Unzipping

As part of my art project, I decided to explore the idea of using a zip as a symbol for the way society forces people to edit everything they say and feel. No one is completely honest. Of course, this is probably necessary in small doses (cut to Ricky Gervais' Invention of Lying.) but people often feel 'zipped up' by modern conventions of what's 'normal' and wasn't isn't. So, I wanted to look at how these constraints are shown by zips, and how people can 'unzip' these constraints and let out their inner emotions. 

The first stage was editing some zips onto different photographs. Each photo would show more advanced stages of opening the zips...

First, I attempted a painting based on one of the images. If you have been keeping up, you'll know that acrylic painting has not always been my strong point, and this was actually the first painting I'd done for months. But it seems that my digital painting has been influencing my techniques, as I am actually pretty proud of this one...

I decided to do a series of three paintings based on the images. Each painting would show the different stages of opening the zip, and the emotions changing with it. The different feelings would be shown with the darkening and intensifying of the colours used. I also wanted to add some speech bubbles, which would change with the zip. The initial bubbles portray the things people normally say when they are too intimidated to vocalise their thoughts. Then, they are pushed out of their way by their real thoughts being let out...

                                            

I am really proud of this series of portraits. The final speech bubbles represent the things I really feel people -particularly women- should be able to say more. Not in a confrontational way, but in a proud and vocal way.