Final Piece - Photograph

Framing

The work is a hopeful preservation of what can or can't happen, so by framing the work (with a perspex cover) it will 'hopefully' create a metaphor for this. In terms of colour and shape, I wanted a display technique that wouldn't take away from the piece yet aid in the minimal, conceptual nature of it.

Final piece with Text

By producing the piece in a smaller font you get the sense that it's more personal and intimate, perhaps with a larger font it could have the possibility to be either too overwhelming and uninviting. Though I wanted to create something which was personal which is why the predictions are seperate and kept to their own place, yet from a far they are grouped which relates to my underpinning concepts of creating a community and a sense of being.

Photos of the work in progress

I started by mapping out the space and distance between each circle as well as the border. With the help of maths I managed to work out a measurement in which the circles created a reptitious presence. The circles alone were also measured acturatley with each one having a diametre of 8.5cm. I felt that incorporating a mathmatical strategy was crucial to achieving the repitious, endless being which will very much so contrast with added text. Since I had limited space and limited gold, I had no choice but to lessen the amount of predictions and circles than what I first wanted, though it wasn't a main worry for me as it was never set in stone.

The thought of repition

From the previous post I began contemplating as to how I should present the gold leaf. My first thoughts were similar to the old design, yet it would be on a smaller scale and in a square, linear fashion. Once the leaf arrived I realised as to the size (or the lack of it) and carried on to deviate my thoughts to find new ways of displaying them. As the work follows the concept of repetition and an endless cycle I came up with the idea of conveying the gold leaf in a circular order. The work will be produced with mathematical equations which will help produce and maintain an 'endless' concept.

Format: Instead of Paper

From tutorials and my own thoughts it became clear that I didn't have a strong enough reason as to why I would be using a4 matte paper. From a documentary on the BBC, Gold Leaf was used to create a medium for a piece of art. I thought this would be a complete turn around as well as giving it a definitive reason. Since the Gold leaf is so delicate it reflects that of life itself (which is expressed in the predictions), so tangible yet so dainty. The gold will be 24ct which in a more literal sense, represents the many monetary issues as well as producing a metaphor of how life is pure and exquisite. Another subtle factor is the reflective properties of the gold, although not being 100% reflective as say a mirror, it holds a less literal sense, in the hopes that the audience will reflect on themselves, in addition to the work.

Screen Printing Problems, moving to Letterpress

From different opinions, the logistics of creating 100 sheets of silkscreens would be impossible to achieve in the given time. So with past thoughts of the letterpress technique I went ahead and purchased an alphabet of 36pt (helvetica style) letterpress blocks. The technique would be used differently than conventional letterpress, as I would hand press each letter as it's more likely to produce a chance where something could go 'wrong'.

Research: Artists that use text in their work: Gerry Smith

I also viewed Gerry Smith, who calls himself a 'text based artist'. In which most of his works incorporate text but to a minimal standard. Gerry's 'Don't mess with me' holds that bold statement touch which is the manipulated with the minimal black font on white background or his 'Brunelleschi's Singularity' which is of a similar form yet incorporates a much smaller font which is seemingly overwhelmed with the huge negative space around it. His 'Instruction' pieces which "display a mundane literalism" reminded me Sol leWitts instructional pieces and how he devised a way in which anyone could replicate his art. It got me thinking on how my piece could well seem as instructions to some.

Research - Artists that use text in their work: Jesse Draxler

The look of the font isn't exactly what I would be aiming for yet the idea of a brash statement linked with that of a print screen, diffused format. I suppose what draws me most is the huge impacting image of Charles Manson, yet the thought of creating a piece which is slightly forceful in terms of font still remains applicable.

Formatting of Final Piece

Ideally having around 100 (though not necessary) predictions, silk screened or hand printed on a4 matte paper. The paper would be placed in a way in which the spaces between would match perfectly and would then be held up with black tape, delivering a temporary, slightly aggressive reaction.

New Method/Medium - Silk screening

I began debating whether I should choose Screen Printing over simple inkjet printing. Overall there's an expectancy of chance which, when thinking about the project theme, is highly necessary. The chance of a mechanical or human error (perhaps a few small marks where the ink didn't touch or a wonky alignment of the font) would relate to the chance of a prediction being incorrect.

First impressions of what will be the 'Predictions'

I went for a black, strong font, nothing fancy yet holds a structured, ordered presence. I would leave the background white (or off-white) only to divert attention away from the background which would make the text more obvious, while seemingly creating a repetitious piece.

Format Research - Andy Warhol

I think perhaps in terms of format, Andy's "Marilyn Monroe" piece as well as "32 Campbell's soup cans" show a huge impact towards my concept. I found the way Warhol organized and displayed the soup cans to be similar to my "10/20 predictions on the wall" though his piece contained similar screen prints but on a slightly larger scale. Besides this, I've found a new 'love' in the medium Warhol has used to create such pieces, this being Silk Screening.

Format No.2 - Wall small scale

The idea would be to choose 10/20 predictions, print them on a4 sized paper and hang them on a wall in a straight line. The first positive in comparison to my previous concept is the large capacity of space in which the audience can move freely to view the whole work and at more than one person per time. As well as this the pieces seem more individual when viewed up close an fit with one another from further back. I thought of using bulldog clips to hold up the piece yet I couldn't find the relevance towards them and the work so the concept of framing them seemed ideal. Again I asked myself questions, e.g. How would the frames be any more relevant or important? but this time I came up with the intention that if these, society indulgent prints were bordered and not 'as' free as they once were, it would mimic society itself.

Format No.1.5 - Book extended

The book format didn't exactly grow on me. I saw a piece on the TV Programme, "Next Great Artist". The work shows a silk screen print behind 3 objects. Alike my book concept and equipped with this research I arrived at the idea to not only display the book on a pedestal but to produce a large illustration containing parts of the predictions, on the wall directly behind my previous intention.

Format No.1 - Book

The first thought was to produce a book, similar to my past 395 documentation project. The pages would consist of numbered back to back predictions, possibly with a small statement of why it could happen. The font would have to contain some form of minimalism aswell as being formative, I had in mind serif fonts. Ideally the book would be placed on top of a pedestal block to give it height and a raised status. My only problem with this format is that only 1 person at a time would be able to view the work.

Research - Damien Hirst - The concept of death

Damien Hirst uses the subject of Death in most of his pieces, whether it's a discussion or a problem. In many cases, alike his "for the love of god" diamond encrusted skull, it's

symbolic of the way society deals with death in Mexico, treating the occasion more as an embrace, rather than a fear. With Hirst's spot paintings he again revisits the concept of death but creates it in a repetitious manner, being an immortal piece which, according to Hirst, will probably carry on till he dies.
With my idea in mind I want to invoke a sense of Death, not to necessarily consume the piece, but to give it a rightful place. The variation of something so aesthetically simple is something I will include in my work with the idea of death, immortality, society, immigration and others being the crux.

Research - Futurology - Umberto Boccioni

br /> Umberto's work follows the movement of nature and humanity with almost every piece yet I find his "unique forms of Continuity in space" sculpture to be the most recognized.
The Bronze statue is seen as an expression of movement and fluidity and depicts the human body in motion, with the a kinetic, aerodynamic and fluid form.

Research - Futurology - Jacque Fresco, Future by Design

Jacque Fresco is dubbed the modern day Da Vinci who is the founder and director of an organization known as The Venus Project, located in Venus Florida.
Although not yet built, the model aims to incorporate sustainable cities and values. The Project was founded on the idea that all nations are fundamentally corrupt.
Although Fresco's work tends to follow an architectural, visual appearance, dissimilar to my proposed idea, the method behind the work is to prepare for the future.

Reason for 'Humorous Predictions' - futurology

The humour mimics the nature of a prediction, it's a guess, and to have one persons view on the existence of life shouldn't be taken to a literal extent.
It's said that humans have a prolonged desire to know the future. Health and money tend to be the biggest benafactors but since our life is but a blip in existence we need to hold humour close. The less serious predictions follow this motion of a life span, within the devastation, monetary increases and once unthinkable discoveries there is humour, allowing the mind become more pacific, more pastoral.

Main Idea - Futurology

br /> Thinking back to my childhood and onwards I remembered points where I would imagine life in the future. Predicting what could be possible or probable tended to be a visual activity more than a verbal or written account, as not having to immediately share this information with anyone else made it more intimate.
With this information I came to an open ended conclusion to create my own list of predictions. The process of doing so was fun but began taking more time to complete, probably due to repetition.
Overall, it touches on the lucid inevitability of death, though being such an intimidating, daunting subject, I ultimately want to produce the piece to make the idea of said subject tangible and something not to shy away from, as many of us do.

Initial ideas - Room

Similar to the 'rocket chair' piece, I thought whether it was possible to create a useable, installation room. Rather than having just the function of being able to sit and watch a projection, you would be able to move freely inside the room, sit on a chair, read at a table and more. Being a 90's child, it dawned on me that generating a piece with this particular theme would create a greater sensation.
In terms of an aura, nostalgia would be the crucial sentimental value that the viewer could feel.

Research - Geffrye Museum

The main goal for the Geffrye Museum is to showcase different period rooms and gardens.
Via the website you are able to explore the different rooms (with a 360 view), just some include a 16th century hall, complete with furnishings, 18th century drawing rooms and a 1998 loft-style apartment.
With the 1998 apartment the main features include bare wood flooring, white walls, sparse furnishings, modern furniture, a few decorative objects, such as coloured-glass vases, and a large contemporary painting or print.

Initial ideas + research - Chair

Since a lot of my work tends to follow an illustrative of photographic style, I struggled to get my head around how it would be possible to create a similar styled piece which connected to the given brief.
My attention arose when visiting www.nellyben.com. One of the pieces highlighted is 'The Soyuz Chair'. It simulated a shot 'life' of an astronaut and what they would normally experience when taking off. Vibration, sound and the aid of the chair being completely white adds a large impact to the functionality.
Ideally for the first idea I would make/buy a 90's retro styled chair, place it anywhere in a room and project videos/images of 90's related material, i.e. rock concerts, revolution of gaming etc (equipped with headphones). The significance would be the relation to me, being born in the early 90's you could say that I am a 90's child, so if possible I would like to share the most precious part of my life.

Research - Twilight Zone - The Silence

A man who talks too much is offered half a million dollars to live in silence for a whole year, if he fails, he loses the wager. The difference comes down to the will of man as the man had the choice of being subjected to a fate similar to that of 'Old Boy', yet has chose to do so by the large ego of his own greed.
Both stories are compelling yet saddening yet i'm provoked to concern about the psychological effects they have on the character.

Research - Facebook

While watching the "social network" I thought whether 'Facebook' can be classed as a simulation. The driving force behind Facebook is vanity, the ability to know what a particular person is doing at a particular time is what makes user come back day after day.
It's without doubt that you can stay true to yourself or create a whole new persona and this is where the 'simulation' makes itself aware. You could, within reason, give yourself new morals, create a history and give yourself a 'makeover'.

Research - WoW

The World of Warcraft involves the users by creating a "virtual avatar" or what WoW calls it, a "character". By having the ability to choose from a good or bad union, 12 races, sex, hair colour etc and name you really feel as though you can create someone you've always wanted to be.
The concept of currency is something that's made obvious straight away. I have the theory that it's the most vital role in the game, which truly mimics that of real life, the player (or person) with the most money is the highest member of society.

Research - Old Sparky

Mitch Epsteins 'American power' series shows the huge irreversible impact that power generation has had on society and the landscape.
The photography named 'Old sparky' holds a personal captivation and steps into the idea of death, the future and how the modern man has developed a way to simplify execution for the 'giver' and 'receiver'. The also photo seems to be a reminder of the perverse ways in which America uses its authority and its cultural relationship to these uses.

Research - Fake Afghan Village

Despite this unreal look the ministry of Defence have managed to replicate as close as possible to the scenes and smells troops would face on the front-line in Afghanistan.
Without a doubt the most extraordinary piece to the facility is the realisation that you can 'travel' to another part of the globe while still being a member of the UK. With this in mind could it be possible to create an experience where the subordinate section of the public, who don't have the financial capability to travel abroad, be subjected to a fake yet visually realistic environment which creates the impact of the real think?