Unit X: Return to Hilton House

Today we found ourselves yet again at Hilton House for our first group meeting after the Easter break. For this we were asked to start pinning up our research onto our allotted wall space so that we could start to see what common ground we had and ideally move forwards with an agreed concept. This was easier said than done!

I think that we might have a bit of a setback as all our research at this stage is quite broad. Also, before the Easter holidays we agreed to continue research on our own strand of suspicions. This may not have been the best idea as it just means that now our research simply does not have enough in common, and naturally none of us are going to let go of our ideas without a fight!

My fear in regards to this is that whilst the research is broad, it is simply not in depth enough.  However, all is not lost. During the meeting, it was something that Rachael said that stood out to me. She found that the definition of Superstition was an ‘irrational fear or belief’.

 su•per•sti•tion (ˌsu pərˈstɪʃ ən) 

n.

1. an irrational belief in or notion of the ominous significance of a particular thing, circumstance, occurrence, etc.

2. a system or collection of such beliefs.

3. a custom or act based on such a belief.

4. irrational fear of what is unknown or mysterious, esp. in connection with religion.

5. any blindly accepted belief or notion.

The keyword here is ‘irrational’ as I think this gives us a concept with which we can evolve our theme. Irrational not only gives us a concept to work towards, but can also be translated visually as a piece that might seem out of control or simply a bit crazy. In line with this, I proposed that we create an installation that is ambitious in scale and impact.

Another idea in regards to the final outcome is to make a fashion film based on fears and suspicions. At the moment it is undecided whether this will be a modernised parody of the theme or perhaps a more sinister tone. Whilst I like the idea of making a film, having had a go at this for my last project, I’m not exactly confident in my filmmaking abilities just yet and fear that I will not be making much of a contribution.

All in all, today has left me feeling more confused than ever about the fate of our Unit X. It might very well be a case of ‘too many cooks in the kitchen’ as in spite of our collective research efforts we are no closer to coming to an agreement. It’s safe to say that at this stage I am very nervous indeed!