Bronze Fine Arts and Art Installation Design · 2017
Into the Water Series of artworks
by Sonia Alins
- A' Design Award 2017 Bronze Winner in Fine Arts and Art Installation Design
- Awarded April 15, 2017
- CLIENT: Sonia Alins
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 16,432
- Verification code F9306E279D · Verify this award
About Into the Water Series of artworks
This series surprises the viewer with a mysterious aquatic environment where expressive figures of great proportions emerge, victims of fate. The artist explores the possibilities of transparency and blur, establishing different levels of perception by bringing depth to the pieces. All of this, thanks to a planned minimalist combination of materials, mainly paper and polypropylene. Thus emerges a suggestive conceptual work with a symbolic and surreal personality.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Into the Water is a series of artworks with which the artist explores, in a special way, concepts such as surrealism and visual poetry. Besides that, the unique personality of this series is the consequence of a studied process of creation that experiments with the idea of generating, in a minimalist way, ethereal atmospheres through different levels of transparency. The result are mysterious and delicate collages that contain very expressive figures emerging from an aquatic environment.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- 500 mm x 500 mm x 45 mm each artwork
- Tags
- surrealism, minimalism, illustration, art, atmosphere, symbolic, collage, blurred, water, mysterious
- Production Technology
- For the production and realization of the artworks the following materials have been necessary: watercolor paper and cardboards of different shades for the trimmed figures, that are inked with black ink and painted with watercolors and colored pencils. On the other hand, polypropylene sheets were used for the aquatic environment. Some of the pieces also include wool to add different textures. Once the different pieces were assembled in a inner frame, they were inserted into a outer frame with a height of 45mm. Thus the pieces have depth and we obtain different degrees of blur.
- Design Challenge
- Behind some seemingly simple images there is a demanding search job. It was necessary to find a material that offered different degrees of visibility depending on the distance between this and the figures. After several tests with tracing paper, the final solution were the polypropylene sheets, perfect because of its consistency and a suitable degree of blurring.
It was also difficult to find a perfect solution for the coloring of the background and the figures and how to place the figures in order to obtain the exact grade of blurring and the maximum expressiveness to the whole scene. - Project Duration
- The project started in February 2014 in Lleida with a short collection of five pieces (230 x 230 mm each). The definitive artworks (500 x 500 mm) were completed in November 2016 in Lleida. One of the pieces, called Into the water, was selected as a finalist at the World Illustration Awards 2016 (backed by the AOI): currently, it is part of the exhibition tour all around the UK.
- Operation Flow
- The originality of the technique and the delicate but strong personality of this collection, ensure that the interaction with the viewer is very intense. "Into The Water" series try to convey an ethereal sensation when looking at the bodies fading subtly under a translucent veil that brings depth to the pieces and adds to the work a strange feeling of unreality that disturbingly combines with the situation of extreme expressiveness that the characters are experiencing.
- Research
- The aim of the artistic research was to create artworks full of visual poetry and lyricism.
After defining the artistic idea, the objective of the technical research was to create an environment with different degrees of transparency that gives tridimensionality to the artwork. So, I tested papers and cardboards for the figures and many semitransparent materials for the background. I also tested tulle, cloth or wool, in order to represent different textures.
The results were positive, as the definitive collages convey the feelings intended at the beginning of the project. - Inspiration
- Inspiration for these artworks comes from the contemplation of several of my favorite artists namely Joseph Cornell, Yves Klein, Francesca Woodman, Wynn Bullock and Barbara Morgan. Also, Hieronymus Bosch is always present as a referent due to his narrative. Apart from that, I felt the need to explore, in a subtle way, the idea of transparency and different levels of perception, in order to achieve the unreal atmosphere I wanted in my artworks. To me, this was the perfect setting to develop my narrative and convey emotion.
- Image Credits
- Image #1: Artist Sonia Alins, 2016
Image #2: Artist Sonia Alins, 2016
Image #3: Artist Sonia Alins, 2016
Image #4: Artist Sonia Alins, 2016
Image #5: Artist Sonia Alins, 2016 - Patents
- © Sonia Alins, 2016.
Colors of Into the Water Series of artworks
Design Interview about Into the Water Series of artworks
The search for a mysterious and ethereal atmosphere through subtle transparency effects.
I wanted to achieve surrealistic images where the strong expressiveness of the characters contrasted with a minimalist aquatic medium.
My idea is to continue developing new artworks for this series and transform the boxes of 50 x 50 cm into larger-format artworks.
I started working on it in 2013.
The inspirational idea of this project arose when I was immersed in the production of several works for an exhibition. It came suddenly and I thought about it for weeks because, from the start, I felt that the concept was very attractive.
Currently it is a personal project but I'd be glad if a publisher or a company became interested in the project and my idea could be further developed and grow.
I have focused on this project because I always thought that both the idea and its aesthetic were innovative and allowed me to explore new forms of expression.
I acknowledge the influence of some of my favourite artists: Joseph Cornell and his boxes; Yves Klein and the beautiful aquatic sensations in some of his artworks, Francesca Woodman and her recurring use of the female figure and the surrealistic treatment of her photographs, and also the photographs by Wynn Bullock and Barbara Morgan. Even Hieronymus Bosch is always present as a referent for his narrative.
Any person who establishes a sensory communication with the work and feels a delight contemplating it.
I think the materials that I've used and the subtle and minimalist way of creating each scene are the elements that differentiate this series.
The name of this series is descriptive. Both the women and the aquatic element are essential in the pieces.
The series is completely hand made and the tools are the common ones to any collage work.
I think the most unique aspect of my artworks is the representation of the aquatic environment and the capacity, together with the expressiveness of the figures that are immersed in it, of creating a unique atmosphere.
I have worked with one person only, Juanjo Barco, who has helped me with all technical aspects of the artworks.
The works are hand made, following a very artisanal process; so, for now, technology is not present. Anyway, I am sure that technology would become critical in case of having the opportunity to transfer these pieces into large formats.
My research for the project focused almost exclusively on getting the materials that offered me the textures and different values of transparency that I needed for its realisation.
The most important challenge was to find a material that offered different degrees of visibility depending on the proximity or distance between this and the figures in the composition. It was also difficult to find a perfect solution for the colour of the background and the figures.
Nowadays, if you think you have a good artistic project, it's a very interesting option to submit it to an international competition, because it gives you the opportunity to get a huge impact and exploring amazing new opportunities.
I have learned to turn chance findings into new possibilities for artistic exploration.
Actually, I think the most relevant information has been already discussed in the previous questions. I would like to thank the members of the jury for their positive evaluation and the award.