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.