8th December 2017 – 14th December 2017

All the practice led investigations I have undertaken to date have provided a platform on which I will continue to build. At this stage a common thread is emerging throughout these investigations which centres around layers and inbetween spaces. I wanted to continue this path by looking at how I could push further the sculptural metal map of movement line within my 3D Home piece. This time I decided to use a much thinner wire so that I could try and sew with it through the acrylic linking the words and experiences spoken by the interview participants as their individual testimonies. Securing their memories. This is still work in progress.

 

 

At the same time I have also been photographing images surrounding the traditional notions of home. I have subverted the images below by flipping them so they are viewed as their reflections in the water, and also as silhouettes. I think this makes the viewer look twice at the images and possibly challenge their thoughts on what home means to them. This reflects my research findings around the idea of home no longer being a fixed entity for many. Having had the chance to look at the photographs printed out at differing sizes I don’t think the silhouette group are as successful as the others. I am still working on these images and looking at possibilities for layering on the surface.

Tuesday 28th November 2017

Over the past week I have been experimenting with ways of positioning the slides both in 2D and 3D to see the impact on the meaning of the work. The original idea was the formation of cubes to represent the concept of home. As the construction progressed a number of new possibilities presented themselves. Leaving the final slide on each cube open and falling towards each other created a roof like shape or even a bridge, symbolic of the findings from my research. There was potential to take this idea further.

Using these two slides I created a 3D map which was constructed to feel as though it was suspended between these two worlds, almost creating a ‘third’ state of existence.

I am pleased with the way this practice based research has led me to a number of potential creative outcomes and I will now look to continue working with these existing materials moving forward.

Wednesday 16th November 2017

The morning was spent inking up the etchings from my response to the sense of place visit to Cromer. I wanted to explore how the original photographs would translate as a print and to create a more tactile image. The actual printmaking process is just as important to my work as the finished image. It is the whole experience, the act of marking the plate, pushing the ink into the etched lines and then that image becoming embedded in the paper makes a permanent document or memory.

For this response I intentionally chose a small scale image which allows the viewer to move in closer to the work thus engaging with the finer details. To become more thoughtful about what they are seeing – a more personal private interaction.

 

 

 

Tuesday 14th November 2017

Today I held the first discussion group made up of willing participants (1st generation immigrants) who belong to an International Ladies group at a local church in Norwich. I wanted to find out individual accounts and experiences surrounding my research topic of being at transnational and how that effects ideas of home and belonging. Due to scheduling issues only half the group could make it today. The remaining ladies will take part next week.

As anticipated the discussion was difficult at first being more of a question an answer format but as time went on it became more relaxed and more open. Having the opportunity to hear their stories first hand gave me a different perspective as opposed to only studying secondary research material. Immediately it became more personal. Perhaps I can try and recreate this personal experience through the size of my work and the way it could be displayed. This left me thinking how I would like to be able to do justice through my work to everyone’s struggles but realistically that was not going to be achievable. I would have to find a way to represent the common themes that came out but through a more holistic approach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday 13th November 2017

Completed all screen printing of slides. The outcome is reflective of the notion of home through photographic representations acting as memories.  Although this is one response to my research question I feel there is still more exploration to be done through materials and concepts. As my research progresses I will be looking at ways to push this concept further on.

Thursday I will be looking to ink up the etching plates and evaluate the results.

Wednesday 8th and Thursday 9th November 2017

Workshop time spent screen printing the images on to the acrylic. I am pleased with the outcome. The photographs have taken on a more ethereal quality as I had wanted them to in a bid to convey memory and be seen separately but connected at the same time. I need to spend some time thinking about how they could be displayed and interpreted by the viewer.

Today I also held the first discussion group made up of willing participants (1st generation immigrants) who belong to an International Ladies group at a local church in Norwich. I wanted to find out individual accounts and experiences surrounding my research topic of being at transnational and how that effects ideas of home and belonging. Due to scheduling issues only half the group could make it today. The remaining ladies will take part next week.

As anticipated the discussion was difficult at first being more of a question an answer format but as time went on it became more relaxed and more open. Having the opportunity to hear their stories first hand gave me a different perspective as opposed to only studying secondary research material. Immediately it became more personal. This left me thinking how I would like to be able to do justice through my work to everyone’s struggles but realistically that was not going to be achievable. I would have to find a way to represent the common themes that came out but through a more holistic approach.

Monday 6th November 2017

The second response to the outcomes of my research has found me exploring transparency, layers and classic symbols of home still within the context of transnationalism. I have taken a further set of photographs which I have printed on to clear acrylic.

These act almost like memory slides which can be manipulated in a number of ways. Viewed almost like a still life painting on a wall or formed in to a simple cube representing a home. Memories wrapping/permeating the very essence of home and place. Taken down or dismantled in a moment, transportable.

 

Thursday 2nd November 2017

Visit to Norwich castle today. Found inspiration within the Rembrandt Exhibition etchings, Norwich School painters as well as the more contemporary Printmaking Exhibition by local artists. The prints and  paintings depicted a real sense of place to the local area through images of landscapes and still life.

I have a few paths I would like to take forward when it comes to creating a response to my research.

Firstly the photographs taken in Cromer relating to the Sense of Place brief. They depict the feeling of being trapped between the thoughts of home and belonging, moving back and forth, always in the middle of these imposing words: HOME – BELONGING. This is captured in the symbolism of the concrete and spaces between. The images capture the spiders web stuck on both sides of these brutal shapes representing temporariness and fragility.

I will look at experimenting with the size of the images to evaluate responses by the viewer.

Wednesday 1st November 2017

Back in the print workshop today to work on Photo Etching technique. Using relevant  images from my series of ‘Sense of Place’ photographs, I created two positives which I then etched onto a plate. I am looking for the final printed outcome to have a more textural quality rather than the smoothness of the original photograph. Surfaces and texture play a part in my creative practice and in the response to my Research into Practice question.

 

Tuesday 31st October

Experimentation of printmaking techniques in the workshop. Used a variety of different materials to ink up and print – plastic, aluminium, paper. I am looking at ways to create an almost transparent effect so a number of ‘layers’ both physical and metaphorical in nature can be created. It was beneficial to find out the effects each material produced and what they were like to work with. I didn’t discount working with any of the materials at this stage. Aluminium sheet with minimal inking gave me the transparency I was looking for whereas plastic gave a much denser print.