POP ART BATIK - THAI STYLE
Year 9 - A mix of Thai consumer culture and the very traditional Thai art of Batik. Students looked at Andy Warhol and the impact of Pop Art in art history as well as how frequently we see Pop Art in TV, advertising, art and fashion today. We also discussed the history of mass-consumerism, its effects, relevance and impact on current society. I love this combination of traditional techniques, using a more natural media (historically done with wax and natural dyes - we used color inks) and the more bright, brash, plastic attention grabbing branding of the popular products seen and consumed every day in Thailand.
Students first experimented with batik to create a range of backgrounds using a 3 layered wax technique to add depth to their designs. They collected and photographed their own objects, simplifying the image and editing them into a stencil ready for cutting out of thin acetate. The two were combined by carefully stenciling on their object using black paint using repetition inspired by Andy Warhol. This was such a fun, quick project for the end of the year and the students enjoyed talking about and taking inspiration from the products they love and consume everyday.
