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I've been struggling to come up with a focus for the concept of emergence. Until two days ago, I played around with the idea of abstract and whimsical fish as a representation of an emotional dream time. My work would centre on the image of deep sea creatures, and the emergence from the dreaming state. But, as of an extensive conversation that took place late Friday night/early Saturday morning, I’ve found a more compelling approach to the concept.

I’ve been avoidant of art lately, mostly because of the fear of failure, I believe. Feelings impede my ability to press on. So I thought I’d make this term’s work deal with the idea of catharsis, and hopefully, through this, achieve my own emotional purge. In this, I’d deal with the emergence of emotion and emergence from an emotional purge.

The plan:

To make a video and/or photo series documenting myself (or a willing actor/model) venting apparent distress by continuously hurling various materials onto a blank wall. This includes balls of paper, drenched in coloured inks (representations of the different emotions, perhaps). I think this might play into the childhood act of launching balled toilet paper onto the ceiling of a bathroom, and take that reference to the way in which negative emotion can cause a person to become unreasonably juvenile. I suppose the purpose of this work is to document my own raw frustration over the creative process.

Other things:

I see the filmed/photographed person in a white, blank room, encircled by clear acrylic mixing bowls filled with water (perhaps dealing with the trap of emotion).

I could use food dye, or ink, and pack it into the paper prior to wetting it. Thus, the colour in the water + thrown object will only be activated when it is scrunched. This might be an interesting image.

Making a simple costume would make use of my developing skill as a seamstress.

I think there are a lot of elements from the piece that would work in the body of work – the sound from the video can be a piece of its own, as can any costume I may make for the person. Portraits of the person splattered in colour, I could extend to paint from images taken of the hurling aftermath. The blank wall could simply be a large sheet of paper, or a canvas, that can later be used as a work itself.

There would be irony in venting anger over a lack of creativity and, in the end, producing an abstract, expressive mess on the blank wall. In that sense, it could be the ‘emergence of creativity’, as well.

BIG obstacle – I need to find a room.

I realise it sounds crazy in writing, but I was very convinced of its genius late Friday night. So I thought I’d propose it. What do you think?