Week Eight - Weekly Review

Oct 28, 2017
7 min read

Third project, identifying future directions:

Following your tutorial this week, how might you use this feedback to reflect on your progress both in terms of your practical work and your future direction?

I didn't actual have a tutorial this week at all, and have't had one for four weeks now. I actually think this had impeded on my learning and success a lot as I'm currently feeling a bit lost as to where i belong. I think i could have really benefited in my work from having some constructive criticism from a tutor rather than a peer assessment, and I think this reflects in my current work from the art project. I do like what I have produced, however there is a definite lack of direction across all of my experimentation which could have been hugely narrowed down with some useful advice to perhaps point me in the right direction.

Identify overlapping themes, particularly in your personally directed work - are there connections between ideas, approaches to materials or attitudes that you have you used in all or any of these projects. If so, what are they? If not, what are the main differences?

There are definitely links between art and media, in both I have worked with monochromatic styles using black and white to create my work - in media I worked with black and white polaroids, and in art I worked with black ink and stamped it onto white paper. I also worked in the same kind of way that was recommended to us which was to identify a theme, idea map it choose several ideas and then take a final idea forward to use as a final outcome. However, there were differences in the pace and amount of work produced between all three. In the design project, due to illness and a slightly to relaxed attitude o my project, I did a lot of my work at the last minute and all in one go, however this way of working was actually a good style for me as I managed to get a lot done in a short space of time, and didn't really have time to think about what I was doing to much, meaning my work production was high. In media, I worked at a constant rate, documenting my work digitally on my blog as I went along - which was also an effective way of keeping all of my work up together in one place and easily accessible at anytime. However for art, it was a real mixture of the two. i struggled initially at the start of the art project, in the same way that I did in the design project as I was struggling to generate any ideas that appealed to me from my brief I had identified for myself. I think this is mainly down to the pressure I put on myself to find something really good and fun to work with straight away, where I can clearly see my journey and my final outcome. However in reality, what would be far more beneficial to me would be to choose a few ideas (at random if I am really struggling) and try to expand them as much as possible, exploring different ways of thinking in turn, and then from there choose one of the ideas to take forwards as a final project. I think the main reason I am currently not feeling happy about the work I have produced is down to the pressure I feel in the room to make something unique, fresh and innovating to show at the group crit with my peers, when really I should be trying to work with an art medium that suits me in order to produce work that i am proud of and has been infused with my own creativity and artistic flare.

Compare how you have used your time between this project and the last. Consider how you have managed the projects during these weeks, for example:

planning and organisation - my organisation this week has been better as i have been woking in my sketch book so I always feel that my ideas are up together and easily accessible, however I need to try and get over the vision I have in my head of having a perfectly presented book of work as currently i am spending more time displaying, arranging and writing about my work than actually doing it.
being open to different ideas and potential changes in direction - I think I was a lot more open in the art project than in any other project, as in both design and media I was very quick to choose one idea and stick to it, without thinking how it could develop into something more. I think the reasoning for my more open mindedness in art this time around is down to the element of chance and forced lateral thinking, meaning I have less control over the practical elements such as context and background of work.
exploring and evaluating different material possibilities - It goes without saying that art and media were the two projects that i experimented in the most, as on the analogue day in media I was very keen to try out all of the different cameras and technical equipment, and in art I really wanted to make use of as many materials that were offered to us as possible, such as the batique wax resist printing, and monoprinting plates set up. Even though I only took one of these processes forwards in my work, and even though it was on a small scale (batique printing incorporated into my collage work) I still now have a knowledge of these techniques should I wish to use them in the future.
presenting and/or explaining your ideas to others - My media presentation was my best instance of explaining my work to people, as I had a clearly set out collection of evidence of my progression and journey laid out on my blog, making it easy to understand, discuss and talk about to my peers. I think in design, even though the presentation was a lot less verbal communication and more visual, with information being obtained by observing one and others work laid out on the table, I did a good job of making my work clear and explanatory.
creating a better understanding of the different approaches to practice in each area - I think in all of the projects I bettered my understanding of the different creative practices within the division of art, however could really have benefited from choosing a few in each rotation that related to me and inspire me the most, as now we are nearly at pathway selection, it would have been good to have spoken to some people and tutors about their view of each practice.
developing an understanding of different artists and designers working in a similar area - My research in all of the projects has been pretty limited, and it's only now I'm realising that actually if I want to expand any of what I have done in the projects, I think research would be a really good place to start.
creating more complex or unexpected outcomes - I've definitely managed to create at least one unexpected outcome, or example in design, when I started my self initiated project, I had no idea I would end up with a furniture range! However in media, even though I tried really hard, i couldn't shake off my first idea of a final outcome of the polaroid pictures. However arguably I didn't know that I would end up creating a GIF as my outcome, so the only think I really knew was how I wanted to work with my collection of face and the kind of aesthetic I wanted to achieve in my work. In art however, i full embraced the idea of chance and successfully allowed it to shape my creative process and therefore my outcome. If I were to take my idea further, I think it would be really interesting to try and locate a vintage date stamp or a collection of old ones with dates that reach back further than 2010 (my date stamp), as this would open up a new level of meaning for my project, being able to look into the past and allocate meaning to certain dates with historical values, like dates of war or royal events for example.

Initial mind map responding to my word 'IN' selected by chance

Artist research into chance found artist IOAN NEMTOI

Looking back over the last eight weeks are there patterns emerging in how you manage your project work?

I think actually the patterns only occur because I have tried as much as possible to stick to the guidelines and advice from my tutors in terms of how to go about working, however due to the 3 projects being, for me, a start of self discovery in terms of the way in which I work best, I don't think there are any real similarities in how I have bee working. However, I have found that a combination of sketchbook based work and evaluations online (given enough time) work best for me, however under time constraint I often don't pay enough attention to my evaluations of work.

List some of the artists, designers, photographers and filmmakers that have had the most influence on you in the last eight weeks. What disciplines or areas do they work in? What subjects did they study?

Shanan Camparano - works in printmaking on a large scale, competing large tapestry like rolls of fabric stained with natural water based inks. Graduated from Central St. Martins majoring in Fine Art in 2008.
On Kawara - Known for his visual and conceptual art, taking part in both solo and group exhibitions in his lifetime. Studied in Mexico, attending art school and exploring the country. Kawara's published obituaries state that he was alive for 29,771 days rather than giving dates of birth and death.

Use this week's reflections to identify, or confirm possible future career directions.

I'm not really sure that reflections from this week are going to help me choose a career path in all honesty, but I do know that by process of elimination i am only really cnsidering teh Fine Art, illustration, and Graphics pathways.