Rhizomes - root like stem growing along or under the ground, and sendin out both roots and shoots. Rhizomes alway aspire to the consolidation of their networks. The global market, for instance, naturally aspires to its own growth, monopolizing multidimensionality and producing a self-reinforcing monodimensionality.
Nomadic lifestyle - fitting in to all, and at the same time not fitting with any societal view of life but their own. Remaining transient to continue moving forward in all aspects of life/ existance. Unlike western, or "community', village living, ie: adapting surroundings to your ides of life, rather adapting your life to the immediate reality.
Is this continued with us as a society trying to adapt our physical look, our visual face to that of our surrounds, do we all want to become one with what is in our imediate vicinity? Why would this be so?
22/08/03 What the hell am I on about here?? What do we want to look like trees? Or am I meaning in a more community sense of the idea? Like we want to look like each other to feel like we are a part of something? Is this where this strangeness of liposuction and cosmetic surgery, even make up and fashion comes from? Are we so media hungry that we think every one looks like people from magazines? Are we so affraid to look at ourselves that we would rather watch ou t.v's, rather watch somebody elses life than take note of our own, and our immeadiate reality? Or do we do that in order to mimic and assimilate better? Why do we want to be like one another? A culture where even the word alternative Modern Oxford dic- " offering a different approach from the conventional or established one; belonging to the counter culture" can become "main stream"in the world of comercialism & marketing... Rambling again?

Arrgh! He was going so well (the plump business man) and then he twisted and fell, his foot broke in half, and then his crotch cracked irrepairably. Much to my dismay he needed to be returned to the clay, and I have to start again - after a week of patient building!
I think that he was getting too much weight on his ankles and knees and he got taller, causing him to twist and kneel. I am going to have to use another tactic I think, otherwise it will just happen again.
I was speaking with a friend who suggested I make a simple/basic hollow shape and then add the muscle definition and detail once the basic form has hardened a little. Unlike what I was doing which was building a hollow structure with all the detail as I developed him upwards, this was causing him the harden irregularly, and then as I worked my way up the little movemet I needed was causing him to become more and more unstable, until he finally cracked from the presure. (I have put him into councelling and he should be back to work by the years end...) So I will try the other way suggested and begin this tonight. Hopefully it won't take nearly as long as the first way I tried. It took me about a week to get half a man sculpted, and then he broke anyway. How frustrating!! But I should look at it all as a learning experience...
Realistically I need to be able to finish one figure (they are approximately 30 - 40 cms in height) within 3 days, or near complete anyway. Otherwise I will never meet the deadline I have given myself for the end of the year.... Plus I want to speak with Keesan soon about an exhibition, and don't want to confirm that until I have at least two pieces finished, at present I only have one.
That was the easy one though. It's a round board with different sized round holes. On it stand 5 figures with triangular bases. Looks quite ok I think, will see how it goes in the firing of course, just as with these figures for idea 1. But it has dried without any cracks which is a good sign...

Thanks to Rodin, I finally got the arse sorted on my first figure for Idea 1 (the naked figures holding masks which don't fit) He's a little plump, not nearly as athletic as Rodins dancers, or Michelangelos' David. I like to think of him as your modern business man without the suit. Still there's only half of him at the moment, and he needs a little smoothing out to rid him of the excessive cellulite, but he should be finished by the weekend, and then onto the next one. I am wanting to make five of them in total, all differing in their body shape and mix of gender, but holding the same style masks. I think I am going to go with the highly stylized Venitian masks. It accentuates the prententiousness/fakeness of the idea of 'showing your best side' or even hiding the real you in order to be one of the crowd. To be a part of something, even if it's not really you.

"Eternal Spring" Rodin

"The walking man" Rodin

"Age of Bronze" Rodin

Haven't decided if I should go with similar masks, or each figure hold a diffenernt mask from the other - maybe one from each culture, chinese, african, venice? Want to check out various styles first... Have a look at these:

Symetry. Trying to copy or mirror behaviours and appearances to be able to fit in better. Is this the same throughout all of nature.

Curved lines fitting together even though there is variation in their form. Seems to give a sense of calmness....

Aboriginal art, culture explaining their environment. Explaining, understanding in order to fit in better?