Found Media:

http://www.robertburden.net/index2.html

This artist has done a series of paintings which deal with his childhood love for action figures. Included in many of his paintings are some of his actual childhood action figures in shadow boxes or small display cases. They are rather nice paintings, and I do like the inclusion of the actual figures; but our opinions and attitudes towards figures are different. In his artist statement, he talks about how as a child these toys were magnificent things which he worshiped. But after growing up, he doesn't see them in this amazing light and has tried to re-capture that feeling in his work. This comes out clear in the positioning of his paintings/toy displays. He has them posed in almost a coffin or museum manner.

I see toys as living things for the most part. Not truly, biologically living of course; but definitely alive. I see personality in toys, sometimes even that which the character they represent may not have. A human can give life to anything they want to in their mind; though for some this happens more regularly or with more force than others. When I was younger, I would even give personalities and life to rocks or random pieces of plastic jewelry I thought deserved a story or appealed to me.

His work has brought out a realization in me though. I may value toys right now more than he does, but many of them I do not move. They are proudly on my shelves, and many of them can move, but I haven't repositioned them or played with them very often lately. I hope in future works in this course I can let them stretch their legs again. I hope they are not mad at me.

Artist Statement

I buy toys, generally at least a few a month. I have been buying, or receiving toys every year of my life.

There are multiple toy cultures; and there are multiple relationships people have with toys. Businesses, collectors, playthings.

Of course there are relationships between toys and various people, and these change depending on if you are a boy or a girl, man or a woman. But there also exists relationships toys seem have with each other. An unspoken dialog that we, or at least I seem to place on figure based toys. They have status, hierarchy, quality, personality and so much more. We give toys genders, and those genders are often reflected back into our human culture and world. Many toys also have elements comparable to race or ethnicity; certain anime themed toys are decidedly Japanese, and American action figures can be considered very American. Many models, and collectable figures of Japanese or German origin are seen as higher quality and superior to mass market Chinese or American made models. I believe there are interesting conversations toys can have with each other, and us as viewers, collectors, customizers, or even companions. For example, consider a character, be it a celebrity, professional athelete, comic book character, or even religious icon. Multiple figures of different proportions, deformations, sizes, faces, countries of origin, etc. of the same character exist. If these figures were placed together, I believe it would create a powerful tension.

Toys is a big word. And by that I mean so many objects can be labled as toys. I plan to focus on a few groups, or types of toys, ones that I find interesting and important for various reasons. Most of what I plan to look at fall into the category somewhere between action figure and doll; and this is yet another idea I hope to touch upon during my exploration of these things I have grown up with, and embraced recently. Doll and male humans are not often connected, yet these figures which most outside observers would call dolls is clearly male dominated. Considering some of my own reasons for figure collecting I find this very interesting, and hope to explore my place in a reality I frankly don't often like to think about.

Along with some self reflection and gender based exploration; I will also undoubtably be exploring the differences in Japanese figures to American, and how the cultures behind them are figuratively a world apart aside from being well, literally a world apart. Since certain brands of anime figures are a favourite of mine; I am very interested in how my feelings continue to develop based on my increasing interest in western comics and more traditional action figures.

The central theme which has developed here seems to be one of relationships; and how various cultures affect those relationships.