The Forest

From my blog dated Saturday, 25th July 2009, (I'm still thinking about reversing fairy tales and changing the themes and outcomes..) I quote 'the idea that "A widely used metaphor for danger and a place of nightmares, Forest explores the 'in-between' or 'other place', the place of refuge and contemplation."'

So.. Red Riding hood skips through the forest to Grandma's house
Snow white is taken into a forest to be killed by the huntsman
Hansel and Gretel stumble upon the house in the forest
Sleeping Beauty is taken into the forest for hiding
and Goldilocks finds the bears house in the forest


The forest was, I believe placed into these tales as it says above, it is a place of nightmares and danger or place of refuge or contemplation. Forests. Hmm.

Neglected Fairy Tales

So my everyday objects seem to have become 'Neglected Fairy
Tales.' Jodie Dutton is a genius and gave me a small epiphany;


16:18 Jodie
But i did meeeean red riding hood and friendly wolf.
...thats why i thought it, see!
I made them all (Year 2 Class) predict how my made up
characters would act by looking at them
.....and then made up a story that proved them wrong.


Even my epiphany was "A comprehension or perception of
reality by means of a sudden intuitive realisation"
(http://www.thefreedictionary.com/epiphany) So I realise I need
to relate to both adults, and children on two different levels.


Anyway, Jodie was on the same page as me. And so I've
decided to start looking at fairy tales and traditional stories. I
figure a good artist link already is Paula Rego for her alternate
ideas on Hey Diddle Diddle, Little Miss Muffett, Baa Baa Black
Sheep and Polly Put The Kettle On.


But I read an article online yesterday, that stated the "10 Most
Neglected Tales" (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1105662/Politically-correct-parents-ditch-offensive-traditional-fairy-tales.html) They are neglected because parents' believe they
are "too dark", not "politically correct" or are "sending the
wrong message" to their children, so do not read them. But
maybe the parents and their children need to realise that the
perceptions you have of the characters are not always
neccessarily correct. After all, it is the parents' perceptions of the
tales that stop them reading them to their children. The parents'
perceptions are influenced by their memories and their life
experiences, so it is those that impact on what they think of the
characters and the story. But if introduced in a different way, in
a different setting, can't I change those perceptions? What about
if the big bad wolf isn't so bad? What if the giant at the top of
the beanstalk is just seriously misunderstood? After all, Beauty
and the Beast has a moral. The moral to the story is that
although he looks different, Belle falls in love with the Beast...
He is not meant to 'be' scary, just to 'look' scary "Its whats on
the inside that counts"...Why should parents not teach their
children this, after all, its true. All the stories are trying to
broadcast one or a certain set of ideas. So I'm going to figure
them all out.


The Top 10 Most Neglected Tales are;
1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
2. Hansel and Gretel
3. Cinderella
4. Little Red Riding Hood
5. The Ginger Bread Man
6. Jack and the Beanstalk
7. Sleeping Beauty
8. Beauty and the Beast
9. Goldilocks and the Three Bears
10. The Emperor's New Clothes


The levels I have to consider are: adults as 'viewers' of my work
who I am trying to alter reality for, as they will most likely
know of the story. Just a tiny amount. Little tweaks so they are
unsure of what they actually see, or are meant to be seeing, and
what the image is attempting to convey.

The children as inspiration for my work. Children see things differently to
adults, and I wish to encorporate what children believe the
characters are like. If they have never come across the story
before, then they will have many first impressions of the
characters which is what I want to initially capture.

Lots of thinking time ahead!

Mission Statement:

"Use everyday objects to create new ways of looking at things."

Thank you PES. You inspiration, you.

The Genius ..PES

eatPES - Home of the Twisted Films of PES

"This stop motion artist has become famous for using everyday objects in his animations to create new ways of looking at things."

Okay okay. I know I was looking at perceptions. But an animation artist who makes amazingly wonderous films which look at 'new ways of looking' totally amazes me. This could actually, astronomically be exactly where I should be headed.
I LOVE THIS! I LOVE PES! Diamond.