How my creative process developed in both projects - Ampersand and Yes, Here's a room.
Ampersand Collaboration: This was a defining project for my practice, it united my interests in psychology, space, construction, photography and poetry. I learnt how to communicate my creative ideas to a different audience (a creative writer). Communicating my thought process and explaining my visual responses became easier as the project progressed. I also learnt how to translate and adapt Alice’s input of creative ideas into our final outcome, whilst maintaining my own identity as a visual communicator. In the future I would present and express what my practice involves in a clearer way at the beginning of a collaboration, ensuring the collaborative partner is aware of the limitations of their position to contribute to the visuals and designs I create.
Photography and Film: This year I have taken my photographic contents and compositions further. Alice’s poetry in Ampersand gave me the inspiration and content to work from. I have continued to use atmospheric poetry to fuel my photographic contents. I feel as though poetry gives me the emotion, rhythm, and atmosphere of a narrative in a confined form. During Ampersand it was interesting to create a photographic sequence which communicated a narrative. If I were to do it again I would refine the colour palette I used, I love working with colour and I could take this further by using an even more tailored and designed colour palette. I also think the photographs which most successfully communicated the emotions of the poem were the unidentifiable images of the interior, such as the close up of the sink. However, I think the revelation of space from the beginning to the end was successful in taking the audience away from the obviousness of an interior space, and taking them into a more abstract perception of the obscure beauty in a mundane environment. This transition from seeing a room at a distance to seeing unidentifiable objects was interesting, but i feel like the transition wasn’t fluid enough, I think it should have happened more gradually by taking out the photographs of the ‘whole’ room which appeared at points throughout the entirety film. My current film plays more with the format of layers and crops. I like how the size and shape of the crop, with the colours, is consistent to the changing atmosphere of the poetic narrative. For example, the long thin blue strip across the white image is consistent with the concept of creating a ‘quiet’ and calm ambience. I think it’s interesting how there is a certain disconnect between the objects photographed and the objects spoken. This exists because I am not using the objects to symbolise the scenes described in the poem, I am using them in conjunction with the words to form an atmosphere and mood. There are connections between the words and the objects which are suggestive, such as ‘and the shadows at the interstices of the ribs’ is spoken over the images of a chair, the wooden frame resembling the forms of ribs. If I was to start from scratch, I would enhance the power of the films ability to create the feeling of being inside, by using images of the outside environment to contrast with the inside space photographed. I have learnt throughout my practice as a visual communicator the power of contrast.
Materials and construction: Ampersand gave me the opportunity to physically create an environment which is what I had been building up to throughout my practice. I learnt that when you are creating a space you are always working within another space or an environment. The relationship between the existing space and your design needs to work coherently or it can completely alter the communication of your design. My installation moved from an alcove to a cupboard, this transition in space allowed my installation to come to life as it was undisturbed by other work. This self controlled space enhanced the communication of the installation which aimed to take the audience into a new environment, one that challenges their perception. If I had more time in the space I would have tailored my constructions to the scale and shape of the space, thinking more about how people walk in and around the room and how this affects their interpretation of the space. This lead me to create a design for the degree show which was less dependent on the space it was in. Learning to think in 3D has been challenging. What is plausible in construction is not always how you imagined the outcome. Understanding the materials and their limitations is important when you are at the beginning of the design process, in order to create a form which functions in the way intended. For example, the standing structures I have made for my final piece are completely different to my original designs. I experimented with metal to create a refined form which represented the square of a room. I discovered that the steel I was using could not hold it's form, and didn’t safely stand. I had to create a new design which reinforced the steel with a pine frame. I have learnt not to rush into construction. Whilst it is good to experiment, it’s important to understand the materials before you use them. Having said this, making and experimenting can shape your final outcome, allowing you to come up with compositions and designs that you wouldn’t naturally think of, the work can shape itself through ‘accidents’, which can be exciting.
The act of physically constructing is significant throughout all elements of my work. Physically piecing together text, constructing images, and constructing physical forms. I like to work with tangible images, inspiration and text. This physicality helps the way I process thoughts and ideas. This tangibility is consistent through my use of materials to communicate concepts and emotions. Materials are significant physically in the way I construct forms and structures. It is also significant within my photography, I like to capture the movement of natural light over textures and materials in the built environment.
Exit strategy
Last September I had an internship at Sheridan & Co. a retail design agency in London. I really enjoyed working in this environment, it had a positive and creative atmosphere. The team was made up of Graphic designers, visual communicators, and designers. They had a process of creating brand identities for their clients which then inspired the design of the commercial space. It is definitely somewhere I see myself working. I received an email following my internship which invited me to come back to the office any time to help out, giving 2 weeks notice. I have an ongoing relationship with them which I can continue during my MA in London.
I am in the position now where I have identified key themes of interest, and these themes are beginning to connect. My dissertation ‘Considering the appeal of the Cafe space and all its elements through the lens of interior design psychology’, talked about the importance of incorporating nature into the built environment. I am continuing to incorporate this research into the way I design now. For example, the installation I have made for my degree show is inspired by the natural world. The form and positioning of the structures and objects, as well as the colours, represent the natural environment. These forming relationships drive my desire and passion to study interior design. This transition feels very gradual and natural for me, I still see myself as being a visual communicator but with the intention of communicating through space, and designing spaces for a specific function and purpose. I began looking for MAs and courses in the field of interior design and set design. I didn’t want to spend my last year of university applying to courses so I decided to apply to the one I really wanted to go to, and apply for other courses in the summer or the following year. During the Ampersand project I sent off my online portfolio to the RCA for Interior Design MA, and to my excitement i received an invite for interview where I was offered a place! I am excited to be a part of a studio environment where I will be practicing Interior design. I feel as though I process thoughts and make decisions through discussion, our strong studio relationships on the Illustration course are vital to my development as a creative, the level of respect within our studio means we are able to constructively criticise each other’s work, and become stronger designers and illustrators as a result. I anticipate that i will find this at the RCA. I will take with me the knowledge I have of communication, and I will challenge my curiosities in biophilic architecture and psychology, to design with narrative and meaning. I will pursue the use of nature and natural forms within the built environment. How are we affected psychologically when we spend the majority of time in the built environment? How can we bring nature into the design of public spaces to positively benefit the psychological well-being of its inhabitants? I am interested in designing and creating or recreating spaces to encourage the positive social interaction within communities. To form spaces where people can congregate, with application of the theories in biophilic architecture. I am excited to further these curiosities in theory and design during my MA and throughout my career.