Primary Research - Skin...

Got my skin photo's into photoshop and cut them all down....

Decided it may be interesting to put them all next to each other and fill the page with them...

This is what i ended up with...not sure if i like it but still....

Primary Research - List of things to do...

Monday morning...trying to think of what's next....

• Morning – Update blog… Information about artist talks/tutorial, post comments on other blogs and scan pictures from last project.
• Afternoon - Explore the next thing on the 'natural identity' list….peoples colour.

- Doing this by taking detailed pictures of peoples skin.... About 10cm by 10cm....maybe them making into a collage of some description....

Artist Talk - Yuen Feng Ling & Tara Beall

Primary Research - Finally....

Found my motivation. Went to the library to use Photoshop...was hot and unfriendly but i battled through...even if two hours work took 3 days ☺

Used the computer to cut out hair from the photo's..... After a while i had a set of images that i liked. Some of them are too big as i zoomed in and didn't remember to zoom out before saving, this can be easily fixed... Here they are...



Here is a slideshow of the individual pics.

- Motivation, Again.

• Still minus motivation, hopefully I’ll find it somewhere for tomorrow.

• Went back to last projects work for inspiration.

• Plan for tomorrow…. Do something.

- Maybe try and cut hair from photo’s to show difference.

- Motivation

• No motivation today, no H&C tutorial, no nothing…

• Couldn’t face the library and those computers so decided today was meant to be a rest day ☺

Primary Research - Hair Photo's

• Talked to Paul about where im up to and what need's to be done next…

- Need to start recording next aspect of natural identity, next on the list is hair.

- I need to decide exactly what it is about hair I’m interested in and need a quick way to record it; I think it’s the difference I’m interested in as this is what I think identity might be about.

- Decided to take pictures of peoples head in the same position. This is with a plan to changing/manipulating/cutting the hair in some way. Here is a link to the photo's on flickr. The're mixed with all the others so you'll have to have a wee search. (Just realised you can only link to three sets :s )

• I think people liked the body drawing’s that where on the wall… I have a feeling they could reappear in the end piece.

• Was supposed to get my H&C essay back. Even though there's so much bureaucracy envolved it was still lost... I’ll hopefully get it next week...

Reflective Journal/Sketchbook/Blog/Record Thing

• Finally got most of my notes online and up to date…

• Also did a bit of blog tweaking.

Ill

• Had to go to the Doctor, found out I have an eye infection...no work today...or Friday.

• Talked to Paul, changed discussion time to Monday morning.

H&C Essay

• Have to finish essay…don’t feel well….can’t do any other work today.

Primary Research - Tutorial x2

• Tutorial with artist from yesterdays lecture..more to come.


• Went to H&C tutorial - Pop Art. Click here for my notes (the information could be all wrong - i can't take notes)

Primary Reseasrch - Actaully making something...

I started with the 'body shape' to explore part of your natural identity. (I decided natural identity rather than identity in general because if i started exploring clothes or other material things then it would add even more complication)

I needed to find a direct and quick way to record the body so i asked people to lay on the floor while i drew round them...
It was a strange experience but i liked the way they turned out.
I decided to put them on my wall next to each other.
When i stood back it struck me how it seemed to show the similarities of the human form as well as the differences. It was kind of saying we're all human even if we are different shapes and sizes. Im starting to think this is what identity is all about...difference?
I liked the look drawings as well as the concept so left them up.

Here's a photo....





















Not sure if its going to help my project yet but here's an interesting link about body lanuage

Primary Research - Mind Map

• Talked to Paul about making conceptual ideas into visual work…need to start experimenting.

• Finished and move mind map on – needed to figure out how to translate it into a visual language.

• Made a list of main ideas as well as 'what makes up identity' from the mind map and tried to think of how I could actually see it in some work. Here is the actual mind map, click it for a closer look.























• I decided the list (with a bit of work) should be the bases of my primary research and I should get this done before I look for other influences. Here's the list....

Artist's Talk - Nina Sederholm

Will post something here very soon.... i think this is her...

Primary Research - Plan

Research has started...until i post something saying otherwise, all post's are for primary research.

(im going to carry on posting the H&C Lectures and Friday Events, i don't think its bad habbit to get into...)



Just to make sure im dong the right thing i've been looking up what Primary Research actually is...

Primary Research = Documentation from original sources i.e. drawings, photos, conversations, looking...

Here is the dictionary definitions......

Dictionary Definition - Primary |ˈprīˌmerē; ˈprīm(ə)rē| -

adjective

1 - Of chief importance; principal : the government's primary aim is to see significant reductions in unemployment.
2 - Earliest in time or order of development : the country was in the primary stage of socialism. • not derived from, caused by, or based on anything else : the research involved the use of primary source materials in national and local archives.
3 - [ attrib. ] of or relating to education for children between the ages of about five and ten : a primary school.
4 - Biology & Medicine belonging to or directly derived from the first stage of development or growth : a primary bone tumor. 5 ( Primary) Geology former term for Paleozoic .
6 - Relating to or denoting the input side of a device using electromagnetic induction, esp. in a transformer.
7 - Chemistry (of an organic compound) having its functional group located on a carbon atom that is bonded to no more than one other carbon atom. • (chiefly of amines) derived from ammonia by replacement of one hydrogen atom by an organic group.




Dictionary Definition - Research |ˈrēˌsər ch; riˈsər ch |

noun

1 - the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions : we are fighting meningitis by raising money for medical research.
• ( researches) acts or periods of such investigation : his pathological researches were included in official reports.
• [as adj. ] engaged in or intended for use in such investigation and discovery : a research student | a research paper.

verb [ trans. ]

investigate systematically : the biographer spent 25 years researching Stalin's life | [ intrans. ] the team has been researching into flora and fauna.
• discover facts by investigation for use in (a book, program, etc.) : I was in New York researching my novel | [as adj., with submodifier ] ( researched) this is a well-researched and readable account.

Sunday, and im working....

• Carrying on with bloody essay...
Enjoy learning about the Dadaist's but hate writing and organising all the information to fit 2000 words!!!
Can't wait till it’s done.

• Started the mind map to give me ideas about how I’m going to explore identity.

Blog Set Up

• Set up blog, flickr account and u-tube….did nothing with them ☺
• Had to do last terms essay for H&C. I’ve been putting it off too long so its time to start. Will probably take me the whole weekend + so don’t expect much blogging….
o Off to the Library for some researching i think.

(If your at all on the ball you've probably realised that my first post isn't this one.... The explanation is that i've been keeping a reflective journal offline, only just got round to putting stuff on here)

Friday Event

Friday Event As if Memories Could Deceive Me - Doris Krystof
History & Politics in 1980's Video Art in Germany

It was interesting to see the way video art was seen by artists at this time. I liked the idea of putting film with different, unexpected genres of music e.g. African drumming over a film of someone playing classical piano; mixing difference and showing it can work. Exactly what I think identity is all about...

A woman at the end disagreed with a comment made by the lecturer and decided to go on about it for ages... She was disagreeing with the fact that video art was for a certain audience, an educated 'art school' audience. I agreed with this even though she was being very forceful, nearly aggressive with her argument...
How can people (in general) be educated to this type of art if its hidden away and only shown in specific communities?

The woman wouldn’t shut up though and I needed the toilet, so I left…

Here is a link for a video by Marcel Odenbach, its not great but its all i can find.


First Year Friday Event (FYFE): Artist's Talk:
Clodagh Enoe & Laura Aldridge

Enjoyed the first one...I liked the way she was thinking about concepts and the world around her.
She was talking about 'Nothingness' in art as a concept and a way of producing works, I found it intriguing.
I get the impression ‘Nothingness’ has to come from the knowledge of something…you have to start with something, you can’t get away from that.
Can you only understand ‘Nothingness’ when you have first understood something? Is it like the theory that you don’t really understand happiness until you have understood sadness?
I think by nature we try to understand life... are we always aware of the void/non-existence/non-being of the world or do we get caught up in whats there?
Mmmmmmmm ☺

I can’t help but think, if you start to base work on the idea of ‘Nothingness’ then where does art end up going?
The only way I can see is to try and understand/explore how to visually communicate 'Nothing"… Does this mean you’ve finished before you’ve even started?

I don’t think this concepts for me as I feel my work, as well as me as a person is propelled by everything instead of nothing.
At the moment i feel I have to explore as much as possible…..maybe when I retire I’ll come back to this ☺

(Went to the Market Gallery (Duke St) for a more in-depth talk about the work… In the end I decided ‘Nothingness’ as a theory can only go so far. You can explore how to visualise this in your art forever but I feel conceptually your cutting yourself off to a whole world of influence and interest.)

When it comes to the relationship with identity the concept of nothingness doesn't really work.


A Black Hole in Outter Space by Clodagh Emoe
2004
Pencil on Paper
19 x 42 cm

Here is an explanation of her work.
Here is an explanation of 'Nothingness' and other Artists work.


















I haven’t much to say about the second talk…
I think she was nervous so didn’t present her work very well.
I like the idea of work being so tacky and in your face that you can’t ignore it….I think this can add an intrigue and interest to the piece.

End of rant….. ☺

First Real Day In...

Still very tired as I only got back from holiday yesterday... Feel I need to get started.
Went into Artschool to talk to people about how they where thinking of tackling the brief plus tell tutor (Paul) what my plans where...

Need to:

• do a mind map for identity,
• work out a plan/direction for primary research,
• get some visual work under my belt!

First Thoughts on Identity

This term my plan is to resolve my last project which ended up being an exploration of what makes people, people.
This to me this is about identity so its what im going to explore this term.......

Identity (Personal Definition) - An aspect that makes a 'thing' individual....a feeling, a visual, a sound, a concept etc. Something or a group of things that gives a uniqueness...

Identity (Dictionary Definition) - i·den·ti·ty, noun

1. who somebody is or what something is, especially the name somebody or something is known by.
2. the set of characteristics that somebody recognizes as belonging uniquely to himself or herself and constituting his or her individual personality for life
3. the fact or condition of being the same or exactly alike
4. Australia, New Zealand somebody who is well known in a particular field of activity (informal)
5. a mathematical equation that remains valid whatever values are taken by its variables

Encarta® World English Dictionary © 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.