01/11/17 (Wednesday) - Tactile Structures

I needed to create a total of ten samples for tomorrow. For these samples, I decided on the colours green, red and yellow due to their saturated and vibrant nature. I want to explore with tones and see if I can produce a range of samples containing different variations of these colours. I am interested in playing around with the warmth as well as the cool tones of a given colour. Choosing such rich colours gives me a better chance of doing so.  

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I based all of my designs off of the drawings in my sketchbooks which included the observation drawings I did of the brutalist buildings around the barbican centre, the thread and mark making excretes down to the textile installation we made as a team yesterday. I wanted my samples to showcase the knowledge I have gained from this project.

I also wanted to use the sewing machine for this part of the project. I thought it would be easier if I did so, however, using the sewing machine after so long proved to be quite the challenge. I feel that because I chose to do this, most of my samples became dependent on the sewing machine and it over complicated things. If I was to do this again, I would probably only use the sewing machine on one or two of the samples and do the rest using materials such as paper and tape. The fact that I also use patterned fabric disrupted the concept of my work, which was to only use shapes that I extracted form my primary research. I feel that I got a little bit carried away with the sewing machine. 

What did work well were the samples which had the colour yellow. For one of these samples I used the same technique as I did yesterday when creating the long piece of fabric sample (with bow-like repeated shapes). I feel that this is the most successful pf all samples. Overall I enjoyed the process of creating the samples.

31/10/17 (Tuesday) - Tactile Structures

Today's challenge consisted of use creating 3 paper samples inspired by the information we gathered form the barbican centre. We had to display these samples in from of the whole class and could only use paper as our medium. The second task also required paper as a medium, however masking tape was allowed. The second task consisted of use having to create a rather long piece of material which resembled a knit or even a ling string of woven thread. I found the first task to be difficult because having to use only paper as my medium was really limiting. For the second task however, time was the issue. I really enjoyed twisting and manipulating the lightweight paper into small bow-like repeated shapes. It looked like an actual fabric, with a satisfyingly frilly and rough texture. Unfortunately due to the intricate nature of my design, I was unable to make my sample as long as everyone else's. Nonetheless, I am proud of what I was able to achieve given the time constraint. 

Having created these long samples, in teams we had to create installations with them. Our group came up with the idea of using furniture and intertwined all of our samples together in order to make one big piece. We stacked a few chairs on the tables keeping in mind the safely regulations and proceeded to join our samples together. At first we stuck some of our samples to the ceiling. However, after taking a few photographs of the finished piece we though it would look even better with everything being on the tables as opponent to some on the ceiling. I also feel that given more time, we could have from a better location for our s-installations because this location made it quite challenging to get good photos of the whole piece as there were a lot of people walking around it. Nonetheless I really enjoyed this project because of the teamwork and the fabric samples was an interesting was of presenting our findings from the barbican centre.

30/10/17 (Monday) - Tactile Structures

In the project brief we were told to meet at the Barbican Centre today. This is because we needed to look at environment around this location and gather as much information as we can. The Barbican is a Brutalist building. I decided to look at the ground because I did not want to miss out on all the interesting textures. In order to capture the tiny squares on the ground, I put a sheet of my sketchbook on the ground and proceeded to use soft pastels and markers to transfer the marks onto my nook. This turned out to be quite a successful process.

I was really intrigued with the hard concrete walls of buildings as well as their rough surfaces. To show this sort of texture in sketchbook, I used materials such as scrunched up paper. When it came to the interior of the building we were put into teams. We were told to create an installation that was linked to this environment. My team decided to layout our sketchbooks in order to create a video outcome. We placed the sketchbooks in such a way that they resembled the tiled floor of the Barbican Centre. We then proceeded to walk all over the sketchbooks as passer-by’s would on the floor. This symbolises the marks that would have been left on the ground. This also means that we are directly engaging with the environment by creating marks that would otherwise have been invisible had they just been printed on the ground of the Barbican Centre. These marks from our shows also show our individual journeys. All the dirt and information carried from all the waling we did around the barbican centre is now imprinted in our sketchbooks. Although not the most practical way of doing things, I feel that this was a successful way of gathering information.

We decided to develop our ideas further by using actual pens and markers. We created a small installation On the wall of a balcony and proceeded to link our sketchbooks together so that we could all put in our drawings. The drawings consisted of any form of information we found at the Barbican Centre or observed this morning. They consisted of tiles, windows we saw, balconies, as well as various shapes and structures of the building we found intriguing. We drew all this information on each other’s sketchbooks and made a time-lapse video of the whole process. I thought that this would be a good way of showing our progression up until the final outcome.

Once we returned to school, we were told to make textual prints using mark making. We only had to use four colours and this had to be done in under 20minutes. I understand that Colour is an emotive language in textiles and that even though I need to explore the importance of restricted colour, I was happy with the challenge. I enjoyed extracting shapes and marks that I got from my drawings at the barbican centre. They worked well on my 4 samples, and even more so on the 6 that I had to produce later on.

28/10/17 (Saturday) - Tactile Structures

I decided to do some primary research for my new project called Tactile Structures, which comprised of me explore the potential of a location by observing architectural 'elements that exhibit linear qualities, geometric patterns, repetition and surface irregularities'. By Monday I need to have visited a number of brutalist buildings, focusing on drawing through mark-making. I decided to use both drawing and photography to inform my findings as  I needed to pay close attention to textural details. I am also very happy because for this project I get to use colour. It was really difficult for me to not use colour for the fashion project. 

I decided to visit the Southbank because it had 2 brutalist buildings that I was interested in simply because of their scale in the environment. I took numerous close up and distant photos of the Southbank Centre complex and National Theatre because I wanted to get a good sense of the scale of the buildings as the brief instructed. I also experimented with different mark making and tried a rang of media depending on the texture of the parts of the buildings I was drawing. I really enjoying varying the tone and colour of my drawings as well as documenting linear structures and capturing surface details. I also visited the Brunswick Centre and took photos of the buildings around the area. What I like about the Brunswick Centre is that the buildings are all connected. It has lots of linear structures which I could work from as well as many floors so it almost looks like a layer of blocks. I feel that from my images and drawings, I will be able to find very interesting shapes and ideas to work with for Monday. 

26/10/17 (Thursday) - Public Art

As a continuation from Tuesday's class, we were told to create 2 development sheets for our designs as well as drew our models with the garments we spent yesterday creating. I was excited to see how the garment would look on someone else. It was a bit of a challenge getting it on and off the model. I now realise that when I made the garment, I tailored it to myself and the mannequin. My model was taller than I am so the garment sat differently on her, but nonetheless it was a success. I was able to get photographs of the model wearing the garment as well as illustrations. When it came to the design development drawings, I tried not to be as reliant on colour as I was in my sketchbook and focused on the media and texture of what I was trying to draw. 

Crit:

"Your have a beautiful distinct style in your work and you can tell how it links"

 "Beautiful shapes in the design development. But maybe in the final garment drawing you can see that you are reliant on colour. I think if you focused on shapes in initial development, outcome would have been stronger". 

I was really thankful for this constructive criticism. I knew that my work would have been more successful than it is if I hadn't missed the point and had been so reliant on the use of colour to inform my drawings. The fact that someone else saw this issue and talked about makes it clear that i now need to focus on trying to rectify it, or at least be aware of this so I do not repeat the same mistake in a future project. 

"Amazing illustrations and experiments with media. Great use of shading! Maybe experiment by making the shapes transparent and the figures vibrant?"

This advice made me aware of how I could have used an even broader range of technique for my drawings. I could have been more creative with my approach and contrasted the garment and figures by switching the tones instead of making the garments colourful and the figures plain.

25/10/17 (Wednesday) - Public Art

Today was supposed to be our fashion workshop induction, however it was cancelled. This meant that I had more time to work on my garment. I started off by getting my paper shapes and using them as the pattern for my fabrics. I decided to leave one-inch space so that I could stitch and cut the fabric without the size being tampered with. Having successfully cut out my patterns, I decided to combine both the black nylon material as well as the calico fabric because I felt like it will give me more of a rigid structure as opposed to using them both separately. I placed the calico on the bottom and the nylon on top of it, creating some sort of a glossy sheen on the calico fabric. Doing this created a contrast within the garment and the way it was constructed.

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It was really interesting seeing how combining these two fabrics almost created a whole new fabric. I am really glad that I decided to combine the two fabrics because it made it easier to mold them into the shape I wanted on the model. I stitched the combined fabrics together and proceeded to put them on the mannequin. I needed to think of how to attach the other two pieces. Due to do the time constraint, I did not think I would be able to complete the whole garment as I had previously planned. However, I felt like I could finish a large amount of the piece. I have two more of my shapes to go; I decided to cut them up separately this time and not combine them as I had done earlier for the first shape.

For the first of the two pieces I decided to use Calico. I wanted to be able to drape this over the shoulder of the model and attach it to the first piece. This way it would be as though she was wearing a top. However I am aware that this project is not so I can create a dress or top but so that I can learn to use shapes and construct a garment inspired by these shapes.

In order to connect the two together and had to make a fastening at the back. If I had more time, I would have inserted a button there but for now I settled with a stitch. It was really fascinating to see how the garment was being put together with just two separate shapes. I really enjoyed this process despite the challenges I faced.

 

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I needed to step back and take a look at the whole thing before deciding on what to do next. I noticed that there were random folds around the shoulder of the Mannequin. This was due to the flexible nature of the calico fabric. I really like the way this looked so I decided to emphasize the folds by actually stitching them in. This way, they created shapes of their own on the shoulder. It was difficult trying to stitch in the folds seeing as this was all being and done without a sewing machine. I had to find ways that would make it easier for me to hand stitch.

I was satisfied with how the two pieces were put together. I decided to go onto the third piece which at first I was not even sure if I should do not only because of the time constraint but because the two shapes already looked really good by themselves. However, I felt that the third piece would complete the whole look. For this final piece I decided to use only the nylon material. This is because it would be a good contrast;

1st Shape = Both Calico and Nylon, 2nd Shape = Calico, 3rd Shape = Nylon

I referenced back to my earlier development drawings and saw that for my third shape, it was supposed to be joined from the bottom and connected to the top part of the garment in order to make a whole for the arms to go through. For this connection to be successful, I also needed to hold the whole garment together using a long piece of calico at the back. This created an unintentional design on the back of the garment, which I actually quite liked. After attaching the third and final piece, I was really happy with the way my garment turned out.

 

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24/10/17 (Tuesday) - Public Art

The main focus today was to develop our initial design ideas within our sketchbook and start thinking about fabrics that fit with our shapes. After a discussion with the tutor with my design drawings, I realised how reliant on colour I am. My drawings were more of pattern development that fashion drawings. In order to fix this, I decided to start from the begging by focusing on the actual shapes rather than colour because this project had to be monochrome. I was able to get good designs, but I think next time I would change up the position of the shapes and perhaps have some on the shoulder or have all of them on just the waist. I feel that I could have exaggerated the shapes more in my drawings. 

Working on paper made it easier for me to refine my ideas as I went along because I could visibly see my thought process within the design development sheets. The paper model garment was a tremendous help because I used it to cut out my pattern for my actually garment. Working in paper on the body really helped inform my design ideas. It was really refreshing to create a mapper model first as any mistakes could easily be corrected. Worrying on paper also meant that I had a good idea of what the finished product would look like despite not even beginning to create it with fabric. 

I understand that the design development process is there to inform my ideas and help me see where my thoughts are going regarding the garment creation. Although it was a challenging process for me, I enjoyed it. I feel that it is really useful and if I am to do another fashion project, I would definitely use it.

All I needed to do after the development drawings was buy two fabrics that I could combine into a garment/piece worn on the body. As a group, some of my classmates and I decided to go to a haberdashery called Ray Stitch in search of suitable fabrics to work with. I already know what I needed; Nylon. I have already seen a beautiful netted Nylon material at MacCulloch & Wallis Ltd yesterday. When the workers at Ray Stitch told me they didn't have it, I quickly went back to MacCulloch & Wallis Ltd to purchase it. Thankfully the store was still open by the time I reached it and I was able to get the Nylon material with cost £17 per Meter. The material was perfect for creating folds and hard structures because or its tough yet flexible nature. I decided that my second fabric is going to be calico because of its simplicity. I wanted a contract so I bought the nylon in black and the calico was cream. 

23/10/17 (Monday) - Public Art

I was able to use my research of the public art (statues) from yesterday to inform today's work. However, upon reaching class I found out that public art didn't necessarily mean it had to be human statues and it could have been any of the sculptures or installations London had to offer. I was rather disappointed I was not aware of this but was thankful that now I do so I don't repeat my mistake in the future. I tried to make the best of what I had by extracting the shapes that I thought were most interesting. We were told to pick 3 shapes and repeat these shapes in our sketchbooks using a range of colours, scale and media. Having done this, we proceeded to cut up the 3 shapes and make a small sculpture of our own. I found this rather challenging because my shapes had a lot of curved edged that didn't go with each other so it was hard trying to get all the edges to match. However, after more demonstrations from the tutors, I was able to create my piece. 

This process had to be repeated on a larger scale; on brown paper and then onto a model. I started off by cutting the shapes, which had to be rather large shapes seeing as they had to be put on a person. I had some issues working large scale with such limited space, however I was able to successfully cut out the shapes. I started off by taping the first shape to the model's body, and proceeded to attach the other pieces, however it kept coming apart and there were quit a lot of spaces where there shouldn't be any. After seeking the tutors advice, I realised that I was trying to force the paper twist in places it wouldn't naturally, which tampered with my actual shapes. After a second attempt, I was able to successfully create an interesting looking paper structure on my model. I was really happy with the end product because of the fit. The modal had places where her arm could go through and the paper was attached in a way that there were places I could visualise fastening such as zippers and buttons.

 If I had more time, I would have tried many different variations on the model. I would have positioned the shapes differently and spent more time on the illustrations to get the sense of the whole piece. I would have also chosen different shapes if I was to do this project again. Although I really like my shoes, I think that those which had more of a structure or even odd shapes that seem not to fit together were very successful. I feel that would be interesting to see and I like the idea of trying to make garments out of really unusual shapes. From here, I can try to develop my design ideas and figure out how to go about making the garment tomorrow. I think that I will try and exaggerate the shapes even more in terms of scale.

I decided to go to a haberdashery in Soho called MacCulloch & Wallis Ltd because they offered free samples. I needed to start thinking of fabrics that I could begin working with. I found a lot of rather interesting options, however we were told that we are supposed ti be working in monochrome for this project and working without colour proved to be rather challenging for me. However, in terms of fabric samples, I found numerous good options. My favourites were the 100% Mohair (which was far too expensive at £66 per meter), a fabric which comprised of wool and angora, a Nylon net material and some cotton crim. I am excited to start designing my initial ideas in order to start the garment development. 

21/10/17 (Saturday) - Public Art

Seeing it is the weekend I decided to seize the opportunity to go and start doing some research on my next project; Public Art. Having looked at the brief, I know that I am supposed to have at least 3 drawings and pictures of 3 public art works. I decided to go online and search for public artworks around London. Most of the public art that were coming up were statues. I found a lot of rather interesting locations which had these statues, these include:

Location: Victoria Embankment.

Statues: Isaac Newton, John Milton, Francis Bacon, William Shakespeare.

Made By: John Carpenter Street.

I really wanted to use this location for my research seeing as I spent a large part of my school life reading about these individuals. However, I also wanted to move away from the familiar and do something new. I decided to do more research and add to the list of place I could check out:

Location: West Smithfield Gardens.

Statue: Peace.

Made By: John Bernie Phillip and Farmer & Brindley.

Location: Royal Exchange (Threadneedle street side).

Statues: Hugh Myddelton (By Samuel Joseph) and Richard Wittington (By John Edward Crew).

However, after going off to go to these places, I also found a few rather interesting statues which included one for 'The British Nation From The Grateful People Of Belgium 1914 -1918'. I really liked this statue as not only does it represent an important time in history (WW1), but it has beautiful shapes within it. The clothing of the states was really good to draw because of the texture so I was able to use numerous materials and media for just one statue in order to show the contrasting textures. I also took time to draw the Robert Raikes statue from 1780, which was created under the direction of the Sunday school union by contributions from teacher and scholars on Sunday schools in great Britain, which I thought was really nice. However out of all the statues I drew, my favourite has to be the  Fleet Air Arm Memorial, which is sometimes known as Daedalus. This, like many others that I looked at today is a war memorial that commemorates the service of the Royal Naval Air Service and the Fleet Air Arm in the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War and a couple other wars which had a staggering number of over 6,000 casualties in all conflicts. Although it was made due to these unfortunate events, I really appreciate the design of the statue. The height of the statue added to its magnificence as it was the tallest out of all the statues around the area. The soldier had something that resembles wings, they were oval shaped panels patrolling from his back and I thought this made for quite a powerful image. I hope to use this to inform my project.

20/10/17 (Friday) - Mosque Visit

Having spent a lot of time preparing for the diagnostic process, I wanted to do some simple research in order to get in the habit of preparing for a project again. I wanted to focus on architecture because I now realise that it actually plays a big role in fashion in terms of drawing inspiration from the shapes of the building as well as its structure and the materials it is made from. I went to the London central mosque. It was a Friday so it was rather crowded due it the Friday afternoon prayers, however I was able to get a few images of the interior of the mosque. I feel that this may be useful for a cute project as I am very interested in Islamic calligraphy as well as Arabian influenced architecture. I took a look at the inside of the dome of the mosque, which had such intricate designs. It had blue marbled walls and a few species of colours hear and there to accentuate the rest of the design. However, what I loved most about the interior of the mosque is the wooden panel which separated the male and female sections of the mosque. I can't help but admire the delicately carved wood and the way it's smooth surface is a contrast to the rough texture of the mosque's walls. I hope to use these findings in a later project as a source of inspiration.

18/10/17 (Wednesday) - 3D Workshop Induction

Today I had my 3D workshop induction. It was rather interesting seeing as I have never seen most of the machines within the workshops. I was introduced to the wood workshop first, given a number of rules and guidelines to follow for whenever I was within all workshops. We were told that there were certain machines we could not use and that those machines were only available to the technicians. I found all of the machines quite scary because if something was to go wrong one could probably sustain injuries. Although I am not a huge fan of large machinery with sharp blades, I am really excited to start using the workshops. I have always been interested in working with my hands and creating physical bodies of work so to be able to work with machinery similar to those found in factories is really exciting. 

We were shown how to make holds and mix plaster at the plaster workshop and told to remember 3 things:

  1. Always wash up and clean up after ourselves.
  2. DO NOT leave body parts such as hands and feet in plaster.
  3. Always wear suitable clothing and proper shoes when within the vicinity of the workshop so no injuries occur when sharp/hard objects fall on one's feet.

My favourite of all three workshops was the metal workshops as we were shown the wielding machines as well as how to distinguish between a copper rod and a steel rod. We were also should how to shape metal sheets and create curves. I am really interested in jewellery design. I have put my first choice as fashion and textiles and my alternative choice as 3DDA. If I get assigned onto the 3D curriculum area, I would probably choose JFFA due to my interest in working with the body and creating jewellery. I enjoyed the 3D workshop induction and look forward to start working in them. 

16/10/17 (Monday) - Progress Tutorial

For my first progress tutorial, I was given feedback on my work and how to improve my overall performance.

General Feedback From Tutor:

My research is a great collection of things gathered from different sources. I have made a very good start with my research folder. However, I need to make sure that I always interpret and evaluate my findings. I also need to record evidence that I have been visiting exhibitions. Perhaps I could create a new folder in my workflow dedicated to writing about all the places I visited with regards to my projects. 

The tutor thought that I have made a good start with my reflective records and that my reflection is well maintained. However, the tutor noted that my reflections are better for some projects than others. I am using a lot of bullet lists, with a list of questions that I don’t always answer. I need to make sure that once a week I write a longer, better articulate entry. I realise now that my reflections will help me develop my critical thinking and be more analytical.

My Plan Of Action:

  • Carry on with good research work, make sure to interpret findings e.g. artists' work and gallery visits.
  • Once in a week, write a longer more in-depth, analytical entry. It will help me develop my critical thinking.

Feedback On Progress:

The tutor told me that my sketchbook shows my work development well and that my use of a wide variety of methods and approaches is clearly indicated in my work. However, I need to make sure to take good photographs of my final outcomes as well as contextual imagery. I also seem confident experimenting. The tutor was gladI am using my practical understanding to solve creative problems.

My Plan Of Action - Carry on with my imaginative responses to projects and make sure to always clearly document my final outcomes.

12/10/17 (Thursday) - Your Interpretation

Throughout the fashion discipline, we used processes and techniques such as drawing, collaging, creating installations, worked on the body and tried printmaking for textiles. I feel that through these methods I have been introduced to a new way of thinking and viewing the fashion pathway. I am now more open to taking an experimental approach, which I feel is crucial to my creative development. 

I think that the collaborative exercises that we took part in through out the week was a positive learning experience. Working with others opens my mind to new possibilities and fresh ideas. One of the tutors mentioned how sometimes a person develops a pattern and works a certain way. Even if the person has a good working style, it is always good collaborating with others so that one gets new insight and a different perspective on how to do things. 

An example of a successful collaborative activity is when we styled each other today and modelled for the rest of the class. We were all told to were something interesting so I wore a traditional african (Nigerian) garment. This is because the garment has a lot of intricate patterns that I though would be good to sketch. We did a lot of drawing including drawing through our sense of hearing by listening to music and trying to replicate the beat and rhythm through or sketches. I thoroughly enjoyed the activity. 

We were then advised to produce a final outcome for the fashion pathway. We were told to:

  • Go through our sketchbooks and identify what we liked best (our sketches).
  • Look at what we have done this week and go over the process and skills we've gained.
  • Then we are meant to create one final outcome from all that we've learned during the week.
  • We also needed to pick and choose what elements we want to use in our final piece. For example, I really enjoyed all the line drawing I did so I could try and include it in the final piece.

We decided to:

  • Play around with the idea that we are all interested in different fields/pathways in the diagnostic process and how we are all different people yet we wanted to come together and unite by creating one outcome.
  • By looking at our sketchbooks, the most interesting techniques learn this week were through drawing so we planned to use that to our advantage.
  • We got a large piece of cardboard and stuck it to the wall and then proceeded to film (a time-lapse video) of use sketching and combining our different mark-making techniques and unique qualities together to make one large drawing. 
  • We also went outside and got all sorts of materials lying around such as back and yellow striped tape, a broken mop, dried out paint and many more in hoped of adding a bit of texture to our work.

Feedback received:

  • Good documentation of the project - They really enjoyed seeing the time-lapse video and felt that it showed the progression of our piece well. They felt that the pictures as well communicate our ideas in an innovative way.
  • They were pleasantly surprised to see the wall art turn into an outfit and thought it was smart. It made our work multipurpose. One person made the comment that she thought our piece showed that "art can be versatile".
  • They liked our use of texture and our appreciation of the different drawing techniques we learnt this week and how we showed it in the final piece.
  • Many enjoyed the contrast between the shapes, background and the clothing being worn by the models.

10/10/17 (Tuesday) - Your Data

The Day 2 - Your Data Project has definitely changed my perception of what textiles is from a more traditional pattern/design on a garment to a more experimental approach. For example, Today we were told to bring in a number of objects that we had a personal connection to. I brought in my Arabian lamp (because it was the first piece of decoration I bought living on my own), my passport holder, a wooden necklace with the shape of Africa as the pendant, a hand woven container as well as a turban (because my religion requires me to cover my hair). These objects showed a lot regarding my identity both though my religion and culture.

We were then asked to create a sculpture out of these objects by putting some on top of the others and trying to create shapes and forms out of the precious objects. We tried different compositions, took numerous pictures and proceeded to sketch them. However, we were then told to create an installation using these objects and were given a really thin piece of thread. This was incredibly difficult to do because most of our objects were just too heavy to by held up by the thin thread. To solve this problem, we found a thicker piece of string and proceeded to tie and intertwine the heavy objects with it. We placed the installation in such a way that it was draping for the window down onto our table. 

We drew our installation in numerous ways including:

  • With one media.
  • Line drawing.
  • Looking at and drawing the texture alone (no lines).
  • Experimented with mark making - Jagged edges for the harder objects and softer squiggles for fluffy objects.
  • Using numerous media where we saw fit (for example using a soft pastel for the fluffy teddy bear and a thin pen for the thin thread).

By working in pairs or in teams, I was forced to step outside of my comfort zone. I got introduced to new ways of thinking, fresh new ideas that I wouldn't have thought of myself. It also makes it easier to produce a more ambitious piece of work because you have the extra help. My fear of making mistakes also decreased because this approach to fashion & textiles was a learning process for all of us.

09/10/17 (Monday) - Your Surroundings

We were asked to do a one hour activity in which we were required to go around the kings cross campus and document architectural shapes in our sketchbooks. We had use a range of different media such as charcoal, ink, pens, markers and anything we had with us at the time. I was quite surprised because I thought we would immediately start doing something that relates to the human body seeing as it is a fashion project. However, I really enjoyed exploring the area and sketching the various buildings and shapes I found interesting. I especially loved looking at texture. I came across a rubber pillar which had jagged edges so I played a page of my sketchbook on it and proceeded to scrape my graphite pencil across the plain page. This transferred the texture onto my sketchbook. I also tried using both pen and charcoal on one drawing and tried combining medias with my other sketches. 

It was quite difficult trying to stick to the time limit as the time went by very quickly while I was trying to decide on what to sketch next. However, by the time we had to go back into the building, I had enough drawings to work with in terms of shapes and scale. Using these drawings, I had to dissect the information and take out interesting shapes. These shapes then needed to be cut out and made first on a small scale as a culture, then on a big scale on an actual person. I was really surprised about this. It was quite hard to work with three pieces/ shapes. They were challenging to join together, especially on the human model. I needed to attach them in such a way that they were visually interesting and had no spaces in between them or overlapping. I feel that I found this difficult because I was not creative enough with my choice of shapes. Perhaps next time I could use more varied shapes.

surprisingly, it was not too difficult for me to draw freely without the use of shading and in line drawing. I thoroughly enjoyed crating the illustrations. It was refreshing not having to shade everything and be specific. This project has presented me with many new ways of collecting data and transforming it into something tangible.

05/10/17 (Thursday) - Build It

The fact that we ha to use kebab stick in order to make massive structures was totally new for me. However, it was really interesting and I found it to be a rather enjoyable process much to my surprise. At first we had to create 3 small structures in teams of three, and then we needed to combine this structure with another group's structure. Thankfully for us, due to the uneven number of teams in the class, we had to team up two groups instead of just one. This meant that our structure would be varied in terms of it's design as each team's construction was uniquely different. While we were more delicate in our approach, the two teams we joined were more experimental and had lots of coloured tape on their constricted shapes. At first we found it a challenging process having to combine our structures together, debating on who's construction should go where. However, after on of us tried fixing the smaller structure on top, connection the other two to form a bridge with joined all our structures, we were sure it would be a successful outcome. It was also really hard keeping the structures in place while we worked because the tapes kept coming off and we had to keep re-taping it. Next time, we should try and put in more effort and to the actual sticking together of the construction, making sure the kebab sticks are well stuck together before moving forward. This removes the risk of everything falling apart when joining with other teams. 

Crit:

We got a lot of positive feedback. People liked that we used different materials and different things including colour tape and paper to add to the kebab structure. They also appreciated the way it was constructed, saying that it was strange and unexpected yet intriguing. When we set out to do this project we ha no idea we would produce this outcome. I am really pleased with it. While most of the class' constructions were quite horizontal, ours was vertical and almost like an tv tower. This makes me wonder where our structure could be located if it was really being built. It could perhaps be a for of public art in the parks for people to walk through. It could also be a building in an amusement park to fit in with a sci-fi themed ride. It really surprised me how I have all theses ideas and possibilities for a structure made out of kebab sticks. I thoroughly enjoyed using this unexpected method and material.

03/10/17 (Tuesday) - Use It

For this project, we were told that we would be designing a chair. In some ways our chairs had to be influenced by the classic stackable chairs around the school, so we were sent to do some observational drawings of people sitting on chairs in various ways. We needed to consider how people were sitting; for example, some people were leaning on the chairs while others were even squatting on the chairs. Some people changed the purpose of the chairs completely by using it for different functions such as using it as a footstool instead of a chair. I went around the archway campus and focused not just on the person or the chair itself but the interaction between the two. I focused on his the person is using the chair and in what way is it better or more comfortable for the person. I asked myself questions like; if the person is choosing to use the chair in this way, then can I adapt or design a chair that performed that same function? I found the observation drawings a houseful method for getting my ideas across the page and picking out what people like to do with their chairs and how they enjoying sitting on the chairs as well as the most repeated sitting positions. I would definitely use this method of research again because of its efficiency and how easy it is to simply record what you see in your surroundings. 

When it came to the actual designing and making of the chair, I found it to be quite a challenging process. I had to keep changing and refining my ideas as I went along because I was unable to manipulate the paper enough to give me the desires structure. In the end, what I produced was totally different from what I set out to achieve. Although the end product was okay, I feel like next time I need to focus on being practical with my design as well as time. Time was also one of the reasons why I had to keep redesigning. 

I feel that although I enjoyed the observation drawings and the design process of the chair,the Product Design and Ceramics area is not for me. If I was to consider a pathway for part 2 within 3DDA, it would most likely be between Jewellery design or Architecture. 

02/10/17 (Monday) - Wear It

I really enjoyed the JFFA presentation shown to us in the beginning of the class. It made me realise that I had such a narrow view of jewellery design and it opened my mind up to the thought of possibly choosing JFFA as an option for my specialist pathway. The presentation taught me that JFFA starts with the appreciation of materials. I have always been curious about the ways in which different materials such as metals and wood can be manipulated and turned into extraordinary object simply through craftsmanship. Not only did the presentation spark my interest in terms of the practical features of jewellery design, it enabled me to see the concepts that might lead to a piece. For example, Jewellery design can be a means of identification as well as a way of showing a connection between individuals (like a wedding ring). I really like this concept, especially through the culture images of a Masai warrior and the hindu bride that were shown on the presentation. The Masai warrior wore a rather heavily beaded earring in order to let the ladies know about his bachelor status. This is an interesting way of showing that jewellery is a good form of communication used by cultures all around the world. I also learned that jewellery can give one the ability to communicate their status or faith (like a crown for the queen or a cross for the pope) as well as show an individual's political stance. 

We were told to come up with words/ ideas to do with three words; Support, Suspend, Surround. I was able to come up with some words after a few minutes of brain storming. Examples of these words are;

SUSPEND : Tension, Bridges, Hanging, Balance, Performances and Delicate.

SURROUND: Strength, Carry, Bandages, Rigid, Casting, Skeleton, Soft, Construction, Care and Concern and Posture. 

SUPPORT: Secluded, Shield, Hug, Atmosphere, Restrain, Protection, Wrap, Suffocation, Trap, Skin, Folds, Crowd, Hair, Enclose and Noise.

I found it really difficult to find words for suspend and enjoyed coming up with words for surround and support instead. After some more contemplation regarding which of the words I preferred, I decided that I had more ideas for surround. I wanted to base my design or outcome on this word. 

The tutors mentioned the designer Maiko Takeda and upon doing some research which focused on ideas I could use to inform my brainstorming for designs to do with suspend, support and surround, I found images that went really well with surround. I feel that my drawings did communicate my ideas. However for some of the drawings I had to communicate my ideas as they weren't clear enough. Next time, I would draw in a simpler manner. Many of my drawings were a bit complicated due to the fact that I had no idea I would have to be working with restricted materials.  

I found working with the restricted materials surprisingly useful as it saved me time from trying to decide on colour. I chose to use paper straws and two cardboard cut out circles as well as some string. I found that due to the restriction of materials and time constraint, I was able to work quicker and more effectively. I had no time to waste on trying things out. I just needed to put my ideas forwards and present them as well as I could given the circumstance. I actually really enjoyed the making process, as well as the photography. I was able to present my final piece on a model. I was happy with the photographs. The only thing I would do differently next time is I would try and work more on the design itself. I thought I would have issues with time management but the  limited time was an advantage as it pushed me to work quicker and trust my instincts. 

28/09/17 (Thursday) - Site Specific Text

For this project we were told to out and look at our environment and find interesting location where we could add text in order to relay messages. For example, I went out and saw a few shelves near the cafeteria of the archway campus. After drawing a few of the shelves from different angles, I thought of the text that could accompany this surrounding. I could perhaps use something like 'potential has a shelf life'. I decided to look for more locations that I could use. This project reminding me of tumblr quotes which were sometimes text on a particular image. I decided to think of why people connected such quotes with certain locations and tried to find key objects that connected to specific words. 

I found a set of abandoned tires outside. They had plants in them, which meant that they were being used for a different purpose and not what they were originally manufactured to do. They made me want to do something which played around with the theme of irony and the fact that they were not being used for their purpose. I thought of songs such as 'rolling with the homies' by Coolio as well as the lyric 'They see me rolling' from Chamillionaire's hit song 'Ridin'. 

As another option, I wanted to tackle deep topics such as bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses. I found a few switches around the school building and thought I could use the idea of being able to switch emotions on and off. However, after a long discussion with the tutor and my fellow classmates, everyone preferred the lighthearted 'Rolling' So I decided to stick with that one. 

I made a mind map of fonts and decided to go online and look up Rock'n'Roll fonts because the tyres had that biker and street vibe to it. Seeing as I was already researching street music such as 'Ridin' by Chamillionaire, I thought adding a rodeo biker vibe would be a nice mix of cultures. I found a suitable font called NewRocker which was created in 2012 by Pablo Lupallare and proceeded to cut up the words. Instead of using song lyrics, I came up with the phrase 'Roll with me' so that when the words were stuck on to the tyres, it would be as though they were interacting with or speaking to the viewer.

Crit:

What was important to me was that people were able to read my text and make sense of it as well as the idea behind it. When it was time for the crit, I realised that the chosen Font (New Rocker) worked really well because my classmates thought it linked perfectly with the Rock'n Roll vibe I was aiming for. It was very legible too, and the size worked out with the arrangement on the tires. However, personally I feel that I could have been a little more creative with the display of the finished product. I could have had the  letters falling off one at a time or had some upside down giving the illusion of movement seeing as my whole idea revolved arrange the word 'rolling'. Despite this, I was still very glad that everyone could read the type and that the execution was okay despite me wanting to have done it differently. 

My classmates liked the concept as they helped me chose it. They found it very light-hearted and humorous as opposed to my other idea about switching off emotions and playing around with deep and harder themes such as mental illness. I am glad I decided to go with this lighter idea as more people were able to connect to it in a positive way. 

I feel that the space was used quite well because I tried out different compositions and ways to display the text. I tried using all the tyres by putting each word on a different tyre and using only one tyre by squeezing the phrase onto it. The style of typography suited the concept and my classmates thought that the use of language added to the humorous vibe of the piece. 

27/09/17 (Wednesday) - Lost Letters (Animation)

I had never created an animation using paper before so I decided to cut up the shapes first, using a limited colour scheme as we were told to do. I could only use the colours red and black, same as the print I did yesterday. I struggled a little bit with the limited colour palette because I wanted the shapes to be very visible and clear. I wanted a black background and the hand held stapler cut out to be red. However, I thought this would look quite boring so I decided to combine both black and red by cutting out a red border for where the black pieces would be so that they would be clear against the black background. 
 
Having decided on what works in terms of colour arrangement, I cut out the shapes and proceeded to take pictures of the piece. With each picture, I would move a part of the paper a tiny bit so that the finished animation would look like a hand pressing on the stapler/ using the stapler. I wanted the animation to show the object's function and communicate a message just like the signs on public toilets or the signs that tell people the floor is wet. I wanted the images to speak for themselves. 
 
A friend recommended that I use a video software called video shop where I could create the animation by combing all the images I took into one footage. After taking about 36 images, I proceed to do this. Although the hand and stapler movement was good, it all looked too subtle and simple. It needed something more. I went shared the video with a classmate in hopes to get some advice and they recommended that I cut out some more paper and make it as though actual staples were coming out of the stapler as it was being used. Taking this advice made the video look better and I was actually pleased with the outcome. However, if I had more time for this project, I would have done something more elaborate. I might have included sound in the video and made different versions of someone using a stapler. 

26/09/17 (Tuesday) - Lost Letters

The famous quote "I learned about the world by looking at the world" by Bastiat is what offered a kickstart to the day. By looking at the shapes of various letters, we were meant to create a print whether be it a cartoon version of a letter or abstract patterns surrounding the letter. This print had to be made through screen printing, a method I had done only once before in my life. I was throughly excited to try it out again. The tutors gave each student a letter to work with. Mine was the letter 'A'. I then spent about 15 to 20 minutes sketching out a range of different possibilities my print could be. 

I wanted my letterform to be simple so that my message can be read globally. I took inspiration from caution signs and warning signs and even the signs on the traffic signs of the red and green man. These signs and symbols can be read worldwide by anyone (even if they can't read and write). I turned the letter from upside down to try and make it into an ice cream cone. I tried animating it by giving it facial features such as eyes and a mouth. I also tried other things such as turning the 'A' shape into a closed umbrella. Although I liked most of my initial ideas, the Tutor thought one really stood out from the rest. This was the sketch in which I had turned the letter 'A' so that it was lying down and then drew a hand holding the letter so that it looked like someone using a stapler. 

We were told that we could only use black and red inks for our prints so I had to find ways to make my idea look good and decide where I wanted the red ink to go and where I wanted to have black ink instead. Looking back now, I wish I had though through the colours more. I ended up having just the fingernails as black and the rest of the print was red (apart from the letter itself). I feel that having more black would have provided a better contrast. Furthermore, I made a slight mistake with the stencils. When I cut up my shapes to print, I forgot to cut the thumb so the hand has only 4 fingers. This however, looks good. But unfortunately I had to spend time covering some shapes with masking tape because I cut the wrong things. I feel that next time I shall take more heed when cutting up my stencils. 

We were then asked to produce an animation using cut out versions of our prints. Due to the lack of time, I have decided to do the animation tomorrow (a self directed study day).

25/09/17 (Monday) - Poetic Cardboards

For this project I decided to start by looking at the project brief to make sure i'm clear on what my focus should be. I was given a  word from the selection of words on the brief and was put into a group of two. My word/ theme was Psychological, while my teammate's was Found Objects. I created a mind map of what the word psychological means to me. I wanted to explore ideas regarding the human emotion, our intellect, the factors that affect the way we think whether be it culture or society, and finally I wanted to investigate the connection between the physical and the non-physical.

I researched objects that I feel relate to the word Psychological. These objects were boxes, dice and cards. They are physical objects that challenge the mind and can also be found objects (they can be found in a person's house, in shops and in many other places such as schools). I then decided to think of non-physical things that relate to the word physiological. I thought of the passage of time and how we could create time lapse videos to show movement and progression. I also thought about hypnosis and whether or not it is actually real or if it is a trick being played on our psyche. I thought of unusual patterns of behaviour as well as what it would be like being in a constant state of insanity. 

My teammate however, had a different idea in mind. She was interested in the idea of media and how it influences us. We did some research into Media Psychology and found out that it is as though we are being hypnotised by social media and being fed all this information that is slowly desensitising us and making us think certain things are acceptable while others are not. It is a very gradual process that shapes the way we view the world around us through looking at a computer screen. 

 I feel that a design context changed the nature of our work in the sense that now, we are trying to communicate a message to the world and this message had to be legible whether through words or an image, people have to make sense of what we are trying to convey. I feel that the only way we can be able to evaluate the success of our work is through others. If they understand the message one is trying to put across with their piece of work then that is a positive outcome. 

My teammate and I decided that it would be best to present an image to the class. We wanted a computer screen to represent the media and we wanted a picture of someone sitting and staring vacantly at the screen. We quickly planed the model's position and decided to do a bit of reevaluation. It was decided that the model should have a mask covering her face to give a more eerie and sinister aura to the image. We were trying to show the negative influences of the media. In this case, we were trying to show that by being online too much we are turning into robots that can't think for themselves. We are being stripped off of our inciduality by being fed all sorts of information and being shown what is acceptable and what is not.  After taking a series of images, we decided to edit them on photoshop. We came across many obstacles while doing this project, one of which was the over editing of the images. By the time we were done with photoshop, the effects added to the images took away from its simplicity, making it very challenging for anyone to know the message we were trying to convey. I decided to start afresh and pick a couple of pictures and just transform them into simple black and white images. We were very pleased with how they turned out. However, deciding on the right image to showcase was rather challenging because of the following factors:

  • The background - We wanted a clear background so that nothing would distract the viewer for the focal object. However, some backgrounds (depending on the angle at which the picture was taken had a lot of interesting things such as a telephone (landline) which could further show how we have become chained to technology and the cyber world. 
  • The mask - In some of the images, the mask didn't show because we took the picture from behind the model in hopes of capturing the computer screen.
  • The screen - The computer screen did not show in many images because we were trying to get the mask to show instead. It was difficult to fond the perfect angle that would capture both the mask and the screen.

To solve this issue, we decided to choose 3 images that would show various angles of the model looking at the computer screen. This way, our idea can easily be communicated to the class. I feel that the potential role or function might my work could have outside this project is that it can serve as an advertisement, a campaign image, or even a propaganda image against the over use of the internet. During our feedback season my teammate and I were pleased to hear that upon seeing our images, the rest of the class had similar ideas of what we were trying to communicate. Many of them mentioned issues such as cyber bullying, the media brainwashing viewers and many more. 

21/09/17 (Thursday) - Collection Project

Upon reaching school, we were told that we would soon have to exhibit our work. I still had a few pieces left that I wanted to add to my tree. Some of my teammates saw the unfinished structure and told me to add a few more toothpicks to the top so that it had a more aggressive and intense look when it was done. 

Crit Feedback:

My teammates thought that the white background with which I displayed my work made it stand out. They enjoyed looking at the form and structure of the piece and made comments about how it looks to them like an architectural building model (such as a skyscraper). Some said when they looked at the wood, they thought of recycled materials and the practice of recycling. Others said that it reminded them of a weapon. I was pleased to hear this because this was partly what I was intending for it to look like. 

Many liked the fact that I did not use any paint or add any type of colour to the cutlery and left them in their natural form. This showcased the grain of the wood. They were also glad that the piece had no title and that it was open to interpretation. I was surprised to hear this because I thought it would be better for it to have a title that could somehow communicate my idea. My teammates though that the piece spoke for itself.

After taking a look at everyone else's final outcomes, I feel that next time I should be even more ambitious with my piece and perhaps do something on an even larger scale. A piece that stood out to me out of all the other student's work was a bowl of jello containing objects from the owner's childhood. I loved the way it was presented against a white background in contrast to the harsh red of the jello. I was also really impressed with the concept of saving fun childhood memories and protecting them within the softness of the jello.

20/09/17 (Wednesday) - Collection Project

Giuseppe Penone's wooden fingerprint influenced me to do some research into geology as well as nature. I had a look at trees and the way we are able to tell their age just by taking a look at their growth ring. Trees make one growth ring each year so the entire period of a tree's life is made. I wanted to show this in my structure but since the cutlery I have were so thin and I didn't have enough time to carve each one by tomorrow, I had to think of a more practical solution. I decided instead to create a 3D structure that resembled a tree and that each of the pieces would create lines that tell a story. The story I wanted to convey is that of the tree's journey in terms of being taken away from nature and being used for humanity's benefit. The thing which we destroy is what we perhaps need the most. I started off by sticking a lot of the cutlery together so they would make the stem of the tree. I did not realise what a long process t would be and half way through, I decided to re-evalute my idea. 

Instead of it looking entirely like a tree, I wanted it to also look like a weapon because I suddenly had an idea of nature retaliating and taking revenge of all the harm humanity is causing to it through unfortunate things like deforestation. I decided to use toothpick on the top so that they resembled branches but also looked like hedge hog spikes; almost as though the tree was protecting itself. At this point, I also did some research on actual plants that responded to touch, such as the famous touch me not tree.

If I had more time, I would have stuck with my initial idea of carving or even creating a structure almost identical to a tree. However, I am quite pleased that I was under time pressure because I was able to generate ideas that I wouldn't have necessarily thought about. 

19/09/17 (Tuesday) - Collection Project

By 2pm on Thursday, I need to have my collection ready for presentation. Although I like my red collection, I feel like I would prefer to present something 3D. I had printed out and cut out all the pictures with the red objects and instead of the printer to print them out red, they came out a neon yellow colour. I was mortified at first, however after printing them out a second time, they came out red. When I placed both colours side by side, they looked rather good and I decided to collage the images in my sketch book as my first outcome for the collection project. 

Having completed my collage, I still had more stuff to collect for my 3D collection. I dug through my items at home and found a collection of wooden cutlery. I was intrigued by the small grains within the wood and wanted to see if I can arrange the cutlery in an aesthetically pleasing way. I tried out many methods including standardisation, a formal presentation, classification and even played around with space.

Other forms of presentation I learned about today:

  • Homogenisation
  • Fabrication
  • Narratives/Time
  • Archiving
  • Taxonomy
  • Referencing
  • Compounding
  • Duplication/Repetition
  • Removal Of difference
  • Re-contextualisation
  • Metaphor
  • Non Visual Presentation
  • Performative/Events

I took a look at the work of Bernd Becher & Hitler Becher. They wanted to standardise their images so that they were the same size so that people were forced to see the difference. The method of their photography is very important to the success of their work. Likewise, I wanted to take pictures of my cutlery and make people see that each pice of wood was different and unique. Although I took many pictures, I felt that it would be better to do something different with the wood. I proceeded to carve a little section on one of the wooden spoons and found it quite easy to do so. However, I was confused as to what design to carve out. I told my tutor about my dilemma and after a quick conversation about my progress, I was directed towards a few images of different works created by the artist Giuseppe Penone. I was immediately captivated by the wooden structures. Penone's work inspired me to decide that it would be better for me to create some form of structure with my wooden cutlery. I would also really like to explore more of his work tomorrow when I start creating my final outcome for this project. 

18/09/17 (Monday) - Collection Project

I went outside and spent a few hours observing the streets. I had a few challenges deciding on what to take pictures of at first. Initially, the idea of taking pictures of people's movement through their shadows intrigued me. However, many people in the group we also leaning towards that idea and I wanted to be a little different. I noticed that there were a lot of objects with the colour red. I then decided to collect the colour in the form of images so I took pictures of abandoned coca cola cans, people's socks and with their permission I was able to get food pictures of a few people's red coats. Red is such an intense colour with a high level of saturation. I felt that it would interesting to explore what I could do with the colour. I want to collage it and cut out all the red shapes in order to create a new form. The red collection reveals the everyday life of people on the street, from their journey on the big red bus to the type of drink they like (coca cola). I have learnt to be observant and to pay attention to minor details that I would otherwise overlook on a normal day. 

17/09/17 (Sunday) - Wellcome Collection Visit

Having created a mind-map brainstorming artists and locations I could take a look at for this project, I decided to go to the Wellcome Collection and take a look at Medicine Man. However, as I went in with the intention of only doing research on the materials I found within the Medicine Man exhibition, I realised that there was another exhibition called the 'Museum Of Modern Nature'. I was afraid I would not find many interesting things however quickly discarded this fear because the gallery itself is a collection of work. This reminded me about my thoughts on what actually is a collection and what humans collect.  In this exhibition I saw all sorts of objects ranging from trail trainers to model cars. What stood out to me the most was that they were all connected in the fact that they meant a lot to the owner. There were all personal objects and the whole collection comprised of these personal objects. 

The 'Museum Of Modern Nature' exhibition was so different to 'Medicine Man' which was a more historical and cultural collection of objects. I did many sketches of the objects I found intriguing and I hope to somehow implement them in my work. One of my favourite part of the 'Medicine  Man' was the range of masks, some of which had hair. I enjoyed sketching the different textures. John Isaac's 'I can't help the way I feel' also stood out to me due to the way in which the human body was expanded and distorted. It made me think of how the human body itself is a collection of DNA, cells and tissue. 

16/09/17 (Saturday) - Collection Project

Today I decided to have a look at my next project brief, which was 'Collections'. I wanted to utilise my time on a Saturday and visit one of the exhibitions mentioned on the brief. I decided on the Wellcome collection not only because of the fact that it's name contains my project title, but because I was intrigued to find out what scientific collections I could gain inspiration from. However, as I set out on my journey I noticed numerous holes people on the side of the road and underneath bridges. I noticed that each of them had a collection of their essential belongings and it awed me that as humans, we tend to give any object value and have a tendency of collecting many objects that we don't necessarily need. Due to this new revelation, I decided to do further research on what a collection actually means to me and what I consider to be a collection or what society does. The research I did focused on examining the materials on the mattress of a homeless woman which included books, items of clothing and a few bags. I also noticed how worn these items were and the different textures this resulted in. The homeless man next to her had even fewer items in his sleeping bag. If I had more time, I would have done a few sketches to show my observations. I am really intrigued about the sentimental value we attach to items. 

14/09/17 (Thursday) - Ideas Factory

I worked on a few ideas more regarding the ideas factory project today. We were told to do quick 1 minute sketches of our ideas and I found it rather difficult coming up with ideas in such a short span of time. I had to think on my feet and try not to worry about making mistakes. All I was concerned about was generating new ideas that I could sketch. It was refreshing to be able to sketch so much of my thoughts as opposed to focusing on one drawing for a long amount of time. 

I came up with a few designs amongst which was a proposal for an umbrella shaped construct that could go around a city in order to protect the citizens from  harsh climate and bad weather. The members of my group thought this idea stood out and that I should try developing it. They liked it because the sketch was self - explanatory. All the other sketches required me to further explain my ideas behind them. I feel that my ideas weren't  communicated as well as I would have liked. Next time, I would try to make my sketches simple and easy to understand. Perhaps I could even space them out more on the page.

I focused on the development of the chosen umbrella sketch and looked at a range of different materials I could use if I was to create it. Although I liked the idea of the stained glass window we came up with as a team, I prefer the umbrella because I love experimenting with a rang of different media. If I had more time for this project I would have attempted to make the umbrella out of the materials from my research (such as foam, string, Buf-puf Body Sponge). 

12/09/17 (Tuesday) - Ideas Factory

Today I was able to do some research on the ideas factory at the kings cross CSM library. At first, it was rather difficult to look for books that related to my theme of Animalism, Draw and Light. however, after me and the rest of my team did some investigation, we came across 3 books that peaked our interests. One of which was 'Detail in contemporary design' by Jill Entwistle. I found that being put into teams really helped with the research process because  everyone had different ideas and we are able to pick and choose the best ideas and combine them in order to reach the development stage of the project. 

Through looking at an image of  a stained glass window in the book 'Detail in contemporary design', we came up with the idea of having a stained glass window with lots of intricate design and patterns as our final outcome. This way we would have combined all elements of our brief into the final out come (Draw, Light and Animalism). 

Animalism can also be defined as the study of what it means to be human. Being human means that we have the ability  to create as we'll as document things. Glass stained windows are a great way to show this because throughout history, they have been used in windows of churches, mosques and other significant buildings. I feel that if we had more time, we could have actually tried creating a miniature glass stained window. I would have loved to see how we could paint the glass and perhaps learn new skills along the way. 

11/09/17 (Monday) - Ideas Factory

I decided to look at the project brief of the Ideas factory to give me an information about what the project requires me to do. I was then given my 3 words; Animalism (the theme), Light (the material) and Draw (the process). Animalism was a new word for me so I decided to look up it's definition. Much to my surprise, it was not only 'the behaviour that is characteristic of animals' as stated in the dictionary, but it could also be the study of what it means to be human. I created a mind map to brainstorm my initial thoughts on the three words given. 

While animalism gave me the impression of issues like identity (due to it being the study of what it manes to be human), light brought to mind things such as the colour spectrum, energy, sunlight and solar panels. Draw on the other hand, made me think about the stone age and how even early humans used this traditional method to communicate their thoughts ideas. All of these words were very different to each other but I wanted to see if it was possible to create something that combined them all together. I started off by sketching structures such as glass rulings with solar panels and lighthouses that used fire instead of electricity because I wanted to relate it to my thoughts on the stone age.