The Language of Process Exhibition Visit

While visiting the exhibition I found one piece of particular interest - 'Earthbowl' by Fluid Forms (2008), who are an Austrian company that allow their customers to design their own products. They are able to do this through the use of Google-Maps and NASA satellites which the customer uses to select an area of the world that interests them which can be translated into individual customised designs such as a fruit bowl or a wall-hanging, for example. The products are made out of laminated walnut and maple plywood which, when cut using a CNC Router (a computer controlled shaping machine), are hand sanded, oiled and polished to finish the product professionally. The CNC Router technique creates contour lines on the plywood which reflect the gradient of the earth. I find this and the texture of the piece particularly inspiring and I feel the piece links to my work through the use of the Earth as data and how it changes through time. This links to my project because I have concentrated so far on how natural objects change through time such as flowers decaying and how the rings within a tree trunk determine how old the tree is which is what the piece reminds me of (see image below).

Reflection of the Origins Unit - Group Discussion

From the group discussion following the Origins Unit I have discovered that the people that got the better marks for their work put in more time than those that got lower marks. Also, the majority of the people I spoke to enjoyed their first textile world as this was their first choice, although others found it hard to get started due to lack of enthusiasm for the subject.

The next textile world I will be going into is Mixed Media which, I have found out, involves quite a lot of construction and 3D work. I'm slightly apprehensive about starting this world due to not having much experience working in 3D. I think I might also struggle with coming up with fresh ideas and I might need a lot of inspiration to start ideas flowing. However, people have said that they experienced lots of different workshops and they can now use lots of different pieces of equipment including Laser Cutters, Risograph Printer and Book Binders. They have also said that they were allowed to be totally free with their project and there were no restrictions to what they could do for samples.

From speaking to different people that have experienced Mixed Media, I have learnt that I will need to carry out thorough research before the project begins in order to drive my ideas forward. I will also need to keep up with the work to ensure I don't fall behind as people have said that if you miss a session it takes a while to catch yourself back up with the rest of the group.

Preparation - Sampling Unit

In preparation for the sampling unit I visited the Museum of Science and Industry in order to carry out visual research. With the words 'Mapping' and 'Measuring' in mind I set out to identify ways in which these could be communicated through drawing. I started out by looking at some of the old machines that were exhibited and tried drawing them without looking at the page to demonstrate how my eyes moved around the objects. I enjoy this way of drawing because it restricts me from trying to make my drawings too representational and forces me to work in an abstract way. The outcomes were all very different, some worked out better than others.

I also gathered maps of the area and planned out my route from my halls to the museum and the route I would take back to the halls. I also added extra details such as the buses I would need to get onto the route - see below.

The image above is basically the direction I had to turn at the end of each street in order to travel from my halls to MOSI. It could be said that it is in a code as not everyone would be able to understand what it means. 

As I was moving around the museum I was finding it hard to visually communicate the idea of 'Measuring'. I came across a steam machine which needed to have its pressure monitored constantly and I found the gauges an interesting way of translating this idea.  

To develop this idea further I have looked at other methods of measuring things such as weighing scales and tape measures as well as watch faces which all measure things in different ways (weight, length and time).

This is one of my favourite photos from the task because of the old-fashioned style of it. I like how the tape curls and the numbers show the scale and depth of the photo as they're all different sizes. To develop this image into a drawing I will experiment with different media and work in 3D in order to translate the shape of the tape.