Joshua Allen Harris

 

I found this artists work fascinating as he uses an often overlooked contemporary object to create pieces of art. At a first glance his work looks like a pile of rubbish discarded in the street, however one strong gust from the subway beneath brings the material to life, the air inflating it into a beautiful character. This then deflates again as the air leaves its body, as if the life is being sucked from the character as it deflates. I feel this could be a statement on life and death.

On the outside this cycle of magical inflation followed by deflation appears to represent the life and death of the character. However looking at the cycle in more depth reveals a lot more connotations.

The cycle could represent the ups and downs of life- it is often described as a rollercoaster and so this could be a personification of the highs and lows we face. Although the sculpture continues to deflate time after time, it also continues to inflate again, maybe to show we can bounce back from anything, but we must get through the lows of life to reach the highs.

 

 Another connotation particularly found in Harris's polar bear piece is its vital commentary on global warming. The viewers watch the magical and exciting process of the bear being brought to life, only to be followed by it tragically melting to the ground, inevitably dying over and over again. The bear is first overlooked but the harsh reality of the situation hits as viewers witness an engaging animation that provokes them to consider the effects of global warming.

 

I find it fascinating how this overlooked every day object turns into something beautiful and magical. This juxtaposition could be a statement on how we pre-judge everything around us, how things may not immediately appear interesting or beautiful but this doesn't reflect what they truly are. Things can always blossom or improve, there is beauty to be found in everything. The piece questions whether beauty can be salvaged from unusual and un-thought of places, materials, and situations.

 

I think the cycle of life and death portrayed could question whether our life and death is completely random or planned. Is it down to fate when a train passes in the subway beneath to inflate the character, or is it planned because the train times are planned? Does the air leave the character randomly or is there a particular process to it? Is the life and death of the characters planned because the artist intentionally placed them into the cycle or is it random because he doesn't know when they will become inflated and deflated? This all links to our own lives, adding another level of depth to the artwork.

 

It is this depth that comes from such an aesthetically engaging piece that draws in a diverse range of viewers. The work causes a whole range of emotions, such as confusion, joy, astonishment, fear, shock, excitement, sadness, guilt, realisation, humour, interest etc. The effects are individual to each person depending on how they perceive the work, allowing it to become more personal to them, which then sparks a small connection between the viewers and the artist. This leads me to think maybe the reactions of the public could be recorded and explored.

 

Another thing I like about the work of Joshua Allen Harris is the fact that his work is very contemporary, holding many lessons and stories. I feel it speaks for the need of support and reinforcement in the creative process. Through my research I found that Harris worked on the initial ideas of these projects for quite some time however began to lose interest. As he moved onto exploring new ideas, the power of the internet intervened. The public were becoming inspired by Harris's work, posting photos and videos online which then spread worldwide. All of a sudden, thanks to contemporary technology there was a renewed interest in this particular project on a monumental scale. This made me wonder whether Harris's work would have gained the same success before the internet was invented- maybe this form of modern technology is the key to his breakthrough in the world of art. The story also reinforces the idea that support and reinforcement are needed in the creative process, physically and mentally. Artists need encouragement sometimes and so the response from viewers on the internet played a huge part in Harris's success. However in a more physical sense, support and reinforcement were needed to make the characters work. The gusts of air from the subway vents supported the flimsy material of the plastic bags giving them the reinforcement they needed to come to life and form their true shapes.

 

Exploring this work has led to me wanting to create my own inflatable plastic bag characters. I am going to experiment with this process on a smaller scale to see if I can gain the same effect as Harris, possibly developing this into making a statement or raising questions as he does.