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5 (tangible) Goals
Produce a piece that has a message I support
Upskill on illustrator
Graduate :<
Find an agency that aligns with my values
Decide the kind of creative work I want to do
My main mission at the minute is to find a creative career that produces meaningful work, as well as incorporating my love for problem solving and helping people. I’ve realised that generic brand design and posters bring me very little satisfaction, but I’m not sure what I can do that still allows me to be creative.
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4/2 ‘Too Cute’ and ‘Leonardo Da Vinci’ exhibitions at BMAG
Too Cute
Overall, a pretty horrifying experience. The message was that we often use cute items to mask the stress of our daily lives, such as deadlines, rent, adult responsibilities etc.
All of the items and paintings on display were extremely sinister, but also ‘cute’. I found this part the hardest to understand.
This particular image is a pretty good way to summarise the overall experience. Rachel Maclean, the artist and director of the exhibition, acted as a furry creature explaining the main themes of the exhibition and how the word cuteness is used and can be understood. As the short video continues, it gets increasingly tenser and bizarre.
(Excuse the extremely high quality photos)
This was the main centre display, demonstrating a wide range of seemingly cute but sinister items. A lot of the exhibition featured retro children’s toys and art. After reading the guide provided, the context behind each piece made the items and paintings a lot more interesting as they provided some insight.
I would say Rachel Maclean did a really good job of making a bunch of cute items super unsettling.
Leonardo Da Vinci
BMAG is also exhibiting some of Leonardo Da Vinci’s personal studies and life drawings.
I didn’t bother to take many photos as the low lighting made it extremely difficult, but the drawings were astounding. I’m personally so used to seeing the same three paintings that I suppose I never truly appreciated his talent - it was only upon seeing the true detail and accuracy of his sketches that it truly dawned on me.
It blew my mind even more that some of his most beautiful and detailed sketches were done in chalk. I don’t know how he drew to that level of accuracy, particularly with that medium, and I also don’t know how the artwork has been so well preserved.
I’m really glad I went, and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed seeing his work.
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28/1 Screenprinting workshop
On Monday I went to a screenprinting workshop ran by Naomi. We were given time to draw out our own designs, as well as ink up the mesh board and create our own screenprints.
I didn’t use enough pressure the first couple of times but everyone’s designers were really cute and came out well.
I also wore a beanie the entire time because I forgot it was no longer winter indoors.
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Ikon Gallery - Haroon Mirza reality is somehow what we expect it to be
The gallery was filled with moving imagery, sculptural installation, and electronic sound.
The bottom middle photo is part of his eight framed works on copper. They are traces of naturally occurring fungi (magic mushrooms) which distort our perception of reality. The display was created through the use of organic materials and electricity.
The bottom right photo features a Louis Vitton bag spinning on a motor. Rules of appropriation (2018) consisted of fake designer fashion in response to a Louis Vitton advertising campaign that used imitations of his work.
I’m not a massive fan of installation pieces, especially ones like these where the message isn’t particularly clear. Aesthetically, the displays were beautiful, but in terms of my personal development, this didn’t contribute too much.
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26.11.18 An Introduction to Queer Theory
Queer theory is an academic discipline that grew out of Feminist Theory and Gender Studies in the 1990s. It challenges ‘heteronormativity’, the notion that heterosexuality is normal and default and any other sexual orientation is ‘other’. It’s the same reason queer people have to ‘come out’ in the first place.
Straight until proven guilty.
The term queer is an umbrella term for anyone who is not heterosexual or cisgender - and therefore covers the entire spectrum of sexuality and gender identity.
Representation
Stonewall Inn, June 28 1969
The Stonewall riots were violent demonstrations in protest against a police raid, ran by members of the gay community by members of the gay community in Manhattan, New York City.
The film Stonewall (2015) depicted the pivotal brick throwing scene as being done by a white, gay male. This sparked a lot of controversy as it is believed it was originally done by Marsha P. Johnson, a black drag queen. This upset many members of the community as it is an example of white-washing in the media, and erases the contributions of ethnic minorities. The lack of queer representation in mainstream media is undeniable, and this becomes even truer for ethnic minorities. It’s important to understand that race and sexuality are not two separate parts of a person’s identity, rather they are complexly entwined.
For lesbians bi-sexual characters, the majority end up dead, or feature as a guest character, rather than an integral part of the storyline. Representation of women in general still has a long way to go as well - the Bechdel test pretty much proves this.
In the same way we consider heterosexuality to be the default, we do the same with able-bodiedness (a real word?).
To be able-bodied is to be “free from physical disability,” just as to be heterosexual is to be “the opposite of homosexual.
Andrew Gurza in “Here's What This 'Queer Cripple' Wants You To Know About His Sex Life”, Huffington Post [online] (21st July 2017).
Andrew Gurza uses his sexuality and disability to empower himself as well as others and to break the stigma surrounding both disability and queerness. He works as a Disability Consultant Awareness. “He has presented all across North America on sex and disability as a Queer Crippled man. His written work has been highlighted in Out Magazine, The Advocate and Huffington Post.”
There’s still a long way to go regarding LGBTQ+ rights. I think an increase in positive representation in the media is the biggest step that can be taken, as this also challenges stereotypes, normalises queerness, and also tackles heteronormativity.
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Women’s power protest
Dr. Susan Hiller - Ten Months
These are photos taken by the artist during her pregnancy are arranged in 10 lunar months of 28 days. The swelling of her belly and the arc of the photos highlight her increasing weight. I’ve always found pregnant bellies a bit weird and uncomfortable, to be honest, but seeing it presented like this it appears strangely beautiful. Each month was paired with an extract from her diary, sharing her thoughts, confusions, and fears regarding her changing body and preparation for motherhood.
Sue Coe - Apocolypse
“In a dark bar in a post-apocalyptic dreamscape, a skeletal woman is being gang raped on the pool table while the brutish bystanders continue to play pool around her restrained body”
As if the painting itself isn’t distressing enough, it was even worse to find out it was based on a true story. This piece was inspired by a New York news story, where a mother who entered a bar to buy cigarettes was raped by four men on the pool table. Twenty men watched, but there were no reports.
Given the back story to the painting, I think even the true horror of this painting can’t depict what the victim went through.
It wasn’t until I googled her I remembered Timm giving some examples of her work last year.
Her work is largely about vegan activism, but is also guided by anti-war and human rights. She purposefully creates graphic images to shock the audience.
Ingrid Pollard - Pastoral Interlude
Only the top image featured in the museum but I feel like the caption in the second image summarises the topic best.
The series of photographs show the artist walking around Lake District - an area seen as the epitome of authentic rural Britain. The contrasting captions discuss British black peoples’ feeling of ‘otherness’. The photos highlight the association of black people with urban life, while the idealistic British countryside is not.
These are the main three that stood out to me.
These are just some pictures I took whilst I was there.
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3.12.18 The Hyper-Connected World
Obviously we are living in the digital age, with over 3 billion people connected to the internet. But all the perks of the internet aside, it’s also interesting to look at how art has changed since the creation of the internet.
If you look through history, there was always quite a clear fashion trend - whether it was flares or big hair. I think one of the internet’s most profound influences is our freedom to be individual now. We, (and by we I mean anyone over the age of 30) are no longer limited to a number of clothes stores on the high street, and there isn’t just one type of celebrity on TV. With online shopping giving us the freedom to buy what we want, and social media available to influence our shopping choices and identity, it’s much easier to dress in the way that we want. There’s those who like to constantly be dressed up in their best clothes, others who prefer hoodies and trainers, gym kids who exclusively wear sports brands, the hipsters etc.
‘This new revolution is arguably more profound than the previous ones … the digital media revolution affects all stages of communication (acquisition, storage, manipulation, distribution) and it affects all types of media – texts, images, moving images, sound and spatial constructions’
Lev Manovich, 2001
As this quote states, I think the reason the internet has become such a vital part of our lives, to the point where we can barely cope with the internet being down for 2 seconds, is because it has changed our lives in almost every aspect.
For me personally, I use the internet when I
cook (recipes)
when I’m doing uni work (research)
when I’m lost (maps)
when I want to talk to my friends (FaceTime)
when I’m bored (social media)
and obviously so much more. Before the internet we’d be using recipe books, libraries, paper maps, home telephones and games to solve all of these issues. Then taking into consideration that other than a library which I rarely use, I literally don’t own any of those items, it’s no surprise we’re so dependent.
One issue that has come along with the internet is privacy - or lack of. In one sense, we have the option to share as much as we like online, on the other, sometimes it feels like we have no choice. I’m not a fan of posting anything online, I avoid profile pictures, full names, personal info or really any kind of update on what I’m doing. Still, I recognise that if I got rid of social media completely I’d be really isolated from others and would probably lose friendships, as well as struggle to make new ones. I’ve noticed that the true sign of a growing friendship in the modern day, is how much you talk outside of your typical establishment. If you only talk with your friends at work or uni, no matter how much you get along, it seems you’re only really friends if you communicate online regularly. That’s what defines the friendship. And so, if you don’t have the means to create these relationships through social media and other apps, you’re really an outlier.
The next obvious issue is hacking, stalking, personal data, viruses etc.
I remember this episode of Black Mirror really freaking me out. While it can be argued the characters in the episode deserved what they got, the reality behind people watching your every move and knowing what you’re up to on the internet is terrifying.
Removed: Photography by Eric Pickersgill [2015]
I can’t deny there’s something upsetting about a parent on a bus shoving an iPad under their kid’s nose as soon as they start to cry. I don’t doubt that new technologies can help kids learn and interact in new ways that even I never got to experience as a kid, but I don’t think teaching your children to sit on a tablet everytime they get upset is a great way to raise the next generation.
When with friends, I try to make a conscious effort not to sit on my phone when hanging out. Occasionally it’ll be used to share photos, news, memes etc. but in general it’s best to keep it out of sight to avoid the exact problem shown in the second photo.
The way we’re so connected but often so detached is truly ironic.
I think the internet has had a really positive impact on art. We’re now able to see artist’s work from all over the world, talking about issues that we can’t possibly know of from our experiences alone. It’s so easily accessible, right on our phones, and it means that we all get a message out, rather than it being limited to magazines and museums back in the day.
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19.11.18 Psychoanalysis
The key to psychoanalysis is the ‘unconscious mind’, and Freud believed unlocking parts of our minds was the key to curing his patients.
The basis for all psychoanalysis is that all of our experiences as children, no matter how big or small, shape us into the adults we become. This is especially true when it comes to our relationships with our parents. The School of Life have many videos covering this topic, covering the effects our childhood has on our romantic relationships, as well as those with friends and family.
Each School of Life video is animated beautifully to help visualise some of the more complex topics of the video and to make them more interesting.
Our subconscious
This was the example used to demonstrate how we only use a small portion of our brains, meanwhile, the rest of our brain is unused and hidden away.
Freud's personality theory says that the psyche is structured into three section - the id, ego and superego which develop at different stages of our lives.
Id - The Pleasure Principal which acts on our animal insticts.
Ego - This works on the Reality Principal and exists between Id and real life.
Supergo - This is like ‘the conscience’. It takes into consideration our morals and the things we are taught - it works on the idealistic principle.
I actually found this example really useful in helping me understand the three.
The film Lucy explored what the possibilities could be if we accessed all the subconscious parts of our mind. Obviously, in a very sci-fi, hollywood-esque style but nonetheless the movie explored similar themes about how we use just a tiny portion of our mind. Just in the format of a very mediocre American film.
Criticisms of Freud
Given the time of the studies, his data was quite limited to a small group of people - namely the middle class. There’s also very little evidence to support his theories, particularly surrounding child sexuality.
Some of his themes could be considered unintentionally quite homophobic - for example, his belief that homosexuality was a result of an unresolved anal phase.
Separation Anxiety
Separation anxiety refers to the fear a child feels when left by a parent, whether for a short or long period of time. As the child gets older, they realise how dependent they are on their carer and as a result, their absence leads to panic. Their growing awareness of the world can make them feel unsafe and dependant on their parent's comfort/presence. It’s often the underlying fear that their parent, or all security and happiness, will never return.
I remember reading this book as a child and not realising how dark the contents really is. The book very beautifully and clearly illustrates the kind of worries that go through a child’s head when their parent leaves for longer than expected. Did something happen? Did they get hurt? Did they run away? Am I going to be alone forever? etc.
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Font style
I used the default serif font for some time since I wasn’t sure what font style I wanted to go for. My spreads include both roman alphabet and chinese characters so I had to consider two fonts that worked well together.
I was quite torn between serif and sans serif - I feel like serif would have added a more vintage feel, but because I was ultimately taking a more modern approach I decided to go with a sans serif. Most of Cristiana Couceiro’s text is also in sans serif, but I compared these two and notably, the serif font gives a much older effect. I don’t think this concept works so well with my spreads so far.
I originally used Helvetica Neue Ultra Light but when I exported my spreads for printing I realised it was too thin to clearly read, so I settled on Helvetica Neue Light. For the Chinese text, I think a serif font worked much better as it seemed more traditional and brush stroke like.
I think the two work well together. The pull quote is Palatino Italic which I used just to contrast against the main body of text.
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12.11.18 Politics of Image
This lecture talked about the power of the media in politics, and how it’s used to change perceptions and control the publics way of thinking.
One example was comparing politicians speeches and tactics to evade certain questions to dada. Using nonsensical terms and answering questions by posing new ones. The video pointed out that a lot of the news we hear about is never resolved - who’s fighting who in the war? Did we win? Is it over? What was the war about? A lot of questions that are never really fully answered, yet constantly on our screens.
Another example of how the media shapes our views is in the inauguration of Tony Blair - this image was used to portray him as a popular public figure when the reality of this photo was a large group of Labour Party members congratulating him, rather than the general public.
Torches of Freedom
Suffragettes used in a public stunt to encourage women to purchase and smoke cigarettes since they were seen as a man’s product. The suffragettes were used to make smoking look like a form of independence and liberation for women by going against the norm and what is expected of them.
The content of the lecture was actually really interesting but the delivery by the lecturer was so poor that I can’t remember a lot of what he said, which is a shame. My notes are pretty useless too since I was too unengaged to write much.
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Examples of grid use.
I initially completely disregarded grids since I was progressing from collage where I was just sticking stuff down. But once I got a grid system that worked, which took a few tries, it helped me centre my work and arrange the text with the images.
After the David Carson talk I was even more inspired to work freely, which I think could have worked if I’d approached this in the style I originally planned. But since the final outcome is a lot more digital than I wanted, I appreciate how the grids were essential to creating a neat, well constructed page.
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The first spread is when I was experimenting with different folio types. I struggled with this spread a lot too because I didn’t want to overly manipulate all the images, as the lookbook is not only a demonstration of the designer’s clothes, but it’s also from the items of clothing I drew my colour palette.
Ultimately I decided to add a faint tint to the two images, in both the greens and pink used across the lookbook in order to tie them together in a subtle way. I think the small line details and circles help balance the page a bit better too, though I’m still dissatisfied with this page all together.
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I spent a lot of time on this spread, the top three images are just some of the examples. I couldn’t seem to balance the images and text without it look so all over the place. Ultimately I stopped viewing the two pages as separate, and rather combined them into one large page by placing the image of the model across the middle. I think this is a lot more successful than my previous attempts.
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Some Laszlo Moholy-Nagy inspired collages.
This really helped me go back to basics and just draw some new inspiration. I feel like I have more direction with the style I want to go with now. I would like to incorporate elements of black and white imagery like this, but ultimately I want to be able to show off the designers clothes so I don’t want every image to be in grayscale.
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