First Week Back

The third year has started and it seems like it will be a snowball tumbling down a mountain. This year is going to come and go quickly.
Currently I am preparing to display my work at the Ruby Lounge in Manchester as part of an event named "Munkispanner: Xpose Yourself (XY Event)'s 1st Birthday".
I will be displaying four canvas's as part of their multimedia event night. Whilst there I intend to talk to the art curator about hosting an event at the Antwerp Mansion for the CT: Creative Transit group where I already have various other issues to sort out such as music. This however, is all work in progress.
Whilst doing this I am researching for my dissertation based on Russian art in the 1920-1940's focusing on propaganda through posters, animation and motion picture.
At some point very soon I will be editing a new reel of photographs in a similar style to the work I created for the CT event, Chinese Whispers a month prior to this. My aim to develop new images through new material and move the work onto a new level, with some initial ideas already forming.

2nd Year

After discussing ideas based on the key word SHELTER myself and my group created a video piece. Whilst were generating ideas and creating the video, I myself began upon a solo project.

Group Project (Masks):

Myself and my group designed a video piece based upon how human beings hide their true feelings behind fake facial expressions. We represented this in the form of a masked character on a stereotypical day to day routine and how his facial expressions (represented by a mask) were the opposite of his physical actions expressed by the movement of the body.

Review of "Mask" video:

The original idea and first few minutes of the video represented what the group aim and themes were for. However I felt that in the rest of the video, the storyboard was slightly dismissed resulting in both the mask and physical movements complimenting each other, rather than contrasting each other, thereby negating the point of the film

Solo Project (Sleep):

My personal project looked in to the opposite of shelter with a theme of vulnerability. I began to take photographs of a sleeping subject to present my theme of vulnerability. The sleeping subject when shown through photographs is no longer safe and secure in their solitary environment but at the mercy of whom ever views the images. I presented these images onto a bed sheet draped over a bed frame.

Review of "Sleep" project:
After displaying my ideas for the sleep project, I met some criticism, though it was constructive and helped me to think a little bit more about how i display work rather than just the work itself. Issues I met were based on the consistency of the project. I had not used the same bed sheets or bed as seen in the images to the display, this was commented on for having lack of consistency which i noted and agreed with. The difference in the display and the images raised questions as to if there were specific meanings behind this inconsistency, which there were not. So as to avoid these question and issues I noted to make sure I think further about the display.

Solo Project (Site):

The I-Arts group were briefed with developing a piece of worked based upon a site chosen by us. The work had to relate to the site were displaying it on. I chose a damaged looking patch of earth behind foliage outside the main entrance to the building of my I-Arts group. I developed a piece using mainly found materials to create a "dog basket" like piece intended for the homeless. The thought ands ideas came from my observations of the public to those that were homeless. I focused on how they were ignored and how little people would give or do to help them and based my piece around this. The location was chosen upon how i was allowed to display my piece due it being considered a project rather than something of actual use for those that were without shelter. The found and cheap materials were based upon the idea of how little people are willing to give. The form of the piece was meant to represent a human like dog basket, a representation of how much love and money someone would give to a dog, but not to that of a human being.

Review of "Site" project:

Overall i think when discussed the project delivered the purpose and intentions I had, though i think the idea could have been developed and is an idea i remain thinking about, though I currently am not working with these ideas. Given more time i believe i could have developed the piece in terms of themes and ideas and its visual aspects, however the brief was given with a limited time constraint.

Group Project (Masks):

The group came up with a second idea of a narrative using the masked character from the first video to created another video based on human emotion and shelter. This video consisted of two masked characters interacting in a conversation, using masks and sound effects, as opposed to physical actions to contrast each other, there by emphasising the contrast between the emotions one shows and hides.

Review of "Mask" video:

On this second attempt at a video piece based on shelter, i felt the themes of the video were a lot more abstract for the audience who would watch the video. However I do not believe it detracted away from the point and intentions of the group aim. Though more abstract than our previous video, the piece was a lot more consistent and I felt there were less anomalies in the narrative and the visual aspects of the work.

Solo Project (Sleep):

After displaying photographs of a sleeping subject I moved on to creating a film of my sleeping subject. This is currently one of the ideas i am working on and with. Besides this I am currently attempting to develop new ideas whilst experimenting with skills in video editing. after reviewing my film of my sleeping subject i became interested in experimenting and working with the idea of "things being out of my control". I had no control of the movements of the sleeping subject and so attempted to document and work with other things that would react with out my control such as light and water. I began to focus on how to manipulate this substances and still gain a result not completely formulated by me and how I can use that to my advantage in further developing my ideas and work. Currently, besides working with materials and subject matter that I have little or no real control over, I have experimenting with video editing. With the abilities and skills growing in video editing, I find myself regain control of my original experiments. I am continuing to experiment in this way, both utilizing substance and my sleeping subject.

Starting Back

So I was given the theme of Shelter as my next project and with some confusion about how this should be handled, is it a group project or a solo project but working with other people for ideas? Naturally myself and fellow Shelter Group thinkers have gone for both, why not? Two projects are better than one (unless there both quite poor... Oh well).
the first, my group project:

Working with the idea of "shelter" we are creating a video piece (by we, I mean myself, Pete and Andrea, 2 year students) that will follow around the "everyday man/ woman" on there general journey from home to work/ uni/ the soul sucking corporations that demands there lives in exchange for £ or a degree (I'm not complaining, evil makes the world go round... I mean money, money, that's right) and this "protagonist" picking up and placing masks upon there face in the various situations they come into as an expression of shelter, the mask being the shelter hiding the true feelings of the individual, something we all do in order to get along with each other in life. The mask idea comes from hiding the true feeling one may have about a person or situation that they encounter, such as the fake laugh at a terrible joke, or the cracked smile to someone you don't particularly like or hiding back lust and awe through a terrible joke and back to the fake laugh and so on. Currently, we have been taking location shots, developing our "Story Board" and creating the mask, filming starts soon.....

My self project is going to combine an idea I did for my re-sit which was the position of people sleeping with shelter, the shelter of ones room protects them from the hardship out side and there vulnerability, though I believe humans are always vulnerable and hide themselves in their clothes to protect there "modesty" and to avoid feeling vulnerable (working with themes from the mask/ video project there) also, sleep shelters the conscious mind and stops the subconscious taking over when over tired and thus helps the mind to work out complicated issues of daily life, so science and psychology leads us to believe, I'm still working on this idea, but I am hoping to find a define link soon and will shortly begin taking photographs and playing with these images in order to see where these ideas go.

New Uni Year

So after a not so fantastic resist project, I was still given a second chance that I intend not to screw up. So kudos to me for surviving that.
1st project was over the summer and was based on an item of clothing one can wear that represented the difference between my own life and another cultures (assuming I'd been on holiday, which I had) although I think myself and many other students kind of ignored the "comparing the differences" part of the task but it was interesting to see what everyone had come up with anyway. Myself had made a masquerade mask out of an artifact I had bought while in a quaint little artisan town, wall to wall privately owned art shops and unusual cafes, beautiful place, "something something du poppe". The mask, as I said before was based on a masquerade mask which there is some dispute over the origins of this style, some say it was Italian then developed by French and other say the opposite, either way it has some heritage in French history so I worked with what I had, I simply painted the conjoined-face mask in the standard English and French flag colours with a mix between the two designs and used a red flower/ fire looking motif around the edges to represent how I almost set the mask and the room I was in on fire by stupidly leaving it on a lamp to support a clock radio in obtaining a better frequency. The project went well, as far as I could tell.

August

So I'm working on the ideas of structure and sleep, using artists such as Picasso and Matisse for inspiration due there use of the colour blue which I myself relate to depression, poor sleep/ insomnia (so enhanced movement) and dreams which I believe effect the position of the person dreaming and the positions they pull whilst sleeping. I am going to show the unusual positions pulled by sleeping peoples, but not as if they were lying down, but as if they were stood up, as i believe (from experience) that most people are probably standing upright in their dreams. but of course the movements and positions they form are when lying down. I have further developed this idea, or the visual aspect of the idea at least, into a more abstract form, making the images less pictorial, based on the ideas of cubism and Matisse's blue period.
On the side I have a summer project of a piece of clothing that depicts differences between my own culture and another, I have a few ideas but nothing set in stone just yet.

End and Re-start

As I thought, a not so great end to my first year. Struggling through a few things and the main one being my mental block of ideas and the ability to construct and generate anything specific or decent from them. So I am having to try again once more in a shorter amount of time in order to push on to the next year and am hoping that this time i shall pull it off, as a few things have come out of the crisis point that is my, currently, very possible failure. But as I said, hopefully this wont be the case if I can get my act in gear properly and stay focused.
One project given to me was scale and although it was limited time and I think i could have produced a better sculpture (personally I think a much better sculpture) it got a cross the point of the project. I'm now moving on to looking at the physical positions created whilst one sleeps and recreating these unusual poses in a small sculptural form. Not to go into to much detail about that yet until I've got myself completely fixed on the point and purpose which I feel, as long as I don't over complicate, should come out quite effectively.

Back To The Drawing Board

So, once again, my presentation (along with my work) did'nt really cut it, it's been a hectic year or rather a hectic end to the year so I'm having to start again. Which is good I guess, because I would like to move on to the next year, so.... What to do now?
Well we've had to start a month-long project with support tutor Nick, who has been quite helpfull to me already and this is going to be one of the two projects I must re-submit to carry on to next year.
So the first is about scale, we had to take photographs of things that interested us (us in the grand term of, my class) in and about Manchester. I was interested in the not so beautiful and flashy back-alley's as opposed to the "beautiful" displays in the shop windows of the popular kids-choice of corporate monsters- not that I'm that a hippy, I just grow weary of hearing about how excellent Primark is. These dark back-alley's have a sort of quiet-melancholy but also calming and peaceful aura about it, I found it calming. An industrial paradise, a haven, away from the busy bustling streets of the arrogant people that feel that the path they are walking down should not be stepped into or followed?
My other ideas are related to the mass of pigeons that were being chased by small children in Piccadilly Gardens, I thought to myself how these children would feel if they were being chased by the scale equivalent of large human sized pigeons. This I think would work better as the project is set around the theme of Scale.
And finally... Second project, Sleep, Dreams & Movement, more on that as the idea develops.

Ideas and Ramblings

As per usual, my thought process is working with ideas of mortality, fate, fear and religion. Although not the fear of religion mind, though I thought abut this too. I am separating some ideas for my sketches/ drawings whatever you want to call them, it still sounds like I'm doing crayola drawings with the tacky and easily breakable (and edible so I've been told) wax crayons. Anyway, my current two themes are developing ideas for monstrous and deformed human beings, I am a fan of horror films, the Silent Hill series and how they come to created these abused looking human creatures. Human beings for this theme, essentially as i want to work with the ideas of Sin and Fear, i believe the understanding of these two things is better expressed by human beings rather than animals. The second theme is working with the ideas of "Are we alone in the Universe" and the existence of the grand after life; Heaven, Hell, Limbo and the inhabitants; Angels, Demons and Lost souls. I have been researching a few artists, but mainly I have been looking through various written sources on such matters, such as articles on Demonology and the Classification of Angels. With the former idea, I have been looking into the origin or Sin and will try and delve further into it, somewhere along the line I plan to research into behavioural psychology, hoping to gain an understanding of mental illness or degeneration, in order to assist my ideas of monstrous, sinful human beings, as I believe that this will help with creating an interesting image if I can try and explain, through drawing, the feelings inside. Perhaps not even to drawn "Sin-Stained Souls" but perhaps these creatures can come of psychological problems.
Plenty of things ticking round in my head, just need to find some credited artists (because its part of the curriculum, rather than me wanting someones work influencing and destroying fresh ideas but never mind that) so that I can perhaps, develop some new ideas from the existing ones. My aim for the rest of the year is to try and develop various bits of work and see where I want to take it, perhaps I will return to 3D sculpting, at this particular moment, Saturday afternoon, I can not figure out where I'm going to be in 3 months time.

Saturday Afternoon Blues

Over Easter I have found myself a new job at a residential home. As I have found with a similar job to this, it starts to make my mind tick away. Fear, of ending up in such a place, as to me, at the end of the day I can go home, I'm not trapped. I heard someone liken it to being like an open prison, or an asylum. The fear of entrapment, aging, dying (of course, inevitable) losing control and embarrassment. Reflecting on ones life and thinking, did I do a good job? Those things I cannot change, would I really have changed them? This lead me to think about destiny and the people we meet, is choice a real existing force when everything we know is an interpretation of the world through our senses? These things can not be trusted, yet we let them and some of us believe it fate, the wheel of destiny or God. Are we a random happening of accidental encounters and events, or is there a grand scheme, the age old question. As you can tell, I tend to think a lot about things I and others will never know the answer to. A lot has happened over this Easter term and has got me thinking again and trying to incorporate this into my practising work (currently 2D fantasy style artworks) where these paths lead is unknown to me, I guess i must leave some decisions down to the unseen force we call fate and when the option to make a choice arrives once more, I'll try and figure out the best plan of action or at least make a decision and try not to regret it. All this thought on a Saturday afternoon.

Unusual Sub-Post

Manchester Smells Like:
Every day i get off at the same bus stop in Manchester to come to uni and there's always an unusual smell. Its quite bizarre so I decided to blog it, and I'm unsure why but I thought I would.

15/02/10 (MON) Raining today, MC'R smells like fish, not a beach kind of smell, just fish.

Mock Presentation Assessment and Moving Forward

Foolishly, my mock presentation didn't go as well as originally planed, first mixing up the time I was supposed to be there and then forgetting my book with all my concept work was not the smartest of things to do, consequently I got a bad mark for my mock review. Quite ashamed at myself for this, I am going to make sure in my final assessment this doesn't happen again. The path I was following with my project was making me unhappy, i was finding it difficult to come up with ideas that I could see my self pursuing and/ or being of some merit in the skills of creating these ideas in finished form and developing these ideas further. I am not working on a project that has developed through the original one that i started with but i am utilizing my drawing skills into creating fantasy concept art, something that i have enjoyed doing for a long time but have found useful to projects i have had to do in other educational institutes and classes. After talking to my peers who told me to stop holding back from what it is i really enjoy doing most, I have decided to follow this path, I am happier with the collection of images I have made and am looking to developing these images into more striking ones that just hand drawn, possibly by developing them in computer programs i am soon to by my self a "tablet" that i was recommended by other fantasy/ anime/ manga/ concept designers and artist. Where this path will take me I am unsure but I feel more comfortable with this route and have a lot more ideas and imagination when it comes to developing this work. I have been making many sketches in pencil and pens and have designed one "character" and have been experimenting with colour styles and patterns before i come up with a finished hand drawn prototype, which i then intend to develop on the "tablet" as i mentioned before. Other ideas for other "characters" in this concept work range are flowing through in rough images but I intend to develop these further and possibly put them all together in a larger composition. This may develop into something else as time goes on but I will have to wait and see what other ideas come from these initial images.

Christmas to New Year

In the last weeks up to Christmas I have been getting on with developing ideas for my project. I am working with the theme of food and have gone down a fashion and information sub themed route. I am currently developing ideas to do with the information theme of my work rather than the fashion aspect after talks with my tutors. Over the Christmas and New Year holidays I have been thinking about my presentation project that I have to give to a group of my peers as well as updating the on going project, the journal. Events that have taken place over these holidays have inspired me on my side project of cartoon and anime/ manga style artworks. When i return I intend to continue on and work harder on the main project as well as starting and of course, finishing the second of my essays for this first year.

Last Week Before Review

This is, or rather has been, the last week before the Table Exhibition review. I have been buying materials and trying to finalize the design for the dress I'm making which was originally going to be my final piece and then move on to something else. However, I have decided that I am going to carry on with this project by developing the designs and making a series of dresses. This being the prototype and the main base, for future productions. I may tweak and change the meanings and themes but this is undecided at this time. For now its all about finishing this dress and the essay.

Reading Week and coming up to Table Exhibition

Reading week was productive with essay writing, still unfinished but there's still time. It was a little more difficult that i expected but i have enough research to write more, I just find myself repeating a lot. Wood induction was good and i hope to find myself down there working on something as soon as this project is over. Ive been trying to think of new ideas for another project whilst completing this one (which i still have much work to do) so far I'm thinking of ideas based around that old cliche of everyday life and exposing the dark side or more arrogant side of mortal life. We shall see, I might work with some photo shop editing and going back to the good old pencil/pen and paper style of working. For now I really should be concentrating on the final two projects I have on going, the food project and essay. Cube Gallery has some interesting works up by previous interactive art students and others and was useful in helping me with the critical analysis of the essay that I'm working on. Another bonus is I've just worked out how to use the confusing spell checker on this blogger program. Go me!

Monday to Monday and Friday to Friday

Today is Tuesday and my attempt at regularity in writing these blogs on Fridays has failed. Oh well. At the moment I am still currently working on my Food themed project up until Christmas when the table exhibition has to be in, however I feel I may change after that, what to, I’m not sure yet but ill jump the hurdles in front of me first before attempting the ones I cant yet see. Some say I am philosophical, personally I think that was a pretty bad way of putting tit. Today I've just had my SLR camera induction and later this lunch time, it’s off to the dark room to develop them and be inducted in that skill sector as well. Thankfully, much to everyone’s delight the workshops have finally started so perhaps we will see some work out of books? Maybe not, we’ll just have to wait and see. Fashion is not something I have worked with before so I decided for this food project to work with that and test myself a little bit, is that where I’m going? I’m not sure I’d love to do video work but I guess I’m working my way up there whilst being able to do all the little things that you com across while making videos. Such as finding actors/actress’s making costumes and getting good setting, lighting and so forth but who knows, perhaps ill work with my “fantasy” images or the in-your-face sculptures that beckon meaning both overtly and subtly about the kind of things know-one really wants to talk about. Shock value is only great when it’s not that obvious, I believe. Anyway, the Food subject has been a moderately good starting theme and I really need to be carrying on with it.

Beggining of the First Major Project

Well we have been given our theme. Food. Of course, I am sure that many were thrilled, but personally, I think a lot of good can come from it. I've only just started to think about a few basic ideas this stage is early development, but I will most likely work with contrasts, meanings and I’m sure base it around something dark themed or shocked. We will have to wait and see. We also had Richard Healy as a guest speaker talking about his artwork at the Corner House Art Gallery in Manchester, which we later went to visit. We were asked to visit the gallery and look at both Healy's and other contemporary artist’s works, write ten questions about the work, think about the answer and write a review of the work. I have chosen Rachel Maclean's "Tae Think Again", which a review will be posted of shortly within the coming week. So that’s all for this Thursday blog, I'll be researching for the first project a lot and trying to sort out my laptop so I don’t have to keep doing it in the drop in room or at home, I can do it on the go and lectures all day tomorrow, which is always interesting and in a couple of weeks we start the inductions -good, because I really want to get working in the workshops!!!

Video Group Project

No, it was not a group porno project, it was a "sweeded" movie based on "Be Kind, Re-wind" and our spoof was on Independence Day. Dave took the role of Will Smith, Lisa took the role of news presenter and everyone else took on various roles and voice-overs. Everyone aided each other in creating props, using the camera, creating the storyboard and generally creating chaos. Everyone’s favourite part? Most likely burning our badly put together city landscape, my favourite part, was any scene featuring Dave dressed as Will Smith with a sausage for a cigar. Quality. Video will be uploaded soon for all to see and laugh at.

1st Group Project: Cross Year Party

The cross year party went down really well, many stalls serving food and non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks, so naturally every student was happy. The party was based on various artists, each group being given a specific artist to represent as a theme for their parties and thus it meant a different style each time. Artists included Heath Robinson, Bill Voila, Damien Hurst, Van Gogh, Picasso, Jean Tinguely, Marcel Duchamp, Rebecca Horne and my group’s artist, Rachel Whitereed. Why did my group get Rachel Whitereed!? The ideas to make a party based around her were very difficult when your artist uses negative space and mainly white due to the casting material. Somehow, due to creativity and persistence we did it, anti-party. Sounds fun well not really because that was the point of it, but the though process was good and it was the only non-party of its kind in the studio so surly we should get marks for being individual, don’t you think? Good parties from all groups by the way.

Holiday Projects 1&2:

Holiday Projects 1 & 2: We were set a task of two holiday projects the first being a game and the second being a postcard, my designs for both are as follows: For the game project, I created a card game based upon splicing together the game-play ideas of both "Top Trumps" and "Pokemon" card games. I used the theme of "Sexual Positions" to make standard cards and used booster cards with the theme of sexual toys, aphrodisiacs, lubrications, STD/STI's and Misc. Misc being cards such as "The Parents" that had no affiliation with other themes. Standard cards features well known sexual positions such as missionary and specialist positions such as pile driver. The game was not meant to be taken too seriously and the intention was to make people laugh and feel a little more relaxed about their projects and there personalities when working with others. It was also a stand on principals of myself, I personally do not think that is one dose not show bravery and is not afraid to push the boundaries then one might as well not take the subject of art which is about expression, if one is afraid to show their ideas, how is one expected to grow? I'll let you think about that one.... The second project was a small postcard sized card, that had a message on it stating a postcard was to be deigned to represent what we were doing over summer, it had various ideas to help you get started. Unfortunately, I couldn’t think of anything until the day it was supposed to be handed in so I simply turned the card over, drew a vertical line down the middle, wrote "This is what I've been doing with my holiday, love Thom x" on the back on one side and wrote the return address on the other side and sent it back.

Begginings

Sat at drop in just made this blog exiting I know, so over the course of the next few years I can bore you all to death with what I've been doing and what I aim to do each week strictly art related, of course you can find me on Facebook at Tiggidy Thom Thatcher for private mails and my band at www.myspace.com/mattjandco and also on Facebook as Matt Jacques and the Moonlight Party cheers y'all x