The Internal and the Uncanny- by Ryan

This week’s readings spanned a very different mindscape then those that have been assigned in previous weeks. Both of the readings addressed ideas that relate closely to art and ones that are each similar to that of internal emotion and reaction. Although events in the world around us greatly influence the people we become and the emotional states we might experience, these articles separate these responses from just reactions and place them into a more personal state. While both articles seem very different in what they are addressing, each has a very strong connection to the idea of creating art and the different states or ways one might do so. This idea is one that seems drastically different than those presented to the thesis class before and allows for a contrast in the process of creation and perspective when placed next to that of external sourcing.

To start, a dialogue on internal inspiration was created out of a couple different examples of artists, their works, and where they find their inspirations. The first artist seemed to draw this inspiration from a very unique arena. The artist describes that as a child she created two different imaginary friends, of which both stayed a large part of her as she grew into an adult. With work centering on the connection between the personal and the idea of primitive and almost animalistic instincts, each piece starts as a self-portrait and evolves into something so much more. The pieces shape slowly into animal figures and traits that blend into each other creating interesting and intriguing compositions. It is the source for this that is even more intriguing however. The artist states that it is when she loses herself in the creative process that her imaginary companions take influence on the artistic pieces and even willingly evokes the characters for those who ask. Although the method may seem strange and on the verge of being wacky, the artist expresses herself in a manner that creates a natural and ordinary feel to the whole experience.

Another section of the article on internal sourcing that proved interesting was that on the artist Pipilotti Rist. This particular artist seemed to relate to internal sourcing in the more conventional manner of relying on her current and past emotional states to create pieces that speak widely to the audience. Although the experiences are abstracted from initial events, each still holds the feelings that the artist went through and was inspired by. The video and media pieces touched on through out the article seemed to call upon many different events in the artist’s life, but left one major question at the end. When an artist is using the internal and the emotional as a source for production, then what happens when those moments of heartbreak and extreme sorrow dissolve? The writer tells us that we (the public audience) have yet to see if this artist can survive the transition and how she might do so after falling in lave and settling down.

Lastly, the writing by Freud called “The Uncanny” seemed to relate to these two topics in the idea of emotional trigger and how a feeling (an uncomfortable one in particular) is created in different pieces of literary art. The article speaks on different successes and failures in the uncanny, as well as describes, in detail, different cases of success. The most significant example is that in the story of the sandman. Through out the description the reader is made aware of the story’s many twists and uncomfortable revelations, as well as the simple and horrifying nature of some of its characters. Throughout this short piece of literature, Freud not only defines what the uncanny is for the reader but gives such a detailed understanding of the word and its inner workings that they could walk away with a feeling of its mastery. The idea of creating such a state of unease through a piece of art, whether it is written or visual, relates closely to the idea of the internal and states of raw emotion. The actions of an artist can create strong feelings in a viewer, as can other events, and it is up to the artist and their own source of inspiration how to inflict these emotions and which they intend for the viewer to experience.