mathildadellatorre-blog

[mathildadellatorre-blog]

Week 26 - Last week!

This week I did:

Crowne Plaza:

After refocusing my whole idea for CP, I experimented with different slogans, which was difficult because I am very new to copy writing. In the end, I came up with the slogan ‘We’re Right Here’. I think this rings well and is extremely simple and easy to remember, which is the main strength I find in it. I represents the way CP has and will always be there to support their customers. It also has a colloquial and reassuring tone (which matches the overall tone of voice I wanted the brand to have), which is one of the things the hotel was missing. The use of ‘we’ is something I wanted to include because the way it creates a CP community between the staff and guests (new and old), and something I want to keep coherent in the rest of the brand.

I then proceeded to work back into the logo, to fit this slogan more. I kept it the same as I still thought it worked because of the C and P letters on the outside, which look inclusive (like the use of W). However, I also added a light blue line going through the middle of it, which stands for the bonds that CP creates and how they connect everyone and everything together. It also works visually to make the logo more interesting and recognizable from a far.

I narrowed down the colour palette (leaving out the grey and pink), as I realized they weren’t needed and four colours were enough (light blue, dark blue, black and grey).

I then started to think about the brand would be applied online so I made three website templates for three different steps – the homepage, the booking page and the ‘experience page’ (where the guests can customise their stay). For the homepage I wanted to illustrate one of the literal interpretations of the slogan, by creating a visual map of most of CP’s locations around the world. One can either click on the dots to see the hotels or click on the ‘Find a Hotel’ button to enter their location. The booking page is very simple and straight forward, although I wanted it to be very detailed so we CP would be able to find the perfect match for each of their guests according to: where they are, when they are going, with who they are going and why they are going. Finally, the ‘experience page’ is where the guest can customise their stay by specifying what their needs are; each image (and button) brings to a different set of preferences one can chose. I wanted to use some simple imagery to illustrate the different types of experiences (inspired from the old Work, Rest, Restore slogan) in a casual way. I am very happy I was able to design the template of a website and make it look as realistic as possible, as it was very confusing and I had do idea where to start. Although it is not perfect, it feels new, clean and modern to it, which is what I wanted and what the brief specified.had do idea where to start. Although it is not perfect, it feels new, clean and modern to it, which is what I wanted and what the brief specified.

Home and Light (I need a better title for this project):

I spent most of the working on some new screen prints and organizing (trimming, selecting, cleaning, etc.) some all prints that I put in the show. I also reworked on a few old screens.

I worked on a new (and my last) set of screen prints called ‘A room’. I combined some drawings of chairs I had previously done and shapes of window shadows. I used a similar muted and pastel colour palette as before as I wanted the prints to feel cold but also soft and comforting at the same time. I experimented with lots of different compositions using the elements I had, and most were actually very unsuccessful. Nonetheless, I was very happy with a few of them (using the simplest ones).

I also started printing the concertina book in digital media, which I need to finish this week. I wanted to create a book that showed the sequence of the prints I displayed at the show, so that people could understand the idea behind my prints. I thought a concertina book would be an easy and effective way to display the series of prints in book form, as it creates a very long strip of images. Although the title does explain how I wanted to illustrate the process of light imprint itself on a space through shadows and the process of people imprinting themselves on a space to create a home; I hope it is still open enough for people to interpret in their own ways.

Finally, I tested how it would look like to project a video (or photograph) of a shadow of plants I had taken onto a wall next to (and slightly on top of my prints). This was my plan for the show as I thought it added another dimension to the work and brought it all together nicely. I liked how it looked when I tried it but I wasn’t sure it was necessary. This would require a lot of logistics in the show, so I will have to test it when we put up the show and see if it works in the space, depending on what space I have, the light in the room, etc.

Everything else:

Apart from that, I have been the million other things that need to be finished for next week like preparing my portfolio, making development books, etc. It’s endless.

Next week I want to:

Crowne Plaza:

I need to finish the ‘re-branding documenting’, looking at how the brand will look in the bedrooms and in the common areas of the hotel.

Home and Light (I need a better title for this project):

I just need to finish the concertina book (cutting it down and finding a title for it) and put the prints up in the space!

Everything else:

The million other things I still need to do for assessment and hanging up the show. I can’t believe this is our last week!

[mathildadellatorre-blog]

Week 25

This week I did:

IPS - Home and Light:

I started the week by doing a new series of screen prints, playing around with walls and windows and silhouettes of plant shadows. I knew I wanted these to be at the beginning of the narrative of prints as they show a space without objects (chairs or plant pots), so I kept them pretty simple. I experimented as I always do using different layers and creating lots of different compositions. I limited myself to use a strict colour palette of cool grey and blue tones, which I think adds to the distant feel of a space when one moves in and there are no belongings or memories yet in that place. The space can feel like a blank canvas, which is what I tried to portray here. Nonetheless, there are always shadows from plants outside that invade the space and give it life. I was happy with these screen prints as they have a graphic quality that works well, although I tried to enhance their imperfections by using more or less ink to create more unique textures. This is something I love about the process of screen-printing and that I have learnt to control more and more, so I can appreciate the happy accidents.

I also went back to etching and used some of my old plates to create a few more variations of the compositions I already had using two plates at once. I am now much more comfortable doing this which is good, and I am happy to see that I am finishing the year feeling confident in etching. Nonetheless, I know that there are still so many techniques I am not familiar with and would like to explore in the future.

Finally, I worked on one new plate of a chair alone, but the plate had too much foul biting, because I did not layer on enough hard ground, so the acid eroded the plate. I do like when this happens, but I think in this case it is too distracting because the plate only has a thin line drawing. If I have time, I will try to add an aquatint on the background this week, to see if that helps.

I have also started thinking about how I want to display my work in the show and how the prints will all look together, and I think it is working!

IPS - Crowne Plaza:

After rethinking my concept and receiving feedback from some friends, I have realized that I don’t think the ‘Work Rest Restore’ slogan would work, as it is not modern or current. I don’t think it would attract a young audience of business travelers. Thus, I started rethinking about the brand and how I could find something else that would work. I did more research and found their current brand guidelines, which was very useful, and I read that they want to be seen as confident, reassuring, goal oriented, dynamic and social. I thought all of these points were still current and appropriate for their brand now, but thought it would be better to think of something else for the slogan. I did some research on successful hotel slogans, but I found it quiet hard to come up with one myself, because they all sounded very cheesy. I am still thinking about it…quiet hard to come up with one myself, because they all sounded very cheesy. I am still thinking about it…

Nonetheless, I have made progress on the colour scheme and font, which I am happy with.

Now What - Kickstarter:

I spent some time creating a list of all the rewards people need to provide so we can send them over in July to our backers - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tXkbZCBxSKKS75aVa-YvfcdNePrgnjJEdQJ1__K0k5g/edit

Next week I want to:

IPS - Home and Light:

I want to finish the two last prints I need to do and then chose the two others that I have selected yet. I also want to test the hanging system and figure out what and how I will project on them. Then, I need to trim, number, sign and scan them all so I can make the publication with all of them in it!

IPS - Crowne Plaza:

I really need to make progress on the slogan and finish the document (4 pages long – D&AD requirements). So little time left!

[mathildadellatorre-blog]

Week 24

This week I did:

IPS - ‘Documenting forgotten worlds’:

I have spent most of this week focusing on developing work around the idea of the home. I designed and printed a small zine (in colour and in black and white) called ‘a document of shadows’, which contains all the photos I took last weekend of different plant shadows on different surfaces. This has proven to be a really useful document to have as I can draw from the images and explore how they can be incorporated in my prints. I have been experimenting with pencils, pastels, crayons, charcoal and paint to capture the beauty of these images that I translate through printmaking.

Furthermore, I read an essay called ‘In Praise of Shadows’ (1977) by Tanizaki Junichiro that talks about the way that Orientalists (especially in Japan) value the idea of the shadow and appreciate the darkness. Whereas, in the Western world, we are taught to always be on the quest for a brighter light as we want to “dispel the shadows in the furthest corner”. Nonetheless, perhaps we need to move away from this idea and embrace the darkness and everything that comes with it. This inspired to focus more on the idea of shadows in a home. I believe that to create a home we imprint ourselves on a space, through objects and our presence, which somehow leave a mark. In a way, I think light does the same thing by project shadows onto surfaces and appropriating a space. Both those things are eternal and will continue on occurring, although they are also ephemeral, as we constantly move in between spaces and because light always comes and go. I want this to be the core of the series of prints that I work on for the next weeks and that I exhibit in the show. I have been doing this through etching and screen-printing as they are both processes that I enjoy, feel comfortable in and have a way of working in layers that connects to my theme. My definition of a home and of how we inhabit spaces has layers of metaphorical and literal meanings. I worked on a series of grey scale screen prints (using the chairs and shapes I had exposed last week) and then drew over the prints using colour pencils. I had never done this before but really enjoyed it. I like the idea that this makes the print unique pieces and more special. I also worked on two plate etchings to layer the objects and shadows, which I had never done before. Although the process is quite difficult to get right, I am happy with the results (the black and white ones more than the blue ones) and will explore this technique more next week.

IPS - Crowne Plaza:

I have made little progress on this project as I have been focusing on printmaking this week. Nonetheless, I tested the logo and colour scheme on some stationary that I noticed was used in the hotel when I went to visit the Kensington one. I think although the logo is simple, it is effective and works well on paper. Although perhaps I am thinking it is too simple? Does it need a visual element as well? I am still not sure…

Other - Exhibition:

I finally went to the David Hockney exhibition at Tate Britain this week. It was a very big exhibition that contained a lot of paintings and some drawings. Overall, it was extremely inspiring and it has encouraged me to research more about him. Although I don’t love his portraits, I love his landscapes. I like the way he describes drawing as “a way of looking more intently” and that is really reflected in the way he captures small details in his pen and pencil studies. I have been trying to incorporate this concept in my practice, especially when drawing details of the spaces I am in. I admire his use of colour and how his paintings are so saturated but still manage to work together. “He finds new ways to represent the experience of looking, […] as his art springs from a personal environment”.

Now What - Sponsorships:

I have been sending more sponsorship emails, so I am waiting patiently for replies. I also sent the image and text to put on my page of the publication and decided to go for something really simple that describes my practice this year and what I will exhibit in the show – “documenting forgotten worlds”.

Next week I want to:

IPS - ‘Documenting forgotten worlds’:

I need to keep working on prints, if I want to be able to chose the best ones out of a set of 12 so I want to screen-print and etch most days next week to create as much as possible. Hopefully it works out!

IPS - Crowne Plaza:

I really need to work more on this project next week. I want to develop the sentences and slogans that will be in different places in the rooms and on their online platforms. I also need to think about the signage in the space and how it can fit with the identity and be versatile to whatever the hotel interior is like (different in every country).

Now What - Sponsorships:

I need to keep sending some emails to different brands (mostly food and drink and maybe for art supplies – for private view goody bag?) for potential sponsorships. We are also meeting with a brand on Thursday (with Lucy) so hopefully that works out well!

[mathildadellatorre-blog]

Week 23

This week I did:

IPS – Crowne Plaza:

This week has been extremely busy and I have tried to do as much printmaking as possible, so have dedicated less time to the CP rebranding. However, yesterday I visited one of the hotel locations (in Kensington), which was very useful. I went to get more of an idea of sort of hotel it was and to see where and how the branding fits in the space. The staff was very friendly and let me visit two rooms, which was a good way to see the decor they have. She told me a bit about the brand and how one of their brand statements is simply ‘a good night’s sleep’. They focus on making the hotel as comfortable as possible for you so that you sleep properly. This fits into the slogan that I want to use, which is ‘Work Rest Restore’. She said this is why the interior design and decor is so simple and minimalist, but with details that make a big difference without customers really noticing them. For example, they have black out curtains, International plugs close to the bedside tables, etc. This confirms my idea of the brand and shows me how they put it into action now. The branding was also very discreet and blended in the space well. Nonetheless, it still felt a bit outdated and almost ‘cliche’, not for young business travelers, which is what I need to work on.

IPS - ‘Documenting Forgotten Worlds’:

After doing more research on the theme of home in art, I came across a book called ‘Theatres of the Real’ (from an exhibition at the FotoMuseum in Antwerp), that talked about the post-documentary generation and the way some British photographers have been representing our everyday lives. It was really interesting to read about as I do not know much about photography and one sentence from the book stuck with me ‘Documenting Forgotten Worlds’. This idea of showing the details of the world that we live in but fail to notice every day really fascinates. It links to my definition of the home, as I treasure memories of unnecessary little details from different places I have been and lived in.

This made me want to look into some objects, specifically chairs, and plants. Chairs for me represent support and stability and are objects that are usually always there in different spaces. Plants are another object that I always notice and that bring me peace, a way of bringing nature into our homes and lives. For both those things, they way light (and shade) hits them can be very beautiful and dramatic depending on the weather or the lighting. 

From some observational drawings of chairs and plants (and their shadows) I have created a series of screen prints and etchings. I have also incorporated shadows from windows that I have observed in my surroundings. I focused on environments and objects that I have a connection to or that are in spaces that I consider to be home for me. This makes them more personal for me and adds emphasis to the idea of being attached to those objects and spaces. I am happy with the results so far as I think they communicate a sense of tranquility but also loneliness in a way. The shadows give them a new life and the processes of printing give that another dimension.

Furthermore, I have taken some photos in Brixton (close to where I live) of shadows of plants that have noticed on different services (pavement, walls, etc.). I find these photos very soothing and calming to look and want to keep working with them. I could base some prints of them? Make a book using them?

Finally, I made a large scale drawing yesterday using one of my brother’s photos of a plant we have at home and its shadow. I projected it onto the wall and traced the image using a 2B pencil. The process was fun to do and unusual for me as I never work so closely from a photograph and on such a large scale (A2) on a wall. The texture of the wall on the drawing is quite interesting visually and I also like the way the plant and shadow are connected. The viewer cannot tell which is which, it just looks like an intricate shape. Perhaps, this is something I want to to exploring and test again.

Next week I want to:

IPS – Crowne Plaza:

As I now know exactly what I want to do with my idea I need to simply continue working and start testing my ideas on mockups to see how they would work online and in the space.

IPS - ‘Documenting Forgotten Worlds’:

I want to keep working on a series of prints and see how I can exhibit those for the show. I will be screen printing and etching continuing the series I have started now but perhaps adding some new elements. I will also try to screen print on some collages I have done (of light projected from a window).

I will also work with the photos of the plants’ shadows that I took today and make them into a small publication. I might develop them into prints and use them in etching? Not sure!! Too much to do too little time.

[mathildadellatorre-blog]

Week 22

This week I did:

IPS – Crowne Plaza:

I have made a lot of progress on the CP rebrand project as I managed to finish the logo, chose a typeface, a slogan (from their existing brand – Work Rest Restore) and develop the brand’s tone of voice. After a lot of experimentation, I have gone with the idea of creating a logo that has the initials C and P on the sides of ‘Hotels & Resorts’ to visually act as brackets. This came from the idea of interpreting a stay at the Crowne Plaza as a space for guests to step away from their work and personal life and have some time to work, rest and restore away from their everyday routine. In a way, it has the same function as brackets, which are used to set off and emphasize a certain piece of information presented to a reader. I also think that visually this is appealing and has a modern feel. I chose to use the font ‘Avenir’ as it is a modern sans-serif font, which feels light and discreet, as I wanted it to be effective yet also blend into the space and the identity of the hotel. Overall, I am happy with my progress so far. I have started choosing a colour palette (of 3 colours), but I have still not made up my mind, although I know I want cool and comforting colours (probably blue and grey tones, with a contrasting colour like yellow or pink?).

IPS - Home:

After a much needed tutorial, I feel a bit clearer about how I want to progress with this project as I felt quiet lost all of last week, not knowing what steps to take and what ideas to develop. I have decided to focus on the quote ‘between space and landscape, bringing the outside in and the inside out’, which comes from the Japanese House exhibition at the Barbican. I have created sets of images (mixed media collages and pen drawings) to express this idea and I want to develop them into prints. I also read some of George Perec’s ‘Species of Spaces’, which was an extremely inspiring book. He brought the idea of appropriation of space and the way we claim that we ‘live’ or ‘own’ a room through our presence and our belongings. These made me want to explore details about rooms and abstract them. I started by looking at light and the way it hits walls, as light seems to be the only thing that truly appropriates a room and has an affect on its ambiance. I want to keep working with this imagery and look at furniture as well. Lots of idea and lots of work to do!

IPS - Iceland:

I went to printmaking twice this week and kept working on my Iceland prints. I went back to screen-printing to develop editions of 10 of my favourite 6 prints I made last week, which I am happy about. I think the colours work really well and there is movement in the images, which is one of the things I was really striving for. I also went back to etching to rework the plates I used last week. I added a sugar lift and aquatint to some of them something I had never done before and that was a very long process. I am glad I have learnt how to do it though. The plates now have much more depth and I am now much happier with the results. I would like to try screen printing on top of them and reworking them but I will have a break from this project now and maybe go back to it after deadline (when we still have access to facilities).

Other - Exhibition:

Today, I went to ‘The Sony World Photography Awards & Martin Parr – 2017 Exhibition; at Somerset House. It features and rich fascinating photographic stories from key figures and emerging talent of the photography scene today. It was a really great exhibition, as although I am not a photographer myself and don’t know much about that medium it made me want to explore more with my camera (which I want to do for my Home Project). I was really attracted by some of the colour combinations that some artists use and how they could reflect such a specific mood (like in the way I am choosing colours for CP rebranding), like in Amélie Labourdette’s work. Furthermore, I discovered Craig Easton’s ‘Sixteen’ project, which looks at the experience, dreams, aspirations and fears of sixteen-year-olds from all walks of life in the UK. He exhibited a series of portraits along with letters that the subjects had written themselves. This gave me the idea to ask people to write about their idea of home, as made the images so personal and allowed a really intimate connection, which is something I have been trying to achieve in my project.

Next week I want to:

IPS – Crowne Plaza:

I must decide on the colour scheme tomorrow, as it has been taking way too long. I did not think this would be such a hard task, but it really does change the whole mood of the brand, so it is a very important decision. Once I have decided that I want to start thinking about how their website and online presence will look like. To do this I will have to develop their tone of voice further (casual and welcoming yet straightforward and informative) and visuals that I can use.

IPS - Home:

As I said I have developed lots of little images that I want to develop into prints through screen-printing and mono printing, which I have never done before. Furthermore, I want to keep exploring the details of a room and of a space by continue to look at the ideas that Georges Perec brings up. I want to try to use photography and film as well; to see where that takes me. All in all, I am looking forward to a week of experimenting and pushing myself to abstract my ideas. Hopefully, it works!

IPS - Iceland:

Now What - Kickstarter and Sponsorships:

I did not work on Now What last week (except for doing some social media, especially posting on our Instagram page), but this week I did to send a thank you email and an invitation to the show to all our Kickstarter pledgers. Hopefully, I would also like to have some time to email a few more potential sponsors for the private view (for drinks and food).

[mathildadellatorre-blog]

Week 21

This week I did:

IPS – Crowne Plaza:

I have started to properly on this branding project now, which I am enjoying. This week I focused on dissecting the brief and really understanding what the client wants, which helps me to stay focus and I have something to constantly refer to check my ideas. I have narrowed it down to: ‘rebranding Crowne Plaza for young and modern business travelers who want a personal individual, flexible and efficient hotel experience’.

I have started the process by doing lots of research about the hotel and other competitors who have a much more modern and effective brand image and strategy. I found on the website that their core principle to revolves around the three words: ‘Work, Rest, Recover’. I think this is a good way to keep their identity intact and something to work around that can turn into their slogan or even be present in their logo. I want the hotel to have a much more casual and comforting tone of voice, as I find business hotels to come off quite pretentious in their communication. I have also been thinking about the logo and the use of round shapes, linked to the shape of the C (for Crowne) and the hugging comforting visual aspect of the letter. This is something that I could incorporate in the logo. I need to also start thinking about colours and how my idea would work not only online but also offline and onsite to offer a coherent guest experience.

IPS – Home:

I haven’t done much work on this project this week as I have been feeling very confused about it. I think I need to try translating my ideas and sketches to prints and seeing what happens, but I am not sure yet…

IPS – Iceland:

I spent two days this week translating my drawings to prints in screen printing and etching (using a hard ground) to try and visualize the abstraction of the brutality of Iceland landscapes. I challenged myself to use a different colour palette compare to what I usually gravitate towards by using more browns. I chose this colour from photo references that I had. I thought I wouldn’t like how they would visually look together but I was positively surprised. Although I don’t like all the screen prints I did, there are a few compositions that I find interesting. The textures from the lines have translated well and I hope they do evoke the harshness but tranquillity of Iceland.

As for the etchings, I am not happy with them yet as I find them quite flat, even if I used old plates to add some already existing texture. I think they will be much better once I add aquatint, which I have never done before and perhaps collage or screen print on top of them.

Now What – Kickstarter and publication:

We reached our goal! I can’t believe we managed to raise £5,000 a week before our deadline. I couldn’t be happier and more proud of us. The campaign officially closes tomorrow at 6PM so hopefully we will get a few more donations until then. Also, I met with Calverts Cooperative with Lydia and Yasha this week to discuss printing types and costs. It was a really good experience to meet them and to see their printing studios. It was also really useful to get a pretty accurate idea of how much the publication will cost so we can make some decisions on the next week to get it going. Overall, it was a productive Now What week.

Other – Development books:

I have decided that I will be making three different development books for: IPS, Write It and External Project. I started working on the external project one very briefly but need to work much faster on them.

Other – Exhibition:

Finally, this weekend I went to see Secundino Hernández’s ‘Paso’ exhibition at Victoria Miro. I did not know the artist before so it was good to see something different although I did not really like his abstract paintings or his concepts. It just felt like there was too much going on at once making it less effective. Although, I saw this little section of a painting (���Untitled’, 2016), where I loved the colour palette and combination. Perhaps, this is something I can use when testing colours for the Crowne Plaza identity, as they felt very soothing and comforting to look at.

Next week I want to:

IPS – Crowne Plaza:

I want to spend a few more days developing my idea around the slogan ‘Work, Rest, Recover’ and add visuals that could work along the re-branding campaign. For example, looking at tones of colours, typography, images for campaign, etc. I then want to present my ideas to Darryl next Friday so I can some feedback and work my way from there.

IPS – Home:

I need to develop my ideas next week and really start making the work that I keep saying I am going to make. I don’t why I feel really restrained in this project, I think it is because I am feeling the pressure of this being for my graduate show and wanting it to be the best work I have produced this year.

IPS – Iceland:

I am booked for screen printing and etching next week as well so I want to go back and continue my series by making editions of tens of the screen prints and experimenting with various processes (such as aquatint) in etching. If my etchings from last week are dry, I would also like to try screen-printing (and then draw, write, sew, etc.) on top of them. However my question is how can I relate them my theme of home? And do I need to relate them?

Now What – Kickstarter:

Finally I won’t have to worry about the Kickstarter anymore next week, which I am really happy about. Although, I want to send a ‘visual’ thank you email and an invitation to the show during the week to all our sponsors.

Apart from that, I will try to keep working to get more sponsors for the private view.

Other – Development books:

Ideally, I would like to finish my External Project (Royal Opera House) development book this week, so at least that one is out of the way. Hopefully, I will be able to.

[mathildadellatorre-blog]

Easter Break - Week 4

This week I did:

IPS - Japanese Home Research:

I have been doing a lot of research about what to focus my IPS on for the rest of the year and I have decided to go back to the theme of home, so I have been doing lots and lots of research on more material from the Barbican exhibition I discovered there. Mostly, I have been looking at the Moriyama House in Tokyo as I am fascinated with its design principles and the concept behind it. I have been comparing that to the houses I have been living in quite an abstract way and visualizing my ideas. This is what I want to keep developing on, although I am not sure how yet.

IPS - Crowne Plaza:

I have also decided to work in parallel on a branding project (an old D&AD competition brief) for Crowne Plaza. The challenge is to create a new brand and visual campaign that appeals to the young modern traveler and shows the benefits of their hotel. I have decided to work on this brief as I thought I could connect it quite well to my theme of home and seeking a home as a ‘nomad’. I am really excited to start working on this!

IPS - Iceland:

Finally, I have kept developing textures from photos of Iceland landscapes. I now think that I have enough to start printing next week.

And a quick collage I did last week when I felt very uninspired. 

Now What - Kickstarter:

We are so close to reaching our goal, we have 7 more days to raised £300 which I think is doable! Same as always, lots of advertising and emails and promoting.

Next week I want to:

IPS - Japanese Home Research:

I have a crit on Tuesday as soon as we are back in uni so hopefully, I will get some help on how I can develop this material into a more concrete project I can work on in the next couple of weeks.

IPS - Crowne Plaza:

I need to start properly working on this project next week, by starting to do lots of research on the Crowne Plaza’s current brand and on other hotels branding techniques and visuals to start building a mood board.

IPS - Iceland:

Hopefully, I will be able to sign up for screen printing or etching one day next week and get started on some prints. I want to work quite freely and experiment with different compositions so I will go in with some scanned textures and play around with both processes.

Now What - Kickstarter:

Last week next week, so more emails, more FB and Insta updates and more convincing people to donate.

[mathildadellatorre-blog]

Easter Break - Week 3

This Week I did:

IPS - Barbican:

I have finished the Barbican Brand Guidelines! Finally! This is what I focused on for most of the week. After chosing what type of ‘colour effect’ to use, which was duotone on Photoshop, the last steps were really time-consuming as I really wanted the document to be concise and professional following the brand values they have now but adding my own interpretation. Overall, I am really happy with what I have and I have learned so much during the process, which was the most important part. I am looking to get feedback from someone at the Barbican and have sent various emails, but no reply so far, so I will keep and keep trying.

These are some of the pages from the final document:

Now What - Kickstarter:

We have reached our goal for the week (well, almost), we are now on 3,588 so 2 pounds away from 3,600! This is really good, we’re back on track and I’m hopeful we can make the last 1,400 in the next 2 weeks. I have also ben contacting different people for sponsorship opportunities around Menier Gallery, especially from Flat Iron Square. I have met with someone who seems to be interested and have been making progress!

Other - PPD:

I have done our PPD homework for the holiday which was to gather the contacts of several places we would like to work at/with once we have graduated. I focused on graphic design and branding studios around the world, including a few of the ones I already interned at or have some sort of connections with and then added lots of new ones who’s work I really admire. This has given me the motivation to keep working so I can have a strong portfolio to show them.

Other - Exhibition:

The highlight of my week was probably going to see ‘The Japanese House: Architecture and Life after 1945′ exhibition at the Barbican (http://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery/event-detail.asp?ID=19951). I absolutely loved it and cannot recommend it enough. It was the perfect balance between an installation piece and informative material, which taught me a lot. My interest in plants, spaces, the idea of the home, concrete architecture and Japanese culture was all combined in one exhibition. I was fascinated by the idea that the Japanese have about the home and how that has changed over time. The concept of making a house feel alive by bringing nature into spaces or by creating a space that acts as a barrier against the chaos of a city is something I discovered about there but that I could really relate to. I did a few drawings (and took too many photos) when I was there, but I want to develop this material and use it as a starting point for my final project.

This exhibition made me realize that I want to go back to the theme of home (from my Write It project) for my final weeks and to develop that in a completely new direction. I think I want to create some sort of installation that involves communicating or responding with the viewer. These ideas are still very new and abstract but I think I am on the right track.

Next Week I want to:

IPS - General:

Since I have decided to back to the theme of home, the main task I need to do next week is to get my concrete ideas down and narrow down my plans so I can have a clear picture of what I will be doing when I am back in uni. I want to work more from the Japanese House exhibition as well as branch out and do more research about artists that work with the theme of home. Hopefully, I will have a much clearer idea of where I want to go with this by the end of next week.

Other - Iceland:

I haven’t had the time to work on developing my drawings from Iceland this week, but hopefully, I can do some of that next week, so I have some material I can bring through to etching and screen printing when we’re back in uni. Somehow, I’d like to relate this to my final project about home.

Now What - Kickstarter:

Same as last week, just need to keep pushing for Kickstarter and other sponsorships. We should be on 4,300 by the end of next week, fingers crossed.

[mathildadellatorre-blog]

Easter Break - Week 2

This Week I did:

IPS - Barbican:

I have not done much work regarding the Barbican this week as I was in Iceland but I have decided to use a duotone effect to color the concrete shapes and I have now set up a new brand guideline document which I need to keep adding to. It’s going well!

Now What - Kickstarter:

I have continued emailing different people/companies that could be interested in purchasing the sponsorship package that we offer on our Kickstarter. So far, I haven’t heard back but I am lots of family friends who are helping out, so we are slowly getting to our goal, but halfway to go still.

Other - Iceland Trip:

I have just come back from 4 days traveling around the South West of Iceland, which was an amazing experience. I have never experienced a landscape similar to that one and nature there is so beautiful, grand, unforgiving, powerful and made me feel so insignificant. I tried to draw and paint as much as I could while I was there, despite the cold and the wind. I experimented with a color and different media such as watercolor, pencil, charcoal, oil pastels, soft pastels, pen, etc. I have never drawn many landscapes as I find it overwhelming to try and capture everything I can see. Although this time I tried to focus on capturing specific elements from sceneries which was still challenging to do, but much more enjoyable. Overall, I am happy with the material I gathered and I want to keep exploring the idea of Iceland as a brutalist landscape.

Other - Exhibition:

I went to The Other Art Fair this weekend, which I had never been to before. Overall, it was a very crowded event and I did not like most of the artist exhibiting their work. However, I discovered an artist called Joanne Hummel-Newell (http://www.joannehummelnewell.com/), who’s work I really liked. She uses shapes and colors to produce delicate and beautiful large-scale collages. It was also interesting to see what artists are currently producing, how much they sell their work for and what sells best.

Next Week I want to:

IPS - Barbican:

I need to completely finish the Barbican project brand guidelines by next Friday (I have decided). I will focus on testing a few more colors (using duotone on Photoshop) and then I just need to create all the mockups and insert everything on the Indesign document to finalize the guidelines.

Now What - Kickstarter:

I need to keep emailing and contacting companies that could be interested in doing a sponsorship package with us and keep pushing people to donate so we can reach 3,600 by the end of next week. Very stressful.

Other - Iceland Trip:

I have gathered a lot of visual material from my trip, which I want to develop. I want to keep doing some more drawing from photographs my brother and I took and then see how I could develop these images. Perhaps looking at the brutalist aspect of the landscape and focusing on the different textures I recorded from there. I can imagine them translating quite well to etchings.

Other - Batsford Prize:

Finally, I want to submit my work for the Batsford Prize (http://batsford.com/) which is due next Tuesday. The theme is nature and our relationship to nature so I will submit my screenprints inspired by the Barbican Conservatory and the way we incorporate plants in our cities. I still need to write the 500 words that will accompany the 5 images.

[mathildadellatorre-blog]

Easter Break - Week 1

This Week I did:

IPS - Barbican:

I spent a very limited amount of time on the Barbican this week as I focused on finishing the ROH project. However, I have switched around which shape corresponds to which discipline and I think it now works best and justifies them more.

Music - shape of the orchestra on stage

Dance and Theatre - shape of theater hall (kind of)

Film - shape of seating in the cinema

Art - the only one I am not sure of...

I have also started playing around with color on Photoshop and trying different effects (painting shape, changing tint, applying duotone effect). I am not sure which one I like best yet, as I don’t want the texture of the concrete to be lost. I need to keep working on these.

External Project - Royal Opera House:

I have completed and submitted my ROH YCN project on Thursday! It was a long week and I spent most of my time working on this project, as after a tutorial on Monday with Darryl, he told me the campaign was way too negative and needed to be adapted. I looked again through my ideas and came up with a much more positive concept:

‘Let’s change your mind’ is a visual campaign that shows us a different side of ballet at the Royal Opera House. It presents us and makes us relate to the stereotypical assumptions of it being dull, boring, expensive and confusing. However, it then challenges us to change our perception and to experience how ballet it can be affordable, exciting and thrilling.

We are creating a dialogue with our generation, through social media by introducing the transition from the hashtag #balletisnotforme to #balletisforme. This encourages us to start a continuous stream of communication to involve our audience in the campaign and allow it to evolve as a story through exchanges. 

This abstract pattern of dots is a visual tool that unifies the dancers and the public. They can be interpreted as the public’s opinions shifting towards a different mindset, a bird’s eye view of dancers moving on a stage, or of the colorful lights used in the scenography of the performances.

 This campaign is based on contradictions and change. The pale dots and pessimistic comments contrast with the bright dots and the opposite way of looking at things. We must leap into the darkness or the unknown, where colors are vibrant and where we are tempted to discover and cherish ballet.

 Let’s change your mind and enable you to see ballet at the Royal Opera House in a different light.

Although this was a challenging project, as it was my first time working on my own and completing a branding project I am really happy with the result and I am proud of myself for submitting a project I feel confident about. I really enjoyed the process and it is making me realize more and more that branding is definitely what I want to go into after graduating.

(I am not allowed to share images of the final product on social media platforms until they decide the winners in June)

Now What - Kickstarter:

The Kickstarter page has been going well, we are still on track as we are on 2,000 so far, which is good! I have emailed a lot of family and friends for donations, which has worked pretty well so far. I also sent a general email to everyone in Now What reminding them of the importance of us reaching our goal, so I hope this motivates everyone.

Also, our website is live! www.n0wwh4t.com

Other - Exhibition:

I went to a really good exhibition this week at the Kate McGarry Gallery in Shoreditch, where I had never been before. The artist exhibiting was called Peter McDonald, who I had never heard of before. Since I have been working a lot of color and thinking about how and why I am using color lately, I was really inspired by the way he does it. His paintings are sometimes almost too colorful but they still manage to work. The distorted heads (recurring in all the paintings displayed) is something that I could relate to as sometimes that is exactly how I feel. There’s something really special that happens when an artist is able to visualize a feeling that you are familiar with but would have never been able to explain or visualize yourself.

Next Week I want to:

IPS - Barbican:

I need to keep experimenting with color and deciding what ‘effect’ works best. Once I have done that I want to work on the brand guideline I will be designing by studying the one they currently have and adapting it to the new identity I have designed.

Now What - Kickstarter:

By the end of next week, we should have surpassed half way and be on 2,800, so we need to keep and keep on promoting.

Other - Iceland:

I will actually be in Iceland for most of next week, which I am extremely excited about. I will be driving around the island and exploring the nature. I am really looking forward to not being in the city and breathing some fresh air. From the images that I have seen the landscapes look breathtaking and very grand, so I am bringing a suitcase full of art materials. I haven’t done a lot of reportage illustration lately bu I do really enjoy it when I am traveling somewhere. I hope I can manage to draw in the cold and come with lots of drawings I can then develop into prints.

[mathildadellatorre-blog]

Week 20

This Week I did:

IPS - Barbican:

As I wanted to get feedback on the work I have done for the Barbican so far from my mentors (Isabel and Helen), I put together a PDF presentation. This was really useful as it forced me to think about what I had done chronologically and to be able to summarise and communicate my ideas briefly and clearly.

Screenprinting:

On Monday, I went to screen printing and experimented with the four shapes from the Barbican logo I have done. I printed all of them in 2 different sizes so it gave me more room for exploration. I played around with different colors and tested different compositions. This was a very good exercise for me to focus on how colors complement each other, which is what I had been reading about last week in various books. Overall, as a work in progress, I am happy with the results and I  think they will be useful when applying color on the digital logos next week. Nonetheless, I don’t feel they are as strong as the prints I have done in the past couple of weeks because of how flat they are. I find it more interested to combine line work and textures with flat shapes, instead of having them on their own.

External Project - Royal Opera House:

Most of this week was focused on this project, which took a really long time. I came up with the idea of using the quotes from people’s interviews and creating a concept around the slogan ‘Let’s change your mind.’ and #balletisnotforme. The dots used on the background represent the people’s point of views shifting, the dancers’ choreography and the lights on the stage. Visually, I find the work appealing but I am not sure if it might be too negative or if it doesn’t communicate the message clearly enough. I need to keep working on this idea and get more feedback on it.

(I am not allowed to share images of it on social media platforms until they decide the winners in June)

Now What - Kickstarter and Sponsorships:

I have been able to make a progress with sponsors and have reached out to a few companies that agreed to help us with printing posters and flyers for free as well as discounted publications. Nonetheless, I will keep contacting more to keep our options open.

Other - Exhibition:

On Wednesday, I actually went back to Brussels as I had to set up and be there for the private view of my exhibition at the shop Pepin La Lune on Friday. I am exhibiting screen prints, digital prints, and etchings on the theme of plants for the next two months (until the 20th of May). It was a long process to put everything up but was really rewarding to see my work on the walls of a shop. I also offered to draw on the windows of the shops some plants to relate to my prints, which was really fun. It was a challenge to paint on such a large scale but I am really happy with the result. The private view went really well and I am really proud of myself as this was my first solo exhibition!

http://pepinleblog.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/mathilda-della-torre.html

Next Week I want to:

IPS - Barbican:

After the External Project is due on Thursday, I will start to focus on completing the Barbican project. `i need to apply colors to the textured logo shapes and see what works best. I also want to expand this concept to signage and other mediums. Hopefully, by then, I will be reaching the end of the project.

External Project - Royal Opera House:

The project is due Thursday so I need to finish experimenting and create a PDF with all the new work I have done. I also need to write 300 about my project and another 300 words about why I chose this brief and how my view on the ROH brand has changed. I want to get everything done by Wednesday so I can submit it Thursday morning.

Now What - Kickstarter and Sponsorships:

I will continue emailing potential sponsors (both for publication and other things we will need for the private view) and sending the Kickstarter to page to more contacts.

Other - Planning for Iceland:

On Sunday, I will be traveling to Iceland for a few days and I want to create a lot fo visual material from the type of nature there. From the photos I have seen, it looks like a brutal and violent nature. I really want to try and capture that so I can then come back and create a series of prints from it, so I need to plan what art materials and what kind of visual material I want to gather there. This way of working helps me to create as much as I can in the limited amount of time I am in the location.

[mathildadellatorre-blog]

Week 19

This week I did:

IPS - Barbican:

I have decided to continue using the four shapes I was already using to develop the identity, as it has not been possible for me to draw different ones that are specific to each discipline. However, I went back to the Barbican to trace concrete textures using a frottage technique and experimenting with pencils and charcoal. These textures worked really well and I scanned them to use as the texture of the vectorized shapes (which are now much neater). I have made them all grayscale to start with but I want to test them with colours as well. I have been reading about Bauhaus theories and researching how they taught students to use colour then, which has been really useful.I have been learning about different types of contrast and how they attract they eye in different ways, which I need to now apply to the grayscale shapes to make the identity more dynamic. Overall, I think this does work a lot better as the shapes are more homogenous and cleaner looking. I now need to develop some specific brand guidelines, using the current Barbican Brand Guidelines PDF document as a template.

External Project - Royal Opera House:

I have progressed a lot this week as I interviewed 10 different people asking them specific questions about ballet and the ROH and recording the interviews. I then transcribed what they said and picked up specific quotes that I thought were eye-catching, humorous and highlighted some of the issues/ worries that people have with ballet. I realized these were almost all presumptions that are probably not actually true. Thus, I thought it would a good idea to use these sentences in the campaign and to ironically use the hashtag #balletisnotforme. I am not sure if I will use this hashtag specifically, but for now, it does evoke what I am trying to communicate. I hope this intrigues people and makes them laugh, react and respond to this issue. Simultaneously, I have been doing lots of visual research to see what I want my campaign to visually look like, so I have set up a Pinterest board (https://dk.pinterest.com/mathi6696/roh/) with all my influences. I now need to work with the written material I have gathered to come up with a visual solution to express these ideas and mock up how it would look and work in the real world. I still have lots to do!

Now What - Kickstarter and Sponsorships:

The Kickstarter Campaign has finally been launched! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1311046756/now-what-camberwell-illustration-show-2017 I am so happy about this and we are doing well so far as we have a total of 50 days to raise £5,000, which means an average of £100 a day. So far we are getting there! I have been promoting it a lot and telling people about it.

I have also been working on sponsorship emails that I started sending out. We are looking for any kind of sponsors, especially which we could use for the publication, for promotion packs (leading up to the event) and for the private view. So far we have gotten some positive responses, so hopefully we will be able to work with a few companies to help us out.

Next Week I want to:

IPS - Barbican:

I will be showing what I have done so far to Isabel and Helen (my mentors) on Monday and see what feedback they have. I then want to see how I can apply my concept to signage and other media. I want to then create a complete document that shows my whole process, which I would like to show to the Barbican.

Screenprinting:

Following Mary’s advice, she encouraged me to develop a set of prints to go along with the identity I have been working on for the Barbican. She said I should experiment more with colour combinations. Therefore, I will screenprint on Monday using the 4 Barbican shapes (in different sizes) through different abstract compositions. I have been looking at the lovely work Sandra Blow does and the way she uses colour through abstract geometric shapes, which has really inspired me. She talks about wanting to try and capture a moment and painting it on a canvas to reimagine it, and in a way I think this is what I am trying to do but by wanting to communicate an environment and its atmosphere.

External Project - Royal Opera House:

I want to keep experimenting with the series of sentences I have decided to use by seeing on the typography can work on a poster (perhaps with visuals). I also want to extend this concept to digital and social media platforms and make mock ups for those. This means I will then have a few days left (the week after) to put everything together in a PDF and write the descriptions for the submission deadline on the 24th.

Now What - Kickstarter and Sponsorships:

I need to keep continuing to do what I did last week which was to advertise and promote the Kickstarter page as much as possible and send more emails out to get sponsorships.

Other - Exhibition:

On a different, I am going back to Brussels on Wednesday as my solo exhibition at Pépin La Lune (a kid’s store - http://www.pepinlalune.be/) will be opening -  https://www.facebook.com/events/684263181746553/ I am going to be exhibiting and selling prints (screen prints, etchings and digital prints) for two months, so the opening night is next Friday. Therefore, I need to organize my prints to decide which ones exactly I want to bring and hang up and sell, so I can set up Wednesday evening. I will also be drawing with white POSCA markers on the shop window some plant drawings on Thursday. It’s all very exciting!

[mathildadellatorre-blog]

Week 18

This week I did:

IPS - Barbican:

I have re-evaluated the work I have been doing for the Barbican and following Darryl’s advice, I have decided that I need to go back to the spaces to draw shapes from the specific places where the disciplines are held, such as the theater, main hall, art gallery, etc. I called the Barbican but unfortunately, these spaces can only be visited when there are exhibitions or performances on and when you have bought a ticket, thus I haven’t been there yet. I got in contact with the creative learning department to tell them about my project, so I am hoping they will get back to me soon so I can move forward with this project.

External Project - Royal Opera House:

I have focused on the ROH project this week as I only have a few weeks before the deadline. I did a lot of research around consumer and brand research. I am currently reading a book called ‘Concept Code’ (by Gaby Crucq), which is really useful as it is teaching about how important the content behind a brand or a campaign is and how consumers want to experience the story in every touch point, to create a functional and emotional connection, which is what makes a brand successful.

I have decided that I will conduct a series of interviews to my consumer audience and recording them. I will ask them questions such as: do you like ballet, have you ever been to a ballet performance, when is the last time you went to a ballet performance, do you think there is a specific type of people (stereotype) that goes to ballet performances, etc.

I hope this will highlight the problems that our generation has with ballet and the reasons why we don’t go to the ROH. I then want to work with the content from the interviews to produce a series of typographical visual material. I might want to work with the idea of layers visually (see reference image below) and through what ballet is and how that is covered by what we think ballet is. This is still in progress, and I hope it will become clearer once I have done the interviews, which is something I have never done before and that is completely out of my comfort zone.

(Borge 2014 Event Poster Design)

Screen Printing:

I went to screen-printing on Monday, as I wanted to continue the series of ‘Abstract Shapes and Plants Landscapes’ I started last week. I chose my favourite 10 compositions and reproduced each one in series of five, so I can sell some. I was really happy with the results and I think this is one of my favourite series I have ever done. I am really enjoy experimenting working with shape and colour.

Now What:

Kickstarter:

I have dedicated a lot of my time to finishing setting up our Kickstarter campaign, which took a really long time, as I had to finish the description and add in all the rewards (with photos of people’s work). I am so happy to be done with it now and really hope it is successful once it goes live.

Market:

Today, we had our second Herne Hill market where we sold some new work. We had done one last year which went well so hopefully, today went well too. I helped the organization of it as I am in contact with the market, setting up this morning and then I was there for the first three hours. I think we will be doing more in the near future as it is a good way to not only make some money but also get the word out about Now What to people who are not in Camberwell and to show what kind of work we produce.

Next Week I want to:

IPS - Barbican:

I hope by next week the Creative Learning department will have answered me. If not, I think I will try to rework the shapes that I have now to see what works best visually and then apply those changes to the shapes from the new drawings I will have done.

IPS - Royal Opera House:

I want to get all the interviews done this week and transcribe them so I then have the next week to focus on how I can work with them visually. I want to interview at least ten people from the studio and then possibly email a few people who are ballet dancers or have been.

I also want to keep researching at the same time about different brands that have used quotes, typography and social media as a strong part of their advertising campaigns.

Screen Printing:

My aim is to start a new series of screen prints next week, although I am not sure if I will be able to access the workshop. Nonetheless, I know I want to challenge myself and work on a large scale print (A0 I think), so I want to spend some time to properly plan it and

Now What:

The Kickstarter will finally be launching Monday or Tuesday, I am just waiting for Kickstarter to approve the project and allow me to launch it. Very exciting! We will then have to start promoting A LOT. I will also be helping with promoting for our next pub quiz at the Montague Arms on the 15th of March.

[mathildadellatorre-blog]

Week 17

This week I did:

IPS - Barbican:

This week has been about exploring different ideas and testing them out. I have decided to develop the concept that uses the recurring shapes from the architecture for the identity. I came up with the idea of choosing the four most recurrent shapes and relating them to one of the four disciplines a the center: arts, music, film, theater and dance. The identity revolves around these four shapes (cut out from images of concrete) that can be adapted and used altogether and alone according to what discipline is being addresses. I tested this out on the type of materials that is currently in the Barbican brand guidelines document, such as posters, events booklet cover page, envelopes and letter paper. I am happy I was able to do this as this is all very new to me and very challenging. I also made an animated GIF, something I had never done before! After having a tutorial with Darryl I decided I want to keep working on this idea but developing the visual aspect of it more to fit the Barbican, which is what I need to focus on now. Lots of work left to do!

External Project - Royal Opera House:

I have started to properly work on the YCN Royal Opera House competition brief, which is to create a visual campaign to encourage my generation to attend ballet performances. I spent most of the week researching about the ROH and the branding they do now as well as other similar institutions whose identities I liked better. However, I realized I was focusing too much on the aesthetic aspect of the project and not enough on the concept behind what I was doing. I came up with the idea of working on a focus group with people from my generation to understand what the true issue that surround the world o ballet and opera. I want to try and record, film and photograph this event and use that as my product. This is still the very beginning stages of the ideas so I will need to work on it lots this week.

Screenprinting:

I start a new series of screen prints this week called ‘House Plants and Abstract Shapes’, by creating different compositions using elements such as line drawings of plants and abstract shapes. I worked on it in a very intuitive way, as I printed different layers randomly and developed the prints as I went, seeing what worked best aesthetically. Each print is unique which I love! I also worked on quite a specific colour palette (different tones of blue, turquoise, burgundy and cream), which I  think works really well. I worked on both A3 and A2 to see what worked best and I think I like the bigger size better as it gives the composition more space to breath. Overall I am really happy with them and look forward to working on them more.

Etching:

I continued my series of ‘Pastel Landscapes’ I had started last week by working with the same plates and playing around with different shiné collé pieces. I now have an edition of ten prints which I am quite happy with. I really like the surrealist and childlike look to them, although I think I want to develop the plate using different processes to see how much I change it (such as aquatint or soft ground).

Now What:

I have been working on the Kickstarter which is very time-consuming. I have put all the pledges that people will give and the general information. I need to ask a few more people for photos and then add a description about the project, which I want to talk about in the meeting tomorrow.

Other - Painting Workshop:

On Tuesday, I attended the painting workshop that Robert Nicols organized for us. I worked from a series of photographs of the Barbican and played around with colour and compositions. We worked on large formats using acrylic paint which was much more challenging than I thought it would be as I hadn’t done that in a very long time. Although I don’t love the work that I produced that day, it was really beneficial to do something so different and work quickly and almost carelessly on these paintings. I must make myself do more workshop days like this!

Other - Exhibitions:

I was really happy to go to a few exhibitions this week. The first one I went to was Burberry’s Makers House, which displayed their runway collection along with Henry Moore’s sculptures and drawing. It was like nothing I had seen before and definitely one of the best fashion exhibitions I have ever been to. I find it so innovating for a brand to push the boundaries of high fashion and make it possible for the public to see the pieces.

Then, I went to see the London Botanical Art which displayed very classical botanical drawings and paintings. Although they were all very different to my style and to what I usually I enjoyed some details such as the way artists used color or composition on a page.

Finally, I went to the Saatchi Gallery to see a contemporary painting exhibition, which was quite disappointing. I found the style of painting to be quite similar among all the different artists and it was slightly depressing to see that this is the kind of work that represents the successful painters of today and tomorrow.

Next week I want to:

IPS - Barbican:

I will mostly be reworking my visual interpretations of the shapes of the Barbican, following the advice Darryl gave me in my tutorial. I also want to contact the educational officer from the centre to see if I can possibly meet with someone to talk about my ideas and get feedback from them. That would be extremely helpful!

External Project - Royal Opera House:

Most of next week will be focused on working on this brief since the competition deadline is soon (24th of March). I want to develop the idea of creating a focus group and getting to the root of the problem of why my generation doesn’t attend ballet performances. This would make my research and methodology the final product that I submit, which I find quite interesting. I want to explore this idea and come up with a concrete plan of what to do the following week. This will also involve a lot of research on focus groups and branding research, as I do not anything about the process.

Screenprinting:

Tomorrow, I will be going to screen printing to keep working on the same screen I worked on last week. I want to create editions of ten of my favorite prints I did, which I can then sell.

Now What:

If all goes well I would like us to launch the Kickstarter campaign next week (ideally on the 1st of March), so that it runs until the end of May (max 3 months total). However, this depends on whether we have the website and the video ready as well.

We also need to prepare for the market on Sunday and promote it. I will be working on the day (in the morning) so I can set up in the morning and then have someone else take over and pack up in the afternoon. We will discuss all this in the meeting tomorrow.

[mathildadellatorre-blog]

Week 16

This week I did:

IPS:

Barbican:

I have spent most of the week working on the identity of the Barbican. I did a lot of research on the branding identity that they have now and read a lot about it from different sources. This enabled me to really narrow down what they stand for and what their core values as a brand. At the same time, I have been reading ‘theoretical’ books about branding to understand what the different steps are. I also read a book called ‘Brand New: The Shape of Brands to Come’ by Wally Olins, which was very interesting as it talks about the issues that a lot of big corporate companies encounter as our society is changing. Nonetheless, art centres like the Barbican are usually not affected as they have very strong branding strategies that work really well. I guess this must be one of the reasons why I am finding this project difficult, and also because this is all so new to me and I have to teach myself everything.

I have decided to explore 3 ways in which the identity could be developed:

1.     Shapes (from architecture)

2.     Texture (from concrete)

3.     Passages (from the architecture of the space and from their slogan ‘art with no boundaries)

I have been experimenting visually with the first two ideas through collage and drawing and then transferring that to different promotional material that the Barbican uses. These are things that I observed when I went back to the Barbican on Monday. I am enjoying playing around with these ideas and I want to keep on working with them, but I am looking forward to having someone else’s opinion on them next week (hopefully from Darryl).

Etching:

On Friday, I went to do the etching studio as I hadn’t been in so long and I want to get back into printmaking for as long as I have access to the facilities. I worked on a new square plate (zinc) where I worked with a hard ground etch and some shiné collé shapes. I produced a series of 4 etchings with the same plate but using different pieces of tissue paper that I had drawn textures on. This is something I had never tried before but I really liked how I looked so I want to explore more drawing on the paper that I collage. This series of prints is called ‘Pastel Landscapes’, as I tried to visualize slightly surreal environments from memories. I tried to focus on the aesthetic of the prints, which I am happy with and want to experiment more with.

Now What:

I have been working on the Kickstarter still and gathering the pledges for the Kickstarter, as well as organizing the market for the 5th of March.

Other:

I went to Robert Rauschenberg’s exhibition at Tate Modern on Saturday, which was interesting. I wasn’t very familiar with his work before and I do not like all of it, but it was impressive to see how varied his work is and how he uses collage on such a large scale, which is something I have never thought about trying. I liked how he talked about the way he doesn’t want to ‘represent’ subjects, but instead include them as real objects in his work and treat as materials: “a picture is more like the real world when it’s made out of the real world”.

“We move from moment to moment, mood to mood, making decisions that control our acts, insisting and recognizing that facts are changing like the light we are seeing them in and as our motivation to look.”

‘Almanac’ (1962)

After going to the Tate Modern I also came across a second-hand art bookstore called Marcus Campbell that had a lot of old exhibition catalogs. I picked up a few but my favorite was one about the artist Grear Patterson from an exhibition he did, called ‘True Romance’ at Marlborough Contemporary last year. I really enjoy the way he works so simply and clearly with collage and in a way it related to the collages I have been doing for the Barbican shapes experiments.

Next Week I want:

IPS:

Barbican:

I want to keep working on this project by developing the three ideas and then deciding which is the strongest and focus on developing that one. Perhaps it will be a mixture of two or all of them.

Screen Printing:

I will be screen-printing on Monday and I want to develop this idea of landscapes that I explore in etching. I want to work on a larger scale and experiment more with colours and different drawings, but keeping my process free and creating a composition of layers as I go along.

Now What:

I want to have the Kickstarter page finished by the end of the week so that I can launch it the week after. This means I need to get images from every one of their work and then write the description for each person and for the general project. I also need to keep organizing the market so we are ready for that.

[mathildadellatorre-blog]

Week 15

This week I did:

Interim Presentation:

Most of this week was dedicated to getting ready for the interim presentations, a seven-minute presentation where we talk about the work we have done. I decided to set it out chronologically and talk about the past: dissertation, write it course project and IPS, the present: IPS, and the future: creative branding and identity (hopefully). The design was quite simple and straightforward, as I wanted the audience to focus on the actual images of my work and on what I was saying. I think it went well and I am glad I spoke (not recorded myself, which I hesitated in doing) as I find it is good practice to be able to talk about my work in front of a group of people. We will be getting feedback for it from all the tutors in the next couple of weeks.

IPS:

As I mentioned in my presentation the next two projects I will be working on until Easter Break (mid march). The first one, which I am working on now is rebranding the Barbican’s identity. I have started this process by researching about the Barbican’s current identity. Luckily, they have published they visual identity guidelines, which I have been looking at. I want to use their core values and ideas that are talked about in these documents and articles to adapt my own ideas. I have also started gathering the visual material I had done in the last few months on the Barbican. I want to combine this with the brand outlines to create something that incorporates their identity and mine.

http://www.designboom.com/design/the-barbicans-new-visual-identity-by-north/

http://www.barbican.org.uk/branding/

I have also been researching and reading about branding to get inspired. I read a really good book called ‘Designing Design’ by Kenya Hara, which was extremely valuable. One of the most interesting things he talks about is how he describes design as “the occupation of straining our ears and eyes to discover new questions from the midst of everyday life”. I think this is one of the things that really attracts to branding and design in general, as I am looking at things in life that are problematic and that I can try to fix, there is almost something addictive about it. He also talks about Muji and how their ‘slogan’ is “nothing, yet everything”. The simplicity yet elegance in what they do is admirable and I am want to read more about their brand.

On Friday, I attended a studio photography workshop, which was really useful. We learnt some of the techniacalites of taking photos of our work, which I am sure will come in very handy. But mostly importantly we tried to create compositions using things we could find in the studio. We used Kate’s drawings as we didn’t have any work and combined it with random objects. There was something fascinating about creating an enironvement or I guess almost a set around these drawings. It added depth a story to them, which is something I had never played with before. Thus, this is something I want to try and experiment with using my prints and ceramic pieces.

Now What:

I have started collecting information from various people about what work they will be submitting for the Kickstarter page and create a Google docs so we can organise all that information - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NUoeGMpMf07_8EX-YyFCa_HO24KsDPstqhkanrrXbTI/edit.

Furthermore, I am organising another market on the 5th of march at Herne Hill where we will have a table. We will also be working on workshops with them, so I have been talking to the people working at the market to organise that. For now it is at the very beginning of the project but we are working on organising a variety of Now What workshops at the Herne Hill market in the spring (such a lino print making, collaging, etc.).

Other:

Norman Rea Exhibition:

Finally, this week I participated in the exhibition ‘Waves’ at the Norman Rea Gallery (in York), as my friend curated it. I exhibited two jellyfish etchings and two ceramic pots. I couldn’t make it to the private view as I didn’t have enough time to go up to York but I am happy my work is being shown (and sold) in other places than London.

DIY Ary Market:

Today (Sunday), I went to the DIY Art Market in Dalston, which I really enjoyed. It is nice to see what current illustrators are producing and meeting them. I discovered a new artist called Jimmy Hay who’s work I really liked, so I bought one of his risograph prints, which I am so happy about!

Next week I want to:

IPS:

The next steps for the Barbican identity rebranding is to keep researching as I still don’t think I have done enough of it. Then, I want to start experimenting with ideas and come up with three different ways I could work with. After that, I think it would be good to get some feedback on my ideas and decide which one to move forward with and develop fully. I am really looking forward to this!

Now What:

We have a meeting on Monday so I will remind people to submit what work they will be giving for the Kickstarter if they haven’t already. Then, I am going to start looking through the work and see where we have gaps (price wise) and try to find more work in that price range. I also want to start gather images of the work and try to start working on the Kickstarter page.

Furthermore, I will be in contact with the people organising the Herne Hill market to keep on organizing that event.

[mathildadellatorre-blog]

Week 14

This week I did:

Write it:

This week I worked mostly on finishing my book so they would be ready in time for the show on Thursday. The last book which I had to finish this week was the fourth one that I decided to call ‘a collection of living objects’. I combined images to create a visual essay on the comfort we find in objects, especially in plants because we have to take care of them and keep them alive. I was really happy with this book as well as it is very clean and has evolved a lot from the primary sketches I had done for it.

Finally, I worked on the container where all my books would be. I used a simple (A4 size) white cardboard box and I used letraset letters (in Times New Roman) to write my definition of home (and title for this project), ‘a container of memories and unnecessary things’. For the show, I displayed the box and the four books on a white plinth and opened some of the books to encourage people to flick through them.

Overall, I am really happy with how this project went and I am satisfied with my final product as it is so personal and really feels like a visual extension on paper of my thoughts. I also like the idea that I can keep making books around the same theme and almost create a collection of them by developing the project. Perhaps, I could do one a year to see how my idea of a home evolves through time, as I am sure it will change over time.

Work In Progress Show:

This week felt extremely long and quite stressful as we needed to finish everything for the private view of our WIP show and then put up the exhibition. I finished my books at the beginning of the week and then spent the rest of the week helping in the preparation for Thursday. I helped with the pamphlets and posters (designed by HiBye Studio), which took a lot of time and effort but was very worth it in the end. I also helped with setting up (cleaning, organizing, etc.) on the day. I did not realize it would take so long to get an exhibition ready.

The private view went really well, which was really rewarding and made it very worth it. I am happy with the work I exhibited and I got very positive feedback from people telling me that my books made them feel very emotional and they cold really related to them. This is something I aimed for but that I did not really expect to get back, so it made me extremely happy. I feel like with this exhibition I really approached a topic that is so personal and close to my heart and having an audience respond to it by telling me they felt connected to the projects was amazing.

As part of Lily’s project for the show, she organized a seminar on Friday called I’M A FAKE! It was different to anything I had ever been to and it was so great to be encouraged to have conversations between ourselves about authenticity, copying, creating original work and how to deal with the worry of not being original or good enough in a creative industry. I can’t wait for more of them!

Other:

I also took part in a student LCC project as I was featured in Binary Publication created by Antimatter Studio. My screen-prints were featured on the cover and a foldout poster in two different issues about global issues such as climate change.

I also finished my CV probably after going to CV checks at Camberwell Library which was really useful.

In the weekend, I also visited Do-Ho Suh’s exhibition called Passage/s at Victoria Miro Gallery. I was so happy to see it as he was an artist I had researched at the beginning of the Write It project, because of the way he creates work based on the idea of a home and the distortion of spaces. The translucent fabric structures give form to ideas about migration, transience and shifting identities, which were all themes I looked at in my books. It is also very inspiring to see an exhibition where you can see how much time, effort and thought is put into an installation, as that is not always the case these days. “Today’s dreams are tomorrow’s questions” - Do-Ho Suh

Next week I want to:

Write it:

The last thing I need to do to finish this project is to take proper photos (and videos) of my books. I will be doing that on Monday so I can them use this material for my interim presentation. We will also have to take down the show on Friday, but that should be fairly easy and quick.

Interim Presentation:

Next week, on Thursday I also have my interim presentation where I need to talk about my work for 7 minutes. I need to make a visual presentation and prepare what I am going to say. I think I will structure it chronologically and play around with the words PAST - PRESENT - FUTURE, as that is what works best with the way I work. I want to talk about IPS, Write It and dissertation as I think they all feed into one another. I want to get the presentation finished on Tuesday so I can then practice with friends on Wednesday and be ready for Thursday.

IPS:

Since I have finished working on the Write It project, I will now focus completely on IPS, and most specifically developing a branding portfolio. I will start from where I last picked up and work on a series of YCN student projects, such as this one - http://www.ycn.org/awards/ycn-student-awards/2016-17-ycn-student-awards/briefs/royal-opera-house and probably this one - http://www.ycn.org/awards/ycn-student-awards/2016-17-ycn-student-awards/briefs/the-grown-up-chocolate-company