Mark James

Like Joshua Allen Harris, Mark James uses bin bags as his dominant material, also making statements about certain themes. However he does this in a more graphical design based way.

This started when he left a scrunched up bin bag on his desk, which began to unravel itself in a dynamic and intriguing way. James decided to film this, soon becoming obsessed with the flowing movement that came from such a mundane material.

This made me wonder whether the artist is responsible for creating something dynamic and visually interesting with such a simple static material, or whether the material already has these qualities but they are overlooked, and the artist just highlights them.

 

These pieces were made for musician Cian Ciaran's album, which is described as a protest record targeting oil companies and 'political villains'. The above design (the kaleidoscopic collage) is shaped to look like a skull and includes images referencing the records key themes.

Firstly, I found the kaleidoscope shape very interesting. It could represent how we all have a different view on things, and the world is a diverse place portrayed differently in each individuals mind. However there are patterns found in all our views, maybe because of the environment we are brought up in.

 

On the other hand the message could be a lot more negative, it could suggest that society only sees things through a distorted view as the government and politicians are constantly manipulating people and situations, trying to make us see what they want to see so they can gain complete control.

It may be suggesting that no one ever realises the full extent of what is going on with the world or even the universe, as the centre of the design looks quite astronomical. The centre could also represent the centre of the earth, with the dark and eerie blackness of the bag engulfing it in an almost suffocating way. This could be making a statement on how we are wrecking the earth with our selfish needs for more oil, energy, money, etc. The skull only adds to this dark and meaningful message, representing negativity in the form of death, terror, and inevitable doom.

Maybe this collage shows how dark and ruined the earth will become if we carry on like this, or maybe this is opening our eyes to how the earth already is.

However there is something strangely beautiful in the intimidating forms of the bin bag. Although the black tone delivers a dead aesthetic, the flowing form of the bin bag injects movement and life to the design, creating a small juxtaposition that could be making a statement in itself. The fact that the raw material is merely a bin bag also juxtaposes the beautiful outcome. This is much like what Joshua Allen Harris does in his work: he takes a boring old bin bag and turns it into something beautiful, showing that beauty can be found anywhere.

 

Both artists have achieved a very similar effect from their dominant material, but using different processes. I feel Harris takes it a step further than James as he clearly shows the material in its overlooked state to begin with, before it develops into its beautiful state. I think this makes the viewer feel more as they can see the whole process involved and feel a part of it. However James's work holds a unique power within itself as the viewer may not realise straight away (or at all) that the material is a bin bag. This discovery can be intriguing and very thought provoking, as viewers will start questioning why a bin bag has been used and what this means. I am going to experiment with the method used by each artist to see which is most effective and successful for me personally.

 

I like how this extremely intriguing yet scary world that James has created catches the eye and draws viewers in through its claustrophobic, gloomy, moody, yet strangely beautiful atmosphere and aesthetic. It seems that the longer you look at it, the more you see, and so it easily holds the attention of the viewer. This makes the work very enigmatic, prompting the viewer to try and interpret everything they see, and explore further and further into its engaging world of depth.

For me personally, it made me wonder whether there were any hidden messages within the design, as the dark aesthetic doesn't suggest the piece is particularly innocent! Therefore I kept exploring the piece for hidden themes and messages, and guessing at what different things could mean, further engaging me. The design is practically asking to be explored.

 

Looking at this artist has given me many ideas involving creating imagery with a bin bag. I could also use other everyday overlooked objects as my main material, such as shopping bags, wrappers, newspapers, and magazines. I could link this to contemporary issues, maybe posing questions through my work or making statements.