Monday
Starting the week off with another session doing our own tests in the studio, Chris encouraged us to try using physical objects instead of 2d and hand drawn tests, the objects giving us it’s own limitations to work with.
I chose to use a pack of playing cards, taking out the red cards. I thought after looking at my previous tests and what was successful, the cards gave me a good opportunity to work with more pattern animation and also numbers, with the sudoku tests being my inspiration.
I managed to get two tests out of this session. I wasn’t massively happy with either of them and found it very difficult to get started. Every time I came up with any sort of idea I kept shooting it down as it felt too obvious. After speaking with Chris he told me that’s not necessarily a bad thing and to just run with it.
He mentioned that just doing the ‘obvious’ thing can lead to other interesting ideas.
In a couple of our sessions recently he has spoken about the approach of making first and thinking later, and thinking through making. That whilst making our tests we are making loads of creative choices that we can then reflect on later. I found this extremely helpful in moving forward with the project.
Wednesday
Today we went on a walk as a group. We got set up with some sound recorders and went out on our route. We would stop at intervals and read extracts of texts and some poetry. The aim for the walk was to slow down, reflect and just be in ‘receive’ mode, to let ideas come to us and to let our minds wander and question.
I found this a bit strange at first, but it turned out to be rather therapeutic. I found that I did get a few ideas by just letting my thoughts wander.
One of my main recurring thoughts I was having throughout the walk, was how much it felt like Alice in Wonderland. One moment we were walking past these massively tall buildings that make you feel absolutely tiny, the next we’re turning down a cobbled street where the cars are from 1950, the small buildings make you feel like a giant and you almost forget you’re in London.
I took these photos as I feel they connected with my project and the tests I had recently done. The uniform shapes and lines felt similar to the compositions I have been working with.
When we walked past this, I found it quite interesting as it looked rather out of place. The bright colours and straight grid sat next to the dull wonky pavement and brick walls, felt very appealing and fit in with my ideas about Alice in Wonderland and feeling misplaced.
After we returned from the walk, Chris asked us to reflect on our thoughts and feelings from the walk, and to listen back to the recordings we had gathered and create a pyschogeographic map of the walk, on how we experienced it.
I had some off cuts from my mono prints and used them to collage my map together.
I took my idea of feeling too small and too big in the city and ran with it. I wanted to try and make it somewhat uniform as that’s what the walk felt like, seeing a lot of very clearly planned and thought out buildings and pavements.
Friday
To end the week we were continuing making our own tests exploring any more materials we could.
As a lot of my work so far had been found materials and objects, I wanted to try somethings different. So I used paint of perspex.
I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do with it at first and had no clear idea or plan for this test, so just used Chris’ idea of thinking through making and just began working.
I zoomed in really far and found that the texture of the brushstrokes made a interesting composition that reminded me of the barcodes from my work with the receipt.
I feel as though this test has potential and is something I want to explore further.
The sound of silence
At the beginning of the week, Chris set us another mini ‘brief’, for us to create a test exploring the sound of silence. He showed us a couple artists giving their interpretations of it, I found Bill Viola’s interview particularly absorbing.
I recorded me and my friends playing a card game as not only did I feel it connected to my previous tests but I felt that even though the act of placing the cards down is quiet, what those cards can mean, is loud.
I wanted to revisit the newspaper and the square template and played with composition.
Though it is a fairly simple test, I think it was quite effective. I edited my original recording and duplicated the sound of the cards being shuffled towards the end whilst the visuals got quicker to create this overwhelming pace which I am happy with the end result.