I have moved on...

I now have a new blog that focuses on my art foundation year... It will be tracking my processes throughout the year and you can see it all here www.nomoreonehundredmiles.blogspot.co.uk Thank you all for your support this far!

Design and inspiration

I've been playing around with ideas really roughly jotting down design illustrations on scrap bits of paper, thinking mostly about texture. Picket edging is a simple crochet stitch that many people use to embellish designs or to create a more complete product. I have tried to use it to embellish, without only using it on the edge of a piece. Below you can see a few designs and a simple moodboard I've put together to generate ideas from. 

I'm still wanting to focus on the juxtaposition of cotton fabric and crochet.  Some of the cushions above have layered the two, used crochet to embellish, or are purely crochet. 

Design and inspiration

I've been playing around with ideas really roughly jotting down design illustrations on scrap bits of paper, thinking mostly about texture. Picket edging is a simple crochet stitch that many people use to embellish designs or to create a more complete product. I have tried to use it to embellish, without only using it on the edge of a piece. Below you can see a few designs and a simple moodboard I've put together to generate ideas from. 

I'm still wanting to focus on the juxtaposition of cotton fabric and crochet.  Some of the cushions above have layered the two, used crochet to embellish, or are purely crochet. 

What's next?

After leaving college I have been busy drawing up designs for some crochet cushions to eventually sell online, and in a few local shops. I will post about inspiration sources later on, the cushions are going to be a mix of crochet and mainly cotton fabrics, I love the juxtaposition of the two surface textures! Here is a picture of a tiny prototype I made a few weeks ago... 

Exhibition from beginning to end

So much has happened over the past two weeks, it's been stressful, emotional, and quite frankly knackering! We have all been working together to put up the exhibition from scratch, then we had our opening night, and it's been open everyday this week. It was a great success with heaps of visitors coming to see, and equal amounts of good feedback, through email, and our guest book. Here are some photographs of the process we've been through.

The two photographs above are of my final piece, a conceptual installation responding to memories, and memory loss, through photography, textiles, and short films. 

Our opening night.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who came to see the show, and my fellow students that all pulled together throughout the last year to make this happen- it's been a tough one, well done, we did it! 

Dad footage in Black and White

This is the same footage as before, and has been slowed down by fifty percent, just the same as before. This time I have put it in black and white. This is for various reasons, too keep in the theme of Mum and Gramps, to respond to Francesca Woodman's video clip that inspired me, and to add atmosphere. I think the effect has worked nicely and I will keep it in black and white rather than colour. 

Dad Untouched Footage

This is the video footage of Dad writing his name, and then his chosen noun that described him. I have slowed the footage down by fifty percent, and muted it, other than that nothing has been changed. The writing of his name, and noun was inspired by Francesca Woodman and Gillian Wearing OBE. I decided to slow the footage down so it had a greater impact on the audience, also Woodman's style of this was very slow. I will next make the footage black and white because Mum and Gramps videos are both black and white, and I want them all to look as similar as possible. 

Untouched Video Footage for Gramps Film

I shot this video footage to go with Gramps short film, the idea was that it would give more of his personality away, as well as introducing him. I shot the walk to his room through the halls of the care home he is in, then the name sign on his door. I then shot him writing his name, and holding it up (which was a task in its self), next I filmed him talking to Dad and focused on his movements with his hand, and how they shake. I then edited the footage, making it fifty percent slower, this make the audience able to know whats happening without it being too rushed. At full speed it had no atmosphere, and didn't make very much sense. The silence of the footage has a huge impact, it ensures that the audience is totally focused on the imagery, this is something I will keep for the first part of the film, regardless of what music I add to the rest of the footage underneath the voice over.

First edit of Gramps video

This is the first edit I have made of Gramp's video, I have focused on filming and imagery more so than the audio, i think the small insertion of his voice at the end leaves the audience quite cold, with questions arising in their heads instantly. The music in the video is Palmoa Faith - Black and Blue (acoustic version). I chose the song because I think the music within it is stunning and moves a a good pace to accompany the imagery. I will however for my next edit, or the final video fine a backing track version with no lyrics, I think the distract from the real focus. The final edit for this video will be longer, probably around four minutes as I have gathered many voice clips that I will go through and chose from. 

Ideas on Conducting Voice Recordings

I have had to consider how to conduct Gramps voice recordings for more than one reason; he's deaf, he can be easily confused, and his location isn't as quiet as where i have recorded mum and dads. I have finalised three options: One: Conversation - Simply leave the recording device on the table so Gramp is unaware of the fact he's being recorded, therefor any conversation is completely natural. I would record a conversation between Gramp and my Dad, here I could ask Dad to ask specific questions that would provoke specific answers, or lead to certain stories. I could also record Gramp just mindlessly chatting to passer's by or himself. This would be hard for the audience to follow compared to the conversation option. It would however give a very raw representation of his state of mind. If the audio is hard to follow I don't think there would be a problem, instead the audio could symbolise how detached his mind and  memory are. Just as Tracey Emin used imagery to symbolise parts of her life that lead to her not becoming a dancer in her short film 'Why I never Became a Dancer".
Option two: Writing - Another option would be to write down questions then ask Gramp to answer them vocally (which he would do without any prompt). We quite often use this technique to converse with him as he is so hard of hearing, It also gives him more time to answer, this method would keep him calm throughout the interview, as well as making the audience more able to follow whats going on. The draw back to this idea is that I would want the writing to be filmed, for two reasons; too keep in the same format as mum and dads which are both inspired by Gillian Wearing OBE and Francesca Woodman), also to inform the audience of what Gramp is responding too. Filming the writing in front of Gramp would cause confusion and could lead to the audio becoming more incoherent than neccercary. With me providing the questions the interview would also become more staged than I hope for.
Option three: Plain recording - I could leave a recording device recording in Gramps vicinity for several hours without him knowing, this would be difficult but could produce very interesting results. The problem I could face is that within the hours of recording he doesn't talk about the past, then the voice over to the video wouldn't really link with my theme of memory.

Influences for short films

On the 30th of April I posted a brief post about research into short films, at that point in my project I had looked at Tracey Emin as a source of inspiration. I used her use of voice overs as a lead to use them in my set of three videos, it eliminates problems such as filming and sound difficulties because volume and imager/film can now be edited separately so when affects such as slow motion are applied sound does not get distorted. Now I have looked at various films, both long and short to influence me as far as my own set of three short films are concerned. I have been influenced by Francesca Woodman once again, after watching a short video clip of Francesca writing her name on a large piece of white paper that she stood naked behind, then walked straight through. After watching this clip I watched it again and again, wondering what its significance was, what on earth was she doing? What did she want me to think? What was she symbolising? Then it dawned on me how beautiful the clip was, how delicate, raw and truthful the whole 48 seconds of silence was. How it was completely open to my own interpretation  I chose to use a similar process within my video, I asked everyone other than my Gramp to write down one word of their choice underneath their full name that they would call themselves, this could've been: mother, father, child, son, aunt, cousin, lover, wife, widow, husband... any noun that applied to them. I thought not only would it loosen them up and get them into the right frame of mind to be interviewed and talk freely but it would kick start the video with a very bold statement that the audience could interpretation as they want to. 

The first 48 seconds of this youtube clip are the 48 seconds that i have spoken about above. I first saw the film whilst watching the film 'The Woodmans'- a documentary from the Woodman family and friends about Francesca in all her entireties.

Second edit of Mum video

This is the second edit of my short film concentrating on my mum's memories. I have repeated the video of her writing her name instead of using a still freeze frame to accompany the voice over. This is an experiment to see if it helps the viewer stay interested, and enhances the viewing experience. Is the repetition more or less powerful than the still image? I have also used colour rather than black and white, again to enhance the viewing experience, was the black and white hiding the details that colour reveals, or did having the film in black and white help focus the audience, and create a more emotional piece? I will need time to review these questions in order to create a their image in response to this one. I will re-watch this edit a few times to be able to understand what I need to do next to improve the video.

You can view the short film here:http://youtu.be/mAbxVPydBQk

Music options for Mum's video

When creating my video responding to my Mum's memories the music choice was obvious as she had mentioned Simon and Garfunkle's 'Bridge over troubled water' in her questionnaire as well as her voice recoded interview. She also mentioned 'Lord of the dance'; out of the two 'Bridge over troubled water' suited the video more for several reasons, firstly it evokes emotions as a stand a lone piece let a lone whilst accompanying such a powerful interview, secondly it is much longer than 'lord of the dance' so it would not need to be repeated for very long, nor would it need much editing (or at least I thought it wouldn't). I made the video by combining the voice over and the video clips as well creating a freeze frame (still) for the imagery to accompany the majority of the voice over. I then added the background music, I lowered the volume level of the music and lifted the volume level of the voice overs to make sure they were more prominent than the music. Alternative music options that i will consider to use include, Lou Reed's 'Perfect Day' because its a piece of music that relives a specific day, obviously relating to my theme of 'memory' well. 

Responses to first edit

In response to my first edit of my video responding to my Mum's memories, I have made a list of things i should experiment with to improve the final video. These adjustments are a process of trail and error i suppose, trying out various changes then reviewing the video again and again to see which changes i should keep, or loose, depending on their positive or negative impact on the short films. The adjustments I am thinking about making after reviewing my first edit are: Colour instead of black and white, would the use of colour enhance the short film's emotional impact on the audience or does black and white symbolise the sadness of the subject, and create a more powerful, hard hitting experience? Repetition of the video clip in slow motion rather then a still image throughout, would the audience feel like more was being revealed about the person if the slow motion clip was repeated throughout all of the voice over, rather than one continuous still image. Or does the black and white image give the audience time to really study the person who's memories they are listening to, which would have a more powerful impact on the audience, also which would help capture the audiences attention for longer? Positioning/timing of background music, could I position the background music differently so i could avoid the slight repeat at the end of the video to ensure that it fits to the time of the voice over? Would this create a more professional finish to the outcome? Is the music choice correct? Is there another music option that would suit the video better, possibly one that is the same length as the voice overs, or without any lyrics as to not distract the audience from the narrative of the video, or maybe combining two or more pieces of music to make the video more interesting?

First edit

Today I have created the first edit of my first of three short videos that will be exhibited as part of my installation for the end of year exhibition. The video explores my Mum's memories of having children, her wedding day, being with her granny and singing with some students that lived above her when she was little. The video was not scripted although her original questionnaire was on hand as a prompt for both me and her. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHvKbSmbrLM&feature=youtu.be

A shell of a life together

With only three weeks untill my final deadline everything is starting to come together this weekend I have been photographing my Gramp's empty home, this was a surreal activity as I realised that since my Nan's death I haven't been in rooms of the house, yet there they still stood, with her belongings just as I remembered them, all jumbled, cluttered, abandoned. I felt lonely in the disowned rooms, one being the attic, this was where I'd sleep if I ever stayed there, my bed however was gone, the dresser that I used to play with, run my fingers across it's top, pretend to dust its mirror, hide things in it's draws, still stood there, but not so loud and proud as it used to, this time covered in boxes or piles of stuff for people to take. The room was bare, just a few boxes, bags and several piles of memories. Underneath the window I used to sing out of when I was little stood a chair, with a box of wraped up porcelain. How strange, the things people chose to keep. Down in the kitchen I found a cupboard that I have never opened before, I've never had too I suppose, but inside was a real shock, all the couple's crockery stacked neatly, this has probably been the same since Nan died. In a way it was nice to see, but it became unbearable after a while, almost like being smacked with the reality of death over and over again. In her wardrobe hung a cardigan with a tissue still tucked in the pocket. Her draws still held folded table clothes, doilies, and napkins. All televisions remained still, quiet and switched off, regardless of their age. Pictures still hanging, their chairs still able to be sat in, beds still made, curtains undrawn, kitchen still longing to be cooked in,and a bathroom that nobodies washed in. A whole house full of memories that soon nobody alive will remember half of, just a shell of a life together left.

Things are coming together

With only three weeks untill my final deadline everything is starting to come together this weekend I have been photographing my Gramp's empty home, this was a surreal activity as I realised that since my Nan's death I haven't been in rooms of the house, yet there they still stood, with her belongings just as I remembered them, all jumbled, cluttered, abandoned. I felt lonely in the disowned rooms, one being the attic, this was where I'd sleep if I ever stayed there, my bed however was gone, the dresser that I used to play with, run my fingers across it's top, pretend to dust its mirror, hide things in it's draws, still stood there, but not so loud and proud as it used to, this time covered in boxes or piles of stuff for people to take. The room was bare, just a few boxes, bags and several piles of memories. Underneath the window I used to sing out of when I was little stood a chair, with a box of wraped up porcelain. How strange, the things people chose to keep. Down in the kitchen I found a cupboard that I have never opened before, I've never had too I suppose, but inside was a real shock, all the couple's crockery stacked neatly, this has probably been the same since Nan died. In a way it was nice to see, but it became unbearable after a while, almost like being smacked with the reality of death over and over again. In her wardrobe hung a cardigan with a tissue still tucked in the pocket. Her draws still held folded table clothes, doilies, and napkins. All televisions remained still, quiet and switched off, regardless of their age. Pictures still hanging, their chairs still able to be sat in, beds still made, curtains undrawn, kitchen still longing to be cooked in,and a bathroom that nobodies washed in. A whole house full of memories that soon nobody alive will remember half of, just a shell of a life together left.

Mums stuff

Here are some of my mums dresses, underwear and old shoes, I've experimented with composition, light, and I've edited them using the after light app.

Popping the question

Today I had to pop the question to my mum about whether or not she would mind me photographing some of her clothes and shoes, including some underwear. I have an immensely close relationship with my mum, I would call her my closest friend, yet the one person who I can accept discipline from, she's taught me right from wrong and I have looked up to her for as long as I remember. Part of this project is having to ask people uncomfortable questions and create uncomfortable situations, I want to document these in the form of writing, because I think its important to respond to feelings, emotions, and thoughts that some questions provoke. So before asking my mum what I could photograph I actually chose for myself, this way I felt that I would get a true representation of her, rather than what she wanted people to see, not that she really cares what people think, but subconsciously I think any normal individual would chose their Sunday best over their loungewear. I had to ask my mum when she was in a room with her best friend and her best friend's mum, purely because I had run out of time to ask her before hand, I walked into the room and she instantly asked what was up, I said 'nothing I'm on my way out now, I'll see you later' she didn't pester, then after she said goodbye I turned around and asked if she would mind me photographing her underwear, her first response was laughter although her friends were obviously un sure, she simply replied 'as long as they are clean'. Simple! I would have understood if she'd have said no, but the fact that she couldn't care less, as long as they are clean just represents how easy going she is.
I will be posting these photographs later on.

Research into short films

After gathering back my surveys/questionnaires I have started to think about how I choose to construct my short films that could end up being exhibited as part as my final installation in the end of year show. I have started by looking into some of Tracey Emin's short films however they are proving hard to get hold of on the internet. One that I have managed to view is 'Why I never became a Dancer' (1995). The six minute long film uses Emin's hometown of Margate as the main subject of her film, along with a voice over that she speaks in a exceptionally melancholy tone throughout. For the last minute or so of the film Emin dances, in a large bare room with wooden floors and white walls, she's casually dressed, and appears care free, its at this point that it becomes apparent that the film is a kick in the teeth to those who held her back, ruined her innocence, or humiliated her. The film is well thought out and equally well put together, keeping a simple, almost slap dash style with nothing really making sense for the first section until you reach the revilement of the traumatic dance competition and as she remembers running out of the club and down to the sea, the camera is going down some steps to the sea, this is the first time that the visuals and the audio really connect fully, capturing the viewers emotions in that split second as you feel almost as if you are Emin running away. Empowered. Thrilled. Humiliated. Slow motion has been used at the end of the film, as Emin lets loose, this is an effect that can be used very easily and yet achieves great outcomes if used effectively. #I have thought about using such effects however, I want to make the films more focused on the audio rather than the visuals, 'Why I never became a Dancer' has inspired me to have voice overs, of possibly people reading old diary entries, or quotes/sayings that they know of or hold some importance to them. I have been troweling through the White Cube's website and have found stills from Emins film called 'Convocation with my Mum'(2001). These have interested me to possibly just use stills to accompany the audio, just one still to represent the interview, possibly just two chairs, a pen and paper? Or a 360 view of the room I interview each person in, just repeatedly going around and around the room on a loop in slow motion, also possibly in black and white to really dull the imagery down to again re-in-store all attention on the audio. 

Here is a link to 'Why I never became a Dancer'(1995)
http://vimeo.com/50952350
And below are the stills from 'Convocation with my Mum' (2001)

Stitching experiments

I have used quotes from my gramp to work the subject for these experiments, I used a sewing machine and lined paper to create some varied samples. At first there were some struggles such as the machine tearing the paper or the tension not being correct and ending up with really loose stitches, that made no solid lines, making the words unreadable. 

'I just want Lorraine' 

Black cotton with the ends not cut off. 

'Where is Jamie then?' 

Black cotton with the ends not cut off.

'Why do you have orange nails' 

Black cotton, with no ends attached.

Close up of stitching.

I think that the samples that have no ends of the thread attached are clearer to read however I think that the lines need to be thicker so the text stands out more.

Gramp

These photographs were taken whilst gramp was having his clothes changed, they have provoked thoughts that I didn't want to have however I think pushing the boundaries sometimes helps you cope with things. These photos also have made me want to explore empty space, how can emptiness represent a person or a memory or possibly loss of memory? 

Mshed Bristol

The Mshed is a meuseum in Bristols city centre all about the history of the place and the people of Bristol. I went on a visit to the meuseum to get an insight of people's memories of Bristol at different points of history, I was able to walk through time, exploring the war, revolutions and people evolving into today's world... I was able to see textile pieces as well as old buses, air raid shelters and old homes, even diaries!

This was an embroidered piece done by women fighting for their rights in Bristol, with their signatures embedded onto the peice of cloth.

I watched a short documentary on Bristols St. Paul's carnival and what it meant to individuals as they shared their memories. 

There were several artifacts from the past that recorded people's lives. 

 Original uniforms were exhibited behind original photographs which has inspired me to think about how I could present peoples possessions in the final exhibition.

We even got to dress up!

Family trees are also a great presentation method that I will look into.

And finally a trip on an old bus, quite freaky actually, it smelt stale and was scarily untouched.