Locating- Christo and Jeanne-Claude

I have looked at the work of Christo and Jeanne-Claude as the scale of their work varies dramatically. Although the final pieces of their work are on a huge scale, their preparatory studies which they then sell to fund the larger projects are on a far smaller scale, such as drawings and layout plans. This variety of scale is something I need to pay attention to as the Geoffrey Manton building is on a large scale but I will have to scale down my ideas for the Urban Outfitters brief. I like the idea of using my  samples as a finish piece, which in effect is what Christo and Jeanne-Claude do.

 Drawing and plans of how their envisage the 'Surrounded Islands' project to look like.

  Final outcome of 'Surrounded Islands' project in Miami where 11 islands were surrounded by pink floating woven polypropylene fabric. 

Locating- Geoffrey Manton

For the commission we have been asked to base our work on how the Humanities disciplines contribute to the world in the 21st century, I have decided to look at the idea of humanities within the global context and the effect it has upon the human condition. Within the building a large range of subjects are studied, including Languages, Philosophy, Sociology and History. Through studying in the faculty one can learn how different cultures and communities work and how they reflect themselves. Through my work, I intend to to communicate my ideas about the ever changing world.

I visited the Geofrey Manton building on the MMU campus. Although I have regularly visited this building for lectures and seminars I have never taken in the space of the building. It is a large building with some interesting areas and spaces to design a piece of work. From my initial ideas and drawings the idea of hanging or floating in space made the stairwell seem appropriate as there is space between each level on the stairwell. Another posibility is to hang my work from the roof or from one side of the balcony to the other across the atrium.

                                                               

Locating- Artist Inspiration

I am working with the idea of designing a piece that will be interiors based. I want to carry on my ideas from the last project but take these further, by finding a way to take thread off a surface.I have looked at artists whose work is focused on thread and how it can be manipulated and translated. Thread is material that everyone can relate to but when put in these contexts in completely changes what most people see thread as, a practical material. The artists are also showing their work in interiors, either in a public space or a gallery. 

Gabriel Dawes is a Mexican artist who creates large scale thread installations and challenges the perceptions of gender roles. A a child he was forbidden to explore the medium of textiles and embroidery. The large scale and geometric outcome of his pieces almost make it appear as though it is not thread he is using but rather 'drawing in the air'. The idea of a what is a line and how can in be shown is space is something I will explore further. 

Amanda McCavour- By using dissolvable fabric a very delicate and translucent surface is created. I like how by using multiples of the same organic shape will create a far more interesting and dramatic piece. The idea of starting with one and using it in multiples to create a larger piece is something that I would like to explore. 

Anne Lindberg thread sculptures redefine the spaces in which they are installed. The space and the architecture plays a large part in the process of creating the pieces. I will need to pay specific attention to the space inside Geoffrey Manton as it is a site specific brief. 

Locating- Inspiration

From the live project options for the Locating unit, I have initially decided to work on the proposal for the Geoffrey Manton building and the proposal for Urban Outfitters on Market Street.  Although very different in terms of scale this will challenge me to think about my work on varying scales and how to fit an idea into a range of spaces.

I have started to base my ideas upon ideas relating to the outlined brief for the Geoffrey Manton commission by relating my ideas to Humanities.  Although only a very vague starting point I am looking at how humans have impacted our plant and what effects it is having on the earth, such as oil spills, deforestation and melting ice caps. 

I found the images of photographer Daniel Beltra incredible. The colours,shape and lines that he captures transforms what is initially a hazard on the environment into a beautiful image in itself. 

http://www.danielbeltra.com/