| Christine J Shanks |
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Metamorphosis (Lazertran on sculpted ceramic slab)
The photomontage mixed pieces of the Metamorphosis series is one of my most autobiographical works, created in reaction to several defining experiences in my early adulthood. Over the years, I have catalogued my life through collected objects, drawings, letters, poems, and items reflecting pop-culture, music, and artistic influences. I brought all this together in the Metamorphosis series to create images that relay narrative stories about seminal events in my life. They depict memory, how the past shapes the future, and the transforming qualities of pain and love.
Many objects in the Metamorphosis series appear repeatedly in different photomontages and symbolize reconstruction, emotion, change and growth. Some of the objects that symbolize pain are actual pieces of me, such as my wisdom teeth and a bloodied bandage. My drawings, cyanotypes, and photographs are displayed among found objects, musical lyrics and printed materials that were collected over the years. In order to create the photomontages all of the materials were scanned using a flatbed scanner with transparency option. The photomontages were constructed in Photoshop. But in order for the montages to take on a new life they needed to become more than a paper print, they had to become dimensional and return to an object-like form.
First the montages were printed using an inkjet printer and matte paper. Then they were copied onto a transfer paper called Lazertran using a photocopier. The Lazertran was then applied using a turpentine technique to sculpted porcelain slabs. The porcelain was chosen for it's transparent qualities when it is in a thin slab form. The porcelain had to be fired twice, once without a glaze and then again with a clear glaze applied. The texture of the porcelain is an important part of the final pieces. Important symbols and focal points in each montage were chosen to become sculpted porcelain shapes. The sculpted slab shapes were put on risers to separate them from their background slab. This gave the final pieces 3D form. The sculpted shapes create their own shadows making the pieces dimensional.
Many objects in the Metamorphosis series appear repeatedly in different photomontages and symbolize reconstruction, emotion, change and growth. Some of the objects that symbolize pain are actual pieces of me, such as my wisdom teeth and a bloodied bandage. My drawings, cyanotypes, and photographs are displayed among found objects, musical lyrics and printed materials that were collected over the years. In order to create the photomontages all of the materials were scanned using a flatbed scanner with transparency option. The photomontages were constructed in Photoshop. But in order for the montages to take on a new life they needed to become more than a paper print, they had to become dimensional and return to an object-like form.
First the montages were printed using an inkjet printer and matte paper. Then they were copied onto a transfer paper called Lazertran using a photocopier. The Lazertran was then applied using a turpentine technique to sculpted porcelain slabs. The porcelain was chosen for it's transparent qualities when it is in a thin slab form. The porcelain had to be fired twice, once without a glaze and then again with a clear glaze applied. The texture of the porcelain is an important part of the final pieces. Important symbols and focal points in each montage were chosen to become sculpted porcelain shapes. The sculpted slab shapes were put on risers to separate them from their background slab. This gave the final pieces 3D form. The sculpted shapes create their own shadows making the pieces dimensional.
