Staging Heriones Methodology

Challenging the line between fine art and craft, I will use wood burning as a drawing medium. A drawing on newsprint will be made first and then projected on a wooden panel. The figures and details will be wood burned onto a poplar plywood panel. The wood burning will determine the shape of the window, which will be cut out with a band saw. Color will be applied with colored water based wood stains that are transparent enough to allow wood grain shows underneath. The color doesn’t interfere with the wood burning and takes advantage of the wood’s natural surface.
The framing will be used to create a narrative. Art nouveau borders inspire the visuals for the panels. The figures around the window will not be traditional represented. The depictions of the women will be unsettling and somewhat surreal. For example, Odette and Odile are the protagonist and antagonist of swan lake but I interpret them as two sides of one person. Combining the two ballerinas into conjoined twins illustrates the duality while keeping the elegance of the characters. The viewer can gain some insight to the traditional narrative, but also a greater vision to the characters’ struggle. I will portray only women; the male dancer is only a pedestal for the heroine of the ballet.
The frames will be displayed on and off the wall, so the viewer can be the object presented. They will be emerged in the world that inspired the piece. Nine pieces will be completed, giving the viewer a variety of scenes to join. I am showing in an alternative space, giving me access to a large amount of wall space and the ability to suspend my pieces. Two large frames will be hung from the ceiling in the middle of the room while the other frames are mounted on the wall. A viewer from one side of the room can look through the window, to see another person looking at the artwork on the opposite wall. This dynamic allows for the people in the gallery to be framed.