Impacted by David Hockney’s theme and ideas, I chose to create a globe. Hockney is basically associated with photography which depicts the perception of naturalism in order to characterize things in their basic forms and I was inspired to create the globe with a ball and split it into two equal halves from the equator. I was also impacted by Edward who is a photographer with an environmental focus and the prominent theme of his works deal with the transformation of nature through the industrialization process. Burtynsky’s use of images as metaphors to depict the dilemma of the heavy industrialization due to which nature and earth suffer heavily is a prominent theme which I have used in the creation of the globe.
I began the process of creation which by all means was a difficult task. While cutting the globe into two halves, I had to be very careful to ascertain that the two halves were equal in shape and size. I tried very hard but there was still some difference between the two sections of the globe which I cut. I was very particular when dissecting the two halves and took much time to do it so that I could achieve as much accuracy as possible.
I then covered the sections of the globe with plaster, one half with gypsum plaster and the other half with mosaic plaster. This style and process was not simple and extremely time consuming. The creation of the plasters was extremely difficult and to create a plaster of perfect consistency was indeed a cumbersome task. I then allowed the plaster to dry, and kept giving the finishing touches so as to obtain an even layer and coat.
After this, I painted this plaster using acrylic paint and found this challenging since this is the first time I am using IB. I decided to cover the top portion of the globe with photos of cubes and squares, a technique similar to my previous works. This, I decided, would be an optimal way to develop and master the technique which I have been using so far. The decision to cover the globe with cubes and squares also stemmed from Hockney’s collages, which are “joiners” or series of photographs with distinct viewpoints but are arranged to form a single piece. Most of Hockney’s works are related to “cubism” according to which a photograph consists of three artistic elements of time, space and narrative, an idea which appeals to me greatly.
David Hockney’s artwork ‘Yosemite’ appeals to me in particular as it is an image with joiners and depicts a distorted state of the earth, an artistic work which is highly subjective and metaphorical and this motivated me to paint the globe differently on the two halves. As such I have used this piece of work to create a similar globe which would also be effective in communicating my idea. The wide variety of colors in the photograph, from which the collage has been created, is a complete blend of all that is found on the earth. I was extremely impressed by this concept in which there is completeness of idea in spite of using joiners to present an idea.
On the bottom half of the globe, I decided to paint red and orange, in order to depict that the earth is on fire. I obtained inspiration for this from Burtynsky’s work ‘Nickel Tailings’ where some portion of the earth is on fire. I saw that the fire on the surface of the earth is clearly dividing the two portions of the earth, so I thought, why not have an actual globe which is actually divided to depict the distortion of the earth. I have covered both the edges of the center of the globe with rings, which would represent the little greenery left on the earth. This green patch will also represent the geographical separation of the two portion of the globe. This separation of the top portion of the globe from the bottom half would also illustrate the separation of the earth from its natural beauty.
The concrete and industrialized world is depicted by the upper half which is covered by cubes and squares and clearly represents the invasion of humankind on the earth and its natural resources. The lower portion of the earth, which is still not accessible to humans, is intact in its original form due to the raging fire and lava, deep below the surface of the earth.
The movement of the earth on its axis will be possible by drilling a metal stick in the center of the earth which will facilitate its rotation on its axis. The globe will be mounted on a base and this will enable the smooth movement of the earth.
I plan not to join the two halves completely and keep the earth divided to clarify my point of division between the two portions of the earth. I plan to gradually show the change between the two portions with the help of acrylic paint which will depict the transition of the earth, from dark to light and gradually to the concrete world.
This design and construction has not been simple and I have encountered many problems in the process. The major problem was the structure of the globe which was in two halves due to which it is not very accurate. The two halves of the earth were not as perfect as I would want them to be, neither in shape nor in size. I notice that the upper half of the earth is larger than the lower half. This is the reason why I have left some space between the two portions and covered their rims with rings, so that the two halves seem to appear similar in shape and size and the difference is not very apparent.
The making of the rings was also not an easy task. Since the rings were slightly smaller in size to the actual globe, I experienced great difficulty in fitting them to the rims of the two sides of the globe. I was unable to fit the rings round the rims, and had to ultimately cut them and fit them around the two portions of the rims of the globe.