Third Year Degree Show…

Third Year Degree Show Statements..

After visiting the third years degree show titled ‘We Are All Explorers’, I left feeling clearer on where my practice will take me in my final year of University. I have always had a profound interest towards Installations but this so far has never materialised within my previous projects, this is something I hope will significantly change throughout my final projects. When considering working 3-dimensional, I always give more consideration to material choices in comparison to working flat. I find myself thinking inside the box when it comes to choosing materials and I would like to be more experimental next year. The work of Rachel Britch was inspirational for this reason. Her material choices fascinated me she uses mundane objects. In her Geoffrey Manton Commission piece, Britch used linear plastic straws, which she connected altogether using silver paper clips, something that I would never have thought of. Using the silver paper clips added small intricate detail that gives her piece flexibility and movement; she gave herself the option of changing its structure. Form within an Installation piece is something I would want to focus on and include. After reading her statement, I became aware that Britch did not use the silver paper clips for structural reasons but for the purpose of not using any chemicals or adhesives.

 

Pattern has always played a prominent aspect throughout my years of studying Art. I find pattern easy to control because it can be applied to anything. However, I have always found using colour in my work more difficult, as I think it can make my work look cheap and unprofessional. In Elizabeth Jane Winstanley’s work, she makes combining these two elements look manufactured. Winstanley’s colour themes relate with the linear patterns and shapes of the laser cut acrylics, combined together they create illusionary pieces. I do think Winstanley’s work could have been created to a larger scale. Or it could have been repeated continuously to create a bigger, more influential, and powerful installation piece. In her statement, Winstanley does say that her work “can be manufactured to accommodate a range of scale and palettes”.  I do think her pieces could be applied to Interactive Arts in the future. As my practice so far remains flat and my specialism lies within Print, I do worry on how I am going to combine this element to produce a 3-dimensional outcome but after looking at Winstanley’s work and reading her statement, I feel like it is attainable as she achieved it throughout her work. In her statement, she wrote that she explored, “the space between two dimensional and three dimensional patterns through screen printing onto acrylics”, this again would suggest my need to experiment with materials to find the right approach for me.

 

In my first year of University, I chose for one of my projects to do Hand Processes. Choosing Hand Processes back then gave me the opportunity to experiment with materials, materials that I would never have initially thought I could use. Some pieces created did not work but exploring with materials gave me a larger scope to work with. I would like to bring back this experimental aspect of Hand Processes in my final year. Bella May Leonard for her final degree piece used traditional hand-stitched techniques but on a much larger scale. Leonard combines traditional with contemporary; she uses traditional hand-stitch techniques but also adds a modern twist by using different thickness and colour of ropes and threads. Leonard also combines this with the contemporary process of laser cutting. I would consider her work to be decorative than to have a specific purpose. Her hand-stitch technique quality looks impressive, especially on the scale that her piece is.