MIN (JENNY)

WEEK ONE

‘Through the Looking Glass’ is my working title. I am looking at different shop window displays which attracts viewers attention. 

This was a window display for the makeup brand ‘Shiseido’. Although it is the makeup that you are trying to advertise we are firstly drawn to those unknown figures. 

This may look like seafood on a plate, but it is a display for jewellery. 

WEEK TWO

04.03.13

I handed in my statement of intent:

Section 1

My final major project entitled 'Through the Looking Glass' will be focusing on experience of shopping. The world of shopping shows the changing environment. The present development of the retail trade proves it, generally and throuout the world. I am going to also look at science of shopping, what attracts us, why we buy things;the value of giving and receiving. I believe shopping is all about presentation. If it's to be pleasant and enjoyable the architectural setting becomes major importance. Store windows have therefore always been and still are the mirrors reflecting the existing economic situation. 

My objective is to design an installation/window display which will attract and motivate creativity. My focus is to change a visual creation to something that is unexpected and different. Maybe understood by some, not understood, it does not matter as long as the aim of being noticed of attracting attention has been achieved. 

Section 2 

I am going to research by analysing, sketching and finding other resources in books and magazines such as different store designs and displays. I aim to discover the display differences between the high streets and the more 'expensive' shops (what kind of materials they use). The Burlington Arcade and The Avenue will be a good place to discover this line of research. I also will be working with photography and experiment the best way to display it in my work.

Section 3

For this project I will be working mainly in 3D, I am going to look at different materials that could be used (expensive to cheap materials). I would use my own personal space in the studio practice. My space will become my own urban interior in which I will display my final product. This would e sealed/protected like the window display. I will be documenting my processes and techniques using photographs. My recording results will be in my sketchbook and my journal.

Section 4

I will critically review and analyse my work and it will be ongoing for the duration of this project. I will take part in peer reviews and tutorials as well as using my reflective notebook constantly. These things will give me constructive feedback to improve and develop or give interesting ideas to expand my work.

05.03.13

Visited the library, I found a book that could help me to learn about shopping, science of shopping and why we shop.

How we shop

I found out that shoppers talk about “going window shopping” and a good window display entices shoppers come into the store however..

Research conducted with Dorothy Perkins changed this by using eye tracking technology.

• Windows were rarely viewed
•  Shoppers tend to walk alongside windows which limit their view to a very narrow angle.
•  Majority of shoppers ignored the windows entirely, concentrating their attention on the doorway

ONLY 8-10 PERCENT LOOKED THROUGH THE DOOR, RATHER THAN AT THE WINDOWS, SUGGESTING THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT AREA OF THE EXTERIOR WAS NOT THE WINDOWS BUT THE VIEW THROUGH THE DOOR.

So how do we actually shop?

Most of us shop in the same, familiar high streets and we learn the location of the stores that we use. For most of us, we don’t need to look at fascias or windows to find the store, we just go through the task of getting to the doorway and entering.

HOWEVER I believe window displays are one of the crucial features your shop front must have. It can be used when promoting items on sale, introducing wide range of items for the new shopping seasons or to help slow moving items to sell more swiftly.

06.03.13

I was discussing my project with Joe Hartley and he gave me an artist to look at, Tim Walker. He is a photographer who favours romantic motifs. His work is unusual, humorous and visually exciting. It definitely attracts the viewers attention and motivates creativity, which is my intention for my project. 

08.03.13

Artist research on Joel Nordstrom and Lars ohlin otherwise known as RBG6. 

Their work was very interesting to me because of the intriguing sets they create from objects they have collected together. They are everyday objects but they are intriguing because of the way they are put together.

WEEK THREE 

11.03.13

I had a tutorial with Elle Simmons. We discussed how I should show ‘motivating creativity’. 

I was to ask myself:

What does the audience feel when they see it?

1.     Tell the story

-what is it?

-what am I to tell?

-why do I want to tell this story?

-why should people see it?

2.     Making-Is it the visual impact? How do I make that impact?

-what objects? Ready made? Making objects?

 -Photographs? Imagery? Text?

3.     Inspiration

-Inspired by a product designer?

-concept of what the installation is about? 

12.03.13

Had a tutorial with Dave and I wanted to push the idea of telling a story. We discussed about IKEA’s shop windows. IKEA’s installation artists put together a display after they have given a story. Although there are no actual glass window displays in IKEA, it has the effect of a shop window.

Their philosophy is to stop you and interest you and the things that might interest you are all around you.

Therefore somehow I should separate myself from what I know about objects and present them in a different way that gets you to think they were originally made for each other.

13.03.13

Went to the pound shop to find as many interesting objects or objects that I did not know what they were used for.

Paper Lantern 

Plant pots 

Cocktail sticks 

Easter eggs

Stainless Steel Scourers

Plastic wine glass 

Wire organiser 

14.03.13

Decided to make some models from objects I bought from the pound shop. 

I used cocktail sticks, easter egg, and a plant pot.

2 plant pots, 2 stainless steel scourers, 4 cocktail sticks and wire organisers. 

Wine glass, plant pot and a cocktail stick. 

18.03.13
'Thinking through materials talk' from Dave, Joe Hartley and Elle Simmons.

Had another tutorial with Joe. After looking at my models that I had created it reminded him of 'Chindogu'. This is the Japanese art of inventing everyday gadget that seems like an ideal solution to a particular problem.

Butter stick anyone? You'll never dirty another knife while making a toast.

Girls! No need to worry about your hair when eating noodles.

Whilst researching Chindogu, I came across the ten Tenants of Chindogu:

1.     A Chindogu cannot be for real use.

2.     A Chindogu must exist.

3.     Inherent in every Chindogu is the spirit of anarchy

4.     Chindogu are tools for everyday life

5.     Chindogu are not for sale

6.     Humour must not be the sole reason for creating a Chindogu

7.     Chindogu is not propaganda

8.     Chindogu are never taboo

9.     Chindogu can never be patented

10.   Chindogu are without prejudice 

From this I thought I could set myself my own rule!

The five Tenants of Mindogu

1.     A Mindogu cannot be for real use.

2.     A Mindogu must be made with second hand objects.

3.     A Mindogu must tell a story.

4.     A Mindogu must not make sense.

5.     A Mindogu is objected that are fitted together made as an installation.

EASTER


04.04.13
I visited the Burlington Arcade in London. It was beautifully built with fabulously expensive array of goods.

The architecture alone made it worth the trip and when standing in centre of the arcade I could see and feel the history. The shop displays were so simple yet somehow eye catching. I could spend hours lost in thoughts of gentler times.

Tree trunk, a rope to display the leather goods 

Displaying watches inside a temple 

Using old photographs and candles in the display.

08.04.13

Artist research: Rodney Peppe’s work was very inspiring to me! Is he an illustrator, a writer, a toymaker or an engineer? He is all of these things-a British author and illustrator in children’s fiction and crafts genres. His most characteristic illustrations are based on model toys he has already built.  

For example, there’s an old fashioned kettle that’s been cunningly transformed into a pirate ship, then by looking at his model as a base he has written a story about that particular object he has made..

Summary: Finding that a familiar kettle has been turned into a pirate ship, Pip Mouse sets out on a wild adventure on his birthday.

Or the wicker basket that has transformed to serve as an aeroplane..

Summary: A family of mice decide to make an airplane out of a big basket and learn to fly.

I really like his use of tradition materials but effectively reclaiming and refashioning them to find new uses for old-fashioned everyday object. 

10.04.13

Using my five tenants of Mindogu, I created installations with stories: 

A Cup full of Curiosity

The day she broke her mother's plate

I could not see it but I heard it on the floor, it smashed right there . That was my mother's favourite plate, the portmeirion collection. It scattered everywhere. I tried to glue them back together but some of the pieces were missing. 

The balancing act 

This has not been glued, this is all about balance. 

I need HELP!

I am filled with an overwhelming feeling of sadness, emptiness and foolishness..

There are no clocks, no windows, no sense of time. 

I felt invisible and could see no light at the end of the tunnel, I was overwhelmed with negatives and saw no way out (just the pokies giving me temporary relief from my thoughts). I just can't help it but my hands won't stop reaching for it. I had £200 on me which I lost within an hour. Sometimes I would win and that gave me confidence to go back again but you always lose far more than you ever win, and that's what tempts me to play more. You are playing with fire once you enter the real gambling world. It taught me that this can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. I never ever believed it would happen to me. What I realise now is it seems to stem from a sense of hopelessness with no vision for a future.

The Dream World

WEEK 5

15.04.13

Had a discussion with Dave about the installations that I created with my five tenants of Mindogu. How I was going to present this was the problem. Each installation looked like different worlds. I wanted to make it interesting and creative by making an object/installation that you cannot see from the outside but through something else. 

For example, 

• Through the mirror to see the object or the installation.
• Through the fish eye lens.

Then we stumbled across to the Liverpool artist Joe Bampton who used peepholes to present his work. 

I therefore decided to use shoe boxes and peepholes to present my different world installations. I am trying to in-tie someone in, to get someone to interact with something, to study what's inside and with unique strange displays inspire them to be more creative, because shoe box isn't a shoe box, it's got a whole new world inside. 

16.04.13

Presentation talk with Matt and Li-en.

Had a tutorial with Matt who gave me ideas of how to present the shoe boxes. 

• Hanging from the ceiling?
• Stuck on the wall?
• Stacked on top of each other?

18.04.13

Bought my first peephole from the Toolstation. 

WEEK SIX

Making the boxes 

22.04.13

1. I made my first shoe box with the peephole. 

I used cartridge paper to make the shoe box. Everything had to be measured and cut perfectly.

These are the nets that I drew on publisher. The first is the net for the base of the box and the second one shows the net for the lid. 

This was the inside of my first box, which I named it as 'Protrusion'. 

23.04.13

Had a discussion with Dave about my box. We both liked the effect it gave through the peephole. Everything looked so different and distorted. I had to work with subtle changes in the box that might look architectural.  

Therefore I was to look at Tate Modern-The Tanks

The Tank room was built to provide a unique raw industrial space to display large scale artists' installations, as well as performances and films. It was interesting to see stairs that leads to nowhere. It was something like this I could portray in one of my boxes.

24.04.13

I decided to make a box with a better quality paper. 

Unfortunately, the good quality paper was very unsuccessful. When I scored the paper to achieve sharp and clean edges, instead it ripped and gave me untidy finish.


25.04.13
Although the first paper gave me good result, I wanted a much thicker paper to work with.
So I went to Paperchase and found 300gsm cartridge paper. The result was great! It did not rip when I scored the paper and it was a good thickness.

WEEK SEVEN 

29.04.13

2. I worked on my second box called 'Vortex'. For this one I did not wanted to show architectural space but instead something very different! (A surprise in looking through this box).  

I used Pringles, straws and battery operated LED light. To keep this stable I made a hole through the Pringles lid for the peephole to go on. Then it was securely hot glued around the lid. 

30.04.13

After discussing with Dave I decided to make a small fold out booklet for my boxes. This will show stories of each box/scene and what the inside of the boxes are made out of. I thought the booklet would be interesting as looking through the peephole and actually seeing what is inside the box is very different. 

WEEK EIGHT

06.05.13
I made three boxes in one day which was an achievement. I also had to change/develop how I fixed the peepholes through the boxes. 

I had to develop this because it had rough edges, uncomfortable to look through the peephole and it did not look professional. 

However when I had first developed it so that the peephole was right against the shoe box, there was a problem of the peephole lifting up due to its long and heavy weight with nothing to rest against. ( Meaning there was a gap between the peephole and the box). 

To solve this problem, I decided to use blue-tack to hold the peephole straight. 

It worked great, it was sturdy and I was able to remove and reapply it.

3. The next box, 'Jail' was made twice as I had not thought about the making process carefully! My plan was to play with natural light and create shadows in the box. 

This was what I had intended to do however, when I had first cut the rectangles on one side of the net and when the box was put together the side that had been cut was weak and wobbly. Therefore I had to use two different papers to produce this box:

First paper is the net of the box.

Second paper is for the bars.

I was happy with the finished result! I liked that you could see the outside world through the bars . 

4. 'Persona' was made with LED light, water bottle lid and some Plasticine.

I thought inside the water bottle looked very interesting, especially through the peephole. When the LED light was shone through it, it gave an illusion of swirling around. 

The water bottle was fixed to the LED light and for extra support I placed Plasticine underneath it. 

Story: 

People have different personalities. We are actors and actresses in everyday life, so we play different roles from time to time..

I thought I could portray this with your typical ‘Buxton’ water bottle lid. Inside of this lid has a symbol that looks like ㅅ. This represents us as human beings because the symbol is similar to the Chinese character  ‘Ren’ meaning person. Therefore the different colours changing represents variety of personalities in people. 

5. For the next box, 'Stitch' I used folding techniques to produce another architectural one.  

The dotted lines are the folding lines. For each side I decided to fold inwards and outwards, giving me 'U' shape to work with. 

When I had finished folding the nets for both sides, I glued them on and stitched it together.

Story

HOW DO I MEND A BROKEN HEART? EVEN THOUGH IT MENDS IT LEAVES A SCAR...

07.05.13

I was very glad that I was making fast progress as I made 4 boxes today meaning 9 boxes in total! 

6. I wanted the story line to be more important than the presentation itself for the next box, Mother. I used toilet roll tube, blue straws, translucent green straws, brown parcel paper and battery operated mini light bulb. 

The toilet roll tube was going to be the base of everything. The light bulb will represent the sun setting, blue straws for the sky and green straws for the grass and brown paper for the figure.  

Although I am happy with the result due to the sun (light bulb) directly facing the peep hole some people might find it hard to see the figures. 

Story:

Never did you tell me

You were leaving me

I’m so torn as I sit alone in a lifeless jumble of secret thoughts

I’ll be waiting, waiting on the swing

Waiting for her to come back to me

Can she feel my tears?

Can she sense my breaking heart?

My mother won’t be here now,

And the sun is setting clear

I sit alone in the darkness

Waiting for you again.

7. I decided to continue using straws for 'Distortion'. I also found out instead of using translucent green or yellow straws the colour blue popped against the white background (box) even without any source of light in the box. I therefore made 3 dimensional rectangles using blue straws. I had cut them into the right size and glued the ends together. When I had finished making three different sized 3 dimensional rectangles I had placed and fixed them together. 

Story:

Should we always believe in what we see?

“The truth is not distorted here, but rather a distortion is used to get at truth”

Flannery O’Connor

8. As I was inspired by the Tank room from Tate Modern, I also wanted to create stairs leading nowhere. I decided to create paper kirigami stairs, hence the title for this box is 'Steps'.

This is the template I used to create paper stairs.

This is how it turned out. I liked how it started from two different points but the points meet at the top. 

Story:

Step by step, day by day my stairway is made!

One foot in front of the other to the destination that must be reached and the journey that must be taken!

08.05.13

I decided to make stickers for every boxes. 

This is the template that I had made on word for the sticker labels that I had bought. 

The stickers are suppose to show: 

These stickers are placed on top of the lid. 

10. The 10th box took a very long time!  My first plan was to evenly spread the colourful bouncy balls on a fishing wire however, because of the weight of the bouncy balls the fishing wire kept on draping down to 'U' shape. I therefore decided to use barbeque sticks instead to hold the bouncy balls straight. 

When making a hole through the bouncy ball, some of them chopped into half! 

Although I was satisfied with the finished result, I still believe it would have been better if I had successfully used the fish wire to give an illusion of floating bouncy balls. 

Story:

Somewhere, sometime our life began..

The beauty of this creation,..

swirling waves, dazzle and colour.

It was his first time up here.

He could not help it but pause..

It drew him closer and closer.

Once seen you cannot look away!

And there will be no return.

11. I decided to use chopped bouncy balls for the next box. I thought it will give great effect. Mini fan and pins were also used. 

I wanted this box to be happy,whimsical but also mysterious.  

Story:

This is where I landed in the magical land of bouncy hills where the metal flowers ‘dandedots’ grew as high as the windmill, whirling hour by hour, dizzy dancing day and night.

09.05.13

12. Although I only made one box today, it took me the whole day to make it! I used coloured dotted stickers and filled the box with it. 

The colours were randomly selected but they were placed as straight as possible. Half of the sides, the base and the bottom of the lid was filled. 

Story:

My obsession with circles started from the day I first played twister!

The bright red, blue, yellow and green circles grabbed my attention rather than the game itself!

10.05.13

13. My next box used blue, green and yellow coloured straws, cocktail umbrella stick, battery operated light bulb, lego boat and lego man. 

The blue straws were to represent the sea, the green straws as the grass and yellow straws as sunshine. 

The blue straws were cut many times to give more texture to represent the sea. 

The green straws were glued on the base of the box and the yellow straws were glued on the sides of the box. 

When the light bulb is on, the light is reflected against the shiny straws. 

Story:

He is deserted alone in some unknown Island but sometimes being alone could make you feel happy just like the guy in the box.

Although maroon is a negative word, the scene inside makes you want to be there.

14. 4 mirrors were used for the next box. Two mirrors on the base and other two mirrors on the bottom of the lid. I then placed 2 red straws on the mirrors. As they are reflecting each other it gave an illusion of the box inside and the straws to be never ending. 

Story:

This room is an illusion.

If we choose to, we can live in a world of comforting illusions.

We can allow ourselves to be deceived by false realities..

Or we can use them to hide our true intentions.

11.05.13

15. Wooden pegs were used as the wooden tiles, tissue paper for the lake, Nessie pins for the Loch Ness Monster and I had also printed a brick wall. 

Story:

“I am about 100 feet long.

I’ve got humps, I’m very thin and I’ve got feet and arms but I only use them when I swim.

So I am not a snake..

 I’m Nessie, otherwise known as the Loch Ness Monster!”

16. Gems and mirrors were used for the next box.

My intention was to fill all the sides of the box with these 2mm gems however, the making process took too long to do so. Therefore I could only complete one side and added a mirror on the base of the box to give an illusion of more gems. 

Story:

The mirror can lie.

Depending on what you use your effort can look twice as much.

12.05.13

17. The seventeenth box was made with matches, light bulbs, Plasticine, half of bouncy ball, tissue paper, straws and cotton pads. 

The Plasticine was used to get the basic shape of the hot air balloon basket. Then the match sticks were glued on top of it (giving basket like appearance). Light bulbs was for the 'hot balloon', bouncy ball as the sun, blue tissue paper and straws as the sky and cotton pads for the clouds. 

I really liked the meaning behind this. This shows the differences in time. We used matches/fire as our source of light but now we have light bulbs. Also the further everything gets, stronger the energy e.g. matches to light bulbs to the sun.

Story:

The day was so beautiful, bright blue sky.

And I was finally up in the air!

I was gazing into the far distance, how small everything looked!

I wanted to escape, this was where I belonged , forever in this ‘hot light balloon’.

18. I FAILED to show my first original idea for this box. I really wanted to use water in this one however, everything was a disaster! I thought by making a hole and fixing the peephole on to the water bottle would be a good idea to show water in a box. After fixing the peephole I used glue gun to cover any gaps between the peephole and the bottle. The first step was a success, the water did not leak through the bottle! HOWEVER, the problem was not the bottle but the peephole. The peephole was not waterproof meaning water seeped through the hole to my eye. Therefore I had to change the whole idea to something else! I had already hot glued my peephole to the water bottle so I had to use the same water bottle but with no water. Although bringing water to the box failed, looking inside the water bottle through the peephole was quite interesting. So I decided to use coloured strings and swirl it around it. 

Although the water experiment failed, I was happy with the finished result!

Story:

I feel as if I've been struck  by lightning, hit by a thunderbolt, knocked down by a feather, dropped from the clouds..

I’m scared, what next?

Then a sudden feeling of warmth and happiness is around me..

Making the booklet 

After I had finished all my boxes I decided to make the fold out booklet. I used black foam board for the cover and A1 white paper for the pages inside. 

I did not wanted my booklet to fold out normally. I wanted to be folded into zigzag and opened like a fan. 

I had made three of these and stuck them on together to form 10 pages on one side and 10 pages on the other. 

When I had cut the foam board to the right size with the cutting knife I did not like the finished result. 

The edges were untidy and the foam kept on breaking apart. To solve this problem I decided to wrap the foam board around with the black tissue paper.

This is the finished result! I also added coloured paper on the edges to make it stand out and to cover glued pages. 

My Exhibition