Monday 10th November
What I did:
-prepared for Fine Art 2D project by printing out photos (see below)
-decided to change to 3D when came to class, because I always paint and rarely do sculpture, so I wanted to stretch myself
-experimented with balancing object on two end of the thread hanged from the pipe in the ceiling
-sketched
-drafted a potential final outcome idea:
A medium size box (cardboard on the outside, mirror on the inside) with a little peer hole in the middle of one side. An unexpected object placed inside (odd scale). So when someone looks through they are taken by surprise.
I chose this idea because I like when audience participate and engage with the art piece, also I like when the art piece is not blatantly obvious
-thought around what this object might be - decided on an octopus - because this is the sort of theme I had prepared for the 2D project, underwater world really interests me, I prefer curvy lines to straight lines
-went to the clay work shop to experiment with making an octopus out of clay (first material that came to my mind when I thought about sculpture - very classical)
-began painting the sort of octopus I imagine to be inside the box, in my sketchbook in watercolour
General reflection:
-I found making the decision to change to 3D difficult, because I am very used to painting and 2D media. Although I like making things, I have never really done it for an art project (apart from fashion garments). However I have forced myself to do it because I know that when I step out of my comfort zone good things always come out of it
-the most enjoyable part was painting in watercolour because it is one of my favourite medias and creates an amazing texture of unclear boundaries and phenomenal convergence of colours
-I have not learnt anything new today
-My time management was very good for what I planned to do, however, reflecting on it now I think I should have done more experimentations because this is something I am trying to break in myself - coming up with the final idea and sticking to it - being very close minded
Project/Ideas development:
-my initial response to the brief was to experiment a lot with everyday objects because it is the most easily available material to me
-after having experimented I understood how certain objects behaved, for example the mirror distorts the image, multiplies it, so I had an idea of which ones I am interested in using
-my current hope for the outcome is a box with an eyehole in it in which you can look and see a massive octopus being crammed into the box
Materials and methods:
-first, I have selected suspension and random objects because I was curious how different objects which are not related by shape or purpose can relate by weight, I also did so in hope to find some interesting outcomes to push me onto further ideas. At the same time I have been thinking about artists and their work which was shown in the presentation by the teacher, what they have practiced. secondly I chose to try out an octopus out of clay because this material seemed most appropriate (I can manipulate it easily, fire it, paint it and its done). However, this is where the biggest practical consideration so far had come in. When I was in the workshop I spoke to one of the technicians about the firing process and it turned out that first of all the scrap clay I was using could not be fired due to external bits being in it, secondly there is not kiln at Archway so I would have to transport my sculpture to KX (this would mean it would have to be smaller), also this looked like it would take up so much time and effort which I didn't really want to put into a one week project, plus I think that artists need to use most efficient materials in their art work.
-now I have to think of an alternative process to create the sculpture of the octopus
-my previous experience in the V&A museum ahs very influenced my current idea. I saw a small scale model of a green house exhibited on the 3rd floor of V&A's permanent collection, it took me by surprise when I walked round it and realised that it is only a half of the green house and the other half is simply being reflected in the mirror which is attached to the middle of the side of the model. Ever since I have really wanted to experiment with this technique. this however has a practical considerations as well - glass is heavy and hard to manipulate, maybe find a simplified version?
Action plan:
-finish octopus painting
-decide on the material for the sculpture
-sketch suspended objects
Tuesday 11th November
What I did:
-we had a new teacher with completely different ideas in mind. This time we were asked to experiment in groups and with specific method that links to artists' works we have been given
-my group's method was "covering", an action which involved hiding object from the viewer, trying to eradicate their shape and form by covering them with something e.g.. string cloth
-my group had a very decisive person in who generated good ideas but also wouldn't accept others' ideas
-my initial idea was covering random objects in leaves
-second participants initial idea was to wrap things in material
-the decisive person said that it would be hard ton find leaves (although it is autumn and there are plenty of fallen leaves) and that wrapping has already been done by the artist we have been given 9I agree on this)
-the decisive person's idea was based on using see through material to cover things
-she wanted to melt plastic over object in the workshop, however this idea was scrapped because some objects will melt and also this would take a long time
-her second idea was to use an A3 piece of self adhesive clear piece of thin plastic to cover things into a closed environment
-we didn't really had a chance to express our views because she was very very firm on what she wanted to do
-I liked her ideas, so it wasn't a problem for me, however the second person in my group I believe felt unhappy
-we went to the 99p store to find cheap random object which can be covered by clear plastic
-once again the decisive person ignored our suggestions and persuaded us to buy fake flowers and a tube of toothpaste
-upon our return to the studio we experimented with covering the flower and creating a closed tube at the side of the toothpaste tube where toothpaste should come out - creating a closed environment for both objects
-at the end of the morning section we had a mini exhibition
-got and gave feedback
-second half of the day I had a lecture on BA Fashion and then did some finishing work
General reflection:
-the most difficult part of today was staying focused in the lesson time when the teacher spoke. This was because she went on for a very long time and about the same things, so it was simply not interesting, in fact today was the first day I didn't enjoy lesson time! However, because I did want to learn new things today I made myself listen in.
-the best part was receiving the biggest amount of feedback from the group and especially because it was all good feedback!
-today I have not really learnt, but encountered something new. The way the decisive person was behaving was very unusual for me, because I never came across such people before! I had to change my own behaviour in order to avoid conflict! I decided that, especially since I like her ideas, I am going to stick with what she proposes. in the end it really did me justice - I LOVE OUR CONCEPT AND OUTCOME!
-in terms of time management we were okay (the timing was altered for the whole group and not because of us, so we finished everything time)
Project/Ideas development:
-my initial response was to cover random objects in leaves because I thought I am going to keep the process the artists have been using (disguising and hiding the shape, but leaving a resemblance of it) however use a different media to do the covering with
-my ambitions have been completely changed and not by me
-the final outcome turned out to be a sealed flower and an exploded toothpaste
-interestingly we did not have a specific concept behind our work, however when we discussed it as group it turned out we all thought about the same things:
~using a see-through material to cover an object denies the purpose of covering (i.e. hiding something), but at the same time alters the behaviour of the object by changing the environment it is in (turning it into a closed system where natural processes become very dominant)
~both of our works correlated by the fact that no matter how hard we try to cover something it will fail, basically, the famous saying "what is done by night appears by day", however something irreversible will be done (i.e. you cannot rejuvenate the flower the same way you cant put the toothpaste back in its tube in the exact same way)
Materials and methods:
-the process of covering has been selected for us by the teacher (she gave us a sheet with artists doing artwork using this method)
-we chose materials based on our budget and interest
-only one practical consideration really had to be taken (the fact that when toothpaste gets out of the tube it is quite messy and smelly), so we used scrap paper to protect surfaces from getting dirty and warned others about the coming mint smell
-I have never experimented with these process or materials before
Action planning:
-document project outcomes in the sketchbook
-carry on with the octopus project (what I would have done in second half of the lesson if I did not have the BA Fashion lecture)
Wednesday 12th November
What I did:
-completed making the octopus structure
Reflection:
I used wire to make the carcass of the sculpture. This was difficult because I did not have pliers or wire cutters, so I had to use scissors to cut the wire which was extremely hard. Unfortunately there were none of these appliances in the CSM shop, and I didn't really know where to get them quickly. Point for improvement for future: ask others!
I made the body out of news paper print (I used 17 A1 sheets) and masking tape (I used up 1 whole roll). It was not difficult, but very time consuming, as I had to twist paper around a thin and slippery wire and then secure it with one hand and tape it with another. In total I spent around 5 hours just making the body.
This is what I ended up with at the end of the day. At the time I was really dissapointed because in my head I pictured it to look like a real octopus, however it turned out to be a cartoon version. Plus, close up the surface looked messy, which again, at the time I was really annoyed with. I say at the time, because the next day, when I completed the sculpture, I was extremely pleased that it turned out to look so "artistic".
Thursday 13th November
What I did:
-painted the octopus
-took photos of mty sculpture in various locations
-participated in the final exhibition and feedback
General reflection:
-the hardest thing today was deciding what to do when I ran out of blue paint, this was because I initially planned to make the octopus blue, however the paint finished. I went to nearest shops yo search for blue paint but couldnt find any, so when I came back I just decided to use green. In the ned it actually looked even better than it would have done if it was all blue!
-the best part of today was when I finished the octopus, was pleased with it and got to photograph it and the photos turned out very interesting as well. i felt that i really have put my sculpture in the right context. the context being a normal everyday environment, but the sculpture being very odd cartoon world object which shouldn't be in an everyday environment. therefore the contrast of the two environments created a very interesting photograph.
-I have learnt a lot of new artists today
(they can be found in my research folder), especially because I was not very interested in sculpture before, so perhaps I just haven't paid that much of attention to sculptors before!
-my time management was perfect today! I fifnished 15 minutes before the exhibition which gave me a lot of time to set up my sculpture for others ro see and reflect on
Project/Ideas development:
-the initial response to the brief was to go out and experiment. During experementation I understood that I want to engage mirror in my work. I wanted to play with the reflection and how it can chnage space. I came up with an idea of creating a box with all 6 inside walls being made up of mirror which will create an infinate but at the same time closed space, In addition to just having a box I wanted to have a random object in in, so when the viewer looks inside the box through a small eye hole s/he is suprised and maybe even frightened by what s/he sees. Randomnly, the first object that came to my head as something you would not expect to see in a box is an octopus. I imagined this octopus being really crammed in, so its tentacles would be pressing against all wals and tangle between themselves.
-my ambitions have changed completely primarily due to the fact mirror is an expensive material and is hard to manipulate. Also as I have started off with making an octopus I realised that it is taking me a veeeery long time, therefore I had no time to create the box! The last concideration was the fact that there would be no light inside the box! so the whole idea wouldn't work anyway!
-in the ned the outcome turned out to be just a sculpture of an octopus, but in fact I was happy I did not make the mirror box because the octopus turned out to be very cartoony like, therefore the idea of seeing something strange inside a box would have failed.
RESEARCH
One of the key artists I looked at is David Zink Yi and his "Squid" sculpture. Unlike mine his sculpture is very realistic, therefore has a completely different context to it. However he also takes the idea of putting two different environment together.
The Roger Rabbit Effect when cartoon characters are present in the real world.
