Ocular Ambrosia: A Multimedia Spectacle

By Ebony T. Perry

Ocular Ambrosia: A Multimedia Spectacle

By Ebony T. Perry "If you're going through hell, keep going."

-Winston Churchill Table of Contents

Introduction: What it is

Research Phase 1: Three Inspiring Pre-1950s Artists.....Chapter 1

Research Phase 2: Three Inspiring Post-1950s Artists...Chapter 2

Additional Influences...... Chapter 3

The Art Making Process...... Chapter 4

Future Plans...... Chapter 5

Gallery...... Chapter 6

Glossary of Key Terms...... Chapter 7

Bibliography Introduction: What it is

Ocular Ambrosia is a series of satirical illustrations and handcrafted art dolls inspired by current social, political, & pop cultural topics. I used Graphic Design, Illustration, and Mixed Media art to bring my concept to life. Each of these mediums is used to create a collection of posters, ink drawings, digital paintings, and figurines to prompt both an emotional and intellectual response from viewers. This collection of works coincides with my interest and academic pursuit of interpreting social, political, and pop cultural topics into a visual art statement laced with satire and humor. The original driving force behind this series comes from my sincere concern with the current state of the world. Today's society is so "plugged in" and bombarded with propaganda, that, as a result, this tactic of ornate brainwashing continues to distract people from moral and truly important values, herding them into the land of detachment. Society has become a circus of clashing agendas. This onslaught of fashionable lunacy is what inspired the carnivalesque tone and title of my series. Another set of curiosities in the sideshow of modern culture that fueled this exhibition, stemmed from my interest in society's fascination with materialism, celebrity gossip, and the reckless behavior of the famous. I have explored the ever- rising dependence on technology, the dwindling right to privacy, and the exploitative corruption of virtue for the sake of profit. Through my illustrations and complementary bizarre figures, I invite the viewer's to prospect for changes in the current order of things. My belief is that we must move away from the typical solutions, break free from a vicious cycle, and wake up the complacent. I want people to understand that my use of satire is meant to trigger a yearning for social change, something I believe the world needs greatly. My choice to creatively exaggerate the issues plaguing our society and to magnify them is so that people, who have come to accept this gradual decay of normalcy, simply wake up and come to realize how bizarre several values in our modern culture have become. Our path back from the land of detachment could lie in reflecting upon these concerns to achieve social change and a united state of awareness. Chapter 1

Research Phase 1: Three Inspiring Pre-1950s Artists

The three pre-1950s first artist I selected as a source of inspiration were Sir , George Cruikshank, and Max Fleischer. As the encyclopedia entry on Tenniel notes, Sir John Tenniel is a British illustrator, graphic humorist, and political cartoonist (1820 - 1914). Tenniel is considered important to the study of England's second half of the 19th century in regards to social, literary, and art histories. Tenniel was knighted by Queen Victoria for his artistic achievements in 1893. Tenniel is most noted for two major accomplishments: he was the principal political cartoonist for England's Punch magazine for over 50 years, which was a ground breaking British magazine of popular humor, including a great deal of satire of the contemporary, social, and political scene. Tenniel was also the artist who illustrated 's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass."("Tenniel"). When shaping my final thesis for my capstone, I felt that Tenniel's works were extremely inspiring and relatable to what I was trying to achieve. Because he was a satirist, he always sought to draw attention to society's issues and find a way to get the public's attention through his radical images to inspire change. Through creating such works, he played a key role in his nation's moments of political and social reform by echoing the voices of the British public. What struck me most about his work was his style and how honest and sharp his characters are. Even in his illustrations for Carroll's books, one can see the personality in the characters faces. Though his illustrations were mostly ink drawings in black and white, his work collectively made a difference. The way my work contrasts from Tenniel's own is by not just sticking to ink pen and paper, but also by putting digitally made designs and illustrations into the equation. From left to right:

"British Lion Attacks Bengal Tiger" (Punch) August 1857 by Sir John Tenniel.

Tenniel's "Mad Hatter" from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865). The second artist I chose to pull inspiration from is one who illustrated one of my favorite stories as child, . "George Criukshank (1792 -1878) was a British caricaturist and book illustrator, praised as the "modern Hogarth" during his life. His book illustrations for his friend , and many other authors, reached an international audience. For Charles Dickens, Cruikshank illustrated Sketches by Boz (1836), The Mudfog Papers (1837-38) and Oliver Twist (1838). Criukshank even acted in Dickens' amateur theatrical company." (Morris). What I particularly loved about Criukshank and found to be relatable is we both have a performing arts background and he used that background in his works of illustration. For example, in Oliver Twist his works are very detailed, and it is always clear what character is being depicted in a certain chapter: Fagin is sly and grotesque with a silly charm, Oliver is helpless and trying to find his place in the world, etc. In my own works I can relate to Criukshank because I make clear who my antagonists and protagonists are in my illustrations. In contrast to this Victorian era illustrator, I choose to utilize text along with image in my graphic design works and to make the public get into the character of a social witness.

Pictured above: Artful Dodger introducing Oliver to Fagin, From the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, George Cruikshank, (1792-1878/British), Chromolithograph. "Fagin" a character from the Dickens novel Oliver Twist, helped me pinpoint and expose what twisted hierarchies in this world are doing to trap society from realizing their full potential. For those unfamiliar with Fagin, he is described as the "grotesque" leader of a group of orphaned children, whom he teaches to make their livings by pickpocketing and other criminal activities, in exchange for a roof over their heads (abuse of power to create dependence among the populous). Although portrayed somewhat humorously, Fagin is nonetheless a self-confessed who, despite the wealth he has acquired over the years from the work of others, does very little to improve the squalid lives of the children he takes in - even allowing them to smoke pipes and drink gin "with the air of middle-aged men."

One of my own works inspired by the character of Fagin in Oliver Twist was "The Profiteer," a vulture-like character who is an exploiter for the collection of excessive and unfair profit. His motto states, "As long as I come out on top nothing else matters." Another Illustration inspired by Fagin's corruption of youth and a true story in the news is titled "Little Lungs." The story in the news appeared in 2010 and was about a chain-smoking baby from Indonesia, reported to smoke 40 cigarettes a day.

Pictured right: Fagin in his cell (Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens) 1846 copperplate engraving. "The Profiteer" by Ebony T. Perry (2014). "Aldi" the "Chain-Smoking Baby" from Indonesia: reported to smoke 40 cigarettes a day (2010).

"Aldi" (2010). "Little Lungs" by Ebony T. Perry (2014). The third and final artist I selected before 1950 who influenced my work is Max Fleischer (1883 -1972). "Fleischer was an American animator, inventor, film director and producer. He was also a pioneer in the development of the animated cartoon and served as the head of . He brought such animated characters as , Koko the Clown, Popeye, and Superman to the movie screen and was responsible for a number of technological innovations." ("Fleischer"). I believe that my work and Fleischer's share some similarities based on style and aesthetic. One particularly great example of this style and aesthetic is a Betty Boop Talkcartoon he created in 1932 called "Minnie the Moocher", in which he collaborated with Musician for the score. What influenced me most and stayed with me forever was Fleisher's spooky and playful cartoon imagery used to compliment Calloway's story about Minnie the Moocher-- it was as if the song fueled each illustration perfectly. In the same sense, what I found similar in both of our works is that we are inspired by sights and sounds or music and film, and we use playful yet spooky imagery to get our message across to the viewer. While, Fleischer's medium was animation, my own mediums are based in the realms of illustration and graphic design. "Mythos" is one of my own illustrations that includes the use of a spooky yet playful style.

Pictured above: Scene from Fleischer's "Minnie the Moocher" (1932). Pictured above p.11: "Mythos" by Ebony T. Perry (2014). Chapter 2

Research Phase 2: Three Inspiring Post-1950s Artists

The three post-1950s artists that I selected as sources of inspiration to my work were Sheppard Fairey, Tim Burton, and Hattie Stewart. Shepard Fairey is an American contemporary graphic designer and illustrator who emerged from the skateboarding scene. Born in 1970 in Charleston South Carolina, Fairey became involved with art in 1984 when he started to place his drawings on skateboards and T-shirts. His works of art surround the use of images from social movements and images from popular culture. I found Fairey's work to be extremely inspirational to me because it completely related to the messages I wanted to get across in my capstone in regards to topics such as declining privacy, the worship of money and material things, and overlooked issues.

Even though our aesthetics are not necessarily the same, I feel that the messages in my works are very similar and relatable. We both cover topics like declining privacy with the NSA/Big Brother, the worship of money, and power abuse. There was also a quote from Fairey, a message to his readers that really stuck with me throughout my project that helped me in my journey to continue generating content and conjuring images: "Keep keeping your eyes and mind open, and keep questioning everything."(Fairey).

One particular piece titled "This is your Church," 2007 was one of Fairey's works to really resonate with me. The message in this picture rang true because it depicts currency or the "almighty dollar" as our idol, as our object of worship simply because we place so much value and so much worth upon money. Two of my illustrations, "For the Love of Money" and "Stop Watching Us", touch upon the themes of a sickly love of money and the threat to privacy.

Pictured above from left to right p.12: "Big Brother" by Shepard Fairey, "This is Your Church" by Shepard Fairey

Pictured below from left to right p.12: "For the Love of Money" by Ebony T. Perry (2014), "Stop Watching Us" by Ebony T. Perry (2014). The second artist I chose as inspiration who was active after the 1950s was Tim Burton. Famous for his dark, gothic, macabre and quirky take on horror and fantasy style movies, he is possibly one of the greatest artistic influences of my life. Born in Burbank, California in 1958, he attended California Institute of the Arts and later on went to work for Disney. As a child, he kept to himself and was very introverted. As a result of his introverted childhood, he was very self-reliant and possessed a restless imagination where he indulged in drawing his own interpretations of popular entertainment: Newspaper Comics, advertising, greeting cards, children's literature, toys, animated cartoons monster movies, carnival sideshows, and performance art, including the art of the Mexican Day of the Dead. I find Tim Burton to be extremely groundbreaking in my discipline because his works are not confined to one specific medium and his aesthetic is solid. My own comparison to Tim Burton comes from the fact that I have come to take on a similar "dark and quirky" style. In addition Burton's particular style of art reflects my own peculiar take on how I see the world we live in.

I would have to say that "The Nightmare Before Christmas," 1993, has to be one of my favorite works by Tim Burton because everything about it fascinated me and pulled me in-- from the imagery and music to the story of a character that is tired of routine and seeks more out of life beyond his own world. It was something I could relate to completely. Similarly, I want people to see my artwork, feel something new, and to be inspired to seek beyond what they see in their daily routines. I also enjoyed his 2005 film "Corpse Bride" for its playful way of looking at the afterlife while also having amazing and visually appealing characters. One of these characters that inspired my own was "Maggot." This character, along with Burton's style, inspired quite a few of my works including "The Sirens Lure", "The Siren's Pet", and "Shock Appeal." Above from left to right: "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993), "Maggot" Corpse Bride (2005), "The Siren's Pet" by Ebony T. Perry (2014), Shock Appeal by Ebony T. Perry (2014), The Siren's Lure by Ebony T. Perry (2014). My last contemporary choice and favorite illustrator in regards to style has to be Hattie Stewart. Hattie Stewart is an illustration artist based in . She has worked with many fashion brands including House of Holland. As well as exhibiting in Berlin and London, she was part of the 50th anniversary of Sanrio "Small Gift" in Miami, December 2010. She has been featured in zines, blogs, and print. The reason I love Stewart's illustrations is because they are bold, and playful, with somewhat sinister undertones which reflect to me the state of our society today, in the sense that surface and appearance can be deceptive in order to cover up or take attention away from the more important issues plaguing society and slowly corroding it from underneath. I feel that my works are relatable to Stewart's because we both have a similar style of balancing the grotesque with the playful, in order to depict pop culture and celebrity. Stewart also uses her surroundings and media to inspire her works. According to Stewart, she is not opposed to media; she actually draws while watching documentaries. In fact, she said, "I definitely love little documentaries and the radio and stories-I find that motivates me to do the best that I can do." ("Hattie"). One of my own pieces that relates to Stewart's style is "Delectable Gossip" which questions society's obsession with gossip and celebrity, but also encourages thinking about the person or flesh and blood human beings, who are suffering behind the myths being created about them.

The "Where's Alber?" piece was created for Garage Magazine by Hattie Stewart. I particularly like this piece because of the way she depicts certain icons within the fashion industry with her own signature style, and just by glancing at each, we can manage to identify who is who.

Overall, my process has left me with much knowledge and experience in what it takes to fully realize a project, and how much work, dedication and research it takes to simply get to the prototype of the exhibition you want to eventually see realized as your Capstone. For now, I have used Graphic Design, Illustration, and mixed media as my media of choice to create posters, paintings, and ink drawings, but my future plans involve learning more about the silk-screening process, film, and scriptwriting so that I can ultimately incorporate more to tell a story, along with my other multimedia pieces like performance art, product design, and fashion. This project along with the inspirational artists I chose to research have taught me that I have to continue testing my limits and exploring my interests without fear or hesitation. My hope is that my project will grow into an even larger exhibition that can lead to evoking an even greater emotional and intellectual response from viewers, advocating awareness and change through facing the negative. Above from left to right:

"Where's Alber?" by Hattie Stewart, "Delectable Gossip" by Ebony T. Perry (2014). Chapter 3

Additional Influences

Additional influences include artists Andy Warhol, Freida Kahlo, Mike Perry, along with activist and humanitarian Martin Luther king Jr., who, in his "Beyond Vietnam" speech which occurred before his assassination, spoke about the importance of getting back to the things that matter, like humanity and morality, instead of the materialistic and the desensitizing: "We must rapidly begin the shift from a "thing-oriented" society to a "person-oriented" society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered." ("Martin Luther King Jr").

Greek Mythology and stories of a group of people referred to as the "lotus eaters" also served as an important influence in my work. Lotus Eaters were a race of people living on an island dominated by lotus plants. The lotus fruits and flowers were the primary food of the island and were narcotic, causing the people to sleep in peaceful apathy. The phrase, "to eat lotus" is used metaphorically by numerous ancient writers to mean "to forget," or "to be unmindful." In the same sense, I have woven this mythology of "lotus eating" into my exhibition as a reference to society's addiction to media, technology, the Internet, television, and so forth. All of this propaganda and distraction from the issues begging to be fixed in our world is an opiate of the masses, a narcotic, which I believe, is used to impede enlightenment and make people numb. One of my illustrations that reflects this collection of history and observations of the present is my work titled Opiate of the Masses: Ignorance is Bliss. Above from left to right:

Digital Album Cover for The lotus Eaters released (2012), "Opiate of the Masses: Ignorance is Bliss" by Ebony T. Perry (2014). Chapter 4

The Art Making Process

The art making process for my digital paintings involved a few steps to complete the process. The painting first began as simple, light pencil sketches inked in with a Faber Castell fine ink pen. The images were then scanned in and cleaned up in Adobe Illustrator & Photoshop. Once finished, they were printed with a large scale Epson Stylus Pro 9890 Printer on acid-free paper. The finished prints were then mounted on foam core boards to finish the process. Only three of my works pictured above ( left to right:"Shock Appeal", "Opiate of the Masses: Ignorance is Bliss", and "Pop Creature Propaganda") were all strictly done on Illustrator and completed on Photoshop. These three did not go through the hand-drawn phase like the others. Before the process. After the process. My art dolls that escaped from their 2 dimensional worlds of print to be with the viewers in 3D pictured above (left to right: "The Siren's Pet", "Excess Cupcake" ) were made with felt, hot glue, pillow fluff, and small nails. There was also some hand sewing involved for extra security & durability.

Art Dolls photographed from left to right: "The Siren's Pet", "Excess Cupcake" by Ebony T. Perry (2014). Chapter 5

Future Plans

In regards to future plans, my capstone exhibition journey has taught me that I have to continue testing my limits as an artist, and exploring my creative interests without fear or hesitation. My future plans involve working in the arts world, while also continuing my education in the performing & visual arts. My career goal is to become a professional actor, artist, and entrepreneur. I also plan to educate myself on product design and merchandising along the way, because I would love to have my own brand with my designs on apparel and skateboards. My hope is that my series will grow into an even larger, travelling exhibition, so that I can continue inspiring creative expression, campaigning for social change, and giving back to my community. Who knows? I may even go on to create my own travelling circus of bizarre illustrations and art dolls.

Chapter 6

Gallery

Left to right, top to bottom:

"Delectable Gossip" by Ebony T. Perry (2014), "The Siren's Lure" by Ebony T. Perry (2014), "Wallow in Excess" by Ebony T. Perry (2014), "We the Sheep" by Ebony T. Perry (2014), "Stop Watching Us" by Ebony T. Perry (2014), "The Pageant Took My Baby" by Ebony T. Perry (2014), "For the Love of Money" by Ebony T. Perry (2014), "Never Enough" by Ebony T. Perry (2014), "Sweet Cup of Deceit" by Ebony T. Perry (2014), "Opiate of the Masses: Ignorance is Bliss" by Ebony T. Perry (2014), "The Profiteer" by Ebony T. Perry (2014), "Shock Appeal" by Ebony T. Perry (2014), "Mythos" by Ebony T. Perry (2014), "Sex Sells" by Ebony T. Perry (2014), "The Man Behind the Curtain" by Ebony T. Perry (2014), "Hypnos" by Ebony T. Perry (2014), "Wish You Were Here" by Ebony T. Perry (2014), "Little Lungs" by Ebony T. Perry (2014), "Because You're a Man Now" by Ebony T. Perry (2014), "My Little Rifle" by Ebony T. Perry (2014), "Pop-Creature Propaganda" by Ebony T. Perry (2014), "Hypnosis" by Ebony T. Perry (2014). Art Dolls left to right: "The Siren's Pet" by Ebony T. Perry (2014), "Excess Cupcake" (2014).

Chapter 7

Glossary of Key Terms

SATIRE: Refers to literary forms in which vices or follies are ridiculed. SATIRE the general term, often emphasizes the weakness more than the weak person, and usually implies moral judgment and corrective purpose: Swift's satire of human pettiness and bestiality.

LAMPOON: Refers to a form of satire, often political or personal, characterized by the malice or virulence of its attack: lampoons of the leading political figures.

CARNIVALESQUE: Suggestive of a carnival or circus. Marked by an often mocking or satirical challenge to authority and the traditional social hierarchy. . Bibliography

Fairey, Shepard. Obey: Supply & Demand: The Art of Shepard Fairey. Berkeley, CA: Gingko Press in association with Obey Giant, 2009. Print.

"Fagin." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Feb. 2014. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.

"Hattie Stewart- professional doodler & Shoreditch Local."Base Property Specialists. RSS 20. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2013.

Jerrold, Blanchard. The Life of George Cruikshank in Two Epochs. London: Chatto and Windus, 1898.

"John Tenniel." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Web. 1 Oct 2013 .

"Lotus Eaters." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Feb. 2014. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.

"Martin Luther King Jr." Goodreads. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.

"Max Fleischer." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Web. 1 Oct 2013 .

Morris, Frankie. John Tenniel, Cartoonist: A Critical and Sociocultural Study in the Art of the Victorian . Ph.D. dissertation, Columbia: U of Missouri, 1985.

Patten, Robert L. George Cruikshank's Life, Times and Art. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1992.

"Tim Burton Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. Special thanks to those who believed in me every step of the way, you know who you are. The journey continues.

Ebony T. Perry Copyright ©2014