- Art ServedProject Featured On:Art Served — 10/4/12
Stages of Life
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Stages of Life
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Featured on 10/4/12
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Art Served
- Stages of Life
- As I researched the stages of life, I came upon several different philosophies of what the stages were and represented. I found for the most part that they all had similar ideas with slight variations of the age range of each stage. While most philosophies I researched had seven stages of life, with death being the seventh, I decided to leave out the death figure. At first I had planned on including a figure representing death. I researched different ideas, trying to find one that would not come across as too morbid or would simply read as someone sleeping. Unable to find a solution to the issue at this time, I chose to eliminate the stage. In regards to the other stages, I liked parts of each philosophy and decided to select ideas from each that best fit my theme, allowing me to create a cohesive philosophy of my own.Stage 1 – The Tree of Life
This stage represents the foundation of life and the pre-planning stages. In this stage the life and lessons are planned out for the soul to learn. The plan is not set in stone, but rather a loose idea of what will be experienced. The center of the tree is where the soul and life begins and the branches represent the many different choices and directions the life can go in. The pod-like forms on the tree represent the different life paths that one can choose. Being that they are all part of the same tree, a person can experience a combined path that encompasses a few or all of the paths. The piece is made out of wool that I felted and sewed together.
Stage 2 – The Baby
This stage represents the beginning of life. At this stage a person is given all the tools and material they will need through out their lifetime. As they grow the tools or materials develop forming unique layers that will become more organized with time. The baby figure is created with natural fibers, yarn and latex. I used the latex to hold the fibers in place creating a raw, unfinished look. The chaotic pattern of the yarn is representing the idea that we all start with the tools and materials we will need to create our own unique identity. As time passes and we experience life, we will then create organized layers and ideas that will shape our own identity. The fibers used will become woven together as the life progresses.
Stage 3 – Child
In this stage you see the baby has grown and become a child. The layers of material are becoming more organized, which is represented through the pieces of weavings placed in various parts of the bodies. As time goes by and experiences occur, the fabric slowly begins to become woven. The weavings are placed at the head, spine and heart to symbolize the great importance of the development of these areas to the individual.
Stage 4 – Teenager
In this stage more material has developed into the weavings, representing the layers of time. The figure has more weavings placed throughout his body. This development represents the child growing into the adult. The palette has become darker, which represents the extreme complexity of the hormonal and emotional changes that occur during this stage. The pose is of a teenage boy running, which is a metaphor of how quickly childhood passes and one enters into adulthood.
Stage 5 – The Couple – Adult
In this stage the figures are now in the adult phase of life and have gone from the chaotic application of fibers to an organized manner of weavings. The weavings cover the entire body and represent the experiences and layers that come with time. In this stage I chose to use two figures, a man and pregnant woman to show the cycle of life. The couple is representational of both the ending and beginning stages of life. The individual, as a concept, ends and the family begins with the creation of new life. Yet the individual remains as a cohesive entity, as represented by the different palette and strength of the weavings. This is the most insular of the stages as the individuals collide and collapse into the effort of creation, much like the nucleus of an atom or a neutron star.
Stage 6 – Old Man
This stage represents the end phase of life. The man is sitting in a slouched position expressing his exhaustion from all he has experienced. The pose expresses the ideas of reflection. When one gets to the end of their life, they will look back at all their experiences, negative and positive, coming to the realization of how much they have achieved and gone through. The figure is created with looser weavings with some having holes and gaps. The looser weaving addresses the loss one experiences in the aging process. Death of those around us, the decline of ourselves, both mentally and physically. We gradually “unweave.”
I plan on taking this installation and photographing it in more locations. I will include more nature environments as well as industrial and modern environments. I am interested in how each environment will alter the emotion of the pieces and bring out new ideas. Once I gather all the images, I will make it into a book. 
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