COVE

Display Explanation

For the display of my images, they will stretch along the wall from the entrance to the room to the back wall. The wall will be white, creating a neutral backdrop for the artwork. The wall will feature Matisse's Le Bonheur de Vivre, which will be hung physically. While Laurencin's The Young Girls and Jeune Femmes will be projected onto the wall to ensure equal dimensions for the three pictures, the projected images will be adjusted to match Matisse's painting. The room will be dimly lit, with only a spotlight on Matisse's painting to provide illumination, since the other two images will be projected so no light will be needed for them. Guiding lights will be positioned on the floors, resembling the ones used at airports for guiding planes approaching the runway. These lights will direct the flow of traffic, guiding viewers through the exhibition. The exhibition aims to depict the passage of time, focusing on a single day in the life of women in Themyscira. To depict the change of time, the audience will witness a gradual shift in activities and colors, leading to the finale piece, which will be Matisse's vibrant painting, portraying women relaxing and having an exciting time with one another. To enhance the viewing experience, speakers will be positioned around each painting so as not to overlap the sounds since each painting will be accompanied by different sounds. In Laurencin's Young Women, a violin will be playing a soft melody in the background, something fitting for morning time, as it is in Young Girls, but this will be accompanied by an upbeat tone. For Matisse’s Le Bonheur de Vivre, there will be a distant sound of music since the painting depicts a group of women dancing together in a circle. There will also be chatter played on top of the sound since many of the women are seen hanging together in the painting. One thing to note is that the sound played for each painting will be instrumental; the only painting that will have any sort of words will be Matisse's. The images will be five feet apart to ensure the speakers do not overlap, and the speakers will be set to a volume that is only heard when you approach each painting and stand in front of them. As the audience travels between the different paintings there will be a gradual transition in the sound playing indicating that they are approaching the next piece.

Installation Note

In a society governed and restricted based on sex, I wanted to create an exhibit that shows a world created by women for women, so I decided to name the installation Themyscira. Themyscira is a fictional island created by DC Comics, and it is designed to be a world exclusively for women. Governed by Aphrodite’s Law, it prohibits men from entering the island and grants its inhabitants immortality. The selected images are intended to be a sort of timeline of the day, which is indicated by the color of each image. Laurencin’s La Toilette Des Jeunes Filles (The Young Women) is a black-and-white drawing. In the drawing, there are four women dressed in elegant dresses and are barefoot. They are accompanied by a cat, a basket, a violin, and a fan. Each item in the image has a symbolic meaning to them that overlaps with and enhances the others. The women being barefoot symbolize cleanliness and purity which could be interpreted as not being tainted by the outside world and the different restrictions that exist when mixing with the opposite gender. The cat, a symbol of curiosity, adds a playful touch. The basket, a symbol of nurturing and care, suggests a gentle and united atmosphere. The violin, a symbol of beauty and music, adds a touch of elegance. Finally, the fans, a symbol of cooling and refreshment, create a sense of calm and relaxation. Together, these elements create a visually appealing picture that invites the audience to interpret and explore. Laurencin’s Les Jeunes Filles (Jeune Femmes, Young Girls) is a painting that displays a group of young girls in achromatic colors. The piece features young girls standing side by side, each wearing similar outfits, and engaging in playful activities that add an air of excitement and peace. In this piece, the young girls are accompanied by a dog, one is carrying a basket filled with food, beside them is a vase and a basket with a fan, and one of them is playing the violin. Throughout Laurencin's artworks, we see the women looking out at the audience, inviting us to join them or even watch them as they continue with their playful activity. Matisse's Le Bonheur de Vivre is a captivating painting that displays a group of nude women engaged in various leisure activities. The painting exudes a vibrant energy and captures the essence of joyful living through the use of colors. Using vibrant colors and unrestrained figures, the painting conveys a feeling of women being in their natural element, free to express love and happiness without feeling ashamed or restricted. The use of warm and cool colors in this piece evokes different emotions and vibes, such as peace, joy, love, and freedom. The women are shown to be engaged in various activities, such as lounging, dancing, stretching, kissing, hugging, and picking flowers. The painting conveys a feeling of relaxation, peace, and togetherness. Mirroring how families come together for dinner after spending the day apart. Each image invites viewers to take a third-person perspective into their daily lives and to imagine a world where women lived in a homogenous community of their creation. We as the viewer can only look since we have been tainted by the world outside this “world.”

Laurencin, Marie. La Toilette Des Jeunes Filles (Die Jungen Damen). 1911, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Laurencin#/media/File:Marie_Laurenci.... Accessed 14 Feb. 2024.