COMMON GROUND// Manifesto

Common Ground

Create an experience.

Don’t just think, DO.

We should re-use,not refuse.

Uncertainty leads to certainty.

Communication is key.

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UNIT X// ROOFTOP INSTALL/ TAKE DOWN

It was a sunny day to install our work on the rooftop. The whole day and night was a learning experience. Having to find a way of transporting my work to the rooftop was half done by car and then carrying on my head to the rooftop. Ensuring I have transport is definitely something I will plan if I was to create a large scale piece again. Installing the piece was quite straight forward. My group helped me with applying onto the boards due to it being the same size as me. I was happy that by having the opportunity to visit the rooftop multiple times I was able to get measurements correct for the boards.

 

I enjoyed the experience of working in a space and actually really enjoyed making for outdoors. This made me think more about the context I might work in for 3^rd year. With being in an outdoor space I had to be careful when spray painting about my surroundings, making sure I protected what already existed. I also really enjoyed helping others once I was done installing, getting water for people- it really is fun working in a big team. I would definitely in the future want to work within a team, I think it brings out the best in me. It also improves how I work independently. When coming to take down the piece this wasn’t something I needed to do as they were happy for the work to stay, which was really nice and this is the first time I have not taken my work with me. I think this is because of what I set out to do at the beginning of this project, to not be too protective of my work and once one piece is done to move on and start something new.

During the rooftop event we as a group and individually got to speak to the architect ATOL and this was the highlight for me to get feedback about my work and to speak about my work. I really do believe I am progressing with this and the experience where we have the chance to do this I am really grateful for. I think this is why I like unit X so much, I much prefer to be in the outside world working. Like when I'm going into schools and doing talks. I feel much more confident. However, when speaking about my work I'm not confident and  think this is just because of my belief in my work and I really do think this showed when talking to Becca about it in her interview for her PHD. I would definitely like to stay in contact with her as she may need more help with this. If I was to do this project again I would love to have used the original boards. Also I think I would have enjoyed  creating furniture for the space. I also think I will definitely  do more fun drawing and combine it with shape as this was something I really enjoyed.

Group Dynamics & Group Tutorials

Common Ground

Our group decided to work as a collective. We all came from different practices and this really was helpful as I got to see someone who works in 3Design working and I really like the way they worked and showed their thoughts and processes. As a group we set up a Facebook account to keep in contact daily, however we also tried to meet up weekly to see and help each other. I have learnt from this project that separate ideas really don’t come together unless there is something bringing it all together. Our group ‘Common Ground’ pitched our ideas to the panel and the feedback we were given overall was good. However, what I picked up on whilst we were all going through our slides is that our manifesto was a good one but apart from that we didn’t really connect, even though we are a collective. There’s no connection which really combines our work together. Also if our work was on the rooftop people visiting wouldn’t know that we were a group working together. So this was something we needed to discuss and meet up about. We met up after the pitch, I put forward a way of communicating with the public our  ideas and processes through Instagram, allowing people to follow our steps. We also decided to create a booklet which Hannah put together with are manifesto and all a bit about our work, inserting images of our drawings.

We also spoke about how we can connect our work physically on the night so people go away knowing that we are a collective. This was a really good idea and I think from this Unit X project by working with multiple people you pick up ways of working and I definitely learnt from Hannah about ways of creating business cards and also creating a booklet for the future.

 

During my last pitch, I had to explain my ideas again as the first time round the panel were unclear about some areas.  After explaining again, they understood, but in the real world if I was to do a pitch I would have to get my idea across the first time in a way they can understand.

Having group tutorials are really useful as you get thoughts and ideas from others and areas for improvement. When you're working on something you need to stand back and let people comment and this was something I thought really helped me. After the pitch I decided I would re- design my illustrations to make improvements and only do one panel. From doing this project I have had to overcome obstacles and learnt lessons that I need to book laser in advance and I need to be well prepared and be more careful with time.

At the start of my project I really wanted to combine digital print with wood for the panel. As a group they really did help saying it would look too busy and take away from the design. I found that by me giving my group ideas it helped me think about my own comments and how I could apply them to my own work.I wanted to incorporate text from the conversations I overheard and we also agreed this would be too busy so I wanted to have a way where people can write and also I could listen on the night and then upload onto the Instagram page.

I think with the Unit X project after high hopes from last year's group I just thought we would be working on something together. But with us being completely different I think this is maybe why we didn’t. In the real world however we all might come from different areas, so it has prepared me to try and come to an agreement to get a final outcome together.

 

Unit X // processes

The materiality workshop really got me thinking about different types and variety of material. Doing the 'TO sheets', for example’ TO cut’  ‘TO fold’, this reminded me of the Friday drawing days which we did in first year. This made me want to draw more. With the workshop it made me think that I need to use the process thinking by doing more.

 

I  have been moving out of my comfort zone and trying to draw people in a fun way, which will then maybe transfer to laser or print. I have really liked some of these outcomes and  have found a way of drawing where it won’t look crap.

I am really enjoying researching architecture and interiors and I think this has been inspired by the  New York studio visits. Also, by going to Florence and New York it made me realise not to be so precious with my work. When drawing I find myself being less experimental than I would be when working with materials. As part of this project I have set myself a target to improve my drawings skills in the hope that it will enhance and give personality to my laser designs.

I also during this project tried to get myself out more and drawing whilst at the space instead of drawing from images I have taken and this really worked for me.

During this project I wanted to ask the people of  the Northern Quarter and the building what they would like for the piece, but then I wanted to create something I thought would get a conversation going, even if it was nothing to do with the piece itself. I feel like from the rooftop project and the event this happened. I created a sketch book to put by the side of my work to get conversations down into that.

I also during the night took down conversations I heard and I hope I can take this and carry it on as it was really fun. I also like that I won't just be stopping at what I have done and carrying it on further.

The panel

With the panel my initial thought was to have it bright and lots of block colour, however through group tutorial it was mentioned that the construction qualities would be lost. Just pops of colour would actually complement my work. When working with the CNC machine and using plywood it made it split, therefore I had to use the wood workshop to sand and file the piece. However it still had raw edges so I used pops of colour to line the insides of the panel.When looking for materials I remembered the ones we used during the material workshop and tried to incorporate these into my work. By combining spray paint and the bubble wrap textured material it really transformed the material to the point it looked like metal. This made me think that unattractive materials can be made attractive and still retain their texture. Because of how much time I spent trying to figure out ways to add colour, this really did make time short for me. This comes down to my organisation skills again and figuring these bits out earlier. If I had more time I would have refined the piece and  varnished the wood. The rope which provided the pops of colour needed neatening as they started to fray.

When at the space I decided to work with the other two panels like I wanted to do initially and I brought over shapes from my panel and spray painted them onto the existing panels. I really liked how this worked with the piece. I decided to use the CNC machine so I would get grooves into the wood and then this would allow me to trap textile. With the laser cutter I didn't get this effect as you can only cut or engrave. By using the CNC machine I got a more 3d look to the panel. ATOL the architect was really impressed that I did this on the CNC machine .He explained that it's really difficult to do this and  still keep the detail of the illustration.

Unit X - Visit Rooftop

 

 

 

 

On the visit to the Bruntwood building, we were able to see the spaces which were available for us to create our work in. There were two spaces shown to us, the Bruntwood rooftop and then a café across the road, which is a potential place to showcase our work. I was amazed at how appealing the rooftop actually was, I came with the mind-set that it was going to be very bare, like Federation House from the last unit X.  However, straight away I felt it needed improvement to develop a more creative environment. From going to New York I realised how much a working environment can have an impact on your mood and how you work. I believe that by incorporating colour and fun vibrant surroundings when visiting the rooftop, this will motivate workers and give them a break from the corporate environment inside.

Already I know I want to reuse the panels which are surrounding the rooftop for health and safety reasons. I want to use these panels because I believe it fits in with our group’s focus on  sustainability. However when coming back to take them down we wasn’t aloud to remove them so I had to use a new panel of wood and then attach on to what was already exsiting.This was something I wasn’t planning on to happen so I had to overcome this and this was something I need to be thoughtful of in future projects that things will change and I have to adapt to this.  As soon as I had decided I wanted give the rooftop ‘character’ it then became apparent that I was going to do exactly this by drawing characters. Usually I tend to stick with simple drawings which I can then multiply in laser. This time I want to push myself and increase my laser knowledge, going out of my comfort zone.  I want to bring a playful and vibrant colour palette. Usually I work with yellow and grey tones, I still would like to work with yellow but also incorporate other vibrant colours. At the visit I noticed there were flowers and I would love if my work could echo the colour from the flowers. Another idea I had is doing vibrant digital prints and having them on the centre parts on the scaffolding this idea was inspired by what I saw in New York. By placing my work within the central space, like my last group for unit X did in Federation House, it will grab people’s attention and become the focus point of the rooftop. I am yet to decide what my final outcome will be with this project I am aiming to reflect more, rather than heading straight into it.

Unit X// Intial ideas

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York- Overview.

New York

By going to New York I have come away with an insight into the working environment I see myself in. We visited quite busy environments and seemingly chaotic working spaces, on the other hand we also saw very simple uncluttered environments. My dyspraxia and dyslexia means that I struggle with organisation and concentration, so I would see myself in a company like Maharam, where the working environment is calm, organised and ordered.

Tom Cody
Before going to this visit I researched the company and it said it was a large airy space, however when actually there it was very hectic and very all over the place. I really didn’t like this visit, I felt like the sales assistants who worked for Tom Cody didn’t really know why we were there and didn’t want us there. Also, I didn’t like their work ethics - they would just pick and choose existing work and do changes to the digital prints, but this is fast fashion and this is something I definitely do not want to be a part of.

 Maharam

Maharam was everything I could imagine for a company. They were very adamant when talking to us about identity.  The font and the vision of Maharam’s was to be simple and they really did do this from the sample binders and how they present these in a well organised manner. This was really pleasant to the eye and it helped to see the samples at their best as they were placed next to corresponding samples. I also loved the space in which they worked in, it was minimal and ordered. Even though I really did like their samples I was more enthralled by  their interiors and the space and this really did make me question  if it was textiles I was interested in.

Rug Company

I was so inspired by seeing someone who was from MMU being in New York doing such an amazing job. I also really liked the idea of creating files/ designs and then selling them to companies. This made me think about my laser designs and how I could possibly sell my ideas. I loved their passion for colour and how they went to the client’s houses to make sure the product suited the surroundings. The work space was open. I liked this.


 

Bradley Rothenberg

This visit amazed me; the way they used the 3D software to create 3D printed knits was fascinating. From this visit it made me want to do more research and become more technical and bring back my love for science which I enjoy so much and hopefully if I take this approach I will create something new.

 

Flavor Paper

Flavor paper was fun! Creative! Colourful! I loved this visit because as soon as you came into the space downstairs was like being in the art school in a workspace. It was interesting being able to see the products being made and then going upstairs to the office and the sample being displayed. There was music playing and everyone was willing to speak and was very kind. A work space like this would make me enjoy coming to work every day. I also liked the way they displayed their work and where the ideas came from and how they were held together with Perspex.

The Trip

Therefore, the trip over all was amazing I loved the experience, learnt so much, and saw so much. I have found so much inspiration from galleries and my surroundings, which I cannot wait to work with in third year. It has also made me think about considering other career options. I have always imagined myself going into teaching after graduating. Everything I have done has always been leading me to this career path. However, after coming back from New York it has made me think of going for more industry placements to see if I would enjoy it.

 

 

 

UNIT X- Brief

For this unit i have chosen the rooftop brief as i instantly loved the idea of working within a space. Also after being New York this sounded the most fun. I was thinking to do the educational brief however i want to do this for unit X final year. 

Fashion illustrations

Researching Punk style and Shape.

BLACK/ SHAPE/ DRAPE/LAYERS/PUNK/VIVIENNE WESTWOOD.

Illustrations/prints /samples

Concept- Glitches

Concept-

Glitches 

Mistakes 

Break 

Pauses in material 

Digital 

Florence Trip

Loved seeing a professional setup.

Got the confidence to ask to see a collection from a company and in the end managed to get the spring/summer collection sent to me through the post.

These images are the main images which inspired my drawings for my work.

drawing in a abstract way i disepted each image to thren create drawings which i can now take into illustrator to work on and create designs to take into lazer.

Researching Texture

So this week i have started to collect research on textures and creating inspiration boards.

I want to try and take some of these techniques into my own work.

Keywords:

Texture 

Digital 

Silicone 

Lazer 

Fashion 

Need to start looking up types of fabric to use and need to create drawings to work from hopfully florence will provide me time to find this research.

LOCATING- SELF BRIEF

Locating-Self-initiated Brief
For my self initiated brief I will produce a collection of digital prints and laser cut samples that will be directed towards fashion.
My audience will be of a punk stereotype. I am going to produce this specific type of style. So I will intend to use blacks and greys and use materials such as leather.
My concept will be based on glitches and disturbances within a fabric/ design.
I intend to create this by using processes such as the lazer cutter and digital printing.

Deadline will be 22nd February. 

Locating/ Birley/ Evaluation

The live brief has had mixed emotions for me. I began to enjoy the project however I found myself Forgetting that I am actually on a textiles course. However by doing the workshops it has made me think about if I still want to teach. As I found not being able to have fun being experimental as much as I would of liked too. Would this be something I would miss if I was too teach?

However that wouldn’t be the case as I love my job of running workshops and I still want to peruse this for the future just I think it has made me want to learn more myself and in the next project I would love to bring that playful experimental self I love so much.

Working with Gina was really fun we would meet up every other day and use facebook as a way of communicating. This was a really effective way of seeing what each of us had done and what we could do next.

The presentation was a real learning curve. The experience of presenting in front of a panel and Being up against others competing for the same commission really put into perspective what could

happen  if I was to ever go for a commission based work.

By doing the pitch i have learnt if I was to do this again I would of not played it so safe for the final outcome I could of pushed the final outcome maybe the plant pots created by the children could have been the banners? Define a banner? Gina’s digital work for her self brief project could have been worked through to the banners.

I agree with the advice given the final outcome of a banner doesn’t really draw people’s attention in however I believe for Birley me and Gina approached this well and if it was to go forward are commission we would have the appropriate imagery for them.

I would try to be more confident in what I am pitching. I felt even though I spoke well and answered the questions as well as I possibly could I don’t personally believe I got my idea of the workshop across as well as I would of liked too. However overall I really enjoyed the experience and I was happy with my final workshop outcome and mine and Gina’s final visualisations.

If I was to do a PowerPoint again I would carry on the theme through to the power point so I have a clear identity from the beginning. 

Testing Workshop and Finding a primary school

After Finishing the Workshop Plan i decided to try it out on my sister who is 7 years old.

She fits my target audience which if the workshop was to go forward would be year 2.

She was enganged all the way through and wanted to get stuck in and really enjoyed the  idea of having to think who she would like to be when older.

I believe if this was to happen within the birley building it would add on to the excitement and enjoyment as the children will have first hand experience of what it would be like to work within a university. 

 I am really happy that from my connection with Edlab that they was able to connect me with a primary school for me to do the workshop with. This connection is one i am proud of going out of my comfort zone to find and take part in. 

Email from Juliette Wilson 

'Grow As Your Plant Grows' Workshop

Workshop Plan

Title: Grow As Your Plant Grows

Target Audience: Rolls Cresent Primary School (Year 2)

Length: 9:30am till 1:00pm

Workshop Goal: To Create a Plant pot and a mini self of there dream job.

Learning Objectives: To leave the workshop with a understanding what higher education does and what you might want to become.

To understand sustainable materials and how to recycle and reuse old objects to create something new.

Modules and Timing  

Time	Activity	Description
9:30-9:50	Introduction	What we study and the tasks for the day. Background information on birley. What people study in birley and what they can become? Talk about sustainability
9:50-10:30am	Activity sheets.	Job roles and fruit and veg. Brain starter and a dive in and make activity. Kids will be asked to either draw, make or decide what they want and who they want to be. Using scrap and recycled  materials.
10:30-11:30	Main activity (Grow as your Plant grows)	In this session kids will be asked to decide who they wish to be when older. Creating a mini self and then planting there best fruit / veg from the sheet, they have completed. Fill plant pot and attach finished goal dream adult self. Then applying sticker  ‘When im older I want to be_____’
11:30:12:00	Show and tell	Present in little groups of 3. WATCH THE PLANT GROW WHILST YOU GROW.
12:00-1:00	Dinner	This time will allow the children to experience having dinner at the Birley building.
1:00-1:10	Finish	Thankyou for coming and imagery of final creations together. Trip back to school.

Handouts, Materials, Supplies:

Plant pots

Paper People Templates

Fruit and Veg seeds

Soil

Scrap fabric, recycled materials.

Googly eyes

PVA Glue

Scissors

Pens and pencils

Hand Out sheets

With the workshop my intentions where to get the children involved in a university setting and to get them thinking of who they may might want to be when they are older that could be a doctor,teacher, artist or the next president.

To also make and be able to take away a plant with a paper template of themselves which they can design and decorate how they wish and this would then be a reminder of their dream job and to watch there plant grow as they grow into there dream job.

Stockport Rosehill Primary School 'Big Build' Workshop

Images taken of the children's final outcomes

Recently went to Rosehill Primary School to take part in there art week. Where i ran a workshop called 'The Big Build'.

It was a really fun day the children at Rosehill primary school where really pleasant and well behaved and got stuck in and created some amazing pieces some children really did go BIG!

The staff was so welcoming and lovely.

From doing this workshop it has given me ideas for my own practise and i cant wait to take what i have learnt from doing this into further experiences i encounter.

I would love to do something like this again and hopefully one day return back to such a lovely school.   

Birley

After coming back I have decided to collaborate with Gina as our ideas worked well together.

I have decided to focus on doing a workshop. I want to take what I am learning with art mentoring and Edlab also I would like the chance to research more on education and maybe focus my workshop on a secondary school or even a primary school age.

If possible I would like to do more than once workshop to get different responses from different ages (Kids, community, students, adults)

What’s going well?

The ideas are working well together complement each other well.

I have been offered the chance to go and deliver a workshop in a primary school in Stockport. I am hoping to gain from doing this a rough idea on what will be a suitable age to target my workshop at and ways in which I will engage the pupils.

Also from researching about Birley it’s brought my attention to the wide variety of sustainable materials available and coming across artists who do this very well such as Robert Bradford who recycles toys and creates sculptures.

What’s not going well?

Finding it hard to get ideas and kick started with the final workshop outcome.

Very unmotivated need to remember I’m still very new to planning my own workshops and I will get better with practise.

What to do next?

Start researching sustainable activities/workshops and take a visit to the Whitworth art gallery to view their workshop archives. Hopefully this will get ideas going.

Live Brief:BIRLEY FIELDS COMMISSION

The Brief 

THE BRIEF Inside /Outside Create a site-specific artwork for either an interior or exterior space in the new building/surrounding courtyard area of the Birley field campus in Hulme. Sites to be identified on the site visit. Ideas can be developed around the history of the space and or its current uses in education, sustainability or in response to the physical space itself. This brief is designed to give you the opportunity to understand the commission process, which involves presenting your ideas to a client, and working with budgets and also working to scale within a public site. Further information will be given at the briefing. TIMELINE BRIEFING: 17th December at 2:30pm in room BZ 106 followed by a SITE VISIT to Birley Fields. To take part in this project you will need to come to the briefing/site visit PITCH PRESENTATIONS: Week beginning 25th January (details to be confirmed). THEORETICAL BUDGET - £1500 A budget has been allocated for the design, manufacture and installation of the artworks. As part of the brief you will produce a realistic breakdown of the costs of your projected artworks, to include materials, fixings and installation and present this at the pitch.

The live brief?

For the live brief I have decided to pick the Birley live brief. I think I was drawn to this one from looking over the brief and overcoming the words Education and sustainability. So instantly I am thinking of how I can learn more about education and put into practise what I have learnt so far with Edlab which is actually based in Birley. Hopefully I can use Edlab as a connection during this live brief project.

What can I make?

Structure? Workshop?

Research on Birley

Focusing this week on what Birley want to be seen and recognised for I think I shall focus my project on the community and education and try and use sustainable materials as I have found Birley are very proud of what they are doing right now with sustainability. For me when looking at Birleys site I recognised that sustainability was a key factor for the building and what they want to stand for.

What to do next?

Research more about workshops to see if its something I defiantly want to try and tackle.

Also carry on with drawing work as a structure may still be a possible outcome.

Gather experience if possible running a workshop so I understand how to plan.