Day 57: Experimentation

Day 56: Hybrid Shooting

As I had not done much filming in Falmouth yet I decided that I would spend the day walking form the pier to the beach and film snippets of life in Falmouth. I found it really tricky as I have not got a tripod and therefore all the shots are quite wobbly! I have uploaded them and will start editing tomorrow.

Day 55: Futures Lecture and Animation Taster Day

Charlotte Jones- Pottery

She went traveling but whilst traveling made collages. Her advice was to study artists not only in your discipline. She mentioned her study into Christo and the running fence in California.

Overall I was not very impressed with this artist as I just wasn't very interested in her work. I did like how she was able to study and change career later on in life though.


Animation Taster Day
Even though I do not plan on pursuing a career in animation I wanted to attend to give me an insight into the process and techniques of creating an animation. It was great to learn the basics of adobe flash professional CS5 and I produced two little animations as experiments.
By leanring the basics it now allows me the option to use animation at a later date.

Day 54: Hybrid Project

Today I have been brain storming ideas for the Hybrid Project. I have used my space to produce an area where I can scribble down all my ideas. I have also made a list of all the artists I like and key facts about their artwork.

Day 53: Contextual Lecture and Life Drawing

Celebrity Artists
The nature of celebrity artists has changed but its something people have always been keen on.

Andy Warhol

• 'the day will come when everyone will be famous for 15 minutes' and 'art is anything you can get away with'
• amazed by horrific car accidents- person wouldn't be well known before accident but then they are printed all over newspapers, wouldn't publish those pictures in newspapers today 

Richard Avedan

• underground art- associated with sprayed bananas in Berlin
• Elvis prints- one darker than other, fading away of something, dilated represents fading of celebrity

Jeff Koons

• interest in human culture
• 'pink panther'- married to porn star so reflected in his work
• 'balloon dog'- cast porcelain 1995, stainless steel one in Chateau de Versailles 2008 and other in street 1999
• michael jackson and bubbles 1998- celebrity in Koons' time
• popeye series- lobster reference to Dali

Tracey Emin

• photographed by Mary McCartney as Frida Kahlo
• her tent caught the celebrity glimpse but unmade bed seeked celebrity status
• 'dont try to sell me your fucking fear' news beign so negative
•  quilting and stitching- nuns stitch to stop masturbating- she does it to keep herself out of trouble
• wants to make new things- wouldnt remake tent for millions as needs to move on
• 'art saves me, its my saviour in many ways'

 Walt Disney

• Walk Disney concert hall- Frank Gehry in LA and Walt Disney Offices in California

Grayson Perry

• won turner prize- uses old Grecian vase but with contemporary pictures
• 'the digital generation need to have a go at something messy and difficult'

Vivienne Westwood

• leading designer in rock fashion
• first clothes shop, called SEX, attracted attention
• platform shows autumn- Naomi Campbell fell over in
• 'chaos point' collection featured insects and plants painted by 7 year olds (2010)
• inspiration from everything- magpie
• categorised by avant garde but in order to see the future you have to understand history

Philippe Starck

• Juicy Salif 1984- conceptual/installation
•  about styling rather than function
• designs things to talk about and get noticed, evokes a discussion and interaction

Sir James Dyson

• markets his own products
• a blade less fan- balloon video

Ai Weiwei

• fine artists, coneptual/ installation
• strong political activist
• 100 million hand crafted porcelain sunflower seeds
• commentry on the place of the individual an the masses
• porcelain bubbles, 2008
• fist chinese artists to make headlines in England and first at Tate Modern

Life Drawing

Day 52: Specialisation Tutorial

I went in to have my tutorial with Dave today, which went really well. The tutorial allowed me to show him my previous work so he can have an insight into which artwork of mine I think works or doesn't. We also discussed possible places for me to apply to university as he needs to know as much as possible as he will be writing my reference. Finally we discussed the brief, The Hybrid Project.
I started by looking at the definition of Hybrid, as my project will be based around this one word.
hybrid |ˈhīˌbrid|
nouna thing made by combining two different elements; a mixture
adjectiveof mixed character; composed of mixed parts

When discussing the brief it was explained that the majority of people, including myself, had always had very specific briefs to fulfill whereas with this he wants us to create or make what ever we want! The basic outline is just that u have to use two things, whether it be...two artists insipiration, two mediums or even two themes. Whilst this is a great opportunity to do anything I want it is also hard as there are no restrictions so i already have loads of ideas.

Day 51: Specialisation Set Up

Today was the first day we had in our specialisation group, photography and moving image. We arrived and set up our own area. Its great to have our own section of the room as now I have my own work space. This has allowed me to put up my pictures which I use for inspiration all around me.
After we set everything up we were each given our tutorials times, mine is tomorrow at 2pm so I prepared for it this afternoon. I plan on showing a documentary I directed and produced as well as an opening to a thriller, these videos are on youtube. Other work I intend to show is an installation I have made and a photo montage I created.
I am looking forward to finding out what the brief is as it has been a long time before I have worked to a set brief and deadline.

Day 50: Futures Lecture

Diggory Gordon- Graphic Design

1. Dont work for free unless its an interesting job
2. Collaborate with people at college 
3. You can never make enough cups of teas for colleagues
4. Sometimes you have to work for a difficult client
5. Don't drink coke, it's bad for your teeth
6. People that shout the less, get heard the most
7. Draw out your ideas first
8. Be creative at university and sometimes you get to give something back
9. How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul
10. Work outside of work
11. Never forget to have fun, we're not lawyers!
12. If you want to make money, stop and become a plumber!

diggory@gendall.co.uk
Diggory's Blog- http://www.myheroeskilledcowboys.co.uk/blog/

Day 49: Assessment

Day 48: Contextual Lecture

Avant Garde (Groundbreaking Art)

"Artists who have led the way with a new way of thinking"
(Cottington David, 2005, Modern Art, Oxford University Press)








Impressionism

• Edouard Manet, Le Dejeuner Sur L'herbe, 1863, was the break away from modernism
• Was refused by Salon(French exhibition) but was 'the highlight' of the Salon de Refuses in Paris
• Was controversial as modern day dressed men with naked women, with no perspective and lots of puzzles to the painting
• Manet started impressionism but Monet kept it going and developed it. Monet's Waterlillies captures essence, colour, pattern and surface

Ballet Russes (The Russian Ballet)

• Sergei Diaghileu and Vaslav Nijinsky(dancer) moved to France and set up ballet
• controversial as exotic, erotic and colourful
• Leon Bakst created set designs for Scheherazade and Sleeping Beauty

DADA

• french for childs rocking horse (nonsense)
• an anti art movement
• international movement that began in WW1 in neutral Switzerland as it was a place of sanctuary
•  "for us art is not an end itself...but is an opportunity for the true perception and criticism of the times we live in" Hugo Boss
• Duchamp foundation (toilet) also part of DADA
• George Grosz- artwork- Fit for Service shows men being pieced together and sent back to war and People in the Street is simple and first look but further study shows everyone looking straight ahead

Expressionism

• Oskar Kokoschka painted Bride of the Wind but it is the story behind the painting which I find interesting. It is a self portrait with Alma Mahler who had an affair with him but she made him go to war. When he returned she had run off with another man which drove Kokoscka to madness and made a life size doll of her

The Bauhaus

• set up by Walter Gropius
• brought design and fine art together to teach, principles now used for art foundation
• "form follows function"- if you follow the function the form will be good-simple
• Marcel Breur made the Slatted chair in 1924 then only two years later he made Wassily chair in 1926
• Oskar Schlemmer designed ballet costumes for the Triadic ballet

Day 47: Research Project

Whilst I had many ideas to do an big installation or film, I have had to re-think my ideas to make something which is achievable in the time limit. I started by studying into the objects on the table and found myself attracted to the plastic bottles because there were so many of them.
After doing sketches I decided to make a raft to represent how all objects, once taken out of their usual environment can be seen in a different way. Just by fixing together alot of bottles and putting it into the water I was able to give the bottles a structure and a story, an ironic idea of a message in a bottle.
Whilst I thought this was going to be achievable I found myself having problems locating empty bottles, placing the raft in the water and photographing it.
I had planned to get an amazing landscape in the background and capture it at a really low angle incorporating it into the landscape and making it appear alot larger. Due to not being able to get to the right location, I had to work with a pier and found that I had not fixed the bottles together as well as I needed to!

Day 46: Travel to Falmouth

I spent the whole day traveling back to Falmouth and had time to consider my options but whilst I have alot more knowledge on each subject and university, I am still not clear what I want to study which I need to decide to be able to chose my pathway for my foundation.
My two options:

Public Relations:
Bournemouth
LCF (Fashion PR)
Leeds
LCC
Falmouth

TV/Film Production:
Westminster (tv production)
Westminster (film production)
Bournemouth (tv production)
LCC (film production)
LCC (events and tv production)
Falmouth (film)

Week 9 Review

Day 45: Open Days

I had a tour of LCC, visited LCF and had a tour of Westminster.

Day 44: Going Home

Today I did the long trip back to London as I am attending open days at universities all weekend.
I am looking at LCC, LCF, Westminster and Bournemouth University. I am hoping to study either TV Production or PR/ Fashion PR. By the end of the weekend I hope to have a clearer idea of what I want to study and where.

Day 43: Contextual Lecture and Life Drawing

The nature and influence of Collections

I think this lecture has really helped me because lots of galleries mentioned were ones which we can visit on the Berlin Trip so it was great to know abit of history about the building and what it exhibited.
I think from the museums described I am most looking forward to the contemporary art at Hamburger Bahnhof and the Daimler gallery.
One artist which was mentioned for his collection of british culture but I have looked into him and found that he is an amazing set designer. Below is the link to his website.
http://www.clmus.com/set-design/simon-costin
Another collection which I was interested in was the Baked Bean Museum of Excellence in South Wales! I found it very amusing how a man can turn his love for baked beans into a museum!

Life Drawing
I am learning to enjoy life drawing now and found the process of quick drawings allowed to not to focus on one thing too much and also the layering made things less clear so could hide some mistakes.

The Genius Of British Art

The Genius Of British Art by Janet Street Porter- Channel 4

"Best British art is challenging, threatening and controversial"- Janet Street Porter

I watched this documentary on how art has developed and changed which was really interesting due to the fact that it was presented by Janet Street Porter, who is an outspoken and controversial figure.

1960's

• Most marked decade Britain has ever seen.
• London's cultural rebirth-new art by young looking to future instead of past.
• Pop art-Peter Blake and american inspiration, David Hockney and sexual liberaion. Richard Hamilton- Collage of American magazines symbolizing classless Britain (right).

1967

• Police declared war on drugs- Rolling Stones
• Gilbert and George- tweed suits turning themselves into living sculpture (got drunk!). Believe they were "created by the enemy" and that they held up a mirror to society showing 'art for all.
• Punk music reinvented art, Johnny Rotten (Picasso of punk) used his music to protest, art is a form of protest. "Rules are for fools" and he loves to offend.

1980's

• Money and ambition rejuvenated art combining Margaret Thatcher and punk's ambition
• Damien Hirst- "bend the system rather than break it". Known as one of the richest artists as auctioned over 200 artworks in less than 24 hours for £95 million, "you either make it in your lifetime or you don't".

2000

• Culture, reality tv, celebrity and life have a huge impact on art
• Tracey Emin- unique selling point " self obsession as an art form" and uses art to express herself. She studied fine art and wants art to speak to people directly. She believes 'the message has to be deeper and last longer' therefore 'is not point in shocking'. Emin believes sex is the last taboo of middle classes.
• Grayson Perry- greatest commentator of how we live today and life in 21st Century Britain. "Sincerity is the only way I can rebel". His artwork(right) shows the traditional image of a women but uses the modern day purse to replace a child. 
• David Cerny- controversial work and enjoys getting a reaction from the audience. Made a tribute to everyone's favourite bad boy, Damien Hirst,by making a version of Saddam Hussein. He is also known for his controversial sculptures such as two men peeing which can spell anything. Recently he created Entropa (below).

 This documentary has gone over many facts I knew but has really emphasized the idea of being controversial or shocking in modern society and the development through art.

Day 42: Bookmaking

I loved today! I was so excited to try something I had never done before and gain another skill. I found the process itself surprisingly simple if you have all the materials and instructions!
I had some issues in the final stage of putting on the cover as it is so hard to get it exact but as it was my first book I have ever made I wasn't too worried.

I liked the freedom we had to chose the paper, cover and edging but found myself conforming to the classic sketch book with a slight change, my edges. My initial plan was to trim all edges to keep the book neat and tidy but found that when tearing the paper it curled up alot. At first I thought I was doing something awful and got frustrated as it was only happening to mine but I grew to love it and preferred the character it gave the book.

Day 41: Research Day

Today I had my research day for the Colour Project and I knew I wanted to do a response to something current and up to date but found it hard to think of ideas within the print, paint, book and photography guidelines. I therefore used them as rough guidelines and found myself filling with huge ideas of installations and photo shoots! My ideas included:

• Covering my room (at halls of residency, Tuke House) in newspaper and magazines as a response to the impact of media on a students life
• Making a short film of the art students life
• creating an installation reflecting my negativity towards the rise in university fees
• turning my room into a huge nest as a response to creating my own home, away from home

The ideas above really got my mind exploring all ideas but then also making me re think certain ideas as it must be possible in afew days!

Rise in fees

Below is a response to the rise in university fees going up to as much as three times the existing fee. The first few photographs would be my life at university if I had to pay three times as much...

My two roommates would not be here as two thirds of students are now considering not doing a degree.

With the cut backs from university funding, accommodation prices would rise and space reduced.

Due to the rise in fees I would have less money for basic living needs, e.g food.

The cutback in university funding would also result in smaller facilities and not as high standard.

As a result of raising university fee's this would have a direct impact on the future working population...

Fewer people would graduate and therefore a population with fewer qualifications and skills

As a direct result of fewer qualifications, people would therefore have a low income, or none at all, and therefore more people jobless and homeless.

It has been shown that the more stress experienced in younger life the more likely to de depressive at a later age, through the stress of university application and money this could lead straight to depression.

Film Lecture- Tremough Campus

Neil Foss

I traveled up to Tremough campus after being invited to a guest lecture by the BA Film lecturer which I met at the film festival. I found the actual lecture itself rather boring as he went over things which I had already learnt from the film festival. I did enjoy his short film as there was amazing lighting but found the storyline very confusing. 

The wow factor of tonight was Neil Foss showing his favourite short film directed by Tony Zoreil, called Tony Zean. This short film had amazing everything! Great storyline, good editing and good camerawork. Below is the link to the trailer.

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

Week 8 Review

Cornwall Film Festival

This weekend I have been doing voluntary work for the 9th Annual Cornwall Film Festival. My role has included working on 3 screenings and providing general help to visitors.
Saturday
My first screening was '3D: An in depth look'. The workshop which included a preview of two 3D films, one on elephants and another fiction, and then a talk at the end. I found this really interesting as I have a personal interest into wildlife so found that 3D can turn it into an experience as if you are there watching these animals. It was also interesting to hear how they manage budgets and the process of filming for 3D. The second 3D preview I was not as impressed with as the storyline was very confusing and as a viewer 3D made me feel very disorientated.
The second was screening for students work which I found rather simple, didnt seem to have a storyline and basic shots.
I was very lucky because I was volunteering I not only got a free T-shirt but got a free pass for the day so when I had finished my shift I was able to watch a feature film called Restrepo from Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger. This documentary follows a troop of soldiers into Afghanistan for a year, showing their battle for everyday life. This was very touching as throughout the film you are shown recent interviews of the soldiers reflecting on their time and how it has been so emotional. I think the editing is very effective and really helps tell the story.


Sunday
I was very lucky to be able to take part in a workshop run through the Cornwall Film Festival.  The workshop was 'An introduction to directing' and gave me the opportunity to work along side real life actors and learn from an experienced director and crew. I found the morning as a great insight into the world of production and afew key tips when working with actors. The main tip for a director was 'do it your way but communicate it in a different way'.  We were given a section of a script and could interrupt it in any way we wanted. In pairs we then had a chance to work with the director of photography and the actors to produce afew shots.

What I found really helpful is that after the workshop we were invited to attend the talk by the director on his latest feature film, 'A Weekend Retreat'. The talk went into every stage of directing and producing a feature length film and the positives and negatives.
Finally I had my last screening of the feature film, 'The Girl who kicked the Hornets Nest'. When it first appeared in a different language with English subtitles I was dreading 3 hours of reading! But after about 20 minutes you get used to it and don't think about it. This film was amazing and I would recommend it to anyone.

Day 40: Futures Lecture

Viviane Schwars (Illustration) and Oliver Sutherland (Film)

This lecture was really nice in terms of atmosphere as they studied at Falmouth University so they were speaking from experience andI felt like I could relate to both of them.

Viviane
Only two things can describe this artist, illustration and cats!
I found it inspiring that she had a dream to become an illustrator and loved cats and has been able to turn that into a job for herself, as she now writes and illustrates children's books. In terms of illustration I have never been interested in it myself and don't see it as a path I want to pursue. I also found it interesting that she commented how she works using all types of media such as drawing, making and digital. This just shows the wide variety which is needed to research deeper and develop an idea in many forms of communication.
A quote which I really appreciate was about the Foundation course at Falmouth, 'Its about the experience rather than the work', as I get really wrapped up in the work and ned to learn just to take a step back and enjoy the year, mkaing the most of the resources and variety of skills I am learning.


Oliver
Oliver had his entire education set out in terms of what he wanted to study and where, then later on, found that he didn't enjoy it and was able to transfer to Falmouth in his 2nd year from The Slade in London.

My favourite pieces by Oliver are an installation using cassette tapes(right), a room with 'the world's strongest magnet' and his ironic response to Christmas lights! I like the conceptual ideas behind his work as he found the worlds strongest magnet in the room was not as powerful as the sign on the door which made people curious, 'beware'. Another ironic piece is his iceberg installation (above) as it was a response to the nature where people want it to snow at Christmas, but put up fairy lights which look like snow instead, which therefore is using more electricity and on a large scale stopping the snow due to global warming!
Below is the link to Oliver's Website and blog:
Oliver Sutherland Blog
Oliver Sutherland Website

Day 39: Paint Workshop

The day was started with a mini lecture about fine artists and how they manipulate paint. We studied the language of paint expressing opinions, analysing and simplifying painting techniques. I found that the majority of paintings I liked, or learned to like or appreciate after looking at techniques. Afew of my favourites included Hockney's famous 'Splash' for the contrast in language and Peter Doig's 'What Does Your Soul Look Like'.

The first stage we had to paint using the opposite techniques which I found hard but refreshing as it produced a range of marks that I had never created. After group discussions and constant re evaluating pieces I finished the day with a final piece which started off as something abstract but then took shapes into life. Reflecting on the pictures I think I preferred the piece before I tried to remove sections I didn't like!

At the end I was left with lots of extra paint so instead of wasting it I created a really quick painting but using paper with a shiny surface so in the process of drying and working into it the paint cracked. I think this is really effective on a piece but obviously therefore means the artwork hasn't got a long life span.

Day 38: 4D Lecture

To be honest I didn't really understand this lecture! You may be thinking how can you not understand a lecture but to me this lecture made no sense! The lecturer has been never really introduced himself or what he does and the lecture hall were just sitting there thinking who is he! In basic terms he was talking about 4D and interactive websites etc. The lecture was a mess with random talks, clips and alot of going off ubject it just got very confusing.

One thing which was really good though was an interactive website- http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/
and he also mentioned the website vjtheory.net alot!
He briefly covered cinema and choreography and also painting on film by Stan Brakhage.
There was one film which I loved as it was an installation but Bill Viola used film to capture the movement. This is the link- http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4498864086957786589# and to the right is a still from the movie.