Lydia Harris
Painting, Drawing, Printing.
Featured projects
'Complex thoughts'
210 x 297 mm Screen Print
'Brain scan 1'
297 x 420 mm Acrylic paint on coloured paper
'Brain scan 2'
297 x 420 mm Acrylic paint on coloured paper
'Exposed Brain'
420 x 594 mm Acrylic paint on transparent plastic sheet
'Polar opposite serotonin '
594 x 841 mm Mixed media. Acrylic and charcoal on canvas.
'Triptych figures'
Mixed media. Acrylic and charcoal on Canvas.
'Brain scan 3'
297 x 420 mm Acrylic paint on coloured paper
Lydia Harris
My final degree show practice delves into the internal aspects of mental health; the unseen and unfiltered dynamic of the complex brain. From my own personal struggle with anxiety and depression, I utilised the chemical imbalance that supposedly causes mental health problems and applied these specific colours into my art. Using the process of self-printing I became personal with what I was creating, abstract styled brain scan prints that show how intrinsic and colourful the organ can be.
My chosen subject 'Mental Health' is identified and evoked through the materials used for the final exhibition, clear plastic sheets represents similarities to a brain scan/x-rays, medical dynamic is introduced, and it is inspired by medical illustrations. The structure of the prints are influenced by the brain scans or the neuroscience microscopic structure of the brain. I intended to identify the colour behind this illness, rather than identifying it as just an illness, my aim was to incorporate a specific colour palette that shows the chemical balance normally bright primary colours, these usually represent colourful happiness, however the underlining meaning behind the colours are the imbalances in the brain that cause mental health issues. The technique of hand printing/pressing myself created vein like ridges that evoke the internal dynamic of the anatomical body, reconstructing such a complex organ. Utilizing the process of print alongside the chemical imbalance colours, inspired by medical illustrations of brain scans/ ink blots and colour theory. My prints represent the unknown and unpredictable outcome, much like life itself. Using art to represent a highly complex organ like the brain, contrasts with the simplicity of the process - print being the uncertain outcome, like life itself. My intention for this project was to create free and colourful art not blatantly about mental health, but to evoke how all of our brains are individual yet all complex. Via my research and practical progress within this final major project, my painting and printing skills have vastly developed. The style of my work still being abstract however also have the detail of the press print represent anatomical veins. Visiting exhibitions such as BODY WORLDS and the Wellcome Collection in London I was particularly inspired by Van Hagens internal bodily sculptures and a book from the Wellcome Collection called 'Portraits of the MIND' by Carl Schoonover which vizualizes the brain from Antiquity to the 21st Century. Ultimately by choosing to incorporate such a serious and personal subject within my art was initially a scary prospect however the process has been somewhat therapeutic.
Experience
I worked with artist Nicola Green for a week helping her set up her sculptural and portrait exhibition and launch in London.