Christine Lowthian
Collaborative paired work. Chose a book/poem, select a passage to respond to collaboratively. Make a collaborative response. Finally, develop your piece to share with the group.
We select ‘The Wasteland’ and propose to collaboratively make Mme Sosostris’ pack of cards.
Later, to present our work, we make a backdrop in the fashion photography corner and ‘dress’ Mme Sosostris, seated at her tarot table.
All change! The studio is transformed, we have pathway zones now for Fine Art, Viz Com., Fashion, 3D etc. and have each chosen our personal studio spaces – a desk with a board. Our Fine Art induction has been exciting; a quick fire range of collaborative activities based on the elements of chance and random outcomes.
One: a) Random selections define a subject, methodology and medium to produce individual responses.
Alternatively, another person gets ….
b) Unite the individual responses in a collaborative piece and find a way to connect everything.
Linking it all up.
Two: Some contextual studies input about ‘chance’ in Art. Interesting material to read about Bruce Mau’s , ‘An Incomplete Manifesto For Growth’, and Brian Eno’s ‘Oblique Strategies’.
Three: Chance Based Narrative. Lucky dip for your narrative character, lucky dip again… discovery where you are or what state you are in. Another dip, get a post card. Finally, dip again to discover who your postcard is to be addressed to. What message will you write to them? Now hook all your ‘clues’ together and make art around the narrative you construct. What fun!
‘Research the theme of scrapbook, art journal, memory album, mini book, and think about the event you want to record. …. You must show a wide range of primary research in a range of materials.’
Eldon, D. (1997) “The Journey Is The Destination”. London, Booth Clibborn Editions. A posthumous collection of Scrap/sketch books by Dan Eldon – war photographer, stoned to death in Somalia 1993 aged 22, edited by his mother. Dan’s mother writes about how some pages have dark papers pasted on top of previous entries which are scratched or torn away. This seems to connect with the palimpsest idea that has intrigued me from the vocabulary mind-mapping research I began with.
Technical Book vocabulary research. Studying bindings and signatures. The joy of Ephemera’s Vintage Garden Youtube channel!.
Wasserman, K. (2007). “The Book As Art”. New York, Princeton Architectural Press. Essays relating to the book as art – esp. from feminist/women’s perspective plus images and interpretation referencing the collection of books in the National Collection of Women in the arts.
Also, following on from the textile workshops, and knowing that I want to develop pieces begun here further, I have been thinking about my late Grandma and her experience as a WI sewing instructor…… this has led to reading about the history of Denman College.
https://www.denman.org.uk/
Meech, S. (2009) Connecting Art To Stitch. London, Anova Books Company Ltd. Analyses and explores the relationship between fine art methodologies and textile techniques.