My art whakapapa has had a transformation:
It has become my 'art urpflanze' (the word urpflanze was first coined by Goethe. It was the primal generative plant from which all plant forms could be generated. He believed there was one plant that contained all possible aspects off all plants combined, the ultimate plant from which all plants were derived.). It has become this because I felt my original whakapapa had a layer missing. The layer below the surface that is not seen, but without it my art cannot function. The 'roots' of my urpflanze is what makes the 'branches' visible. These roots can be seen as my criteria or simply as me, they are what influences me to make work, the kind of work I make and what I want my work to say/communicate. I also believe that these are not the only roots, but that more will grow as my arts practice and I grow. The roots I have identified are:
- Personal beliefs/Taste/Values/Character/likes/dislikes
- Natural/Environmental Awareness
- Process; Photography & print, old vs new
- Content; Plant material, paper & Glass
- Research/Knowledge/Past career
- Accessibility; Real/representation
- Intuition
- Collecting/Gathering; scientific, many/single
The 'branches' that sprout from these roots;
- Scientific
- Contemporary
- Botanical
- Nostalgic/historical
- Collection
- Specimen
- Representation
Attached to these branches are the 'flowers and leaves' represented as artist, material or aspects of the 'branches'. The roots join the main stem in layers, representing the fact that each is influenced by the one before. While the 'branches' all sprout from the centre, meaning they can all exists without any of the others, but do influence each other.
I feel this urpflanze is a better, more solid reflection of me and what drives my art practice. It, just like Goethe felt when he first coined it, is my ultimate art practice, one that has many possibilities within it. This Urpflanze will form the base for my oral presentation.