Psychology, Science and Art: Part 2

Minds are constantly 'evolving'; in a flux as new knowledge is processed and chemical/ emotional reactions follow. I feel in a privileged position as I believe that I have always had a strong connection with my concious mind as it has developed through the years.

I'm intrigued by psychology & science and it's connection within the arts. I'm both a product of society and a rebel of my own terms, conciously (yet in many ways unconciously) seeking ways to project my perspective through the form of art.

I remember a moment in school at 13 years old with my friend during lunch. We were discussing reality of life and philosophy, whether there could be a possibility that we were living in a simulacrum (not that I knew what the word meant at the time!), more simply described as living in 'The Truman Show'.  From an early age we were were often discussing philosophy as a theory to challenge and debate our existence.

As radical as it may sound, I believe that individuals either have a real interest in the complexities of philosophy within world or don't, often dependent on education. All opinions that we have are mere theories and contradictions but contradictions are challenges, stimulating our minds, inspiring art. 

There is a fascinating interconnection between reality and fantasy. Reality is a mindset. We cannot single handedly modify the inevitable that we are born into a world pre determining the majority of who/ what we are but what we can educate and stimulate our mindset. 

Experiences are what makes us as individuals who we are; positive or negative, our mind is in control of determining fulfilment and healthy reality of self. There is too much pressure in this world of conventional, pop culture 'reality'- when it comes down to it, confidence and individuality is key.

Alice Luker
www.aliceluker.co.uk

Psychology, Science and Art: Part 1

There is one topic which has endessly inspired my passion for the creative industry; psychology. It is a fact that everything is interconnected, a process of ongoing relationships between the conscious and subconscious that determines who we are as individuals and the way in which we look at creative imagery/ art.

Our perspective could perhaps be compared to that of an individual fingerprint; no two entirely identical as they are tailored to our personal experiences, knowledge and chemical reactions formed by highly complex processes in our brains.

There are two key elements that form our perspective on visual art:

Nativistic Perception: Eye and brain matched synchrony transforming electromagnetic energy into neurochemical codes.

Directed Perception: Based on personal history and knowledge.

I would argue that art is one of THE most intellectual industries; one that stimulates our minds and inspires positivity- both elements that I believe we require as human beings. Art was 'invented' (perhaps recognized would be a better word as art can arguably be created in nature too... hence the Peacock above) as we have evolved over thousands of years, suggesting it can only be acquired by a highly complex brain. As we attain more awareness of both the physical and psychological world; art has refined itself from a literal interpretation to that with more conceptual meaning and depth.

 Prehistoric Cave Art

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Pre Raphaelite Art (1000s of years later)

          Pre Raphaelite Art

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Pop Art (over 100 years later)

As the human conscious has evolved with, and perhaps through art, new artistic movements follow. As an example, the era of Pop Art wouldn't have been relevant to the 19th century as the movements that happened between this time all led to the Pop Art movement. As we have become more complex beings, we are able to process information more efficiently/effectively, however the previous movement must have arguably occurred to lead to the next.

There is always the wonder of how much our directed perception (personal knowledge & history) affects us however, whether artistic thought is led more objectively through our nativistic perception (chemical codes) than we are led to think.

I believe that we have currently found ourselves at a very exciting/ scary time in art as the industry has become saturated very rapidly by the dominance of the technology era. Art and information is now 1000% more easily attainable (a personal, not factual guess!) and although indirectly related, human relationships have changed too, no doubt modifying the ever fluctuating ideals of society.

My opinion is that to become more knowledgeable and personalised in the field of art, you need to nurture your relationship between the conscious and subconscious...after all, psychology is an undeniable force to be reckoned with whether you like it or not.

Alice Luker
www.aliceluker.co.uk

Dreams: Metaphor for the Making of Art?

With no surprise, my entire train journey from Ascot (my home town) to London tends to be very much phone related- either tweeting, emailing or texting...I usually end up depleting over a quarter of my Iphone battery in this time alone with many hours ahead to fuel.

With 10 minutes to spare before reaching Waterloo, I read a tweet from the National Gallery regarding a lunchtime talk focusing on dreams and visions in art. This talk acted as an introduction and taster of what is to come when a new exhibition opens this week in association with 'Seduced by Art'. For more information on this exhibition please click here.

 

Not only do I love art and painting on both a personal and professional level; the subject matter of this talk strongly related to the very reason why I began this blog. Art and photography attain the power to be as ambiguous yet as symbolically rich as desired- linking into this fantasy, dreamlike realm which can be so apparent in visual imagery- especially fashion.

In addition to confirming and expanding the knowledge I already have in this subject; I also learnt about Baroque art and the divine powers associated with the dream state which was fascinating. Before we reached the era of scientific evidence supporting dream studies (Sigmund Freud, REM sleep etc), dreams were looked upon as privileged, glorified messages; most often relating to messages from God.

Although this was all very interesting art history, what really inspired me and appeared so relevant to my position as a fashion photographer is the concept of dreams themselves. Dreams attempt to explain the surreal, yet at the same time are designed to be interpreted in a subjective manner; similar to the dream itself. They also leave us with the big question, what really is reality?

Contemporary fashion photography could arguably be more about hyper real fantasy than dreams; determined through both the content within the frame and the ever increasing techniques of post production. I personally believe that one of the key attributes and foundation of conveying a sense of a dream, vision or fantasy relates to the 'space of otherness' - something which can never fully be in reality, often appearing to be a fully conceptual construction.

On this note, I will leave you with a beautiful image by Tim Walker; unquestionably inspired by his personal depictions of the dream realm, inspired by childlike fantasy and unconventional conceptual visions. Having visited an exhibition at Somerset house focusing on Tim Walker's work, this quote seemed particularly fitting:

'The editorial spreads of a modern fashion magazine allow the photographer to construct fictive worlds, which unfold, page after page, like series of stills from unrealised films'.