http://jessiekopka.tumblr.com/

Erm No! [Digital Collage] 2013 J,Kopka

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:22:23 -0400

Erm No! [Digital Collage] 2013

J,Kopka

Installation Trials February 2013 J,Kopka

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:16:10 -0400

Installation Trials February 2013

J,Kopka

Pinned Letters [Installation] February 2013 J,Kopka

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:12:39 -0400

Pinned Letters [Installation] February 2013

J,Kopka

Installation Trials February 2013 J,Kopka

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:10:57 -0400

Installation Trials February 2013

J,Kopka

Installation Trials January 2013 J,Kopka

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:09:44 -0400

Installation Trials January 2013

J,Kopka

Text patterns [Book extracts and watercolour] 2013 J,Kopka

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:07:26 -0400

Text patterns [Book extracts and watercolour] 2013

J,Kopka

Sewn and stuck down [Digital Collages] 2013 J,Kopka

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:05:13 -0400

Sewn and stuck down [Digital Collages] 2013

J,Kopka

All of this means nothing [Digital Collages] 2013 J,Kopka

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:03:08 -0400

All of this means nothing [Digital Collages] 2013

J,Kopka

The spaces inbetween [Digital Collages] 2013 J,Kopka

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:01:49 -0400

The spaces inbetween [Digital Collages] 2013

J,Kopka

Text mapping [Digital Collages] 2013 J,Kopka

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:59:42 -0400

Text mapping [Digital Collages] 2013

J,Kopka

Living in chaos is easy [Digital Collages] 2012 J,Kopka

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:56:09 -0400

Living in chaos is easy [Digital Collages] 2012

J,Kopka

Don’t let me go [Digital Collages] 2012 J,Kopka

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:54:54 -0400

Don’t let me go [Digital Collages] 2012

J,Kopka

Repeating patterns with you [Digital Collages] 2012 J,Kopka

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:53:52 -0400

Repeating patterns with you [Digital Collages] 2012

J,Kopka

Untitled [Digital Collages] 2012 J,Kopka

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:52:46 -0400

Untitled [Digital Collages] 2012

J,Kopka

Untitled [Digital Collages] 2012 J,Kopka

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:50:52 -0400

Untitled [Digital Collages] 2012

J,Kopka

‘What are you doing now?’ [Text Motifs/Woven...

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 14:34:39 -0500

‘What are you doing now?’ [Text Motifs/Woven Silk]

J,Kopka 2012

‘Seoul’ [Woven Silk] 2012 J,Kopka

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 14:33:50 -0500

‘Seoul’ [Woven Silk] 2012

J,Kopka

Woven Hangeul [Silk] 2012 J,Kopka

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 14:31:47 -0500

Woven Hangeul [Silk] 2012

J,Kopka

Post - Overcoming Installation [34 monitor/ four channel /Time...

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 14:12:39 -0500

Post - Overcoming

Installation [34 monitor/ four channel /Time based media] 14.11.2012

J,Kopka 2012

Joint Exhibition with Katie Davis [Part of Thirteen...

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 14:07:00 -0500

Joint Exhibition with Katie Davis [Part of Thirteen Collective]

Four Channel Time Based Media Installation

J,Kopka 2012

13.4 OVERCOMING 8.11.2012

Works by Jessie Kopka and Katie Davis

Jessie Kopka

Overcoming

Through exploration and reflection of personal experiences, I have tried to identify cultural differences between South Korea and the UK, predominantly within language, whilst learning Korean, I recognised cultural barriers that made practicing harder than necessary, especially in Seoul - when I spoke Korean to strangers, they didn’t immediately understand me because of their assumption that I would speak English. I found it really hard to accept that people wouldn’t understand their own language. At first I became more self-conscious, doubting my own proficiency, although during communication with friends and acquaintances, they reassured me that it wasn’t my ability but other people’s mind-sets that were in fact distorted.

Through my textile practise as a weaver, I wanted to find ways to distinguish a means of communication between the warp and the weft, as two separate entities, the interaction of the two symbolised effective communication and the absence of interaction signified two entities that fail to interact, yet co-existed alongside each other.

My connection to South Korea is not one of nostalgia but one that continues to play an active part in my everyday life. I recently went to meet up with two of my Korean friends who are taking part in an exchange program at Coventry University. I was inspired by the contrast between the English settings with the presence of Korean girls, speaking fluently in their native tongue. Following the idea of two or multiple factors that can exist alongside each other, I began to develop ‘collision film montages’ the practice of pairing two viewpoints to compose a new meaning. Eisenstein’s montage theories derive from the idea that montage originates in the “collision” between different shots in an illustration of the idea of thesis and antithesis, suggesting that the relationship between two different pieces of footage within a montage can be more powerful than the two footages shown separately or one after the other.

The orchestration of the piece is divided between four components in a bid to seek interaction from the viewer, the use of repetition reflects the process of language learning but the intertwined layers of speech and sounds are complex obstacles that disorientate the viewer as to where each dialogue begins and ends. As the montages appear, they evolve, divide and weave between the monitors, challenging the attention of the viewer, where should I look next? Is what I see what I hear?

The conflict between fragmented montages acts an arena which exposes the intangible journey of being almost consumed by another culture.

Katie Davis

Within this body of work, I have approached the delicate subject of bereavement, the complex process of overcoming a death of a loved one is unique in each situation, how can people simply just ‘get over it’? If life will never be the same again, how can people try and repair themselves?

I have experienced bereavement, from this I wanted to articulate through my understanding of the subject, taking an indirect approach to explore the entanglement of emotions, to avoid direct reference to death specifically and place concentration on the aftermath.

Communication can play an extensive part in the process of overcoming bereavement, so many people can relate to this feeling of being lost and trapped with a resistance to move on, for fear that all will be forgotten. When all they want to do is desperately grasp and try to hold on memories and a time that will never be real again.

Photographs could be construed as a type of barrier, like a snapshot of a loved one, you can see them there but the situation no longer exists, yet with the photograph remains this ideology of a situation and you can always imagine being there but you never actually will. I wanted to channel the psychological notion of barriers, this interruption of uncontrollable events in people’s lives, yet so many things are left behind to deal with.

I considered the process natural decay and the attraction to fallen leaves became apparent, the fragility in the decay and the idea of something that cannot be fixed. I started to experiment with traditional embroidery techniques used specifically for repairs and mending fabrics. I began to place the leaves between sheets of translucent fractural organza, trapping them; the leaves embody the distress of loss and the intangible.

The installation consists of three long panels of organza, the leaves are isolated within the spaces between two layers, trapped by the situation. The delicate stitches, grasping urgently at the leaves to remain, preventing the possibility to touch, feel or get past the core of the issue. The organza acts a barrier, yet it is possible to move between the fragile pieces articulating how interaction with someone who is dealing with bereavement can be incredibly difficult, the slightest unconsidered movement or accident could completely destroy it, or prompt further psychological breakdown.