23/05

Today we started installing our installation!

Our busyness attracted a variety of people, characters and questions asking us about what we were doing. ‘Installing an art installation’ we would reply and tell them to keep an eye on this space as much more excitement would be occurring!

The bottles hanging from the tree were looking good, thanks to my idea of using see-through nylon thread to attach them and spending the previous day ensuring they were secure using my glue-gun!

However, it someone persists, the strings could be torn down or even cut! This would be a terrible waste of time and effort, so we decided to only install half of our bottles today, observed the public’s reactions for the rest of the day and overnight, just to see if they would remain. If all goes well, tomorrow we can install the rest of the masterpiece!

We were also planning to glue bottles around the tree trunk and stem them out in streams, linking the comfy seating area to the sculptural tree. However, we tried out this idea and due to the gridded floor surrounding the tree, the bottles weren’t sticking down well enough. Reflecting on how effective the bottle were looking and the concept of multiples reflecting Manchester’s social scene, we decided to instead hang the large bottles (the were going to surround the tree) lower to create a cascading effect.

The main viewing week for the installation is next week, so then we will assemble the cushions to complete our piece, as well as invigilating the area to observe and film people’s reactions!

18/05

Our group has encountered a number of fall-backs on this project so far, which we have overcome in a professional and realistic manner. Unfortunately, some more bad news graced us the other day…

Fyg Deli, who we were planning to collaborate with is temporarily closed due to one of the business partners having a serious illness. This was totally out of the blue and all of our best wishes go out to her. However, our group has to deal with this in our own way. Fabrizio was informed of this matter and suggested some alternatives. The main part of our agreement with the Deli was to store our customised cushion in there at night, to prevent any vandalism. However 20/22, where we are currently based, isn’t too far around the corner from our location so it is possible for us to just move the cushion there every night. We have been sewing ribbons onto each corner so they tie together, creating a communal duvet, so this will make the process a little bit more tricky…so we better start eating our spinach then!

Unfortunately since I last reported our revised design including Perspex boxes encasing the recycled glass bottles, our plans have had to change once again. Due to limited time and an impending deadline the boxes will not be able to be laser cut in time.

Glass bottles proved to be an issue from the start, due to safety issues, so we decided it safer and easier to just include plastic bottles in our new design. We wanted to keep the concept of the social ‘picnic’ area, so focused on creating the covered cushions of which it would consist of.

We went to our chosen location to see how the set-up idea might look like…

The only issue to spring to mind when we we trying out our cushions was that people could easily run off with them and we will be left with a very sparse area! We initially thought of a large foam sheet, however the costs were too great. Then the idea of Velcro came up…attaching the individual cushions together. I didn’t think this would look particularly great so I thought of other ways to attach the cushions. After a bit of experimenting ties seemed to be ideal so we bought some decorative ribbon and started sewing strips onto each corner…

And it proved so effective that I had to try it out…

While laying on our comfy creation, I pictured our Mediterranean inspired comfy seating area complemented by our initial bottle idea. With streams of bottles leading up to climb the tree, the ‘message in a bottle’ idea could still continue as well as the link to Manchester’s weather, catching the rainwater and making relaxing sounds. The eye would follow through to mass cascading bottle hanging from the tree, hopefully creating an effect like Nari Ward’s installation ‘Bottle Messenger’…

We have started collecting lots of plastic bottles so the area looks more artistic than a junk yard! The concept of our installation is multiples, creating a striking effect out of everyday objects, just using a lot of them…

Because we still wanted to include the glass bottle concept in our design, we thought of encasing the arrange bottles in a structure, possible made out of transparent acrylic so the bottles could still be seen. We wanted to put holes in these boxes too so that the bottles could still be accessed for our ‘message in a bottle’ idea.

So this concept still fitted in with our low comfy seating idea, we developed the boxes further into mini coffee table structure that would be movable to accommodate the public. We would put a secured sturdy top on them to further ensure safety.

I made a prototype and measured the bottles up so we could create the box structure…

We could lay them flat or have them on their side so the bottles are still accessible for messages. Or we could have a variety of both…

Over Easter, each member of our group sketched different designs for our bench idea, based around the letters ‘MNQ’ for Manchester’s Northern Quarter, to start developing our ideas…

To encourage interaction further, we thought of the letters being large enough to sit on but portable, so the public could move them around to create a more comfortable seating arrangement for themselves, friends and others.

Inspiration…

The letters reminded me of Amsterdam’s ‘I amsterdam’ letters, which have attracted a lot of public attention. Although they are based in a popular area, Amsterdam’s famous Museum Plaza, Museumplein Square, we hope that our creation will attract people to a less busy area of the Northern Quarter, hence creating its own buzz. 

I also liked the idea of long benches, so there would be a communal feel to the area. Instead of separate little letters, the forms would be more obvious & the public would always end up sitting next to one another.

At this point in our ideas process, our location was Church Street, opposite Affleck’s Palace, where the old market used to be. The vibrant market stalls were unfortunately replaced by big flower planters and we wanted to rejuvenate this area by placing the benches around and in-between them (see sketch above)

Blank canvas…

Being a fashion student, I also wanted to contribute my material knowledge and making skills. We thought of covering the benches with a lightweight waterproof material, to make them more weatherproof and sturdy, which I would then create the surface pattern/textiles for. However, I thought it would be best if we kept our shapes to be kept clean, with a ‘blank canvas’ colour that people could interact with through writing/drawing/decorating.

We thought about furthering this concept and built in additional fashion elements such as creating a piece of sculptural fashion to relate with the strong forms of the bench. We could then use the social space as a location and film a fashion shoot around it, therefore expressing the collaborative creations and gaining the public’s eye…

Over Easter I created some T-shirt designs that a boutique was interested in selling…

My Angel T-shirt design, based on white jersey with on-trend tassels draping from its hem orignially made for my own use, caught a Boutique owner’s eye in my hometown of Hastings. ‘Little Treasures’, based in Hastings bohemian Old Town collects and sells vintage and handmade replica vintage items. My design, having a theme of 80s style hippy fitted in perfectly and it was decided to give my creations a trial run! So I made a collection and here they are now…

Hastings’ controversial Jerwood Gallery opened recently and it being my hometown and all I just had to take a peek!…

The first thing you notice about the Jerwood gallery is how well it blends into its traditional surroundings, old fishing huts specific to this South East tourist resort. The next thing is the ‘No to Jerwood’ signs pinned up on the surrounding buildings.

The gallery was set up by the Jerwood Foundation, by Alan Grieve established for John Jerwood, which ensured a secure, public and permanent home for it’s vast collection of British Art.

It therefore ensures that amazing British aren’t isn’t hidden away for the collector, but is out on view for the public to admire.

Why so much controversy? Well, the fishermen & other “traditionalists” have petitioned against this cultural awakening even since the plans were proposed. They say it will draw tourists away because the coach park used to remain in that space. Well what about the tourists that appreciate art? And the creative Old Town area is growing in that interest. Why shouldn’t Hastings have some more culture than the 1066 Battle of Hastings that is brandished everywhere and we surprisingly lost!?…

http://www.jerwoodgallery.org/

Known as “God’s waiting room”, Bexhill is full of lovely old people going for strolls along the prom and drinking cups of tea in warm little cafes…

…For me it appeals through it renowned art gallery and bargain-snatching charity shops.

On my trip home down to the South coast, I decided on a trip there, checking out the De la Warr Pavilion’s latest exhibition and seeing what goodies I could find!

The De la Warr Pavillion is a renowned modernist style art gallery and event location which recently held an amazing Andy Warhol exhibition. Their current exhibition is by Cerith Wyn Evans and focuses on the De la Warr’s geographical setting through its important status as a Modernist icon. In response to this, the artist has selected and positioned works for this exhibition to relate to the horizon and the distant landmarks of Beachy Head. Evans describes the exhibition as a “love letter to the building”, producing a series of experiences comprising of four works spanning the levels. Evans’ work avoids any direct communication of meaning, inviting us to find our own understanding of the exhibition, which I think is an important interactive part of art.

Rye for me holds many childhood memories and is a very artistic area which I re-visited during our Easter break. I like re-living my memories when I visit there and I also like to appreciate the artwork. This is why Anthony Green’s work particularly caught my eye. He is one of the country’s foremost figurative painters, best known for his beautifully executed exuberant use of shape and colour.

He was displaying his ‘Lobsters, Terriers Flowers and Sex’ exhibition, of which all pieces relate to his life and include special memories, many of those about love, about his wife.

I like their vivid representations, almost bringing that memory back to life, so the viewer can step into it. I particularly like the unusual canvas shapes he paints on, which makes his pieces stand out even more.

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One particular painting captured me through its direct engagement and fluid shapes… I learned that the title of this painting, ‘Finishing the Portrait of Mary Green’ was due to Anthony recently adding himself in the background painting the clouds as he felt is always needed something else and adding a surreal touch.

22/03

Lauren Bowker is an inspirational Ex-Manchester school of Art student.

She had achieved so much since she graduated…which makes me wonder what’s in store for us!

Spurred by rejection from many universities, Lauren Bowker finally earned her placed at Manchester Metropolitan University, where she impressed many on the ‘Textiles for Fashion’ course. However, during a compulsory collaborative project is where she really found her true calling. She told us of how collaborations can be difficult because both sides of the story have to be considered, however she learnt how to please people and get the most out of the experience in the process.

After progressing from MMU to being accepted at London’s Royal College of Art, Lauren collaborated with various different sources. Talking with scientific friends, she started to experiment with fashion combined with science, particularly focusing on colour changing fabrics in controversial campaigns. She became obsessed with changing the properties of clothes and objects through material exploration. Her experimental collaborations led to ink that changes the clothes colour in air pollution and even changing smoke colours of cigarettes to warn people of the harm.

Pollution absorbing jacket

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATgo-Z5SsTk

This led onto her own projects including ‘The Cabinet’ which records a journey through burning different materials and then treating that ash. (below right)

More recently, Lauren’s PHNX (Phoenix) label has attracted a lot of attention through her statement feather designs that change colour in certain lights, which was then featured in Peachoo+Krejberg’s AW 12/13 collection in Paris.

Lauren Bowker’s PHNX on YouTube…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLopiXQijsc

Vogue featuring Laura’s designs…

http://www.vogue.it/en/shows/show/collections-fall-winter-2012-13/peachoo-krejberg/3

Peachoo+Krejberg AW 12-13 @ Paris Fashion Week

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IaBVWgA-ME

Lauren recently collaborated with the London based boutique ‘Wolf & Badger’ creating a unique tree outside their shop which changed through 4 seasons in a day.

I find that all of Lauren’s work includes people and how they relate to the pieces along with their changes. Her work makes people interact and that is what I would like to achieve from my group collaboration.

05/05

(Title is part of a quote by Sylvia Plath)

To overcome the safety issue, we came up with a new design, inspired by a chilled out Mediterranean seating area with lots of cushions and vibrant colours.

However, we still wanted to include our recycled bottle idea on our design. The only problem was that because it would involve breakable glass, one of us would have to always be there to invigilate and to move them away at night so no trouble was caused. But where would we keep them? There is the old sub-station near our location, however would we be granted access to it?

When researching our location, we learnt that our area has had a lot of previous interest, as local cafes have seen its potential as a seating and eating area.

Collaborating within a collaboration…

The café/deli directly opposite our location, Fyg, was particularly looking at following this through. So we used our initiative and paid it a visit to talk to the manager about a possible collaboration…

We showed her our design and proposed our idea that it would be a perfect picnic location for customers.

We talked through colours and ideas and decided to come up with some prototypes to show here, relating to vibrant hues of red and orange, against earthy tones of plums and olives.

We started to design & make some cushion covers inspired by the shapes and colours of these artistic lampshades in the deli…

Fyg Deli… http://fygnorthernquarter.com/

Additional social space research…

We started looking at various social spaces which would inspire our project.

We want our social space to be interactive to ensure the maximum number of Manchester residents will get involved!

Interactivity: allowing or relating to continuous two-way transfer ofinformation between a user and the central point of a communication system

Social:

• seeking or enjoying the companionship of others; friendly;sociable; gregarious 
• to live in companionship with others or in a community, rather than in isolation: People are social beings.

•     ‘I amsterdam’ letters… 

Amsterdam’s famous Museum Plaza, Museumplein square, is well known for its iconic “I Amsterdam” which attracts hundreds of visitors who often pose on the letters.

At more than 2 metres tall, the slogan measures over 23.5 metres wide. A second set of letters playfully changes location around the city, making appearances at fashion shows, fairs and festivals.

• Rohini Gosain…

The artist comments:

The existence of parallel instances of a given moment opens the doors for chance. Anything could happen. Within a given enclosed space, windows are our only points of entry/exit to the outer world. Using this opportunity, I invite the curious viewer to share a moment of wonder as a playful girl swings between visibility and invisibility that translates into a journey between existence and existence in another world.

‘To-Fro-To’, Animation Projection – charcoal, colour photos, projector window.

hhtp://vimeo.com/18031726

• Front Design’s Wallpaper by Rats…

Front Design have used animals including rats to help them create interior design. I really like this interactive idea and think it could relate well to our project in relation to humans and getting them involved. This related back to my ‘Colour of Manchester’ idea where each individual paints a section of our structure the colour which most reminds them on Manchester.

• Antenna Design, New York, ‘Domestic Sandbags’

Following in the footsteps of interactivity, this ‘installation spectre’ was inspired by the ‘building block’ concept. The sandbag is a well-known object for use in various temporary situations of emergency such as battlefields and floods. Antenna Design, based in New York, re-created this object with a new ‘skin’ instead of the rough industrial exterior, also in a new context by placing the sandbags as a comfort zone in a domestic area.

I like the concept behind this design as it is taking one object out of its usual context and totally transforming its expectations. The owner can therefore be very interactive in this process as it is up to them how they place the cushioned sandbags in arrangement to their living space.

This product sums up the artists’ concept of making the experience of objects and environments more meaningful and exciting, particularly focusing on interactivity.

• Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s ‘Recorders’…

Interactivity is also very popular in exhibitions as it helps engage the viewers and helps bring the pieces to life. ’Recorders’ by Mexican-Canadian electronic artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, at Manchester Art Gallery was an exhibition based around creating an interactive, playful experience. This solo exhibition featured seven recent pieces by the artist, including the world premieres of two specially commissioned new installations. The artworks that were displayed in ‘Recorders’ were designed to see, hear and feel the actions of people around them through the use of technology.

Highlights of the exhibition included ‘Pulse Room’(2006), which is made up of 100 light bulbs which are activated by a sensor to flash at the exact rhythm of participant’s’ heart rates, which was on show in the UK for the very first time. This made participants directly affect the artwork therefore creating a personal connection to the piece and the installation could also affect their heart rate as it would encase them.

This work was inspired by patterns in music as well as the 1960s film ‘Macario’, where a hallucination shows every person represented by a lit candle in a cave.

Pulse Room’ video… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k62thV-2Wec&feature=related

• Daniel Rozin…

Daniel Rozin is known for his interactive mechanical mirrors, which uses cameras, computers, technology and shadows to reflect the image of the person in front of it. I like the way these pieces initially look static but then the entire concept changes as the viewer approaches and the pieces transform in conjunction with the individual, much like ‘Pulse Room’. I recently viewed Rozin’s ‘Snow Mirror’(2006) and ‘Peg Mirror’ (2007) at Manchester’s Whitworth Art Gallery, as part of the ‘Dark Matter: Shadow_Technology_Art’ exhibition. ‘Snow Mirror’ was an eye-opening first piece of the exhibition: the snowy particles appeared to be suspended in space as the white flakes congregated to expose shadows and therefore create forms, attracted great crowds waiting for their image to magically appear.

‘Snow Mirror’ (2006), ‘Peg Mirror’ (2007)

Rozin’s other mirrors focus on the use of different materials including shiny aluminium balls, woven tiles and pieces of trash, which furthermore portrays an interesting ethical concept that we are reflected in what we dispose of.

Webite featuring Daniel Rozin…http://www.smoothware.com/danny/

‘Peg Mirror’ clip…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dghosA-zI6k

Whitworth Art Gallery’s ‘Dark Shadows’ exhibition…

http://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/whatson/exhibitions/darkmatters/

22/03

On Thursday we had to do our group presentation, so after a few group meetings we were ready to express our ideas.

We wanted to accentuate our “interior on the exterior” idea that combines with social spaces and our research including workshops and talks.

We were told we had to include what we intend to create and the stories/concept behind it, where the outcome is going to be situated, and how it is to be eventually constructed.

This is Stevenson Square in 1921. As a group we realised how the area is very much the same in relations to the buildings and transport.The central bus stop has changed a little bit, however the lack of interaction between people jumped out as a significance to us. People nowadays have very little interaction with strangers and this appears the same way in this photograph taken over nearly 100 years ago.

To change this humanitarian habit we began looking at various social spaces which we could refer to in our research…

Above are woven pods made to hang in trees. This encourages comfort and an interior on the outside, much like what we would like to achieve. It also promote a choice that people will have to either share a pod in close proximity or choose their own to retrieve some of there own space.

These swaying pods in New York’s Times Square provide a wider more social option than to the above hanging pods. They are situated in a very busy area and allocate a particular space for groups to interact either in their lunchtime to meet friends or to get to know more people!

This image represents our interior on the exterior idea by showing a typical lounge interior from which we can take aspects from and transport them to our new and exciting social space…

Clever ideas like interchanging seating and shelving ideas will save time and space and encourage people to get more involved.

I also like the idea of also including music, which is very involved in Manchester’s scene, as it is also a variable that brings people together in unison.

Reflections…

Will people have issues with interacting & being social? Will they actually use this area?…

…We need to find a reason for them to make use of this area!

15/03

Leigh Cooke returned to take us out into the open air to…dress & draw the city! In this workshop we headed to All Saints Park to decorate our location for sketching. We found a little corner with a circle of trees and a stony seating area to drape the trees with various materials and any objects we had on us!

Leigh directed us to particularly focus on colour, which we have learnt is his healthy obsession, and shape.  I began with coloured felt tip pens, which I find difficult to work with, but I wanted to capture the colourful tones. I personally think I added too much detail to this primary sketch and you can see my minimalist improvement on the following ones…

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