christopher sharp artwork: Project: Exeter, UK

christopher sharp artwork: Project: Exeter, UK: "2011, fly-posters of paintings 'Novus Ordo Seclorum', 'A Painting is a City' and 'La Société du Spectacle' around the city of Exeter...."

I found this while walking around town at lunch the other day. It struck me because I'm currently working on a project around the theme of the culture of apathy that exists and is encouraged in society today. I'll write more at length about this soon, but for now, look at this guy's work because it seems to get across a lot of my thoughts and feelings at the moment.

#SINGItForJapan

SINGItForJapan contribution (2011). Fineliner pen drawing, digitally coloured on Photoshop.

The observant among you might have realised that I'm a big fan of My Chemical Romance. Well they're currently putting together a project to raise money for Red Cross Japan in the wake of the recent earthquake, tsunamis and nuclear disasters over there. They'll be releasing a special version of their song, SING, along with a video to which fans are contributing footage, photographs and artwork as we speak. Obviously not everything will make it in there, but this is my effort and I had a lot of fun doing it today. I've never coloured/shaded something digitally before, so I'm quite pleased with how it came out!

Anyway, this is a really good cause, so if you like this band or know someone who does, get involved! And if you don't like this band, donate some money anyway 'cause it's a nice thing to do for some people who are having a really shitty time at the moment.

I still don't really get how Twitter works, so do whatever it is you're meant to do with this hash tag: #SINGItForJapan.

Also see the blog on MCR's website: http://www.mychemicalromance.com/news

Duck and Cover

Duck and Cover (2011). Mixed media.

Duck and Cover (2011) with fluorescent torch on.

 I started using the idea of nuclear war as more of a metaphor. I'm fascinated by Cold War bunkers - the idea that inside them, you're theoretically protected, but you're also trapped. For me, that was a strong metaphor for a personal experience (which I won't go into) and the ensuing aftermath. These are like my emergency supplies from that time - a makeshift lantern and a mini fallout shelter. One day I might type up my digressions on soup cans from my notebook. Oh and, for anyone who's interested, the rusting was produced using hydrogen cream peroxide (the stuff you mix with hair bleach) and table salt. It only takes about an hour or so.

Also, here's a really cool video about Project Greek Island - the congress bunker discovered under Virginia's Greenbrier Hotel in the early 90s. I was particularly interested and inspired by this one, as you'll see.

Atomic shadows

Bleach on Quink. Worth mentioning because it only seems to work on Quink - indian ink or regular water-based ink will not change colour.

Nuclear Winter Collection

Nuclear Winter Collection (2011). Collage, pen drawing, white acrylic, silver ink, Photoshop.

Collage consolidating my Cold War research. Alexander McQueen beat me to the title though.

Photoshop brushes by punksafetypin on deviantart. (http://punksafetypin.deviantart.com/)

Photograms

In the past few months, I've been working around the theme of nuclear war, using the atomic 'shadow' images from Hiroshima and Nagasaki as my starting point. I remember learning about these tragedies in history in year 9 and even amongst images of people suffering from radiation sickness and severe burns, it was the 'shadows' I found most harrowing. The way they're created is almost like a photographic process, so with that in mind I made these photograms in the darkroom, using cut outs from my childhood photos and an acetate print of a photo I took of the clock at the Musée D'Orsay.

Grandparents and memories

Untitled (2010). Ink, charcoal, paper ephemera, monoprint, calico, parachute silk (well, the cheap version of it anyway).

This was a piece on the subject of memory. The central figure is my grandad, who I never met as he died before I was born. He fought in the RCAF during WW2 at age 17 - he was too young to join the RAF in Britain. The idea was to piece together an image of his memories from this time, based on old photographs and stories I heard from my mum and grandma. I get the impression it was the best time of his life - he never talked about the bombing he'd had to take part in, but he did love flying planes. There are certainly things I could have done a lot better with this piece, the very noticeably asymmetrical shape bugs me. But in person it's got a really nice texture. 

Untitled - detail (2010). Ink on calico.

Untitled (2009). Manipulated family photograph from WW2.

Untitled (2009). Manipulated family photograph from WW2.

Grandma (2010). Charcoal on paper.

During the time I was working on that project for college, my grandma was very sick with cancer. I took the main drawing of my grandad to show her while she was in a nursing home, but after that she was rarely composmentis at all and she died before I finished it. The night before she died, I did this charcoal portrait of her from a holiday photograph. Those of you who have known someone with cancer will know how much it can change a person. We knew she was going to die soon and I wanted us to be able to remember her how she had been for most of her life - kind, strong and lively with a wicked sense of humour - not how she was when she died.