WEEK 1- Nathalie Djurberg's 'Claymations'.

Nathalie Djurberg's 'Claymations'.

Swedish artist Nathalie Djurberg's intricately constructed claymation films are both terrifyingly disturbing and artlessly sweet.

The new works created for the Venice Biennale explore a surrealistic Garden of Eden in which all that is natural goes awry.

She exposes the innate fear of what is not understood and confronts viewers with the complexity of emotions.

Nathalie Djurberg was awarded the silver lion for a promising young artist at the Venice
Art Biennale 09.

(http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/10/view/6886/nathalie-djurberg)

'Experiment' (2009) Venice Biennale

  
Research Djurberg's work in order to answer the following questions;

1. What do you understand by the word 'claymation'?

origin of 1980's from clay+animation 

a method of animation in which clay figures are filmed using stop-motion photography.

2. What is meant by the term 'surrealistic Garden of Eden'? and 'all that is natural goes awry'?

'Surrealistic Garden of Eden' explains how Djurberg has worked with nature by surrealistic way but instead of the idea we have about nature (calm and peace) she've explained it the opposite.
"all that is natural goes awry" might mean how nature around us is dieing because of the pollution that is quickly developing. Djurberg has showed that vision by using claymation.

3. What are the 'complexity of emotions' that Djurberg confronts us with?

Djurberg work, does show the complexity of emotions. Her work can easily take in control of emotions by using its colors, tones and the characters. For an example 'the parade' the characters aren't used in a positive way, it was destroying things and the expressions within the characters was sad; like for this can make the viewers, the same way how the Djurberg wants us to.

4. How does Djurberg play with the ideas of children's stories, and innocence in some of her work?

Djurberg shows the negative side of children's stories. With the origin of children story lines, she includes her style of weirdness and slightly removes the innocence to her work. Also she's mainly wanting to give out the point of the meaning rather than slowly visualizing what is behind that message and think of it negatively.

5. There is a current fascination by some designers with turning the innocent and sweet into something disturbing. Why do you think this has come about?

I think there are a lot to be seen by just looking what can be seen with our eyes. Most of the designers do turn the innocent and sweet to something disturbing for some viewers because I think its also explaining and letting out the conscious side we humans have, like another part of a human being that is known only by personally. Nowadays people tend to look more of a materialistic world and not wanting to bother of thinking beyond that point. Designers have made a start of stepping forward to the reality.

6. In your opinion, why do you think Djurberg's work is so interesting that it was chosen for the Venice Biennale?

I think Djurberg's work is interesting because of how she has made work in claymation and also the work has its own deeper meaning to it than how its visually shown. Theres more than just viewing it with your own eyes, you have to carefully understand why and how did Djurberg has put art that way. Theres two sides of personalities to Djurberg's art, sweet and innocent on the outside and different in the inside, reflecting on us humans and because of this idea she put in her work might've reached the standards to get chosen for the Venice Biennale. Its a place people can understand artworks in a mature way and are all fascinated to see. 

7. Add some of your own personal comments on her work.

I agree how some of her works can be disturbing and the expressions she create on the figures face is very realistic. It can easily be shown how the characters are feeling and how Djurberg wants us to think of the character. For example with the art below, it can be seen disturbing to some people but on the other side it can be shown of a meaning how the mother is trying to saving many children's lives.

Nathalie Djurberg- 'Feed all the little hungry children' Parade
parade

Reference:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZGjhxYVhmo
http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nathalie-djurberg
http://artnews.org/artist.php?i=1211
http://www.yourdictionary.com/clay
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/v/venice_biennale/index.html
www.inquiringdolphin.blogspot.com