I tried multiple times to change the orientation, unsuccessfully, and have had to leave the video in this awkward state regrettably. This is a walk around of the installation before audience participation.
Final Development – 3
These photos are from the beginning of the interactive phase (where the audience now controls the end result) I really like the way the installation ended up and am excited to see how people develop it and have fun with it.
This is as far as I go in terms of editing the work and I feel it has been successful, there are ways for people to interact and create but there is also a definite sense of my own style and the work’s own communicated message.
Final Development – 2
By this point in my practice I had cemented the concept that I wanted the piece to be interactive, although I did not have much time to make this happen. I focused on finalising the installation’s components and the ways I would encourage others to participate in the making of the communal art piece.
Final Development – 1
This series of photo document inspiration and my work in the studio during the initial phases of the installation. I was unsure of my wider context at this time so the objects and arrangements are thoughts more than defined statements, the work is made up of recycled materials, found objects and domestic items.
Observing what is around
I walk the same way to uni everyday and I noticed a lot of new features to the walk since Covid has affected our lives so much, there was a lot of colourful information on the way in the forms of signage and notices for 2m social distancing.
I liked the way there was a lot of different tones even if they come with messages of limitations and restrictions, I also feel that the spontaneity of using those limits for work converts this negative to a neutral or positive form. The juxtaposition between these bright colours and the street browns, greys and reds is something that will be missed in the studio but that could be introduced through painting the walls or plastic divides I imagine.
After thinking about my work in relation to David Medalla and other artists I observed directly what was around me and used this visual data to inform my practice, in this case my colour scheme for an experiment.
I thought about restrictions again in two ways in relation to making, one thought involved a snakes skin, and how it has to shed it to grow beyond its current limits to survive (this is metaphorically similar to the human condition). The other was in relation to indoors and outdoors (an idea I have been exploring this term) which is also connected to Phyllida Barlow and some of her own concerns.
In keeping with my methodology I looked around at the collected and domestic materials I had and noticed some more left over bubblewrap, I decided to repeat an experiment of mine with a slightly different colour set and design. I was influenced by my walks to Charnwoods, Bradgate park, and Ayelstone meadows as well; this translated for me into a leaf design that resembled a similar theme on a bag my housemate owned last year.
The results were good and I feel the properties of the bubblewrap lend themselves ideally to the context and intent here, I wasn’t sure how the shape would turn out but overall I feel this went well. The lighting effect that came out a result was really nice and I imagined this much larger; I should experiment further with drawings over this photo or with scale models to make the sculptures seem huge.
25321 – Blue and Yellow
I started using blue and yellow in my practice subconsciously without realising that the colour scheme was all around me, in my room, garden, on the way to uni, in my work from last term. It took my crit to hep me notice that this could be from what is around me, it was also at my crit that David Medalla was mentioned to me; part of his practice is having his experience directly inform his practice.
I found this piece of bubble wrap laid over my yellow box sculpture with blue light reflecting from the outside and decided to experiment with it, adding blocks of blue and yellow to play the the translucent nature of the plastic.
It is an interesting experiment although a very simple one, it calls to mind artists like Olafur Eliasson who uses colour and light to evoke experiences in his audiences. The shapes allow for spaces in between and keep the colours separate as opposed to mixing the primaries to make green.
The plastic wrap and the shots from ‘inside’ it makes me feel enclosed, but the vibrant contrasting colours create a sense of wonder which is amplified by the coloured god rays shining through the plastic.
Improvements: A larger scale with a different palette, experiment with the elements again, what about coloured backgrounds? dye the plastic instead of using pens? cute it into shreds, layer it up, play with colours through each other? don’t get distracted or lose your way because of studio access changes.
15321 – Critical Review Term 2 – Reflection
Our Term 2 review ended with us filling out an exhibitor form with a view to writing a statement about our work with our new understanding or ideas, presumably. I struggled to write mine but in the end managed to do a decent job I feel, however the crit showed me that I don’t always understand my work so outside perspective can sometimes be very helpful.
| My self-directed study explores play, space, and limitations with a sensitivity to materials and the curative process. Composition is a core element of my work as well as interaction, not just between the components of the work but also between the work and the individual.  I focus on intrigue and intuition when starting and try to let autonomy guide me through combination and experiment with getting the right effect from a material or a motif. I like to also play with colour to highlight or create a relationship as I see it between things, connections have been a concept central to my work as well as modularity or unity; the sense of the whole being just as valuable as the sum of each of its parts. I have also tried to adopt a playful approach to experimentation and failure to stop fear from limiting my work, in addition to current situation and limits.  There is a clear contrast in the forms of the objects I have made; the yellow and blue tones, the harsh squares and soft circles, vibrant colours and muted tones, domestic materials displayed (in theory in) natural environments. Most of the forms are also balanced or suspended as opposed to fixed or deliberately grounded, they’re held together with tenuous bonds in precarious ways. They are also unspecific in that there is no clear or concrete definition of what is going on with each thing or why.  I think this contrast is intended to play with tensions and relationships between things, I also wanted to communicate a sense of naturalness, in the sense that they’ve been made authentically and you can understand how they have been put together. I have also had feedback that this is the case, and although the work is not specific, the thought process is visible and feels familiar. Perhaps the work speaks to the shared sense of ‘searching through confusion’ we’re all experiencing at this time. The work seems to reflect a conversation, with different individual parts communing with each other to convey a meaning, which for me can sometimes only be understood after they have been made. Corey Archangel has a similar practice in which he is sometimes the last one to know the connection or context of his work. I feel this level of unconscious or passive engagement is helpful to allow honest communication to flow, which can then be altered to suit a need for the artist, viewer or community etc.  Daniel Buren’s Within and Beyond the Frame and Ugo Rondinone’s 52 windows were both suggested as contextual references for me. Rondinone’s use of vibrant colour and surface are similar to my work, perhaps I could emulate his large scale & installation style. Buren’s concept of taking art outside the studio is definitely something I want to continue to explore further, by taking materials to a site and making a specific piece or installation.  I was also influenced by Eric Bainbridge and his process; he takes a curative approach in some ways and is more concerned with the overall relationships rather than specific details. I also want to carry forward David Medalla’s methodology of having work be directly informed by personal experiences, for me this could be using materials I find myself or taking silhouettes and themes from interactions or moments that happen to me. |
11321
I decided to use the garden again to try and make some more hanging work that could interact with the elements somehow. Unfortunately before I could make any significant progress it started to rain heavily.
This did prompt me to think about making work that makes sounds based on the rain, perhaps large metal mushroom heads or leaf type shapes. This could blend well with the sensitivity to materials topic, since using the natural elements and becoming in tune with them is being sensitive to the most natural material.
Concrete Voyage https://drive.google.com/file/d/19UjOknACfkAiHF3ZIUFwTId8fqFKDnZI/view?usp=sharing
Swing and you’re winning https://drive.google.com/file/d/19PP_9e31UQq2qf2LBKlc98YTPI-tG61v/view?usp=sharing
Cross Hot Rock https://drive.google.com/file/d/19A_aNaDvOEUe3znBm-eNA_z8Ea2l3uGB/view?usp=sharing
Swivel on these https://drive.google.com/file/d/19BUDb5BL5MTxI7MvRk6GX5vnSnhGQBIF/view?usp=sharing
Critical Review – Term 2
Marmalade Night: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16zUTON0BPDLzupFl9FmUdPro3qbxp-lW/view?usp=drivesdk
Failed Experiment: https://drive.google.com/file/d/166pLiNKgSK4o0TtPLM8wR0YJ2gI02e6Q/view?usp=sharing
Kick the Yellowstone: https://drive.google.com/file/d/15t4NtGzGbKjdBIoa6ROSyciosNMmIL0z/view?usp=sharing
Circle: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16CzTUhN3RrrPdOy4y74Ns2id919OjDBa/view?usp=sharing
Sail over the Wall: https://drive.google.com/file/d/15kjznbD5QYX5CcRWgKnW3b7g7mZmrFov/view?usp=sharing
03321 – Experiments
These are an assortment of images from my experiments without a studio. I had no idea where to start and as an avid overthinker the possibilities and the limitations made me feel incapable of making work at first. I spoke with my academics and some of their advice was helpful, in the end I chose to start work by exploring my sensitivity to materials in a collative or curative manner.
There are also reference images from my walks and drives around Leicestershire, none of these are specifically related to my ‘practice’ and I haven’t consciously tried to incorporate them. However, they are moments that have caught my eye or curiousity. Engaging with my curiousity and my own interests is something I have always wanted to incorporate into art but it is also something I have struggled with.
Moving forward I want to try and explore this sense of movement in my work but also remember my focus on materials, some feedback was to maybe experiment with digital media and with the content I already have. This is something I will explore and I will also look at some of the artistic references that were suggested to me, such as Serena Korda Alice Walton.