Week 24

Monday 26th February

After research week I am now clearer on what I will do my unit 7 on. I was stuck at first which project I could do for this unit however research week really helped me. It started off will a pile of books about multiple things as I wasn’t sure what I really wanted to do my project about, I wasn’t sure what would be good enough to explore for unit 7 as I know that it has to be strong in both the exploration and the final piece for unit 7. Especially if I want to have my work displayed In kings cross for the final exhibition. By reading most of them I realised what I want to base my project around. So going back into class I had a clear head what I was going to write my ppp about however it still dawned on me how I am going to explore this project as I am not sure whether to look at a live performance, sculptural piece or mix them together. The way that I am going to explore this is through my sketch book but looking at every possibility with pros and cons of each and see which one will be most effective, time efficient and cost the least.

Tuesday 27th February

Today was mainly focusing on my sketch book and research. The reason I spent the day on both of these is because I wanted to explore everything a little further before handing my ppp in on Thursday. Making sure that my ppp was strong enough is priority for me as I can’t lean on my language and writing skills as I know they lack however I believe that if I make it strong enough my idea will be clear enough to understand for anyone to read not only my tutors who are used to my type of writing. After today I am still confused about how I am going to approach this project. Knowing that the ppp has to be handed in on Thursday it worries me that my idea will either be lost or misunderstood which worries me as I want this project to my strongest and receive better feedback than my last.

Thursday 1st March 

Handing my ppp in today, I feel confident about the final submission that I handed in however I know that my Harvard referencing needs editing, which I will have completed/edited by progress tutorials. Today I was not able to attend class due to the weather meaning that it was another day of research and sketch book, although this is helpful I feel that I need to speak to a tutor to see they’re opinion is on how I could explore this unit although I know they can’t tell me what I should do, I believe the guidance they could give would be very helpful for me and how I can see every aspect of this unit.

Week 25

Monday 5th March

Talking to the tutor today it gave a clear I sit and way of exploring each idea and narrowing down the possibilities that I could do for this unit. I was also told about my Harvard referencing which I already knew was going to be an issue for me. Another issue that was brought to light was the title I had chosen for this piece as I wasn’t sure about it originally so hearing someone else say it confirmed my thoughts about changing it. Although I spent another day researching and exploring ideas in my sketch book they were more helpful than the last as I knew which way to explore and how in a more helpful and depth way to come to a final decision. However I not decided completely, I will use models and prototypes to explore this further as it will show me the pros and cons that I may face with each one.

Tuesday 6th March

I spent the day exploring materials that may work for this project after spending the last few days exploring I ideas I wanted to focus on looking at materials that would work for each idea I had come up with to see if this would help with my decisionf what I will do for a final piece. However I do believe that I will not see the full benefits of each material until I use them practically and investigate the full force of each product that is made. My aim for next week is to start making prototypes as it will help me find the easiest way around each idea. With progress tutorials I am confident with what I will present.

During this week, I fell heavily ill due to my diabetes so I worked on starting my prototype I still wasn’t 100% about my final project due to it always expanding and exploring new ideas as one thing inspires a new idea. I wanted to start so I wouldn’t fall behind and I knew what I would need to change to create the best outcome when I go back after the Easter break. During this time I faced challenges as I was very limited with the resources that I had to hand.

making my model I had inspiration from my friend in ASD (Jida akil) as I didn't know how to make a model to show a clear idea. she told me the best way is to create a model box to represent your space. I started by making a mould I did this by vacuum forming a piece of wood using plastic, I then used plaster to create the shape I had moulded. I then took skewers and stuck them into the dry solid plaster. I took a paper and created smaller versions of genuine original posters that had been used in protests. I then painted on the plaster the main protests that took place in 2017/2018, I wanted these to be placed in the middle so the eye was drawn to the white rather than the colours on the sides.

After workshops being closed during the holidays I decided to use this time to focus on my research as the practical side of project was too delicate to make and travel with from home. During these two weeks I focused on developing and furthering my research to make it stronger as this was one of my points at progress tutorials to improve on. I also decided to look back on my sketch book to see what I could develop and show the clear understanding of one idea to the next. I felt that my book lacked visual images so I chose to create loads of sketches of ideas I didn’t previously add. I originally didn’t feel that the ideas needed to be put down however I now see that they helped me to cancel out ideas, problems that I could of faced to get to where I am now.

this week I felt pressured by the assent right around the corner to get most things done earlier in the week as I knew something was planned to go wrong. I started off by making my video, this process took around two hours of collecting videos and figuring out where about I wanted them. unfortunately someone had looked onto my computer and my work was lost, this meant that I would have to restart making the video. however on Tuesday I decided to start on the process of making the poster signs, I wanted to use the same technique I used for the model and vacuum form to get the exact size I wanted although this wasn't possible due to the machine being broken. I then went. back to my sketch book and had to figure out another way to make 10 signs quickly and efficiently. I came up with the idea of building a frame to fill and then slotting the MDF stands into the plaster. all was going well until I hit another bump in the road and realised/figured out that the plaster was too heavy for the MDF to be able to hold it up and make them stand alone. i decided to leave those for a day and come up with a new idea. I started making the A2 posters that are going to be plastered all over the wall. this was a long process as I wanted most nearly all of them to be genuine posters from actual protests. after making all of those I went back to making the main focus posters, I came with the idea of covering paper in plaster to still give that fragile look, however the paper became damp and the plaster was to fragile to stay together. I then chose to use cartridge paper and foam board as they are both light however still give the same effect as the other two, after this I went back and remade the video now looking back I see it as a blessing in disguise as the second video I made was much stronger and powerful. I look forward putting them together to see what the end result looks like.

putting my work up today as I am nervous as I have never seen the all together however I believe that the end result will be eye catching and bold due to the bright and vibrate colours. after setting everything up I am very happy with the end result I believe that it looks very strong. I do hope to be picked for it to be placed in the gallery.