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Summative Project Report

Much of my approach to 603 came from the work I made during summer, where I made more work than I expected and enjoyed doing it much more than I expected. That meant I came into level 6 with a goal to make the most of the year and work as intensely as possible without becoming burnt out. Although I made a start on 603 in the autumn semester, it didn’t really feel like it kicked into full swing until the new year.

From the outset, I felt a big part of the potential for success of the module was to find a project I could immerse myself in and get carried away with. I decided that I needed some kind of research project to help drive this, and I settled on a project based around the village of Birchover in Derbyshire. Although there have been a few other projects and little bits I have done, this has been the main focus. The project has allowed me to push my image making and processes and fully engage in play. 

I have enjoyed engaging with a range of different research techniques (museums, books, online articles, location visits and first hand experience) and really investigating a subject as far as possible and then responding to that visually. Getting engrossed in research has helped me realise that this is somewhere that I definitely see my practice going, whether it is part of a broader illustration practice or not. 

Although I’m happy with my research, I do think it could have been more extensive, with potentially more public engagement and use of museum archives. Equally, I’m not sure I have fully responded to everything I researched and set out to yet; but, with both of these, I see the project as on-going and they are things I may well address in the future.

One possible downside is that at times I think I’ve got too carried away in play, and I have forgotten to push imagery to the next level and finalise things into prints as well as push things into other media and processes. Another criticism of the work I have made is that it sometimes lacks communication and becomes purely visual. In previous years I have wrestled with communication in the context of the playful, more abstract ways that I work best. This year, part of the freedom I have given myself means I have not focused on this so much. The outcome is that I have enjoyed the work much more than in previous years, but it may have a smaller potential audience.

Another thing is that my way of working can become quite internal and I think presenting my work to the world (whether that is digital, in the form of exhibitions or contacting people) is one way this project may not have been as successful as it could have been so far. Much of this comes down to a continued apprehension and lack of confidence in presenting my work. That said, making work I am happy with goes a long way to help solve this.

These two issues come down to a lack of knowledge, research and consideration of potential audiences and applications. A greater focus on competition briefs and more commercial work may have solved these issues, that said; the freedom I have allowed myself with this project has let me to push my work as far as I can as way to develop my own voice. 

I think a more commercial approach is something that I can re-introduce into my practice, and I now have a new excitement to approach more commercial briefs, with a greater confidence in my own visual identity. The skills of research and image generation I have developed during 603 are definitely transferable to more commercial contexts. From work in 603 and at level 5 I feel fairly confident in my rudimentary design and layout skills.

I am most proud of keeping a momentum and work rate all year, which has helped more than anything in creating a body of work I am happy with. A large part of this has been down to maintaining a routine, which in turn was made easier by really enjoying making work. I’ve mostly avoided periods of inactivity and lack of motivation that have harmed my work in previous years, which feels like I’ve taken the lessons of previous years and used them for good. I am aware it will be very important to keep this momentum up post-graduation, and this is part of the reason I’m viewing the Birchover project as ongoing.

603 So far and proposal for after hand-in

As of now (and the time of submission) my 603 project is not finished. I probably have enough work to put up in the show - but there is much more I want to do. I have a print slot booked for next weds with the aim of printing some of the photocopies I have made on A2 scale - so they can sit alongside the A2 screen prints in some kind of publication. I think the final outcome for the project is exhibitions. Obviously, the show will be one output of this - but I am also currently contacting authorities and museums in the area near Stanton/Birchover with a view to showing some work (Sheffield museums, Buxton etc.) I think it may be worth me contacting some others - maybe try find a smaller space in Leeds that could fit the work nicely. I picture the work being tiled up, big bits, small bits, photocopies, prints, photographs, 3d elements etc. - with a large scale publication that contains all the content (the issue of this would be making it interesting and reflective of the project - but not too 'bitty' - have it cohesive and nice to flick through.)

Updates

Work wise its been an up-and-down few weeks/months. Leading up to pp I spend quite a lot of time on that - and then lost days to Hanbury, find and seek - admin-y kinds of things. It felt a bit like I lost the flow I'd got into up to the Mass-art collab. It means every time I have fit work in I've had to remind myself where I'm up and what I have to do next. Somehow during all this I've kept up quite a rapid work rate - although I've not really noticed making it and can't think of much notable work in there (I'm up to about 15 Birchover sketchbooks and over 20 603 sketchbooks - not that I'm counting)

I've continued on the publication strand from the last reflection - in the end making 2 A3 photocopied publications - I was quite happy with both of them. I've tried to continue to generate new work - but at times it has felt a bit stale - I've often been reusing collage material, not finding out enough new research (generally a feeling of getting stale.) I have tried planning some big prints as a way of rounding off the project - which was hard at first but I think I'm beginning to get into the flow of it - I just want to make some nice big colourful prints really. I also have a slot for some A2 monochrome printing next week (trying to get the look and feel of the A3 photocopies scaled up to the same size as the big screen prints I have been doing.)

Generally I'm feeling a mix of absolute terror that I'm not happy with any of the work yet and its not going where I want it to and absolute bliss and feeling everything is fine. I'm already picturing the application for the show - and I think this may be where the work sits best. (maybe I should look into external exhibition?). I thought of 3D printing some 'flint' arrowheads and weathering/wearing them myself as something to add as a 3D element for the show.

Overall I feel like 603 has been good in just letting myself go - not worrying too much about outside considerations. Pushing my practice as far as it will go, focusing on research and play. Thats reflected in the quantity of the work I have made. The downside I feel to this is I have gotten a bit carried away in play sometime and ended up not pushing things further - to screenprint and beyond as much as probably would have been good. Another downside to this way of working is I have made clear decision not to worry about an audience or too much about application - and mostly self-indulge. Obviously, this is not completely ideal for 'marketing' myself - but has allowed me a freedom in image making that may not have otherwise been so easy.

Print Planning

Having a struggle working out compositions for prints. Using elements that have been in previous prints - not sure wether its looking too derivative. For eg. got colour sep. sorted on one print (slide 3) But has elements similar to a print I did at the beginning of the year. The two prints are different but are they different enough? Trying to wrap my head around composing prints again. Also trying to make sure they are based on some kind of theme (not just random scraps I have lying around.) - which makes me doubt the point of doing print on slide 3. Feels like I'd just like to do a few prints to round off this project. I had a moment where I felt like the project (creative side) was finished the other day. I don't think it does just yet, but it nearly is. (a few more prints, a final book of some kind and some kind of arrangement (composition) for exhibiting). Applications and extras after that. (3d printing?).

Reflective 4

Returned to Birchover the weekend before last. Mostly I went home to go to the Buxton museum (Saturday) to see what they had from Stanton Moor - there wasn't very much - but there were some other good bronze age stuff - and there was an installation (and performance) about the museums collection using sound and 3d imaging that was pretty exciting. Stopped at Arbor Low on the way back (very windy and rainy). On Sunday I made the trip over to Birchover, with the aim of doing a full day again. I aimed to tick off a few bits I've missed previous times (Aundle Stone, Doll Tor). And also look for the bronze age burial mounds on Stanton moor. I got most of them done. Its much easier now the days are getting longer. The way it has worked out is that I visited once in Autumn, once in Winter, once in Spring - and I'd really like to go to the nine ladies for the summer solstice (maybe as a rounder offer.) In general, I'm finding it hard to spend enough time on 603 at the moment. Between MassArt, Hanbury and PP it doesn't feel like I've had very much on 603. That said, what I am fitting in of 603 I'm really enjoying. I've pretty much let go of any restrictions with it - its just what ever I want to make - letting it happen. I have this constant niggling feeling that I'm unsure where I fit in in creative disciplines - I'm not sure its really illustration  - but I'm not sure it fully fits into anything else. For the time being I'm letting the work happen and then worry about where it fits later. (this is all something that probably needs resolving - or exploring - through pp). I'm still really excited by 603 and so ready for complete freedom - I have a slight feeling ideas are passing me by before I get the chance to do them at the moment.

7x7

MassArt

This week I have had a week off the Birchover project with the MassArt collab. For our project we made a series of cards and and app based on the Otley Run. It was my first proper experience of collaboration. Our end product was fairly commercial-orientated. It was really interesting working in this way as it was so far away from what I would usually do.

Overall, it made me realise how helpful collaboration can be, in terms of reducing individual workload and merging peoples skills to elevate an end product. Not just the work from my own group - seeing all the outcomes and how different approaches and styles were integrated into cohesive projects was exciting. I'd like to keep in contact with the MassArt students - and possibly try collaborate with some LAU graphics students some more.

Reflective 3

Birchover reflections

I have been focusing on making positives for screenprint - I made 5 prints a A3 in the last few weeks. I'm sticking with a colour scheme to give them all a consitent feel - green, grey, orange - and black?

making positives has began to stall - at the moment I only seem to be able to have about 2/3 of an idea for a print.

The publications I saw during MassArt really excited me - and reminded me that thats what I kept meaning to do - so I went in on Saturday and just photocopied sketchbook pages and loose sheets (some on coloured paper - loosely sticking to the colour theme.) and then grouped the pages based on location and theme.

The result is quite an abstract publication - but it got me thinking. I've had a creeping feeling I've been too fixed on printmaking and not allowed my ideas to flow as much as I should. With a bit more experimentation and some simple integration of type - it could be quite a nice publication. One thought was that I could make 2 - one for the top half of Birchover (Nine Ladies and Stanton Moor) and another for the bottom half (Rowtor Rocks and the Druids Inn - Winster Guisers.) I've been thinking about ring binding for a long time - its simple, almost tacky - and it keeps a feeling of the kind of guides you get from a small, historic place like Birchover.

Going though the work I'd done and compiling it all made me get an overview of the work I have done - and what still needs doing. It also made me get a sense for a) how much work I've made - how many sketchbooks - and b) how much of that is good/useable

I also thought I could do a similar publication at A3 - and properly bound. It may well be that photocopied sheets are mixed in with screenprinted pages (and digital?)

The work is still flowing fairly well - but it really needs pushing on somewhere else in order for it not to get stale. Much of the work is fairly abstract - so I think type is going to be really important in showing context.

Competition Briefs reflection

I have also completed a few competition briefs. These are the Bicebe Political Poster competition on 'the age of disinformation' and the penguin books student competition. I did 'the establishment' by Owen Jones and 'Norwegian Wood' by Haruki Murakami.

For the Bicebe competition I had half an idea based around a head from a book showing mixed messages and the confusion of media and social media today. I spent a few days trying to formulate it into a proper composition - using abstract ink drawing cut up and re-organised - they ended up looking a little confused. I also tried using other bits of collage but couldn't compose them correctly. I have tried both working to scale with physical bits of paper and on screen. In the end I've ended up with the design below - its ok - but I'm not sure I quite mastered the design dilemma I've had (/not quite knowing how to realise an idea I have in my head.) 

The penguin books I had a few ideas for 'the establishment' partly inspired by the Mai 68 posters, showing a crowd. I was going for a D.I.Y. kind of look. I didn't really feel any of these really worked. I had another idea for using old images of country houses and general opulence in the cover, I liked the idea of using tapestry or similar symbols of the British establishment. I gave photocopy transfers a go - just experimenting. All I had was nail varnish remover - so it didn't really do a great job. I just wrote the title around on the sketchbook page. When I showed it to be he said that it was done - and after editing it and doing a back cover in my handwriting I agreed. It ended up the slightly crap photocopy transfer does the job of showing the hidden nature of the British establishment - as well as giving the cover a slight punk aesthetic. 

I hadn't initially intended to do a cover for norwegian wood - but I found as part of my Birchover project and other things I had quite a few images of trees. I did some experimenting and playing around with different layouts. In the end I stated doing the type like trees - with shadows. - and this is what i went with in the end (type- based)

I have enjoyed doing these briefs alongside the Birchover stuff- and they have definitely helped drive each other further - but I think now I'm going to focus more solely on the Birchover work in order to push it as far as I can.

7x7

Updates

I have been getting on with the Birchover self-directed brief and some competition briefs. Yesterday I submitted the Penguin design award (non-fiction and fiction) and the Bolivian political poster competition. Both briefs have been filling gaps during periods when I have been less productive with the self-directed project. It has been useful but at times I think I've laboured over the two briefs a bit. Generally, I have been working fairly well, mostly in sketchbooks, working quickly. I think now I need to start getting out of my sketchbook and producing bigger work. I've done 2 prints for the project so far - but they have felt a bit too experimental - they don't seem finished once i've printed them; also, they have been A2, which makes the printing a little harder (more complicated.). I'm beginning to think that working quicker and more instinctively making the print and working at A3 might make the process easier and less laborious - and redoing the A2 prints at A3 will allow them to be more final.

Last weekend I went to Weston Museum in Sheffield - where they hold the archeological finds from Stanton Moor (just out of Birchover). Lots of very old stuff - Bronze age pots and arrowheads etc. I think taking places and stories from the project and making work responding to the specific places is the way forward. The two further bit of research I need to fit in are Buxton Museum (quite a long way away - may need to fit it in next time I'm home - supposed to have more artefacts from Stanton moor than in Sheffield) and Some books I found online Leeds uni library - which I got access for - and haven't quite got round to actually going there.

I'd like the work to be more focused and maybe a bit more clear about what it is. I'm still aiming toward a large format book, and I'd quite like to make quite a simple 1 or 2 colour screenprinted zine. (probably soon). My biggest challenge in the next few weeks will be not losing momentum and finding a way to push the project and ideas further.

Proposal