Last week we were very surprised to find that instagram was
informing us that it was ‘National Hot Dog Day’. Not a project to shy away from
an opportunity to take advantage of such an important event, ishotkatemoss
turned to Google to see if we could find a link between Kate and Hot Dogs … and,
surprisingly, came up with three options:
Option 1: Burger
There was Tom Sach’s art video that included Kate squeezing
mustard onto a McDonalds burger …
Close, but no hot dog.
Option 2: Tuna!
It made us laugh so very much but was different type
of hot dog than the one we were looking for … you see, a woman by the name of
Kristen Spoonts has an understandable infatuation on Pinterest with the little
pup ‘Tuna’ – a cute little mixed-breed internet sensation with an unfortunate
overbite. Of his many hits is the “I told them my name was Stephen with a ‘ph’
… ” gag:
But on her pin board was this “Kate Moph” effort, which
brought tears to our eyes:
Funny, yet not really what we were after, so, we went with Option
3: 'Hot Dog, Kate Moss, Kate Moss'
Rebekah Humphries is currently in her final year studying
Fine Art at Chelsea College of Art and Design, London. She creates images using block color and geometry to
make the “aesthetic nature of her work the primary objective”. Rebekah creates
shapes through applying paint onto wood that are more sculptures than
paintings.
Rebekah utilizes
color schemes often derived from pixilated images she herself has created from source
material seen in everyday life. Rebekah explained that the geometric angles of each artwork interact
“with the physicality of the objects to create a sense of space”, while she also opts for non-traditional hanging
techniques, such as propping work up against the wall on a brick, thereby creating
a further spatial conversation between the sculptural work and the environment
in which it is shown.
iskm: How do you construct the pixel sculptures?
Rebekah Humphries (RH): After creating a collage, I scan and edit it in Photoshop. The end result is the pixilated image that
you see represented on the board. Once the image is defined comes the most exciting part for me, recreating
that image onto the wood through painting with acrylic. I try to mix the
colours myself by hand the best that I can to match the photoshopped image, which
acts as my source material. Having painted all the lines by hand allows my presence
to be apparent in the work, but only on a closer inspection.
For me, the perfection of the straight lines or correct
likeness to colour isn't entirely important. I play on the idea that this
machine made image has to go through a human to be recreated. From a distance,
the lines may seem very straight, but when interacting with the work up close
you can clearly see the lines and colour have come solely from me.
iskm: Have you always created pixelated works? Why did you begin creating the pixel sculptures?
RH: It all began when I wanted to reduce other work I had
created to blocks of colour. I’ve always been interested in various colour
combinations and found the process of mixing the colours myself very important.
The ‘pixels’ just became a part of a process.
 |
| Rebekah's 'Hot Dog, Kate Moss, Kate Moss' |
iskm: How/why did you select the source image/s that you did
in making the collage? Why Kate Moss?
RH: I made the collage fairly quickly from magazines I had
lying around the studio. I was interested in how the context of an image can
change dramatically just by placing two different images next to each other and
comparisons are instantly made. I didn’t want to think too much about a meaning
I was putting in the work, but much more interested in how other people could
read these collages and how many different interpretations could arise. I chose
Kate Moss just on the fact that her face came up in these magazines so much.
Just thinking about how many images of her there are out in the world hurts my
head!
iskm: How do you feel your approach to photography affected
your 'Hot Dog, Kate Moss, Kate Moss’?
RH: Funnily enough, I’m famously quite bad at photography
myself (taking photos of my work is always a nightmare!) but I have always
enjoyed collaging. For me and my approach in this work, photography allows me
to appropriate images from others to create something new. This way of working
where one thing influences the next idea allows me to keep exploring
new ideas.
iskm: Why did you call the sculptural piece "Hot Dog, Kate Moss,
Kate Moss"?
 |
| Rebekah's source collage |
RH: After I made the collage, I named the sculpture before
I’d even made it. There’s something about the confusion and contrast in the
name and the work that mirrors the collage itself. I think the idea of the name began a few years ago when I
saw in the National Gallery some paintings by 17th century Dutch artists like
Vermeer and the titles of all their work just stated what was in the picture,
and I really liked how matter of fact it was. And since I had always had
trouble in titling work myself, I thought it was an idea that I could adopt. I
think it works well with the work because the title 'Hot Dog, Kate Moss, Kate
Moss' seemingly has completely nothing to do with the work when in fact it is
the only thing to do with the work. It's like I'm giving the audience
everything they need to know but at the same time can feel enigmatic like the
idea of pixelation itself. It leaves the work wide open for interpretation with
or without taking hints from its title.
iskm: Did you eat a hot dog on National Hot Dog Day?
RH: I don’t think anyone is actually very good at keeping on
top on these national something days unless you see it as a twitter hashtag but
I do make sure I try and honour all of the ones that work in my favour! I’ll
definitely be ready for Hot Dog Day 2016!
iskm: Which artist/s would you most want to most see
involved in ishotkatemoss? Why?
RH: At the moment, I’m really into work by Blinky Palermo
and Ellsworth Kelly. I think it would be great to see more abstract work
inspired by Kate Moss. Having said that, I can really imagine a Martin Creed
type work with a huge wall covered in images from magazines of her face.
Between bites of your hot dogs you can see more of Rebekah’s
work can be seen at http://rebekah-humphries.wix.com/home. And keep an eye on
her site as she’ll also be showing her artwork again soon in London.
Oh, and like Tuna … Obserph. Phlow Down. Phoot. Phubmit.
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