Tuesday 29th

Again, today I helped out my classmates again in the morning, as I had nothing else really to do. I have my images all printed out and ready to install but I spent the afternoon painting the entrance floor of my space, as I managed to get hold of some black paint!

Images will be installed tomorrow.

Exhibition installation week!

So yeah, I didn't post anything again for a while! Nothing major has really developed in my Studio Practice, as I mentioned I have been focusing on the PPAP unit!
This week we will be installing our exhibition, and I am really excited to see how this will pan out.

I returned to the studio today ready to install my part of the exhibition, however when I arrived, I found out that the floor of my dark space hadn't been painted - as they had ran out of grey floor paint! Typical. I spent the morning mopping the floor in my space, then helped out some of my classmates to install their parts of the exhibition.

End of year show planning

I haven't blogged in quite a while. I have been super busy planning what I am going to do for my end of year show exhibition and it has been stressing me way more than it should be.

I requested the space which I used for my test exhibition, for the final show! And I got the news I am able to use the space again, which I am really excited about. I am also carrying on with using the screwed up images.
In my proposal I wrote that I am planning on filling the small dark space with images, which is what I still intend to do! I am really looking forward to the end of year show, and I am looking forward to what I can achieve with my work and how far I can stretch it.


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Below is an image of some work with the screwed up images that I tested out when I found out that I can definitely use the space which I requested:

I had positioned the images that I was playing about with in my space. They only filled up a tiny corner within the dark space. So I will have to figure a way which I could fill the room without printing out every image that I need, as I definitely want to fill the room to fully represent the decline of the institution. I am having mixed feelings toward whether this will work, and what feedback I will receive about it.

















Anyway, this week we are preparing the studio spaces ready for the exhibition installation week after we come back from Easter - so I won't be posting again for a week or two, unless something else interesting comes about. I am going to focus on the Professional Practice and Placement unit over Easter, as the deadline is looming for that also!

Sizing up images

I was planning on going to the workshops after the weekend, to find out how you could resize images so they print out at bigger sizes, so I could play about with making images the size of the room. I was under the illusion that you could only do this on mac computers on specific programs, but thanks to the wonders of Google, I found out that you can do it on windows computers... on the PAINT program. I have started to play about with sizing up of images on paint and below are some of the pictures:

 



(A very messy studio space, piecing together the images which I printed out and planning on how I am going to stick them up)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The images below show the sized up images. I enjoyed doing this as it is something I have been wondering about for quite a while! The images I chose to use are not of the best quality, so I had to print them out to a smaller size than I would have liked to. I still think the images worked out really well, and I know how to do it for future reference! Yay.

 

 

Experiments with screwed up Photographs..

Following advice given from Jessica Longmore, I decided to take up the idea of setting myself experimental tests to do with the work which I have most recently been doing (the screwed up photographs) during the tutorial, Jessica suggested that I did 10 experiments during that afternoon, to see if any other work develops.
I took a photograph after each stage, and recorded what I did and what I thought about each "experiment":

1) I scattered the images about as Jessica had commented that it looked quite "staged" I like this as it makes the images look more throw away and forgotten.

 2) I then kicked the images and they separated quite a bit. I still like how some of the images are upside down and not quite right but I don't really like the layout of how it turned out.

 3) I then gathered the images back up against the wall. I really prefer them against the wall, not quite sure why. Maybe because it reflects the images which I took at the factory where all the rubbish and paper work had been scattered and left behind. I do like how some of the images you can't see at all.

 4) Gathering the images into the corner, like on the original way which I laid them out. However still keeping the formation of the images the way they landed when I kicked them around the room. The edges on the photographs are really bothering me though, as Jessica commented on the "definite statement of photography"

 5) I cut off the edges of some of the images. I was really conscious of cutting the edges straight, but realised when I "crumpled" them all up, they look distorted anyway. I like how the blackness of the black and white photography makes several images appear to merge into one - just like how my images in the test exhibition appeared to merge into the blackness of the room. I will try within the next few experiments to play about with the edges of the photographs which I will be using. Maybe keeping some edges on some images and cutting off some of the edges of the other images.

 6) I decided to take things a bit further with the images which I cut the edges off - I completely screwed them tightly into balls, so you could not see the images which are displayed. I am not too sure about this method, not really sure why either.

 7) Gathering all images into the corner of the room again. Using images with the edges cut off and also the ones with the edges still on and the completely screwed up images. I really do not like how this looks, as It looks a bit like there is too much going on. On the other hand, I like how the work looks uncompleted. Don't think I will carry on working like this.

 8) Using more screwed up images. Still do not like this, as it is not giving the effect which I definitely want to achieve within the exhibition.

 

 

 

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I found this task really helpful and fun as it helped me with thinking on the spot in other ways which I could work and display my "throw away" images.

 

I quite liked the fast paced experiments but I don't think I will carry on working in a way which I set myself time limits ever again, as I was overthinking what I was going to do for each experiment, and this in a way hindered the work. I am going to however be more experimental in my work and hopefully come up with something which I can do within my end of year show which is VERY soon.

 



Tutorial w/ Jessica Longmore 20/03

• Use workshops to learn how to size up images on illustrator - speak to technicians.
• Think of space - fill the space - space part of work.
• Interaction with work - create obstacles - negotiate ways of moving around the space.
• I have stepped forward a lot with work, with how I am exploring space - photographically and physically - interesting development - a lot of scope for future work.
• Pictures have potential.
• Scale up images to size of the wall and explore scattered pictures together.
• Sculptural quality of images - sense of space shown in images.
• Un-trimmed edged - highlighting that it is a photograph - my own images - try trimming the edges to see if it makes a difference.
• In test exhibition - the images sunk into the blackness of the room - not defined - seemed like they were appearing through the wall - the pile seems like a definite statement about photography.
• If I trimmed the edges - images may merge into a sculptural mass.
• Try ripping, and screwing into tighter balls.
• Display the items less staged.
• Try out 10 variations and record and document.
• Set tasks - not knowing outcome - beneficial.
• Illustrator sized up images - try out variations.
• Experiment with raw materials (images) - make notes as I am going along.
• "Free yourself up" - brings more ideas - make notes and reflect.
• If I "hit a brick wall" then set experimental tasks to work on.

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This tutorial really gave me confidence with my work and how it is developing. Also confidence in how I can develop my work further. Jessica has helped me a lot with how to develop my work - in terms of giving me a sort of new way of working. I tend to just sit there thinking when I get stuck, and it is something that I need to get out of doing.

"Throw away" images.

After the feedback with Graham, I decided to try out what he had suggested with my images. As I described the images as "throw away" because I chose to print them on to photocopying paper, which has an ephemeral quality, I decided that this would be something interesting to do, and maybe what I need to develop my work further.

First of all, I printed out the 25 images which I took at the factory last time I went. I screwed the images up:

I made the decision to only screw up the images slightly, so you could still see what was printed. Although the images are quite dark, I think the way you can only see parts, because of them being screwed up, is quite interesting. I then decided to place the images in the corner of my studio space, to see what I could play about with:

 (There are around 25 images in this photograph)

 

I then went on to print out some more images from the same series, printing out multiples of the images, to see what would happen.

 

In the above picture, there are around another 30 images printed out, making just over 50 in total.

 

I definitely think that I should print out even more multiples of the photographs, to give the full effect which I am after. I have found this really interesting, as it is something that I would not usually do, but I can definitely see more scope for development within this work and how it is going!!