Unit X: All Under Control

Yesterday I found out that we were expected to make a presentation as part of our routine Tuesday tutorials about our final outcome.  Cue absolute terror! In my brief run-in with Eleanor in the morning, she said that they didn't expect a final outcome but expected us to be pretty far ahead. This is when self doubt kicked in! We all simultaneously had a mini panic attack about everything we had yet to do. The film people freaked out about not having all the footage and a lot to edit. Meanwhile the installation group had yet to source yarns. And to make matters worse we still not sure of where we would eventually exhibit the thing! Over the weekend, Robin had sent out a vague email about ‘provisional locations’ but we were dubious as to whether it was implied that we continue to look for our own.

Miraculously, as it turned out all our fears were in vain as when we finally got to the tutorial, Eleanor and Robin seemed to think we had it all under control! Either we have at last acquired the talent of making things sound less catastrophic than they actually are or at long last this project is actually coming together.

At the tutorial we were also introduced to Adriano, one of the leaders of Unit X, who had kindly organised an exhibition space for us. This came as a missive relief! For the past week, our group has been unsuccessfully trying to organise a location. Most of the credit for this goes to Hannah, who despite our unfortunate timing was still a pretty impressive force to be reckoned with in her pursuit to make a booking. Sadly, her efforts were to no avail as it appears that most spaces are fully booked.  So understandably, the group practically rejoiced when Adriano told us about the basement space we’d be using to set up our installation/ film.

As a follow up to the tutorial, today we visited the location and it’s safe to say we were all very pleased with what we've got. Lizzie and myself came across Incognito earlier that morning on our ‘Yarn Sourcing’ expedition (more about that later) and were immediately taken by the add gadgets and what I can only describe as slightly use-less but highly amusing.....stuff! 

 When we arrived a second time at the quirky little shop on the edge of the Northern Quarter, we were guided behind the counter into the basement gallery space. Currently, this is being used as a store so I assume at some point next week we will all be pitching in to clear things up a bit. The part of the basement we’re actually going to be using resembles a vault with its barred iron door. This is a bit of a happy accident as it only adds to the sombre tones of our exhibition. The space itself is a good size. I didn't think to ask for the exact dimensions of the space so all I can say is that it’s not too big and not too small. So in regards to the installation, we’ll have plenty of room our knitted pieces without having to worry about filling up too big a space. Another added bonus of space was that it had small adjustable light fittings on all four walls that can tilt towards or away from the installation in order to play around with the effects of shadows. Again these fit the mood that we are trying to create as they are not too bright.

 We've decided that we will be setting up the installation on Monday, leaving Tuesday for any adjustments or last minute additions.  The film people have yet to source a T.V and a table/ plinth but have already looked into ‘The Mustard Tree’, a local charity organisation that sells cheap furniture, and will be finalising this soon.  All that is left to do now is to get arm-knitting! 

Unit X: Harmony from Discord

This week has been a stressful one! There has been much biting of tongues and Facebook based venting!

 It all began with our lecture with Anne Douglas. Anne's work is based primarily takes on a curatorial role is excited by the process of bringing together completely different fields such as fine-art and science bring the audience an exciting artistic experience. One question she got us to think about in the lecture was that can a collaboration be successful even if the outcome is not? Her argument was Yes, it can. This is because collaborations are all about the sharing of skills and knowledge and therefore much can be gained from the actual experience of collaboration. If the end product is successful then clearly the collaboration worked well, but all in all it is a process of trial and error.

With this in mind, Anne Douglas was the perfect person to sit in on our Tuesday tutorials Robin and Eleanor. But all did not go to plan. For starters, the only people that turned up were myself and Lizzie from the installation sub-group and Millie from the film sub-group. Not a great turn out! We were asked to pitch our idea so far and the tutors took a positive interest in what we had to say about the installation.They were particularly interested in Lizzie’s knit samples because of how tactile they were.  However, as Millie was the only one present from the film group, I don’t think she was quite able to do justice to their ideas on her own and since we had not been involved in that process, neither could we. This led Anne to question our decision to work separately and she stressed that we were completely missing the point of the collaborative unit. At this point I must admit, the whole sub-group scenario was a bit of an easy way out of having to manage such a large group!

For the remainder of the meeting, Anne talked to us about the ways in which we could combine the film and installation as a sort of performance piece where we could invite the audience to experience the installation as a sort of guided tour and film the reaction. Whilst her ideas were all very exciting, we left the tutorial feeling a little dazed and confused.

Things only got worse when the news hit Facebook. I would post a screenshot of the conversation but it’s a little messy! The problem was that Millie posted a panicked message about how we were being asked to change our ideas. Somewhere along the line this got heavily misconstrued and things got pretty heated as people were not happy about though of dropping ideas.

Needless to say, I was pretty nervous when we called for an emergency group meeting. Thankfully, we had all cooled down a bit and were able to talk about how we could intergrate the film and installation. At first we talked about the knit being part of the set design to go with the film.  But as we went on to brainstorm scene ideas I was a little concerned that the story line had nothing to do with our plans for the installation at all. I think it was a little difficult for the group to visualise how it would fit in as we haven’t yet gotten around to sampling anything on a larger scale and as a consequence couldn't really show them what we had in mind.

As the narrative the film-people had in mind was based around irrational fears, I suggested that the knit could be a figurative representation of this that is present throughout the footage. The fact that it would be more in the background for some of the scenes might add to the sinister connotations as fear can be portrayed as something that is ever present. 

I think after all that fuss, we might actually be in agreement. All we need to do now is to get cracking on some large scale knit samples!

Unit X: Louise saves the day!

OK. So I must admit, I’ve spent this week feeling rather lost with the project. After Tuesday’s group meeting at Hilton House, it seemed that we were being pushed to condense all our ideas into one final outcome. Now, it’s all very well to collaborate but since we are a group of nine creatives with very different ideas I couldn’t help but feel a sense of panic at the thought that my own Easter research might get lost in the process.  It’s a given that in collaborating with other artists and designers we have to surrender some of our own ideas and be open to new perspectives. Thats perfectly fine by me, but what worried me was that it would be too difficult to reach consensus when dealing with such a vast pool of ideas.

However, after today’s tutorial with Louise Adkins I feel a little more optimistic and can certainly stop hyperventilating into a paper bag at the thought of relinquishing some creative control.

Firstly, when we tried to explain all the various ideas we had in mind for this Unit, it became very clear that perhaps at the moment a lot of our research is quite superficial.  Louise suggested that we might have jumped to conclusions too soon about our chosen superstitions without having enough knowledge on which to base a rich outcome. To remedy this she suggested that we spend the weekend looking at artists, films and books to build a fuller background of research to inspire our work.

Louise also gave us the option of exhibiting multiple outcomes on the same collaborative theme. She suggested that we take on an almost curatorial role as though we are artists working towards a show. It is still important that we return to the group and maintain a common ground but we have the freedom to explore our own interpretation of the theme.

As a result, we have divided the group into two sub-groups; people interested in Film and those interested in Textile Practices. I belong to the latter as my research is geared towards a more 3D textiles outcome and fortunately I am not alone in this. This is great because it means I can still collaborate with people from my group to create an outcome that is ambitious and reflective of all our interests.

After the tutorial, I had a brief talk with Flavia who is willing to collaborate with me in an installation. We concluded that we are both interested in textile techniques and processes. In particular, Flavia suggested using dissolvable fabric and possibly recording the process as a starting point. Similarly, I want to continue pushing my research into fabric manipulation but push this to an extreme as we both agree that we both want something that is ambitious to reflect the theme of ‘The Irrational’ in a figurative way. Currently, we can’t quite visualise a final outcome but this is good. I now have a sense of direction and a greater sense of relief knowing I can push forward some of my own ideas without completely going rogue on the group!

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!

Generating Fashion: Sketchbook/Tutorial Update

This week my task was to produce 20 designs in order to make a start on toiling for the final garment for this project. The designs I have produced so far have been inspired by my 'Macabre' research as well as drawings of beetles that I did last week from Manchester Museum. The idea behind this is that I am interested in the way beetles have a cocoon like outer shell that acts as a protective element for a soft inner core. From this I want to create a balance between constriction and protection. This is apparent in my designs as I have tried to play with the element of the stacked collar.

However, from my tutorial Sarah thought that I had not pushed my designs far enough and that they were too conservative. She suggested that I continue to explore shape and form so that my collection is more innovative and visually exciting. Guess its back to the drawing board!

Generating Fashion: Tutorial/ Sketchbook Update

I think that this week I have finally hit my stride in terms of research and I am starting to develop a theme. I have sought to elaborate on my research from Yorkshire sculpture park into abstract and irregular forms and begun to expand on this with research from other sculptors such as Giacometti. I am interested in these sculptors because of the way they use texture in their bronze works. I think I could explore this unevenness of texture further through fabric sourcing and sampling as it would provide a point of interest in my final garment.