From my last two posts, I’d looked at belongings and figurativeness in art that relates more with the identity. Something that I’ve had an interest in for a while is astronauts, but more so women who are astronauts. I’m a highly masculine person and find myself gravitating more towards androgyny and using this as almost a persona. Though being an astronaut is a highly gendered field, to me there is a juxtaposition of this by just the act of going out into space and “abandoning” societal norms and boundaries. Rules still apply during these missions but you’re exposed to different risks and elements and disconnected from civilisation that gender and other Earthly issues are of such minute importance.

The idea of being in space and the role of being an astronaut is such an isolating experience I feel, but I resonate it with this so much because for me personally it strips away what we apply to ourselves on Earth and leaves you simply as just a person who becomes so aware of space and existence.

A spacesuit isn’t really catered towards fitting women, it’s more so fitted for practicality and survival. There hasn’t been styling choices in terms of cinching at the waist or filling out the chest area. This is also why I like spacesuits, because they’re not so associated with presenting gender or catering to the appearance of this. But taking into consideration how women weren’t originally allowed to become astronauts, a spacesuit is more likely made to be catered to men. Since women started becoming astronauts, they wear what male astronauts have originally worn but in smaller sizes. Training between men and woman follow the same routine, and there aren’t really any differences in their preparation to take off into space. Following this, I’ve got sketches and ideas to become my idea of an astronaut. Previously I was only doing these as sketches as a separate thing I was doing from this, but I’m now working towards creating an outfit using materials I already have or finding items in shops that can be used. I’m tying this in with what I was doing in previous blog posts, but it’s developing in a more figurative form.

Cristina de Middel, Afronauts

‘Afronauts’, is a series of photographs depicting an astronaut which was made as a response to a Zambian science teacher named Edwuard Makuka, who decided to train the first African crew to travel to the moon in 1964. He would use an alluminium rocket to put a woman, two cats and a missionary into space. The plan would be to go to the Moon and then Mars using a catapult system. Makuka had founded the Zambia National Academy of Science, Space research and Astronomical research so he could begin this training.

Landscape images include spaces rusted rocket like builds with sandy and rocky areas. Maps are included and some images are edited to illustrate the concept further. The outfit designs include patterns which I think are associated with the culture of that area. There’s a combination of a patterned boiler suit and gloves with other materials like cellotape and fabrics to hold things in place like the chest template which features more patterns. A clear sphere is used as a helmet and a box is used as the oxygen tank. We view the main astronaut from this series traversing through different areas of the landscape, we see more people doing different things related with the subject which is quite narrative driven. Items and use of text are also used, which is something I would like to possibly incorporate into the making if it feels right. Another thing which is quite interesting is a short film called ‘Afronauts’, written and directed by Nuotama Budomo. It follows the same subject inspiration but is a fictionalised version.

Link to Cristina de Middel’s Afronauts series http://www.lademiddel.com/the-afronauts-1.html

Afronauts film

Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman is another photographer whose work has been introduced to me. Her work involves dressing up as characters and playing with themes of gender. Her works play on stereotypes and the diversity of humans. Her works are usually done in a series, for example her ‘Untitled film still’ from 1977, which involved emulating scenes from mid 20th century B movies. She would use props and put on guises to present as these characters and photograph herself in fictional scenarios.

Another series uses higher amounts of makeup and dress up with false backgrounds to provide a scene for the character. Some of her get ups are more “poorly” put together, with makeup peeling off and wigs not secured properly, this is intentional as a commentary on artificiality of the fabrications we have on constructing an identity. MoMA, they state “Sherman subverts the visual shorthand we use to classify the world around us, drawing attention to the artificiality and ambiguity of these stereotypes and undermining their reliability for understanding a much more complicated reality”.

Kathryn Ashill

Ashill is another artists I’m looking at who includes dress up and performance in her work. Usually their works are quite humorous and involve storytelling. She focuses her work around her experience of the working class identity. Using a theatrical approach she shares observations on people, history and site as well as autobiography. There is a large part of drag used in their work, this is to open up a dialogue which discusses drag kings in contemporary performance throughout history, but also to explore their own gender identity. From my first blog post which discussed more about androgyny and looked at films like Orlando, Ashill for me is another introduction into this play with androgyny and persona. A project I really enjoyed from her is the ‘Poster Boy’ performance which focuses on Heathcliff from Emily Bronte’s novel ‘Wuthering Heights’. The installation and performance revolves around the many interpretations and manifestations from national and international TV and movie productions of this character. This piece of work focuses on Cliff Richards portrayal of the character and the criticism received for accepting the role.

Link to website https://kathrynashill.com/Home/

I’m also looking at characters from films like Brand from ‘Interstellar’ and Ripley from ‘Alien’. Specifically how Ripley’s character is portrayed in the films and how she progresses throughout in her masculinity and desexualisation of her. David Bowie’s Major Tom character is also something I’m interested in. This character for David Bowie was his experience of alienation and confronting the minuteness of Earth. The narrative and persona of this character is something I’ve always been interested in in David Bowie’s work, Especially Major Tom. There’s also real astronauts I’ve been looking to for a source of influence and just out of curiosity, such as the cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, was the first woman in space, and Svetlana Savitskaya. There is also Sally Ride who was the first American female astronaut, Anna Lee Fischer who was the first mother astronaut, etc.

At the moment, I’m watching films like ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’, Alien and Solaris. There’s also more pieces of work from artists like Alicia Framis’ ‘Lost Astronaut’ and Yinka Shonibare’s ‘Refugee Astronaut’.

Sally Ride

David Bowie’s Major Tom

2001: A Space Odyssey

Anna Fischer

Valentina Tereshkova

Svetlana Savitskaya

Alien, Ellen Ripley

Interstellar, Brand

Yinka Shonibare’s Refugee Astronaut explores identity, post-colonialism and globalisation through a refugee astronaut. This astronaut is a recurring theme in Shonibare’s work, it touches on humanities future with questions surrounding present day issues. The items which the astronaut wears like kitchen items and a toothbrush, is made as commentary on climate change and the current refugee crisis.

Alicia Framis, Lost Astronaut. This performance and installation piece which followed instructions from Marina Abramovic, Mark Beasley, Virginie Bobin, Kim Ann Foxman, Brian Keith-Jackson, Shelley Jackson, Angie Keefer, Matthew Licht, Rita McBride, John Menick, Katie Paterson, Silvia Prada, Frances Richard and Michael Schulman. Framis decided to live in Newyork for a month as an astronaut. She wore a 1970’s space suit from the former Soviet Union and carried out actions from written scripts previously made for characters she invited from the New York scene.  “In this future time, suspended by the interdisciplinary character of her work, Alicia Framis criticized the previous image of what would happen in the future, these preconceptions of the life to come which were based on 1950s science fiction concepts and the role of women in space”.

Solaris (1972)

These are just a few sketches I’ve quickly drawn up, I’m designing possible costumes I could create and looking through charity shops to find tubes, bowls, etc. I’ll be putting stuff together throughout the week, thank you for reading my introduction into this topic!