Goodbye Foundation Year
Looking back at the beginning of the year, I did not think that the year would be over this fast! It was definitely difficult and i struggled understanding of what and how should I do things. I was not a big fan of the diagnostic part because I felt it was very rushed and I didn't get to explore other topics as much as I would like. It was one day of a certain topic then move on the next day to another, I thought it would be better to explore each one more. After entering illustration, I felt myself enjoying the projects more and being in school. Each project, let me explore different artists and research which I enjoyed. Personally, I enjoyed more of the independent projects rather than group projects. This was helpful to know, because working with others I would just get frustrated and reluctant to finish it. This is what excited me about part three (minus the commune - which I really disliked because I am very much more of a introvert) because it was developing work, doing research about a topic you found intriguing. It was fun to experiment, develop in your sketchbook because there was no rules, and you are able to express your opinions on the topic however you want. I also especially going to the library and finding sources because I learned so much new information about my topics as well as looking at beautiful art books. Part three let me talk about a topic I found interesting, while teaching myself, experimenting with outcomes and developing ideas. This was the most enjoyable part of foundation for me. I am bittersweet about my end at CSM but I do not think I am meant to live in London. I, thank CSM for where it has brought and appreciative the tutors who helped with my goal which I ended up succeeding. Next year, I will be at CalArts in California and I am excited to start my new journey in the sunshine.
Final Evaluation
Quarantine
....
I came back to France due that my mother still lives here, she wanted me to come back as soon as possible because France was closing its border soon due to coronavirus. I was originally suppose to leave on that friday anyway for spring break but I had to leave that morning, missing school. Its nice to be home, but things were starting to go well after not loving living in London and I was upset at the stop of routine.
What has your routine been in quarantine ?
Whenever I am back home in France, it is much harder for me to be productive. My routine before was mostly me waking up late and doing no work all day while eating randomly. Now that I have been in quarantine longer and noticing my bad work ethic, I have tried to create somewhat of a routine. In the morning, I wake up usually late like 10:30 - 11:30 which then I brush my teeth, wash my face, get dressed and eat breakfast. Sometimes I watch shows while eating or I sit with my mom. After eating, basically the whole day until dinner time I try to sit down and do work. Since I get distracted very easily or do little tasks throughout the day, I do some work while siting on my computer. Recently, I have been much better by writing schedules and to do lists.
How has school work been going while working at home?
School work in the beginning was definitely non-existent because when first arriving to my house, it feels like vacation to me because Im not longer in my dorm in London. At first, it definitely felt like I was on some type of break but after I realised that this change was permanent and that I needed to do work at home. It has gotten better doing work but I much prefer doing research and doing workflow while at home, It is harder to do physical work at home due to that I don't really have a proper desk to work at and that I don't have many materials at home due to having to pack my dorm quickly before leaving.
Would you create better outcomes if school was still in session?
If we were still in school and Coronavirus didn't exist then I would definitely be making better work. I think this is due to that when we go to school, we have workshops that help us develop our ideas, techniques and materials. While at home, I want to stick with what I know so I don't make a mess. It is also harder because in school, the tutors could physically see my work and give feedback where at home its much harder. It would let me develop my work, and experiment more where at home, I don't have the materials to experiment and develop my work now. If school was still in session, the final outcome would be much better because we would be able to do it physically and create whatever we want while in quarantine, we limit ourselves.
How is being at home in general?
Being home is nice yet not where I want to be even though if I was in my dorm right now, I'd most likely be wanting to go home. Its nice to be home while on vacation because I can relax, hang out with my pets and not have to worry about doing work. While I'm in my dorm, I feel like I am in a working environment. This makes it much harder for me to do work while at home. It also makes me feel like I'm back in high school!! yikes!!
Has quarantine changed your work?
Before quarantine, I wanted to experiment with more inks and release print making while working in my sketchbook. Since being home, its harder to do sketchbook work because I don't have an desk like the one in my dorm (its very messy - has a bunch of art supplies everywhere) and I have limited art supplies. Since its a bit harder to do things physically, I have decided to experiment with graphics on the computer and playing with editing and collaging.
Scale
How the idea generated:
I read the email of the prompt, and thought about how I could create something or show my idea while still at home. In the email, it said to think about what you want to say and how its important to have it where the message can say something. It also said to keep it simple, while taking something from a past work to create something new. During one of the workshops we had before leaving, we did release prints. I really enjoyed the routine of the release prints and experimenting with different materials to get various textures and shapes. I then thought of how I could incorporate this into my ongoing project, I thought of foods that were brought over during the slave trade that is used in our everyday cooking yet we don't know where it came from. Rice and tomatoes are frequently used in all types of dishes.
How you could improve this outcome if you had access to college facilities:
If I had access to school materials and facilities, I would want to my own original linocut, or experiment with materials in printmaking. I could first work with the scans to transfer on linocut or wood to outline and make a more exact, detailed stencil. I would get a piece of paper around 1mx1m then do release prints on the paper. I would also try different versions like one only having one item of food while the other has different stencil of food on it,
Shaping Shapes
How the idea generated:
We were told to think about how our subject could be communicated to an audience and what type of audience are they. I thought about Soul Food and who can iI be communicating to when speaking about this topic. I then thought about why I choose this topic; to learn more about the black history behind soul food and how it impacts food today. I looked into if there were any soul food restaurants in London and who was in charge of them. At the ones that were still open, and not even the owner was american. I thought maybe thats who I should be communicating to, the people eating there and maybe the workers as well. To to teach people about the history behind soul food while learning myself. I was unsure if a poster was enough or would I make it so they would definitely see it. The menu could be a good place to place it because the customers would see it as well next to comparing it to thee food on the menu.
Progress Tutorial
"Tutorial feedback on Studio Practice:
Overall your sketchbook shows progress and an engagement with the project.
There are some good ideas forming, make sure you finish them and show the results in your sketchbook. The idea is to build on these results/ experiments to progress your project.
Tutorial Feedback on Project Proposal and Workflow (Contextual Practice and Research pages):
Your research needs your personal voice/ reflection. How are these sources connecting to your project? this could be thematically, visually, in terms of materials etc.
Contextual practice is present, make sure you are keeping up with reflection and using it to plan your next steps.
Priorities for improvement before assessment:
Finish shaping shapes (photograph outside of restaurant) keep this simple and don’t overthink the image you use.
Basic Printmaking workshop - put in sketchbook, scan/photocopy some textures that you can integrate for future projects.
Chose a dish to explain, flesh out, research background , how you would represent it (printmaking? 3D?) cookery show talking about facts of the dish? Scan some of the ingredients, what is the recipe etc
Bring your findings into the print studio to develop them visually
Add variety to your sources, most of them seem to be coming from one place. Add sources into food and the community formed around it. Aim to upload 5 references per week so you don’t have a lot to catch up on later on.
Have a look at the following:
Islington arts factory - Full English (food sculpture / food inside of a culture)
John Muafangejo - linocuts"
This progress was very helpful, because I got good advice to which direction I should go with this project while still having fun and experimenting. I need to work and show more development and final project in my sketchbook, although I do like how it is coming together. Ive learned to experiment more in your sketchbook rather than try to make it look perfect. In my research on workflow, I like finding the information and organising it to look nice on the page but I always forget to write a personal reflection or analysis of why I chosen to put this in my workflow. For my contextual practice, I need to do it more to show how my ideas developed instead of writing them after I have finished the project which I may only create a short summary of my thoughts and process. I will look into more recipes and different ways to see how I can best represent its history and culture. I like the idea of scanning the ingredients. Also in my research, I will try to broaden my horizons of research and try to develop my research. For example, if I like one artist, look at artists like these to discover more. I will also use the library article search to find readings to put on workflow.
Release Screen Printing Workshop
When first hearing of this workshop, I was unsure what to bring. I brought, different pieces of paper, coins, fabric, and a keychain. During the workshop, I used everything besides the key chain because it was too think to be screen printed. The teachers told us the first step was cover each item in ink then put in different compositions on the paper and chose which one you liked best. After, arranging, you put it on the release screen print machine (I am unsure of there is more specific name for it) then do the release print and you should have an outcome on your page. We were assigned to have a narrative in four frames, I did mine of a man eating a soup, liking it then having his friend try it our of simple cut outs of paper to tell my story. I really enjoyed the process because I found it very satisfying to seeing the ending. The textures, and use of different materials really can make something stand out even if using no color. I tested out more release release prints with two different colors and different materials in my sketchbook. The colors, I used were green and red ink which went well together. Using the outcomes, I edited the colors just to see what kind of different outcomes I could make. I hope to do to more release printmaking in the future!
Aim
-Is your angle factual? narrative?
The subject I am doing is Soul food. What I want my work to reflect factual evidence and facts that has research to back up the information. I enjoy the research part of finding new info, photographs and videos. When an audience is looking at my work, I want them to learn new information and factual evidence but presented in a new way. Although my angle is factual, I want there to still be some narrative especially of the history and who is behind the creation of soul food.
- what do you want to show/tell/bring awakens to?
I want to show the African American history of food, and how it has shaped our cooking today. From what was brought over during the slave trade that we still use today or the injustice that African Americans experienced during Jim Crow laws where they couldn't even sit in a restaurant. The food mostly served in southern states were soul food that were taking over as a "white southern food" when in reality, that type of food was created by slaves.
Quaratine Progress
I had to go back home to France due to Covid-19 which they made a lockdown before the UK did so I had to leave earlier than I thought. This made me rush coming home, not being able to bring all my art stuff or library books because I am unsure of when I'm coming back to the UK. Since I have not been able to have all my supplies, I have been more frustrated thinking of what I could do for the projects. I have been planning them a bit slow, but I am developing them and soon to make the final product. I have also been using my sketchbook by filling in the blank pages that were left but I need to show my development for my other projects in my sketchbook so the tutors can see my thought process for each project. Since its been harder to make things, Ive tried to do more research and work on workflow. I have put more reading, artists and personal experiments on my research page. Although, I have a fair amount of research I need to write more reflections for why I chose to put these pieces in my workflow. I also need to finish and finalise my past projects that I have been slow on as well as using my sketchbook more with the limited amount of supplies I have.
- I would like to know how I can upgrade my research (areas where I should look into)?
- Advice on developing projects at home (since we would do workshops that helped out development)?
Shaping Shapes
Finished:
I finished the poster, I was told not to overthink the idea and composition. I took this advice to not make a complicated poster yet one that has a message. I kept the imagery simple with images and text. I wanted the poster to be in black and white, just because I think it looks more aesthetically pleasing to match the black and white images. In my experimentation, I used colors just to see but in the final product that I would put on the restaurant if I could. Due to the current situation of Covid-19, I was unable to physically go there and put my poster. Instead I took a photo from google maps and photoshopped it on the front. I put it right in front, so thats one of the first things the customers see and hopefully learn something.
Linocut Workshop
In the linocut workshop, I practiced using different tools and techniques to create an image to printmake. When making my first linocut, I felt as if it was very rough and may affect how the print would look. The cuts weren't super straight and sometimes I cut too deeply to where there would be holes in the bottom. When doing the first prints, you could see where I made the cuts. I cleaned up the spots where it was a bit rougher and made more prints. These were more clean prints , and I liked how they came out. I made a print off a quick drawing off green onions. I choose green onions because it is a vegetable used in southern cooking. After cleaning up my linocut, I experimented with different ink colors like red, blue and black. After using each ink color, I decided to experiment by overlapping colors. For example, I would do a print in blue then I would wipe down and cover it in red ink. On top of red print, I went over with a blue to add a almost 3D affect. I then experimented with composition as well by printing upside down or sideways on the same print. Overall, I just wanted to experiment with linocut and printmaking since this was my first time making a linocut. I want to experiment and improve my carving skills when making linocuts.
Shaping Shapes
DAY ONE:
AM:
We are finally done with our group project, and presented it to the class. I think our presentation went well, and we told our idea clearly to the audience. The video my peer member; George made accurately shows all the things we did together in the trip. We did many interactive games between us to get to know each other better or do create commune outcomes. I thought this was a good experience because it got me to work outside my comfort zone like hanging out with two people I don't know that well for three consecutive days. Although, I am not a huge fan of group projects, it made me have to think as a group and consider other peoples feelings and thoughts rather than think as an individual.
PM:
Shaping Shapes presentation + finding our audience
At first I was confused to what we were suppose to be doing like is this a new completely different project or are we suppose to add on to our previous research. It was then made more clear to me that this is a new project yet still using the same topic we were using for our project proposal. We were asked to think of who our audience was and it was a bit difficult to think of who at first but then I thought of the setting, I saw a restaurant. This project had to do with interaction and having a message within our topic. I chose to make a poster that would be put in front of a restaurant so the audience would be the customers. I came up with three interactions.
Scanning
Scanning the different foods came from the idea of focusing on one ingredient and create a simple pattern/drawing out of it. This was originally for my scale project where I wanted to simplify a food into a design that could be put somewhere. There is a small printer with a scanner in my basement, so i brought down food in plastic bags to scan. I choose rice and tomatoes due to those are foods that are used in everybody's meals yet we don't know where it originates from. I wanted to bring awareness of we should learn more of our foods backgrounds and history. When first scanning with the plastic bags, it didn't have the effect I wanted. My vision of the scans would be the food to look like they flat photos of food, I thought this could create an interesting print. The plastic showed up too much on the scanner and didn't show the actual food how I wanted. I decided to ditch the plastic bags and just have the food directly on the scanner for better effects. After I did this, I was happy with the outcomes so I experimented with the shape of the fruit. I scanned full cherry tomatoes then I cut them in half to scan the pattern inside. Then I squished them (inside the bag because I didn't want a bunch of tomato juice on my printer) this still made a interesting pattern with the plastic bags because I was able to squish it flat on the scanner.
Shaping Shapes
DAY TWO:
Today I visited a restaurant which I feel I could use as my public interaction space. I went to see the area, see how crowded it is and what the audience is like there. I also checked out the inside to see who the chefs were, and the customers. I also got food to compare that food to the food I ate while living in North Carolina, I also wanted to see if they were missing any traditional soul food or if the restaurant was more "American" food rather than Soul food. In this restaurant, I thought the poster outside the restaurant would work best for getting my message across. This is the better idea because there are lots of people walking by, or waiting to go into the restaurant. It would be too dark in the restaurant to put a poster in there and I think it would go unnoticed. Also the menu idea would not work because the type of menu they had. It was too big and didn't have the plastic sleeves I was hoping it would have.
Shaping Shapes
DAY THREE:
testing out and making a model
We presented our ideas to a group and I got good feedback on my ideas. My group also gave me ideas like I could do the poster interaction and then the menu idea if I used photoshop. After talking with my tutor who suggested I do the menu/poster outside, I decided to make a model.