Success Project

When the year started in September, and we were set the eight week group project, I was a little bit apprehensive as I thought that working in a group would involve too many compromises. Immediately I had planed to break away and work on my own, but when I got talking with some other students I really found what they had to say very interesting. So in the end I committed to working within a group our question being: can success be engineered?

We began with the idea of making a kinetic sculpture (a giant chain reaction machine), mostly just because I thought it would be enjoyable and provide the opportunity for a more logical sort of creativity, one which that would require many calculations and experimenting. However, it was apparent that we had not brain stormed or discussed any other directions to take the project, so we held a number of quite intensive meetings and eventually settled on the project that ultimately became ‘Art Camel.’

Using the phrase ‘A camel is a horse designed by committee’, we set out to discover wether an artwork that was designed by a committee (us) could be successful; Do too many cooks spoil the broth? I found that this would be an interesting experience as it actually reflected how I felt about working in a group to begin with.

As this was an eight week project we decided that we would create the final artwork at the very end, so in the weeks leading up to this we would each produce a small piece of art based on a predetermined theme. We then displayed everyones work each week in the link gallery with instructions for passers by, to vote on the piece that they deem the most ‘successful’ on the ballots provided. We also asked them to write why. We would later then use these results when constructing the final art work. Over this period, the six of us produced work for five different briefs. This is what I produced for each of them (images below).

Overall, our conclusion was that people tended to prefer work that either required a certain amount of skill or much more simplistic, conceptual work. We considered this when making the ‘Camel’ and included aspects of the top two pieces from each brief.

Summer project

Over the summer we were given the task of creating an alternative first aid kit. I came up with this box called my emergency peephole. Inside I painted my parents frowning back at me. So the idea is, no mater what the problem, I would look inside and know what my parents would expect of me, to give me a kick up the bum, to do the right thing etc.

IM BACK!!

I now have got internet back after a long time, so il be updating everything from my second year so far....

TWILL MAGAZINE EDITORIAL

I love this, iv always wanted to try a floating ink project, and i thing this is the way to go.

Norman

This is a technique I wanted to try out, its inspired by photographer Andrzej Dragan. I used a mix of dodge and burn tools, and high-pass to create this high contrast but also incredibly detailed image. I found it works best on photographs of old people, textured skin, scars etc. I would also like to try this out using more dramatic light and on colour photographs.

Andrzej Dragan

I just love Andrzej Dragan's photography, the dynamic lighting and the intense detail! I am trying to accomplish a similar look, by experimenting a lot in photoshop, of course a good photograph to begin with is vital!!

Polaroid Project

I started this project a while ago when I was given an old polaroid camera. I am just experimenting with exposures and light. There is something more pure about polaroid and film, that i wish to explore further.

Line Drawings

I only started doing these illustrations about a week ago, so it is a bit late to use them in my exhibition. I am still not quite sure what it is I am doing with them, perhaps some sort of collage.

Lucy - Face Paint Animation

I did this a few years ago and completely forgot about it till now, so I thought Id post it. I just love animations with the human body, like Yuval and Merav Nathan's animations. I am going to do some more of this myself!! 

Rubber Gremlin film

This is a film peace I did on my lap using my rubber gremlin I had made and black gloves on my hands so they could not be seen.

Drowning Orange

This is an orange (ripped up) submerged in water with a bit of red wine in there for good measure (I liked the colour it made in the water.) I just couldn't stop taking photographs of it, they just look so bizarre!!

Time to Update....

I have noticed that I have been falling behind somewhat with my blogging, and so now I am going to cram in my work, that I may have left out these past few weeks. So the dates are going to be a bit a little bit inaccurate.

Yuval and Merav Nathan

I have been experimenting with film and animation throughout the year and have decided to show these experiments in my exhibition, here is a music video that I came across I while ago whilst researching animations, created by Yuval and Merav Nathan which I think is absolutely fantastic.

Toro Y Moi - Under The Pine (album artwork)

I love this album cover, it looks a bit grotesque and you are not quite sure what it is, i think it is an orange tho and i have been working a bit with oranges and want to try making some more abstract photos. This however look like it has been heavily edited and i really like the quality it gives, so i may try editing my images more so they seem more abstract, more like an illustration.

Bright and breezy

These are some photographs that i took a wile ago i like them because they are a lot brighter than my more resent macro photographs.

Glossop

Had a lovely day in glossop and was very pleased that my kite flew!! But i would like to put some more and longer fabric on it, because from a long way away it looks a bit puny.

Me, looking like a lunatic, attempting to fly my kite with absolutely no wind.

I had a dream last night that a massive bird, that looked a lot like my kite was trying to kill me. I wonder what that means?

Orange bits

I dont know what i am doing with these dried out bits of orange but i like them.

Whatever i can find

I am making a conscious effort to find interesting things wherever i go to photograph close up.

Fleshy

A few more abstract macro photographs.

Painting dad

I have almost finished painting my dad and i noticed how different the image looks when seen from different angles.