Context of Practice: March 2018

Friday, 30 March 2018

Task 5 - Practical Approaches

After more research I've decided to explore the relationship humans have had with animals; the myths and symbolism humans project on to animals in different cultures and countries through the ages and the complex and destructive impact these beliefs and cultural traditions can have on animals.

I need to simplify the practical approach in order to communicate my themes. I will compare how a certain animal's reputation and cultural, symbolic meaning can change in each country. Using a small group of animals or even just one I can effectively communicate what I want to my audience.

To keep the practical process simple I will look at the dog and how it has been perceived through history throughout various cultures and how it is viewed in modern society around the world. Dogs have become loyal friends of humans over thousands of years but today despite being seen as pets in the UK they are often eaten in some Asian countries. Using one animal will allow me to bring my research into sharper focus and have a solid body of research to inform my practical work well.

The work will be a series of editorial illustrations that could be used alongside a magazine or journal piece of writing about the subjects I want to explore.

I want to continue trying to develop my own process, using a digital drawing process that communicates the emotion and sincerity of the subject's context. I will also experiment with other processes, particularly ink drawings and collage.

Themes

Certain themes in my research are reoccurring.

Fear of the dark

mistrust and suspicion of animals with black colouring
medieval fear of nocturnal animals - how did they see in the dark?
Times before electricity people were more naturally wary of the night and the creatures that became more active in the pitch black of night
fear of the unknown - many myths were born from lack of understanding

Dogs throughout folklore and culture have been portrayed as heroes and loyal protectors but also symbols of evil or omens of death. All these are entirely projected on to the dog by humans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kxg0_EpOcWs Chinese Zodiac

Tolkien - David Day
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Nzh93npJTe4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=tolkien+the+illustrated+encyclopedia&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiP5O7Cu5baAhXICsAKHTVSAKUQ6AEIJzAA#v=onepage&q=tolkien%20the%20illustrated%20encyclopedia&f=false

No Go the Bogeyman - Marina Warner https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=mTKbiv43hJYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=no+go+the+bogeyman&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiC4rHLupbaAhXlAsAKHSpxCvoQ6AEIJzAA#v=onepage&q=no%20go%20the%20bogeyman&f=false

Black Cats & April Fools - Harry Oliver
https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=JI3jq20ohZoC&oi=fnd&pg=PT5&dq=black+cats+and+april+fools&ots=KMhOMGO3GK&sig=n2rFIlWDQXb72C9Mjeey1u4-WQQ#v=onepage&q=black%20cats%20and%20april%20fools&f=false

http://www.reeldogs.com/dogs-of-horror/

http://www.gulfcoastgreyhounds.org/hist-mid-ren.html Greyhound History in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_dog_(ghost)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anubis

Friday, 16 March 2018

Further research

Animals in folklore / popular culture

Hellhound - supernatural black dog from British folklore

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellhound A wide variety of ominous or hellish supernatural dogs occur in mythologies around the world. Features that have been attributed to hellhounds include mangled black fur, glowing red eyes, super strength and speed, ghostly or phantom characteristics, and a foul odor.

The Omen (1976) The Omen (2006)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Hunt The Wild Hunt is a European folk myth involving a ghostly or supernatural group of huntsmen passing in wild pursuit. ‘The huntsmen were black, huge, and hideous, and rode on black horses and on black he-goats, and their hounds were jet black, with eyes like saucers, and horrible.’

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dando%27s_dogs Dando's Dogs also known as the Devil's Dandy Dogs, are mythical creatures in English folklore. They are hounds that take part in the Wild Hunt. They are associated with Black Dogs, as a generic term for canine apparitions.

https://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2017/07/economist-explains-9
Concern for animal welfare has been growing in parallel, indicated by an increase in animal hospitals, animal-rescue and adoption agencies and changing attitudes. Increasingly, animal-welfare concerns are coming into conflict with dog hunters and dog-meat eaters. Eventually they will probably snuff out the trade.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-43197494
US Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy has sparked a debate on social media after 'saving' a puppy from a South Korean dog meat farm.

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20170124-the-animals-we-have-mistakenly-thought-of-as-evil

animals associated with the night have long been targets of suspicion and hatred in many cultures.

Medieval literature and art is full of animal symbolism, says Brigitte Resl of the University of Hull. Nocturnal animals were inherently strange to people in those times.

"In pre-modern periods, nights were something much more scary than they became later on when they could be lit," she explains. "In those periods, the night was just dark."

Humans found it hard to explain how animals could navigate in such conditions.

It is not always obvious why such myths develop, but there are clear themes. "Evil" animals tend to be associated with behaviours and attributes that humans can find difficult to explain – and they have also been used as vehicles for commentary on what we see as our own failings.

Dog's relationship with humans
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23531450-500-why-do-we-have-such-a-close-relationship-with-animals/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-human-beast/200904/why-are-humans-and-dogs-so-good-living-together

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/sep/29/secret-of-connection-between-dogs-and-humans-could-be-genetic

https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn9989-timeline-human-evolution/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-nottinghamshire-41686518/what-is-black-dog-syndrome

https://www.pets4homes.co.uk/pet-advice/handbag-dogs-why-you-should-never-see-your-pet-as-a-fashion-accessory.html

https://owlcation.com/humanities/Hounds-of-the-Underworld

https://godsandradicals.org/2016/11/07/cwn-annwn-and-the-passage-of-souls/

http://karlshuker.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/phantom-white-dogs-and-celtic-fairy.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hound_of_the_Baskervilles#Plot From that night on, he could be found leading the phantom pack across the moor, usually on the anniversary of his death. If the pack were not out hunting, they could be found ranging around his grave howling and shrieking.

https://www.britannica.com/art/Barghest Barghest, also spelled Barguest, orBargest, in folklore of northern England (especially Yorkshire), a monstrous, goblin dog, with huge teeth and claws, that appears only at night.

http://www.haunted-yorkshire.co.uk/blackdogs.htm

http://d.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/text/mcshane-arthurian-bestiary-introduction Creatures mythical and ordinary appear in medieval Arthurian literature. Knights fight dragons and wild boars; dogs reveal the true identities of their masters; and knights are not knights without their horses.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigs_in_popular_culture#Films

http://www.reeldogs.com/dogs-of-horror/

https://creators.vice.com/en_us/article/mgp3j8/how-200-dogs-were-trained-to-act-in-white-god Talking to Teresa Ann Miller, the main animal trainer behind Kornél Mundruczó's award-winning film, 'WHITE GOD.'

White God (2014)