modified":"2019-01-31T04:11:10","modified_gmt":"2019-01-31T11:11:10","slug":"experiment-1","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.unsw.edu.au\/clic\/archive\/nicole-hauser\/experiments\/experiment-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Experiment 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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To challenge conventional expectations of ‘flat white,’ I decided to experiment with a\u00a0flat white sheet. \u00a0One of the notions that ‘flat white’ evokes is that of bed linen. \u00a0A number of contemporary artists have focused on the intimacy of the bedroom as the subject of their work. \u00a0Tracey Emin, Felix Gonzalez-Torres and Nan Goldin have all depicted the ‘slept in’ bed in a powerful and literal sense. \u00a0For this experiment I wanted to portray something enigmatic and abstract.<\/p>\n

Using my own bed linen, I created a series of photographs with the intention of defying\u00a0\u00a0preconceptions of a flat white sheet, turning it into a sculptural form with dimension and depth. \u00a0This allowed me to experiment with light and shadow. \u00a0After experimenting with taking photographs in my bedroom at home,\u00a0I decided to move to a sterile and public space. \u00a0By changing the direction and brightness of spotlights as well as the camera angle, I was able to create chiaroscuro. \u00a0This effect was enhanced by the monochromatic palette and the flat white was optimised by the contrasting surroundings. \u00a0During the set up process,\u00a0I noticed the figure vaguely resembled a marble statue and I loved the fact that this light sheet conjured the illusion of weight. \u00a0As a result, I changed the position of the model and again played around with the direction of the lighting to enhance this illusion. \u00a0This discovery of ‘weightiness’ became appealing to me as it seemed to parallel the physical, emotional and psychological weight an individual takes to their bed each evening. \u00a0I wondered whether other people would perceive these images in the same way, or would they perhaps think of ghosts and mummies?<\/p>\n

Through experimentation, I decided to cover the figures faces to reflect the private nature of a bedroom. \u00a0Here, the human form was present but at the same time concealed. \u00a0I had initially left the faces of my \u00a0figures exposed but decided to cover them to create a sense of anonymity. \u00a0The unknown figures then retained a feeling of secrecy and mystery, open to speculation and interpretation. \u00a0What were they thinking? \u00a0What were they dreaming?<\/p>\n

Moreover, I decided to play around with using one body, two bodies as well as an absence of bodies with the white sheet. \u00a0The addition of a second figure lent itself to broader interpretation. \u00a0Were my figures now resembling religious imagery – Madonna and child? \u00a0Or could the intimacy of the figures be construed as sexual? \u00a0Creating different tableaux for each shot, I contorted and distorted the figures’ bodies drawing on elements of surrealism. \u00a0I tried pulling the sheet tight across the figures’ faces and limbs to exaggerate a dreamlike state. \u00a0As I tightened the sheets and took close up photographs, the texture of the sheet became more apparent, again challenging the tactile conception of what a flat sheet might feel like.<\/p>\n

Of the countless photographs taken, I selected 14 that best represented the breadth of my experimentation with light, shadow, the human form\/absence of human form, body position and contorting, perceptions of weight and anonymity. \u00a0Despite using a bed sheet as the source of my\u00a0experimentation, I loved the idea that my photographs did not necessarily conjure images of a bed nor a ‘flat white.’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  To challenge conventional expectations of ‘flat white,’ I decided to experiment with a\u00a0flat white sheet. \u00a0One of the notions that ‘flat white’ evokes is that of bed linen. \u00a0A number of contemporary artists have focused on the intimacy of the bedroom as…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101331,"featured_media":0,"parent":1551,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1517","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.unsw.edu.au\/clic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.unsw.edu.au\/clic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.unsw.edu.au\/clic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.unsw.edu.au\/clic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/101331"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.unsw.edu.au\/clic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1517"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.unsw.edu.au\/clic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1517\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2012,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.unsw.edu.au\/clic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1517\/revisions\/2012"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.unsw.edu.au\/clic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.unsw.edu.au\/clic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}