Fashion - Reacting to Art, Garment Rotation

We started off the week by being asked to bring in photos of art that were abstract - that we liked. This was easy for me as I love abstract art and the abnormal so knew instantly why type of artists I'd be look at. One of the artists I chose to look at was Basquait. 

These are a few pieces of his work though I only referenced the piece below when making our 3D objects in the classroom. 

I focused on the repetition of his use of crowns with this piece of work and many others. Which led me to making my own 3D crown. 

I looked at other abstract images by an artists whose work I found very similar to Jackson Pollock's but more gentle and feminine - possibly to the use of a floral colour range. 

My reactions to these images were completely different to the reaction I had when looking/using Basquaits works to influence me. 

I really enjoyed these pieces of work because I initially found it hard coming up with concepts to make out card but once I did. I quickly applied myself to the task. 

Passport

I really enjoyed the Passport project as it explored the theme of identity. I felt that to an extent it challenged me as I had only one day to complete the moleskine sketchbook - with things which I felt represented me and what I liked. 

Within these passports we drew and pasted things that we liked and felt represented us. 

We started by drawing a self portrait of ourselves. I enjoyed this task as you could see how different people drew themselves and compare different drawing techniques. 

                                   

This was one of my original 6 objects that I brought in in the first week and had to draw. It is an image of my lunchbox, that I drew with the hand that I do not normally draw with. This time I re-drew over the photo with a fine-liner black pen and a red fine-liner. 

I used these two images of myself as they represent the person (child I was) and the person I am now and how I have grown, matured and developed over time and that this will carry on happening.

On the page I found cut out which I felt represented me and what I am about.

I took an image from a booklet and drew over it creating a 3D effect as though you were looking through a window frame. 

On this page I wrote about being yourself and scribbled out some of the words because the sentences still made sense without them and I wanted people to use their own imaginations to fill in the blanks.  

I drew tree's as I have a love for them, the idea that they have been on the earth years before we were born and are there years after we die. They were one of the first things that were on this earth and were even in the Garden of Eden.

3D - Construction made of Spaghetti

We were given the task to contruct a structure of our choice that held 3 plastic balls that did touch one another. All the had to work with was 20 pieces of spaghetti and a hot glue gun.

I started off by drawing some initial ideas that I thought would be both aesthetically pleasing and functional to the task. Again we were told to draw differently to how we normally do such as with our right hand (I'm left handed), to draw with our eyes closed then place balls within the structure, to draw someone in the room upside down then place balls within the face drawn etc. I really enjoy tasks such as this as it gets you our of your normal drawing habitat and makes you think differently and opens you up to different ideas such as taking two idea that you've already drawn on your page and combining them together to make a new abstract shape.

I originally started off by trying to re-create a piece from within my sketch book but soon realised it was quite difficult getting spaghetti to stick together using a hot glue gun especially as for when you applied the hot glue to the spaghetti; the spaghetti had a tendency to break if moved. 

This led me to decide to create my structure and then draw the aftermath of what I saw in my sketchbook. 

I enjoyed making my structure this way as I never knew what the outcome would look like till I reached it and I found it to have quite an abstract, rigid shape which I loved. My structure could also be turned upside down and still hold 3 balls in 3 different areas.

We were later given the task of creating a paper structure - almost a type of packaging that would stop our spaghetti structures from breaking. We were each given 6 sheets of paper that we had to use to protect our structures. Some people scrunched up paper and slotted them in holes within their structure but I did not think that would protect a structure full as then the corner pieces would break. 

I went back to my cylindrical form and slotted them in holes within my stuctur. I glued them down to a base piece of paper to make sure the tubes would not more or fall this lack the aim of supporting/ protecting the structure. 

Once I had made my protective structure I tested its strength first with my lunchbox which was full of pencil, scissors, glue etc. It managed to support the structure of the lunchbox but I questioned whether it would support the weight of anything much heavier. I was correct when Geoff used a heavy metal roller to test out our protection structures. None of them survived but I enjoyed the task. 

Lens Based Media - Uno Minute Video

I spent the morning making a one-minute long video with a group. There was no editing that could be make and no over filming could happen as it would means other films would be ruined. The film had to have to speech and had to be based around current affairs happening in the news. 

My group looked mainly at the itv news and decided to use the story we found about new medical research taking place and new medicines being developed that would allow bling people to see.

I really enjoyed working with my group as I thought our video turned out well though it was over a minute long. Each person was allocated something to do - such as drawing the story board, we all directed, being the film-maker (me), being extras, being the main person, being the bullies etc… 

The main message of our story was understood in the sense that Chantal played a blind person who was later cured by medicine that had been developed but people found it unclear that Louise was pouring medicine on her eyes but still understood that she could later see due to something Louise had done.

We used sounds such as beatboxing when showing that the bully/bad things were about to happen. And received good feedback from the teacher and other groups on our film to do with our use of close ups and shots from afar and how when showing the main bully we started at Stevie’s feet and worked up to her face which showed her smoking which they felt was a good representation of the main bully as often you see bullies smoking. 

Though the story line was serious we were able to get some humour involved and I enjoyed being involved and seeing the final piece as I think it turned out really well and thought we worked well together as we listened to each others ideas and incorporated everything that we all said - such as our use of shadows to show the bullies were coming before you could see them which was Stevie's idea.

Lens Based Media - Six Image Sequence

Our last lens based media task was to create our own 6 sequence image scene, similar to the one we had done the day before but taking photographs to depict the story. 

I chose to base my story around a ring. 

My story followed Chantal who went to meet her friend and while walking over to him, dropped her ring on the floor without realising. 

Once she had realised she freaked out before her friend told her to re-trace her steps.

Chantal realised where she may have dropped it and while retracing her steps found her ring. 

I felt as though I could have done this task a lot better as I know I rushed it. I used some of the skills we had learnt prior in the week when photographing but still felt it could have been better. 

From my comments back, everyone loved the shot with the light coming in from behind Chantal where she realises where she may have left her ring.

I was told in my crit that my storyline could have been clearer which I myself believe as I could have taken better shots of her dropping the ring on the floor. If I had time I may have contrasted the images on photoshop and heightened the brightness of the ring when dropped on the floor to make it more obvious to the viewer that it had been dropped on the floor.