Claymation workshop:
This is the group workshop we did on Wednesday with the instruction of Mike. The first part of the workshop was where we came up with character or figurine or 2 and then created that with clay. We moulded the small, roughly 4 inch, figurines we made with our hands and a few simple tools. The theme for the claymation was a village, therefore, after we created all our clay models we set a simple set of a very wacky village.
The next stage was painstakingly moving our characters a very tiny amount each frame to create the stop motion video. We really made up the storyline and what our characters were about as we were going along. It was very free and enjoyable. I made a sort of weeping willow tree that was walking around (It was a weird village), but then slowly died and lost its branches as it couldn’t go any further. I found the gentleness of creating the model and the patience of the animation really interesting and enjoyable.
My project:
Reflection…
I have really struggled to make content in this second half of the project. That is obviously down to not being able to run mainly and having to work with old photos and that is a bit less inspiring. I haven’t quite got a grip on how to manage the uni workload and give the right amount of attention to each module. Some weeks I feel really on top of things but then sometimes I feel really behind.
I did make myself make a decision with this project and come up with a conclusion that I am happy with. I wanted the outcome to look strong and engaging as well as meaningful, and I think I have managed that. I certainly feel it was a good decision to push myself and try and create something from a subject that isn’t often a vehicle for art.
Experimentation…
I was trying out a few ways of displaying my images and I went up to the Arts Centre a couple of times. I ended up with choosing a combination of printed photos and a booklet for my final design of the hypothetical takeover. I came up with the idea as I was thinking about how I see things in the landscape and around town when I run and that is quite fleeting and blurred. I also thought for some random reason about how on the escalators at tube stations you see adverts as you go but only some catch the eye. Along with that, I thought it best to have a booklet where all the prints are in for people to look in their own time and read the whole text.
Running update…
I have now started to jog and do a few easy runs again now. I feel unfit and a bit more tired than usual but I’m getting better. I found running again and doing gym training has really improved my mood and I don’t feel as purposeless as I did while I felt really ill. It has definitely made me appreciate my body more and appreciate the joy of training even when it feels difficult.
Research…
I have been looking for artists who I think relate to my work who I can use in the takeover exhibition alongside my own work. I have found Richard Long, as his projects about waking are strikingly similar to the work of Hamish Fulton who I looked at previously. I find the way they both use waking as an artistic instrument and inspiration really interesting. They don’t take photos of anyone actually waking, they just represent it in different ways.