I haven't made as much progress with my latest project as I would like really, but between the week long design workshop and the exhibition I have been a bit distracted. The workshop was really cool, John got us to do what he called a '3D sketchbook' with some simple shapes that we had made moulds for the week before. The shapes were three different sizes of cylinders and two different sizes of cones. We were encouraged to cut and put the shapes back together, twist them or do anything we wanted, whether functional or not, and develop the ideas we found more interesting by making rather than by trying to work it out in a sketchbook.
I started to work with handles and feet; as they are not something I usually think of in my work as it is generally not functional. I experimented with different types, and how you could apply the additions to the pieces in different ways. This method of making something, then looking at it, reflecting and making another was one I really enjoyed, and hope to apply to my work in future. We were also encouraged to make our work as well as we could, even though they were just ideas and might never become finished pieces. This was also really useful, as I would sketch and make maquettes very roughly and quickly, and this way of making forced me to slow down and consider my work more, and led me to developments I might not have made at all otherwise.
I had my pieces in our third and fourth year exhibition. I wasn't entirely happy with the finished glaze, I thought it was too runny and different from the test tiles, but it was a good experience to put work in an exhibition and learn about how to run one.
I am working on my main project for the semester again, and really enjoying it. I was making maquettes for the project, and trying to make links from the ideas I want to convey with everyday items. I was looking at card games and dominoes as they have a strong connection with logic and fragility and also bringing individual units together. I made some houses from cards, and tried to push them to make them seem as unreal as possible. However when I reflected on what I had made, I felt the form they created was the more exciting part, but that it was being overpowered by the patterns of the cards. I have just started making in clay, and am trying to use smaller, individual pieces and put them together to create a whole. As it is the start, I am using the simplest shapes I can, but I think I may change to a more complex, more naturalistic unit to build up with as the pieces I am making at the moment are interesting, but not very organic looking.
