IMOGEN

This is an important reference point for my FMP in that it inspires and encourages a resourceful way of looking at the way we use or rather 'don't' use objects that we regard to be 'broken, trash or useless'.

http://www.fixperts.org/

FMP Timetable: 

Wk Beginning	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri
25th Feb
4th March	Hand in completed SOI (2 copies) for staff approval 10.30	Journal Research Day	Journal Research Day continued	Journal Research Continued	Research Practitioners to apply to FMP
11th March	Explore potential paths for FMP that stem from ‘Resurrection’.	Work in sketch book and generate ideas for further development	Work towards generating some designs based on exploration	Review current development and attempt to amend progress so far	Work in sketch book and generate ideas for further development
18th March	Dave’s Making Workshop: Approach designs and form maquettes	Further the ‘Making Workshop’ work Update Blog	Research for Journal and sketchbook based on progression of ideas	Apply more current ideas, artists/practitioners and research to work.	Review Weeks progress and reflect on maquette making. Update Blog
Easter
15th April	Discuss realization over Easter with Dave and review potential for FMP	Finalise ideas for the direction for my FMP exhibition and conclude sketch book work/Journal	Explore potential ideas for exhibition and what I aim to create finally	Update Blog, Journal, Sketch Book. Generate ideas based on exploration	Gather Materials to use in order to start making for exhibition
22nd  April	Finalise ideas/plans for exhibition aims	Finalise ideas/plans for exhibition aims. Be making!	Making final outcome	Making final outcome	Update journal/sketchbook based on weeks progress
29th  April	Finalise designs and maquette ideas. Be making final products	Be focusing on completing final design products	Be focusing on completing final design products and	Explore layout and design for my exhibition	Decide on how I want my exhibition space to look/layout
1st May	Update Blogs/ journal/ sketchbook. General admin. Start to finalise outcome making sessions	Collect everything I need in order to set up space for exhibition building. Plus finish making.	Finish making. Do general admin on any work that needs completing or amending	FREAK OUT! Create solid design plan for exhibition space and gather everything that I will need to create it	Gather all work, materials and designs ready to set up for exhibition build. Create portfolio of best work over course
13th May	Exhibition Build
20th May			FMP Deadline
27th May	Peer Review	Assessments
3rd June	Assessments
10th June				Private View

5/03/13:

Journal Research day: 

Spent the day in the Library and around the art building having a nose through quite a few books and articles. Came across Michael Marriott, Willem Heeffer and Worapong Manupipatong. These three designers really relate to the concept I am interested in, that is of re-use and in some respects 'up-grading' materials that we regard to be useless or broken, also looking at alternative and efficient ways of utilizing existing products in a way that transforms their original intended design/purpose.

Michael Marriott

Michael Marriott

Michael Marriott

Intrigued by Michael Marriott and Willem Heefers resourceful use of materials.

                                  

Willem Heefer

Willem Heeffer

11/03/13:

Looked up the definition of Resurrection; I wanted to fully explore and understand to what extent I could apply concepts and ideas to 'Resurrection.



Here's what I found:


Definition of resurrection
noun
[mass noun]
• the action or fact of resurrecting or being resurrected:
• the revitalization or revival of something:

res•ur•rect  
Verb:
1. - Restore (a dead person) to life.
2. - Revive the practice, use, or memory of (something); bring new vigour to.


Synonyms:
revive - resuscitate - arise - rise


Resurrection (anglicised from Latin resurrection) is the concept of a living being coming back to life after death. It is a religious concept, where it is used in two distinct respects: a belief in the resurrection of individual souls that is current and on-going (Christian idealism, realized eschatology), or else a belief in a singular "Resurrection of the Dead" event at the end of the world. Most eschatology’s believe in a universal resurrection, wherein all people from all history are resurrected. The Resurrection of the Dead is a standard eschatological belief in the Abrahamic religions. In a number of ancient religions, a life-death-rebirth deity is a deity which dies and resurrects. The death and resurrection of Jesus is the central focus of Christianity.
The soul is believed by some to be the divine and immortal part of the human being, and some believe it is the actual vehicle by which people are resurrected. However, theological debate ensues with regard to what kind of resurrection is factual – either a spiritual resurrection with a spirit body (i.e. Heaven), or a material resurrection with a restored human body. While most Christians believe Jesus' resurrection was in a material body, a very small minority believe it was spiritual.

There are documented rare cases of the return to life of the clinically dead which are classified scientifically as examples of the Lazarus syndrome, a term originating from the Biblical story of the Resurrection of Lazarus.

Rubens 'The resurrection of Christ'.

Resurrection definitely has a major religious, or rather, spiritual value associated with the word, for obvious reasons. But that's not quite what I want to explore in my FMP. I am looking to approach it from a more, I guess you could say, economical perspective. Basically it's not about being 'deep', its about being resourceful and efficient with what already exists as an object or material. 

In terms of resurrection, I will be looking at materials/objects that have reached the end of their 'life' and are no longer of any use to us (or so we think). 

13/03/13:

Went on a scavenge hunt to see what I could find just lying around the studios, asked for old bits and bobs that people didn't want anymore. Apparently people thought I meant, "Can you finally tidy your desk and pop all of your old lunch bags in this here box?" 
I did manage to collect quite a few plastic bottles and paper cups though.

Here's a list of some of the things I did manage to grab that weren't covered in old chicken tikka or melted chocolate:

Bottles
Paper
Foil
Card
Cups (paper)
Wire
Tin
Toilet rolls
Rope
Cord
Boxes
Lunch Bags (lots!)
Pens
Pencils
Glue sticks
Springs


14/03/13

Had a tutorial one-to-one with Joe:

I talked Joe through the beginnings of my project 'Resurrection'. We discussed what sort of thing/concept I was aiming for and we looked into maybe specifically looking at re-using old packaging. The idea being that the whole product was used and useful including the packaging. Nothing goes to waste. We suggested and discussed the connection between food waste and the container waste. Joe told me about these designs he had come across where someone had made an old milk bottle into a garden shovel simply by cutting it up in the right places in order to create a handle and shovel capable of digging. 

He then pointed out the possibilities of using food, for example, reuse in food and cuisine:

 Panzanella Salad: 





Italian dish that is centered around using up all the stale bread in the house that you are about to throw out. Having always worked in the catering business and growing up in it, as my Dad has owned his own restaurants and things, there are quite a few connections I have made through the waste I see and also create when working in that environment. And often it's stupidly simple and pointless things like, that aubergine is the wrong colour, or, this egg yolk is too big or too orange, so, we then have to throw it out because 'some people with complain and not like it'. As I always say, well then, they can suck it.

Anyway, my point is that in our everyday, we make pointless decisions based on a tad bit of ignorance that means we don't use things to their full potential, like some old stale bread.

Also, if you want the recipe, here it is. (It's a gooden)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/panzanella_tuscan_tomato_09380

15/03/13

Chatted to Joe again about a few more things we had thought about over the day. Joe told me about this guy that he knew that took a few folder organisers and arranged them in a way that formed a table top that was also useful for storage. Wicked!

He also told me about this design he had made a while back where he was making beetroot juice one night and realised that there was so much fiber and waste left that he had to make use of it. So, with that fiber he processed it and made a cork for the bottle that he put his beetroot juice in.

Joe has some great ideas and designs up his sleeves. Really helpful in aiding the realisation of my project so far. Check him out!

http://josephjameshartley.wordpress.com/






17/03/13:

Another Research day:

Researched resourceful designs and ways of exploiting efficiency to its full potential and taking advantage of space. Helped me think about things on a larger scale. Do I want to create a space? A piece of furniture? Lighting? 

Anyway, I stumbled across these guys. they are extremely innovative in their use of space, or rather lack of space. Incredible designs that really relate to the idea of taking something that is used for one thing and forming it into something that could be used for another. Really interesting ways of conserving space through intuitive design.

http://www.resourcefurniture.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9MpdPGC9Oa0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dAa6bOWB8qY


Also researched processes of recycling things I tend to have an abundance of, or always see being thrown away. My answer? PAPER! Found some ways to process paper, create your own custom paper and how to recycle it. Also, weaving. Weaving it pretty darn cool. You can create some really sound structures just by weaving. Filled in a few pages worth of a 'HOW TO:' in my sketchbook/diary.


18/03/13:

Brainstorm sesh:

So seeing as people threw all of their old scrap paper at me, I thought I should have a go at making some use of it. Paper? Paper Mache. I thought about the potential of paper mache, but not in terms of piggy's banks etc. Thinking along the lines of casting, like we used to when we would use a balloon for our piggy's, I considered what could be more challenging. I came to the conclusion that I would try to mache cast an arm using all this scrap paper that people had thrown away.

Now, thinking along the lines of creating a product, out of scrap, and forming into something useful and possibly with the consideration of conserving space. I thought about what I am most guilty for, being a student, and not a particularly tidy one at that. What is the thing I find hardest to keep clear?

I like to call it my Floordrobe.

So in this respect, I thought about the potential of the cast acting as some kind of clothes hook.

Had to consider how strong the structure of the cast would be, would it be strong enough to bare the weight of clothes? Probably not, I would definitely need to re-enforce it. If I filled it using using something that, when dried, would be solid and capable of baring the weight of, say, several coats.

This then led me to the idea of creating, if the mache was successful, a series of different hand gesture based clothes hook casts. I filled a few pages of sketches of these designs in my sketchbook/diary.


19/03/13:

Trash Talk:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

Trash talk?, no, trash music. But not as we know it. I am in complete admiration for these incredible people. They truly are making the best out of a bad situation, but I can't help ponder, are they more content than us 'westerners'?. When you have nothing to loose, you have everything to gain, and this shows in their determination in encouraging musical ambition and passion. But it's not necessarily the music I would like to bring to your attention, but the resourcefulness they ensue. Their use of 'waste' as a material is astoundingly creative and intuitive. Give it a gander.

20/03/13:

Attempted a Papier Mache cast of Graylings arm...

Didn't really go to plan.

Pictures will be up soon.

It started like this...

21/03/13:

Attempted a Mod Rok cast of Yini's arm, it starting off really well, started to dry. But it was a tad tricky actually getting the cast OFF her arm. We had to cut down the side of the cast right down to the thumb, obviously all this trauma to the cast made it sort of collapse in on itself. The fingers became loose and started to detach from the actual cast, and it was all a bit of a shambles. But, BUT! I did manage to salvage the cast.
Once it had dried properly, I glue gunned it all back together. I took a long time, and was really challenging because it was so fiddly and delicate. But I managed it and i fixed it! Success!

We got the cast off:

All glued together, now to just wait for it to dry...

All dried.

28/03/13:

Went back and did some more research and came across Willem Heeffer again and realised how much I like his can lighting.





So I had a rummage through my box of 'rubbish' and found an old tin can and decided to give the little guy a new lease on life.

After thinking of design after design and nothing really springing to mind that inspired much confidence, I thought about the capacity that the can had in it's solid and very strong structure. After studying the shape and the fact that it was completely selfcontained apart from the obvious fact that one end was open. That led me to think about light being trapped inside the tin and how I could manifest that into creating an interesting source of light if placed inside the tin. That's when I decided to hammer into the tin, attempt to create a pattern in order to form a lampshade.

Here's how it went:

Then first lot of holes went quite badly, it was quite challenging to keep the tin steady, hammer into the tin and maintain consistency in the size of the holes, whilst also attempting  to create some sort of pattern.

As you can tell, it takes a while to get the knack and master the art of hammering into a can...

Got the hang of it, starting to attempt a pattern.

The can's shape started to distort quite a lot so I tried to re-apply the original shape by forcing the inside back out. Although I didn't account for this distortion to occur, and it's not really what I wanted, I quite like the way the crinkled can looks. On it's own as a material, the effect is really very visually interesting and quite aesthetically pleasing. I really like the way you can manipulate the tin and create these lovely effects with it, it holds a more naturally beautiful value/element. Maybe I can apply this technique using the tin to another design.

This is the view of the inside, the effect it reminiscent of a the serrated edge of a grater. I am interested in the way the holes look extremely different from the outside compared to the inside. On the outside the holes have soft lines and look almost as though they didn't need much force, more a sort of a knife through butter effect, in order to create the holes. Whereas, when looking at the inside, we can see there has been a large force impact and the effect is almost that of a gun shot. The edges are extremely sharp and serrated, and look somewhat vicious. This is a major juxtaposition between the inside and out. 

All together, although on first glance this maquette doesn't seem to hold much value in terms of development or on basic visual aesthetic, I feel that if you look at it and consider all aspects of the piece, and look at it's face value of the natural dynamics of the material. It is a big stepping point in my realistion of potential of materials and how this tin, that someone was about to throw out, has the capacity to create such beautiful effects and concepts with a little help from a hammer. Not too shabby.



30/03/13:


Went back to the tin maquette lampshade after finding and old bathroom mirror where the stem was falling off. So I decided to use it as a stand in for a lamp shaft to my maquette:

Fin.

2/04/13:

Having a bit of trouble trying to source materials or objects and transpose them into products that have the potential for success. Finding it hard to come up with designs without having the materials in front of me to realise concepts. I think it's time for another scavenge hunt and skip diving session.

5/04/13:

After the second scavenge hunt, I managed to grab a few of these bad boys:

One of these:

And one of these:

Spent the rest of the day sketching designs for the cable storage as a table. Still not incredibly inspired, it's getting harder to find objects that are easily accessible in that people are throwing out and am worried about the fact that if the approach to this project is spontaneous design based on found objects, I won't be able to plan ahead and realise and FMP outcome for exhibition until last minute because I have no idea what I might stumble, or rather not stumble across, next.

10/04/13:

Had a chat to Li after they gave their presentation: 'Matt and Li's tips for SUCCESS'.

I explained what my project was about and showed him what I had come up with so far, he really liked them and liked the concept basis for my project. He then told me about some projects he was involved in for his degree and how a few of them involved a few skip dives and how this led to some really bizarre and fun designs. One of which was inspired by the fact that he was a lazy guy that liked skating but not cleaning. so in a skip he managed to grab an old skate board and broom. With these he made a hybrid product that served the function of being able to sweep the floor by riding the skateboard. I really like this humorous approach to looking at design, it's a bit fun and wacky. 

12/04/13:

Had a few more days of playing about with ideas and designs, trying to stumble across something that could create a solid basis for my projects outcome. So, so far I have a few options in which to develop my project in order to focus for the final stages. 

-The connection between food waste and container waste.

-Conserving space through recycled design.

-Taking objects with previous purposes and forming them into having new ones.

All of the options are interesting, but I am still having the same doubts that I have been, in terms of having the safety of knowing that i can plan ahead, and that it won't all be down to spontaneity and what I manage to scavenge.

15/04/13:

I remebered that over the Easter break, we had been sifting through loads of stuff that had been passed down to us from grandparents and things. A large majority from my Grandmother. This has triggered the start of a potential path for my project.

With this in mind, I went back to my SOI and had a re-read of it. I have realised that the issue I was having with previous paths for ideas was that they didn't really mean anything to me. The objects had no connection to me and it was all about stumbling upon these objects that could maybe become something. As I was rummaging around in these boxes of sentimental gold, it has dawned on me that this is the direction I want my project to take.


SOI:

The title of my Final Major Project will be ‘resurrection’. I will be working towards producing products/designs that will hopefully consist of ‘Resurrected’ items/materials. My proposed end point is taking objects/materials and redefining its use into another. This relates to my work and ideas from the pathway stage and it incorporates the strong theme of ‘reuse’ of materials, objects in terms of the ‘circle of life’ process and something having a past. In relation to my pathway stage I will be working metaphorically/representationally but also practically in terms of creating something that could have a function as well as being representational of the chosen subject matter. In terms of creative ability I aim to put my ability into action by ‘making’ as well a ‘proposing’. My creative ability is high when regarding creating, designing and making and I aim to put this to use throughout this project. I intend my project to be quite experimental, exploring materials possibilities and design potentials. My project will be without restriction or constraint.

My personal attitude towards the environment and sustainability and my keen interest in objects or materials with a past/history is what initially influences me, however, further research on the matter in relation to artists and 3D practitioners have aided me in inspiration and reference for my own developing ideas for this project. When considering inspiration and influences when looking at practitioners I am highly influenced my designers such as Worapong Manupipatpong and Michael Marriott. Both designers work relate in some way to my work either in its efficiency, re-used materials or freedom of design. I intend to explore a wide range of areas in my project, for example, when considering materials I shall research places that I might obtain certain objects, materials and processes but also their history. The functionality of it, melting points, manipulation potential etc. In this respect my research could very well begin ‘close to home’ as these materials and inspiration can be found anywhere really.

I intend to follow the idea and process/technique of recycling/reuse as much as possible. The intention of ‘Resurrection’ should be not to restrict the possibilities of function of previous materials, therefore I will be using multiple techniques and processes that relate to individual materials that I encounter for example; metal work, carving, wood work etc. For the first 2 weeks I plan to research heavily into reuse and recycling and the processes of different materials that I will possibly be using. I also plan to apply artists and practitioners/designers during these weeks. The following week I intend to research by gathering materials and exploring locations that I could find appropriate materials, on completing this I will then begin to experiment with the materials and potential designs. From this point my project will be solely development of ideas and experimentation with materials and designs.

When critically reviewing and analysing my work and determining if it is successful I will take into account a number of factors. I will definitely be using peer feedback and critique to ensure I am fully exploring the potential of any idea, I will also review how much my project and work fits the criteria I have stated in my SOI. My assessment of my work will consist of different elements that I feel will best ensure thorough critique. 

16/04/13:

Talked to Dave about the new direction I want to take with my project outcome path. I told him about the worries I have been having and how it led me to develop the concept of this new idea. He was really helpful in the discussion, and really gave me some clarity in the realisation of my project.

So, here's a back log of the grounds for my project:

My Grandmother was a bit of a hoarder when it came to jewelry. I am talking boxes and boxes of the stuff. My sister and I grew up putting on all of these gems and dressing up with her. When she died, we inherited this mass of beads. Now, don't get me wrong, the majority of this jewelry is completely worthless. We're talking plastic beaded necklaces that you would expect from primark. But these were all tokens of her life and all that she had acquired through the years, through travel, friends, charity shops, presents and all. But the thing is, just because they're made of plastic, it doesn't mean they ARE worthless. In fact, they are some of the most valuable things I own. Because in terms of sentimental value, they mean the world and more. this jewelry is precious to me, and I want to convey that sentimental value into a contemporary form.

Dave and I discussed things we associated with contemporary luxury and wealth and I decided that what epitomised extravagance to me was, a Chandelier.

"The image that I aim to create is of objects that people associate with wealth and materialistic values. i.e, chandelier. These images will be built from remnants of objects that are of value to me on a personal level not known to the viewer. Restore something from the past and giving it a contemporary relevance."


17/04/13:

I have done a ton of journal and sketchbook/diary work over the past couple of days and have really made some solid progress on what I would like outcome to be. I have decided that I will create a Chandelier made from my Grandmother's old junk jewelry in which I will hopefully display it in my exhibition space in a possibly 'in situ' situation.

Among the things I have inherited, my Nana's wedding dress it one of them, and it really is the most precious thing I have of hers. In fact, that my sister and I have of hers. This has led me to the potential space design of having the chandelier suspended with my Grandmothers wedding dress displayed with it. Now the relevance of the Dress is more significant than ever as my sister is getting married this summer and her wedding is a real homage/nod to our Nana. Her engagement ring was my Grandmothers, she is using designs and fabrics of hers etc. So basically my Grandmother is being resurrected through my sisters wedding.

In terms of resurrection, I am resurrecting her old posessions, the ones I inherited and fondly recall the major impact they had on our childhood's. The fact that whenever I pick her jewelry or look at it, I remeber her like I saw her yesterday. So in this way, I guess you could say I am resurrecting her by making this Chandelier. I am making one big memory.

Also, in a chat I had with Matt her suggested possibly displaying the dress in a wardrobe with one door open, through which the dress would be visible. I thought this could really work and told Dave in our next chat what the plans where. He mentioned Doris Salcedo's work, it's incredibly interesting stuff:

I am running out of time, so I am really going to have to put every single brain cell to work and come up with a solid plan and idea for my final outcome and exhibition space, no time to mess about now. I haven't really got much time to explore using maquettes either as I have lost some time from having trouble with earlier issues of clarity in my project. However, I am feeling really happy with where my project is headed now, and feel I could really create something interesting with this concept. Very pleased!

I have also done some investigation into death and resurrection in art. A lot of it has gone into my journal but I feel I should document it here also. Now that my project has taken a wild turn into something very personal to me, as opposed to the original disconnected materials idea I am having to research and document a bit deeper. 






While doing this research I have come across a lot of art that relates to shrines and tombs. this is relevant to what I might potentially end up with as an exhibit. Now, I am not saying I want my space to be a shrine, nor do I want it to resemble one, but the idea behind it is slightly influenced by them. The Chandelier is going to be very important to me, not just for this project, not just this course, but me personally, my memories, emotions etc. I don't wanna get too soppy!

Anyway, so the idea is, is that this Chandelier is like my Nana being resurrected. It is everything that epitomised her, that is of little money value but extreme sentimental value formed into a contemporary form/example of worth. In a way, it is like a shrine, or a tomb in that it is dedicated to her and her memory.




22/04/13:


I have done even more research for my journal and sketchbook, that's why I haven't updated recently. I have also been focusing on designs for the Chandelier and have finalised how I would like it to look. Today I made a very quick maquette of how I aim to construct the tiers of the Chandelier:

The maquette is quite flimsy as it is only made from thin wire and thread, but has done it's job and given me an insight and idea of how the dynamics other chandelier will work if I am to follow my design, this is how it will be constructed.


I then made a quick maquette of how I might attach and go about making strands of beads to make up the chandelier tiers:

Planning on photoshopping this to create a photo maquette for a whole tier with this design in mind.



23/04/13 - 25/04/13:

Another making day:

Went shopping and bought a large utility ring and six other smaller rings, decreasing gradually in size to act as the tier rings from which I will hang the bead strands.

This first tier rim took two days to construct. I have to take apart the bracelets, thread them onto fishing line then between  each bead wire them to the utility ring, then glue gun the bead from the back to the wire ring in order to secure their position. It was a long arduous process, with lots of burns and cuts but, I got there and am fairly happy with the outcome

26/04/13: I am going back down to Southampton today to pick up more jewelry for my Chandelier. I will post again when I am back.




30/04/13:

Managed to collect a fair amount of jewelry from Southampton. I have spent the day pulling apart my Grandmother's jewelry. It took a lot of gumption to work up the courage, but I grew a pair and did it. It took a bloomin' long time to pull it all apart. A lot of blisters, blood and swearing.

A VERY SMALL amount of the jewelry. Didn't have the camera to had to use Grayling's i-phone camera.

Beads removed from chains and threads etc. Took a while, but I did it. They are now all ready to thread.

So far my final outcome is going well, I aim to start adding the Chandelier strands soon and forming each tier.


1/05/13:

I have started the long process of making the strands to create the individual tiers. I have gone about using fishing line, tying the end, then glue gunning a bead onto the know, then threading the beads onto that then tying a knot at the top then glue gunning a bead onto that knot to ensure no beads slip of the threads before they're attached to the tier rings.

I made a quite a few of these little fellas and made a start on threading them ready for the first tier.

Had a bit of an organise, just to clear some space ready to pull apart more jewelry.

3/05/13:

Finally finished the first tier, fairly pleased with the progress being made and how it's starting to look:

5/05/13:

Finished the second tier, very time consuming work, extremely tricky but well worth the tediousness of it.

8/05/13:

Third tier finished

10/05/13:

Fourth tier finished, getting there!

We have 

12/05/13:

Fifth tier finished, nearly there, only one more tier to do. 

14/05/13:

Finished the sixth tier, all the tiers are finished. I am really pleased that they are done, and I am pleased with how they are looking so far. The beads work really well with no order, apart from size, and the uncoordinated beads work better in this design than when I had arranged them with a specific pattern and was colour scheme conscious. 

We have also been given our Studio spaces, I like mine, but I think it might be a bit light for what I am planning to do.

The only issue I have with this tier is that because the beads are so small and lightweight, the beads don't weigh down the fishing line, meaning the the thread maintains it curved shape because it was wrapped around the spool. I am hope the strands will relax eventually and become straighter as the beads gradually weigh on the thread. I hope. 

Grayling has sent me a photo of the wallpaper she has that I could borrow:

I think the black design will work best with the Chandelier, space and design planned.

Discussed with Dave plans and designs for my exhibition space and told him about the idea Matt and I came up with about having the front half of a wardrobe with one door open, having Nana's wedding dress visible inside with the Chandelier suspended in front. Dave liked the idea, but we discussed how sourcing the wardrobe might be problematic. Dave suggested just finding the door of one, fastening it to the wall and maybe not even having the wedding dress there. He pointed out that I could photograph the dress and print it onto acetate and mount it behind the door. I am going to have a hunt around Manchester for wardrobes and doors that might be easily portable to the building.

16/05/13:

Had a good long hard stare at my exhibition space, I conferred with Hannah and Dave about whether I should mount black fabric as well as the wall paper in order to darken the space, but Hannah suggested that the dark fabric would only take away from my Chandelier piece. I have decided I still want to use wallpaper as I would like the effect to be similar to an 'in situ' space. I asked Dave what he thought about the the wallpaper idea and we concluded that I would mount a strip of if a quarter of the way onto the left hand board.

This is my space:

Grayling and I trying to focus the Camera on something so that it would actually let us take the damn picture.

So after not managing to find a smaller sized wardrobe, I have decided against the wardrobe and wedding dress as my space is just too small to use a full sized one. I am brainstorming potential alternative designs for my space.

Grayling has given me the wallpaper she said she had tucked away in her attic. It's actually really decent stuff, and works really well with the whole contemporary style I am going for.

22/05/13:

Came back into studios today and found that the tech guys hadn't put up the beam and board that I requested, not gonna lie, I freaked out a little, deadline is on THURSDAY!

I spent the morning putting my Chandelier together and assembling the tiers. I thought, when I started it, the way I had initially planned to construct it wasn't going to work, but with a little perseverance, it did work. I asked Dave what I should do about the fact I ad no way of suspending my Chandelier, he was very pro-active about it and really helpful. We got to work straight away and he put up the board and beam almost instantly. Wicked job.

We discussed how I would like to suspend it and what would be most suitable in terms of capability of baring the weight of the Chandelier. It's a monster! Dave suggested getting three hook screws that we could drill into the underneath of the board, from which I could suspend the Chandelier. He sent me on an errand to buy screws, chain and some battery click lights.

I managed to find all of these things, we weren't sure if I would. Dave put up the screws and we tried out seeing if the chains looked better rather than just having the Chandelier hanging from the hooks. It did. Dave was right, so we fastened the chains to the Chandelier and hooks. I then spent the next hour with the lovely and not at all tedious task of re-aligning the whole Chandelier trying to make sure it wasn't wonky, or crooked, nothing was tangled and re-fastening all the bit s that had fallen off.

I then got Yini's opinion on what looked best when considering placement of the click lights. I can't use a proper light bulb because I didn't manage to get hold of one, it would be done in time to get tech checked and it would have been a bit of an ordeal trying to rig it up over my space and through Jenny's. Anyway, we decided on one above the Chandelier attached to the board and two behind it so that the light would shine through the beads.

Anyway, it's been a long day, I have been up since 4:30am travelling then getting to Uni for 9:30 and working non stop. Damn this is tiring. They weren't lying were they?

23/05/13:

DEADLINE DAY!

So apart from Louise running around shouting reminders of how long we didn't have left, my final touches on my exhibition space went quite smoothly.

I started by painting my space with some white emulsion on patches that really needed some TLC. Especially the new board beam that had measurements, footprints and screw holes all over it. I decided that it would look a lot better if I painted the lights white as well. The chrome silver wasn't really working and just looked tacky.

I then finalised on the layout that I wanted to for my photo arrangement and stuck them to the strip of wallpaper. I finished with some time to spare, so I had a wander around studios and had a gander at other people work. The stuff that is going up is really very impressive, there is some incredible work going on. There has been a brilliant vibe at the moment when working in studios. 

To celebrate? We all went and had a pint to celebrate finishing our exhibition spaces. That and, oh, it was also my birthday today! Haha. Possibly the worst timed Birthday ever? I think so. Bravo Imy, Bravo.

25/05/13:

It's not over until it's over.

I have been busying working on finishing off bits and bobs here and there, mounting folio work etc. Still have a lot to do, very stressed out, which would happen even if everything was as ready as it could be. Anyway, not much more of this crazy hard work and it will be over. Then I can just stress about grading! ARGH!

Wish everyone luck with their exhibitions, prep work, grading and all that!

In conclusion:

Well they gave us a reflective analysis to complete, but it was a maximum of 300 words in which I could fit any where near what I wanted to say, so I am doing so on here.

This project has been tricky, I have had to make quite a few changes in order to reach a point that I had been happy to become the potential of my project. Initially the project being more about efficiency and recycling with the materials/objects having no personal attachment to me whatsoever. them being things I had managed to scavenge from people before they threw them away as they deemed them useless, that is where I intervened. The issues I found with that way of working was that I never knew what was coming next, or rather, what wasn't coming. I couldn't plan ahead in the way of designs, it had to be a there and then situation where the designs would have to spontaneously come to me and work brilliantly. As we know, unless you are born with the knack of doing just that, and have been at it quite a while, it's hard. the problem being that I was worried that I couldn't plan for my final piece/exhibit not knowing what I might have until the last minute. 

That's when I went back to my SOI and realised my problem was that I had no attachment to these things. This point of realisation in my project was the best decision I had made. It was here that I took a turning point, and, over Easter, realised that I wanted my project to be based around my family history, or more to the point, my Grandmother. 

That's when I decided that I wanted to use her jewelry that people would deem worthless, old, broken and form them into something that appealed to a contemporary form of worth and value. But, through this process, it occurred to me that through the process I had also began to create a sort of shrine. A piece of work that was dedicated to her, and her memory. In that, I had managed to resurrect her, to me and my memories of her. She is there, and others in my family tree. So without knowing, I unintentionally formed this sort of dedication and you might say a tiny, weeny monument to her. (It is bloody heavy). By monument I don't mean the literal meaning, I am talking about on a tiny metaphorical scale. This Chandelier has been erected in her honor, in her memory and from the love I had for her. You get the point.

In a line you say? The Chandelier is not only my Grandmothers old broken but sentimentally valuable beads resurrected, but also her. Simple.

No I will go into the less 'deep' details of the exhibit. The relevance of the wallpaper is that I wanted the space to be 'in situ'. Initially I had planned to wallpaper my entire space, but I felt this would take away from the piece. So we decided on he one strip on which to mount my photographs I owned of relatives that are extremely old and extremely dear to me. These photos are a nod to my family tree, and by having them displayed next to the Chandelier, it is a nod and honor to my family and relatives, both past, present and to come.

I have overcome quite a few technical issues whilst concentrating on maquettes and assembling the Chandelier. But with the help of Dave, techies and my friends, we managed to come to solutions in order to make it all work. I feel as though I could have done more practical supporting work as my research/sketchbook/diary work is very strong, but I don't have much evidence of practical work, like, say, drawings and experimentation with mixed media. If I could go back, I would complete more maquettes and mess around with making more. I would also complete more practical supporting work. But mostly, I would manage my time better. But there's nothing I can do now. I will just use this experience for future reference and apply it next time I approach a project.

So that's it in a nutshell,