Tuesday 24 May 2016

Progression

Progression

I started off this course having achieved a place at university already. I will be going to University College London in September to study English. 

Doing Art A Level left me thirsty to make more art because my creativity was constricted by stress and limits of the mark scheme. I knew I also wanted a year away from conventional education (exams etc) so I thought doing the course would be really good for me. I thought having the teaching and resources available to me was an amazing opportunity. 

I have enjoyed this course hugely. I have found it hard being so self-directed but I think it has set me up in good stead for the way of working at university. My way of thinking has matured and the way I view art too. I feel I am able to express myself much more fluently through my art. 

I feel sad that I will be leaving my study of art at this point. However this year has given me the skills I need to carry it on in my own time. I have no doubt after this year that I was enter the creative industry somehow, either via my literary skills or my artistic ones. I would encourage anyone to do an Art Foundation - I have gained so much. 

Monday 23 May 2016

Overcoming More Problems...

Overcoming More Problems...

I sent my slide film off to be printed straight away after I finished the shoot on Wednesday the 11th May. They quoted to me that it could be ready in a week's time on the 18th. When I rang to collect them they said they weren't ready. I rang everyday until they told me on the Friday that the film was developed and scanned, but they hadn't mounted them into slides. Obviously, my whole installation is based around the physical slides. The slides still haven't come back to me. 

I won't get the slides back till tomorrow. I find this very frustrating because there isn't much I can do until I get them back. Hopefully, they will turn out okay - on the phone they reassured me that the exposure looked fine. It is a shame because now I don't have time to retake any photos if I didn't like them. It also means I have to continue doings bits and boobs here and there to make up the time. I thought I would just have a week doing sketchbook work etc but I have had two now. 

However, there are things I could be getting on with to keep myself useful.
  • Keeping my blog and sketchbook up to date
  • Helping to prep the rooms for exhibition
  • Preparing a frame for my screen
  • Going to see any final exhibitions or looking at any final research to help me display my work

Monday 16 May 2016

Reflections on Shoot

Reflections on 'Dig Haushizzle' shoot

After I wan't able to use Bristol Museum as a setting for shoot I searched for alternative locations. I found an interior design shop nearby called' Dig Haushizzle' that sells antiques, taxidermy, print and lighting. The owners let us use the shop for an hour before they opened for sales. I paid for this service which I thought was fair and allowed use to feel more comfortable in the space as we could engage with all the pieces; technically it was 'ours' for the hour. They were very friendly and relaxed about it, urging us to not rush off if we needed more time and giving us fifteen minutes grace time to set up. I would recommend them to anyone needing an interesting setting for a shoot.

I thought an hour would be enough to capture two films of slide images on the Pentax K1000 as well as capture digital images just in case the films don't develop well. I managed to fill the two films but I didn;t get time to capture as many digital photographs as I wanted. Luckily I brought a friend with me as a helper: for filming behind-the scenes footage, aiding me with equipment and, of course, moral support! She was able to use the digital camera with my direction while I focused on the analogue one.

I tried to keep the whole event light, friendly and fun in order to help keep the model comfortable. I was quite nervous beforehand, but we actually ended up having fun! Emma was avery good model that listened to me and helped generate ideas too for example we tried using long shutter speeds to capture her motions. 

I think it would have been beneficial to have more time, but then only having an hour made us quite driven and conscientious. I found the whole shoot very stimulating as it was a very visually interesting place to capture and it was fun to be working socially with other people for a change.  In conclusion, I am really pleased with the experience. Hopefully the slide films will turn out well but if not, I have some good digital ones and I really enjoyed myself regardless!






Dig Haushizzle instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dig_haushizzle/

Tuesday 10 May 2016

Week 8 - Uh Oh

Week 8 -
Uh Oh

I genuinely didn't think I would be where I am at the point in the project at this point in time. 

Here is what I have achieved thus far:
- a semifinished short experiment film
- half a film of screen slides

Here is what I have yet to achieve:
- a full film of photos from the shoot that is happening tomorrow
- the idea for how I am going to arrange these photos etc on the slide projector

Yesterday I was feeling very anxious and upset about my progress. Having slept on it, I decided to just keep cracking on and do my best. Today I read through one of my classmate's sketchbooks for a review which actually helped me focus to just draw myself out of my own project for a while. Then I went back into my film and did a bit of fiddling. I found some audio that I had recorded a while ago of background noise in the museum and I put that in and changed the duration that I displayed each photo and...I actually quite liked the result! I want to record a bit more audio for it and then I think it will be done. 

My next steps are:
- concentrate on making the shoot tomorrow successful
- get film developed asap
- record audio for short experimental film and finish it
- keep my sketchbook updated with my thoughts. 

Although I haven't gotten as far as I thought, I don't have as far to go as I thought so I just  need to keep ploughing on and remember that progress is not linear!

Wednesday 27 April 2016

What am I actually going to do?

What am I actually going to do?

I have the idea for the method. I have the idea for the display. I have the idea for the style. But what actually should I do as my content?

I want to use a slideviewer to show a series of images that are somehow connected or explore a common theme. 

Since the concept of my brief is 'visual poetry' I thought I could use some of my own poetry to base the images from. However, the  style of poetry that I like is heavily fragmented and doesn't tell a narrative as such. There is of course the element of embarrassment which I didn't think I would be bothered by, but actually I really am. 

I know certain places where I want to take pictures and I have a certain model in my head. Other than that I don't have any ideas for content. I am worried because I really thought I would by now. I have booked my model for a shoot in five days and I will have to give her direction, but I have no idea. 

Because I am doing a series of still images, I thought I would record some audio to go alongside it. Like I said before, I thought I would use my on poetry, but I don;t think that will work somehow because I don't want what I am saying to detract from the image. My theme is 'visual poetry' so my focus should be on the visual. I think it would work if I used 'found sound' and found audio online. I have favourite interviews that I like to watch and I could always use clips from that. 

I could also use slides from other people and mix them in with my work. 

I think the problem is, I chose a brief that decoded a concept to explore, but didn't guide my content, so I have been working very broadly over a range of subject topics. I think I need to decide on one theme to explore and work from there. 


Monday 25 April 2016

Using Slide Film

Using Slide Film 

My eyes were grazing the shelves in our classroom,  just looking for some masking tape when they came to rest on a slide viewer which sat next to the sink. 

It got me thinking that if I could find a slideviewer that showed a presentation of images automatically, I could use it in an installation with synced . This would be instead of creating a film digitally which I would then display. I really enjoyed going out with a Pentax K100 and shooting some still images so this idea excited me. 

When I asked my teacher about this she also suggested the idea that it allows people to dwell on each image and the sounds of the slideviewer clicking would be satisfying and add to the sensation. 

Since I have an idea for a story and I have been out looking at potential shooting locations I have been thinking about how I can use slides in this context.

- The Bristol Museum would be lovely to work in but some parts of it are quite dark and dingy (to protect the artefacts presumably) whereas other parts such as the hall are full of lovely, natural light from the frosted glass ceilings. 

- Royal Fort Garden is outside so would have lots of natural light for the camera and has a mirror maze that would be very visually interesting. It can be quite busy at time but I should think it would be fine to do not at lunchtime. 

- The Central Library in Bristol would be great to do some photography. However, there are often people working and studying so I would not like to make them uncomfortable or disturb them. 

I started the project thinking that I would be working to create a digital film, but I am more excited by exploring analogue opportunities which I haven't experienced before. I also think tat in relation to the subject of my work (consciousness, memories etc) analogue processes might be more effective because there is an element of nostalgia about them. 

I think my next steps are to finish writing my commentary for the film and produce a more exact shot list to go along with it. My teacher has recommended a film to watch which would be useful to see slide-film in action, so I can watch that as well. 

Wednesday 30 March 2016

Working toward a Personal definition of ‘Visual Poetry’

This is a reflection on the following essay I read by Fil Ieropoulos: 

http://www.studycollection.co.uk/poetry.html 

Ieropoulos’ essay was a brilliant overview of the definitions of poetry-film of film-poetry. Before I read this essay I didn’t know that those genres existed, although I did sense that comparisons were often drawn between the two art forms, especially in my own mind. He quite certain about the distinction between ‘film poetry’ nd poetry film’ even commenting on the use of hyphens; however I may be quite lax in my use of these terms.

I don’t like that in the 1920s, film-makers wanted visual poetry to be separate from poetry and confined within the elements of film. As Ieropoulos writes in his essay that artists like Dulac and Velluc felt ‘film should be a primarily visual language and that if there is any influence of poetry within it then this must be on the actual picture’ which I find difficult to agree with. Why shouldn’t the script or the sound of the film be influenced by poetry and still considered ‘film poetry’? Artists at that time tried the make ‘poetry-film’ fit tot a certain criteria for example they rejected the use of inter-titles. However, I do have to remember that that at the time, these films were brand new and experimental – perhaps people felt the need to define what they were, even the film-makers themselves.

To me, this kind of attitude is one that creates a separation and hierarchy among media. It seems condescending to me to make such a definition when the lines of different art movements are certainly blurred.

Some of the ideas in this essay made me think that I had to confine myself to purely looking at moving image. I would have to fit a certain fragmented style of filming and while I am still eager to investigate linear and non-linear narratives, I don’t want to feel committed to either one just yet.  For example, I think of a film like ‘Room’ as visual poetry despite is being a linear narrative and it being scripted whereas film-makers from the 1920s might disregard it. What is poetry to me might not be poetry to someone else. What makes a feature film specifically not ‘visual poetry’, the fact that is is more widely appreciated by audiences? That kind of thinking is elitist and not productive. This is why before I start planning my film I am eager to make a personal definition on ‘visual poetry’.

When I wrote my proposal, I found lots of resources on experimental film, yet I have found that my ideas have changed more quickly than I have been able to write up my research in my sketchbook. Is not a photograph visual poetry? A painting? Why should I stop myself from investigating these art forms too. I am not studying art next year and I have a limited time with the resources at Weston College. This project could be used as an avenue to experiment with loads of different mediums.


Poetry is heavily personal: it is typically from the viewpoint of the writer or persona. It is biased and often telling of a personal experience.  It awakens an emotional ‘response’ in the reader, which the reader may struggle to realise at first. To me, this is the common factor when I personally define a piece of visual media as ‘visual poetry’.