For the Negotiated Module we have been studying Dudley Zoo
and we have been asked to create a video and printed response to the structure.
I began by viewing the structure from the enclosed animal’s perspective. The structure
is mostly concrete and this in turn is not suitable for their long term habitat.
I have been to other zoos to compare and they try to recreate the animal’s
natural habitat as much as possible. I started to look at my own habitat and
look at how things in my home and what they are made from. All materials make
sense and are good for there uses and purposes. I figured that we do not have
furniture made from cardboard, we can have wooden chairs, medal chairs, and
plastic chairs we can even have concrete benches. I started by researching into
cardboard design and realised that there is a substantial amount of eco-friendly
designers that made cardboard furniture for a living and most of the items fold
into nothing or are flat pack. Like everything these things come with their
advantages and disadvantages. I decided as cardboard is such a diverse, uncomplicated
material that I could relate this to the structure. Cardboard isn’t the most
suitable material to use for furniture and that is why I decided to make a cardboard
chair. The inside/ edge of the material is really quite fascinating and it has
a lovely structure in the centre. As
this was the video response of the module I concentrated on the structure
rather than the chair itself. I used an electronic/ drum and base song to
demonstrate the roughness of the cardboard. It has its smooth qualities and
then gradually it has its rough beats. I think that the video works well and I found
that editing it and then leaving it and coming back to it provides a fresh
outlook on it. You can see the difference in the various videos I have created
and why I have chosen the one I did for the final one.
I had never worked on video before and I had never used
premiere pro software either. I found once I got used to it I worked coherently
on it. I would defiantly consider creating a video outcome in the future and
hopefully the skills I learnt can put me in good stead – I can also further my
knowledge in the future should I need too.
The printed response was my favourite outcome of the two. Although
I must admit it did sound/ look better in my head. I have made an A2 cardboard
book – it has several pages in and it all relates to structure and cardboard in
general. I have chosen to call it ‘Volume I’ as my CHC book is ‘Volume II’
which is based on the Oxford English Dictionary. So the title fit in nicely so
that they could flow as one. I was going to call it ‘thinking outside the box’
but after tutorials and second thoughts it was rather corny and not very
creative at all and it could bore the viewer. ‘Volume I’ has a straight to the
point attitude as a title and it makes the viewer want to look inside it to see
what it’s all about.
1. Page one is the cover, Volume I
2. Page two is the definition on cardboard I decided to
do this on a worn piece of cardboard to add reference to the cardboard box.
3. The third page is my CHC statement as I there is a
substantial amount of appropriate terminology included.
4. The forth page is a blank page that has a rectangle
cut out of it to intrigue you to the following page.
5. The fifth page is an image I took with my macro lenses.
It was shot in RAW and edited and printed on Epson photo paper and printer. I also
mounted a sample of it onto cardboard and attached that over the top to give
depth to the image.
The next page is inspired from the song line ‘a paper moon
sailing over a cardboard sea’ I thought this was quite appt and allowed me to
create an image from cardboard. As this is the print outcome this page, like the
fifth, is photographed, edited and printed.
6. Page six is my example of traditional print. I used
the various sides of different styles of cardboard to create a linear pattern
structure with white ink. I think this works well and is quite effective giving
cardboard another purpose and to give it an aesthetic look to it.
7. Page seven is inspired by a Berlin Artists who
actually sprays windows onto cardboard. The house I chose to photograph has warmth
to it but without the brick work there just windows and a porch. I am trying to
exaggerate the use of cardboard from a different perspective. Homeless people
use cardboard for warmth and shelter and this was the idea to portray a ‘cardboard
house’
I cut the cardboard to various sizes with a scalpel and
cutting mat. I did pretty much everything by hand and made it at home and in
the studio. I consider myself to be a practical artist and my practise is quite
traditional. I really love working with cardboard and paper and similar materials.
I think I could improve my outcomes by spending more time on them. The weeks
allocated included the Christmas holidays which meant I could use the
facilities at university this also contributed to the time I really had and
also the limitations I faced. This could not have been helped in any way and it
was just something that I have to face.
I think that my work relates and fits in with the brief
even though it is in fact a negative response to the structure. I used the following sources to aid my
practise:
·
The compact edition of the Oxford English
Dictionary (Volume I & Volume II)
·
Smiths Sewing Single Sheets, Non- adhesive
binding Volume IV by Keith Smith