Embroidery

After a quick class on embroidery, I have picked up the needle and thread and now I'm addicted.

Its a new way of drawing to me using the thread and with the needle I have pretty much pin point accuracy and maximum control. I really enjoy the style I am creating also its is different to the way I would normally work with sketches that would be 'Scratchy' and bold whereas these images are now becoming fine crisp lines with sections left out to allow the viewer to do a little bit of subconscious drawing in their own mind.  

Fairy Tale

These are images I came across a while back thanks to my sister. Although they don't scream out prostitution they have a quality and a narrative that I find very attractive for my work.

They are the grim reality of stories we have been given as fairy tales and nursery rhymes as we grew up. This in a sense is what I feel connects to the world of prostitution, something beautiful on the outside because we have made it look that way but beneath is rotten and disturbing.

The Images are from Thomas Czarneckis' 'From Enchantment To Down' series.

The Google Prostitutes

Going back to the images found on google street view I created a piece of work that incorporated 9 of those images as well as one of my own photographs that shows more emotion and I like how it works in line with the other images.

Poster Ideas

These are some ideas I have been playing with in relation to the poster campaign I mention in the Doras Luimní 'post'.

Doras Luimní

A native of Limerick I was only recently introduced to this organisation 'Doras Luimní'.

A project has been set up in form of a poster campaign and working with Doras Luimni, Ormston House and Limerick School of Art & Design a number of us students have the opportunity to help raise awareness off Sex Trafficking particularly in Limerick.

What Doras Luimní do.

Doras Luimní is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation working to support and promote the rights of all migrants living in Limerick and the wider Mid-West region.

Anti-Trafficking

Doras Luimní offers support victims of trafficking in the Mid-West region and through a partnership with Limerick-based Red Ribbon Project we deliver outreach services to women involved ion on-street prostitution in Limerick. We work closely with other local agencies to provide services to women affected by forced prostitution and sex trafficking.

A link to the page : http://dorasluimni.org

Not For Sale, Not A Product

These two digital images come from ideas I had previously.

I can see these working well or to be incorporated into posters.

Some of my Sketches

These are just some sketches and ideas. The second two images have possibilities of becoming digital images.

Every Woman is a Prostitute

Obviously not every woman is a prostitute but the quote I have used on this image is very though provoking and I was at first repulsed by it when I heard my sister say it.

She was after all trying to help me with my project and she thought it made sense.

She believes that every one woman or man will at some stage in his or her life sell themselves in some way or another. This I agree with. 

The quote reads, "Every Woman Is A Prostitute In Some Way Or Another".

Simply it was a more shocking and brutal way of saying we sell ourselves for others.

I was a prostitute since I was 12 years old

Following on from Yvonne's interview by JohnTV I took a quote of her's and incorporated it into a digital print of mine.

My photograph was printed on glossy photo paper which I was then able to scratch the text onto.

At first I wanted the image to be attractive but once the line of text is read it changes the viewers thought of the piece and it then should become more difficult to look at in the same way as before.

Attraction to the front and repulse towards the underlying story.

Google Street Prostitutes

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/pictures/view/83226190/

This link will lead you to a gallery of images that show prostitutes that have been captured by googles street view cameras.

I have incorporated these images into my own work 

The Attendants (Prostitutes in Greece)

"The primary distinction made between Sex Trafficking and Prostitution in revelent literature is Sex Trafficking is involuntary whereas Prostitution is voluntary, however the reality is just very very different"

Yvonne... Prostitute with Aids

Yvonne was a prostitute since she was 12 years old.

There is no glamour.

She is sick because of what she does for a living.

"I have fucked my own life up"

She is not happy with the path of life she had to choose.

Self Initiated Project 2014

For the second semester of our Print and Contemporary Practises year 2 

we have been let devise our own brief to work from.

My work is based on Prostitution and the darkness and misery that surrounds this path of life.

The idea to work with this subject matter comes from my trip to Amsterdam last summer, I spent 4-5 hours alone wandering around the 'Red Light District". This was one of the most upsetting environments I have ever found myself in. To see girls and woman of all ages standing in the windows and selling themselves to tourists and locals. Strange men arriving from a flight or train journey, suit case still in hand as they enter the tiny rooms which the girls keep within. As I wandered around I attempted to look at each girl/woman in the face. I wanted to see the emotion which was hidden behind a 'mask' they knew I wasn't interested in the services they were offering yet the continued to attempt luring me in. These woman were there for one reason only money, possibly the only way they could support a family or in many cases drug addictions. A large number of the prostitutes in Amsterdam are non-nationals, there are a number of reasons for this and one major factor being sex trafficking. Another horror of the 'sex industry'.

Through my practises I want to create work that sheds light and draws attention to the side of this world people generally prefer not to think about. Especially if you are a person that has used a girl or woman like this. I hope my art will portray what is in my mind and thought process which currently is very tangled and uninformed. 

Girls going wild in red light district

Darkroom

The darkroom was a really fun experience. 

The process is tricky at first but very interesting.

Here are some snaps of the steps 

Luckily I had recently received my own SLR which gave me the time I needed and the ease of access.

The remains of the film canister once the film is taken out and put in the container for developing

Developing the negatives is the longest part of the process and has many steps including different materials and chemicals 

The darkroom as we see it. A brilliant resource and facility to have at our disposal 

Assessments

Getting sorted pressure is slowly beginning to leave 

2014

My resolution - bombard this blog

The Time You Have (In JellyBeans)