Exhibition getting closer, it's all very exciting

Hi
I have managed to gain access to the space that my installation will be exhibited throughout the exhibition, since clearing the space last Friday.

trying out some textile pieces on the spiral/mesh support

before I started to work within the chosen exhibition space, I tried one or two of my final samples on the mesh covered spiral. This gave me a good idea of whether the amount that I had made would create the effect that I was trying to achieve. It was a test which was invaluable. It confirmed for me that the installation would look the way I had planned it to look. Certainly at this stage. It also helped me to determine how many more felted and felted organza pieces I had to create to cover area. Some pieces seemed to work better than others when I am seeing the natural light through them within the room.However, that is something I expected. I am not going to really be able to determine the total effect of the attached pieces until Mike and I do the lighting experiment within the space. That will be happening on Thursday. I have left enough time in case there are any major changes to my design which I have to do following his visit. It will also be the first time he has been in the space. This will also be beneficial for Mike, for when he comes in the set the lights on the set-up days starting the 2nd June. Thursday will be a combination of excitement and apprehension. I really do hope that my project planning and design work well within the space, alongside the lighting and sound-scape.

I am seeing Martin this week also to hear the first recording of the ideas which I discussed with him. I had quite a strong idea of what I wanted the track to be, and this will now be us both heading into sorting the final sound track for exhibition. There will be editing to do and I need to make sure that times are arranged with him this week for recording the tap steps and for the following week prior to set-up week, for editing and finalising.

crochet fishing gut with led light behind 

This image above shows the fishing gut which I have crochet into long sections.I placed an led light behind it. I wanted to find a medium which could portray bubbles, linking to the percentage of water which makes up a human being.I also want to include water sounds within the sound track, so there is also a link with that.I also thought it might work well at the top of the spiral, due to it catching the light well. I won't know if this will work or even be necessary until I am working directly on to the piece and have finalised all other sections. It may be too heavy aesthetically and it may also not work well alongside the felting.It does work with the silk paper but it depends on the colour I decide to sue for the top two areas of the spiral, as to whether this will blend in. Angelina fibres would also work well, but only if used sparingly. Have to get on now, as per usual there is much to do. One thing is for sure, I am never bored.Thankfully. I am loving every minute of creating this installation. Here's hoping I can indeed reach my own fifth level of self actualisation. I'll return after the on site lighting trial. Bye for now.

spiralling towards the exhibition

Hi again
I spent Friday helping Trevor to clear out the room where my installation will be housed for exhibition. This is really good and means that I will be able to work in that space from tomorrow. I feel as though I need a quiet space to work on the structure when I am attaching the pieces.

this is the space before 

this is the space after 

There will be board attached from just behind the radiator that can be seen in this photo to block off the area at the back of the room. That will be higher than the spiral to ensure there is nothing showing on the shelves to detract from the piece. There was also a great discovery made which will really help to make the space safe and secure for the visitor. There are very large black curtains in the college and these will be large enough to put around the walls. They were brought from the Falkirk campus theatre space when everything was being cleared out there.The entrance between the two black curtains will be at the door into the room. This being done, will also mean that the door to the room will be open but covered. I didn't want people to have to open a door to enter the space. I wanted it to be possible to add sort texture on to the entrance, and the curtain is the answer. This is the solution I hoped for.

Also, I have decided that a sound-scape is required for the space.I want to tap into the human senses. The installation can be touched, if people would like to, they can see my abstract interpretation of human needs, they will then have sound, and I am also going to decide on an appropriate smell. A pleasant but not over powering one for the space. That will be decided soon. 

I can't provide a taste for them, I just hope that they don't see my final piece and think it's bad taste.

For the sound I have decided to try and incorporate record tap dance steps. Claire in the class has kindly agreed to help me with that. The link with this is that dance makes people feel alive and feel good. I also see daily movement as a dance, one that's sometimes not consciously choreographed. I am including dance notation symbols on to the mastery section of the spiral. I found it quite difficult to discover what pattern would work for achievement and mastery.It is also a very personal scale from a persons point of view, I think. So, I wanted to include dance and music within that section. These to me, are two of the many forms of mastery of life, but they are two which are important to my own well being, so it seemed fitting to include them. It seems that this journey is starting to take quite a personal slant, that was something that I didn't intend to do at the beginning of Studio Practice 2. I think the nature of the topic I have chosen has lead to this. Perhaps it was inevitable, and I am pleased that it has become a very personal interpretation. 

There will be words and other sounds to include, but that is a work in progress at the moment alongside the constructing of the final piece. I should have started  thinking about the sound element much sooner. I think I was so busy trying to work out my structure. If doing this again, each element of my project would need to be more looked and allocated different time scales.  

Mike is coming into the college this week for us to test the light. That'll be good, and will give me plenty of time if there are adjustments to be made, but it also means I want to have the installation nearing completion by then. The polystyrene circular base which will hold the light and the vilene will be worked on this Wednesday with Alison. I have checked all measurements again for that. No time to waste. 

Other News 

The PDP presentation took place on Wednesday last week and all promotional materials and folders are now handed in to Paul.  Also the deadline for the final hand in for the contextual essay was on Friday.Phew! so now storming ahead with the work for the exhibition and the statement for assessment due a week tomorrow.

Getting there, but I can't add the saying "slowly but surely" to that. Time isn't going slowly at all.

bye for now

time flying so quickly

Hi there
As my heading says, the time leading up to the exhibition and end of my degree studies is flying so fast. There is still much to do, but it will be done in time, that's for sure.
Since my last post my work on studio practice 2 for my installation has been heading forwards.I  underestimated the amount of time that it would take to cover and secure the mesh on to the structure.That is done, but it took two full days.

this is the mesh with one side manipulated and one side as I bought it. I love the texture it creates

this is one section of the mesh being secured to the structure

It took longer than expected due to the amount that I attach, It has taken about six metres of mesh in total.

The time was also taken up with attaching it with invisible thread. It was difficult to see ofcourse, due to the nature of the thread. The reason I attached it with this thread was that when the light is on within the spiral and vilene, I don't want any of the stitching or attaching to be seen. If the mesh was secured with anything other than invisible thread, there was a risk that the stitching would be seen, and if that happened when the led light was put in place, then by that time I would not be able to undo and redo, due to the nature of the construction of my installation,and the fact that there would not be the time at that point. I could have attached two sections of mesh together before I put in on to the spiral instead of attaching two separate pieces, but I wanted to be able to pull the mesh quite tightly around the spiral, and this was easier to handle in two sections.

sometimes having a pulley in the flat comes in really handy.

I ran out of time in the college to manipulate the second section of mesh, so it came home with me, was put over the pulley system that we have and it made it easier to do. It was easier to pull the emsh when hanging.  had to gain purchase on both sides of the mesh and pull and stretch it. My tips of my fingers knew all about that, but the effect is worth the work.

mesh almost completely attached 

I am leaving the top section at the moment. I don't want to cut it to shape until I have the pieces of textiles attached towards the top. I might cut off too much and then it would mean me re-attaching some mesh to the top. Although, one of the reasons I have chosen this material to cover the spiral, is that it is able to be moulded. If I do want to create any more texture within the exposed areas of mesh once I have attached the textile wet felting, then I can do that. I can build up layers of texture in sections if needed and if the design requires it, once the felting and silk papers are attached.

This is,a s I mentioned in an earlier blog, the way that I like to work. I can plan this installation so far, but until I start attaching pieces of textile, the final design won't become clear. The aesthetics of the pieces relating to one another will only be truly visible to me , once I start attaching. Some will work alongside others and some may not. If that happens then I will re-make or transfer sections.When making the pieces for it, I have ofcourse tried to link in colour and continued abstract patterns. But it will look different when in place on top of the mesh and steel spiral. I am so excited about the possible end result.

I have decided on a very earthy colour palette for my work. When I was researching colour, I found that reds, oranges, deep yellow, green rusts etc had the psychological qualities which worked best for the Hierarchy of Needs brief which I had decided upon. The link with each colour and the properties of each colour and highlighted within my research sketchbook.

template of size taken with newsprint

I marked off some newsprint to enable me to make wet felted sections which would be big enough. They will not all be as big as each level of the spiral. Some will be smaller and attached to add more of a variety of shapes and highlighted texture with the led.

this is a sample made with merino wools and a little pre felt. This pieces had to be felted four times and took quite a long time. I have to vary the pieces in size also due to the fact that doing large pieces all the time would take too long due to my deadline for the exhibition. Also, I think it's better to vary the size to make it more interesting  well hopefully it'll be interesting to view.

this is silk paper piece drying on the net.

This sample also had thin sculpture wire incorporated within the silk fibres. I wanted to make bowed sections of silk paper, which would wrap around and follow the shape of the spiral. I tested this in college last week,a and the shape works well. When drying it, I attached the net to two indoor drying bars, but let the net hang loosely instead of taught. This let it dry in a bowed shape instead of  flat stiff paper. The roundness of the stiff silk paper is good to depict shelter and safety. I will be making one or two more with the same method.

This piece was created using merino roving,and silk fibres all placed in a spiral design.

This will portray relationship, safety or shelter. Also the relationship to colour is an area which I am automatically incorporating within my design. That is also relevant to the third level of Maslow's theory of human needs. As I said earlier in a post, I seem to using Maslow's theory as a springboards for my installation  more than an in depth portrayal. There simply wasn't the time to delve too deeply into the theory. Much as I wanted to, due to my fascination with human behaviour, there simply wasn't the time to inspect every single element. But I am pleased that I realised this relatively early on within the brief. But it would have been beneficial to have made that decision about two weeks earlier than I did.

organza and merino wools with wet felting method applied.

Since making this piece, I have decided that the organza will be very effective but only if not overused. 

 testing whether the pieces will work on the structure but will not necessarily where they will be placed on the final piece.

They are pinned on just for me to get an idea of what I still have to make regarding the area I want to cover with textile pieces. It will not  have textile on all it. I want the mesh seen in areas so that the viewer can look through the mesh to the central tubular vilene structure which will house the led light. The spirit of the human being should be visible. As long as I can create light and shade in as many forms as I can. That also relates to the light and shade, of our daily lives.

vilene with an led light inside

The vilene which will be in the centre of the spiral will have to be wrapped over and connected. This image shows me trying this will heavy double sided tape. This does not work. When lit, the heavy line will be far too visible.It also did not stay attached for any length of time. The double sided tape came away after about twelve hours.

vilene with glued seam and led light inside

This is much better. The line will not be quite so visible and it has a softer effect. The glue gun will be able to be used fortunately. I had to work out what method of connecting each side of the vilene was best.Also, the vilene tube will be two metres in height. It would not be possible to machine sew this due to the circumference of the tube. So, the glue gun will work best. I can carefully line each edge up, with a smaller overlap and glue it. 

silk paper with wire inclusion and shaped to dry.

Busy busy that's for sure.

   

Spiral structure complete, onwards and hopefully upwards

Hi there
Well, the spiral steel structure is now complete. Thursday and Friday was spent sanding,priming and spraying, tomorrow one more coat of white and I am ready then to attach the mesh, which will support  my textile pieces.

 finished structure prior to priming

primer applied
In my last post I mentioned that I wanted to paint the spiral white. I am pleased that I kept to my instincts. When I sanded the steel, there was a moment when I thought I would keep the natural colour of the sanded steel. Perhaps if I hadn't been using felting methods , and I was using another medium, then it would have worked. But I think that white behind the materials and in front of the led light, will be more effective. The reason for this is that when lit, the sweeping sections of the spiral will show through the gaps within the mesh which I intend to leave and through some of the abstract shapes within my design. White will blend into some of the white sections of materials. The steel silver colour would perhaps have looked out of place.

spiral painted white and left to dry

Heading in to College tomorrow to add the final coat of white, and also to attach the mesh. The spiral has taken quite a time to create, but it has been an amazing learning curve,and has provided me with a feeling of a huge sense of achievement. I hadn't envisaged quite so many days for working on this, but at the point of writing my time-plan, I wasn't sure  what support would be required to create my art work. It was important to get the shape correct, or the rest of my design would not have worked, therefore the time was well spent.
I am in the process of making the cob web felted sections which will be attached to the mesh. I don't want to cover all areas with materials. I think there needs to be areas where the light and the mesh are seen only. This will create quiet areas of reflection and enable the viewer to see into my symbolic steel skeleton and light within the centre of the structure with which I am hoping to depict the soul of a human being.
Once I see the materials in place, I can then decide which areas will require additions or adjustments. The first sections are larger than the additional ones will need to be secured to each of the five levels.This is the best way for me to work. I now need to start to work straight on to the mesh covered spiral. That should be possible this week.
 
Other news
There was really good feedback from my essay draft. I was so happy about that. Final submission next Friday.
The promotional materials are all done. They have now to be secured to the presentation board and put within my folder. Business cards arrived last week, and I am delighted with them.
The final photo's of my work has still not been decided for my website. Also one or two tweaks to be done, but only minor ones. I'm delighted that it is done, and that Stephen made such a good job.

By for now.

spiral construction

Hi there
I have been in the work room at the College constructing the steel spiral which will be the main structure for my installation. The spiral will have mesh wrapped around which will be the support for my textile sections.

This is the spiral still with vertical supports which will be changed to S shaped supports. This photograph shows the newsprint which I wrapped around to mark up to create a template for  some of the textile pieces I'll be making.
The spiral has been in construction with much guidance from Alison since before the Easter break.
Today the main construction was finalised, and I am so pleased with it.

this was taken yesterday  when I was cutting away the spot welding securing the vertical supports. fifteen S shaped supports are now is place and the design has worked well.

If I hadn't worked on the Marquette to determine the best solution for my design, the end result would not have worked. This structure has taken quite a time to weld shape and secure all sections to create the initial spiral shape which I envisaged quite early on within my development and research on human needs. I think that I have used Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs as a springboard for this construction more than trying to depict his theory in depth. For one thing, there has not been the time to investigate all aspects, but the levels of his theory  has given me a structure to work with both visually and conceptually.
I started sanding the spiral today. Primer will be applied and then white car spray paint. The shape will take on a whole new character when it changes colour. I've decided on white due to the fact that the mesh is white, and when lit, I think and hope that the white shape of the spiral will show in some sections through the constructed materials.  I think white for the spiral structure would be the best aesthetic solution.I also always intended to portray the strength of the human with the steel, and white, for me, symbolises our skeletal structure. The natural colour of the steel would also not blend in with the other materials I am using. This is a decision which I have to take now. Once the mesh is secured then I cannot change my decision. There is no time to do that. I hope that it all work as I plan. But any difficulties that I encounter, I'll try and find a quick way to solve.
The final primed and painted spiral will be within my next blog.
Hoping for a good day on Friday to spray the spiral, I'll be doing that outside. Fingers crossed for a dry and bright day. OK, dry will do fine.Bright will be a bonus.
Bye just now

  

Easter biz

Hi again
I have had a busy Easter with finalising the essay for contextual, meeting with Stephen with regards to my website. The website is finished, but I have to familiarise myself with the uploading of images etc that I need to complete before the PDP Presentation.My promotional materials are almost complete now. Which is great. I'm really pleased with the website and Stephen has done a good job.I had a tutorial with him regarding on how I update information during the Easter break, so now I will spend some time getting to know the way around my new site. I'll post when it's ready to be viewed. It's great to have my own website which will help with future promotion of my work and also help me to promote the art workshops which I intend to offer.

The essay draft is almost there for submission this week. Phew!!!!! That's been quite a journey,but an interesting one.

The Studio Practice 2. 
When I previously spoke about the mesh that I will use to give me a support on top of the steel spiral, I decided that I would try to felt the merino wool directly on to the mesh, just to see what the effect was.Also to determine the time scale of doing that.

This is the merino wool and silk fibres having been placed directly on to a rectangular section of the mesh.I placed the fibres on to the mesh in a spiral motion. There is a section within my research sketchbook explaining why I have chosen these particular colours. Each colour has been chosen following my finding about research carried out by Angela Wright, a colour psychologist with a proven academic record of study linking to patterns of colour and pattern of human behaviours. 

I then wet felted this. Four  session of rolling ensured that the fibres clung to the mesh.Then I included more silk fibres to highlight areas.I was wanting to depict growth, an element that I personally see linking to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

Once it was wet felted I decided to attach it horizontally instead of vertically on to a spiral that I had formed from soft aluminium wire. Metallic threads were hand stitched on to the structure to inject a silver flash portraying self actualisation. This picture was taken outside in a setting more fitting to the aspect of this piece.
 

This is he felted structure with an led light inside.
When I create the final pieces for the installation for exhibition, I want most of the fibres to show when  back lit from the led light within the vilene central column.
This was a good way for me to determine whether heavy felting will work. Some sections with heavier felting will be ok on the structure to include within the shelter and safety levels. It will give the feeling on safety and also add depth when the heavier felted areas block some of the light. I also now know that I cannot work directly in to the mesh on the final structure. It would be too difficult with the size required and also would take too long to complete. I have to adhere to the time plan for this brief.I am going to work on this structure further and add a base of felting to make the flow more progressive from below the spiral.
The other development is a five section of wet felting which I may be using as a wall hanging. This, I know is not anything unusual when it comes to wet felting, but it is something I want to try to create. Again with an organic feeling of Growth as the inspiration.

Wet felted section under the netting ready to have more soap and water applied.
I am going to secure this with some wire crochet . This will help with the my concept of linkage, that is something that I do acknowledge, unlike Maslow, when thinking of human needs. Theorists since then, have mentioned that Maslow didn't include our human need to link and connect with other people when he complied his theory.
This piece above is not one which will be included within the final structure. My research on tree houses, shelter and family trees linking to relationships, spurred me to want to create the above pieces. I will now carry on with developing sections for the final piece. In particular experimenting some more with connective cell shapes for the third level and Benesh  dance notation pattern for the fourth level of mastery.
So there is much to be getting on with.
Bye just now

 

Ahhh!!! It's now April

Hi there
Since my last post, mid module tutorial too place, and I am really pleased that Isabella, one of the tutors agreed that the mesh I intended to use on the spiral, to secure some of the felting and silk papers, was a good solution.I really like the way the mesh can be moulded and manipulated to create interesting textures. I have to decide whether I cover the whole spiral with it, or decide to create areas where the mesh fades away and then re-appears. This is something that I can only decide once I start working on the completed spiral structure. I think it would be interesting to fray and mould the mesh within some areas and leave other sections with the mesh either not there, or in it's natural state.The spiral structure will be completed the first Tuesday that we return after the Easter College break, so I am really looking forward to getting on to the piece and continuing the hands-on designing.One of the main areas that I have to be aware of is to leave visually quiet areas on the structure. It would be too easy to overwork the piece. This is something I am aware of and that I intend to keep a check on. Due to connection and linkage with others, being one of the areas that I think humans require, I have been working on one or two experiments to portray this.

plastic former mould from previous blog- with silk paper process using merino wools place on top to dry

I decided that linkage and shelter would be good to keep investigating at the moment. It is a large part of my concept.This mould was perfect to link into the shelter supplied by trees. I am also looking at family trees, and connective cell formation with regards to the relationship section of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. It also made me think of the strength of a human beings spirit. I decided that metal rings and threads of some sort would perhaps work well with this and developed this experiment further. I wanted to put across the strength that can be found within the human being.

this is the above experiment developed, using galvanised garden rings and metallic threads were hand sew into this to create folds with underlying shelter.

 The moulded  gave a natural line to be followed when folding and stitching in the rings and threads. It helped to secure the organic feeling I was attempting to portray. I like the effect that the galvanised rings create and will use them within my final samples. It would also be possible to cover the rings with fibres, that would be one of my next developments.The circular shapes will work well with the spiral. But I can also create organic shapes of my own with fine wires. I liked the wire garden rings due to their ability to link in areas without being secured to the fibres, but secured to one another.

                                                                                             

my connection theme was developed further with this piece. It is wet felting. The left hand side is teased out after felting to give a rougher texture to the fibres. The right hand area is left as was after wet felting. I then crochet green craft wire, connected both samples to that and also include French knots hand done using metallic thread. The French knots give a permanence to the portraying of linkage.

Silk paper making process with silk tops, ribbon inclusion placed in spiral shape and fine wire
This picture isn't as good as I hoped it would be, oops, but it is showing the pasted fibres with fine wire connected on both sides to stiffen the structure of the sample. This would allow me to develop this process and form three dimensional structures using wire as the stabiliser. I like this. It shows vulnerability and strength all at the one time. The piece is very delicate, but also incorporates the feeling of strength through the use of wire, and the vulnerability due to the fine textures and light weight nature of the sample. I'm not sure whether the colour combination is correct for my pieces. The colour palette is an area which is still under investigation. and part of on-going research.

This started as a flat felted piece using merino wool. It was folder in a circular movement from the centre,to create a sheltering folded section . This was accentuated by stitching with wire and then inclusions of beads nestled within the fibres. I don't like the colour combination of this, but I do like message of shelter it portrays.

Other news
I have been working on the next essay hand-in for contextual. At this point I am pleased at the way that's going. Also getting on with the promotional materials . My website is almost complete and if needed we will have a meeting with Stephen over the Easter break. I am in continual contact with him regarding the website development. He's updating me through e-mail and text and sending a link for me to look at the website to date. It's exciting.
Busy, busy and need to go.
Cheers