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dog walk.

on the 17 April my mother and I went to Clacton beach to walk my Nan’s dogs due to her being unable to leave her house. We have been doing this each week of lockdown to give them exercise as well as help my nan. In the images you can clearly see how empty the beach is which made for a really calming and easy walk. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me so the quality of the images aren't as good as I would've liked and I couldn't zoom in but im still happy with the outcome. I would like to go back to this location with my digital camera and perhaps a film camera too.

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comic workshop

According to Scott McCloud, what is a comic?

As described by Scott McCloud, comics are “juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence, intended to convey information and/or to produce an aesthetic response in the viewer.”

What does he mean by Non-sequential or Non-Sequitur Comics?

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Exploring Colchester

On the 26th of March I decided to use my time for exercise to explore around Colchester. The purpose of this was to try and show the meaning of isolation through my images. I really like the first image of Mill Antiques due to the contrast of the cracks on the white wall along with the sun beams coming across the image. I was initially intrigued to this particular building due to the rundown look of it as well as the metal gate on the door and window. The second image was taken down a dark alley which I found to be intriguing due to the reflection on the path, the contrast between the trees and the brick wall and the light bouncing from the wall at the end.

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A walk through the woods.

1 and 2-

While taking these images my initial intention was to capture the feeling of loneliness/ isolation. I wanted to focus on how the public is feeing during these difficult times and to use nature to present this. The image on the left shows a small leaf growing out of a tree, reaching out for sunlight. This could be compared to the public who are reaching out for hope during this pandemic. The image on the right is a lot more captivating due to resembling the silhouette of two people embracing each other. the use of contrast between the foreground and background is also very effective as it allows the main focus of the image to be seen. overall I am pleased with each of these outcomes, however I think with a little more editing they could be improved.

I had a similar approach for these images which was to capture light coming out from the darkness. The image on the left shows sunlight penetrating through the leaf, making the colours more vibrant and eye-catching. I think this images crates a sense of warmth and happiness as the light overcomes the darkness. The image on the right also has the same effect but focuses more on growth and recovery due to being surrounded by dead leaves and broken branches. I would like to go back to the same location I took these images and capture even better images containing more contrast between the light and dark.

Finally, I wanted to create darker and more emotional images. The image on the left creates a sense of being overwhelmed or consumed due to the trees looking as if they’re coming down towards the camera. I really like this image and I would like to improve it by creating more contrast in the sky/clouds. I could also find a similar location and try to get a clearer opening in the sky so that it doesn't distract from the trees. The image on the right could be interpreted in more than one way. for example, it could be seen as an opening to something brighter or possibly that the leaves surrounding the edges of the images are consuming it. Personally I think I could improve a lot more on the second image, however I am very please with the outcome of the first image.

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Ambroise Tezenas

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Interviewing local businesses.

Today I decided to got to Colchester town to document the effect that the Corona Virus is having on small businesses. I was inspired to do this due to working in a local pub which has been badly effected and has caused a lot of disruption to everyone working for the business.

The first place that I visited was my workplace, The Purple Dog. I talked to the manager and asked her 3 questions:

1. What was the biggest effect on the business so far?

2. What are you doing to minimise the risk of infection?

3. What will you do if there is a nation-wide lockdown?

Response: 

1-

 People of high risk aren't attending work so other staff are having to cover shifts.

There is less income on food due to less people coming into town, although there are still regulars who come in for a drink and a meal each day.

They are running down stock on perishable items due to less consumption.

2-

Regularly wiping down surfaces which the staff and customers touch, such as doors, handles, tables, card machines and tills.

Washing hands regularly, especially after handling money or cleaning peoples tables.

Not letting customers reuse their glasses.

Putting up signs in the bathroom advising customers on how to wash their hands properly and effectively.

Advising staff to stay home if they have any underlying conditions.

3-

Follow the government guidelines.

Heiniken will pause the rent until the end of April, however they will have to pay it all back in small sums.

They will have to lay off anyone without a contract or part-time staff.

Re-open as normal when permitted.

After interviewing the manager I politely asked if it would be okay to photograph the pub. She said that I was allowed to but to not take images of the customers.

unfortunately I wasn't able to take many image as there were quite a few customers but I hope to go back and take more of the pub layout.

The next place I visited was Baccus. I visited on the 19/3/20 but the manager had already finished his shift so I went back the next morning. While interviewing him he was very vague with his responses which made it quite difficult.

1-

Their  foot fall is down, meaning less customers are coming into the shop due to being warned to stay inside and they’re earning less money.

2-

They clean the shop the best that they can, focusing on areas that the public touch most.

3-

They will be forced to close.

The third location I visited was Black Hope Tattoo parlour. While entering the building there was a note on the door explaining that only customers who had already booked an appointment were allowed in, however they were very polite and allowed me to interview them. 

1-

More Calls rather than walk in appointments.

Private Studio work.

 They have had a lot of cancellation

2-

They keep the door locked so nobody walks in without an appointment.

There is a small sink with antibacterial soap for staff and customers to use.

They've got medical grade bleach to clean down surfaces and equipment.

3-

They will each work from home by practicing and making designs aswell as rescheduling appointments.

My fourth location was a small vintage shop called Best Days. It sells upcycled and vintage clothes aswell as having small bands perform. (16 Trinity Street, Colchester CO1 1JN)

1-

They've had a very quiet atmosphere however more younger people come in during the week due to schools and colleges closing.

2-

Regularly cleaning surfaces which customers touch, such as the seating area.

Sanitizing hand regularly, especially when handling money.

Just being sensible in general around customers 

3-

They will receive a grant from the government to keep the business running even if it is forced to shut.

The final place that I visited was Vape And Go.They’re asmall business located at the bottom of Sheer Gate Steps in Colchester.

1- 

Stock is harder to get due to high demand.

People are bulk buying products so theyre earing more than usual.

2-

They minimise handling money and encourage people to pay by card.

They use alcohol wipes to wipe clean surfaces. 

Minimise contact with customers and staff.

3- They'll follow government recommendations and hopefull be able to open again as normal. 

I also visited a small Cafe called Caffe Sala. I was told I could take some photos but I was unable to interview the manager at that current time. Unfortunately the country went into lockdown the day after and I was unable to contact them after that.

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artist

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visual language

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New Idea-

Due to current circumstances I have had to change my idea/approach to this project. I have decided to document the effect that the Coronavirus is having on local businesses and peoples lives including my own. To do this I will go to Colchester town and speak to as many small businesses as I can.

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research

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week 1 review

This first week has been very exciting. I have really enjoyed experimenting with new processes and techniques such as the Photogram workshop and working with type. The photogram workshop was very beneficial to my specialism due to working within the darkroom. I still have a lot of learning to do within the darkroom and I hope to use it more throughout this project. I would also like to experiment with incorporating type into my work.

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‘Lost and Found’ Workshop 10/3/20

This workshop was very interesting to me as we got to work with physical objects to create letters and transfer them into our own typeface. We each went to Poundland to choose one item that we would then create our alphabet with, I chose Play-Doh. My reasoning for choosing this item was due to the malleability of it. This allows me to choose between multiple ways of creating my typeface. To create these letters I decided to roll out small sections of the playdoh and arrange the into letters. I also did it in colour order starting with purple, red, yellow, green and back to purple. Doing this gave it a more organised look therefore making it more visually pleasing.

Next, I used photoshop to draw over each shape, giving me a new font to experiment with. This task was quite tricky to begin with due to having not used those specific tools before. The next part of this experiment was to create a word using these letters. To begin this process I expanded each letter using photoshop again, I then placed each one next to eachother in a light grey colour. I then repeated this process two more times, darkening the grey shade slightly each time. doing this creates an ombre effect, leaving the writing to look 3d. I then repeated this process again using different orange tones which I found to be a lot more effective.

My final experiment was to create the typeface using the colours in the original sequence. Overall I feel as if this experiment was very successful and I am pleased with each of my outcomes. I would like to expand on this by writing a sentence of some sort or possibly a type of title or heading.

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Photogram workshop- 3/6/20

The aim of this workshop was to experiment with a new creative technique in the darkroom. We used small objects such as glass bottles, string, pins, nails and wire along with an enlarger and light-sensitive paper. To begin with, we created a few test strips using 3 second intervals.

For the first one I used a flattened Absolut Vodka bottle as i was interested in the effect that the glass would have. I then decided that the longest exposure wasn't quite dark enough so I decided to increase it by a few seconds which ended up being seventeen seconds. I then used a string of flowers and also came to the same conclusion of using a longer exposure.

After creating my test strips, I created my first full print which was using both of my test objects. Personally, I did not think that this outcome was strong enough as it had a slight darkness to it as the glass stops the light travelling through it.

As the previous experiment wasn't how id have liked it, I then decided to test small glass bottles. I used one larger circular bottle, a small glass bottle and the slower string again. I found this one to be quite interesting as you can almost make out the layers of the 3D bottle and you can also see the string wrapping around it.

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Raymond Johnson-

Ray was an American artist known primarily as a collagist and a correspondence artist. His work combined photography, drawing, performance, and text across geographical distances, through mail dispatch. Johnson said- “I'm interested in things and things that disintegrate or fall apart, things that grow or have additions, things that grow out of things and processes of the way things actually happen to me,” which I found very interesting as most artist like to make their work last and for it to focus on one particular thing.

Today, his works are in the collections of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Going Postal Workshop-

For this workshop we were given the task of creating a silhouette-like image that is similar to the style of Ray Johnson. Ray’s work consists of many different words/ objects. I decided to take a different approach and use only happy/ encouraging words. I found this activity to be very interesting as we got to see lots of different approaches from each of our peers and were able to experiment with collages. 

Peer review-

I have decided to review Natalia’s work as it stood out the most to me among  every one elses work. I really like the use of bright and inviting colours along with an almost abstract effect due to the sharp, straight edges. This gives the audience a sense of mystery as they cannot make out any features of the silhouette. The thing that stands out the most to me is the word ‘home’. this word gives a sense of comfort and also brings each image used in the collage together. They also link back to this word, for example the image of the legs in the bathtub as well as the vinyl records. each of them remind the viewer of home.

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‘Going postal’ Workshop. 3/3/20

At the beginning of this workshop we were given a sheet containing 20 small boxes. Our tutor gave us 30 seconds for the first half of the sheet to quickly draw whatever word was on the board, for the second half we had 15 seconds. I found this to be quite helpful as it showed me how I deal with work quickly and under pressure. This was intended to inspire us and to help with ideas for this project. Personally I do not feel that this helped me with my ideas.