Preparing the Spaces for the Degree Show

Because the Degree Show deadline is very near, the whole of the Kingsway cohort came together to prepare and paint the degree show spaces. This involved removing the gum tape that holds the boards together, filling in any holes that were evident in any of the boards and finally painting and finishing the board spaces. This was a huge task to undertake, but it was surprisingly fun and god to see that everyone chipped in and helped to prepare the spaces, despite not knowing which specific space was our own.

Completing and preparing the spaces was a nice way to kind of finalise the end of not only this module but also an era of being student here at Kingsway. I think the realisation has hit that we are very close to the end of what has been an amazing but challenging experience.  I am quite excited now for the Degree Show preview night, as it will be amazing to see that all the hard work and preparation of the spaces was worth it.

Exhibition Layout Prep – Photography Images Layout

In terms of the Degree Show deadline getting closer,  I have seriously begun to think about how best to display them. Because my images are of architectural structures I want to print them fairly large, in order for them to be impactful to the audience. I shot on Raw quality as I knew this would enable me to print quite large, as the file size can handle being printed at a large size. I decided to print 12 x 18 which is a touch bigger than A3, the size is something that I have had to consider in terms of its relation to practical modes of presentation.

I put in my proposal and currently I am happy with my provisional space for for my photography exhibition part of the degree show.  I have had multiple discussions with tutors regarding the best way to display my work. Mounting, finishing and positioning of each image was discussed. I have decided to mount my images at C41 in Ellesmere Port, my  final selection of images will be mounted on 5mm Foamex board which is a strong plastic. This will ensure that my images will be flat, and therefore look professional when attached to the wall.

I was originally going to display my images in a grid like formation, but after a couple of tutorials and experimentation with some test prints I have decided to position my images in a horizontal line. Positioning them this will encourage the viewer to walk along and experience and appreciate each individual image, rather than just glancing at them as a whole collection of architectural images.  However I have conducted some brief research into potential ways to present my images below.

Grid Formation 

+ Work is seen as a collection, all interlinked.

+ Looks professional, modular and quite rigid

– Can look quite formal and boring

-Individual images are overlooked, as the presentation usually suggests more of a gestalt rather than individual photographs

 

Line Formation

+ Encourages viewer to appreciate every image, one leads on to the next etc

+Connotes the idea of a journey, line encourages movement. Would fit well with my type of imagery

– Takes up more space, need to be sure this will fit in proposed space

-Images need to be the same size, would it work as well without framing images

 

Chaotic but also Ordered Arrangement of Images 

+Looks unusual and therefore can be quite intriguing

+Work all fits nice together, the negative space in-between would draw audience into the images and encourage them to look closer

-Looks quite chaotic but also ordered

-Would require a lot more images than your final selection

-Would require a lot of space, would also be bold and quite distracting for other work that is surrounding yours in the exhibiton

I have considered all of the positives and negatives in terms of modes of presentation, and thought carefully about which would be most successful to use to present my architectural images. I feel that displaying them in a horizontal line would be most successful, as this would create a sense of movement and the images would interplay and connect with each other. I still need to finalise the order of my images, but this will be something I experiment with now that I have decided to display my images this way.

 

Degree Show Layout Brief Research – Photography

With my photography work I am torn between ways of presenting my final images, so I have decided to conduct some brief research into ways other people have presented and displayed their work. When I recently visited the Tate Gallery in Liverpool, along with the Contemporary Artworks, there was also a lot of photographic work on display. I took a step back and appreciated the way the work was displayed rather than overlooking this when understanding the context of the work. Here are a few images below from the Tate Gallery in Liverpool, in temrs of the presentation of photographic work.

These works are by 2 very different artists, yet the presentation of them is higly similar. They have been mounted and framed with dark balck frames. This has worked well, as the photographs feature a lot of black and dark tones which bounces from the frame back to the image.

Because my images are of Architectural structures, I want them to create immediate impact so I have decided not to add a border or frame them. I am simply going to print them off using the C- Type printer, as I want a glossy and shiny affect to my images. I am planning on having a tutorial with Craig Magee to discuss the quality of my images, and also ways to potentially mount or finish them.

 

Reviewing Photography Images for Degree Show

With the date of the Degree Show looming, I am beginning to feel a lot of pressure in regards to the work I select or produce for the final exhibition. I feel that because of the sheer amount of photographs I have accumulated over the project this year,that it would be a good idea to simply look through my shoots and narrow down the images I thought were most successful.

I have completed numerous shoots, and I am considering completing one last shoot this weekend, just to finalise and capture any images I want, before seriously considering printing the final selection. All of my shoots have been completed in Liverpool because this is the area of architecture I am most intrigued and fascinated by. I have been using the programme Lightroom to catalogue and archive my images. I think this has been extremely useful software as it allows you to categorise your images by altering the colour label and star ratings of them. These are both features that I have utilised massively throughout the year, as they have helped me to define and mark the images I feel have the most potential for the future.

Here is a gallery of the images I have selected thus far. This is by far not my final collection of images for the Degree Show, but hopefully features potential images for the final exhibition.

Curating an Exhibition/Show

With the Degree Show date getting closer I have begun to conduct some relevant research into how best to curate a show, and also how best to prepare spaces for an exhibition. I have looked at the ways that other universities curate and prepare spaces for tyne end of year shows.

Through researching how best to curate a show I came across the article by Jerry Saltz, titled The Alchemy of Curating.  It talked about the issues that arise when curating a show, such as people are unhappy with the positioning of their work, some artworks are too similar to be placed next to each other. Being part of the Curation team here, this is an issue that I am worried we will have to address. As even though every students work and inidividual style are different, there are bound to be some similarities that become apparent when work is placed next to each other.

Here is the introduction paragraph from the article.

THE ALCHEMY OF CURATING
by Jerry Saltz

The alchemy of good curating amounts to this: sometimes placing one work of art near another makes one and one equal three. Two artworks arranged alchemically leave each intact, transform both and create a third thing. This third thing and the two original things then trigger cascades of thought and reaction; you know things you didn’t know you needed to know until you know them; then you can’t imagine ever not knowing them again. Then these things transform all the other things and thoughts you’ve had. This chain-reaction is thrilling and uncanny.

Thinking about this idea of ‘Chain Reaction’ is exciting and concerning. As making connections between different people work can be exciting as it creates a new style and approach to an individual work. But then this may cause issues, if a person wants their work to be seen a certain  way, and not affected by any surrounding artworks.

Information on Exhibiting a Show

Degree Show Catalogue Submission Content

As part of the Degree Show the Design Team within the university are designing the Catalogue for the preview night in June. From my previous post (categorised in Degree Show Preparation) you can see the thought processes that have gone into making the final decision in terms of the images to use for the catalogue submission. The Catalogue will benefit everyone who is included, as it is a great way to promote yourself and your individual style of practice. I also had to write a statement that will accompany my 2 images for both my disciplines. The images below are the final 2 I have selected to use for the Degree Show Catalogue.

Photography Image

Fine Art Image

STATEMENT

Architecture, form, and a strong sense of design are evident within both my Practices. My Studio Practice combines multiple printmaking processes, screen printing, intaglio, and emulsion transfer are just a few examples. I appreciate the hands on creativity of printmaking, and have thoroughly enjoyed juxtaposing colour with architectural forms and shapes. Never being satisfied with a print, has enabled me to develop my original design extensively, along with my printmaking skills. Printing onto material using the emulsion transfer technique, has created a degraded and textured surface which has enhanced the materiality of my prints. I have incorporated textiles into my practice, simply because of my love for sewing. The incorporation of textiles led me inevitably into the three dimensional realm. I enhanced the presence of circular forms within my prints, and created three dimensional objects from my transfer prints by sewing them together. Repeated pattern, motion and a scientific feel are present within my prints. My exploration of Printmaking techniques has helped me to realise, that it is one of my favourite forms of art making.

My Studio Practice has been heavily influenced and inspired by my Architectural images from my Photography Project. I have used many of my architectural images to create print designs. Architecture combines creativity and design, thus making it a Visual Art. Throughout my Photography Practice I have aimed to capture the sheer beauty of Architectural structures that dominate our surroundings. I explored the urban environment within the city of Liverpool, photographing architectural structures that intrigued me. I approached the structures as if they were humans having their portraits taken, all varying in personality and surface qualities. I wanted my architectural photographs to challenge the notion of constructed beauty, and question whether anything made my man can truly be beautiful. My approach was a methodical and meticulous one, I employed the clean and modular style often associated with Architectural Photography to capture my images.

Degree Show Catalogue Image Selection

With the Degree Show date getting sooner and sooner, the Design team within the university have requested that we provide a photographs that best represent our Fine Art and Photography Practice. Within the Degree Show Catalogue we will each have a double page spread, so that the combined students like myself will be able to feature images from both disciplines.

It is a very exciting time to be considering and preparing for the Degree Show, but providing only one image for each subject was difficult, as it is hard to narrow down specific elements of each practice. To get around this issue in Fine Art, I decided to pin my most successful work to my studio space and photograph my area. This worked well as I was able to feature more that one print, thus showing the variety and range of techniques I have used within each piece of work.

I took many photographs and experimented with how I wanted my wall space to look, and which prints I wanted to mainly display. Here are a few pictures below for my potential Fine Art Degree Show Catalogue image.

 

I think selecting one singular photograph for my photography practice was even more challenging as this could only be one image. I began to think about the most successful architectural shoots I had completed, and thus narrowed down my favourite images from each one. I have added a few below, but I am still currently undecided as to which one to select for the final Degree Show Catalogue.