Michelle Casey, "The Little Mermaid", Collage/Mixed Media Journal Page, 8.5 x 6 inches, 2010. See lower down for written text.
Since time immemorial, story tellers have been taking old stories and making them new again. Walt Disney after all was not the first man to relay the tale of Cinderella – its origins are centuries old and it has been re-crafted by many cultures around the world. You can use this same exciting tactic in collaging your own art pieces. Instead of repeating the same old, try giving a pre-existing story your unique spin. Find something in it that’s based on your struggles as a human being. When you introduce new interpretations of stories, you can expand a viewer’s imagination and perspective of the world. Through this you can perhaps create that “Ah ha!” moment for yourself and for others as they discover new exciting elements and insights from your tale. To do this you must continually ask yourself: how can I make this piece my own? So today I thought I’d share a few of my personal and emotional strategies for creating such a journal page…
Like Me She was a Creature from another World…
Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale “The Little Mermaid” inspired a journal page of mine in 2010. Part of a series to be installed at the Ottawa Public Library, the piece would be displayed near the children’s book section, so I wanted some works to reflect stories from my childhood and this one sprang to mind. As a dark, South Asian immigrant girl growing up in 1970’s Canada, Anderson’s tale captivated me. I was particularly fond of the 1975 Reader’s Digest animated version compassionately narrated by actor Richard Chamberlain. In it a (nameless) little mermaid is portrayed as a young white girl with flowing auburn hair. My affinity to her arose because, like me, she was from a different world and desired to part of another – the world of humans who lived above hers on land; while I longed to be part of white English and French Canadian society. The mermaid sought this because she had fallen in love with a handsome Prince from that world whose life she saved in a shipwreck (unbeknownst to him). Trading her precious tail and melodious voice to a sorceress in exchange for a chance to win the Prince’s love, she risked losing her life if she failed the task. Without a voice to convince him, her mission seemed doomed from the start. Many know her tragic fate of losing the Prince’s love to another and her refusal to kill him to break the spell so she could return to the sea. Tears rolled down my face as she selflessly chose death. As her soul drifted up to heaven, I wondered if my own love story would be as tragic. I felt such empathy for one who had risked everything for love only to have to relinquish her dreams. With this tale my twisted fascination for unrequited love grew – I saw great beauty in its sadness. The story’s ending, as heartbreaking as it was, invited many interesting reflections, one of which I include in the written portion of my journal page (see next paragraph). Decades later, I would hardly advise any young woman to give up her life for a man, not even a prince!
Giving My Spin to Anderson’s Tale…
Flash forward to my 2010 journal page… upon discovering photographer Kimiko Yoshida’s mysterious “Phoenix Bride Self Portrait” (2005) in a photography magazine, I saw in it the potential to become my little mermaid. I loved the brown/black/blue hue of the girl in Yoshida’s portrait. Her luminous skin and blue cerulean lips were so other-worldly; I felt they evoked my idea of a mermaid perfectly. I loved too that I could transform the ethnicity of the mermaid to match something that was akin to my Asian background or even an African one for that matter. I knew, in this day and age, that the library was a multi-cultural space and I wanted children of colour to also be able to envision themselves in my version of the story. To reinforce this feel I added the legs and arms of a young Black woman and also chose the slim figure of an aristocratic white European man to stand in for her Prince – implying an inter-racial romance (like my own). In doing these things I gave my own personal spin to Andersen’s fairy tale; making it mine… one as different as Andersen’s and Disney’s that would follow. In the text portion, I suggested a contemporary reflection about women and romance in Andersen’s tale. This was inspired by my studies in my art and feminism and contemporary art classes in which we discussed women’s roles in stories and society over the ages. It’s so important for me to bring to light stories of old that I’ve loved and alter them in my own way. It feels so empowering to re-create something new out of an old tale and to give voice to my own experiences and knowledge as a woman. These are strategies I offer you to take up…
The following is the text from the journal page (above) as read from top to bottom:
I always
loved the story
of the
Little Mermaid
I admired her
courage to
leave her home
under the sea
It was sad
she felt she
had to give her life
for the prince.
There was so
much she could have
done in the
world above
the sea
She could have been me…
A world beyond her reach…
Image Reference: Photo of girl by Kimiko Yoshida, “Phoenix Bride Self-Portrait” 2005, Color magazine #8 July 2010.
Making a Story Your Own By…
Ask yourself what stories, themes and ideas attract you the most and how could you transform facets of them in your work? In my “Little Mermaid” page my ethnic background, a favourite fairytale, feminist and contemporary art knowledge helped me to re-fashion the story into my own version. In other words what knowledge and experience do you have inside that “colours” the way you see things in life? Use these to re-invent your own unique story.
Have you altered an old story and made it your own? If so, I’d love to hear from you. If this concept is new to you, consider taking a few moments to think of a favourite story, then jot down two or three things you could try this week to spice it up. Happy collaging!
Other Related Links:
Ceremonies of Disappearance: Kimiko Yoshida’s Critique of Identity
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