Even though i have evaluated throughout I am just going to summarise this module.
My initial knowledge of 'Simulating a Experience' only went as far as Virtual Gaming and the Earth Quake simulator (and other simulators for aeroplane pilots and astronauts) During the first couple of weeks my knowledge and understanding continuously grew and grew, and i started to relate it to specific and appropriate artists.
I didn't really have any initial ideas however once i started to find my feet and researching related subjects i started to think about my design.
As it explains in my blog i have had several design ideas and as i have thoroughly experimented with each one my skills and understanding continued to develop.
As an outcome for this module i decided after having many unstable moments due to limitations and design malfunctions and several tutorials i decided to develop my 'giant germ' idea with a textile approach.
Ideas:
- Inside a human heart
- Giant germs
- Germs around the home with a UV light and powder - the journey of the germs
- Ruskin Hall experince with UV light and powder with a map and video of experience
- Finger sized germs on a bacteria hotspot - textile aprouch
As time was becoming ever closer i started to make my germs out of felt using my sewing machine and the machine embroidery feature - which i had never done before. I chose to do it out of felt and the particular colour that i did because it had the most likeness from the research. I could have done the germs out of silk paper, handmade felt or Flocking- all would have potentially worked however with the time running out i decided to use the best material for me - felt.
I needed to create more germs - and started to look around the house for items. I found items such as a long small cylinder of foam. i then cut up to make 'fruit pastel shapes' i then painted green as that is the colour used for the pigment so it can be seen under a microscope. The texture of these worked really well as they have a rough appearance just like the microscope images.
I then made a more developed style of germ by using polystyrene balls and using headed pins sprayed white to simulate influenza.
The Whole concept of this piece is to simulate germs on a certain place. I chose to do a door handle as my researched showed that handles and such objects have the most bacteria.
I want to make people feel like they cant touch that door handle and i want them to be provoked into not wanting to breath in the air as i have 'floating germs' as well. I consider my piece to be compelling and to provoke the fear that i live with day-today ~ OCD.
As my blog explains i did have many ups and downs and plenty of design ideas that i expanded on and then couldn't take any further due to limitations such as darkness. One of my main ideas was to place a special powder ~(brought online) that only showed up under a UV light. I would put this Powder around Ruskin Hall and then the experience would be then walking around with a map, with some sort of head wear with a UV light Source and a camera to video the emotions of the viewer. However as uni has natural light and white walls, and the time of year - not being dark until past eight pm, this potentially scraped that idea as i didn't want to put the powder in already dark spaces as you wouldn't find that much bacteria on the walls and corners. Not the sort of bacteria i wanted to portray anyway. I was looking at the bacteria that was spread from human to human, hand to hand.
So i referred back to my other, older idea and realised that it did have potential. And i went from there. The Giant germ was almost to giant to put into context so i made them finger size and then placed them on the door handle that i monitored for 30mins. (more info on this in a previous post)
I took the idea of a map of Ruskin Hall - which i made myself referring to the original floor plan from the Bournville Trust. And adding facts, and percentages of germs around the upper and lower floors. this would support in theory my handmade germs.
The idea was grown from my fear of germs and bacteria and my OCD. i want to share what i see day to day and i wanted to limit people from touching the door handle and raising awareness of bacteria. And i think i have succeeded this by simulating pathogens (bacteria).
Again i cant apologise enough for the rotated images - i am so confused as to why it is doing it! apologises for any neck pain!