There’s a film using a desolate location on the Diversity and Place film festival of Canada website. It’s set at an old mill.

In relation to showing altered states of consciousness, there is a drug scene in Midnight Cowboy.

It was suggested that I make two pieces so that one is about place and one is about the autobiographical story I want to externalise and look at. I wonder if it’s possible to combine two films in one?

There was a swimming pool to the east of the railway station: Brighton Lido that was built in the 1930s and destroyed in the 1970s. Perhaps there is screen archive footage of this. I could overlay sounds of people at the Lido as a way of juxtaposing different entertainment styles in different ages – my film includes a free party scene.

There is a book, Out of Order, showing photographs of free parties.

During a classmate’s crit, Tim stated “you only really use your imagination when you’re confined.” This made me think about the main character’s self conscious episode in the middle of the dancers. Perhaps there’s something about place within a group and what happens when there isn’t enough space.

The link between Sussex Square, adjacent to the railway station, and Lewis Carroll, author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, was pointed out.

It was suggested that if I do get a sound system to the railway station the police might be called. We discussed ways of dealing with this and even calling them myself. Rees stated that if you tell the police you’re filming they are powerless to stop you and less likely to be brutal. Perhaps I could get them on my side before the shoot by talking to them and asking them to be part of it or is this a digression?

St. George’s Island, Manchester

St. George’s Island, Manchester

I took around 11o shots that day and another 80 or so over the following weeks, both deliberately and opportunistically. Obviously there was quite a lot of selecting and editing to be done and although my aim was to deliver my six to ten shots in black & white  I still wanted to experiment with colour to achieve the same aim; This made the task of editing and selecting more of an undertaking. However, I managed to whittle the total down to around 60 usable images; taking out those that either didn’t feel right or were framed inadequately and those that were out of focus or too under/overexposed. I suppose this is where it got interesting as I had the task of eliminating those that were good interesting shots and worthy of being shown but just didn’t fit the brief. So after a few hard choices I was down to around 3o or so black and white images and around a third that amount in colour I was hoping the group crit would offer some insight as to which worked best but also help me decide on a few borderline images.

Group Crit…

I’d planned on taking colour images in addition to my black & white images to the crit, however technology let me down and my printer decided it didn’t like printing in colour, so ended taking three Black and white images to the crit. These three I took because I wasn’t sure whether I felt they were right for the brief in some way and wanted the feedback to help me decide. the three I took are shown below with my thoughts and those of the class…

Although I really like this image, I thought that perhaps the image didn’t really fit with the other images. the isolation I wanted to feel was there but because it was framed and neatly packaged, it didn’t feel as open and barren as the others.

Class thoughts : On the whole this shot was well received, I think like myself they thought it was a good image. After asking whether they felt it fit the brief and the angle I’d decided to take, I was expecting someone to at least offer some objection or criticism, but oddly there were no dissenters. I think it will make the final cut as I like the image, but ultimately it will depend on how it looks with the others.

I submitted this shot because I wasn’t sure if I’d got the framing right and that might need a little cropping. I like the shot but this time I wasn’t sure if I’d got the sense of isolation I was looking for.

Class thoughts: This image was again well received, for which I was glad as it’s one I keep coming back to, I think the composition works and I’m glad the crow seen in the middle foreground stayed for his portrait! No one seemed to spot the deliberate way I’d blunted the view to the right, where the wording on the concrete fence reads…’No Parking. No Park’. A little incidental observation about the lack of public space in the city. Back to the image and my concerns on framing were borne out as a few people found the fragment of sign and the post on the far left of the shot distracting. Some cropping was in order if this was to make it to the final set.

This image was one of the borderline images I’d taken. For me it was too obvious, a little too ‘post apocalyptic’. Although a few friends said they liked it. I just felt it didn’t fit my brief in the right way and wanted to see how the class would feel.

 Class thoughts: Almost immediately the reaction to this image was to separate it from the to the two I was showing. And from that point on the image got ignored, falling into irrelevance. An easy decision to make then in disregarding it from the final images.

Colour or black & white…

So with he crit out of the way it was just left for me to decide whether to go with colour images or black & white, and of course to choose my final six to ten images. I think it’s fair to say at this point; and if you look at the edited images I’ve displayed so far for this assignment, I was always going to go with Black & White. For me I think it suited what I was trying to do in my rationale. I’ve not really got my head around using colour in a way that I can convey a feeling or emotion like I can with a monochrome image. Maybe that’s the way my brain is wired perhaps but I find colour difficult in the same way I find algebra difficult, my brain just wants to switch off…and yet there are amazing images out there that I admire and appreciate that are in colour. I feel I need to play with colour more and experiment, perhaps then I might ‘get it’. So I did select a few colour images that I thought might work for with this brief and here are some of them with a few thoughts…

I’m always fascinated by dark passages, more-so when there’s a view at the end of them. I like the image especially the dark red tinge off the walls and the light bleeding into them from the bright street. However I think the colour distracts from the feeling of isolation and of wanting to stay in that solitary state, almost as though it beckons you into a more colourful world, one filled with people.

I love this image, but it was one of the few indoor shots that I took and didn’t really ‘fit’ with the other images. I have a black & white version and I’m tempted to include it with the final images as a distracting piece but one that emphasises the feeling I get of observing rather than participating.

I love the way this shot looks as though it’s inviting you in, but  to somewhere you wouldn’t want to go. My life has presented a number of similar opportunities and I love this shot as a metaphor for that kind of thing. I like the fact this is in colour but for the purpose of the brief and rationale I feel it works better in black & white.

]]> http://professionalframeworks1warrenfournier.wordpress.com/2012/11/11/assignment-three-street-portraits-part-one/ Sun, 11 Nov 2012 20:42:19 +0000 Warren http://professionalframeworks1warrenfournier.wordpress.com/2012/11/11/assignment-three-street-portraits-part-one/ Brief:

Entitled ‘People, on the Street’, our third assignment involved a more inter-personal approach to our work.

‘The image of a photographer ‘out on the street’ is a persistent icon within the history of photography. This approach to photography is also a right of passage – or at least the notion of interacting with and photographing ‘strangers’

With this statement in mind the brief was as follows:

In response to the briefing and the approaches being taken by other established photographers you are to produce a small series of portraits of a number of different individuals you meet ‘out on the streets’, people are not to be known to you.

Expected Outcome: Five final portraits of five individuals, edited down from at least ten individual portraits.

Out on the street:

Approaching this assignment was somewhat difficult for me as I’m never comfortable having to interact with people I don’t know, especially when I am the one who is making the initial contact. I feel awkward and ill at ease and I think this transfers to the people I interact with, making this  assignment difficult to begin with. Tie this in with my dislike of using people as the main subject in my work and here was a brief I was going to find challenging. I communicated this sentiment to a friend, who looked at me in a somewhat puzzled manner and asked why this would be, considering I’d worked for twenty years or more in customer-facing roles, surely dealing with strangers was something I could handle easily?  Good question and one I couldn’t answer immediately, until I realised those strangers were coming to me rather than me to them, I to a certain extent held the power (of knowledge or help) in those engagements. This assignment would mean me going to them and asking for something from them without giving anything in return other than my gratitude. They were giving and I was literally taking; Not an easy assignment at all then!

So my first attempted street portrait couldn’t have gone worse. I decided that the allotment where my house mate has a plot would be a good place to start, captive audience and all. However the first woman I approached I accidentally offended by informing her it “wouldn’t be a glamour shot, obviously” due to the location. She then proceeded to turn her back on me and refused to pose; A little work on my approach was much needed it seemed!

I did manage to get one portrait that day which turned out well and is a contender for one of my final five images.

Julie, Manchester – Unedited image (Taken 14/10/2012 )

Kath, Manchester – B&W edited image. One of the images that I’m considering for my final five.

Over the next week or so I decided to take my images in my local area, I thought it might be good to try and capture some of the feel of the area and of Trafford/Whalley range in the portraits too. Plus I’d have the benefit of being known (to see) as local and less of a stranger with a camera. It turned out to be a good decision as people were slightly more inclined to stop and at least hear my request. I also decided to take one or two shots in the city centre, one image I took was in town around the gay village, somewhere I frequent rarely these days but as I was meeting friends for coffee I thought an opportunity might present itself, and so it did, though there was more reluctance to stop and hear my request. A man with a camera in an openly gay area still invokes much suspicion even today it seems.  A few other shots were taken at night and has given me pause as whether to include any of them with the final five as I was hoping to have a similar feel to all of them, the night shots would put this idea in jeopardy. I will need to think on this more. Maybe five images with a individual feel would be a better idea.

Here are the selection of edited images that were taken and that I wanted to consider for the group crit…

The three I chose for the crit (below) were because I wanted more feedback about the images before I decided they’d make my final five or not.

Group Crit:

Set out below are the three I chose for the group crit…

Billy, Liverpool – B&W edited image in landscape format

The above image is the original edited image I took in full landscape format. However, while the image was appealing there wasn’t enough focus on the subject to fit the brief as a portrait; I decided to crop the image…

Billy, Liverpool – Final cropped and edited image.

 It was a good decision and reinforced by the good feedback I received in the group crit. One of the things I was concerned with was that my own personal opinion; the one that dictates that people are secondary to the scene and the one that guided my decision to crop in this manner; wouldn’t be appreciated here, especially with this being a portrait. I shouldn’t have been worried as most people seemed to ‘get’ what I was trying to achieve here. Someone even pointed out that it had a vaguely Americana feel about it, which I hadn’t noticed but i guess, rightly does. It was useful to get this kind of feedback and I think I am probably happiest with this image in terms of composition than any of the others I took, it will definitely be in my final five images.

The next was a shot I took in the centre of town, mentioned earlier…

Chris, Hulme – B&W final edited image.

It was the image I was the most uncertain of as it was a straight forward portrait, something as I’ve mentioned previously I’m not at ease with. However the wall, pipes and pavement features, give it enough interest to lift the image; enough for me to consider it as a final image at least. I was half expecting that the group would see this as the most interesting image and while that was true for some it wasn’t for others. I’m glad it split opinion and reflected my own thoughts. I think it’s a good solid image but it doesn’t really say anything other than, ‘here is a handsome man standing in front of an interesting wall’. Good for a profile pic or in a photo album perhaps.

The final image was taken not far from where I live, just up the road in fact. A girl I see a few times a week as I head into college was passing and probably because she recognised me, agreed to have a couple of shots taken…

Gez, Trafford – B&W final edited image

This is my personal favourite of the three images I brought to the crit and the one I was expecting the most criticism for. In actual fact very little was said at first which was a little odd, but eventually one or two people said they liked it or disliked it. mainly because it’s not a typical portrait. Personally, I love the feel of this image because the subject is showing so much of her personality without you seeing her face or expression. The fact she’s facing away from the camera, her hair being blown across her face and the angle I shot it just works for me. This was the second of two shots I took of the subject and the better of the two, it works because I got the angle right looking down the street and there was some nice serendipity in that the wind blew at the just right moment to take the hair across her face. I decided that with the setting and to be consistent across my images, that Black and White would be the best look and feel for this shot and if you compare it with the unedited version below, you’ll see why I think it works this way.

Gez, Trafford – Unedited image

Professional Practice  Yesterday was a really interesting lecture, despite our tutor constantly apologising for boring us – but he wasn’t boring me.  It was an opportunity for us to consider what happens when we graduate, where do we want to be, how are we going to get there.

As a collective we were given three scenarios:

1. further education (MA, PGCE etc)
2. PAYE
3. Self employment

We were then asked to consider what business stationery was absolutely essential to us, and given another scenario: “If asked to do a job tomorrow, what do we need in place?” This prompted a really interesting, quite in-depth discussion about the complexities of this scenario and whether or not we are ready for this next step – I know, personally, that I’m no way near where I need to be for my next adventure.  I need to use the Professional Practice module to provide the tools absolutely necessary – on a simple level this is my marketing plan, my business plan and all that encompasses.  I can honestly say that I didn’t realise how much work this module would entail – how much investigation and research would be necessary, and, MORE IMPORTANTLY, deciding where I WANT TO BE and where I WANT TO GO?  Having maturity on my side makes no difference to such complexities, if anything, they are added to because of my personal circumstances, as I’m not in a position to be exclusively selfish to indulge in what I want to do and behave in a total irresponsible way. (Boo hoo!)

The other profound (and yes, I know that’s a very strong word to use, but it is appropriate) ‘lightbulb moment’ for me was that I must CONSIDER MY VOICE – What is it that I, as a visual artist, want to say?  That’s something I’ve never really considered and it really has got me thinking quite wide about my little piece of eternity, my fifteen minutes and what I can do to highlight things and issues that are important to me.    I immediately am reminded of various artists that have influenced me over the years:  Henri Cartier-Bresson, Rodchenko, Warhol, Mondrian, Maplethorpe, Bailey, Avedon (to name just a few).  How can I possibly know what I want to say, where I want to be, as that changes on a daily basis?!  Maybe this question is more about consistency of style, or presentation, of format?  I know it’s something that will be organic and evolve as it’s quite a daunting prospect, or may be, as always, I’m over analysing and thinking too much!  I’ve also realized that looking into my future opens many cans of worms and perhaps the best way for me to proceed is to draw mind maps, which will then give me a starting point.  Action point here!

We were also asked as a collective what the three main issues in photography were at the moment?  I’m ashamed to say that I don’t know – and this got me thinking as to the reasons why I don’t know: is it because I choose not to, that I’m wandering around in my personal creative bubble, all warm, cosy and protected:  is it that I’m not looking in the right places or is it that, perhaps, I’m not fully engaging with where I need to be or where I see myself going?  But then, on the other hand, as I don’t really know where I’m going, how can I know where to look?  It’s a little like the chicken and egg scenario.  Hmm!

Definitely a case of watch this space!

I though it appropriate to place this experimental piece I’ve recently created as it does sum up the confusion and visual distortion that I have with regards to my own professional practice presently.  Hope you like it!

Minor Project  I’m so thrilled that, finally, I’ve learnt to use my complex light meter and am getting results – I didn’t think I was doing anything differently, but I must have done.  Although I can’t quite be sure because I’ve been using a variety of second hand cameras, equipment, film, processing chemicals – so any one of those things could have affected the outcome; even temperature (as when I process at home I’m using different chemicals to Uni and don’t have a thermometer.)  Another thing to add to my purchase list!

As you know, my Minor Project is on The Decisive Moment, and I took the opportunity this weekend to go out shooting at AllenBank in Cumbria, (and yes, if you do follow the link I did go across that wobbly bridge!) with the intention of  trying some long exposure photographs.  Shooting with a Mamiya C330 TTL 85mm lens and FP5 plus 400iso B&W film,  at F32 I was amazed that I needed an 8 second exposure in the middle of the day – this is something I would never have guessed.  I thoroughly enjoyed using the medium format camera and it’s something I’m going to continue using, particularly as the direction of this project has changed a little.

A couple of examples: (120 negative scans @ 300dpi)

Based on the Group Crit it was suggested I research a couple of different photographers, just because of the way my images made my tutors and fellow students feel: voyeuristic was one of the descriptives used.  So I’ve looked once more at Rodchenko, different angles, perspectives, view points and may do more shooting over the coming days.  Other photographers I’ve been recommended are Paul Graham, George Roger and Robert Cappa.  So, it’s off to the libary once more to add to my visual research.

Dissertation  I’m still really struggling with this and I know that I’m just going to have to face my fears and get on with it. I’ve not progressed any further in writing, but in my mind have – although I suppose one good thing is that I’m looking forward to meeting with my Dissertation Supervisor a little later to have a chat about my second chapter and get this started.  I have this amazing resource available to me, which is engaging and encouraging and for whatever reason my personal engagement is not there.  This has to be my number one priority and I must ensure that the next time I update my Dissertation page there is something more to write other than ‘I haven’t progressed or done anything more!’  I do know, however, I’m not alone – this is something quite common for us creatives – we’re ok with the image making but the academic side can be lacking.

So it was my intention to post this prior to my tutorial, but technology and permissions on the Uni IT system didn’t allow my adding images, so I had to wait.  My tutorial went very well – basically, I’m over complicating things, trying to do too much and that is causing my panic!  All I need to do is COME UP WITH A TITLE (key really that one!) and synthesize the vast research I’ve undertaken and as I go through that process write lists of where things will fit, 1) Introduction 2) Chapter 1 3) Chapter 3 and 4) Conclusion.  I also need to get my referencing correct.  Easy peasy, yeah right!  But, it has helped me enormously that I need to simplify things even more and try to achieve just the right amount of detail; only putting figures and illustrations in where they will ADD to my debate and argument.  So thank you, SEH

Final Degree Show WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT (and yes, it’s in capitals because as an individual and for our collective that’s how I feel).    As a collective, we were hoping to book Shop14 for our final degree show at Free Range, London for the dates we wanted, so we need to decide what to do.  Our options are to pick a new venue, which may involve sharing with another University, keep the same venue, bringing forward our planned Show by one week and duplicate all our work and have two shows running side by side in Hartlepool and London, or finish the Hartlepool exhibition early, which may also cause problems for those of us that wish the BIPP to assess our work for Licentiate Award. And, what about those who are not able to go to London and still have their work in a half-exhibition?   Hmmm, decisions, decisions!  Not going to be an easy one this, and it will be one full of compromise, trying to come up with the most  appropriate and suitable outcome for us as a collective.

That’s it for now – over and out!

Don’t forget to take a look around this blog as I’m updating as I go along.

Catherine

© Catherine Ball 2012 – All Rights Reserved

Last Thursday (18th October) we had a Group Crit, where we introduced our concepts, our work to date to fellow students and our Tutors.  I can’t emphasise enough how important these creative brainstorming sessions are – I always come away uplifted, enthused, keen to try new things and with, often, too many ideas floating around my head.  I engage with negative and positive feedback which I will agree with or challenge – the worst thing that can happen to any creative is for there to be NO reaction from anyone.

What was really interesting is that my fusion of film with digital processing was the preferred outcome based on presenting identical pictures with different processing styles and simulated grain, and different resolutions for scanning.  My desired aesthetic is to emulate the 1940s print, small, tonal, textured, grainy. (comparative examples will be shown soon once I’ve finished pulling everything together).

Here’s an example of a TEST shot taken on an Agfa Ambi Silette 1958 rangefinder with 50mm fixed lens, Ilford FP4 plus 125 film, and then scanned into Photoshop CS5, processed by adding slight contrast and reducing brightness and then adding simulated grain:  it has a timeless quality about it.

And here’s an example of a mobile phone TEST shot (Samsung Galaxy SII) processed the identical way in Photoshop CS5.

So, what happens now is pulling everything together, getting my sketchbook in some sort of order, editing all the film and digital photos down to a cohesive set for final submission, then it’s a case of working through the aesthetic and getting final prints sorted.  All of this to be achieved by 12th November, which isn’t very long away.

Don’t forget to check out all the other pages on this blog as they are updated regularly.  I also have a personal blog, and Facebook page if you fancy following my non-academic work.  Over at http://bouncyballyblog.com  and http://facebook.com/catherineballphotography

Until next time,

Catherine

© Catherine Ball – All Rights Reserved

]]> http://ooliatr.wordpress.com/2012/10/16/group-crit-preparation-my-ideas/ Tue, 16 Oct 2012 18:20:00 +0000 Julia Fry http://ooliatr.wordpress.com/2012/10/16/group-crit-preparation-my-ideas/ 1. Me playing my different personas, particularly the hidden ones, possibly using green screen so I can interact with myself.

2. A group of people I know playing my different personas.

3. My depiction of a real traumatic event that occurred in my childhood, either as the whole film or as a flashback in one of the others.

4. Using a short story I wrote last year: about a girl who visits a dreamland and part of her finger is chopped off; a way of exploring metaphorically.

5. Pick a day, borrow a camera and sound equipment, go shooting and recording random things, and use chance and serendipity to guide me. Could take cards with my persona details printed on them and ask random members of the public to perform actions associated with a persona.

Feedback received: get a camera and shoot some test material, possibly ask someone else to do the camera work.

My initial thoughts on this task were one of trepidation, colour is not something I’m comfortable working with and as often or not the first thing I will do when reviewing my work is to see what the shot looks like in black & white. Perhaps that’s just the way my brain works but I think a monochrome setting just seems far more evocative than one in colour. When working in colour I tend to want to either leech the intensity of colour out or stretch it until its starts looking hyper-real. The latter maybe having something to do with my other passion, video gaming and perhaps that’s something that I need to explore more…food for thought  perhaps!<

…Back to the assignment and my colour swatch…

Harvest fruits 1 – Pumpkin anyone?

As it turned out my swatch was somewhat typical of autumn colouring and I immediately saw an easy option, which I almost as quickly rejected. I decided an afternoon in around an urban or at least built up area was needed to help avoid the obvious autumn foliage option, though as it turned out that couldn’t be avoided entirely. An afternoon in Salford Quays and around the BBC Media Centre was the eventual destination and it worked out reasonably well, as I found two of the five images I wanted to use in the group review.

…However the prints didn’t come out well and I had to abandon them. It was a pity, as I was happy enough with images and they fitted the brief pretty well and considering I’d gone to some effort to choose subjects which had some historical or cultural meaning. I ended up showing just two of the four I’d selected for the group crit, Urban & Communicate (see below)

a) keyword – Light

a) Light  Somewhat an allegory for my current situation, that although I was entering my middle years with the sun metaphorically lower in the sky, I was embarking on a path that offered something empowering and life-changing…that of education. I was finally doing something I’d always wanted to. My world and the world immediately around me is still very much alive, bright and vibrant.

b) Keyword – Texture

b) Texture Taken as I was peering though long ripe grass. I liked the sense of movement and texture the blades and seeds gave as the wind blew through them and thought it might make a suitable shot. However, as I was looking through, I thought I could almost make out what looked like a sentry post and barbed wire…although this just turned out to be a telegraph pole and wires. But the suggestion was enough to make me think about the historical connection between Manchester’s rag trade and the cotton industry in America…and the slaves and workers that suffered to enable the success of that very trade. The Ship Canal that brought the cotton to Manchester was not very far from where this shot was taken.

The two remaining  shots that were used in the review were taken on a further two separate days.

c) Keywords – Urban / Form

c) Urban / Form  The second was of a riverside office block, which very much reminded me of one of my favourite artists, Edward Hopper…although there in no obvious man vs nature tension found in his earlier paintings here, other than the river just seen on the lower half of the shot. I think maybe the colour palette, the blunted view and darkened windows are maybe what makes me think of Hopper’s city scenes here.

d) Keyword – Communicate

d) Communicate  My last shot for this assignment showed an interior scene from one of my favourite cafés in Manchester. This one section at the rear of the café, always evokes a memory of my childhood home with the same yellow & black lino-tiled kitchen floor…Not quite as grimy I might add. My ma would definitely not thank me for saying otherwise!

The group review was also useful as this time we were paired up and asked to review another pairs work. It’s still proving quite difficult to be critical of someone else’s work and not feel as though you’re doing them a disservice; My class partner, Joseph agreed with me on this point. From a personal point of view I also find it difficult talking about my own work. I’m not comfortable at speaking in front of other people at the best of times, so talking about my work is painful at best. I feel as though I am showing off…not something I do myself or admire in others. Modesty and humbleness is something I do admire but seemingly at odds with these class critiques. I guess it’s something I need to get used to.

On reflection, it was a good assignment for me as it made me think more about colour and how it can not only be just aesthetically pleasing but how using colour can have an implication in the final image and ultimately how it’s viewed. Very useful if you’re telling a story or want a subtle visual cue. I feel less uneasy about using colour and has made me think more about what I might want to say in future work and how colour might help me say it.

The feedback from my work

Improve the quality of the sound = less noise and sound environment.

The sound feel isolate.

How about underwater sound when diver take a breath through the regulator?

When we take a shower and our ear got block with water and the breathing sound feel different.

Put more different level of reaction.

The connection and context from doing this work.

Some feel pain and a lot of emotion from this sound experiment.

Make some visual synchronize

• visual relate to video
• more effective

Pre-birth sound like in the mother womb.

Breathing in language

• complex thing
• Alphabet
• unconscious language

Express emotion and subconscious effort

Breath and  Habit

Record patient in the hospital

• last breath that going to die

Space and channel of the sound

• position

Yoga session

• form of control

Artist work :  Andy Warhol  - 24 frame   =  slowdown process of breathing

From all this feedback, it was a lot of list, some encourage me want to explore more. However, I have to concern more in term of visual, which direction or what kind of visual it going to be, such as abstract or realistic and so on. Lastly, I want to say thank you to all the colleagues including online students and two kindly teachers.

She also suggested that I try out the Hasselblad with different lenses, such as a portrait lens.

We then talked about whether or not the background behind the portrait subjects is important or not and decided that it created a visual connection between the animal and the environment. I need to keep in mind what the background says about the person in the picture.

Artists to Look At:
Gillian Wearing

From Signs that Say What You Want Them To Say and Not Signs that Say What Someone Else Wants You To Say, “I’m desperate” 1992-1993

Lorna Simpson

Untitled (melancholy dame/carmen jones), 2001

Duane Michals

This Photograph is My Proof, 1974

So thats it.

From this, I plan to follow all the advice I can. I’m going to take more images, but record the conversation I’m having. So after I can take a snippet of the conversation, and have a quote next to each image, giving more of an insight into the dialogue. I plan to have 2 more shoots of 2 more guys so the final set can include 4 people rather than myself; then I will have 2 photos of us each. Then my favourite image I will print in A3 and hand that in as an artefact.

I decided not to use display boards for my samples this time.  As I had based my design on a pinecone, it seemed a good idea to use a fir tree (aka xmas tree) to hang the samples on.  I was working on the assumption that we are aiming to present our product in show or similar.

I was happy with it.  Tutor seemed a little bemused but agreed that it was a good idea.  I was a bit rushed this project so it suited me – it was much quicker to do this than attach samples onto boards and do all the artwork.    Tutor thought samples were fairly good – some more than others.  Reminded me that double cloth should be pleasing to look at from both sides.  As I had used double weave in some samples as ‘structural’, the back of some samples weren’t very interesting.  My mood board worked well.  I had used paintshop pro to design a background (blurred a photo of autumn leaves) and overlaid it with other photos suggesting autumn, crisp, outdoorsy.  I got it printed at Staples onto A2.  Not cheap but I was in a rush for this project.  I could well do this again for my final show (apparantly I can use Bradford College print facilities if I get my act together).  It’s a bit expensive to do it for every project.  I also need to ensure that if I am designing Mens scarfs, that all my samples are for men.  Some of mine were a bit feminine.  Everyone liked this sample best. - the most feminine.  As most of the students are female, perhaps that is predictable.

The tutor liked this one – and this is the one that nearly didn’t make it to the final cut – only selected because my husband liked it.  I find after a bit of weaving, tiredness creeps in and I feel the urge to do a really wacky mad sample.  Like  a personal joke.  It’s amazing how often these samples are picked out by other people as good ones. 

The funny thing about the process of producing samples, presenting your work (visually and verbally) and getting feedback  is… by the time you are at the presenting stage, you have mentally moved onto the next project.  Or I have.  My brain works faster than the time I have.   I’m sure I’m not alone.

The next project is on recycling.   I suppose it should have a new heading.  Or should I talk about Ireland next. 

Hmmmm   I’ll sleep on it.