The Show Must Go On...

Many issues have arisen with this exhibit. Yes, we are in the Sculpture Court - the most visited area of ECA. But that comes with a price. Actually a high price.

We are provided birch panels. They are beautiful. But apparently because of their price, we are not allowed to do any 'permanent' damage to them. For example, putting a hole in them. This is an issue considering I'm hanging 12 Aluminium mounted prints.

Additionally, the colour of the birch washes out my work. Making it almost look sick. A greenish tone.

The solution: take boards, paint them white and attach them to the birch. It hasn't been enjoyable, it has been 3 days, 5 coats, and no matter what I cannot wash the paint off my skin.

But it is worth it. The pieces look great against the white.

Always Moving, Always Changing

My work has developed much this semester. Especially in relation to how it will be displayed for the degree show.

I've finally and completely given up on the tracking system - allowing my images to be moveable against the wall. I gave it one more shot, I went to a few local model shops and inquired about their train tracks. Of course, their train tracks are only meant to lay flat on the ground and not against the wall. Therefore making it nearly impossible to attach anything to it.

I've decided to keep the images still and allow the audiences eyes to move. To move through a story. I've been working on numerous posters that convey relaxation in transport. Imagery from history and colours that signify a time when trains and planes were fun. Think red lipstick, bright blue eyes, think vintage advertisements.

 

 Final Degree Show Layout:

Head Out West, Glasgow

It was only recently that I heard Glasgow had a transport museum. This makes sense being that the only underground rail is found in Glasgow. A visit was long overdue considering that I've never ridden the "Clockwork Orange." (Glasgow's Subway).

I can't quite pin point what I loved so much about Glasgow's Subway. Perhaps it's the fact that it's so old and small. It's the opposite of the Tube. The Tube being busy, overcrowded, hot. Glasgow's Subway was empty, there were only four cars. It is a single circle, apparently you can do the whole loop in 20 minutes. That made me smile. From city centre, Clockwork Orange got  me right to my destination - Riverside Museum - Glasgow's Transport Museum.

London Transport Museum's goal is to be the world's best transport museum (taken from their mission statement). But after visiting the Riverside Museum, I will have to say Glasgow might currently be in the lead. Granted, it has just moved and is in a whole new building - new exhibits.

Glasgow's Transport Museum takes you back in time. There are Hollywood like sets that you walk through and feel as if you're back in a time when the previous transport type was used. Want to know what the world looked like when we used horses and buggies? Make a left into this alley.

Glasgow's Transport Museum is also more interactive. There are more opportunities for the audience to work with certain exhibits.

People are drawn to history, they're drawn to the past. Glasgow Transport Museum proves this.

Side Work

I've taken on a few fun projects on the side. Mostly the reason for such is to clear my head from degree show stress.

Natural Selection Brewing wrote us designers asking for a label for a beer they're releasing this summer: Anorak. I immediately saw this as an entertaining project to take on for a couple hours. 'Natural Selection' automatically made me think of dinosaurs. Perhaps I took this contest on just because I've always wanted an excuse to make a design with dinosaurs in them.

Next, a friend from Napier University approached me and asked for help designing the Nurses' Grad Ball tickets. She asked for vintage typography, and she got it.

And last but not least, I've finally created a website for myself. Continuing with vintage typography, this is my header:

To The Modern World

It was about time I visited the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. I will be honest in saying I've been avoiding this visit for a long time now. I'm not normally drawn to Modern Art exhibits.

Saying that, I was extremely impressed with The Sculpture Show on display at the National Gallery. Jaw dropping. 

http://www.nationalgalleries.org/whatson/exhibitions/the-sculpture-show/the-real-body

The Real Body exhibit is overwhelming. You are in a room with lifelike figures, so lifelike that they seem like real individuals - models perhaps on standby and at any moment would jump out at you.

In the way it's enticing to the audience, I too want to convey that magnetic draw from piece to audience. Clearly my work will not be so bold, but there was something to learn from the power a single piece can have. One does not need a giant bus shelter or bright/bold lights to draw in the audience.

Outside the gallery is a trail of more sculptures and installations. The museum provides a trail map (meant for kids clearly, but my friend and I made an exception) to take you from piece to piece. It was this interactive type of display that inspires me. I have two 1200x2400 panels. How can I create an interactive display for my audience? How do I lure them in? How do I get them to find joy in public transport?

Escape to Nature

The Royal Botanic Gardens have always been my favorite getaway in Edinburgh. It's a simple bus fare away (or walking distance on a good day) and a chance to be surrounded by peace and tranquility. Truth be told, I even have a favorite bench that's hidden in the trees.

Today I decided to take a break from studio work, course work, context and escape to the trees and nature.

Coincidentally, there were a few exhibits displayed.

The exhibit Hard Rain was on display. The aim of the exhibit was to bring attention the need of sustainable development. Photographs were on display outside the green house that convey “our headlong collision with nature.”

http://www.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/edinburgh/hard-rain-is-a-gonna-fall-again-1-2194557

The exhibit was memorable due to of course the Bob Dylan song playing over and over again, but also because it's rare to find such large displays of photography outdoors. Especially where you least expect it: botanic gardens.

Continuing on the trail, I came upon a tree wrapped in pink material.

It immediately reminded my of street art and yarn bombing:

The pink tree in the gardens though stood for raising awareness for breast cancer. It stopped many visitors in their tracks as they just stared at a pink tree. If the intent was to gain reaction, it was successful.

'Cut a zero from your budget'

We just received the dimensions for our show space, and they are much smaller than anticipated. Cutting many inches off my original idea. I'm quite excited though that us designers will be in the Sculpture Court, the main and busiest section of the college, also beautifully lit.

But back to dimensions, 1200mm x 2400mm is much smaller than what I was expecting! Thank goodness I didn't continue with the bus shelter idea, clearly impossible. Though my IKEA rails aren't necessarily the perfect prototype and barely work anyways, their size is too large for the space given anyways.

This is when the creativity sinks in. Bigger clearly isn't always better. Shrinking works down could come to an advantage, I was thinking before in large scale - because I normally do - but now is a challenge to create a more intimate exhibit.



On another note, I have created various poster designs. Not all of them are brilliant, but the intent is to play with ideas. They are now in my mind, they can easily be modified - and will have to be modified once my railing system is figured out.