The definition of "Claymation" can be seen simply in the word itself. It is a form of stop-motion animation where clay figures are formed and put into different positions in each frame, put together to make an animated film or work.
2. What is meant by the term 'surrealistic Garden of Eden'? and 'all that is natural goes awry'?
The two titles best describes the dreamlike or unnatural atmosphere or feeling that Nathalie Djurberg presents through her work.
Nathalie Djurberg is a Swedish artist who had constructed towering clay flowers for the infamous Venice Biennale art show. These monstrous flowers confront viewers with the complex nature of emotions in a terrifying and artistic way.Her 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. These unreal and in some ways daunting flowers send off an Erie atmosphere that gives the viewer a more surreal point of view.
3. What are the 'complexity of emotions' that Djurberg confronts us with?
Djurberg is best known for producing claymation short films that are faux-naïve, but graphically violent and erotic. Their main characters, as described by The New York Times, "are girls or young women engaged in various kinds of vileness: from mild deception, friendly torture and oddly benign bestiality to murder and mayhem."
Having such a theme and storyline leaves the viewer disturbed and shocked to think about what they have just been exposed to. Her work can be grotesque and unsettling for the viewer.The short films are often no longer than five minutes but they manage however to tell stories about the human condition mixed both with black humour and seriousness. The stories deal with topics such as war, violence, sexuality, sadism and assault in an investigation of the darker side of the human soul.
4. How does Djurberg play with the ideas of children's stories, and innocence in some of her work?
According to Ryberg, 2005, Djurberg's claymation's tend to resemble children TV. Her stories have a lot in common with traditional folktales. They involve traditional roles as the good, the bad and the kind helper. The films also have animals as characters e.g. the wolf, the bear and the tiger. As in tales strange and magical things happen in Djurberg's films; animals speak, trees walk and humans fly and talk with animals.
However this setting changes in the story into more of an x-rated fantasy with no moral.
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?
when putting two such different themes together, Djurberg's work can in some perspective be seen as "the corruption of an innocent childhood". the two combined, innocence with violence and/or sexuality, makes for an interesting combination and an all round thought provoking concept. Although such a transition can also attract negative attention from the opinions of not only other designers but the media and the public, therefore becoming something infamous.
6. In your opinion, why do you think Djurberg's work is so interesting that it was chosen for the Venice Biennale?
The theme of this exhibition was "making worlds". Djurberg's work can relate to this theme mainly because the films have an existential feeling of suspense and uneasiness. A world is about to fall apart and even though it's made of clay it strongly relates to themes of human reality (Ryberg, 2005). She also creates a "new world" or something more dreamlike with her work 'surrealistic Garden of Eden". The biblical version of the garden of Eden is said to be more of a paradise, whereas Djurberg's interpretation of the garden is daunting, the flowers are monstrous and mysterious.
7. Add some of your own personal comments on her work.
Personally i find Djurberg's work interesting and humorous, yet disturbing at the same time. Her train of thought that is sometimes evident in her work is amusing and with the subliminal messages and sexual referencing, the innocence that we see at first, i feel is completely forgotten and demolished.
References
http://www.zachfeuer.com/nathaliedjurberg.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathalie_Djurberg
http://artnews.org/artist.php?i=1211
Nathalie Djurberg is definitely one weird women! Her stop-motion 'claymation' characters and sets are anything but beautiful to the eye. Like Dan Arps, Djurberg's work makes us question what is art? And are her creations real art? At the beginning, viewing her work seemed like a chore as I did not want to have to look at her work. But after this, I found her work new and intriguing. Her interpretation of beautiful is shown in throughout her works. It makes us all think (I think?) 'what is really beautiful?'. Like Barbara Kruger's work also, I find the artists' pieces confronting to conformity. I admire Nathalie's courage and determination in constructing such 'bold-statements'. She definitely demands attention within her disturbing, grotesque yet highly sexual art.
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