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Description

"My Bloody Valentine" is an impression made with acrylic paints of a floor lino embossing folder (that was not actually made with floor lino - see below).

The theme of this artwork is the violence men inflict on women. I am still disgusted by the attitudes of ownership some men seem to be convinced about over the minds and the bodies of the women who they become intimately involved with. Just having lived through the time of the pandemic when domestic violence increased so radically, this theme recurs in artworks I made throughout this period, including Monstrous Mouth Masks and Outrageous Travesty posters. Also critical writings, poems and short stories (see for example “Squid Pro Quo").

I only noticed afterwards that this artwork was so closely related to this particularly touchy and personal topic. But the subconscious often behaves independently of the act of creation, at least I'm finding that myself increasingly the more I let it do its work and the older I get.

The first thing that struck me was that the victim of the knife-wielding lunatic's violent attack is holding up her hands and revealing her wedding ring. I was stunned that without realizing it I had revealed this essential thematic part of the narrative. The model herself was actually undergoing at the time an acrimonious divorce.

Later she said that my understanding of the awful violence inflicted against women by men was a heroic gesture that made me an "honorary woman". Well, that’s actually a phenomenal misunderstanding of my artistic gesture.

Maybe you also think that my attitude is some generosity on my part towards women? I can only wish I was so generous...

Here's the thing about being a creative artist - or at least my experience of it - I don't create stuff specifically to protest something or to let my opinion be heard or to stand up for someone. I do it because of an irrepressible desire to express myself in whichever art I choose to communicate. Analyzing the content I do afterwards. My word is also NOT gospel and my interpretation could well be wrong. Almost inevitably I discover more about myself, sometimes devastating and always intensely personal during the reflection that takes place afterwards. Often that interpretation will go against what I thought I was creating in a process of revealing myself to myself. I hope, obviously, that other people get something out of the experience. But whether or not you do, I'm going to keep on creating anyway as the desire to do so is just so insistent and constant. I feel evidently very strongly about this subject, but this wasn't at all created to explore this particular topic. That did it itself without me knowing it.

Needless to say, I've always reacted repulsively towards the very idea of someone owning someone else. Anyone irrespective of gender. But this is commenting on something that affected me while I was growing up: witnessing the hideous verbal and physical abuse directed by my father against my mother because she moved on to other partners after their divorce. Here’s the thing: she left him after his chronic philandering with other women. But despite this he felt he had to tell me about what a disgusting slut she was. Again and again. The hypocrisy of this double standard seemed at the time ludicrous and tiresome. Unfortunately, I’m left with sorrow and anger.

Seeing this situation recur in the life a friend who was going through a similar situation was probably an instigating factor in the creation of this artwork.

____________________

Experimenting with other surfaces that were not floor lino (which I had probably run out of) but that I could easily get hold of and not have to pay a relative fortune for in a trendy art shop, I actually engraved this design into a plastic placemat, and then I made a silicone mould of the placemat...

To replace the placemat which wasn’t really an ideal surface to do printing or embossing on, I made a hybrid silane modified polymer (SMP) adhesive mould of the mould to replace the placemat which wasn't really appropriate for printing from.

Finally I had to make another SMP mould to replace the silicone one because not only does silicone shrink when it dries... but it stretches when you're making a mould of it and doesn't really fit anymore when you press the two sides of the embossing folder together. SMP adhesive works better 'cos it doesn't shrink or stretch anywhere near as much as latex or silicone rubber, and better still, you can get it not to stick to itself. At least that was what I observed after using it.

I'd just like to note here that "Silane modified polymer" is a hybrid chemical and could refer to an infinite variation of adhesive qualities. If they change the structure of the molecule, the behaviour of the adhesive can change radically. In the same brand, for example, with the same product name, you can get white and clear adhesive. If you thought that a change in colour wouldn't make much difference to how it behaves, then you'd be wrong. The two different colours dry at different speeds and have a really different texture. The white glue, for example, is engravable after it dries which means you can sculpt it with gouging tools. Try it with the clear adhesive, and your cutting knife will bounce off it or cause an ugly tear in the surface...

Furthermore the two colours don't stick to one another which is incredible. If you've ever tried to make a silicone mould of something that has silicone in it you'll know what I mean. Silicone sticks to itself and will evade release agents. I have tried spreading thick layers of vaseline and other slimy substances to prevent them sticking. I don't know how it does this, but silicone just pretends the releasing agent isn't there and finds itself anyway.

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/zachar.laskew…
INSTAGRAM (Zizbilit ): https/www.instagram.com/zizbil…
TWITTER (@Zlaskewicz)
LINKED IN: www.linkedin.com/in/zacharlask…
WEBSITE: www.nachtschimmen.eu
EMAIL: zachar.laskewicz@nachtschimmen.eu
FACEBOOK PAGES for this post:
Outrageous Travesties
Floor Lino Embossing
Dreadful Little Nightmares

GIFS & ZTICKERS -
tenor.com/users/Zizbilit
giphy.com/channel/Zizbilit
giphy.com/channel/nachtschimme…
imgur.com/user/Zizbilit

facebook.com/interminablecontr…

Description

"My Bloody Valentine" is an impression made with acrylic paints of a floor lino embossing folder (that was not actually made with floor lino - see below).

The theme of this artwork is the violence men inflict on women. I am still disgusted by the attitudes of ownership some men seem to be convinced about over the minds and the bodies of the women who they become intimately involved with. Just having lived through the time of the pandemic when domestic violence increased so radically, this theme recurs in artworks I made throughout this period, including Monstrous Mouth Masks and Outrageous Travesty posters. Also critical writings, poems and short stories (see for example “Squid Pro Quo").

I only noticed afterwards that this artwork was so closely related to this particularly touchy and personal topic. But the subconscious often behaves independently of the act of creation, at least I'm finding that myself increasingly the more I let it do its work and the older I get.

The first thing that struck me was that the victim of the knife-wielding lunatic's violent attack is holding up her hands and revealing her wedding ring. I was stunned that without realizing it I had revealed this essential thematic part of the narrative. The model herself was actually undergoing at the time an acrimonious divorce.

Later she said that my understanding of the awful violence inflicted against women by men was a heroic gesture that made me an "honorary woman". Well, that’s actually a phenomenal misunderstanding of my artistic gesture.

Maybe you also think that my attitude is some generosity on my part towards women? I can only wish I was so generous...

Here's the thing about being a creative artist - or at least my experience of it - I don't create stuff specifically to protest something or to let my opinion be heard or to stand up for someone. I do it because of an irrepressible desire to express myself in whichever art I choose to communicate. Analyzing the content I do afterwards. My word is also NOT gospel and my interpretation could well be wrong. Almost inevitably I discover more about myself, sometimes devastating and always intensely personal during the reflection that takes place afterwards. Often that interpretation will go against what I thought I was creating in a process of revealing myself to myself. I hope, obviously, that other people get something out of the experience. But whether or not you do, I'm going to keep on creating anyway as the desire to do so is just so insistent and constant. I feel evidently very strongly about this subject, but this wasn't at all created to explore this particular topic. That did it itself without me knowing it.

Needless to say, I've always reacted repulsively towards the very idea of someone owning someone else. Anyone irrespective of gender. But this is commenting on something that affected me while I was growing up: witnessing the hideous verbal and physical abuse directed by my father against my mother because she moved on to other partners after their divorce. Here’s the thing: she left him after his chronic philandering with other women. But despite this he felt he had to tell me about what a disgusting slut she was. Again and again. The hypocrisy of this double standard seemed at the time ludicrous and tiresome. Unfortunately, I’m left with sorrow and anger.

Seeing this situation recur in the life a friend who was going through a similar situation was probably an instigating factor in the creation of this artwork.

____________________

Experimenting with other surfaces that were not floor lino (which I had probably run out of) but that I could easily get hold of and not have to pay a relative fortune for in a trendy art shop, I actually engraved this design into a plastic placemat, and then I made a silicone mould of the placemat...

To replace the placemat which wasn’t really an ideal surface to do printing or embossing on, I made a hybrid silane modified polymer (SMP) adhesive mould of the mould to replace the placemat which wasn't really appropriate for printing from.

Finally I had to make another SMP mould to replace the silicone one because not only does silicone shrink when it dries... but it stretches when you're making a mould of it and doesn't really fit anymore when you press the two sides of the embossing folder together. SMP adhesive works better 'cos it doesn't shrink or stretch anywhere near as much as latex or silicone rubber, and better still, you can get it not to stick to itself. At least that was what I observed after using it.

I'd just like to note here that "Silane modified polymer" is a hybrid chemical and could refer to an infinite variation of adhesive qualities. If they change the structure of the molecule, the behaviour of the adhesive can change radically. In the same brand, for example, with the same product name, you can get white and clear adhesive. If you thought that a change in colour wouldn't make much difference to how it behaves, then you'd be wrong. The two different colours dry at different speeds and have a really different texture. The white glue, for example, is engravable after it dries which means you can sculpt it with gouging tools. Try it with the clear adhesive, and your cutting knife will bounce off it or cause an ugly tear in the surface...

Furthermore the two colours don't stick to one another which is incredible. If you've ever tried to make a silicone mould of something that has silicone in it you'll know what I mean. Silicone sticks to itself and will evade release agents. I have tried spreading thick layers of vaseline and other slimy substances to prevent them sticking. I don't know how it does this, but silicone just pretends the releasing agent isn't there and finds itself anyway.

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/zachar.laskew…
INSTAGRAM (Zizbilit ): https/www.instagram.com/zizbil…
TWITTER (@Zlaskewicz)
LINKED IN: www.linkedin.com/in/zacharlask…
WEBSITE: www.nachtschimmen.eu
EMAIL: zachar.laskewicz@nachtschimmen.eu
FACEBOOK PAGES for this post:
Outrageous Travesties
Floor Lino Embossing
Dreadful Little Nightmares

GIFS & ZTICKERS -
tenor.com/users/Zizbilit
giphy.com/channel/Zizbilit
giphy.com/channel/nachtschimme…
imgur.com/user/Zizbilit

facebook.com/interminablecontr…