LAUIL603 Project Report

Extended practice has provided me with a level of framework to confidently explore and select projects and ideas which have informed my practice this year. The aspects of personal and professionalism have been something that I have worried about striking a balance with in my practice, however in this module I’ve had the freedom to choose projects on my own terms and even define them for myself.

This has been a valuable yet challenging experience involving a range of skills such as being able to manage projects independently, keep to self-imposed deadlines, while also taking on briefs set by an external body where the criteria is already established by you.

I developed approaches to working that I feel have pushed me through this module, which was shown mainly through my collection of collage experiments. This self-initiated brief began as a way to test out a process, and it evolved into an extensive body of work that I have applied to a range of contexts including proposals for an exhibition, an artist book, as well as contributing towards my portfolio.

I think the success of this project has came from freely generating visual material, and only thinking about ‘finished’ outcomes once the idea is strong enough. This way, I didn’t feel stifled by having to fit to different formats (e.g. print, editorial, posters) and instead, the work happened first and I could select relevant applications second.

Although I am confident about this work now, it took a while to reach this stage. Originally I had intended to take on many more external briefs and competitions than I ended up doing. I feel that this was because I thought that a competition brief was a ‘proper’ project with a more formalised end point. However it has been beneficial for me to recognise that this was never important to me in the first place, and I can say that I’ve ended up with a collection of works that I have enjoyed making and which are authentic to me.

A challenge of this module has been putting my work out there. Whether this is in the form of submitting to an open call for work, completing a competition brief, or attending events and having the confidence to sell and exhibit work. Not only is it sometimes difficult to send the work off in the first place, but these experiences can have both a positive and negative impact. It’s made me think about how I measure success and what I’m willing (or not willing) to do in order to gain a wider audience and participate creatively. I have realised that I need to continue seeking out opportunities and make sure that the channels I select for my work to be see in are relevant and align with what I feel is worthwhile for myself.

It’s hard to quantify what half a year’s work should look like (competition wins? stacks of paper and drawings? sales?) but I’ve managed to explore mediums that have informed my future ambitions (self-publishing, exhibitions), develop working methods and approaches, gain confidence in approaching people with my ideas, and successfully generate a lot of physical work that I am mostly happy with.

LAUIL603 Design Boards

Statement of Intent | Revised

Original statement here

List of projects to-date

Self-initiated

• Collage Experiments - Ongoing creation of collage experiments

• Zines - Compiling ideas or drawings into small publications/zines

• Exhibition* and Artist book proposals - Proposals created for the 603 deadline outlining my intentions for the collection of collages. Actual events/outcomes will be created post-deadline

• Cú Chulainn project - drawings, zine, prints exploring this legend from the Irish Ulster Cycle

External

• Phantasm - Work created to be exhibited at a group show at Colours May Vary. Edition of two two-colour screen prints, as well as a run of zines were made

• Hookworms poster - Poster designed as part of this live brief

• Forge Art Magazine - Image created for submission around the theme of fate

• Peter & Paul x LAU Interior - Design created for this live brief, which will be displayed in the reception area of the new build as part of an interior art piece

• Print Stuff - Print-based ephemera and stock created to present and sell at this print fair

*Exhibition is both a personal and an external project...

Rationale

I have selected briefs that I feel are relevant to my practice and the ways I work, as well as being interesting to me personally. The two main factors that made me decide on carrying on with a project, are content and context. The content in terms of themes, ideas, and concept behind the project. As for context, this would be where the outcome would exist or the form it would take in the end e.g. print-based, public art, publications, exhibitions.

Approaches to Documentation

The main methods of documentation will be through my studio practice blog as well as recording ideas through drawings and sketchbooks. Proposals and pitches will be used when relevant to convey ideas for proposed finished outcomes. Design boards will be created later on to evidence evaluation.

Themes, Subjects, Contextual References

The themes will be individual to each of the projects, however they will most likely come from a mixture of external sources (existing stories, material, from books, online, the wider world) and personal ideas and themes. Each brief may deal with a slightly different set of subjects.

Changes since last statement?

• Secret-7, Penguing Book Cover, Weekly Editorial - A couple of live briefs were dropped, as I decided they were no longer relevant to what I was doing. I had originally thought about doing them because they were commercial/live briefs, but that alone wasn't a strong enough reason to do them.

• Children's Poetry - This was a personal project I had came up with. I really liked the idea of doing this as a collection of visual responses to poems from a book. But I had trouble with making a cohesive set, so decided to drop it. I may carry this on another time.

Studio Tasks

SELF PORTRAIT 1 [link]

WHO AM I? PITCH [link]

THOUGHT EXPERIMENT [link]

SELF PORTRAIT 2

Artist Book Proposal

Cut off text..

Application: My intention is for the book to either be displayed during the end of year show, for which I would ideally make a perfect-bound book. Alternatively, I would create a dummy publication which I would develop into a kind of portfolio for myself. Once I found a sustainable way to print these myself, I would send them out to relevant contacts.

Solo Exhibition | Promo

Finalised poster and promotion images to go with my exhibition.

1. draft poster           2. final poster 

1. online banner        2 & 3. additional images

Solo Exhibition | Planning

I created an exhibition proposal back in February and contacted a number of local venues. (see this post). A few weeks later, I was in contact with the Old Red Bus Station and they were happy to show some of my work.

I would like to continue doing exhibitions throughout my practice. I think having this exhibition is a good point for me to begin, and the body of work it stems from is strong enough for this to be possible (as it is based on my collage experiments).

Sketchbook plan

I'm bringing together ideas for promotional material, and editing down all of my work to see what works well together. I've selected around 25 or so of my collages to turn into screenprints of different sizes. There is also the possibility of monoprints also being featured.

Sketches for monoprint ideas

Selection process

I've discussed this in the pitch and on my PPP blog, but I also want to create physical items for either display or sale alongside the work for the wall.

Although the actual show will be taking place after the 603 submission, I will still be able to show pieces of work as well as proposals and pitches as part of the submission in order to demonstrate the process of generating work, editing and curating it, and my intentions for this format.

LAUIL603 | Group Crit

Feedback

What's gone well

• You've ended up branding yourself successfully - this has evolved naturally

• Developed own typeface, utilised this across platforms (zines, artwork, social media, website and It's Art, Karen

• Identified ways of working - quick experimentation, generating content, defining contexts later down the line, applying that pre-made artwork/content to different formats

What's next

• Solo exhibition

• Monoprinting - as both a medium and a way of continuing to explore my own type

• Print room box of books - for inspiration towards EOYS publication

• Continue applying outcomes and maximising content

Is the proposal viable?

• Yes, but over time have cut out unnecessary briefs and competitions

• Focused on furthering my practice, and the contexts have been chosen and selected carefully with the tone of voice in mind. E.g. deciding not to apply to secret-7 because I didn't think it would ultimately benefit me in the end

Student comments

• Keep going with work

• Go all out with the EOYS - propose installations, 3D objects, make it a really fun and interesting show. Don't be afraid to approach different departments with ideas, as they could help to make them a reality

• Work towards these bigger and more refined outcomes, but don't lose authorship or authenticity. Professional doesn't always mean clean / perfect


Reflections

• Discussing 603 progress in this session helped to identify the ways in which I have been working. For instance, neglecting competition briefs (aside from a couple of submissions) and instead focusing on the development of my practice has been very beneficial. In some ways, this way of approaching 603 has helped me build confidence in what I'm doing.

My work method (in a sense):

→ Generate work based on an idea or project
     → Select avenues for this work to be furthered (exhibition, publication, event, etc)
          → Create proposal, conduct research, contact people, pitch ideas
               → Edit, refine, and present work as a more 'finished' outcome
                             (e.g. 70 collages edited into 15 prints....)
                    → Can the project be continued? If not, move on to next thing


• Considering contexts and ways in which a project can be fully realised has almost made me more comfortable with the work, as it sort of justifies it.

• If the work continues to be interesting and exciting to me, if it isn't forced, and can be used in a way to engage with more people (or less, it depends) then it's fine.

Peter&Paul | Finished Image

Following the first round of draft submissions, and taking on the feedback from Peter & Paul I amended the image and sent off a final version to be used in the overall art piece.

The feedback I received was to remove the quote entirely, so that the image was a purely visual response, and also to redraw the figure so it was more 'representational' - although I still maintained a non-realistic aesthetic.

Peter&Paul | LAU Interior Brief

I submitted images of my work to Peter&Paul for this brief a few months ago, and recently received a brief for the interior wall art project. We were each given an individual quote to include in our poster design, as well as a colour palette, and a set of dimensions to adhere to.

Here is my developmental work, starting with a lot of paintings and drawings, before turning them into more formalised compositions. Then, there are examples of some of the preliminary drafts I sent over...

Print Stuff

Print Stuff is next Saturday, and over Easter I've been going through existing work/material as well as coming up with designs for new items that could be exhibited at the event.

EXISTING STOCK

• Phantasm screenprints - x2 designs, 2-colour prints, A3 size

• Summon zine

• Send Me Westward zine

• A4 Immediate Experience zine

NEW STOCK

• Cú Chulainn prints

• Cú Chulainn zine

• It's Art, Karen stickers

TO DO

• Finalise new prints

• Finalise pricing

• Re-print business cards (add website)

• Create sticker template

• Package up prints

Cú Chulainn Print Ideas

As an extension of the Cú Chulainn drawings and publication, I've came up with some ideas for prints. These could exist as a standalone project, and could even be put towards Print Stuff that will be taking place soon.

Cú Chulainn Zine

Cú Chulainn

I started making work with the intention of creating a small publication and a print based on the story of  Cú Chulainn, a hero who appears in the legends of the Ulster Cycle.

So far I have a stack of ink drawings that I will edit and sort into a page order. The aesthetic
is quite straight forward, with more of a focus on the content. Maybe when it comes to assembling
the publication I could try different stocks or finishes to make it seem more interesting.

LAUIL603 Mega Crit

Peer feedback

• Experimental approach
• You always manage to find hidden gems of tales/stories, keep researching
• Addition of colour in recent work works well
• Composition of zines is aesthetically pleasing and effective
• Use of minimal colour works well
• Type fits well with illustrations
• Keep pushing media and processes to bring new dimension to work
• Would love to see more screenprints and t-shirts
• Consistent tone of voice

What's gone well?

• A decent breadth of work and projects, even though a lot of it doesn't take the form of a finished piece, the drawings and developmental work exist as a collection of images and can be used further.

• I think I integrate research and themes well with my drawings. I find it easy to decide on a tone of voice, which is usually appropriate for me or the project I'm working on.

What's next?

• Explore print further, instead of just drawing and collage. Seeing how this can elevate my rather simple drawings into a more 'considered' final outcome.

• Continue generating zines and small publications, expand this format more. Possibly look at methods of production for a fuller book for closer to deadline, as an artist book is something I really want to make.

Is the proposal viable?

• I think what I've set out to do in my proposal is achievable. The next things for me are mainly: solo exhibition work, creating stock for print stuff, and any smaller briefs I have kicking around.

• I've decided to drop secret-7, although I like the mixture of music, design, and the 7" sleeve format, I could spend time doing a self-initiated project that would be unlike anything that exists already.

FORGE Art Magazine | Final

I sent in an image for FORGE's open submission this month. Not really pleased with the outcome, but after changing the image for 2 weeks or so I decided just to send it off anyway.

Children as Poets | Denys Thompson

This is a really good book I got for secondhand a while ago. I may use some of the poems as prompts to generate a set of images. I'm trying to keep momentum with self-initiated projects, seeing as the biggest is out of the way (the collage tests).

For now I'll select a few of the best ones and start coming up with visuals.

FORGE Art Magazine | Fate

Open call for submissions for issue 19 of FORGE. Art Magazine which will have the theme of fate.

Info

• 9 x 12 in (300dpi)
• Open until first week of March 2018
• Be prepared to explain the connection in your own words
• No more than 3 submissions at one time

Research

1. "the development of events outside a person's control, regarded as predetermined by a supernatural power" (destiny, providence, astral influence, predestination, the stars...)

2. "the course of someone's life, or the outcome of a situation for someone or something, seen as outside their control" (future, destiny, outcome...)

3. "the inescapable death of a person" (death, demise, end...)

Latin: fatum "that which has been spoken"

• The idea that there is a fixed natural order to the universe and the cosmos.

• Classical and European mythology feature personified "fate spinners", (Moirai = Greek, Parcae = Roman, Norns = Norse) who determine the events of the world through the mystic spinning of threads that represent individual human fates

• Fatalism refers to the belief that events fixed by fate cannot be changed by any human agency, humans can't alter their own fates or the fates of others

Norns

Norns in Die Helden Und Götter Des Nordens, Oder:
Das Buch Der Sagen, Amalia Schoppe (1832)

• In Norse mythology, female beings who rule the destiny of gods and men.

• Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld are the three most important Norns, who come out from a hall standing at the Well of Fate.

• There are other Norns who appear at a person's birth to determine his or her future. Both malevolent and benevolent Norns: causing either tragic events in the world, or being kind and protective.

"Judgement of the Nornir"

"The Norns have waked me with visions of terror"

"For the Norns, whose wrath I could now escape"

"When the Norns have spoken"

Peter & Paul | LAU Interior Brief

Commission to be involved in the creation of a series of interior art pieces and graphics that will be displayed on the walls of the new Blenheim walk building. They are looking to work with over 15 students, with varied visual styles.

I've sent some examples of my work over to them, I think this could be a really interesting brief to get involved with if they decide to choose me. Up until this point, my work has existed primarily on paper or screen. 

I've became more interested in exhibitions, events, and the potential that can come from arranging and displaying work in a space or environment.

603 Pitch | Refined

Notes from crit (20.02.18)

• Friday: 3-5 minute pitch, bring work, refine statement

• Statement of Intent: include rationale, deadlines, timescale
     ⤷ What do you want to do and why?
     ⤷ What do you want to achieve? 
      ⤷ Process, practice/discipline, or industry-led?

• Exhibition
     ⤷ Partner with an organisation? Research potential partners, venues
     ⤷ Arts Council
     ⤷ Re-purpose existing material, locations (e.g. Doomsday Book at Lincoln  Castle)
     ⤷ Invented narratives or histories (e.g. Joseph Bueys, Christian Boltanski)

• My 603
     ⤷ Main: Collage experiments, exhibition, artist book
     ⤷ Supplementary: Zines, other small briefs

Statement of Intent

Pitch

Send Me Westward Zine

I made a zine based on the themes of The Oregon Trail game. I turned imagery from my sketchbook into a collection of ink drawings, and compiled them into a small publication.

The Oregon Trail

Drawings

Finished

Exhibition Pitch

I want to organise a solo exhibition somewhere in Leeds before the end of the year. I think there are a lot of spaces that could potentially facilitate this type of venture.

The work for the exhibition would be screen prints of my collage experiments, and potentially a themed installation/3D piece of work. There is also scope for selling zines or publications, and smaller items that people are more likely to pick up at a fleeting event like this. They would also act as a memento of the exhibition and trace it back to me.

The duration of the show could even just last for one night, which could act as a selling point to draw people into attending.

Concerns I have at this point is if anyone would actually make room for this event, as well as rental fees and charges for space hire. From the research I've done so far, these costs can be quite steep.

I've had experience in creating work for exhibition as well as organising products / prints for sale. As for the setup of the exhibition itself - I think this would be relatively straight forward as long as I plan in advance.

Here is a proposal that I plan to forward to venues once I have the go-ahead or information I need from them.

Locations

Old Red Bus Station
North Bar
Sela Bar

Studio 24, Mabgate
Lady Beck, Mabgate

Contacted

Wharf Chambers
The Brunswick
East St. Arts
Hyde Park Book Club

Extended Practice | Pitch

Proposal pitch outlining my plans and ambitions for extended practice and the rest of this semester.

Peer Feedback

T-shirts

I did a small test run of some t-shirts, in preparation for some events that are coming up this year. It was my first shot at fabric printing and it went pretty well. I would like to test out more designs on different t-shirts (maybe a more heavyweight cotton), but the finished products will be perfect for print fairs, or selling online.

It's interesting to see an image that only existed on-screen or in a drawer be turned into something usable.

Original designs

Completed t-shirts

Hookworms Poster Brief

The Brief

Produce an A2 edition screen-printed poster to promote a Hookworms gig taking place at Brudenell Social Club on the 2nd and 3rd of March. The posters will be sold at the gig. Artists retain 100% of the sales of the posters.

Submission

Digital files that will be later screen-printed, email to Ben to be judged by JW of Hookworms.

Files must be sent by 9:30am Friday 23rd February.

The artists chosen will then need to supply an A2 screen-print edition by Thursday 1st March.

Process

Final