07/11/16-Public art -day 1

Today we started the public art project. We were told to look back at our prior research for the project and to pick out shapes we found interesting from these observations. These shapes then had to be clearly extracted from the page and repeated through collage onto a new page in the sketchbook. I found the way in which the lecturers instructed us to extract shapes was very interesting and effective as it clearly teaches the process of design. The use of collage instead of plainly drawing the shapes in pencil on the new page further forced me to begin to think about ways to display my pages. Collage for example was an interesting and engaging way, which reflected some sort of energy. This made me realise that I need to work on how I display my pages in a way which represents the mood, theme and concept of my work. After the collage activity we were asked to futher select our favourite shapes out of the extracted ones and we then used these to create three dimensional structures to progress in the project. Here is a picture of my sculpture, Although the shapes I started of with were not as "swirly" the my three dimensional structure became that way. I do enjoy the aesthetic of my structure and futher find it pretty cool that such a curved and "swirly" structure could come from rather harsh shapes. It is a interesting aspect of the structure as there is conflict in one body. This 'conflict ' to me could be the beginning of a great concept. After completing the structure we were asked to enlarge it begin to think about how the structure would sit in relation to the hand i.e the body. I think that this activity was great as it made me think more about proportion. I feel like if we were told to place it in relation to the full body at this point that I would just placed the sculpture as it was on the body, which wouldve been not very considered. Overall I really enjoyed today's session, which was I feel was very focused on making the desing process clear and visually interesting, it was great.

31/10/16-Tactile structures day 1

In todays session we visited the Barbican, which is one of the many popular brutalists buildings in London in order to produce some primary research for the topic. I found drawing on site very useful as a pose to producing only secondary research and then drawing from this as the energy of the sight was easily translated onto paper and I was drawn to certain aspects which pictures sourced from secondary platforms may not have been able to offer me, (the powder dust on the stairs for example). After creating some drawings we then returned to the studios and were told to pick out textures we admired from our drawings and to recreate them on sheets of A4 paper. From these we created 3 collages one focusing on shape, structure ,and repetition. I found this activity extremely useful and insightful as it hammered the idea of perspective and different approaches to creating work, the activity also ensured that the three samples were a collection instead of repetitions of one another. What to work on; I need to learn to respond more quickly to work. I received 15 minutes to create each sample and struggled with keeping in these times. When doing experimental work I need to focus less on how it will end up looking while I am creating and just be experimental and free. I feel like If I do this that my work will be more energetic and confident.

01/11/16 -Tactile structures day 2

Today's session was a very fast paced one. From the three samples we did yesterday, we were told to produce three developments of each. So a total of nine samples all together. Looking at these samples we were told to develop plain paper samples from these, focusing on paper manipulation only. This encouraged me to begin thinking of technical ways of creating texture, instead of appliqué. we also focused on creating interesting stitch during today's session which forced me to think of more interesting ways of connecting one aspect of a design with another. The fast paced session further encouraged me to just produce and get out my ideas which I could later filter, which I believe to be highly effective as the works produced from working in this way are more expressive and exciting. I think that I struggled most with producing the paper only manipulation samples because it was a more technical approach to creating texture than I'm used to. This is an area learnt I need to work on, because work which is technical and accurate would add a different dimension to the work I currently create and broaden my skills.

03/11/16-Tactile surfaces - day 3

Today we completed the tactile surfaces project for which we were required to complete ten samples. We were first given an hour and a half to complete our samples. I only had three to complete so I think my time management is fine, and at the end I was pleased with the majority of the samples. One thing I would say though is that I feel like I need to keep the quality in all of my samples consistent, rather than producing just a couple good samples and then a bunch of rushed samples, just so I can meet the brief requirement. After the hour and a half were up, we made our way to the Barbican, where we begun to merge our work back into the sight. I found the task of physically visually merging the scenery and my samples absolutely challenging (my arm was dead by the end of this task) nonetheless extremely rewarding, as the couple of good shots really presented the beauty of working with a very much alive exhibition space.

download.php?file=2450043&embedded=1&textbox=2445382

download.php?file=2450055&embedded=1&textbox=2445382

download.php?file=2450072&embedded=1&textbox=2445382

download.php?file=2450080&embedded=1&textbox=2445382

Photography by Me, taken at the Barbican with a selection of my completed samples

 

I think that this way of presentation was really inspiring, and reinforced the importance of thinking of every step of the design process, including the way work is showcased. I learnt that this is key as the scenery, or space that work is presented in absolutely effects the way it is perceived or understood by an audience. Quintessentially the space work is presented in puts the work in context, so that the concept behind work can become coherent, this is something I needed to realise and now begin to implement in future.

 

03/10/16

'Practitioner project Day 1'

Today we started the practitioner project.We were told to collect every day mundane items over the weekend to bring in for today. I brought; rubber bands, disposable gloves, balloons, cloth pegs, bubble wrap , a toothbrush , a fork, a scourer, and a sponge.The first activity was to photograph and draw our objects in places out of context. I went around the building as well as outside , in search of interesting places to place my objects in.

download.php?file=2274745&embedded=1&textbox=2274750

image of clothes peg in the dents of a brick wall, at CSM kings cross site  ,taken by me 

I begun to consider how to translate some textures of the backgrounds of where I placed my items,through rubbing for example.I also began considering some mark making. After this short activity we had our designers come in to explain their work's concept to us, they then introduced the brief.I found the opportunity of our practitioners coming in to talk to us extremely useful.The talk helped me comprehend the brief better ,and now I think I understand what is expected from me by the end of the project. "Rottingdean Bazaar" further went into their processes , for the badge project in particular ,advising us to pick one process of producing work and sticking to it.

During the afternoon session we began making marks with our objects to create interesting compositions.We later begun to combine our chosen process with our objects to create further compositions.My researched process is 'wound healing',it is all about the reconstruction of the dermis when trauma is inflicted.One aspect I tried or atleast am beginning to try and apply top my work is the concepts of coming together or building cells /tissue.In my work the cells/tissue or whatever else the dermis is built up of will be my objects , so I need to explore how this aspect will show in my interpretations / later compositions.

02/10/19-Jeff koon exhibition

For primary research I went to the Jeff Koon exhibition today.I really enjoyed his works using everyday mundane items for his work.I particularly enjoyed his works which create illusion.The "inflatable seal and walrus" works for example really interests me.I love how realistic the piece appears.It really looks like the sculptures are made out of vinyl and then when I read it was made out of metal, aluminium Specifically I couldnt believe it. The fact that I obviously wasn't allowed to touch the works became tedious after viewing a couple of the works like" Acrobat 2003-2009.. " because I really wanted to touch it to confirm that it was actually not vinyl. These works were pure tricks to the eye I loved it. I further enjoyed the colours Koon uses on his works. Blue, reds, metalic golds, purples. It really added to the already young and playful mood of his works. I didnt find the piece such as the vacuums of his work too great visually, however I did like the concept behind them as it revealed details of the artists life, this made the pieces more intimate which was nice. Another ascpect I found really fun of Koon's exhibition is the scale he made some of his sculptures. The baloon dog was huge as well as the play dough, I liked the fact that the scale allows the audience to be more interactive with koon's work. Although I could walk around the smaller sculptures, being able to walk around the dog and seeing my reflection while doing so was much more intense. Overall I really enjoyed Jeff Koon's exhibition, I am inspired by a lot of the work I saw at the exhibition and would love to incorporate the way he uses scale and colour in particular to my own work to come.

24/09/16

"The jacket project Day 1"

Today we started a new project on jackets.We were asked to bring in a tailored jacket so that we could study its technical aspects. From these jackets we did observational technical drawings in order to fully appreciate the making behind the finished jacket. After some technical drawings of the jacket we were asked to work collaboratively, combining our jackets into abstract forms. I found this part of the session particularly enjoyable as we begun to explore how the composition of the jacket could be manipulated. The group activity focused particularly on how our jackets would be attached to eachother and intertwined. In my group I feel we used the concept of knotting and twisting the most, which in my opinion was succesful as it created dimensions in our collaborative forms. Although our form would be relevant to the body, for the construction of our form we were instructed to work off the body and on the floor, this way we were able to create forms not necessarily following the restrictive mould of the body. After completing a form we applied it to the body of a model, exploring with how our form would relate to the body. From these we created some drawings both technical and expressive. Today's session made me realize that drawing from life can be extremely useful as the energy of what is being translated is captured in it's essence. I futher took from the session the importance of technical drawing as it presents a clarity and confidence in design which can be easily read and understood. Working collaboratively was further useful as each member contributed different perspectives, approaches and ideas to how our jackets could be combined to create new and more interesting forms. I learnt the importance of recording precise details today from the technical drawings which is something I really need to work on, as the finer details often create works to become richer. I futher learnt that I need to consider better how different materials are combined and how this would affect the overall construction of a form. Methods of combining I enjoyed /found interesting; *Knotting *Tying *Twisting

27/09/16

"The jacket project Day 3"

Today is the day the project demands its outcomes. I tried to really display the different textures I could find in the deconstructed jacket as well as my fabric. I aim for my garment /form to be dimensional and energetic which I believe the process of knotting, tying and twisting will really help me achieve. I have further considered the colours present in my works, ensuring that these are consistent even through my 6 samples. Overall this project was extremely fast paced and demanding, which I found particularly challenging. It was extremely stressful however energetic and expressive which is what I loved the most about this project. I am pleased with the outcomes and I feel like my process is more coherent in this project than ever before. The one thing I do feel is that I need to refer back to research more in order to ensure that the decisions I make in my work are carefully considered.

download.php?file=2329287&embedded=1&textbox=2268935

final garment on mannequin ,side view , photography by me

20/09/16

DAY 2 OF THE 'YOUR' PROJECT;

In todays lesson we did more drawings .This time we were told to all individually bring in 5 objects /items which belonged to us which represents our identity. We then brought our items together to form a collection and then drew from this, manipulating various disciplines such as continuous line drawings ,mark making ,blind drawings to explore how the objects could be visually presented. We were also taught to use different media with consideration of what we are drawing. This stage of the project was liberating and refreshing, it was very useful and energetic also teaching us how to translate energy from life into drawing.

After the drawing was completed we were told to look back at our work and select areas from our work in which we found interesting mark making. We then traced or recreated these , simplifying them in the process. We then begun to work some colour in and then developed a couple of prints /designs from these. To begin texturizing the prints which were from paper we then began to cut into the paper as well as folding it .

Today's session was great overall, clearly demonstrative of the process behind development in textiles. Now I am more aware of different approaches of translating a 2D drawing into a more 3D form.The session further highlighted to me the  importance of drawing in the design process .Some of the tasks we were asked to do gave me little time , one example of something we had to do was  rapidly swap our media when drawing , This was challenging for me. However ,this rapid pace is something designers should embrace as it often produces the most energetic and interesting works.This is something I need to work on for next time .

16/09/16

STITCH INDUCTION

Today we were given a time slot to attend Archway for a stitch induction. After a short induction to the  machines and equiptment ,we were introduced to certain expectations of us. Some of these included health and safety measures as well as caution of the machinery ,our own and other people's work.From this session I mainly took the following;

Keep the work area clean and in order

No food and drink allowed in the workshop

In case of any damages to the machines alert the technicians immediately.

 

 

08/09/16

IDEA FACTORY DAY 1 -Paper, 

In today's session we were separated into groups to carry out research on the material paper.Firstly we must define paper. '' Paper is a thin material produced by pressing together moist fibres of cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets. It is a versatile material with many uses, including writing, printing, packaging, cleaning, and a number of industrial and construction processes'-Wikipedia definition. From this  this definition we can see  there are many different types of paper, some including sand paper, cartridge paper, lined paper, wrapping paper, brown paper, toilet paper etc. and all for differing uses. It is interesting to see how one material is used for many purposes especially outside of the world of design. Acknowledging all these purposes makes one realize the importance of such materials, particularly those such as paper which are flexible.

This lead to the realisation that paper is high in demand. This is problematic considering that the main raw source of paper is in general wood .The demand in wood for paper would therefore mean that more trees would need to be cut down, ruining the natural habitats of a variety of wildlife. Therefore posing the question whether it (paper) is a sustainable material? It also stressed the need for methods which support sustainability such as recycling. Apart from this the realisation came that paper is not a natural product , it is man made. At mass production it produced through industrial means and usually more processed through bleaching and dyeing, further removed from its natural raw form, and the extent of this affects the quality and the perception of paper. Working in a group and in collaboration was very effective as each member of the group shared  interesting perceptions which I might have otherwise overlooked.

10/09/16

IDEA FACTORY DAY 2-PLASTER 

We were given the material 'Plaster' to research. What first came to mind was "how can plaster be inspiring?" considering that it is not a material necessarily linked to fashion/textiles.I found the material bland and boring  finding none of the links I could make with plaster interesting either.I attempted to take what we had practiced about research in the studio session which was to analyse but firstly I would have to gather some information.

Soon I found something which interested me about plaster.It was not nessacarily the finished product of plaster rather it was the process of the formation of plaster.Images of the particles of the plaster mix slowly solidifying was a particular image I found inspiring.The perspective of plaster became different at this point and I begun to see that there was more to the 'bland' plaster.

So far the only purpose for the material that I have found is for construction however there must be more.I should look into researching plaster more extensively and find factors which further interest me.

14/09/16

IDEA FACTORY DAY 4

This project is very challenging for me. The project is mainly on producing ideas from the research we were asked to do.Throughout the studio session I felt lost and confused, although the task was self explanatory. When I got home, I thought I understood what the task required of me. Now I am left with an idea , however this is not translated in my opinion well through my sketchbook. On the 13/09/16 the studio session taught us how to put down our ideas on paper and then narrow them down and refine them. I found the 30 ideas in 30 minutes workshop particularly challenging. This in turn made the rest of the session challeging. The short deadline is  further stressing me out completely,this task was very difficult for me and an absolute shift from what I have been used to doing at A-level.

Another part of the day was presenting the idea to a group through explanation to get feedback and also to give feedback. I found this part  of the studio session great,as my group assured me my idea was great, although I struggled to put this down on paper.This was in a way motivation to keep going and push the idea further. Overall despite feeling like I've ultimately 'flopped' this project so far , I do feel like the studio session's fast and immediate pace taught me that designers need to be able to work under pressure and just present ideas as a response to research. I feel like I focused so much on stressing, instead of just getting it done.I learnt that I need to be able to produce better under pressure, so this is something I really need to work on if I am going to progress on this course.

08/11/16 Public art- day 2

Yesterday at the end of the session we were told to get some fabric samples so that we could begin to think what our garment would be made out of. The project pretty much 'forbids' the use of colours (only neutrals allowed) which is very challenging for me since that's what I love om Fashion /textiles , so I focused on my second love in Fashion / textiles which is texture in my choice of material. I cannot afford to buy fabric at £20 or higher a metre so I went to Poundland (bae) and it was looking hopeless, until I went into the cleaning aisle and found the most amazing material, actually intended to do some heavy duty floor wiping which resembled wool even though it was cotton. I also found a black bun maker which had some great material and presented contrast to the white material and from Wilko I found a 'no slip bath tub mat' which had some amazing texture on It (only for £4). In today's lesson we didn't not focus wo much on the materials however, instead the session was focused on beginning to place our structures on the full body. We begun with enlarging the structures, and then experimented with placing on the body. This was a great activity as it helped me try to consider more interesting area of where I could place my structure rather than just on the upper body. We then drew from our models who wore out structures and then begun to manipulate the observations through drawing. Here is some of my design development produced from the session and the structure, now much more simple and a huge leap from the beginning point of the project. I really enjoyed today's session overall and it has really helped me feel more confident in the design progression for the project.

10/11/16-Public art project day 3

Today the project concluded. In the hour and thirty minutes we had to completely complete our work. The lecturers walked us through how to create design sheets. For the first sheet we were given 7 minutes to record our actual garment on the body and then seven minutes each to create 3/4 developments from these. I think that 7 minutes every time was quite short, but this was good as it forced me to design more impulsively, which produced in my opinion fresher ideas. After the design sheets were completed we were told to exhibit our work. My garment was on a mannequin and my design development sheets were on the wall behind. At first I just stuck the design sheets down with black tape. Which one of the lecturers (Petra) condemned, she said that my "presentation has to relate to my work". In my designs I used a lot of buttons as fastenings for instance, so Petra suggested that I should cut the tape into circles to resemble the buttons and then stick my work on the wall like this. From this I learnt that I still need to work on the way I exhibit my work. After the exhibition we were put in groups to critique each others work. My feedback was good overall, I just needed to make sure that some important parts of my research were stuck in my sketchbook were relevant. I enjoyed this project over all and am glad with the work I produced from it. At first I honestly was not happy that the project did not allow the use of colour, but now I appreciate it, because I could not depend on colour for my design it made me really focus on form, shape, repetition and texture which presents a nice dimension for my work and provided me some variety for when I make my portfolio. Here is the finished garment.

download.php?file=2450282&embedded=1&textbox=2448677

download.php?file=2450289&embedded=1&textbox=2448677

download.php?file=2450345&embedded=1&textbox=2448677

Photography by me ,garment on and off the body

 

10/10/16

"What's the point?" Project Day 1

Day 1-
Today's session was all about reflection and research. Seperated into 3 parts the first activity revolved around research and making leaps in research to form new ideas. The activity begun at a simple image which we then as a group began to research using the Internet resources available online and also books. I found this activity quite  tedious to be honest because I had to filter through all the results I got while searching for things related to  the image. Although the research process is not something I necessarily enjoyed for the topic we were provided with I found the tools the activity taught us extremely helpful, as it demonstrated the progression of research and how this informs new ideas. This activity will help me make more insightful reflections in the future.

The second activity involved the curator  from the CSM museum coming in and giving us objects from the museum to analyse and deduce from .I enjoyed this activity the  most as it encouraged me to use investigative skills . This activity was collaborative , so different people made their own guesses on what they though the object was , what is was made from , and what it represents / the context behind it . This was really fun and interesting and after some time the curator gave us the information of the object. Although the group I was in and me did not guess correctly it opened my eyes as to how art is interpreted through everyone's eyes differently. I loved this activity as it also helped me think about how I would portray a narrative behind my work .

Today overall was very insightful , everything I've learnt today will benefit me in the future when it comes to research and reflection on this course and also in my aspirational future, where research and reflection are essential.

 

11/10/16

"What's the point?" Project Day 2

By today's lesson I was supposed to have done some research. I haven't done any useful research though, I just don't know what to research! My new theme focusing on my identity, is just so broad when it comes to research and I'm really not sure how to apply the little research that I did do to my work. In today's session every one was supposed to start responding to their research and start making, I didn't start because I had no research to respond to. During the session the tutor allowed me to go to the library to do some research. I found a couple of books that I found useful at the time, and started brainstorming around the Idea of "your data, my identity" and that's when I started to think about using the idea of hair representing my identity. I still have some more research to do to push this project forward. I've already wasted enough precious time.

13/10/16

13/10/16 -"What's the point?" Project Day 3

The project concludes today, to be honest at this point all I wanted was for it to be over, so we could move on to the next project. As per usual we received the first hour and a half to complete our project and samples, during this time Katie ( the Lecturer) was going around the studio to see if anyone was really stuck. I WAS SO STUCK so to me this was some hope. She came over and asked how it was going, my response was "really, really, bad". Katie asked me to explain my concept to her and when I did she told me it was a good theme and that I shouldn't be defeated. I was trying to work with colour and use applique to create some fabric samples which responded to my theme, but she advised me to keep it simple and use, monochrome tones and think about layering using some cut away I had already produced during some experimentations. The layering would represent the different layers of my identity, and the overlapping of these would represent the lack of belonging since they would be placed slightly of and all the layers would all together create one strange layer. I found this intervention extremely helpful as it gave me something or an approach to focus on. I am pleased with what I have produced in the end, and learnt from this project that I really need to learn to do effective research and ask for feedback if I get stuck.

 

download.php?file=2329605&embedded=1&textbox=2329591

my final outcome prints , photographed by me at class room exhibition

 

04/10/16

"Practitioner project Day 2"

Today's lesson was very *'textile-sy' which I loved. I begun working with the materials/ objects as background for example.The first task we were instructed to complete included finding sections in our previous works that we found interesting from this project so far, then transferring this onto acetate . We then begun stitching into the acetate to create new marks ,also beginning to overlay some of my transparent materials into the acetate pieces, After this was done ,we were able to use the projector to scale up our tiny acetate compositions ,and to begin transferring this back into our sketchbooks to create new and interesting prints. The projectors further allowed me to begin seeing how some of my marks / compositions for print would begin to sit on the body /a garment form.

the afternoon session continued on the theme of print making, however in this part of the day we were instructed to create print plates out of our objects,I really enjoyed this part of the day as it moved away from drawing so much ,it was more constructive and more hands on .I feel like the task encouraged creativity as I had to find ways to create print plates that would actually work and transfer important features of my compositions such as texture and line.I enjoyed working with texture as a pose to simply creating it through drawing. Some prints were successful and some were not, this activity helped me understand what would work on a print plate and what would not ,I also made me start considering the differing heights and textures I could put on one plate for a print to actually begin forming in a clean way. 

Here is my final print for today.

download.php?file=2274783&embedded=1&textbox=2274814

my final print for today ,picture taken by me 

I actually do not find it successful , this was reinforced by the opinion of the tutor who said it felt like I " just stuck every thing down ".I think I need to consider the placing of the print better as well consider the scale of the actual print in relation to the background more.When the tutor reviewed my work in general  she said that I need to "push" each material more, to the point where the viewer would need to begin questioning what the material is that I am using .I need to experiment with the materials more and stretch each materials properties more , to continue this project. 

06/10/16

"Practitioner project day 3"

Yesterday during my independent study  time I came into csm to start creating the final prints for this project. I stayed at csm for around five and a half hours, and only managed to create two prints. This was really frustrating and painful. When I got home  I only had two more prints to create, I started working at these prints fom 10 and finished at 4:30 am. I honestly lost track of time, but it was fine because I really enjoyed creating the final prints. I actually ended up making  6 . I was deconstructing my materials more and attempting to transform them into different type of materials ,or just taking one feature of a material and then working with this idea alone. I think this was a great improvement from what I was doing on day 2 ,where I just used the materials as they originally were instead of 'pushing it' as Patricia one of the lecturers commented at reviewing my work. I really loved this project and had loads of fun with it . I am happy with my project outcomes , I love the use of various textures, layering, and dimensions , I also loved my colour scheme. The only thing I would say though is that I don't feel I truly worked in the style of our given practitioner. The only inspiration I really took form them was using found every day mundane materials and items to create textiles / fashion . Whereas their work uses mundane items but in a more provocative and blunt way .In future I feel that I should refer back to my research and brief more so that my work responds better to the research and in this case the practitioners.

 

 

 

download.php?file=2328994&embedded=1&textbox=2329224

 

 

 

 

 download.php?file=2329035&embedded=1&textbox=2329224

 

Images of some final textile samples and Garment design ,photographed by me

 

 

25/09/16

"The jacket project Day 2"

Yesterday we were told to bring an additional material which would compliment our jackets, carefully considering the colour and texture of this material /fabric. After I bought the material /fabric which we were to use in today's session I came to the realisation that the material I chose was way too boring. It had very little, to no texture and provided no contrast. So I found a new material (my sisters old bathrobe) which was far more textured and interesting. To continue, in todays session we focused on how we would connect our jackets with our materials to create new garments. I focused mainly on different ways of knotting, tieng, and twisting together to merge the jacket with the fabric creating many different compositions. From these composition I took some closeup pictures and observational drawings as these might inspire some textiles. We were reminded throughout the entire session to do so 'zoom in and zoom out' which I think was really useful as it helps us as designers to consider the absolute compositions as well as the details involved in the composition. It further helps to pick out what works and what didn't . The experimenting with various composition further helped me inform how I would continue on the project. After this we started deconstructing our jackets even more.This time working on the body, this is where the previous activity came in handy as I was now considering my decisions more.I started experimenting more with twisting and knotting to intertwine the material. Overall I think what I came out with so far needs to be more considered and "cleaner"I also feel like the two materials were not merged enough. This is something to work on.

19/09/16

DAY 1 OF THE 'YOUR' PROJECT:

Todays session we were given a new project and brief. The brief is based on structures and therefore we were sent away to do some primary observational drawings of structures we could find around us. To create these drawings we were told to manipulate different disciplines and different mediums ,the task focused mainly on the shapes we could find in structures rather than the details. After these drawings were  completed we were told select interesting shapes present in the works. After selecting these we blew them up and cut them out  which was the first stage of transforming a 2D image to become 3D. After this we were told to create one three dimensional structure using our interesting shapes ,without altering the appearance of the individual shapes. After we made these structures we were told to blow this image up even more and create 3D forms relevant to the body. This was challenging but it really opened my eyes up to the design process when it comes to transferring or converting flat shapes to a point where they become relevant to the body.

After recording this on the body ,we were told to distort the proportions of our garment like structures on the body ,to develop and change our design .I learnt that a factor as simple as proportion can really stretch development and inspire design in this way.

The most important thing I learnt today overall, is the importance of drawing. We draw to record things through expression and passion ,the way we draw can translate emotions, outlooks etc. I learnt that drawing from life in particular is very important because this kind of drawing captures the reality of the moment it is drawn in. A drawing may not be perfect but it can really capture the energy of the subject which is often not transferable through an image .

 

A point to improve on:

I could improve in the way I capture energy through my drawing and further create more powerful drawings through mixing up the media I use to create work with.

22/09/16

'DAY 3 OF THE YOUR PROJECT '

Today we had to wrap up the project ,through producing a final product for our work. We were told that our outcome could be anything ,which opened the door to so many possibilities. Although this was something that should've excited me ,all it did was confuse me .I became very indecisive and wasted a lot of time wondering what I would produce. From this I learnt that I need to be more time efficient and make informed instead of spontaneous decisions. Eventually I decided that I would just begin with creating a print and then decide what product to actually create after. I was just 'going with the flow' . After creating the print I looked back at some research I did previously , and I then decided I would turn my print into a miniature installation piece inspired by Atelier Manferdini's adaptive architectural pieces . Here is my final result;

download.php?file=2328512&embedded=1&textbox=2328375

Overall I am not too happy with my final product. I think it looks rushed, and poorly constructed. I also think I should've made my installation larger instead of working so small . The only aspect I do enjoy of my final product is the fact that it attempts to work with multiple dimensions ,I also enjoy the colour scheme which radiates energy and vibrancy ,however this could've been more subtle still. In future I would do more research that actually relates directly to my work and implement this in a way that my decisions become more informed. I didn't really enjoy this project because I was confused of what to do throughout ,but I feel like better research for the next project would really help me clarify my ideas in my mind and in turn provide better results.

12/09/16

IDEA FACTORY DAY 3

Today's library session  with the group was very helpful. Each member of the group was able to contribute some helpful advice and shared sources to help with the research topics ,material-plaster ,practioner-Liz Nilsson ,Method-Letter pressing. I struggled with finding Primary research for Nilsson and Letter pressing ,although I was not necessarily able to do primary research on these topics the group provided other sources of information for our practioner and method. Members of the group were able to find books I struggled to find and in this way I was able to do some further research on Letter pressing in particular from a source other than the web. Some members of the group further found new leads or links to the topic which interested them outside of the basic scopes of research in this context. This further inspired me to do the same and even lead me to reviewing some research I had previously carried out individually. For the material 'plaster' I have further found a link which really interests me which is the disaster of Pompeii.

download.php?file=2221836&embedded=1&textbox=2221886

Picture taken by me from 'Ladies of Letter Press'  which Konstantinos found      

15/09/16

IDEA FACTORY DAY 5

In today's session we were given about an hour to complete our proposals for the project .I was very underwhelmed with my work ,but I was then told that the idea is what really mattered and not so much the execution (specifically for this project).After the hour was over we were then split up all across the three fashion and textiles into small groups of 4/5 to whom we were told to pitch our proposals/ ideas to. From this activity I learnt that in order to sell an idea I have to actually know all the details of my own idea ,so that when a person askes any questions about my idea I would be able to answer it. I also learnt that I should have more confidence when pitching my ideas.

After this part of the session and listening to each person's pitch from the groups we had to pick the best idea ,develop this and pitch the idea to the entire fashion and textiles specialism group and to the lecturers. My pitch was not selected ,a decision which was fine, considering that the task was to choose the 'best' idea.  I learnt that while collaborating that communication needs to be great and that each  member of a group should make a valuable contribution to the group. I personally did not enjoy collaborations or group work prior ,yet that is now slowly but surely changing. I usually dislike group work as not everyone 'pulls their weight' although in this group everyone did, which I believe is a factor to what makes a successful pitch.

Factors that make a successful pitch:

Good communication

The ability to collaborate well

Confidence

Knowledge

Having a great USP

I believe that I worked well in collaboration with others, in fact so well that my group's pitch was selected one of the best. This is an important skill to have as 'power comes greater in numbers' and  in the creative industry there is no such thing as working all by yourself, and being successful.

 

Overall if I could do my pitch over I would present with more confidence .I would further consider my proposal further, and ensure that I am able to communicate my ideas in a clear and coherent way. This is definitely something I will give my self as a target and  have to learn to improve in.