FRIDAY’S CLASS
This week we started off our class by sharing some of our work with one another ! I thought it was super interesting to see how different everybody’s practice is, especially since a lot of my classmates study creative arts rather than fine art – meaning there were some examples of film and installation that I don’t tend to see in my other modules (:
The majority of this workshop was spent going over some lecture slides, which gave me a much better idea of the theme this term – site specific sound art ! It was nice to be introduced to some artists that I wouldn’t typically research myself, and to get some inspiration for our projects. I also particularly liked the concept of the difference between hearing and listening – I feel like it’s given me a new perspective on sound art, and it’ll be fun to explore (:
MONDAY’S TUTORIAL
My tutorial on Monday was mostly spent brainstorming ideas for what I want out of this module ! I’d really like to use it as an opportunity to try new things, and I’d also love to find a way to incorporate writing into my project. We talked about this idea of ‘creative tapas,’ which I loved ! I think it might be a little difficult to find a way to turn it into a project that makes at least a bit of sense, but I’m looking forward to trying (:
After the tutorial, I wanted to get started on something practical ! In the spirit of trying something new, I went out and got some oil pastels – a medium I’ve never used before. As much as I absolutely hated the texture of them, I really enjoyed working with them (: I found it super tricky to get smaller details with them – which I thought would drive me insane because I usually love detailed drawing – but it was actually really nice to not stress too much about making something perfect !
I started off with a quick portrait just to experiment, and then I tried to include some elements of sound by illustrating a couple song lyrics from the background music I had on – which I had a lot of fun with ! (:
RESEARCH / DEVELOPMENT
This week I wanted to look at some writing to try and figure out what kind I want to incorporate into my project. I started off re-reading some Sylvia Plath poems because I absolutely love her writing – I’ve always really liked ‘Full Fathom Five’ – because I really relate to it, I think. I’d like the writing for my project to draw on lived experience so that I can connect to it emotionally ! I also looked at Anne Sexton – who Caitlin suggested ! She’s super similar to Plath and I really loved her poetry, I can’t believe I’d never heard of her before ! I like ‘The Kiss’ a lot (:
I wanted to give the writing thing a shot, to see whether or not it is something I’d like in my project. I was a little apprehensive about uploading them, because I tend to get really embarrassed about sharing work when it’s personal to me – but that’s a habit that I really want to break (: The first one is about a relationship that I really struggled with letting go of, inspired a little by the Plath and Sexton poetry I read ! I really like the idea of creating characters, which is kind of where I was going with the second one – it draws on my experience with being trans / coming out. I’m not too sure yet how I feel about them, but I think I’d at least like to keep experimenting a bit !
Hi Dylan, Great to see you engagement with IP, the creative process and some of the activities and topics covered in class so far. You show clear experimentation and some good visual research, and are reflecting on class activities and workshops well. To develop, leave more time for critical reflection. What worked / what doesn’t in your experimentation with oil pastels? You might be interested in the work of Emily Berry – Stranger Baby. Where you do research into the work of others, be sure to cite your sources – https://aber.ac.uk/en/aberskills/referencing/#referencing—the-basics. Leave time to critically reflect on your work and the work of others. What are the strengths, the weaknesses, why? How does the work inform your own thinking? What is the wider context of your project? We will develop the timeline and production plan for your project next week. It’s great to see you taking risks and experimenting with your writing. Both the examples you shared are very good. Concise, compelling, raw honest. I think you should keep up the life writing, and think carefully about how writing shapes your ideation process, and influences your fine art practice. Well done for pushing through your discomfort zone and sharing these bits of writing – both speak of challenging and difficult lived experiences, and are well captured in your text. Keep up the good work and looking forward to hearing more about your project next week!