Category: Assessment

Project 7 – Critical essay

Project 7 Critical essay for Ideas and processes

Exterior influences: What lessons and influences have I gained from the study of other practitioners and how have I implemented these into my own work? What impact has doing this course had on my working practices?

Introduction

As the title Ideas and Processes suggests, this is a course about ideas. By using the course materials as guidance I should be better able understand the creative process, and how using research can broaden my knowledge and understanding.

External influences can be from exploring themes as suggested in the De Waal article – Writing, music, place – or by looking at the work of other artists, investigating the well spring of their ideas and themes.

Reflecting upon how artists use these ideas and themes to stimulate, promote and develop new work, can then inform my own working practices.

Contextual research adds to my web of understanding so I am undoubtedly influenced by the wide array of artists that I have studied or seen In galleries. For the purpose of this essay I will be focussing mainly on the artists referred to or led to by the course notes as these are my recent layer of influence.

In particular the creative thinking of Martin Creed has had a big impact, I use the term ‘creative thinking’ rather than ‘work’ very deliberately here. I will elaborate further in the main body of the essay.

What lessons and influences have I gained from the study of other practitioners?

The biggest leap for me in Ideas and Processes has been to focus my research on artist philosophies, rather than specific artworks. Previously my contextual thinking has been about my response to an artist work – looking at the visual impact and the use of materials and the way these have been combined.

In the catalogue for Entangled -Threads and making – an exhibition at theTurner contemporary in Margate , Ann Coxon talked about The essay “Making something for nothing’ which dared to question the differences between amateur and high art. In it she describes a hobby book titled How to make something from nothing, encouraging women in the 1960’s to make something from various found materials as a thrifty way of crafting. She observed that this sounds very much like fine or high art. The exhibition itself contained work by many women artists whose work I admire and have since studied a little more , so they have bound to have been some influence. Artists included Eva Hesse, Christians Lohr( uses horse hair), Sonia Gomes, Louise Bougeois. All using found materials in some way in their art.

This led me to research found materials on the Tate website where I discovered that that Picasso used found objects in his work from as early as 1912, and his works along with ready-mades by Marcel Duchamp, paintings by Francis Picabia , acquired the title Objet Trouve, The movement Arte Provera in Italy, and Mono Ha in Japan also comprised of artists using found objects.


ISSN 1753-9854

The Handsome Pork-Butcher c.1924–6, c.1929–35 by Francis Picabia – using combs for hair seems similar thinking to me choosing collage materials that were linked to the object that was being portrayed eg trees for pencils.

An artist we were encouraged to research is Martin Creed. I wasn’t massively drawn Creeds artwork specifically, however watching his video interviews has had quite a big impact. Particularly in the video series Poet of the every day- brilliant ideas. Creed talks about how seeing things through new eyes presents thoughts/questions(feelings) he makes art to feel okay, it’s a drive to communicate, a yearning for understanding. ‘Thoughts are used to deal with feelings, feelings don’t have shape – how things make you feel is the important thing’. My understanding of what he was communicating gave me permission to make work in a way that is processing my thoughts and feelings from walking in the landscape and being me, here and now, rather than making work that I feel will please anyone else, using the course materials to guide this journey has given starting points and a scaffold of ideas to investigate and inspire thoughts and processes – to get the ball rolling.

Creative thinking is realised in many different forms, similar design thinking is expressed in many different ways for example Polly Binns makes work about her response to the Norfolk Coast, rather than representation of the north Norfolk coast,

Close up

‘Intimacy and space blend in the immensity of the landscape. The whole is imbued with the memories of my body within the landscape; my step, pace and sight-line.’

Polly Binns, Serial Shimmers and Shades, 1996 Acrylic paint and thread on linen canvas 185 x 125 cm, collection of Nottingham Castle museum

Similarly Jessica Warboys makes art in a completely different way, using pigments dispersed by the sea as a response to the landscape, Barbara Hepworth walked the moors of South Cornwall and made work as a response to the landscape rather than of the landscape, all using very different ways of working, and different materials and processes. Intimacy and space blend in the immensity of the landscape. The whole is imbued with the memories of my body within the landscape; my step, pace and sight-line.Similarly Robert Rauschenberg and Alice folks both use found materials but from very different locations and they use them in a very different way.

How have I implemented these into my own work?

I’ve been quite influenced by the work of Robert Rauschenberg, another artist using found materials, Rauschenberg used walks from his apartment to gather materials, and used them to create art work. In following this philosophy in my new town I came back only with a cup lis and some sheet plastic from a builders skip that I incorporated into my first piece of work for this unit. I continued to gather and use both natural and manufactured materials throughout the coursework, feeling more empowered to use them as found.

A Strength in my work is responding to and experimenting with materials to create 3D forms. I think my enjoyment of the investigative process stems right back to childhood, I have a deeply rooted relationship with materials which naturally gives me a very haptic approach in my work. In the book art_textiles from the exhibition of the same name at the Whitworth Gallery, Jennifer Harris discusses the haptic in relation to textiles, the idea that can evoke the idea of both physical as well as emotional comfort or protection. Cloth bears witness to lived experiences and carries the traces of those who wore handled it. I believe this to be true of all materials/objects and certainly in the found objects used for assignment 5 and the bed sheet used for the rust drawing. This could be my projection onto the materials but one of the things I understand from the Martin Creed videos is that the work is for me to make …….

Moving back to wild landscape I have developed a deeper connection with the natural world, I feel a connection with artists like Barbara Hepworth and Polly Binns who walked repeatedly in the same landscape, developing a deep respect for the land and being sustained by not just the nature around them but the very sense of place. In the BBC documentary Barbara Hepworth talked about the closeness of living things in nature, to human spirit, she said that “the form and texture of a pebble in our hand is a symbol of continuity – the silent desire for peace and security, relates to the past, gives a sense of universal force. Hepworth‘s work follows nature not imitating it. Poly bins wrote a thesis ‘vision and process in textile art – a personal response to a particular landscape through textile art.’

I have being taking sustenance from the landscape and my work has developed into being a response to the land around me both in the present day, visual and environmental, and also has an almost archaeological response.

What impact has doing this course had on my working practices?

I visualise the process of making art as a gathering of metaphorical threads, strands of ideas woven into a solid object.

The main thing I have learnt is not to pre judge. The process of immersion in a task , being inquisitive, questioning and ready to experiment can yield results I couldn’t dream of – dreaming up ideas is a bit of a fallacy perhaps! It is a skill that can be honed’

I discovered that sometimes the creative thinking of an artist can have be a profound influence even if the work doesn’t have the same personal impact this is really widened my sphere of research, it’s also has caused me to look wider to where and how I found my research, it’s really important not to be dismissive of any information that you come across because everything becomes a point of reference and something that you can learn from. Information, for instance watching videos has really piqued my interest, and has caused me to look deeper into my own practice than looking at specific pieces of work has. It’s been a surprise to me But I’ve learnt more from what I don’t like than what I do like.

In ex5.2 I visualise the process as a gathering of metaphorical threads, strands of ideas woven into a solid objects, the body of work is of the hills of my home yet reflective of the wider world. It is strongly of this place in time and yet unequivocally has come from the past, the strongest area of my work has been is responding to and experimenting with materials to create 3D forms, however after completing this course my work is now also informed by an underlying narrative, a really strong response to the landscape both visually and almost archaeologically. This is a concept that I came across when researching Elise Engler, she sees herself as an anthropologist or archaeologist. I think my enjoyment of the investigative process give this work a freshness and feeling of playfulness.

Work based on a poem or song lyrics in ass2 had me completely floored, however a particular refrain ‘said the crow on the cradle’ added context to the found rusted military buckle. My response, was to the found object, and the landscape – I could not have taken the refrain and decided to find those objects to work with.(this would seem more like shopping than making art)

The completed piece may not induce an observer to think ‘crow on a cradle’ yet it was an inherent part of my journey to create the work.

In conclusion the course has led me deeper into the creative process and my understanding of how I can work. I have learned to take risks and follow my own thoughts and feelings to make work that is honest to myself. It is clear to me that a very strong response to place feed my work while still working with curiosity to investigate materials.

Anne Coxon, Entangled – Threads and making, pg31

Jennifer Harris, Art-textiles, pg15

Martin Creed, Poet of the Everyday | Brilliant Ideas Ep. 36

Light and Line – An exhibition of works by Anne Morrell & Polly Binns

Serial Shimmers and Shades, 1996 Acrylic paint and thread on linen canvas 185 x 125 cm, collection of Nottingham Castle museum

http://modernistaesthetic.blogspot.com/2011/09/polly-binns.html

https://www.tate.org.uk/research/publications/tate-papers/28/picabia-handsome-pork-butcher

https://www.roberthenrycontemporary.com/artists/elise-engler/statement

Refinement and further developments following final feedback ex 3.3 – bicycle chain

In ex 3.3 I came up the the idea of using crochet which is essentially a chain stitch into a bicycle chain. I’ve used the chain here with tea, to rust stain the shape of the hills I see from my garden. While reviewing my work for assessment, I felt that I would like to take this further as I hadn’t time to develop it while refining work at exercise 5.

This found object has layers of meaning for me. The impact of bicycle tracks eroding the landscape (a bike path runs across this hill), the chains of the industrial past in the area, many metaphors like chained down, chained to the past etc.

I used the rust drawing as a rough guide and crochet chains of varying lengths to make the bike chain drape in a hill top route. The wire it hangs off is a little soft but the flexibility aided the process. I’m really excited by the form of this, it’s as if the sky is holding up the hills! Many of my photos for the gathered drawing exercise focussed on edges and this fractal is patern can be found from skyline and cloud shapes to the edges of lichen or water fall ripples.

Refinement and further developments following final feedback – ex 5.1

This piece didn’t stand the test of time, the fabric pods had held really sharp forms that got a bit bashed in the post and gently relaxed over time. I cut them away from the base form , you can see that the sub frame for the pods is quite corset like and it hadn’t given a strong enough support. I replaced it with covered wire that actually gives more of a rib cage. The pods didn’t hang well so I experimented with little strips of weathered cloth, like you see hanging on trees near natural springs, representative of lost souls , t

I quite like this effect but experimented further by stitching some of the pods in different ways to make them hold the shape more, I felt that the seed pod / fortune cookie held more of the idea of the lyrics from crow on the cradle of ‘somebody’s baby is not coming back’ . Tying one of the pods inside the cage like rib structure felt intrinsically right. I think that a little pool of the dishevelled pods in a pool underneath the hanging form like dropped leaves could be quite powerful.

Refinement and further developments following final feedback – ex 1.2

It’s obvious that having to work so quickly through the assignments that some areas would be rushed so I knew that I would be wanting to revisit some projects when preparing for final assessment.

I started by reviewing the complete course and rereading all my assignment feedbacks.

I had considered that I would go back and ‘patch things up’ however looking at my work as a whole I realised that this seemed like hoop jumping, so what I chose to develop some of my pieces further, to build on my learning rather than going backwards.

This exercise from assignment one based on place. I mapped a journey walking from my home up into the hills. The twig that I found mirrored the shape of the route and is wrapped with the colours of my observations from the brown brick houses, Tudor black and white buildings then past the green valley through the rocks following a narrowing path to the waterfall. The journey from modern society , moving back in time.

My thoughts on the organdie fabric was to portrait the growing feeling of lightness as I rose in elevation and left the depression of the modern world behind. I saw the square sections as a disassembled map – moving from ordered grid to volcanically up heaved hills. From feedback at the textiles Meetup in Bristol and from my tutor this was quite tenuous and difficult to read.

The map under the twig shows my route with a cross at the start and end.

The fabric has a black cross at the starting point in the moody dark fabric and a white cross to represent the lighter, relaxed joy of being in the wildness on the white top square, this has been distressed to represent the dissolving of my worries. The map squares are stitched with ordinance survey orange and have been cut and stitched just off square to emulate the uneven ground. It’s convenient but very non representative to draw a rigid grid over a rolling landscape.

Assessment 5 feedback

Summary of tutorial discussion

Demonstration of technical and visual skills, quality of outcome, demonstration of creativity –

You have a very interesting body if work here Linda. Well done for this, you have been focused in your approach and yet produced some exciting experimental pieces. 

You have analysed your previous assignments and considered a new idea to move your sampling forward. The ideas are held together by music ( something you found hard to respond to in an earlier assignment) and some of your samples reflect your responses to the track. 

Your large fabric rust piece is very interesting, the scale is exciting and the way you have drawn with found objects , leaving a ghost of an image.

Please consider how you show your samples for assessment. We discussed labels or small tags to identify the sample or to explain how the sample should be viewed. 

Consider why you have left some sample with threads, ribbon, cord unfinished and hanging. Please explain your reasons or rectify this. 

You have documented your sampling well with drawings, rubbing, collages. Make sure that these observations are helpful for you. Please consider how you can use them to move your ideas forward rather than them being a “tick box” exercise. Are they helping you to understand the scale/ composition/ texture of the sample …… Can you do more to trail out your ideas before going into 3d.

I feel there is a part of the assignment missing where you are developing your trials working towards your final piece/ trial. We discussed doing more work on the fabric pieces on the iron work. Can you try different shapes, colours, materials….. Could they be attached in different ways. Should they be white against the hard metal? Could you use a distressed fabric or do you prefer the sharp clean white ?  If so why……. They feel a little too decorative for me , maybe a little too unconsidered and controlled in application? What if each link of the chain had a module/ shape how could each one be attached thoughtfully? These are just ideas and questions it is for you to really work this out, you have time for this and you might come up with a better result, or maybe not …. But it would be interesting to see your journey.

Context, reflective thinking, critical thinking, analysis – 

You are reflecting on your work much better well done. Do still keep asking questions though (I have suggest some above)

Please add a link to the music track if you have not already done.

Add an image of the crochet chain.

Decide how we should view the orange ties on the wire, maybe suggest this in a photograph with the piece.

You have explained your work well in 5.2

Rejig the part where you are responding to the criteria, things could be placed under better headings. 

I have really enjoyed working with you. All the best for your assessment.

 

Tutor name

Jenny Udale

Date

24 august 2019

Next assignment due

 

Assignment 5 final reflection projects 5 and 6

Part Five of the course gives you the opportunity to review all your work from the previous four parts and to produce in response a new portfolio of textile samples together with a written statement. Together, these will represent the summation and refinement of your study so far.

The body of work you produce in this part of the course should:

  • articulate your growing awareness of the areas of textile practice that you feel are your strengths and have potential for further development

I’m confident that my work in project 5 has built on my strengths. It was really valuable to look at my work as a whole, interesting that it hung together well as a body of work, however it was very evident to me that the strongest area of my work is responding to and experimenting with materials to create 3D forms. I think my enjoyment of the investigative process give this work a freshness and feeling of playfulness.

  • identify how you’ll tackle any weaknesses

I’m comfortable that I have developed a much stronger process in developing my work and although it looks to me to follow a very clear development process , I could be more detailed and eloquent in my self critique. This is something that has been clarified in this module that I can act on in subsequent projects. Planning written work will help with the overwhelming feeling of having to say so much and feeling the need to write everything at once. I need more clarity in my written responses.

  • evidence a growing ability to articulate in writing the concerns of your work and the areas of research and practice you wish to pursue at your next level of study
  • demonstrate your growing understanding of how critical reflection supports making as part of the creative process.

…perfectly illustrated here – I seem to have addressed part of this response as part of the previous response… At my next level of study I am keen to develop further the exploration of context, I have a need to work in a logical fashion , making decisions based on clear reasoning. I initially found the process of responding to different themes such as music, words quite restrictive and it stopped me thinking creatively. Having reflected on the results I now understand how starting points can inform my creative process.

    • We want you to go for quality over quantity in your final portfolio submission, i.e. toproduce a succinct body of work that evidences and clearly articulates your learning.

It was only after experiencing all the assignments that any of them fell into place. Reflecting wholistically I can see how patterns and connections started forming in my brain and when working on project 5 these threads wove together into a very coherent piece.

Tales from the landscape. This is how I now understand the work of Polly bins, Barbara Hepworth, et al. Informed by the place they have chosen in the world, landscape as muse?

Work based on a poem or song lyrics in ass2 had me completely floored, however a particular refrain ‘said the crow on the cradle’ added context to the found rusted military buckle. My response, was to the found object, and the landscape – I could not have taken the refrain and decided to find those objects to work with.(this would seem more like shopping than making art)

The completed piece may not induce an observer to think ‘crow on a cradle’ yet it was an inherent part of the journey.

Does it answer what is being asked of you? Crow was a clear development of earlier samples. Also a culmination of the other sample developments in project 5 that worked to lead me into the development process. Although visually different the orange murmuration/wing was of the landscape – I’d quite like to do some drawing with it – perhaps using black ink on huge paper to create abstract flight images. The rust drawings also led me towards flight and all pieces alluded to tension in someway, physically within the shapes but also the tension in the balance of human v nature.

Demonstration of technical and visual skills: Materials, techniques, observational skills, visual awareness, design and compositional skills.

I have demonstrated a range of visual skills, a range of drawings in different media, good understanding and use of colour, clear photography , interesting collage techniques.

Quality of outcome: Content, application of knowledge, presentation of work in a coherent manner, discernment, conceptualisation of thoughts and communication of ideas.

I feel that I’ve really started to understand my own creative process and towards the end of this course was able to apply new ideas to the development of an interesting body of work that clearly built on the learning of earlier tasks. My realisation of ideas is stronger than my communication of the underlying thought processes.

Demonstration of creativity: Imagination, experimentation, invention, development of a personal voice.

I have taken risks with materials enabling the production of an interesting body of work. I took on board the production of quality rather than quantity allowing time for reflection of specific details .

Context: Reflection, research and critical thinking.

I feel that actually my critical thinking skills are growing stronger, ability to analyse, and synthesis of information is clear in the way my work is developing. Communicating this less so. It was interesting been directed to use mind maps, this suits my way of thinking perfectly, it is a struggle to transcribe this wider thinking into a linear form.

Review and refine – ex5.2 written statement

500 words About my work

My body of work for ass5 shows the story of of the piece I find myself calling ‘crow’.

Looking back, I visualise the process as a gathering of metaphorical threads, strands of ideas woven into a solid object. I have previously been very material led. In response to an exercise I will select materials from my collection and go on a gathering mission to reclaim and reuse materials from my local environment. In this case the gathering seemed complete and the reassembling of concepts played through my mind like the solving of an equation. I am as a detective solving the mystery of my mind. Like grasping for words , only visually.

Linda Baker

‘Crow’ 2019 – iron, cotton, linen

This work is a response to ‘Crow in the cradle’ a folk song that can be traced back to the 16thCentury, that has been rewritten and performed across the years as the message questions the tipping point between personal liberty and what government might dictate as being for the common good. Pertinent. I hadn’t found myself able in a previous task to interpret the words as images, never one to give up my subconscious has been processing it and combined with elements learned from subsequent tasks, the idea came to fruition.

The iron skeleton had a military function.Discarded, it has rusted and would eventually return to earth. The flaccid strap brittle and worn hangs in a slight curve, showing slightly less tension than the heavy chain that has been drawn in slightly to form a waist.

The textile element of vintage cotton, a functional stiffener for lighter fabrics is folded ,creased and stitched with linen thread into elements that could be translated as feathers, seed pods or souls, or represent people or creatures, are different in scale but have the same form. Hanging collectively.

Crow is of the hills of my home yet reflective of the wider world. It is strongly of this place in time and yet unequivocally has come from the past.

Review and refine ex5.1 – further development

Using examples from my samples in ass3 was an interesting and really useful exercise in developing new iterations of a concept. I had gathered a number of rusted artefacts and became quite intrigued by a particular piece.

I picked it up fascinated, hefted the weight of it and enjoyed the jangle, I then discovered that it is probably a military strap for holding a gun shell and was repulsed. A challenging object, clearly full of story, it sang a refrain from an ear worm that keeps returning – The Crow on the Cradle A version by Karine Polwart, a sad lament that can be traced to the 16th century.

The song questions the balance between personal liberty and what the Government might dictate as being for the common good – ultimately the people that must decide what is true, fair and right. First voiced four hundred years ago – and so it goes on today.

I had tried to work with it in ass2 but really struggled with the amount of imagery. Perhaps I could use music as an inspiration?

I took some time to investigate the artefact with drawings and photos.

A detailed drawing made me really observe the construction, a frottage was more a representation of the history and texture.

Using rust to draw the artefact I got a little carried away with objects and a bird appeared, Phoenix rising?the crow on the cradle?

When rust dying previously I have wrapped object quite tightly to get good contact with the fabric. The mossy lawn has a lot of spring so I layed down the much washed sheet and placed objects on the surface. I then used a ladle to add a vinegar solution for a few hours, followed by strong tea, left overnight for the dew and a rainfall gave marks time to develop.

Fascinatingly I observed texture that seems to be from the individual grass blades.

It feels macabre, but then guns are a dark subject matter. It is totally out of my comfort zone working with this subject matter but it feels compelling to follow it through.

taking photos of the object it was immediately evident that hanging would be obvious to use the tension in the chains and to control the form, slumped could be interesting however in ass 4 I observed a new awareness of hoe a piece of work can be viewed and for this exercise hanging seems right.

adding a rib cage ?

make love not war!

it was difficult not to anthromorphisize the object, however I was keen not to make this too obvious.

I also spent some time combining the artefact with various combinations of elements from earlier samples through photos and drawings.

The final iteration was a result of then experimenting with size and layers of the little – pods/shrouds . I needed to remove a restring a couple of times, adding a structure of tape to hang the pods and also hanging them in groups rather than singly helped to create fullness at the top and a taper towards the bottom, as did stitching pods of a range of sizes.During my development work they resonated most and came to represent the thousands of souls affected by war. Empty shells, missed opportunities, unpatched dreams… I think that the simplicity of the forms enables a wider interpretation by a viewer, it is a little shrine like , a piece for reflection.

It could be named Crow on the cradle. An abstract reference to the song that I found so difficult to represent in ass 2.

Review and refine – ex5.1 samples

further exploring the properties and qualities of binding twine and wire, inspired by observing knotted twine on a fence mesh I manipulated a fringe of twine, it has the feel of a starling murmeration , birds in flight, movement of wings.

Some interesting images, dynamic and fluid. Similar to the issue with the woven spring that I chose to refine in ass4 , this piece is very flexible so difficult to ensure a defined form and placement of strands. This is an interesting observation, not previously considered befor the placement exercise in ass4.

It will be interesting to observe the fluidity of artworks and how the issue is dealt with in future exhibition visits.

The woven cylindrical form naturally sits flat, To refine I approached with an intent to make a stable 3d structure.

The mesh can easily be twisted into a tetrahedron, however more difficult to line up the mesh to create a grid that lines up.

I think that the mesh may be created as a spiral rather than a grid. I stitched it in place with orange telephone wire that may be removed later.

I needed to unwavering the tape a couple of times before I was happy with the effect

Although I achieved the objective of creating a stable shape, I am less interested with the result than the original weave.the patterning happened naturally in the first sampl, in the new iteration I had to fight it into shape and it looks clumsy, this could perhaps be developed further with more of the mesh to play with. I believe that it is from rolls of carpet. It could be interesting to cut. Sections to rejoin into different structural forms.

I have been interested in edges, I revisited a book called nature n design by Alan powers whilst investigating the Fibonacci spiral , I gather ‘found drawings of edges’ in ass 1

I laid some calico on the ground, doused in a vinegar solution and drew the hills on the horizon using the bicycle chain as a drawing tool, the iron in the chain transferred to the cloth.

Using crochet I intended to investigate tension , one of the points I found particularly interesting in ass4.

I have crocheted a chain of white tape into the bike chain, it feels like a really interesting juxtaposition of materials. Industrial v craft, hard v soft. I started with four chain stitches between links, then swapped to three, interestingly the three chain created enough tension to start curving the chain. Soft resilient material affecting the hard strong steel. I started to work crochet chains to suspend the bicycle chain in the form of the rust drawing – needs some more thought into the technical aspect of this.

Assignment 4 feedback

Summary of tutorial discussion

Demonstration of technical and visual skills, quality of outcome, demonstration of creativity –

This assignment is not complete but you have some lovely ideas within it. You are demonstrating technical skills in the development of your samples and visual skills placing them in different environments. However both of these could be developed further, see below:

Your altered sample is very well constructed, using the weave to hold the two pieces together. Please think about this idea when you decide on how the 2 arcs should finally be fixed in the second sample ( don’t use the rubber bands) . You could also consider different weave patterns.

Your photos show some interesting locations but now think more about the lighting and interesting shadows that this piece casts. Think also about a crisper image of the “perfect “ gallery shot. 

Consider the decisions you made when you created the arc on the small curve, what were you trying to achieve? You said you didn’t want it to be symmetrical you felt it balanced too well, so you chose an asymmetric un-balance composition. We wonder if it will tip over ? There is tension in this piece which relates to the tension in the spring itself. Think about this with the development of your other spring sample. Also consider this when you are displaying the sample. We discussed placing it on a plinth so it overhangs it, which will add to the idea of tipping and tension.

Please document your ideas and the development of your samples, include drawings, collages etc to show your thought processes. 

Context, reflective thinking, critical thinking, analysis – 

You are creating innovative work here, but please make sure you include the rest of the work that supports your ideas. Also go through the assignment and make sure you have answered what is asked of you fully. 

Add links to the summer exhibition and Tracy Emin in relation to displaying work in a gallery space. 

Add image of the Caro sculpture you were talking about.

You need more reflection on the Grayson Perry tapestry, looking at the use of colour, how the artwork makes us feel etc ( refer to the course work )  

Your reflections on the Van Gogh and your own artwork could be better presented and you could include more information on the composition. Especially how you changed your work, explain this in more detail please. If you had other ideas of how you were going to change it then also include this. 

Please reorganise your blog so that you have your initial sample in a “perfect place” first then you need to show the altered sample and other places that you have put it.

Well done for producing what you have in the short time frame, I look forward to your next assignment.

Assignment 3

Fabric manipulation based on words – I had a much stronger response to this than drawings based on words, I am currently much more inquisitive with playing with fabrics and working in 3D.

Knitting and crochet – unconventional tools

Arm knitting was a reflective, mind full process . I enjoyed the rhythm, the comfort of becoming enveloped in luxurious yarn and the scale. It didn’t seem a productive or useful process otherwise – just clumsy. I would be more than happy to make tools to solve a problem of working with a material . But using them gratuitously seemed egotistical (like knitting with diggers) Doing it for a dare, or just for the sake of it is not my mindset.

Knitting and crochet – unconventional materials.

Any material is up for grabs if it suits a purpose. I naturally eye up skips for example for possible resources, often use found materials ,and often like Rauschenberg will use them as a starting point for a piece of work.

I’m more than happy to experiment, however this exercise reinforced ny dislike of packaging plastics, it’s almost becoming an aversion, it seems chemically and politically tainted. Taking it out of the waste stream could be a positive but I don’t like the texture or visual appearance much. I enjoyed the resilience and linear quality of the telephone wire though and its communication context.

Weaving

Oh my word! I don’t remember ever weaving anything. I could really immerse myself in this process, I had a similar response to wrapping in MMT . It is totally immersive. I had forgotten that space that I go to when transfixed and focussed on a creative task. Pure contentment. And so needed. I hadn’t realised how little time I’ve had for making for months now.

Self assessment:

Demonstration of technical and visual skills: Materials, techniques, observational skills, visual awareness, design and compositional skills.

My strength here was certainly weaving, my samples have clear links to the drawings and mark making from parts onset and two, I have investigated techniques using a range of materials and noted further investigations I have realised the role of sampling in developing ideas further by using drawings and reflection of successful and more importantly less successful samples.

Quality of outcome: Content, application of knowledge, presentation of work in a coherent manner, discernment, conceptualisation of thoughts and communication of ideas.

despite the disaster of my failing of my technology

This happened I learnt a lot from artist research in ex 3.1. Particularly from watching video interviews of Polly Binns and Tracey Emin.

Demonstration of creativity: Imagination, experimentation, invention, development of a personal voice – I’m happiest when experimenting and can be inventive with materials, for this assignment I did feel more informed by my research and was able to be less literal with interpretation of my drawings , when making samples that I feel , had a strong sense of place while also working with a colour palate developed from exploring future trends.

Context: Reflection, research and critical thinking.

Again I have reflected more than communication my ideas, however I am developing strategies to remedy this.

Feedback assignment 2

Summary of tutorial discussion

Demonstration of technical and visual skills, quality of outcome, demonstration of creativity –

You did well to produce this body of work in a short time. You have approached each exercise with thought and tried iterations of ideas. There could however be further investigation in the exercises , the body of work feels a little bit light but i am sure this is due to a lack of time and not a lack of ideas.

It might be that you should separate out some of your more resolved or successful pieces and mount simply on cartridge for assessment. For example your self portrait, the rubbing of your letter, the rubbing of the leaves in your environment. I shall confirm from Sandra if this is a good idea.

You experimented well with a variety of materials and processes. You handled line well in the initial drawing exercise. You produced a strong graphic composition.

The photos of the found marks were very successful. You observed very interesting textures, colours and compositions in these images. Think about how you instinctively did this with the camera frame and how this could be applied to samples you are creating.

The end of the sketchbook felt a bit rushed and scrappy. Please make sure papers are either in the book attached, out in a separate book or just placed in a simple fold of clean white paper acting as a sleeve. For assessment put details of the exercise neatly on the corner of the sleeve.

Context, reflective thinking, critical thinking, analysis –

You presented your work well on your blog. It would however be helpful to have a paragraph of reflection after each exercise. ( you started to do this in the last couple of exercises)

Please give more detail in your reflection for example you say that you were underwhelmed by a certain assignment, explain why you think this is.

You mentioned Tracy Emin and Elise Englar were important artists for you in this assignment, please explain why. What did you connect with in their work? Do you feel that your work was a response to this, if yes why, if not then why not ?

Please include the rest of the research artist analysis in the final assessment.

Well done, I look forward to your next assignment.

Assignment two

In Part Two you’ve produced a body of written and visual research and drawing exploring the themes identified in Part One. You should now conclude your work by reflecting on what you’ve learnt in Parts One and Two. Write about the development of both your research and creative skills, and identify what you think you’ve learnt from undertaking these exercises. Discuss how research has broadened your understanding of the creative process, and how exploring a range of different creative approaches to drawing and mark-making can help you to generate ideas

in response to a theme. Highlight areas of strength and any areas that you think require further development. You should aim to write approximately 500 words, and include this in your learning log.

This was a tricky journey that I have taken very quickly. merely dipping my toes into a range of processes and concepts for generating ideas has whetted my appetite for researching ways of developing thought processes.

I was particularly struck by the Martin Creed video

The main thing I have learnt is not to pre judge. The process of immersion in a task , being inquisitive, questioning and ready to experiment can yield results I couldn’t dream of – dreaming up ideas is a bit of a fallacy perhaps! It is a skill that can be honed,

I have quite a good understanding of critical reflection , my research for this assignment is not complete, currently a collection af annotated images and rough notes from many open tabs on my computer. I did not approach the research systematically but all at once and it blew my mind, brain fog, my short term memory just couldn’t cope I need to develop a strategy to cope with this. Currently I’m Using Microsoft notes as a swipe file to gather information, make notes and gather images but collation is proving complicated. It Is my priority for moving forward. It is clear that the research I have managed has been key to unlocking concepts and revelations so not committing enough focus to this will be a barrier to fully realising my progress.

My creative journey falls between , Tracey Emin strongly expressive of personal journey, highly emotional. Vs documentary/archaeological approach of Elise Engler.

After really enjoying MMT I felt very materials and process led but now see that the ideas and process led approaches have generated thought processes in ways I haven’t really considered. The pieces of work using collage resonated more , I guess this was more to do with manipulation of materials, also very colour and composition based. Words weren’t for me but actually the frottaged stitch sample was a favourite piece due the interesting surface texture, I wish I’d frottaged in white on a light background to further investigate the the shapes found.

Feedback assignment 1

 

Summary of tutorial discussion

 

Demonstration of technical and visual skills, quality of outcome, demonstration of creativity –

 

Techniques to help you complete on time:

I understand that parts of this assignment were difficult for you to start. You need to have a way to make decisions and just get on with it . We discussed using the decision making as an interesting maybe conceptual way of working rather seeing it as a problem. So choosing things blind, tossing a die. As you are pushed for time it is important that you can crack on with your work. Obviously there still needs to be time for reflection but not procrastination!

It’s interesting, this feeling of being frozen by a looming deadline is a state that I feel could be a really interesting line of inquiry – if I had the time ……. my procrastination is partly full on procrastination but a large amount is brain chemicals, shifting hormones and sadness, my brain processing internal and external change, it’s been a s**t year all in all.

However the wrk needs doing and I’m determined -just need to get the momentum going…

 

It is important that you answer what is being asked of you, make sure that you complete all the tasks. It felt a little thin in parts and there was one part missing 1.4.

1.4 was a sticking point, I’m now waiting for the release of The Lost Words: Spell Songs

Macfarlane, Robert . This is a cd of songs inspired by Macfarlanes investigation into 50 nature words that are removed from the children’s Oxford English Dictionary.
I think that I took the tasks too literally and will try to achieve more depth in future exercises. My recording of ideas needs to be clearer, a balance between analysing all my sketch book notes whilst avoiding repetition on the blog and not getting too sidetracked.

 

Really consider your research and what it can provide for each assignment. If you get stuck within an assignment you might need to revise the research and expand on ideas or go deeper.

This idea of back tracking to provide more inspiring research to use in the project tasks is really important – it will stop me wasting time agonising about how to make thing fit, and will save time in the long run.

 

Your work could be more conceptual? You enjoyed the method of working in mixed media which is not theme based. Working with materials and developing processes. You could push this method of working more, maybe developing a narrative more than a theme. For example on the journey you could be walking and recording materials, picking up materials as you go. Looking at what materials lay with each other, can they be broken as you walk on them, do they change form. Do they change from morning to evening, do other people interact with them …….( I just looked at 1.1 it is clear to me that you really enjoy materials, the work you have analysed from mixed media is stronger than your new sample for this assignment. This is because you are not trying to create a “picture” but you are simply working with materials and forms and then documenting them. In this new piece you are trying to make the materials represent a landscape / picture which is not so honest or exciting.  We can discuss this next time we talk but please reflect on this point for your next assignment. )

This is excellent – really clarifying. I loved MMT and found the materials led approach really suited my inquisitive nature. Project one of I&P felt quite forced but thanks to this feedback I think that I’m understanding how to move forward and approach it in a way that is more natural to me. Narrative and context are important to me.

 

Your bird sample was very interesting ( and works as a narrative / conceptual idea) but how could this have been developed further?

I also felt that mapping the bird flight paths in my garden was more exciting, when I get my sketch book back I will see if I can implement some of the ideas that I noted. I’m particularly interested in exploring how I can invoke my crow friends in a ark making exercise using a back drawing process and peanuts. If it works it would be interesting to produce a series with some consistent approach combined with random elements, time of day, number of peanuts etc

 

Experimentation and developing your own personal voice:

You work could be more experimental. You could be using a larger variety of materials. All your work is a similar shape and size. Go bigger or much smaller.

This excites me, I felt constricted by size for example on the interpretation of music Woking on A3 but felt compelled to follow the instructions! This will be part o f my rewinding process. I will refine my inner grrr and run free!!!

 

We discussed  that you could be thinking about how you bring your own interests and skills into each assignment. I think you would then enjoy the assignments more? For example you really enjoyed mixed media, you enjoy working with materials so when you completed the last task you could have drawn or printed on wooden veneers to see what effect that gave.

 

Context, reflective thinking, critical thinking, analysis –

 

I found your Blog difficult to navigate i didn’t realise i had to start at the bottom of page 2 and work my way up. Is it possible to have it so the first page opening up is the first part of the assignment etc…..

I’m not sure what happened there! I have worked out how to put more posts on each page so that issue should be dealt with. I have set up draft posts for the entire course so they should appear in order I think. I’ve also worked out the categories so hopefully my blog will read more clearly. Currently I’m not sure if I need to (or how to)change theme to improve clarity. WordPress still keeps its secrets well

 

There needs to be more reflection on what you are doing and also what you have chosen not to do and why.

I suggest once you have finished the piece you are working on stand back from it and critique it. What is working and what could you improve on. What were you trying to achieve and have you succeeded. Note down your comments.

 You could record your reflections verbally and then write down the key points.

 I’m going to try using voice memos to help me . My typing is getting quicker slowly. I’ve made a prompt card to refer to when self evaluating based on critical thinking skills workshop.

You need to present your work more clearly for assessment. Labels with assignment points on each.

This was lazy of me as I literally threw assignment one in the post and then found the how to send work to your tutor for assessment. I can see how feedback will be helped by clearer labelling of work.

 

Well done, I look forward to your next assignment.

I&P Assignment one

Demonstration of technical and visual skills – I think that within the context of responding to a brief with ideas rather than completed pieces of work that my technical and visual skills have been competent in representing ideas I have used a range it firmly obvious techniques, I was really pleased with the outcome using found materials joined using stitch to represent the landscape and also with the way this work linked so well with my research.

Quality of outcome – apart from ex 1.4 which caused a complete blank I have responded well to the tasks and have hopefully shown some interesting concepts that are well communicated. I feel that I got o a real roll with MMT and have stumbled my way somewhat through assignment one. I think that I got used to being far more process led and am coming round to a different way of thinking for I&P

Demonstration of creativity – mixed responses to the exercises, I felt that my response to 1.1 was quite strong – it being process led helped, 1.2 personal experience was engaging and with a lot more time I think that I would find a lot to develop her, also 1.7 I respond far more to place than the exercises responding to words – it’s just occurred to me that the drawing of bird paths could be titled ‘flight’ , words can perhaps be a trigger for my ideas – I have a feeling that all of these stands will start coming together with further practice.

Context – I can see an improvement in the communication of my thoughts over the last two courses but I can see also that this is an area that I need to develop. My understanding is growing thanks mostly to the critical thinking skills course with Rebecca Fairley but I need to record my thought process in more detail.

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