Today we had to create a prototype of our idea for the theme descent. I was excited to design a prototype because I was able to use photoshop and create a design that relates to the feathers and the angels. My prototype was very dark, and I only used two layers as I used two images. Below a picture of the prototype design:

I did really like it, however, as this is a basic idea, I have a lot of expansion to do make the photograph even better. I got given quite a lot of interesting pointers from my peers on how I could move forward. The main one was that the angel in the background was very hard to notice as it sunk in with the background and the black and white coloured filtered. Another good pointer was that there could be some more use of colour, bright colours and then these colours could have some interesting symbolic meanings to relate to angels and feathers. The angle of the angel in photographic techniques needs to be improve in connecting with the feathers as it did look a bit out of position when combining the two photographs.

In my sketch book I have found a few artists such as Lidia Wylangowska, who looks into angels and Mary Jo Hoffman who looks into the feathers. I still need to look into a writer who researches into the connection of feathers and angels descending to earth.

For the rest of the night, I am going to be making sure I am updating pages in my sketchbook with research and ideas, and I am also going to be creating different designs on photoshop to show how feathers descend to earth from our angels as a sign of communication. I will be recording all the designs in my sketchbook. Tomorrow, I am going to take some more photographs in relation to the idea.

Today was the first of the studio days, my first day at Ravensbourne University; very exciting. Our brief is all about ‘Descent’. Descent is the meaning of falling, dropping or going downwards. I was quite stuck in finding inspiration for this theme, but when I got home, I was struck by inspiration. The day consisted of researching into descent, and trying to create an idea for ourselves.

I am a big believer of angels, and I saw some feathers. I thought about how when feathers fall from the sky, they have been sent by an angel, from heaven, all the way to earth. The feathers are descending from heaven, a message from an angel. Another connection between the feather and the angel, is that angel wings are formed of these white feathers. I am thinking of overlapping layers of photographs on photoshop and see what sort of ideas expand from the initial idea. I decided to already take some photographs because I had all the still life objects here, and therefore gives me time tomorrow to start editing over Photoshop.

Overall, my idea is going to be looking into angels and feathers and how they descent to be with us in the human world, without making themselves known (barely).

I did have some alternative ideas which included the decay of the human body, and how over time, our body is changing, in a downwards direction. another idea was mental health, and how so many people struggle in todays society mentally, and how there is not a lot of publicity around that. My final alternative idea was falling into the unconsciousness mind, and how we are perhaps in a dream. I felt like these ideas didn’t connect to me as-well as my actual idea, and I felt like I can include a lot of my own opinions thoughts and feelings to my current idea.

As I have already taken the photographs in advance, I need to start and do the research for my idea. I was eager to get the photographs done so that I had something to work from, and whether my idea worked well physically rather than a plan.

This is a GIF called ‘A Cloak of Feather’. It relates to the my idea of descent because I am taking still photography of the fallen feathers, whereas this is showing how the feathers are falling. the black and white imagery creates an almost depression theme. I will be taking about this GIF in my sketch book along with other research.

I think I am dealing with my time management well as I am planning what I need to do, and being extremely organised with the presentation of my sketchbook and making sure work is in chronological order as I am doing them.

 

I went on my first gallery visit since A -Levels on Sunday to Tate Britain. The task of going to the Tate, was a bit of a mystery to me because I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, or if I needed to take photographs of the work. I thought back to when I went during my A – Levels, and what I needed to do for that, and used my past knowledge with the gallery, which actually helped me a lot. Throughout the gallery visit, I felt a lot more confident with what I was doing. I felt as though the trip was successful, I got a lot of inspiration from the art pieces, and the photography pieces. My strongest point is actually photography, so I feel as though I can analyse photographs a lot better than art work, as I have never studied art, so the art world is completely new to me, and therefore is a quite overwhelming.

I looked at the entire gallery, but I concentrated on the two exhibitions called, ‘Sixty Years of British Art’ and ‘New Generation Sculpture’. The New Generation Sculpture’ exhibitions was quite overwhelming for me because of the work being sculptures, I didn’t really know how to respond or to understand the work. The ‘Sixty Years of British Art’, that was more in my comfort zone as there was a lot of photography work, with collages, and I felt that I enjoyed looking at these more because I knew how to interpret and analysis them.

Through the visit, I got to understand what my weaknesses and strengths are. I have attached a few photographs from my visit, which are different types of art; photography,  moving art and sculptures.