Inspiration of the Week - "Tubism"

So this post isn't going to be an artist but mostly a sort of visual inspiration that I found mostly by accident. This idea of Tubism simply comes from editing or creating your own version on a London underground map.

So I discovered this article on a site while looking at some stuff about the Situationists, and found the idea quite interesting.

The writer of this article (Pierre Nadilon) was actually a designer himself and made the above images and made them "Tubist portraits"

Although this isn't a particularly new idea I do like how it's fun and lighthearted, and I could do my own ones relevant to my project, as I am planning on having postcard sized prints available for people to take away with them and these could be added to give the selection a bit of variety, that's if I'm even able to make anything like these.

NB - all photographs here have been taken from these websites:
http://www.thepolisblog.org/2013/10/tubism-pierre-nadilon.html
http://londonist.com/2011/03/a-guide-to-alternative-london-tube-maps
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/09/how-wine-became-metropolitan-an-interview-with-david-gissen/244698/

I do not own any of the pictures on this post.

So just a short one today
byyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeee

Róisín -x

Inspiration of the Week - Alice Fox

Alice Fox is an artist who works in organic objects found within the landscape.

The project that I am most interested here is her project titled "Gifts from the Pavement" in which she looks at marks that are found in the streets.

In my next project I am looking at the marks we leave behind and I was looking for inspiration in recording marks and think that this is a very expressive way to do so. I also think that this is a very good research and investigation  method.

I like how the artist refers to these marks as "gifts" as these marks are more than just insignificant marks, but these marks tell a story and provide a back story to how those marks came to be.

Her sketchbook also lead to another series called "Pavement Pieces"

I might use this a small research method, but I'm planning on making my own mark so I will need to look at previous marks as a source of inspiration. This project has actually made me think of a playing card that I found when walking home so I think I might further develop on this idea.

NB - all photographs here have been taken from these sites in which her work is featured:
http://www.alicefox.co.uk/
http://www.alicefox.co.uk/?page_id=1324
https://www.sketchbookproject.com/library/13483#page-slide_2

I do not own any of the pictures on this post.

Until next time
byyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Róisín -x

Update :D

So there's not much to say here cause it feels like I've not been to college in ages.

Over reading week I had the plan to finish up my presentation, complete my mini-portfolio stuff for Edinburgh uni and write my PLP, and in  stunning turn of events I actually stuck to my plan. Horray!! Pop open the champagne and unleash the confetti!

I finished up my presentation pretty early and I quite like how it looks and I now have plenty of time for practise so I'm happy with how that's worked out.

I submitted my mini-portfolio last night, I mean I'm not all that hopeful that I'll get in but I did put in effort to the images I submitted so maybe there is some small slim chance, who knows.

And with the PLP I'm sort of happy with how it's going, this isn't the final one yet so I think it'll be a little more refined by the time I need to submit it. I'll be talking to my mentor soon so I think I'll be a bit happier after that.

So that's all I really have for now
Hopefully my next post will be a little more interesting :P
byyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeee
Róisín -x

Inspiration of the Week - The Situationists

So today's post is going to be slightly different as I am not looking at a specific project or artist but more looking into a theory and a movement.

The Situationists, or the The Situationist International was a European organisation who stood for social revolution, this group included artists, theorists and other intellectuals.

The reason that I am looking into this group is that they created a theory know as dérive or 'drifting' which is  part of psychogeography. This theory looks at how we explore our environment without much planning or thinking, you rather go where your mind takes you. I think that this could be an interesting aspect to add to my work as I was thinking of going out into places and leaving my 'mark' and I could use this as an inspiration on how to go about it.

In my non-place project I did look into this but didn't really do much with it as it more or less just opened the door into mapping and how people look at the places (or so-called non-places) around them.

These theories have also influenced apps called Dérive and Drift, with the latter also being available card based.

NB - all photographs here have been taken from these sites
https://libcom.org/thought/situationists-an-introduction
http://fog.ccsf.edu/~dcox/EMU/S.I.html
http://showmethewatermelon.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/theory-of-derive.html
http://www.thepolisblog.org/2012/05/situationists-and-occupy-abai.html

I do not own any of the pictures on this post.

That's all for now, next post will be an update so stay tuned!
byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeee
Róisín -x

Inspiration of the Week - Greg Colson

Greg Colson's work is usually built up of objects to form a shape, for some of them he almost traces maps using them which are the ones I am going to focus on.

I really like the aesthetic look of these pieces and I find them to be a really interesting way to represent the maps that he has used. 

By looking at this artist I am not really looking for any conceptual ideas, more just more different and interesting way to display my work as I think paying a bit more attention to this might just give my work more of an edge that it has done previously. 

I like the way he has abstracted these maps to create works of his own, I like this idea as, although I may not use objects but I could abstract the shapes to create prints to go alongside my work.

NB - all photographs here have been taken from the artist's website:
http://www.gregcolson.org/

I do not own any of the pictures on this post.

So that's all I have for you just now
byyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeee
Róisín -x

Just a Quickie

So this is just a quick update on what I've been doing the past few days.

I haven't had much of a chance to do any quote unquote "real" work as this is just the research stage, for a pretty big thing I might add so I am going to be taking my time and thinking it through. As you can see I've been posting a lot of my "Inspiration of the Week" and all of these are going to be included in my artist research sketchbook. So as of now I'm just taking what these artists have done on board and I have also been brainstorming a few ideas as well. So this time next week I'll have a PLP and a (hopefully) formulated idea to talk about.

In other news I've finished my presentation for my contextual studies class and I am quite happy with how it's turned out, now just a few practise runs to see if I can fit all those words in there :P

Here's a quick preview:

Another thing that I've been working on is my submission of mini portfolio for Edinburgh university, this isn't so much a hard process, but it is definitely long and tedious at times, but I am getting there.

So that's all for now,
Until next time,
byyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Róisín -x

Inspiration of the Week - Marc Isaacs

Marc Isaacs is a documentary film maker whose films usually investigate people and their ordinary lives.

I first heard about his film Lift last year in our video skills class and thought that it was a brilliant documentary on the real people that live in the London flats and showed their real reactions to the camera man. 

The film documents the host of characters that all live in the building and shows how they increasingly more comfortable with the camera and the questions the camera man asks. 

The reason that I am looking at this artist is that I am both looking at how I am going to document my next project and also looking into the idea of interviewing real people or looking into real places, rather than how places are shown to be in the media.

Over the course of the documentary Isaacs doesn't move but just stays in the lift, which is an element of work that I am considering. I might try and go to the one space over a number of days and then move t a different one for another number of days. 

NB - all photographs here have been taken from these sites in which the artist is featured:
http://www.marcisaacsfilms.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJNAvyLCTik

I do not own any of the pictures on this post.

So that's all for now 

Byyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeee

Róisín -x

Inspiration of the Week - Sylvia de Swaan

Sylvia de Swaan is a photographer born in Romania in 1941, at age ten she immigrated to the United States. She has also lived and worked in Europe and Mexico. Her work is usually focused around specific projects and follows themes that are common to her work. These themes are: identity, personal history, individualism and collective memory.

The project that I am going to look at is her photography series titled Return.

In these series of photographs she looks back on her Jewish heritage and her Eastern European background. In some of her images she uses a combination of old photographs and images from her journey. Some of these pictures are taken on the train journey between destinations, this shows de Swaan’s physical journey, but could also symbolise her spiritual journey into her heritage and ancestry as she returns to her family’s home.

In my next project I am looking into doing a sort of journey and also how to document some of it. These photographs are very interesting and document a lot more than writing down words could.

I also feel that they aren't typical documentary photographs but the viewer is still able to follow the narrative of the journey.

I am also still looking for a purpose for my work and I think that Sylvia de Swaan's purpose here is very personal and poignant as she is going on a journey retracing her family' journey.

NB - all photographs here have been taken from the artist's site:
http://www.sylviadeswaan.com/
http://www.sylviadeswaan.com/return
I do not own any of the pictures on this post.

Until next time,
byyyyyeeeeeeeeeeee
Róisín -x

Inspiration of the Week - Frank To

Frank To is a Scottish artist who normally works in painting.

However one of his projects in 2011 was looking at the plague doctors and part of his work was him dressed as a plague docotor heading from Glasgow to Edinburgh to his own exhibition.

This work highlighted a very important part in Scottish and worldwide history and also focuses on one of the most visually interesting and almost scary parts of medieval times.

 The reason that I am looking at this work today is that for y next project I am looking for some sort of purpose of going on site with my work, and I think Frank To's purpose here is very interesting. The plague doctors have almost become a forgotten part of out history even though they played a big part and do have interesting lores surrounding them.

 And so how better to remind the public of them than to go out dressed as a plague doctor.

I think that this is a very innovative way to both increase notoriety for his exhibition, and also highlight the importance of his work and that piece of Scottish history.

NB - all photographs here have been taken from these sites in which the artist is featured:

http://www.franktofineart.com/
http://www.franktofineart.com/index.php?id=17 (Press section)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/27215020@N04/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-12934050

I do not own any of the pictures on this post. Full credit given to the artist.

See you next time :)
byyyyeeeeeeee
Róisín -x