mlhammy

[mlhammy]

Emma Watson's 2014 Speech on Gender Equality

"If not me, who? If not now, when?"

[mlhammy]

Interview with Brandon Mattless

[mlhammy]

Interview with Brandon Mattless

When we interviewed Brandon Mattless, he offered both guidance and his perspective on the art industry.

A graduate of the Norwich University of Arts, Mattless had a fair share of artistic knowledge about both his work and the business. He mainly works on illustrations using graphic design, providing designs for cards, books and any other commissions. For example, he incorporated an elaborate three-dimensional design for a mother’s day card, based on a breakfast tray – this was a display of his expertise and he explained how wonderful it was to have the card bought in stores nationwide.

He gave us some of his products to inspect, allowing us to see the final product and spur us in our own art forms; in doing so, we were taught about the collaboration of art forms (writing and drawing) and took this on within our group, discussing our art forms in turn.

Being an aspiring writer, it was interesting to learn about the challenges faced by illustrators for books because they need to ensure everything meets the criteria of their commissioner. This revealed the harsh brutality of the art business, where ideas can be immediately scrapped or changed if things don’t meet a certain standard – despite that negative undertone, it was enlightening to discover the realities of freelance illustrators and artists alike.

After graduating from his university, Mattless has gone on to take many careers in the arts industry: these have presented him with plenty of opportunities in life and inspired our Silver Arts Award group to see the silver lining of every grey cloud. Despite the difficulties he faced, Mattless has gone on to create a multitude of beautiful products which feature in local magazines, books and even as album covers. The sheer fluidity of this art form is what really caught my interest and allowed me to learn more about the development of both his ideas and of his foothold in the industry.

After the interview, our entire group was thankful to Mattless for allowing us to speak with him; he offered us his business cards too in case we ever wanted to ask any more questions.

[mlhammy]

Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology Visit

[mlhammy]

The Fitzwilliam Museum

This museum is found in the centre of Cambridge, surrounded by buildings intertwined with the city’s history; its architecture is reminiscent of ancient Greek buildings, pillars stretching to the sky and upholding Cambridge’s prestige.

When I first walked in, I was dazzled by the ornate ceilings and size of the place. From above, statues looked down on you with their delicate eyes and I often found myself lost as I looked at those marble wonders. There was a captivating atmosphere to the entire building, pulling you in to marvel over ancient artefacts of lost worlds.

In some sections, there were incredible galleries which displayed an array of beautiful paintings and were all at accessible heights; this meant that anyone could marvel at the artwork. These rooms were well-lit and seemed to thrive with an atmosphere of historical prowess, depicting biblical scenes and myths of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, linking back to the Grecian interior design and exterior design.

The inclusion of the senses was invigorating for the eyes, entrancing spectators with the endless artefacts and art that enchants viewers with their historic qualities. This stunning collection allowed for children to be fully engrossed due to the easy accessibility; however, guests were made to put their bags in a locker to not preserve the safety of the displays but also the museum’s integrity and limit damage. This is an element that is fundamental in all museums, highlighting the need for security and carefulness around such priceless objects.

[mlhammy]

Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

[mlhammy]

Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

Dates attended: 2nd, 6th and 12th of August 2019

When I visited the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, I first took the train to Cambridge, taking in the sites of rolling emerald hills and pockets of lush greeneries. When I arrived at the train station, I made my way to the museum.

The first art forms you see when you walk in are ceramics and sculpture, petrified faces of carved stone staring at you as you make your entrance. These sculptures struck me with their distinct and creative features, decorated with engravings of ancient origins.

When I went through the museum, I learnt about the roots that carry our history through the tree of life, displayed in historic patterns embellished on those stone faces.

I really enjoyed the Native American exhibit and the Pacific Exhibit, as that part of history usually isn’t taught in history in England. The clothes of the Native Americans were still vibrant and rich with colour, as if alive with the Native spirit.

Likewise, the Pacific weapons are said to carry the souls of the fearless warriors who held them in battle. You could feel the energy and culture overflowing into the room, through cracks in smoked wood and decorations on the clubs.

However, I disliked the lack of natural light. I learnt that this was needed to maintain the colour of some objects because sunlight could easily bleach the vulnerable clothing and cause their history to fade with the colour.

The labels were exceptional on some objects, carrying immense detail within few words. I learnt about a talisman made of coconut and plant fibers, made to honour and represent a great Pacific God. There was also a good inclusion of the senses, with one statue of a God listening to sounds of the Pacific to reconnect the God’s history to its original home. There was a screen displaying Pacific cultural objects, in hopes of giving the God’s statue its cultural identity back.

This experience gave me ideas on how to set out lighting to highlight the importance of objects, which is a critical element in photography. I need to incorporate this energy into my final arts challenge, living up to the expectations of a historical arts centre.

While I was there, I noticed other people captivated by the history that was tied to the building; many visitors were lost in other worlds, escaping from the England that they had always known so they could venture out into different cultures.

It was a wonderful experience, one that I would most certainly recommend for anyone visiting Cambridge; the museum staff are friendly and helpful, not to mention the incredible collection and variety of objects from many countries.

[mlhammy]

Silver Arts Award Plan

Plan For Unit A of the Silver Arts Awards

 My personal Art Forms and those that catch my interest:

Writing, music, poetry, and drawing.

 Art Forms I would like to develop on this journey:

I would love to develop my writing skills and communication skills within my public speech skills. By doing so, I want to be able to create an informative speech with my writing to change opinions and to engage the public’s interest. On the other hand, I would enjoy taking photos of the local community, in hopes of capturing litter’s destructive nature upon our world to capture within a speech.

 My Final Arts Challenge

I have decided to pursue my writing task, hoping to produce a speech that illustrates the brutal effects of pollution on our planet. I chose this challenge because climate change and environmental awareness is very important to me, making it an issue that I hold dear to my heart. The outcome could be a speech that demonstrates the impact of our actions on the planet and the community.

To accomplish my Arts Challenge, I will study the art of writing and editing using websites, books, magazines and many more. I will also take inspiration from previous speeches to gain an idea of what I want my public statement to finally look like.

I will be asking my friends for help, while also using the internet and other search engines to find information.

I will be setting multiple targets, such as introducing myself to existing speeches. To show this, I’m going to take a variety of speeches and add different annotations, exploring the methods used to get points across to listeners. This should show my progress as a writer and as an artist, with the speeches getting clearer or with different effects thanks to other influential speakers.

[mlhammy]

Silver Arts Award

Hello everyone! I’ll be using this blog to help with my silver arts award, where I will be recording my progress while exploring the art of creative writing.