Supporting Statement FMP

Supporting Statement

My initial approach for my FMP came from the previous project 'Alternative Miss World' where I was trying to define what my work was, if it was sculpture, costume or wearable sculpture. I think this struggle reflected Alternative Miss World well as its hard to label and box what it is. I found the blurred middle ground of transformation interested because it’s hard to define. I wanted to relate this to the materials I used that were also in a state of 'transformation', we previously had a few weeks working with plaster casting and I liked the idea that it changed from powder to liquid to solid which made it unpredictable and hard to control. This is where I found that the process became very important to let the materials work freely with little control to create an unpredictable outcome, during the 'transformation' stage relating to many things like nature and human beings it can go many different ways it all depends on the variables.

I started my research into how changing variables such as our environment can transform the way we act and bring out traits of our personalities. This lead me onto proxemics where I read up on text such as Edward T Halls 'Proxemic Theory' to help give me a better understanding, it gave me an awareness of my own behavior and this definitely made it a more personal project for me as I started feeding off of things that make me feel uncomfortable and invade my personal space. I researched ways we try to hide these feelings such as simulated micro expressions. From this I started sketching sculptures that would cover certain parts of our face and body language; I took references from Charles Ray and Marina Abramovic who placed naked models on either side of a doorway forcing viewers to walk through closely to them. I also did quick experiments using props I made similar to Jennifer Crupi’s ‘Guarded Gestures’ which forced the wearer into different body language poses.

I got the idea to cast the body portraying certain body language and to then carry on recasting the same cast till the message has been distorted and abstracted. This evolution of the original body shape transformed it into another human like form still partially recognizable. This lead me onto Bart Hess and Lucy McCrae’s work who use cheap materials to evolve the human shape as if we were to be affected by our new lifestyles and the influence of technology. From this I wanted to use partially recognizable textures and colours relating to skin but then alternative shape and form. I made short videos that involved movement and sound with materials that altered the surface of the skin. They showed the temporary phases of transformation that can only be caught in an instant or a live performance which made me try Erwin Wurms 1 Minute Sculptures. This made me very aware of materials and the cosmetic side of transforming. I researched areas like body modification and fashion trends that are taken to extremes, I wanted to poke fun at these extreme ideas of beauty. I worked with unappealing materials like latex and expander foam that referenced things like hair gel and fishnet tights, I contrasted this with colours that appeal to your senses such as food.

Since my initial idea and group discussions I think I’ve returned to my basic ideas but with a stronger understanding and knowledge to back up my work. I’m glad I went quite far into my research and worked laterally to then bring it back in again once I had a broader knowledge, I feel it’s strengthened my work and my planning skills. I could have gone further with my materials and done some more work with video installation but I just see this as an area I want to move into in future. I could of moved away from plaster but as soon as I started to use colour it opened up a new area and made me want to stay with it and explore it fully. Because I wanted to work with instinct and unpredictability with materials this meant it was hard to plan until I had a stronger idea on my final piece.

When I moved more into casting the body I picked up on historical practices as casting is a very old technique. Not only the technique but the poses the body was in, I wanted to take an opposite view on classic poses for casts/statues that are usually strong and show power. Throughout this project I covered a lot of areas that I was interested in such as performance and video installation, this project definitely gave me the chance to explore these, although I didn’t fully pursue these ideas I want to carry them on within my studies at university. Because I took such a broad view at the beginning of my project, this helped me get a better knowledge base to plan further research and areas for exploration. Throughout the project I did constant evaluations and updates on my ideas using my blog and also my reflective practice book which really helped. We also had informal group critiques most lessons which helped give me another perspective from someone who works with another material to give me a more rounded view.

Updated Statement of Intent

Since doing my statement of intent ive done a lot of research to hopefully help broaden my ideas because im scared ill do what i did last year and panic and stick with my original idea of materials and stuff which isnt good...instead of sticking rigidly with my basic idea and materials so that i definitely have an end piece this year im just going to go with the flow and enjoy it!

I still like my original idea of language and how the body performs within it from making the body casts of 2 people as though they were sat having a conversation. It looks like a snapshot of a small moment in time like an impression or reaction of an unseen movement/conversation. Similar to photographs theyre often staged to represent what you want to be seen and remembered but might not what actually happened. It makes me laugh seeing peoples smiles when theyre forcing them for a photo, they look awkward and theyre body looks uncomfortable. From this idea it lead me onto conflicting and contradictory body language where the signals and messages get confused to real emotion and portrayed emotion.

For materials i want to mimic skin and the body but in an abstract form so to exaggerate or dilute the portrayed emotion. I really want to use bold colour in the this project that stands out, because its the body i dont want to stick to neutral skin tones to make it look sexual or serious like Marci Rubins work. Although i like the materials and the tones work well with it, i dont want to repeat whats usually done when showing the body and skin. My first idea is to use tights as it immediately makes you think of skin without even the presence of the body, but its also a feminine material that you dont associate with men. However i think that if the shapes i make are masculine and feminine it will contrast and further confuse the message and language which i want.

Statement of Intent

SECTION ONE – Your Final Major Project (guide 150 words) What is the title of your Project? What will you work towards producing and what is your proposed end point? Explain how this relates to your work and ideas from the Pathway Stage and how it extends your knowledge, understanding and creative ability.

The theme of my project is about language and how we interpret a message if its verbally or visually. For example texting is hard to understand the tone of someone’s voice or how they are saying something so this can often lead to misunderstandings as we have taken away important senses that we use to judge a conversation and a person.    This closely relates to my research with proxemics as this is about body language and communication, Jennifer Crupis work with body language and forcing people into certain poses that display certain emotions or preconceived ideas of what they mean force the wearer to confront how they use language in non verbal forms. From this I want to create an end piece that puts the person into a situation covering facial and verbal forms of language and only leaves body language. However I want the displayed body language to conflict with the way im trying to disguise it. When someones face and voice are taken away and the message is taken out of context leaving the body then does it still give the same message? How do we interpret or have preconceived ideas that help us understand language when senses are taken away.

SECTION TWO – Influences, Research, Sources and Ideas (guide 150 words) What are the influences, starting points and contextual references and why are they relevant to your ideas? Indicate the subject areas you intend to research and the likely sources of information including any museums, specific locations, performances, etc you plan to visit. However you should not make extensive lists in this section. Instead you should compile an accurate bibliography correctly acknowledging all references including texts, periodicals, websites and video/DVD’s etc. Enter your bibliography in the APPENDIX .

My starting point for this was Jennifer Crupis Guarded Gestures project which then lead me onto proxemics where we all have our own comfort zones and ways of coping with unfamiliarity. She references Edward Halls theory of proxemics and personal space. Jennifers work forces the wearer to confront how they use language and how they are perceived to the outside world. I found it interesting that although the body language could be guarded and uncomfortable the persons face would have a completely different emotion laughing as theyre trying it or they mirror the emotion as theyre being put into uncomfortable situations with others watching. I also intend to look further at Charles Rays work as he works with the body and sculpture. My earlier research into Mari Iwaharas work looking at skin lead me onto how leaving impressions and marks on the body can tell a history and language of a previous unseen action. From this I found Scout Pare Phillips who made a series of photographs showing impressions and marks of clothing on the skin. For my research I went to The New Art Exchange as they had a new exhibition on Middle Eastern identity, although this had nothing to do with my work the photographs were of different forms and shapes of the body such as people with missing limbs, body builders and transsexuals. I intend to go to the Surface Gallery in Nottingham to see Lisa Selbys With or Without exhibition-   ‘The awareness of inevitable loss is central to Lisa Selby’s material and sculptural approach. With and Without seeks to grasp and eternalize what cannot be held firm: Selby re-articulates items from the domestic environment, relaying the familiarity and alienation experienced as one moves physically and psychologically from one home to another. Whilst she begins with found objects, her sculptural forms effectively make these anew: imperfect copies are alien from their originals, traces of former existence are erased and their function is redefined. The fragile and impermanent works evoke vulnerable homely spaces: materials are far too delicate or look poised to fall, fragrant domestic liquids evaporate throughout the exhibition, and disappearance, failure and melancholy hang in the air.’

SECTION THREE – Techniques, Processes and Timescale (guide 150 words) Refer to any techniques and processes you intend to use. Describe the range of media and materials relevant to your project and how you may use them to explore and develop your ideas. Include aspects of studio practice, workshop procedures or the use of particular equipment and software etc. Provide an indicative timescale for your project and indicate the manner in which you intend to divide your time in order to investigate, develop, produce and evaluate your project appropriately. This should be a meaningful plan to you and should be personalised to your project. You may wish to write your plan as a daily or weekly schedule in which case enter your timescale in the APPENDIX .

I intend to use sculpture but im not entirely sure of the materials just yet. I want to take the language out of context and into a completely new one to hopefully try change the interpretation. I want to use ways of disguising body parts through sculpture as everyday objects that the person fits into or I had another idea from Scout Pare Phillips work called Projections where images were projected onto the body disguising it until it nearly became lost and a part of the image. For this I could use a conflicting image on the projection, im interested in using this as ive always wanted to experiment with it and the physicality of it rather than a 2D projected image. I may try further work with casts as it’s a good way of fitting something to the body but I would like to try alternative materials than plaster as ive already done some work with it. I might try combing projections and sculpture as a way of distorting and disturbing the senses.   I plan for the first couple of weeks that I get back to college I will go straight into experimenting with maquettes to get a sense of the shape and form of the sculpture I want. As these 2 weeks of holiday I am starting my research so I can go straight into working when im back. The 3rd and 4th week I intend to start working with materials or I may start this earlier with my maquettes if I find some appropriate materials.

SECTION FOUR –  Method of Evaluation (guide 50 words) How will you critically review and analyse your work and determine if it is successful? How will you identify directions for ongoing development? Do you have a method to record the critical response to your ideas? How do you propose to assess the success of your Final Major Project and what will be your methods of evaluation? Unit 9 requires you to produce a supporting statement at the end of your project. This section can inform your analysis.

During the 2weeks that ill be making maquettes for experiments I will be using people to try them and recording their reactions and feelings. Not only theres but others that are watching to see how they feel or what they interpret from it. I plan to take videos of these to use for further reference or they could somehow be used within projections. I will be using my notebook to write down my ideas and feelings from the last session to then plan for the next lesson ahead, what I need to research or what materials I need. I will assess the success of my FMP once I have finished my proposed piece hopefully within enough time before the exhibition to allow me to make changes if I need to, whether people are interacting with my piece and can see the idea and message I have behind it. It doesn’t matter to me whether a person doesn’t understand it as in a way its meant to be confusing the senses and communication.

APPENDIX Use this appendix for the bibliography and timescale for your Final Major Project.

http://www.surfacegallery.org/index.php/whats_on/ http://charlesraysculpture.com/ http://www.scoutparephillips.com/ http://www.edwardthall.com/ http://www.annualreviews.org/journal/anthro http://www.cio.com/article/facial-expressions-test

5 Week Rationale

5 Week Rationale

	Plan
Week 1	The first week I need to try small quick experiments with proxemics and make notes of the evidence I found. From the results I need to evaluate what aspects I find most interesting and that could be used within my work. I need to continually be researching and getting ideas for experiments I can try. From these I want to make quick maquettes that will can keep people at certain distances or participate more than one person to record the reactions and feelings of the people using them.
Week 2	From the results of the experiments I want to make larger maquettes and experiment with appropriate materials. I don’t need to focus on a reasoning for the material just one that’s most suitable and wearable so needs to be lightweight and easy to use. Or part of it could be how difficult and awkward it is to use. Record people using/interacting with the sculpture by photos and videos. From this plan a more refined sketch and ideas for final piece.
Week 3	Experiment further with materials making different maquettes with different materials and find which works best and fits the purpose of the original idea I have. Plan final piece and final materials that I need to collect in preparation for next week.
Week 4	Start making final piece, test throughout with others and ask their opinions and ideas to improve it. Records people’s reactions and evaluate if it’s working the way I want.
Week 5	From last evaluations make changes if I need to and decide how I want to display my piece if it needs to be central and intrusive to make people interact or hidden away to make people go look further into it. See whether people treat it as a sculpture or decide to interact with it once it’s been displayed in a exhibition type manner.

Design Process

There are certain steps I carry out within my design process, these steps can be different with subjects or areas I design for. Following these steps of research, self evaluation and assessments helps me to fully achieve what I set out and to work to my best to assess and react to changes.

From my starting point, if its a project brief or specific piece of work, I brainstorm ideas in my sketchbook by making a mind map with branches coming off subjects that lead me onto other subject matter. From this I can think more laterally instead of looking at the surface of what comes to mind first, this then backs up my ideas and gives them more integrity and grounds to work on. It also gives me areas to start my research and to begin thinking more visually of what I want. From initial note making I write down things that are happening now in the media or within my own surroundings that are related to beginning point of my work, from this I can start further research and see the origins of this media or similar events.

Next, I begin using different types of research such as primary for example I could go out and take photographs, interview people, take surveys, make videos or sound recordings. This type of research works well as its my own account but also a first hand account of other peoples opinions right now instead of text that can be from years ago that may not be true now. The second type of research I use is secondary research, this can be from the internet, books, newspapers, movies or biographies. These are accounts of other peoples opinions and may not be fact or true at this moment anymore. However this type of research is good to get a broader range of opinions and accounts to give me more angles to look at and work with, this will also appeal to a larger audience. The research i then take pictures and text into my sketchbook making notes and highlighting certain things that i can further research. From these notes i start to make small sketches and drawings or ideas i get. The first area of research i usually do is the obvious to get a basic knowledge of what the starting point is about, from this i research artists using similar techniques or areas that i think will be interesting. This is when i go into deeper research and start my sketches.

From this research and my ideas I start to experiment with materials and techniques, whilst all the time doing further research into the materials i use, what else i can do with them and what artists use them to reference to my work. From my sketchbook I usually have more than one idea or pathway so during the experimenting stage i explore each of these making small maquettes to see how they perform and look without fully making it. This gives me a better idea of how each idea works in real life more than in theory.

This leads me onto making assessments as I go along through each idea, I write down what went well, what didn't go well, how to change it and other ideas I have. This allows me to refine my work and make it more focused and effective. I also ask others in my class and at home what they feel, how they react and what idea they get of my work. This helps give another perspective and frees me up from just looking at my point of view. Other people also have fresh ideas as they work in different mediums to me such as graphics or textiles, this allows me to add other elements to my work.

My last stage is to refine my work as much as I can and assess my work after each lesson. This then gives me my final idea that has been tested through maquettes, sample making, deeper research and assessments to work at its full potential. After my final design or piece has been made I assessment my work one last time to note down what I could of changed, if I felt it fully worked to what i wanted or to its best and if it has given me ideas to further it into other projects. I also gain assessments from others whether they felt my work was effective and if it made them feel a certain emotion.

Overall, I feel a good design process is important for producing your best  and most effective work as it allows you to look from all angles and be informed with a good background knowledge and foundation to your piece that gives it integrity and value.

Equaliy and Diversity ED 1.4

ED 1.4

Equality and Human Rights Commission

We have a statutory remit to promote and monitor human rights; and to protect, enforce and promote equality across the nine "protected" grounds - age, disability, gender, race, religion and belief, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnership, sexual orientation and gender reassignment.

http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/about-us/

Unitied Nations and the Declaration of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is generally agreed to be the foundation of international human rights law. Adopted in 1948, the UDHR has inspired a rich body of legally binding international human rights treaties. It continues to be an inspiration to us all whether in addressing injustices, in times of conflicts, in societies suffering repression, and in our efforts towards achieving universal enjoyment of human rights.

http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/hr_law.shtml