Escaping the Cycle
Visual artwork
Title | Escaping the Cycle |
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Type of Work | Visual artwork |
Creator/Contributor | |
Visual artist | Hobbs, Lisa |
Year | 2022 |
Publisher or Commissioning Body | UniSQ 2022 School of Creative Arts Research Symposium Undercurrent Exhibition |
Place of Publication | Australia |
Description of Work | Escaping the Cycle 2021 *Elements utilised in this piece: polystyrene, old cardboard, broken grinder discs, broken zipper, broken earring, broken lace doily, old keys, broken/old screws, paper pulp, rusty powder, wooden cogs, cotton pieces from a ripped blouse, stones, seeds, vinegar, powertex and pigments. Finished piece is varnished. Escaping the Cycle, depicts the artists’ struggle to break free from feeling like just another cog in the machine and re-establish control over herself, her career and mental wellbeing. It tells the story of struggling between going through the motions to survive another day at work, versus acting with purpose and finding self-fulfilment and joy in everyday tasks that serve both the discipline and the person. The broken, rusty and unmoving mechanical elements and earthy, dark tones block out almost all sense of colour, movement and freedom of thought. On one side, she is depicted as trapped under chains, locked in, buried deep and bound to serve the bureaucracy. The expressionless face peeks through the chains, symbolic of just keeping ones’ head above water. Towards the other side of the piece, she is pushing through, awaiting rebirth of autonomy. A glimpse of colour to the side and below depict water and a rose – beauty and life rising from a lifeless ground. Is she brave enough to emerge from the disc; to escape the dictatorship; to stand in the sun and live the life that she wants to? Or will fear take over and close the zipper over her head? Locking her in to towing the company line, insnaring her inside the machine, destined to become a rusty, robotic underling. |
Contains Sensitive Content | Does not contain sensitive content |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 369999. Other creative arts and writing not elsewhere classified |
Public Notes | Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. |
Byline Affiliations | University of Southern Queensland |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/wz903/escaping-the-cycle
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