I feel that this semester has been the most ambitious I have been in terms of churning out creativity. When I started this degree, I never imagined myself to be a person to try an instillation due to lack of creativity or general interest in the process but things seem to have changed. I was really looking forward to The Takeover, much more than I was when I was installing a film into the cinema. The work load has been quite enjoyable as I feel that there has been a lot to do and my checklist has been very full of points.
When it comes to the end result of my main project I felt that he soundtrack felt well produced, I finished it in the final weeks before the takeover date which I had made time for. My narration is better than I expected, one feedback I had is the feeling it would present with a different narrator. If I knew this project was the direction I was going to go in sooner, I would have thought about a different person to narrate. On the day I had no feedback regarding whether I should have changed narrator or not. The props I made were passable to my eye but they are hard to make, the tissue paper is very delicate and needs a lot of care when using the sellotape but the lights create a decent effect in the dark with the projector. The tent that I made on the day was a nice addition. My only regret this semester is not being able to present it within a blank room in the pre production weeks but wasn’t easy to transport everything to the project room near Soddy. But next year If I do another instillation, I will think of a better way to have the project made to order so it can be moved quicker (so that I knew what to change etc.). It was something different and I am glad I undertook it. It was lovely to have the round studio but sadly lessened the effect of the projectors as on a lower wall they would have made the room full of colour and more stars (original plan was the dance studio) but overall I am very happy to have been given the dance studio as It was a huge compliment and people stated that it still looked fantastic in the studio with the vibe.
To reflect on the whole semester would take a lot of words, it’s been quite heavy in terms of workload overall. I am pleased that I unleashed a new way of thinking when it came to creativity (thinking through making) and that what came to fruition was something completely unexpected. I.P has helped me with this, especially with the group criticals, group tutorials and feedback from my personal tutorials. The lessons have felt even more interesting this semester and Amy’s group workshop was really nice and got me into anther new way of thinking when it comes to how we treat our previous artworks. I have no negative feelings when it comes to I.P, it’s a powerful module and it’s definitely a process and not for the faint hearted in some ways. It challenges you to open your mind to a new way of thinking art and representing it to an audience, which I have stated in my takeover reflection – it’s very valuable for your career. I feel that my presentational skills have improved significantly, I don’t feel nervous or move about as much anymore – this is reflected in my peer feedback too. I will try to use cards in my final year as It’ll help maintain the whole content within the 10 minute timeframes as I have fit roughly 95% of the presentations within the timeframes.
What I have learnt from the past 3/4 months is to definitely carry on playing on my strengths to build my portfolio up to its maximum potential. I will be basically be doing photography next year due to exhibition 1 and photography 4, so I will probably lean towards filmmaking within I.P. These films will be more experimental and depending on the theme, could be very fun with the new equipment. In terms of an overall goal for when I leave university it will be to head into a masters programme or/then into teaching at university level.
Aberystwyth University and the creative arts degree, alongside the school of art, has been massively helpful in finding myself as an artist or a media creator so far. This semester has definitely been the most transformative for me as I feel like I can approach anything without fear and trying the hardest at what I do. Working outside of university has also been amazing thanks to Miranda and the SOA with ambassador work and student union work also. I look forward to working with the university in July for more photography.