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/ 

Artist Research

From producing samples, I am considering where my work could be seen. My pieces are starting to take the form of a wall piece to be shown in interiors or as an installation. The main context behind it is that it will be shown on a wall. I discovered the work of the the Bouroullec Brothers and I love their very simple but effective designs. The piece that caught my eye the most was their piece called 'Algue', which is used as either a room divider or a decorative piece for the walls.  Algae shaped plastic components are joined together in any shape to make the required design. The natural shapes that are formed could be translated into my work and the idea of being placed on a wall or across multiple walls is a concept that I would like to explore further with my work. 

For unit X I looked at the work of Mia Pearlman and I have been drawn back to her stunning paper cut outs. I love the very natural and free flowing feel of her pieces and the way she hangs her pieces as they drape from wall to wall and onto the ceiling. 

The First Cut Exhibition

I visited the newly opened exhibition, the First Cut, at Manchester Art Gallery and I was inspired and amazed at the intricacy of a lot of the work. One of my favourite pieces was by Noriko Ambe who cut hundreds of layers of paper to create an undulating surfacing, reminding me of a topography map.  She cuts each piece of paper by hand so that no line is perfect and to achieve subtle differences in each layer representing that nature is in no way flawless.  I like this organic approach that I feel I can apply to my work and let the tools I am working with direct my work, rather than trying to make my pieces appear precise and accurate.

I also had the chance to see Mia Pearlman’s work in the flesh. I love her large scale, free flowing paper cut outs. The shadows produced are amazing and when light shines through the overall effect becomes even more vivid. I especially like how her pieces are not restricted to one wall, but are often spread across the ceiling creating a much more atmospheric look.

Inspiration

I find the work of Ingrid Calame interesting; she simply traces found marks and enlarges them to produce an interesting piece of art. The way that when made into the final pieces they do not look like the marks, but something a lot more abstract appeals to me and is something that I would like try to  bring into my work.  I also like the layering and the simplicity of the line, a quality that could be translated into embroidery in many ways. 

Intentions- Research

For the first project of second year, I have continued looking at similar ideas to that of the summer project, found marks.  I have tried to capture some of the lesser seen marks and lines found in Manchester that often will pass people by. Similarly to my photos of Montenegro, the pictures start to look like maps and aerial views of islands. I have always been drawn to maps. I am inspired by the pattern and colour of the lines and being able to discover about new places.  Since collecting the images I have started to draw and sample, concentrating of the lines, colour and shapes of the images. 

Summer Project

 During the summer I visited Montenegro, a country that I did not know much about, so I decided to base my summer project on this small country. I was staying in a small remote village which had some stunning ageing buildings. I loved the patterns and lines created by the layers of paint that had been painted on top of over the years.  From noticing these shapes I started to notice lots of intriguing shapes throughout the rest of my stay, from lamp posts to marks on the ground. They look like maps and imaginary worlds seen from above, despite being zoomed in images.  The shape of Montenegro is very interesting as it has a long inlet of sea, some of the marks I found almost started to look like the outline of the country.

Context Sheet

Below is my context sheet for my project, I have chosen a selection of images that show my journey through the project, including my inspiration, sampling, digital work and final outcomes. I enjoyed putting this sheet together, as it allowed me to realise and reflect on how I got to the final design.