ITAP, Integrating Theory with Practice 3

Integrating Theory with Practice

Week 2, Principle 1 : Overcoming Mindsets

Throughout the first semester of my course, visual communication, I have engaged in a wide variety of fields, using trial and error to see the subject to my strengths and weaknesses. However, during the process of this I have had the ability to overcome my own creative mind sets by embracing new techniques, methods and technologies.
    As with anything, I found some areas more challenging than others, but despite this I have enjoyed coming out of comfort zone and experimenting with a wider range of creative methods than what I would have potentially ever considered using. From this it has encouraged my creative nature to be more expressive, and for my own natural reactions to be more daring to improve and explore the potential increase of quality in my work.
   From the previous list that I had originally created for myself to use a reflective guide of how to improve aspects of my constricting mind set, I feel I have made significant improvement.

 

Neglecting my inner critic when producing my work, I use RCC to reflect back on my work once in its advanced stages, this is to see with clarity and coherence what could be improved, how and why it should, considering whether its context and content is suitable for the purpose it is trying to serve.
   Within my RVJ I demonstrate different variations of the piece and analyse how effect they are with clear and thorough annotations, leaving in-depth incitement to my visual language I am displaying, communicating my ideas thoroughly before their development to show their progression.
 

Areas of my book which clearly demonstrate the variety of techniques and practices used, and the extent of variation used of some pieces due to their potential.

 

 

Mediums/Materials/Techniques used within the pieces displayed above:

(These amount of material compared to previously have significantly improved, I am no longer restricted to a Biro or Pencil)

• Acetates with marker pens
• Photoshop technology
• In Design
• Photography (A290 Sony Camera)
• Mono Printing Inks
• Water Colours
• Biro
• Charcoals
• Graphites
• Acrylic Paints
• Water Based Inks

 

ITAP, Integrating Theory with Practice 2

Integrating Theory with Practice

 

Week 3, Principle 1 : Notions of Originality
 

It is clearly apparent that originality is no longer existent, and the more appropriated way to discuss forms of art work that appear varied from other pieces, is to classify them as being authenticated, due to the usage of the concept, method or techniques used by an artist to create a particular effect, or appearance.   Considering the factual basis that I as an artist would not be able to create something classified as unique because of the artist influence I have used upon my work basis, I would consider my work to be authenticated, since it has been derived from the starting basis of an artists original pieces which have inspired me to create imagery, or artefacts in a particular mannerism.
    For my interpretation of authentication, I have developed upon the idea of using photographic pieces, to create illustrations to insert into, manipulating and merging the images together to produce a surrealist effect.
    This particular development of my practices, I researched into an artist named Archraf Amiri, basing his work upon fashion illustrations incorporated into photographic environments. Using the concept of his idea, I decided I would photograph areas of Birmingham (for the purpose of the magazine) including human subjects within them to be able to show a true interaction with the surrounding environment. Selecting a different medium and materials to use for my illustrations, I produced mono printed pieces which were then scanned into my photographic pieces and merged. Once completing the merging of my images I began to manipulate the imagery, enhance key elements, and altering areas of colour to create this more surrealist effect so the once contrasting images would compliment one another in more surrealistic mannerism.
    Through this recreation of an artists concept of photographic and illustrative ideas being combined in a different mannerism, showing no reflective nature of likeness, only regurgitation of the concept it would appear to the viewers to be original. My pieces I have created should not be concealed to be considered as originality, but celebrated where my influence has derived from.

 

 

The reflection of inspiration of Achraf Amiri's work demonstrated in the above pieces, and my authenticated pieces displayed below.

 

 

I have also created more authenticated pieces derived from the influence of Dan Mount, and the merging of images. To authenticate my work from the original context, I used images that would be solely relevant to the development of our group magazine, and apposed to using the clarity of Mountford’s merging of images I decided on creating undefined shapes so it would leave the audience guessing, and challenging the visuals of the imagery. (Dan Mountford's work displayed to the right)

ITAP, Integrating Theory with Practice 1

Integrating Theory with Practice

 Week 1, Principle 2 : Brain

Here I can clearly demonstrate three areas within my RVJ where I have included the practice of utilising my creative brain, combining my thought processes in a constructive and more artistic way, exercising my right cortex and also the left of my cortex.
    With this process I have been able to increase my analytical skills, and form clarity and coherence whilst planning, constructing and formulating workable ideas for my own research and for the benefit of the group project.
    Despite the fact that my mind maps may not appear to have connected with my right cortex (child at play) as much as my left cortex (the accountant); I still found that I was able to be more expressive and deeper engaged with my thought process creating mind maps, considering ideas which I had not believed to have been possible, however connecting them to something relatable.
   Through using the structural shape of my mind maps, I felt that this engaged with my right cortex as I believed it to have been rather playful because of the free flowing shapes, yet connecting with my left cortex because of the flowing and surfacing of ideas throughout the process.
   I believe I should have included more visual language to engage my mind furthermore with the ideas I have considered, however, I feel comfortable now working in this manner, being consciously aware of what side of my brain I am working with, allowing myself to be consciously aware of the interchanging of the cortex, and how to adapt my “work mode” so it is more suitable for the task at hand.

Here I have used a mixture of colour and images to create variety of visuals to create accessible and memorable links to each mind map I have created.

 

ITAP; week 9, No Principles - Image and Text

Generalisation of lecture Image and Text

As visual communicators, we often don’t find it appropriate to accommodate text to accompany an image, as they say a photograph says a thousand words, however this is not always the case. As it has been proven from the lecture that has been demonstrated, many images appear either naked and deprived because of the lack of description, also they are hard to understand what the purpose and meaning are, or have been know to cause offence to the audience because of the absence of text not justifying the context and purpose of the imagery.
   Not all images need to be accompanied by text to clearly demonstrate the purpose, meaning or context, such as landscape photography, which may be to create or demonstrate atmosphere, apposed to depicting an emotional state of mind, recollect on memories or be used for reportage purposes. Also, images that are absent of text, it could be to potentially allow the audience to extract their own opinions on the meaning, purpose and context, or to merely allow the audience to connect to the image in a more personal manner without direction from the sub text.
   The use of text within an image could be used as the dominant feature to add emphasis and communicate the idea of the piece, creating a bold statement and showing the importance of the message. Also the use of text can dramatise the imagery, and bring a certain retrospect of subconscious reality to a more conscious state.
   On the other hand, Reportage photography is often accompanied with text to describe and depict the photograph. Despite the accompaniment of words to tag line the photograph which can be seen as a truthful representation of events, this is not always the case, due to the ability to be able to frame pieces, formulating a whole new meaning and context for the imagery, creating more detachment from the truth.

 

Useful and valuable information gained from the lecture:

   To summarise, by ad dinging imagery to a scenario alone it leaves an open span of meaning available and can be potentially perceived in the wrong mannerism. However, by using text it can recontextulised the image to display the meaning that the artist had originally intended, creating the addition of a poetic justice to the piece.

The photographs above are some images I have selected from Richard Averdon’s collection “Drifters”, this collection was based around the homeless community which lived within America. However the series of images were left untitled, and the subjects of the photographs left unidentified. After consumers felt that this work was patronising and disrespectful to the people who were photographed within the book, Averdon then worked along side Lara Wilson, beginning to collect the stories, the details, and the identities of these people, so that the consumers would not feel as though it is an exploitation, but more of a discovery.

Gillian Wearing produced this series of images to criticise the idea and pre-misconception that human emotion can be clearly depicted from facial expressions, and also from the body language. By challenging the idea of this theory, she began to ask a diverse variety of subjects to write down their thoughts and feeling upon a piece of card to express them selves, apposed to being critically analysed by their facial expression.

   This case study shows the lack of relation to an emotion and an expression, so text accompanying the imagery in this instance works in an effective way due to it causing a contrast, proving that photography is not always factual.



ITAP; week 8, Principle 1 - A Brief History of Production

Principle 1 A Brief History of Production 

Task: When and how was the first ever book in Europe printed? - focus research on history of books.

 

The first place that books were discovered to have been created were in Asian countries such as Iran, and Iraq. However, Uruk was where the first book to have been created was founded, some of the earliest books were also discovered in Ur. The books here were created through handwritten manuscripts, apposed to printing presses, or use of moving type.   
  In 1445 Johannes Gutenberg, German Blacksmith, Goldsmith, Printmaker, and Publisher, was the first person in Europe to introduce print. Gutenberg’s invention of mechanical moving type enabled users to reproduce the elements of a document, and therefore revolutionised print and press making within Europe, allowing development for mass production of printed books.

   From the development of the invention of mechanical moving type, it showed significant improvement from the original handwritten manuscripts, which happened to be the former method of production for books within Europe.

    Further more, with his invention the Gutenberg Bible was the first major book printed with movable type in the West, this marked the beginning of the “Gutenberg Revolution”, creating an iconic status for this production of this book due to its aesthetic qualities, as well as its artistic qualities.

    As a result in the success of movable type, Western printing technology was adopted in all world regions by the end of the 19th century, displacing the manuscript and block printing.

 

Timeline of production of print 

• The Diamond Sutra, an Indian text translated from Sanskrit to Chinese in about AD400, is the world’s earliest dated book.

• Until the end of the 18th century, the only way to print type and illustrations combined on the same page was by using woodcuts. These have a period charm but lacked the capacity for fine detail, as is obvious from this depiction of the 1456 visit of Halley’s Comet, from Conrad Lycosthenes’ Prodigiorum acostentorum chronicon, 1557

• Because etching is an intaglio process, illustrations had to be printed separately from the text and were “tipped in” when the book was bound. The baker’s shop, 1635, comes from a series of 22 etchings on the arts and crafts by Jan Joris van der Vliet!

• Title page from The Whole Book of Psalms (1640), the first book to be published in North America, by Stephen Dayle of Cambridge, Massachusetts

 

ITAP; week 8, Principle 5 - The Experts

Principle 5 The Experts

 

Task: Who is your favorite expert? Why? Produce a well reasoned written argument.

Jennifer Collier focuses on creating work from paper; by bonding, waxing, trapping and stitching I produce unusual paper ‘fabrics’, which are used to explore the ‘remaking’ of household objects. The papers themselves serve as both the inspiration and the media for her work, with the narrative of the books and papers suggesting the forms. Collier tends to find items then investigate a way in which they can be reused and transformed; giving new life to things that would otherwise go unloved or be thrown away.

I have chosen to focus upon this expert since I have had the opportunity to attend one of her workshops, showing me the compassion, the enthusiasm, devotion and dedication that this expert in particular has to her practices.
   Jennifer Collier is of particular inspiration as she has the abilities, skills and creativity whilst working with textile designs, creating pieces from fabrics and creating house hold objects as well as garments. However, the way she as an artist has developed her practices, expanding on the use of materials, techniques, and methods/approaches to creating partial treatments and final pieces is rather remarkable, since her expertise has been ever expanding from nothing more than experimentation. Her work is easily recognisable and defined to her, this is because as an artist and an expert, she has developed a branding for her works of art, due to the ever consistency of the pieces she produces and the stylisation Jennifer has developed for herself.
   The craftsmanship of each piece is completed to a high quality standard and no amount of detail is excluded or dismissed. The tailorship of each piece which is completed is a authentication of her other designs, although there may appear to be similarities of design elements, features or the overall aesthetic of her work, they are created as individual pieces for clients, tailored to specification as an individual piece to suit each client creating a unique product.
   Within her branding, Jennifer has also included the benefits of being eco friendly, recycling and reusing materials, using them in a more substantial manner considering the environmental issues with production, and the impact that being more conservative of her materials can have upon the environment. Although many consumers are not interested in the way in which their products are created, Jennifer has developed a sustainable source of materials, and is helping to counteract the effects that common production would have upon the environment.
   Despite the fact that Jennifer Collier, has comfortably created an established name for herself, and has the ability to satisfy her clients needs with her current expertise and crafting talents; Jennifer still continues to push the boundaries exploring techniques and methods to create products out of unsuspected items, and creating an array of different variations of an aesthetic quality which she can currently produce.
   I believe this is what divides Jennifer as an expert from other artists/experts, simply because of the determination she has to continue exploring and pushing boundaries that others would not contemplate on doing so because they have found comfortability within what they are currently committing to.
   In addition to this, as a long term prospect, she has considered the environmental issues which are ever expanding, and has decided to counteract on contributing further to the current and future issues that the earth will encounter. She has done so by considering her style of working/production methods and how she acquires her materials, by recycling, and reusing.
   Finally, although Jennifer is busy working as a practitioner, she allows time to conduct visits, and plan workshops for those interested within particular types of design, discussing ideas of how to develop your work, and divulging information of how to expand on your current techniques. She therefore acts as an active part of the community, and is genuinely interested with the work of others wanting to engage hers with other practitioners, students and teachers/lecturers.