As Crazy As DaDa

"Unless a picture shocks it is nothing." - Marcel Duchamp

Ever heard of Dadaism?

It is everything unpredictable and crazy!

Dadaism, is an artistic movement which was formed in 1919 in Zurich, Switzerland.

The movement was almost a reaction after seeing the atrocities of World War One, rejecting monarchy, militarism, and conservatism and was entangled in an “anti-art” sentiment. Dadaists felt that art should have no boundaries or restrictions and that it should be playful.

The Movement, Dadaism, focused on being out of the ordinary. If you liked Logic, the artists would give you nonsense, and if you want reason- they would give you irrationality. The work actually is very good, and it can either have very strong meaning or not make any sense whatsoever. There is a lot going on in their pieces and you can never say it is predictable.

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Cut Up Poetry...

So I found an article which had quotes from Nicky Butt, (I'm not sure who that is, but I decided on the article because it had just a variety of words...)- she was giving her opinion of multiple things.

Cutting out each paragraph I began to try and make sentences.

After moving things around over and over again I finally arranged them into a sentence that I was happy with...

"Mentality- I'm last... when I could be the leader of the team"

When I looked at it the first few times, I read the first word as mentally... (What Dyslexia does for you...) now however I have added a dash, so it makes a kind of sense!

It represents a character with no confidence in themselves when really they have so much potential.

Having done the poem, the next task was to create a design that reflected it for the etching prints I had to make next.

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Designing...

The speech bubble with the crowd running the race represents the first line, the figure being left behind in the race. That is how we picture ourselves sometimes, when we compare ourselves to others and believe we come up short.

The hands pulling the team along represents the second half of the poem.

This is our potential.

I am not happy with this design, and there are so many things I would have done differently if I had had more time to work out my composition.

However this is a good starting point and I feel like it represents the poem quite well.

I also had to draw it backwards so that when I printed with it, it would come out the right way around.

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Etching...

Now that the design was done, I began the process of etching into the Acetate, the etching needle scratches the surface of the acetate.

I had taped the acetate over the design I had drawn.

It was actually harder than I thought to get a clean line, as my etching needle kept catching on the plastic.

I began cross hatching and getting a sketchy look, hoping it would come out the way I wanted.

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First Attempt...

Having etched into the acetate, we then went to the printing process.

taking some 'scrim' and 'printing fingers'.

I took the ink and spread it across the acetate, then with the scrim I wiped off the excess ink, leaving the ink stuck in the design that had been etched out. then placing it onto damp paper, another piece over the top and through the printing press it goes.

It turns out i had not taken off enough ink and so my image did not come out very clear. This is what is came out like.

Second Attempt...

Taking a different ink and going in with colour this time I tried again.

choosing red and attacking the acetate with scrim to get enough of the ink off and this is the result.

Its a cleaner print than the last but still not perfect.

By this point as well, I was starting to really hate my design.

Third Attempt...

Chine colle, is a technique used in the printing process. It is where you attach a more delicate surface to be bonded to a heavier support.

Its purpose is to bring out finer details from the print than it would normally bring out.

This is my favourite print from this session, it worked the best and the colour added in places is a nice contrast to the black...

Again I had to make a decision on where to place the tissue paper pretty quickly. Now I would place the colour more strategically, linking common meanings with common colours.

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Since finishing this project I have felt it unfinished, as I was so unsatisfied with the results. Because of this I decided to sketch out a new design, simply to show how I had learnt from the exercise and what I would do differently.

I made the hands the focal point, with the race more in the distance... Words are still a big part of the design as I have now added other words, all with relevance to the poem.

I am much happier with this design and I would be happy to have another go at this technique although this is not my strongest subject.

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Things to Remember when Etching and Using a Printing Press...

• An etching needle, is sharp and so can cause harm if not handled carefully.

• When inking up your acetate, wear an apron or protective clothing so you do not damage anything you are wearing.

• Keep hands out of the way when using the printing press.

• I forgot to have a few test runs... remember to try out different sizes/measurements on the printing press. For me the tension was all wrong on most of my attempts.

• Things can get messy, and you need to keep dirty finger prints off of your work! Wear Latex gloves when inking up, and wiping the acetate down with scrim. When printing, take latex gloves off and then put a fresh pair on for the next print.

• Have fun and don't take it to seriously! I started off all wrong and so that affected the whole exercise. Take your time with your design, and go as crazy as Dada!