Whilst isolating in Summer 2021, I created an online journey back in time by pairing pre-2000s music with photographs I had edited, to achieve a superficial or aged aesthetic. I posted these on a new Instagram page called bav_aesthetic.
My fourth-year project is a series of 20 acrylic paintings surrounding the themes of nostalgia, escapism, and aesthetics. Each painting in the series is painted on 12 x 12” MDF, replicating the size of Vinyl record sleeves.
The series of paintings is intended to be viewed whilst listening to an original mix I have created by sampling from songs released between the 1960s and 2000, and each individual painting is named after the corresponding song I have paired it with on bav_aesthetic.
The complete collection of paintings is called The Idea of Ideal in relation to the themes of nostalgia, escapism and aesthetic, present in my work. Nostalgia is often a fond reminiscence of the past, escapism is a portrayal of a place someone might like to go, and aesthetic is I have tried to find beauty in. I have tried to capture this idea of idealism using acrylic paint to capture the saturated colours from my bav_aesthetic images.
My collection contains a variety of styles of paintings, with some appearing realistic and others more abstract. This reflects the various decades and genres associated with each individual work.
The musical aspect of my The Idea of Ideal allows the viewer to imagine a time and place within the paintings, creating a more immersive experience. Each viewer may also bring with them their own associations with the music I have selected, allowing a more personal nostalgia to emerge.
