Unit X - Superstitions

Conspiracies 

My area of research has been focused on 'conspiracies'. I have really thrown myself into the research as conspiracy theories are something i've always been interested in previously. Looking through lots of websites, I found many different theories, ranging from unknown and unusual ones, for example the royals being man-eating lizard people from the fourth dimension to very common, well know ones such as Princess Diana being murdered. One of the most famous conspiracies i've began to focus more on is the 'Paul McCartney is dead' theory. This theory has been around since the early 1970s. I am finding the research and work very fascinating and it is sparking a lot of ideas.  

I find the theory of 'Paul is dead' very convincing. The Beatles include clues in their music and artwork, forcing people to go looking for the clues. I am really enjoying combing through all the different album artworks to see the clues for myself.

To further my study into the Beatles and Paul McCartney, I intend to look at the history and culture at the time this rumour began to circulate, 1970s. Paul McCartney was such a huge influence on men and women, that this makes the idea of the theory so much more interesting. 

Unit X - Superstitions

These are some scans that I have taken from my research notebook. In my group I was in charge of Conspiracies. This is something I have always been interested in. My first part of the research is just looking into conspiracies in general, the most famous ones, and the most obscure ones. Looking through all the different ideas, there is almost a conspiracy for everything and everyone. 

I am trying to build a body of research, evidence and contextual knowledge before I start my project. i believe this will help me in my brief. 

Unit X - Superstitions

Unit X - Research

  When first introduced to the idea of group work during our time in 'Unit X' I was very skeptical about working collaboratively with people from diffferent areas and people who are new to me. The brief was introduced to us as '175', which is the anniversary of the art school. On my own I brainstormed about the number, I tried to think about different ways to interpret the number, for example, 175 steps taken on a journey, 175 pages in a book, 175 pictures and faces. However nothing was sparking excitement, then I realised that I was taking the number and trying to come up with a abstract idea, when really I should have treated it like a number. I decided to add them together (1+7+5=13), this was my idea. The number 13 is something that has so many meanings and tangents that I could go down. This is something I shared with my group and we began brainstorming ideas to do with superstitions. Each person taking a topic, for example mine is conspiracies. This will build the base of our research. The joining back together, and sharing back all the research and facts we have gathered, therefor creating one huge block of research. 

Unit X - Superstitions

Glam; The Performance Of Style

During feedback week, I decided to visit the Liverpool Tate to see the current exhibition 'Glam; The Performance of Style'. This exhibition which demonstrates the era of 'Glam' throughout the UK and USA.

I was very excited to visit this exhibition as I have always been very intrigued by the fashion that was popular at the time. I loved the different topics that the exhibition covered, spanning from the music which was popular at the time, David Bowie and Brian Eno to the sinister erotic art that Andy Warhol and Allen Jones created. What I found interesting when looking round was how free people were becoming at the time. The 70s became the year of a change in culture. Fashion became more risky and unusual with Ziggy Stardust becoming a huge influence on people, of which they had never really seen before. The mystery of sex became a less taboo subject, women became free, dressing how they felt and drag queens becoming more and more common.

What I found most unusual was the idea of sex and eroticsism. The art by Allen Jones, which focused on women being manipulated into furniture. When seeing this piece of work in the gallery, I instantly felt uncomfortable and confused by this piece of work. The women are made life size, which adds to the realism of the piece. At first i did not understand this piece of work, but having time to think about this piece of work I think it discusses the idea of women in the home, still being in her traditional role of the home-maker (cooking, cleaning, looking after the children) or 'being part of the furniture' but giving her the freedom of sex and power over her body. However, as you can see, she still cannot escape the role of 'part of the furniture' almost saying that a woman can have this power and freedom but only in her own home.

Overall, I thought the exhibition was very interesting and included a variety of different media, from magazines, to posters to performances covering the most important changes during the time, summing up the 1970s in a very exciting and educational way. 

Sampling

Sampling Evaluation 

This project was focused on the idea of 'Data' and how it is interpreted. When first given the brief, I struggled with the idea, the only ones coming to mind were that of stats and graphs. After some research and frustration, I decided to just type the word into google and to see if any results sparked some ideas. I typed different abbreviations of the word to get a mix of results. The main thing coming up was identity, which i then followed on to create my idea of hands and fingerprints.

I started off creating and body of visual research, drawings and photographs of hands. Taking advice from my last brief, and experimented with different drawing materials, rather than just one tool. I then moved onto researching the idea of hands and the history behind them. I looked into palm reading, pressure points and hand gestures. I stuck to just three, as there are so many paths that I could have gone down with research that I didn't want to confuse myself. 

During my first three weeks, I was placed to do weave first, something that I was excited to learn. I found the overall process a very long and time consuming thing, however when you see the final finished weave it makes it worth it. For my weft, I chose a pink, peach and white colour, to represent the flesh tones of the hand. Throughout the weave process I tried to experiment with texture as much as possible, trying to make my weave distort and bulge under the thick threads. I used many different yarns from paper thread to cotton swirl. After having a tutorial, it was mentioned that I should try and use undertones of blues and reds, as you can see the veins through the skin. This is something I tried, using thick blues and small thin reds. I found this idea did not fit very well with my weave, looking back I think the colours that I originally chose for my weft had something to do with this. 

For my last three weeks, I spent them in knit, again a process I was eager to learn. At first I struggled a bit getting to grips with the techniques and threading of the machines. After a bit of practice I grew more confident. I started incorporating parts of my visual research into my knit samples. For example, i was using random patterns, to show the patterns of the fingerprints. I also created two of my own punchcards, again creating random patterns in one and on another card i copied an image of a fingerprints, creating a pattern from it and transferring it into a knit sample.

Overall, I have really enjoyed working on this brief and it it something I would like to come back and work some more on. I think I could have pushed my ideas a bit further, but in the time I had I believe I have done as much a possible. 

Sampling

Fingertips

These are some fingerprint I have taken prints from. These were created using black ink then pressed onto gloss photo paper. After experimenting with a few papers, I found that gloss photo paper gave a clearer print. These prints were taken from a boy, I find the difference between each print fascinating and would like to take this idea further by taking prints from different genders and ages to see if there is a difference. I then scanned the prints into photoshopped and zoomed in, in order to see each mark made. I find these prints very interesting as you can see on the left image and on a small section of the middle image, there is a portion that just looks like a black smudge, however, the fingertip has a part that features no print at all, due to an accident. This is something that I find strange, it almost stops the print and blends each mark into one larger mark. From these images, I have taken some drawings from the prints, re-creating the lines and marks, again using photo paper, as it is best to create a clear mark. 

Sampling

Knit Machines

During my three weeks in the knit part of my textile world, I have really enjoyed learning to use the knit machines and experimenting my new skills. At first this was something i was looking forward to as I have never used a knit machine before and was something I was eager to learn. At first it was hard to come to terms with all the new techniques and rules, but after some practice, I have started to enjoy using the machines. However, during my time, I came across some bad days where I would only create two or three samples in a day, this is something I have learnt to avoid, by taking a moment, having a break and coming back to my work. The main thing I love about these machines is that it is very fast to create quick development samples using different techniques and skills I have learnt. Each sample I have created has been different, using the same tools but in very different ways. I liked the idea that almost any thread can be used, creating texture, which is something I am interested in. Overall, I have enjoyed learning new skills and spending time on the machines.