Recently I feel as if I have been getting far too caught up in the technicalities and building of my installation that I have become lost in the reasons why I am doing this. I have felt that has become necessary that I spend some time away from the studios and revisit the incredibly important philosophy that my work is built upon. This should benefit me by now seeing my work with fresh eyes, and also seeing it with the reasons of what inspired me to build it in the first instance.
My studies have adopted an exploration of the human trait of consciousness; exploring this through the study of phenomenological installation art that provides an experience for the viewer. To do this I have explored a critical history on the development of selected artists’ understanding of philosophical studies, and its correlation with the rise of phenomenological installation art.
Our technological understanding of reality and perception has taken a recent on unremitting expansion, but it still leaves us with one major miles stone yet to reach – our understanding of consciousness is still jaded within our knowledge. On reflection of our senses, our empathetic ways, and through studying the philosophical grounds of which the work is based upon, we can begin to delve into this questionable topic. The structure of installation art causes an internal first person experience, whether it confirms or disrupts your conscious image of yourself. Within my studies, an exploration of the effects on the consciousness from the establishment and the confirmation of space through minimalist installation, which is understood through the exploration of the mind itself as a phenomenon. Following on from this were the supporting philosophical ideas that allowed artists to experiment with the viewer’s obscuration – and the comprehension of – space and how the results affect the conscious mind.
Overall, the results of this studies provide evidence that the viewer is subject to the artist’s experiment that attempts to disrupt the viewer’s perception of self as a secure being within their reality. If the work is successful, its ability to ‘destabilise’ the viewer is key, whilst feeling ‘stable’ within an unfamiliar environment that is built on philosophical theories. Phenomenological installation art attempts to exhibit this by immersing the viewer into a space that is parallel to the ‘real world’.
sarahpadbury 