Donna Ong, 2006, Secret, interiors: chrysalis
This artwork makes me wonder. Is it a childish experiment, like giving your doll a haircut, not knowing that in her case it’s forever? Or is it more sinister – a cruel act of punishment, played out on dolls in lieu of a real adversary? Or could the act of pickling represent preservation, even protection?
For me, its ambiguity is appealing.
How do you respond to it?
Cath, interesting suggestion. On a somewhat related matter, I wondered whether you’d seen this recent post about students using images. It touches on institutional repositories and ‘image literacy’.
http://blogs.lib.sfu.ca/index.php/copeland/2006/12/04/images_in_teaching_and_learning
Hi Mal. Seems like there’s a lot of discussion around at the moment on images, teaching and learning. A good thread to follow – I will do that, so thanks. Also… yet another reason we really need to get our Vrroom back online (which will probably happen in August – announcement coming soon).
i think you have got it all right by ‘childish experiment’, ‘punishment’, ‘pickling prevervation/protection’. contemporary art works are capable of multiple interpretation, but often the sheer appeal of ambiquity is more important than its supposed meanings. especially, as in this case, when it is combined with strong visual impact. that’s one thing that makes education about contemporary art really challenging. i’d like to hear more of your opinion in this subject.
Perhaps it talks about the ongoing human experiment that every child is part of. Genetics, nature v nurture, parenting – if we look around at people we are all the results of collective experiment. Of course I would hate to have to do the stats on the data. But as a science educator that is the meaning I got from it.
Perhaps it also talks about the growing importance of individuals in isolation connected in some Star Trek Borg like way throught he electronic devices we have more than by actual “intimate connection”