Collisions: Mark McDean + Julie Clarke (30.05.12)

Mark McDean 2012

An easy first reading of this piece from Mark is that it addresses sexuality since he's written the word fuckin over the stripped pajama fabric that covers his head. However on further investigation I understand the word may be used in its urban sense to mean awesome and probably addresses enlightenment or illumination, even although the pointy light-globe has no obvious connection to an energy source. I read this piece as a note on fragility - since the globe might easy be smashed and the circle of small black beads around the oval frame references his earlier pieces of jewellery and the last artwork I sent to him which formed a necklace. Mark has just emailed me with the following rationale for the work:

In response to your last work, I made a list of words.
Adornment, relating to the necklace-ness of the work.
Transparency, referring to the ultrasound images and also the 'seeing through' of the image and idea. Restrictive, owing to the binding of the body [hanging?] by the neck.
Glisten, as I felt there was a emboldened decorative element to it.
I took these words as the basis for the work I made. The image is from a series I did, which was hand embroidered on recycled sheeting. The three words I used were Gutless Fuckin' Wonder. This title refers to the putting down for being 'soft' in the masculine world. I embellished by using the beads. I felt it added a restrictive element to the oval form. The addition of the light globe referenced the transparency of a work/idea, along with notion of a light bulb over one's head in cartoons, denoting discovering something.