Photography session 1

This was my first photography session outside of the pathways, we were tasked with locating an object which pertained to the painting we chose at the Blackburn Museum. Since my painting is a landscape image which features mainly vegetation, I decided to get some flowers and photograph them in varying lights and colours. At first I attempted to photograph them with a soft light and no colour filters, this wasn't as effective as I thought it would be but it still produced some interesting shadows.

Next I switched to a hard light which produced some better shadowing and made for a better photograph however it still wasn't what I was looking for, I wanted something that not only reflected the content of the painting but the colours aswell. The painting has lots of deep red tones and oranges, which I wanted to reflect using an orange filter. This looked much more effective as it created a very interesting contrast of deep shadows and multiple tones of orange and red. I also tried placing a bottle full of water infront of the light in order to create a wave effect, this worked as it resulted in an effect that looked akin to cloud formations which matched perfectly with the painting I chose.

Overall I enjoyed the session and produced some interesting photos, Martin seemed very happy with the work I did and was happy for me to continue next week along side media.

Child Action Young Carers documentary

We were tasked in a group of three to produce a promo for Child Action Northwest, to highlight the story and life of a real young carer in the northwest. For the promo we chose Emily Mcgregor as she's been a young carer from a young age. We began by brainstorming ideas for what we could include in the promo and decided it would be best to focus on Emily's younger siblings, Korey who's five and Alisha who's eight. We thought it would best to film the kids just playing out their normal routine around the house, washing up, helping wash clothes, feeding the animals and so on. It was also important to get footage of them just being children, eating their tea and baking for example. A recee wasn't required for the shoot as we knew that we were going to be shooting in Emily's house, so we could plan ahead easily and knew what shots what we wanted.

When we got to the house we instanlty stumbled upon a problem, it wasn't as easy to film the kids in their daily routine as we thought it would be as they instantly became shy and reserved when we began to film. This did set us back somewhat but we did manage to get around it eventually and gather the footage that we needed, however we did want to get some shots in the park of them playing but due to the weather this wasn't possible, luckily there was a trampoline in the yard that we substituted for the park. Overall it was a very successful shoot as me managed both the shots of them helping around the house and a couple of interviews with them. I felt I got more than enough time on the camera as well as sound, as there was only three of us taking part, meaning we could spread the work very easily amongst ourselves.

Editing

Since we only had four days to put this edit together we had to work quickly and not waste any time, I felt this was the first time I took a lead role in the editing process on a video, which has given me the confidence to take a much more proactive role in the future when editing videos.

All in all I think the video was a success and we did very well with what we had in a very short space of time, I definitely gained some invaluable experience in editing techniques and also learnt a lot about speeding up the pre-production process, as we had to have it done in one day. The only thing I was dissapointed with was how when we took the promo to the northwest action meeting they didn't seem all that interested in viewing the video which made it feel like somewhat of a waste. But considering all the valuable experience I gained, it really wasn't.



Dolphinholme trip

We began the Dolphinholme trip with a quick briefing on the rules and layout of the farm as well as what we were expected do during our stay, admittedly I was feeling up to the trip due to the weather, regardless, we were put into groups and sent off to our yurts:
A yurt is a portable, bent wood-framed dwelling structure traditionally used by nomads in the steppes of Central Asia. The structure comprises a crown or compression wheel usually steam bent, supported by roof ribs which are bent down at the end where they meet the lattice wall (again steam bent). The top of the wall is prevented from spreading by means of a tension band which opposes the force of the roof ribs. The structure is usually covered by layers of fabric and sheep's wool felt for insulation and weatherproofing.

After becoming aquinted with where we would be staying for the night we went back to the meeting point and were briefed specifically on what we had to do, whilst there we had to produce a film using the farm and the surrounding area as our shooting location. We decided that it would be best to split the crew into two team as there was a lot of us in one group, we probably could have done with a smaller group in hindsight but it wasn't that much of an issue once we split. As a group we decided that we would produce a documentary and a promo for the farm, we would need to gather footage of everything from the other fine art students taking part in photography activities and textiles, to the goats and other animals around the farm. We managed to secure an interview with John Gorst, the owner of the farm which would be invaluable to the effectivness of the documentary since he could give us an insight into how the farm runs and what it's like to be a goat farmer.

My main role was operating camera on crew B, we went to the barn to gather shots of the goats and also managed to get some footage of the pregnant goats being scanned and sorted, aswell as footage of some of the newborns. We also went up to the top of the farm in order to gather establishing shots of the entire farm and film the sign. The only issue I had throughout the shoot was that most of crew B didn't seem willing to do much work and instead stayed in the yurt due to the weather, this meant that some of crew A had to break off and join cre B in order to make sure we got all the footage we needed, regardless we did indeed get some interesting footage and the interview was very successful since we had a lot of time to prepare multiple questions and work out where would be best to shoot it. We decided on the barn finally as we get shoot the interview with a backdrop of the goats pen, which was apt since John was talking mostly about tending to the goats and the process involved in producing milk and cheese.

At night we were all invited back to the barn for a showing of Everything is Illuminated, staring Elijah Wood. Although I was cold and absolutely exhausted I still managed to watch most of the film and thoroughly enjoyed, I thought there was a nice mixture of comedy and drama and overall I enjoyed the storyline: A young Jewish American man endeavors to find the woman who saved his grandfather during World War II in a Ukrainian village, that was ultimately razed by the Nazis, with the help of an eccentric local.

In the morning we were tasked with filming confessions in the barn, this entailed gathering as many people as we could to admit something infront of the camera whilst we filmed. I was on camera for part of the session and for the rest of the time was in charge of sound. I felt like we were quite limited for this session as we couldn't get as many people as we would have liked to come and admit something, however we did get a reasonable of people willing to take part. Another thing I wasn't too happy with in hindsight was how whenever a new person took over the camera they would alter the shot to try and make it better (me included), this meant that during editing it looked slightly off from shot to shot also the white balance changed from confession to confession making some look overly blue, but this can be corrected in editing.

Post trip
Me and Will began to edit the footage we had collated during the trip and came up with this short promo for the farm.

Pathways session 5 Media (Jamie)

In this session we started by looking at examples of films made my drawing directly onto a piece of film in order to create patterns, pictures and words. We learnt that this early form of film making was used mainly to create advertisements in cinemas before a feature film as it was a effecive way to make eye-catching adverts.

Len Lye

We began by being given a piece of film to write, we could use stamps, markers or ink to create images or patterns. I decided at first to try and draw some images in each frame that would gradually change as the film went on, this proved to be more difficult than I first expected it to be as the space with which we had to draw was very limited. I experimented with drawing stick figures and shapes such as love hearts that gradually became smaller until they disappeared. After realising that this wasn't an effective way to draw for me personally I switched to a more abstract method, using the markers to create interesting patters and the stamps in order to spell out simple words, I also used ink to create finger print patterns.

Stan Brackage

Overall I enjoyed this session as it was hands on and gave me an interesting insight into the early methods employed in order to create short interesting films. The potential for this technique to be applied in the future is quite high as it is an interesting way to create attractive designs in a short amount of time.

Pathways session 4 Fine Art (Richard)

This fine art session involved distressing images using paint and a ruler, we used the ruler in order to spread the paint over the image, applying varying amounts of pressure to give prevailance to certain parts of the image and conceil other parts. We were shown an example of this, Richard had already drawn over a Rice Crispies container, taking care to give prevailance to the cartoon characters face. While I wasn't particulary interested I could still appreciate how doing this completely changes the way in which we see images, like photographs and how it can completely change the meaning of images and their tone. I began by gathering some photographs of people and stuck them to a large paper background, I chose red, yellow and blue to begin with and began to spread them over the images. I took care to try and keep the people's faces exposed and smudge the rest of the paper, although I failed to do this for the most part I think I was still relatively successful as after this I decided to go for a more random approach and began making more energetic patterns over the images, like swirls and firework like shapes and so on.

(Image pending)

I certainly liked this art session more than my last one, although it still wasn't my thing (wouldn't go as far as to say I enjoyed it) I can atleast see how this form of art may come in useful in the future, perhaps as a means to create useful props for a video (making a photograph look old and worn?).

Pathways session 3 Photography (Carlton)

This session began with a tutorial video on how to create light paintings using a camera on a very high exposure setting and assorted laser pens/torches in order to draw whilst the camera takes pictures for 30 seconds.

Throughout the session we tried many different things in order to create a variety of different effects, such as using different coloured filters in front of torches and lasers, in order to draw shapes in multiple different colours. We also tried unusual things like igniting lighters in front of the camera lens to create weird effects and drawing shapes onto people using the laser, we also tried swinging the torches with strings around our bodies to create outlines and shapes. Although we did experiment quite a lot with different items and filters the results were sometimes less than satisfactory, we perhaps weren't brave enough to try more outlandish techniques for drawing in light and the pictures turned out quite limited. Even so the session was thoroughly enjoyable as it not only allowed us to 'let our hair down' during a session but was also quite informative in terms of learning about what adjusting the exposure on a camera can do. I think this medium could be very useful in future as light drawing is very compatible with video production in so much as you could create some interesting cutaways or images that would complement the video as a whole. It could also easily be used as part of an exhibition. Next session certainly demands that we throw ourselves into the work much and experiment to a much larger degree.

Pathways session 2 Fine Art (Jo)

In this session it was first explained to us how to effectively use carbon paper to transfer images onto paper via tracing and also how to use PVA in order to transfer images onto material from paper, by pasting a layer of PVA onto the image and then laying it over the material taking care to force out any airbubbles or imperfections on the surface. Initially I was extremely unhappy to be doing this kind of work as I may aswell be allergic to drawing for all the good I can do with a pencil. This didn't change much when I began working on my image properly, for one I couldn't even trace the image out of a magazine properly, which meant afterwards I wasn't even sure what to do with the image in terms of how I would treat it (bleach it, put it on a pre-made background for example) because I just wasn't happy with how it turned out.

(Image pending)

I eventually decided to put the image (printed version on a clear sheet) on a pre-made background I found in class, consisting of a variety of different colours. I didn't try the bleach, however I did attempt to use the PVA in order to transfer my image onto a a piece of material, to see how this would affect the overall appearance, I'll reflect on how successful that was next session when it's fully dried and I can also treat my image with bleach to see what that does. Overall I hated this session and wouldn't consider this particular medium for the future, because quite frankly I just can't successfully perform any form of art without getting incredibly frustrated with it.

Pathways session 1 3D Modeling (Kim)

This was the first of the art and design taster sessions I took part in, in it we were tasked to create any object we wanted by using metal rods and a soldering iron to connect them together and create shapes. I decided to make something simple yet something that would allow me try out different shapes and give me enough experience with the soldering iron. I realised that recreating the goggles I was wearing would be a good idea as they had various different textures and curves and uneven points that would be interesting to recreate as a 3D model. During the session I found that soldering points onto other points exactly where you're meant to isn't always possible, I found on numerous occassions that the metal rods slipped and caused me to meld the wrong points onto one another, this definitely affected the final outcome of the piece. However I was happy with how my piece turned out considering this was my first attempt at 3D modeling in my life, although If I'd known that it is with relative ease that you can make shapes beforehand, I would have attempted to construct a more ambitious object.

(Image pending)

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this session and would definitely consider looking further into this medium perhaps as a future means of creating interesting set designs for when shooting or as a way to create objects to enhance exhibitions, as I believe there is a lot of scope for creating interesting designs.

Blackburn Museum Assignment

In this session we were tasked with visiting the Blackburn museum in order to view the various pieces on show and then pick one. We were tasked to pick one of these pieces so that we could research it and then reinterpret it as whatever we wanted, aslong it retained some connection to the original piece of work. For example you could take a landscape painting, filled with various different figures and animals and so on, then create a soundscape filled with sounds that represent all the different aspects of the original piece. I decided to do this as I found a painting called 'Hesperus - Homer's hymn to Pan', initially I was drawn to this painting due to the colours, as there is a striking mix of bright energetic reds and deep earthy tinged greens that contrast extremely well and catch the eye. However upon looking at and examining the painting further I realised it was one those pieces where the more you look at it the more you see and notice, as a media student who also has an interest in sound this presented a good oppurtunity to create an effective, interesting soundscape piece.

Whereas I feel as if I settled upon an idea that if executed properly could be very effective, I did have some issues with the session. Specifically the fact that as a media student, I was very confused and somewhat frustrated with the fact that I was being told to try and reinterpret a piece of art when I can't even perform the most basic of drawing/painting etc. However I soon realised that wasn't the point and began to think in terms of film and sound, which lead me to my current idea.

Tate Gallery Liverpool Research

Background;
In the 1980s Alan Bowman, then director of Tate, decided to create a ‘Tate of the North’, as the project became known. This would be a gallery with a distinct identity, dedicated to showing modern art and encouraging a new, younger audience through an active education programme.
A warehouse at the disused Albert Docking Liverpool was chosen as the site for the new gallery. The dock, once a bustling site crammed with rich cargos from Asia, tea, silk, tobacco and spirits, was derelict. In 1981 the dockyard underwent a rejuvenation, with the Maritime Museum leasing one of the warehouses and restaurants and bars opening.
In 1985, James Stirling was commissioned to design the new Tate Gallery at Liverpool. His designs left the exterior of the brick and stone building built over a colonnade of sturdy Doric columns almost untouched, but transformed the interior into an arrangement of simple, elegant galleries suitable for the display of modern art. It opened to the public in May 1988.
2008 marked the year Liverpoolwas named European Capital of Culture. To celebrate this, in 2007 the gallery hosted the Turner Prize, the first time the competition was held outside London. More than one million people a year visit Tate Liverpool, cementing its position as a venue for major European exhibitions of modern art.

Henry Tate;
In 1889 Henry Tate, an industrialist who had made his fortune as a sugar refiner, offered his collection of British art to the nation. There was no space for it in the National Gallery and the creation of a new gallery dedicated to British art was seen as a worthwhile aim and the search for a suitable site began. This gallery would house not only Henry Tate’s gift but also the works of British artists from various other collections.

Highlights of the Tate Collection;
DLA Piper Series;

DLA Piper Series: This Sculpture takes an ambitious and revolutionary look at the history of modern and contemporary sculpture. This new Tate collection display continues to examine and question the trajectory of artistic innovation in twentieth-century art and beyond.
Sculpture in the form of object, installation, assemblage and ready-made will sit alongside more surprising forms, such as painting, video, photography, language and performance.
In addition, key figures from the cultural arena have been invited to co-curate selected sections of the display. Artist Michael Craig-Martin, world renowned hat designer Philip Treacy and singer-songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull offer their own inspiring interpretations of the Tate collection. Reflecting their own specialist practice, they present us with new ways of seeing and appreciating sculpture.
Philip Treacy’s section of the display, entitled Conversation Pieces, features artworks from his own private collection alongside specially selected works from the Tate collection, and explores the human form and human relations, mirroring in some ways his own design process. Works by Francis Bacon and Dorothy Cross representing the human figure are shown alongside the emotive abstract works of Joan Mitchell and Jackson Pollock. Central to the display and exhibition design are two artist films by Simon Martin and Haluk Akakçe. Dramatic, playful and quirky, they demonstrate Treacy’s humour, avant-garde interests and Pop sensibilities. Additional highlights include works by Vanessa Beecroft, Ellsworth Kelly and Andy Warhol.

Thresholds;

Thresholds questions the uncertain boundaries of personal, geographical, political and cultural identities. The exhibition explores powerful themes including British identity, migration and the global effects of regional conflicts.
Split into three sections, Thresholds displays works from the Tate collection.Stranger than Self explores how artists in the UK have responded to British identity in terms of its culture and history. Artists in this section raise questions about ‘quintessentially British’ notions of beauty and tranquillity, address the political nature of images constructed by mainstream media, and offer a wider context of contemporary Britain in its cultural expansion and inclusion.
Shifting Boundaries looks at mobility and migration in relation to globalisation. From tourism to shared tastes, the impact of worldwide travel is explored in works by Martin Parr, Eugenio Dittborn and Pak Sheung Chuen.
Territories in the Making addresses the political implications of regional conflicts and their global effects. Highlights include Yukonori Yanagi’s subtle critique of European imperialism, Pacific 1996, and insights into a banal side of Palestinian daily life by Yael Bartana, in Kings of the Hill 2003.

Turner Monet Twombly, later paintings;

This ambitious exhibition brings together works by J.M.W. Turner (1775–1851),Claude Monet (1840–1926) and Cy Twombly (1928–2011), three of the most prolific and well-known artists of all time. Turner Monet Twombly: Later Paintingsexplores the similarities between these artists in style, subject and artistic motivation during the last 20–30 years of their lives.
Turner Monet Twombly: Later Paintings will feature iconic works such as Monet’s fabulous Water Lilies and Turner’s much loved Romantic landscapes. The exhibition will also include a major work from Twombly’s vibrant and well-received series, Blooming: A Scattering of Blossoms and Other Things, shown in the UK for the first time.
Alongside Turner’s compelling, atmospheric works and the beautiful and emotive art of Monet, Twombly’s original contemporary style adds a fresh and exciting dimension to the exhibition. For those already familiar with the artists’ work, this exhibition is a revelation; for new audiences, it is a fascinating introduction. Not to be missed.

Chagall Modern Master;

Marc Chagall (1887–1985) is one of the great artists of the last century. Bringing together more than sixty paintings and a selection of works on paper from across the world, Chagall: Modern Master takes a fresh look at this compelling artist who created some of the most poetic and enduring images of the twentieth century. This exhibition will be the first major presentation of the Russian painter’s work in the UK for more than fifteen years.
The exhibition will explore Chagall’s development from the ‘naïve’ folkloristic narratives in his early work, towards his unique style combining fauve, cubist, expressionist and suprematist influences while reflecting his native Jewish Russian culture.
Chagall: Modern Master will focus on the artist’s time in Paris before the First world War, his visit to Berlin and his exhibition there in 1914, and the years he spent in his native Russia around the time of the Revolution in 1917. Chagall’s experiences during this period reinforced his highly personal visual language. The universal, timeless themes of these early works – including love, suffering and death – alongside self-portraits and depictions of the circus, music and peasants, recurred and formed the core of his art for the remainder of his long career.