Yesterday i visited the local farm and started collecting the feathers that i will need to produce the piece that i have decided on. When i arrived home i proceeded to attach tailor pins to the shaft of the feather to create my feather darts, i will need plenty more so a few more trips will be needed.

last screen...

now just need to paint the edges in black and add the hinges..looking forward to seeing them fully finished.

2nd screen..

happy with this one :-)

one down...

...two to go :-)

experiments with burning...

love the effect of this,especially in contrast to the wall...the space around the canvas now becomes part of it...

maybe i should do this to my larger screens?representation of loss of memories over time??

Screen update

Hiya girls, how are you doing?thought i would ask to see how the work for the show is coming along and put up some recent pictures of my childhood/landscape screens.
I have managed to paint quite a few layers now as you can see.
I have the background (blue and hazy to represent looking back/time)
layered childhood pictures(to create texture and representation of forgotten memories,family members)
,scrunched up pictures(same as the other pictures but these ones are clearer) and also the background to my memories(the main images as in: the catherdral,tree and the storm)as this will be the main landscape of my childhood.

Hope this isnt too confusing...im pleased with how its going so far...any thoughts/comments or suggestions would be much appreciated. Im looking forward to seeing them finially finished and the hinges added. :-)

Tate Visit Part 2

The second exhibition we saw was the Miro and although I didnt enjoy this show as much as Orozco (there is only so much surrealist i can look at,unless its Dali!) a few pieces stood out for me:

Still Life with Old Shoe 24th Jan-29 May 1937, a gorgeous oil painting as its so vibrant-quite 70's psycedelic as it literally pops out at the audience. The brushwork in this painting is very fluid and smooth too.

Alot of Miros work at the Tate has very surreal,strange and simplistic characters in them which reminded me of children drawings,and although its not my cup of tea i did enjoy looking at: Women Encircled by the Flight of a Bird 1941
as i like the way Miro has composed this painting. His use of colours and shapes translate into a work which is aesthetically pleasing to view and creates a story for the audience.

Self Portrait 1937-8-23 appears to be another simple,almost graffiti like work but on closer inspection reveals a detailed image of the artist face. He used a magnified shaving mirror and focussed on the shapes and lines of his face.
This combined with the simple protrait on top makes me think of a person who appears one way on the surface, yet is quite complex and complicated underneath.

Burnt Canvas 1973 is part of a series of work where the artist wanted to paint "fire with fire". Its a dramatic section of work, helped by how the work has been displayed as there are a few which hang over the audience.
The scorched holes are quite an alien intrusion as its not something you normally see in a gallery, yet i felt it was an positive effect on the works as they appear to be more sculptures or installations than paintings as you can see the gallery space behind them,as well as the frame for the canvases.These gave an interaction with the space that "regular" paintings dont.

Tate Visit

Thought i would blog about Becky and I going to the Tate as it might inspire us,if not for the group project then maybe others.

I enjoyed the Orozco exhibition, especially as he has experimented with so many ranges of materials and forms.
As well as the skull,there were drawings,paintings,installations,a car, a lift, tyres, obituries and many more!

My favorite amongst a few were the Solar Graphite 2006 (the drawing posted above) as i respect Orozcos skill with the graphite. In some parts of the piece it seems to jump out of you as its very realistic with the tones and shading.
Though Orozco has a broad range of skills in his practises, I appreciate the talent in this piece.

He also has a series of small paintings called " Paris ", a collection of small pieces of paper with paint. He then folds the paper and reveals the results.
Though a simple idea (-and on reflection quite child-like, do you remember doing these in school?), the results were startling. Becky commented that they remind her of inkblots which i agree with, it was interesting to see what forms we could see in these pictures-especially as sometimes they were very different.

Another reason why i enjoyed his work is because some of his work is very tongue-in-cheek and I enjoyed his humour which is evident, such as the toliet rolls on a fan affixed to the ceiling. Julia and i had a good giggle at his photograph: Cats and Watermelons, 1992.

Update on my childhood screens...

I have finished constructing the screens today-woohoo!!The next step is to paint them.I am concerned with the size of them and whether they will fit in our exhibition space. I think it would be a good idea for me to create an alernative-just in case?
After I have completed the screens i will be adding the hinges and hopefully they will be able to fold away which will be a big help!

Pictures of the gallery space...

Its hard to imagine 30 groups of work in this space but that maybe because of the exhibition that is there.Maybe once all the tables are cleared out?

Any thoughts?

Hopscotch origins...

I realised I dont know where Hopscotch comes from so i had a quick look online and was surprised to find out:

Hopscotch was brought to Britain by the Romans, who used it as a military training exercise.

The courses were one hundred feet long, and the soldiers ran them in full battle gear to improve their footwork.

Children copied the soldiers by scratching out small courses of their own and creating rules and a scoring system.

The scotch in hopscotch refers to the markings scored onto the ground.

As in butterscotch toffee, scotch means scored or noticed into squares.

http://www.bigsiteofamazingfacts.com/who-invented-hopscotch-where-did-the-game-get-its-name-and-where-did-hopscotch-come-from

so the "landscape of my life" frame

is nearly finished, its quite large so I am trying to ensure that the screens are able to fold as much as possible so that it doesnt take up too much space. I have also made a smaller frame,just one though-plus i have the calico material so if we decide its too big i could always make something else on a smaller scale.
Anyway,i will keep you guys posted-fingers crossed i will have it completed pretty soon.

adding to an earlier post about the liquid clay experiments..

heres the photos on the sculpture i made,though the finished result has nothing to do with this project..its an interesting material due to how fragile it is.
we could use this process with baby clothes/accessories though-also,it would be funny to have a picture of us next to them to show a "then-and-now" section.
still think its strange that i ever used to fit in a baby grow!!

thoughts on my presentation...

I am disappointed that i could not look up and try to involve the audience to what i was saying, and that i just read to them..with alot of stumbling.
I must practise what I am saying first until i have near enough learnt what i am going to say,also i feel i rush through what i have to say as my nerves are so bad i just want to blurt it out and run away.
someone has suggesting to listen to confidence tapes with public speaking as it may help...any tips or advice would be great guys.i dont want to suck all the way through my degree :-(
on the positive side at least i didnt vomit whilst i was up there!

Edited version of original draft

Hi my name is Rebecca Randall, as a part of my personal research and of questioning of others the most common subjects were that of sunny holidays and toy crazes. I have decided to go down the Holiday route as I feel this will reach a wider audience.  As such I went down to Cornwall and took many snaps of the beach and the surrounding.  As I believe holiday pictures are deemed socially and artistically as aesthetically pleasing and additionally will be fitting with our aim in recreating the happy childhood memories we perceive we had as a child within our exhibition. Like Sarah and Hatty, I wanted to give a personal direction to the project, so I will be using in addition to the Cornwall photos snaps of my own childhood holidays. As when I recollect being a child, searching for wildlife through the rock pools, collecting shells, and making sand castles with my brother are vivid memories for me. I want to approach my project on the basis of it been light and a reflection of the happy memories we hold as though looking at through rose tinted glasses. One of the reasons for this positive outlook on childhood memories is because my solo project is on dark dreams.  So for me personally this is a balancing piece, a less heavy light hearted piece.

For the exhibition, I am still in the experimental stage on what I will present in the exhibition. I know I want to produce and installation piece however I am torn between a textile piece or a sculptural installation.  I have been inspired by an artist called Anita Pullan, who has used memories as the basis of her piece. She had used objects that she has personal attachment to her memories that she wants to visualize. She places them in slip-cast and press mould in porcelain and bone china. She then adds gold lustre to them therefore giving them economic value as a visual representation of their value in her memory of them. I love this concept and I would want to take this technique on and use the slip cast on such things as towels, bathing suits and picnics. As well as this I have been experimenting with casting moulds of sea shells and buckets. I have been experimenting already with Sarah in our Sculpture and Installation module with the cast moulds and slip casts using fabrics such as lace, calico and wool and I have been enjoying it immensely. However I am also drawn to producing a textile piece being a textile artist, especially when I found the artist Carole Kirk. She produces rudimentary childlike drawing, mono prints and sewing’s collected together in book form. This reminds me of both of children’s photo albums a mum would make. I have begun to experiment with my photos after being inspired by the photo album element of her work. I used editing software such as photoshop, were I manipulated and experimented on them seeing what effect and outcomes I can produce. These are a few of what I have produced so far.  I will continually experiment with both and till I feel drawn to a path to one or both but always ensuring that it will both compliment my fellow group members and satisfy what I want to portray in accordance to childhood memories.

finalised draft

"I'd give all wealth that years have piled,
The slow result of Lifes decay
To be once more a little child
For one bright summer day "

Lewis Carroll- "Solitude"

My name is Sarah Mansour and our theme for this project is "Childhood". We chose this as it was a word that came up in a mind mapping session that sparked off many enthusiatic conversations and inspiring ideas -especially as there are a multitude of artforms and material the representation of childhood can take.

As childhood is unique to the individual, in particular our memories, we thought exhibiting multiple piece or pieces from each of us, rather that one collaborative idea would mean we would be more likely to connect with our intended audience. and hopefully they can take comething away from the experience.

Personally, I feel childhood is a fickle time as children yearn to be a "grown-up",to be listened to and free to live the life the way we want to,rather than what our parents want. Yet looking back when your older we fondly remember a time without responsibilities and pressure,skinned knees,adventure, endless summers and the only worries about the future is what mum is putting on for tea.

Our group project also fits in with my other practice: my solo project which is a screen,inspired by the great Hokusai, which depicts images and memories from my own childhood in Munster.
Whether we include this in our show or not, we are looking forward to showing a positive collaboration in the exhibition.
Our ideas for the exhibition include: hopscotch either hand drawn and taped with masking tape, an interactive board with post-it-notes, hand made toys and recollections of childhood holidays.

Next up is Becky who will be talking about her direction on the project. Thank you.

A very very rough Draft of my section of the presentation

Hi my name is Rebecca Randall, as a part of our research we all went away to and perform our own research on what childhood meant to the general population. What came to mind, what reminded them of childhood, was it an object/toy, moment or a concept. For me and fellow friends and peers it was toy crazes or holidays. I have decided to go down the Holiday route as I feel this will reach a wider audience. As such I went down to Cornwall and took many snaps of the beach and the surrounding. As well as this, I have also delved into my own childhood holiday snaps. Like Sarah and Hatty I wanted to give a personal direction to the project, so for me I have used the memory of being on a holiday on an English Beach. Searching for wildlife through the rock pools, collecting shells, and making sand castles with my brother are vivid memories for me. I want to approach my project on the basis of it been light and a reflection of the happy memories we hold as though looking at through rose tinted glasses. One of the reasons for this positive outlook on childhood memories is because my solo project is on dark dreams.  So for me personally this is a balancing piece, a less heavy light hearted piece.

For the exhibition, I am still in the experimental stage on what I will present in the exhibition. I know I want to produce and installation piece however I am torn between a textile piece or a sculptural installation.  I have been inspired by an artist called Anita Pullan, who has used memories as the basis of her piece. She had used objects that she has personal attachment to her memories that she wants to visualize. She places them in slip-cast and press mould in porcelain and bone china. She then adds gold lustre to them therefore giving them economic value as a visual representation of their value in her memory of them. I love this concept

However I am also drawn to the textile artist Carole Kirk where her rudimentary drawing in book formed remind me of a collaboration between childish drawing with the photo album look. I will continually experiment with both and till I feel drawn to a path that will both compliment my fellow group members and satisfy what I want to portray as well.

Please help me with this draft and hoping rob will look through it but who knows.

Also I feel we should meet as I feel we all are saying similar things so we may need to edit our pieces so that there is an intro dictating how the idea came about and our research method and then go into  the indivdual paths we wish to take the projects, what do you think??

Joys of Photoshop

Hey, I decieded to play around with photoshop  to see if I can create anything worthwhile through editing and altering of my cornwall photos. I dont really know if I like it at the moment any commenst good or bad would be fantastic if you could thank you!!

These are just experiments really, seeing what I can do to the photos and possible could lead somewhere or not.

Sarah's and our experiment with slip cast

Sarah and I experimented with clay slip and fabrics. We made a solution of water and clay to a consistencey or thick soup. We then proceeded to dip the pieces of lace, wool, and assorted fabrics into. We had to dip each piece numerous times to ensure the clay covered it.

 
We then hung up on lines via pegs to let the majority of it dry.
It was then fired, to which the fabrics burnt off and leave the casing of clay that covered it in its shape.

 The above was a piece of calico, I love how it looks like fabrics due to its creases and texture it gives but has the hardness of ceramics.

The clay slip allowed us to produce shapes in the fabrics like the above was a pleat in a piece of lace

 The above was wool and below was a section of a scarf. I really love how the clay slip picks up the detail of both, keeping the essence of the orginal object through its texture and look

 However theese pieces we produced were very fragile partuculcularly the lace. We were advised that next time put it on a higher kiln setting to which it will hopefully make the pieces harder and more solid and also make the pieces look opaque (glass like). So we have produced others and time will tell if it fixes the fragility problem



I remember seeing these images of the northern Cypriot flags in the mountains as a child,just seeing this image opens up so many memories from as young an age as 5.Have you ever experienced that flash back you get from when you smell a smell that is so familiar. Myself and my sisters have them regularly and its never just one particular smell there are many a lemon based alcohol rub is one of them. Cyprus has many ancient buildings and as a child i viewed many of them, as a child i was fascinated by Cyprus and still am as an adult.