Third Year: Project 1, Week 4

After creating my 3D forms in Perspex and paper I visualised them as lampshades, by photographing them in one of the stairwells in the art school and then manipulating them on photoshop. I was pleased with my visualisations and think they convey my vision for the samples well. If I were to develop these samples further I would scale up my designs to make them more appropriate for lighting, and also experiment with layering up pieces, to create dynamic lighting installations, which play with shadow.

Lampshade visualisations.

In preparation for the presentation on Tuesday, I scanned in pages from my sketchbook and used photos from the daylight studio, visualisations and digital designs to illustrate visually an overview of the project. I decided to limit text within the presentation, as I knew this would distract me when talking about my work, however I did label materials and fabrics.

Labelle fabric and paper for presentation.

I felt really nervous prior to the presentation, but I feel that it went well, and I was able to succinctly sum up my project. Next time I would stand up when presenting – my decision to sit down made it feel a bit less formal, however I was having to move around a lot to look a people and this was somewhat distracting.

My feedback was very helpful and led me in the direction of taking forward the techniques explored in Project 1, but with a new body of research. Several people suggested working larger scale and using the spaces soon to be available in the Grosvenor building to hang my samples and layer them up in a large space. This will also be helpful in working with light and shadow. Other suggestions I received included exploring the relationship between materials and even creating my own materials.

Experimenting with light and shaddow - I plan to take this further.

I’m not sure how to begin exploring the relationship between materials, but my plan now is to start a new project, based on primary research from Lisbon. This will focus on shape and colour, moving away from the black and white focus of project 1, and the floral/natural inspired subject matter. I’m excited about bringing in more colour and work with pink, orange and yellow especially, as these are colours I often feel a bit intimidated by and therefore shy away from. I’m still excited by the idea of creating lighting and wallpaper in the style of Tracy Kendall, incorporating bespoke designs with more commercial styles.

Lisbon colour and pattern inspiration.