Final Installation Adjustments

When I arrived in college today, I instantly turned the projector on to ensure the projected drawing had remained the same as when I left yesterday. I made some minor alterations to some pieces on the projector, but other than that I am really pleased with the outcome.

Yesterday I left college with a dilemma in mind of viewers within the exhibition being able to see the sculpture before the projection or at the same time, but I purely want the projection to be seen first. Therefore I managed to get hold of some more of the translucent material I had been using. This time I used a longer roll to ensure the sheet would reach the floor. I also slightly bent the overhanging metal pole, increasing the height of the translucent sheet. Taking a step back I realised that not being able to see any of the installation behind the material worked really effectively. 

What viewers will see as they enter through the doorway.

I am really pleased with this final outcome, and seeing the installation like this gives me a great sense of achievement. I have created a installation/sculpture/projection/drawing with a strong link to a site of construction.

Theres always time for one last touch. To hold the extractor tube more firmly in place I added a spiralling wire to the side of it, attaching with wire. This also adds to essence of a working construction site in the projection as it adds an element of movement to the piece.

All that is left to do now in terms of the exhibited piece, is to double-check everything abides by health and safety regulations. I will attach the electrical wire to the corner of the wall behind using tape to ensure it does not become a hazard or it does not become a distraction to the work. I will also tape any sharp areas of the installation that may be a potential danger. Areas that come to mind are the scrap metal that holds the translucent sheet and the edges on the structure holding the projector.

Installation Continued.

Due to the structure being moved around the studio in attempt to find a successful place to install it, when I applied electrical current to the projector, the projected drawing had become slightly different to the original set up. Therefore I had to play around with the focus on the projector and adjust any parts of the sculpture built onto the projector that had come out of place.

Once I was happy with the projection, I decided to take a step back to view the installation in situ. Although I was really pleased with the set up and the way it looked, there wasn't quite something right still. I think perhaps the translucent sheet needs to be slightly higher so that viewers can't see the sculpture behind unless they walk around to the side. I also had planned for the structure to be installed in a corner, where people would see the projection first and then have to come round the side to see the actual sculpture.

I connected the sheet to the overhanging pole by using wire to give the impression of a crane end.

I added the torn/ripped plastic extractor pipe to the hanging pole as I feel it really adds a sense of destruction to the projection.

I also feel it really completes the piece as a sculptural installation.

The connecting metal pipes meeting at a right angle is intended to add to the sense of a construction site, in particular a crane possibly.

After further discussion with my tutor, we agreed that the piece would be overall more effective if it was placed in the corner of this area. I really want the viewers in the exhibition to question what is creating the projection before they are able to actually see. In order to move the installation into the corner, it meant another student working in this area would have to be moved, leaving just two of us. Although I was beginning to feel somewhat greedy with the space I was taking, I feel it would be better for both myself and the student that had been moved as my installation does have a domineering presence. I wouldn't want anyone elses work to be disrupted by my own work.

As soon as I moved the installation into the corner I instantly knew it was the right place. It works so much better for what I want to achieve with the piece.

The only problem that has risen now is that you are still able to see parts of the sculpture through the gap between the sheet and the wall, and also above the material for those taller viewers. Some adjustments need to be made tomorrow!

Exhibition Installation

This week is purely for Exhibition Installation and Final Major Project Presention.

Yesterday the group were split up depending on where the tutors felt our work would fit best in the space and in relation to our peers work. Initially I was quite bemused as to why I was paired with Ben, James and Kieran, as all of their work differs significantly to mine. In the group we went round giving each others work feedback, both the work itself and the presentation of the work at the current time. Whilst we were going round I began to pick up on some strong links as to why we may have been placed together. All of us seem to have strong influences and ideas for our work, which I feel is instantly evident. Ben is very interested in comic-like illustration and explores colour within his work. James's work is very minimalistic, he appears to have a strong interest in space, layers and texture. Kieran is working with rust and seems to like experimenting with the possibility of materials. My work is heavily influenced by the process of construction and I clearly have an interest in sculpture and projection. Although all of our interests are extremely different, one word that kept seeming to be mentioned whilst we were giving feedback and explaining our work was 'spontaniety'. We all have ideas and influences before we create the work, but when it comes to the actual process of making, we all work very spontaneously, allowing for the process to perhaps takeover and allowing accidents to occur. 

The feedback I got for my structural installation was that it comes across as a somewhat menacing structure. I haven't really considered this aspect to my work, but yes I guess when I do view the work it does give off a sinister sense. I think the materials used and perhaps the size of the work can be particularly intimidating and invading of space. One part of the work which I do feel is very sinister is the actual projection. Whilst I was creating it I noticed that the drawing developing did seem to be desolate, which relates well to a construction site as they can be very large, isolated areas.

Another point that was raised, which I really liked, was the idea of the piece giving a message 'Get stuffed Health and Safety regulations'. This idea is interesting as the projector doesn't quite look safe placed on the structure, which appears unbalanced due to the angles of the materials. The projector has warning signs placed on it, I feel it is quite ironic how it is being invaded by this menacing, what appears unsafe structure. I am almost creating my own Health and Safety regulations, within my own process of construction.

I found it extremely difficult trying to fit the scuplture into the space without disrupting the work on the walls that surround the piece. At first I began with the installation in the centre facing the open space, but this really didn't work with work being intended to be behind it. Therefore I tried to place it in the corner so that you could view everybodys work. However, the others were still not happy with its placement and to be honest neither was I.

After a lot of thought at consultation we decided it would be best if one person, whose work was intended to be placed on one of the walls, moved to another area within the studios.

With some more space to try my installation in, I decided to explore ways of hanging the translucent sheet from the overhanging metal pole. I found a scrap piece of metal that was the perfect size to hold the sheet, I just needed to find a way of hanging this securely.

After discussion with my tutors about the most effective way to hang the translucent sheet, I decided the best way would be to give the impression it was a material hanging from the end of a crane, which is really relevant to my subject matter of a construction site. To achieve this effect I used wire, wrapping it tightly to the metal pole above and then to the scrap metal to hold the material horizontally. I feel this really works well and helps to give the overall essence of a construction site within the installation.

Tutorial Reflection

This morning I had a tutorial with one of my tutors specifically about my online blog. The talk made me really think about what my work means to me and how I work as I haven't really yet sat down and thought about myself in relation to my ideas and what I create. An essential question which arose was, 'Why do I work spontaneously?'. I think the reason I probably haven't thought about this question is because I have been unconsciously avoiding it.

Being spontaneous in the way I work allows me to be as expressive as possible and be playful with the materials I use. I think the reason I love to work in this way is because I am using my own process/es of construction. I have a large interest in the development of buildings, but this is more about what is achieved as oppose to how it is being done. Constructing something in a 3D way with no design plans, just ideas and influences, allows me to really interact with the materials I'm using and feel as if I am a part of the work. The materials I have used such as wood, metal and plastics are materials you would expect to find in a construction site, just perhaps not in such an extemporaneous way.

Michael Beutler

Earlier today one of my peers introduced me to an installation artist that I may be interested in. I looked at one image of their work and was instantly intrigued! Their work seemed really relevant to my current installation ideas.

Micheal Beutler lives and works in Berlin. According to www.friezefoundation.org 'Michael Beutler’s expansive sculptures are usually created on-site in relation to given architectural arrangements. In an idiosyncratic experimental process Beutler employs conventional building materials to question standardization, using DIY strategies and creating machines that facilitate the construction of the piece.' The websites description of Beutler's work really reminds me of my own way of working and my interests. 

Above: 'Mit Christoph und Lucie / With Christoph and Lucie' 2003

I find this piece interesting due to the similarities to the current installation I am working on for my final exhibition. I am using materials similar to Beutler has used here such as plastic, wood and metal in areas. The installation appears to have been built in a somewhat spontaneous way as there doesn't seem to be any geometric organisation evident. I can also relate my work to this due to the tower-like presence, but ephemeral quality the piece constructed has. The plastic cups stacked on top of each other really remind me of the insulation plastic pipe I am using to hang in my sculpture and project past.

Above: 'Lolita' 2003

This installation created in the same year as the one above also instantly caught my eye. The main thing that really fascinated me here was the drawing created from the sculpture when you view it from different angles. Even though I know these are poles that are part of the installation it gave me the impression of projection of a structure being directed around a room. Also the wooden structure to the right of this photograph seems to have been constructed spontaneously with an intention to give the impression it has potential to fall over. This directly relates to the structure I have built to place the projector on to in my installation which appears to be very unbalanced. 

ONE WEEK TIL DEADLINE

The project deadline is fast approaching! The last couple of days we have been cleaning and re-decorating the studios, which has been physical more tiring than I expected. Although it has been a chance to step back a little from project work and rest my mind for a few days. 

I'm shattered after a pretty long day, but when I arrived home from visiting my potential house in Norwich I sat down to watch a programme 'Andrew Marr's Megacity'. The programme involved Andrew Marr travelling to a number of large developing cities across the world and documenting his discoveries of society and the environment. The parts of the programme that fascinated me specifically were the areas of exploration of construction skyscrapers. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2kT-jTPBQY

The link shows an extract from the show where Andrew Marr is exploring the construction process of the new Shard building that is currently being built in London. The part of this clip that particularly excites me is the first 25 seconds as it shows hundreds of images in a stop-start motion format showing the development of the building so far. The stop-start clip reminded me of some previous animation work I have done involving colour invading a boot of my car. However, the construction process element to this link really relate to what I am currently interested in.

SCAFFOLDING

Ideally in my exhibited piece I would have liked to have included some life size scaffolding, however I feel I have built in a more spontaneous way. I don't see this as a negative as such as I intended to construct in a unorderly way, it is just if I had more time to explore my ideas I feel it would make the sculptural installation more authentic and more identifiable in terms of construction.

A part of me is also pleased that I haven't managed to explore the process of scaffolding as it has given me a chance to reflect destruction and reconstruction of structures within one installation. The form of the 'plinth' holding the projector in place appears to be very spontaneous and gives the impression the structure is vulnerable to falling. This part of the installation, along with the torn insulation plastic pipe and the broken spaghetti and cocktail sticks I have built from, could represent destruction, whereas the projection portrays a reconstruction site for a building that has perhaps been destroyed.

Julie Mayo

I recently came across this digital image by searching construction sites on the web. I really like the mysterious aspect to this particular work.

Dorte Bundesen

I am getting very close to the end of the project now, but I was just trying to think of ways I would improve the piece I am creating if I had more time to spend working with the idea. One artist I came across, Dorte Bundesen, has some very interesting pieces.



I really like the idea of projecting through material with marks or of a specific colour, which will therefore effect the projection on the wall. It's just something for me to consider in the future.

Jonathan Borofsky

I wanted to reference this piece by Borofsky purely due to the fact that the projector actually becomes part of the work as opposed to just the projection being the entire piece. As I am now building up around the projector piece by piece the projector is defintely becoming a part of the installation and I would like the work to be viewed as a sculpture aswell as a projection piece.

Sarah Sze

Sarah Sze is an American artist who creates sculptural installations such as the piece below, 'Untitled (Portable Planetarium). This piece in particular addresses everyday life things and recycling. It includes materials we would except to see on a daily basis in a household environment such as fans, nails, rulers, feathers etc. The installation suggests a magical world integrating sounds, lighting and subtle movements. One thing that I do find really exciting about this piece and Sze's work is that once the sculpture has been dismantled after the exhibition, the materials used will be used to produce another work, generating new life. 

I can relate this way of working to my work as I created my sculputral installation using some scraps of wood that I used to create another sculpture I had previously built. Although this meant I had to destroy my own piece of work, the process of actually doing it was really exciting. When I was destroying the work I was consciously thinking about subject matter in regards to destruction and the apocalyptic nature of some of my work. It was even more fascinating to think that by re-using the materials I had previously used to built that I was reconstructing a sculpture. The idea of reconstructing has become a huge part to my work as the projected drawing represents a building that has been destroyed and is perhaps being reconstructed.

I feel that this piece would become really interesting if a source of light was forced upon it as the projection would be of such fine detail. 



I love the amount of intricate detail within this sculptural piece. The small ladder tracks made from sticks really remind me of the sculpture I have made on top of the projector. I also think this piece would be very interesting if light was forced upon it showing the projected shadow.



I absolutely love this installation, especially from this particular angle. Due to the photograph being from low down it gives the impression of a vast and overpowering constructed landscape. It is very authentic in regards to how it makes you feel. I know that when I witness large construction sites with lots happening I feel somewhat overwhelmed by the sheer height and powerful essence the environment gives. Sze uses lots of different coloured materials in this installation, which helps portray a magical atmosphere and a distinct mysterious feel.

Developing Sculptural Installation

After re-assessing the installation in the process of being created, I decided to carry on in the spontaneous manner of building that I had began on Thursday. I was now constructing around the projector I had built a sculpture onto previously, which I intend to be included in the installation. The piece really began to come together now as the sculpture I was creating with wood and materials such as plastic pipe and scraps of metal were beginning to reflect the structures I have built earlier this week using materials such as uncooked spaghetti, cocktail sticks and straws.

I am very pleased with the development of the installation so far as I feel it captures the essence of a construction site that I am trying to achieve. I particularly love that when you take a step back from the piece, the structure gives the impression that is falling over or atleast that it is vulnerable to falling. I feel that this is successful due to the angles I have joint some of the materials. Although I have tried to be as spontaeous as possible, once I had noticed that the structure was giving the impression it was unbalanced it was hard not to explore this visual idea further.

Now that I have constructed the structure to a sufficient amount to be successful, I can begin to explore the possibilities of attaching translucent material to the piece so the artwork becomes a whole sculptural installation.

Goshka Macuga

I was looking through one of my peers books that they had taken from the library today and came across this piece of work that I thought looked really fascinating. It was created by Polish artist Goshka Macuga, who according to http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/turnerprize/turnerprize2008/artists/macuga_work.shtm

'creates carefully staged, mixed-media installation'.

With the idea that I have had currently, I feel Macuga's work sounds really relevant in terms of exhibition installation.

In regards to the work I came across in particular, 'Architectural visions of early fancy in the gay morning of youth, and Dreams in the evening of life by JM Gandy, 1820', I feel it really creates a landscape environment sense. This is mainly due to the pylons connecting across constructed table platforms. Even though the scaffolding poles in the background of the exhibition may not be a part of the work I find these particularly interesting as they help to give a real sense of a constructed environment. I love how this, what appears to be a random assortment of structures and materials, almost creates a design model.



Building Exhibition Installation

I began building my final exhibition installation today in the studio. It's suprising how much fun drilling bits of wood together can be. Not sure I'm cut out for the whole DIY scene, but constructing spontaneously is very exciting. I measured the installation I had set up earlier this week in the mezzanine area to know the exact height and width I wanted to the platform for the projector to be placed on.

I feel it is important that the materials are joint together by drilling with screws. I essentially want to give the viewer of the exhibition the impression that they are entering a construction site without being too obvious.

My plan is too have the structure I have built (plinth for the projector), attached to the translucent sheet which the projected drawing will be cast on to via an overhanging material. I wanted to do this as I feel that by having something overhanging it will help to give the impression of being in an actual building site where the height of the construction forces us to naturally look up and be wary of our surroundings. I went skip raiding and scraps raiding to see if I could find something sufficient to fit my needs. I considered having a plastic tube, but I came across an even better option; a copper pipe. Not only is this more authentic in terms of a construction site, but the metal will be a lot stronger than the plastic I had in mind. However, I did also find a plastic tube which I decided to attach to areas of the 'plinth' structure.

To ensure the 'plinth' structure was serving its purpose I placed a projector on to the platform. Taking a step back I really felt quite proud of what I had built. It doesn't look like much for the time it took and to be honest it doesn't really look like anything at the moment, but I feel it really gives the projector a new interesting context. Seeing the structure with the projector in place makes me really excited for how my exhibition final outcome will look. I will re-asses what I have built tomorrow and make sure I am happy with everything so far and then carry on constructing.