My time on this course has led to a change in paths for me. I started the course thinking I was going to pursue photography or illustration, but I have found a new passion for making. The initial rotations were fantastic for me; going from workshop to workshop and exploring all the different materials and ways of working meant that I got to do things that I hadn’t even thought of before.
I have also found that my style and muse is starting to refine yet at the same time diversify, allowing me the opportunity to add my personality and own creative footprint into each new project or unit I start whether it be visual or 3D.
The amount of freedom and diversity that this course has given me means that I can finally start to explore those ideas that haven’t always been feasible. I am now hoping to pursue a career in 3D design and hopefully use this final project as a way for me to prove to myself and others that I do have what it takes to become a designer.
My 30 images made one thing very clear to me; I am obsessed with contrast. All the images that I have found all have one thing in common; they are all high contrast black and white images. As a photographer, I definitely prefer black and white images to those bursting with colour because they make you focus more on the grain and texture instead of how the colours work. The way that the two-tone pallet intensifies other aspects of the compositions that otherwise would’ve been lost. The detail that these images hold is something that I wish to replicate in my own work.
The other thing that I noticed is that almost all of my images contain organic matter; this may be natural forms or human figures. Light and shadow is something that is normally present in my work and is something I am going to use in this project.
I am a firm believer that lighting and composition can completely change an image whether that be a 2D image or a sculpture in a gallery, lighting accentuates curves and edges yet can mask marks or dents in the surface. I have previously used lighting as my outcome for previous projects, I found this incredibly interesting and is something that I do wish to continue in future work in the 3D field as I plan to study making at degree level.
After discussing my images with those around me, I decided to look at the moon; how the light radiates, shadows are formed, and the effect it has on its surroundings. I hope that by the end of this project I will be able to make a final product; this will most likely be a lamp or lighting design based around the moon. The moon for me describes my style, and so it makes sense that this is what I choose to do for this final project. To me the best way to capture the moon and portray it is through a light installation; I would however also like the final product to also have an essence of functionality, this could be that it is used as a night light in a children’s room or as mood lighting in other rooms of the house, this sort of product in the scale that I am planning means that it wouldn’t be suitable for commercial use. The combination of design and function is an ongoing exploration of mine; therefore, I wish to use this project as a way of exploring how they can work together in harmony for modern living.
Most my research is currently around folk lore and their stories. The one that has caught my attention the most is the stories of the man on the moon. Each culture has their own variations about what the man on the moon is about. This idea is something that I wish to include in my outcome. Such a context would mean that my work is more tailored to children if considered to be something for market use. In terms of designers the work of Rafael Morgan, Poetic Lab, and Max Gunawan have really caught my attention. Although most of their work and products are quite minimalist, their unique style and branding have really inspired me to make this project the best it can be. The thing I find most interesting about these designers is that they all come from different backgrounds; one is an architect turned designer, whereas others are creatives wanting to create poetry in the form of furniture
As I have been working on this project one area has become clearer, this is trying to capture the texture of the moon. Considering different materials and processes is a very important part of this. That is why I intend to explore materials such as:
Jesmonite
Resin
Perspex acrylic
Patination
Roller and press forming
With the intention of using one or more of the items in my final piece. Several of these techniques will be a great way of exploring the different ways of finding the texture I wish to capture in my work.
My material experiments have shown that resin and jesmonite are the best way to capture a replica of the moon. Both combined seem to allow for texture and the travel of light.
When it comes to exhibiting my design, I will look at it for 3 different situations. One will be for the end of year show; this has a limit on space and so in turn means a limit on how I can display my work. I will most likely accommodate for the situation by building a box which will act as a visual for the piece in a room in someone’s home. The second is a more adventurous, “no strings attached” concept, this for me would be a large orb on display in a planetarium or such space, where it can be used as an ambient piece in a reception area or lobby. The details of this are on my proposal design. The final design looks at how the design could be commercialised; I went with the idea of a keyring that gave off a soft glow that would mimics the moon and enable a person to find a set of keys in dark light with ease.
This project for me was crucial. My last project for me didn’t go as smoothly as I had hoped and so this was my final chance to convince myself whether 3D work was for me. I needed to find a way to introduce themes that I already know into my new work; photography was my plan for years and so I knew key themes that make a good picture, by finding a way to carry this forward I felt I would be on steadier ground to start this project. The theme I decided to carry forward this time was contrast; as something that I love to focus on and capture in my work I felt that this was the topic for me. On a more personal level, the moon is something that I never could do justice in a photograph, so maybe it’s something that I can achieve with 3D form.
Research for me is an area that I always struggle with. I normally do to little or it becomes irrelevant as my project progresses. Though this time I feel that I have finally started to strike the balance between quality and quantity. The amount of time I spent looking at different ideas about the moon in cultures and history, not only interested my but helped me move my project forward which is something that I have, previously, rarely managed to achieve. It wasn’t only my moon research that inspired me this time around but also my designer research. From the beginning, I wanted to look at new emerging designers that may not be that well known for they are only just starting to develop their audience and style. I truly feel that in this project I have really started to grasp what is and what isn’t relevant when it comes to artist research.
Even though my research has been better this time around, I still had to do a lot of experimenting and exploring when it came to materials and processes. Over the course of this year I have learnt many new processes and so I had an idea of what would be appropriate for what I was looking at. The number of samples that I produced meant that I felt comfortable in the materials and techniques before I started my final one. This is yet another thing that I had a problem with in my previous project; I lacked samples and so I focused on making them a core part of my project this time around. Not only does this help me explore the different finishes produced but it also made me feel more confident in the workshops and in my ability as a maker.
There were of course a few hiccups along the way as there are with most projects undertaken. Most of my problems were more cost based. As the outcome I wanted to produce was larger than any previous moulds that had been produced, I had to make my own. My original design was a full sphere, this meant that I had to find a way to get the shape I needed; all the ideas I had used up too much material for the workshops. This meant that I had to think outside the box to make my mould. This I struggled with, I didn’t know any other method of producing what I wanted. In the end, I had to compromise and produce a hemisphere. After considering the idea, I realised that actually it would work better for the design. The half shape would mean that light would be able to travel through the shape easily and would ultimately give the better result. Even after this realisation though I still had to produce a mould this lead to me trying a ceramic plaster mould with cling film; this didn’t work. The cling film didn’t stay taut and so the resin has folds and creases this lead to an irregular shape and me having to find another method of production. In the end a bought a bowl which I lined with silicone and then poured the materials in. in the end this was the best option as the shape of the bowl meant that actually I managed to get a bigger circumference with less volume, meaning that I ended up using less materials for the workshops and it was cheaper for me to make. Obviously, the curvature isn’t as large as I wanted it to be but for the exhibition it will be fine as the product will only have one viewing point.
Planning and time management was something I wanted to work on for this unit. Even though I have never handed a unit in late, I have always felt rushed to finished everything. This time is different; from the start, I managed to work out where I was going to be and when and managed to stick to it, there were a few times where somethings did get in the way, but I took this into consideration and managed to make the time back so that I was on track. The timeline resource that we were given was the way that I managed to do this. I followed it week by week and updated it with various information and reasoning for why certain things may not have been achieved that week.
As a creative I always seem to want more time, and so if I had more time for this unit I would most definitely look at my options in more detail. The quick fix for the mould could’ve been avoided if I had either sourced my own materials or communicated with the workshops better beforehand and left more opportunity to redesign.
I started this project wanting to prove to myself that I could be and work as a designer; I truly feel like I have managed to prove that to myself and those around me. The past few months have shown where I need to tighten up and maybe even loosen up, or even revaluate and start again. I have always been someone that gets a finished product in my head and then leaves planning and research in the dust, I have tried to work on this this time around and finally think that I have actually managed to find a balance.