My own hoarding :

This time round i wanted to divert back to my own hoarding as this project started as an idea I had because of my lifestyle and in general, life events and part of my dads dna which lead me to come up with this project, therefore not researching a bit into my won hoarding habits would be a waste.

I took aerial photos of my hoarding here and there, mostly focusing on detail than actuyal space since I’d been moving around my whole life most of my hoarding habits have translated into hoarding things within spaces such as cupboards and other places which aren’t as visible or first hand noticable. This is mainly due to the fact I was taught since i was younger not to show that part of myself when i were to meet new people for instance especially because living my whole life with my mum who is very much the opposite of a hoarder, when inviting people over the last thing she wanted was for her house to be taken up my things her child had been keeping which were useless, mailnly beacuse it was something that is looked at as ‘unorganised’, ‘messy’, and even ‘dirty’ in some cases, even if in my case I don’t belive it to be a reflection of myself like my dad but rather the circumstances I’d been put in and lifestyle i’ve been living.

References:

Digital studies from references:

15-20min:

10min:

15min:

My dads hoarding :

As my dads deeply routed issue of hoarding for most of his life, I decided it would be an interesting point of view to research into as a lot of the time i think looking at other peoples spaces (in this case of hoarding) can tell you quite a bit about how the person feels and make you question all sorts, like what specific objects they chose to hoarder and if there’s a specific reason as to why.

Digital sketches :

i wanted to continue in this blotchy style as I found that I was able to create faster digitally and without having the feeling of permentantly messing up if i did with a colour or the composition. And actually, by doing these studies digitally i realised i felt more free in doing mistakes because i knew that at the back of my head i could always go back if i wished so (although i tried not to, so that i could get a feel of a raw drawing which also has its own mistakes), than if i stuck with painting or drawing these studies traditionally with paint or markers etc.

15-20min:

5-10min:

40-60min:

15-20min:

Time laps

Digital studies of hoarding references taken in second-hand shop:

One of my favourite studies I did is of this statue and overgrowing plants. I don’t think it really matches that well in what I’m trying to portray within this project other than I really like the aesthetics and the colours I’ve chosen to use within it. I also quiyt elike this style of sketching and colouring digitally, giving it that ‘unfinished’ perspective.

Within this study I really enjoyed working with a minimal colour pallete which allowed me to focus more on tones of the objects other than their precise shape in detail. I also really like the stacked up composition in this study which I want to continue experimenting with.

Photos collected from family and friends who hoarder:

After my reserach I was able to ask some family and friends who were comfortable sharing their hoarding spaces with me to further investigate not just my own space and my dads but also people who i know around me.

First encounter :

“Hoarder”

I plan on exploring this project around the theme of hoarding, since it’s something that seems to be passed down in my family, from my Italian ancestors all the way up to my dad and even myself. I want to research why people hoard stuff, whether it’s psychological reasons or due to the world evolving into a mass production/consumption society. The idea behind keeping onto objects can extend from holding onto things such as something that reminds us of a good time in our life or a simple memory we bond sentiment over. However, there are other reasons which a lot of the time get overlooked, where people may collect or hoarder bits and bobs just for the simple excuse “It can be useful at some point” and the psychologial aspect of this disorder really intrigues my interest. Both a good and bad habit which can quickly turn from trying to be less wasteful and recycle things to living in absolute chaos and an unorganized mess.

The key responses to my research will be kept fairly broad but I do plan on experimenting with installations and photography of my own hoarding as well as my family’s. Although I will also want to explore the 2D format of drawing traditionally and digitally to see what will fit my overall final outcome/s.

The aim of this project is to learn more about myself and others with this interesting habit and make art which can be interpreted by others as they see fit for themselves who may or may not struggle with this issue in our modern society.

Resouce taken from the public NHS website :

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/hoarding-disorder/

Visual inspiration from online resources :