'The Farnham Experience'
Aim: The Havanas' mission is to explore and record through a blog our first experiences of Farnham either as a place of learning or the place itself. Our task is to produce a 10-15 minute presentation of our research (a week on Wednesday on 3rd October) which will include the production of one of the following outcomes:
1) An object which best conveys our initial experience of Farnham
2) A brand for Farnham or the college
3) A piece of promotional writing for a magazine about our Farnham experience
4) An image which best represents our first impressions of Farnham
From reading Dan's blog (very good ideas by the way) I have the impression we could be moving down the re-branding route or perhaps the image (as in moving image) which best represents our first impressions of Farnham route? Which did you have in mind Dan? I think we have to choose one only out of the 4 options. I hope you have all had the link to Dan's blog to see his initial ideas and that you don't mind that I have set this group one up - I thought it best that our discussion and research happen in one place to save there being bits of research on all our individual blogs making it harder to keep track of it all. (Sorry if I beat one of you to it if it was already decided who would do this after I had to leave and feel free to change it if you want!)
I think Dan has has some great ideas although I have to say that I have no idea about computer animation I'm afraid to say...am going to go out and take some photos to aid research! Look forward to reading future posts! Ellie
70 comments:
Posted Ellie on dan's blog.
Ellie said...
"Hello, it is Ellie here. Hope you're feeling a bit better. Very exciting all this blogging. I love the idea too! I have my camera with me so thought I might see if I can get some good pictures of people milling about to add to research...maybe some research on colour theory too. I don't know if you already know this but I found out in the IT induction today that the place is already colour coded - Red, Green, Yellow, Blue which is why there are letters before the numbers ie: R32 = Red 32, Y13= Yellow 13 and so on......Also would it be a good idea to set up a group blog as otherwise we are going to have lots of bits of research on all different blogs....will try to set one up now."
Hi Ellie - Yes I did know that the place was colour coded. My idea was to use those colour codes in a more obvious, approachable and creative way. A colour-coded pathway design that span off to the (already) individually colour-coded departments/blocks would be an augmentation of an idea already in use at Farnham. It would just develop it in, hopefully, a more creative, informative and useful way. Become a central motif, so to speak.
But we could also spin the colour-code format in a completely different idea?
hi everyone
like dan's idea, am doing some research on Michel Foucault and Roland Barthes. Barthes often claimed to be fascinated by the meanings of the things that surround us in our everyday lives. and he looks at their shared interrogation of the meanings of the cultural artefacts and practices that surround us. Barthes often claimed that he wanted to challenge the `innocence' and `naturalness' of cultural texts and practices which were capable of producing all sorts of supplementary meanings, or connotations to use Barthes's preferred term. He states that although objects, gestures and practices have a certain utilitarian function, they are not resistant to the imposition of meaning. I wondered if it would have some meaning and connection with our Farnham experiences, i will check out for some quoteable text to use in our research if this is not on the right track of where you all want to go please let me know.
thanks sharon
Hi guys,
Love the ideas coming through,for my part I had ideas based around Farnham as a whole, but this could be incorporated in the ideas around the college, although i am aware we need to do one of the tasks on the sheet.
I was thinkong along the lines of creating an object to represent the college in a slighlty abstract way. We are being encouraged to think outside the box and discover meaning on our studies whilst being in the comfort zone of the university, almost as if we are in a goldfish bowl for safety physicaly and mentaly but that we have to place this in the context of the outside world. The idea would be to produce a simple box with loads of photos attached, perhaps useing the colours you suggest, even brand the box, and place a bowl ontop( goldfish bowl outside the box, a bit literal but symbolic), then to build on this with the photos or even project onto the side of the box Dans ideas of images. The inside of the bowl could be full of objects randomly thrown in to represent our first chaotic thoughts and apparent lack of direction physicaly and mentaly created by the lack of info we may have felt we had on our first few days. but that the box coule represent on the outside some order, ie the progression of our coming together as a group and finding our way in the school. We are also a very mixed group, and we could introduce photos of our different cultures to represent this melange of peoples.
just some thought streaming, let me know your thoughts on this!!
Steve
Hello again!
I'm just going to link my first post here (not going to copy and paste because it's too long and would be out of order chronologically):
http://caramelcentre.blogspot.com/
In retrospect, after rereading the 4 options, I see that my initial proposal doesn't fit in with any of them! :)
It is very interesting to see how you are all thinking!
I won't comment on all your ideas at the moment, because I'm going to go back to bed :) but just to say I do find them exciting and I am looking at ways to amalgamate some of the strands explored.
I WOULD like to mention working methology and process. We have got such a short time till due date. It seems that sometime soon we will need to restrict/ filter and hone in on a central idea. I wonder if it would be ok for everyone if those of you that are at college today (thursday) and Friday could discuss and boil the ideas down to (if you can do it) one option. You could always email/blog those of us far away in Portsmouth, Oxford, et al., to include us in the discussions, but I'm worried it will slow the whole process down. (What do people think?)
Then we can all work on the idea seperately/blog it over the weekend when we are most likely away from each other.
Then during the weekend, or Monday at the very latest, we have a final pooling and distillation of ideas and then implement it?
Hello, Ellie, Sharon, Steve and everyone.
I am Yuko and I am so sorry that I couldn't respond at all. I couldn't access internet a few days because of my internet account trouble...
anw, as I ve lived in Farnham for more than two months, so far I have taken lots of pictures of farnham town which have different varieties of colors. Some may contain my point of view as a foreigner. If we can have a meeting today(?) or tmr, I want to bring them and show you. They might give us clues.
On friday I am free except for "13:00-14:00 welcome lunch" (as same as everyone) and "15:30-16:00 language course for international student".
See you later and thank you for your reading my poor english. I want to catch up with you as soon as possible. Yuko
Dan, I agree lets finalise a way forward. I am in college today and will hopefully catch up with the rest of the group.
We have not heard from a couple of the group, so the lines of communication are not running yet. Hope to sort this out today.
I am off to 100% design tomorrow, so if anyone is going let me know.
see you all at lunch.
Steve
Steve CC:everyone
It is Yuko here.
Nice to see you at lunch today.
Althogh I told you, 'I am free on next monday.',
but unfortunately, I have a class 10am - 5pm on mon(maybe only design management students), so sorry. I hope I catch up with the meeting by using this blog. On this weekend I am trying to find my own thought about Farnham. See you soon and have a nice weekend!!
Thank you, Yuko
hi everyone
i been thinking about this challenge and decided to list the queries which occured to me, concerning the research required.
These are the points raised.
What kind of knowledge does the college represent, (the creative arts obviously), but also does it include scientific, historical or anecdotal, for example?
What means does it use to communicate?
Does the college tell a story of a number of stories, and how do these stories relate to each other - if at all?
What do the differences between the pathways tell about the history of the college and their process of communictation - how are students, staff and people connected to the college, valued? For example can you distinguish between the commucnication of information given and that of your aesthetic experience?
What kind of place is the college as a social space and as a place of learning- how are people behaving in college, who goes to Farnham, how does the college differentiate between it's students and staff and does it have different ways of addressing them?
What do the differences between Farnham college, and other learning institutes represent in terms of the relation to the surrounding town and to the kinds of knowledge these learning instuites represnt?
What does the architecture of the college tell you about it's intentions and how is it being changed or transformed to accommodate new kinds of intentions and ongoing courses?
What sort of management and business structure are need to run the college and how is it funded?
__________________________________
Do you thing we need a brief account to the nature and history of the college
An analysis of how the college selects it's students
A comment of the architecture of the college and how this effects the visitors' experience
A comment of our own experiences of attending the college
A concluding critical assessment of the college as a whole?
Sorry to ramble on so much, but the more i think about this brief the more questions keep arising, do you want me to check on any of the above points or am i going in the wrong direction,
love the idea about the bowl with the objects, and very curious about what each person would select to put inside
Hello everyone,
Some very interesting questions to ponder on Sharon - has provided food for thought so thank you.
I have been thinking about the goldfish bowl idea of Steve's since he and I managed to meet up on Friday to chat it through. If we were to do something along the idea of a group sculptural piece, Steve and I then questioned whether that would fall into the category of an object showing our first impressions of Farnham or an image and indeed what makes something an object or an image ....hmmm interesting.
I happened to see some work in a gallery/shop near Waitrose in Farnham on Friday by Daisy Boman. I found it hard to find much on her on the internet but have found this link: (have just tried to add link here but it just deleted all this text so if you'd like to see her stuff, she is on Google images - cream background with cream coloured ceramic figures) There are some interesting thoughts behind her work such as the ideas of 'Belonging' and ceramic figures climbing up rope ladders...reminding me of the idea of being a journey (much like that that we are all on during our MAs)
I said to Steve that I do actually have a large glass bowl with tallish sides if we wanted to incorporate this into a final image/object and at my pottery class on Friday, I made some mini clay figures (was just messing about really and didn't take long so no probs if we don't go with this idea) but thought that part of the sculpture could be like Daisy Boman's work with some of the figures climbing up the side of the bowl and looking into the goldfish bowl (that is the Farnham art college so to speak), perhaps representing how some of us may have been feeling in terms of being perhaps slightly on the outside and looking into this institution (being newcomers)...some figures could be crawling out of the bowl (perhaps expressing the wish to still be in the 'real' world) and some could be in the bowl already (already immersed in the experience/the way of thinking/totally feeling at home in the environment for instance)
Within or around the inside or the bowl, we could have photos of ourselves (or maybe we could stick photos of ourselves to the clay people showing whether we feel 'in,' 'out' or 'almost' immersed into this environment depending on which figure we fix our photo to ...just a random idea) as Steve suggested and beneath this bowl we could have other parts of the sculpture (additions from everyone else in the group showing an aspect of their first impressions of the college)
Steve had an idea with the use of bricks - I will let him expand on his thinking on this...and I am sure we can involve ideas with the use of colour as discussed before..but we could each add something, it could build up to be an amalgamation of images or objects reflecting all of our different impressions of the place and in the presentation, we could spend a couple of minutes each explaining why we chose the particular thing to add the the piece....what do we all think?
As you can probably tell, I think very 'visually' so if this does not appeal, please just say! I realise I have just written my thoughts as they came to me so sorry if this doesn't make entire sense!
I am going to continue doing some thinking and look forward to hearing from you. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and see you Tues! Ellie
Dear All, great thoughtd coming through, and I feel we are converging in the right direction, we have some theoretical ideas, analytical ideas and good research all round. Hope to hear from you all soon, and Dan, are you still out there?
I am visual aswell Ellie, this is your way and mine and Sharon is asking great questions about the institution, which is part of what I am saying too. I think we need to go with all these thoughts and get together on Tuesday to discuss, and perhaps set some goals for next week. In my view there is no correct method of research, it is all research, and that can be your own experience and thinking and analysis of anothers, and apply it to this task. If you think about it we are in fact researching eachother and the ways we research, or think, so that is part of the experience too. Sharon great ideas, keep going, and when we meet on Tuesday we can bring some of this together.
Steve. I will be in tomorrow, just doing stuff, and trying to work out what the place means??
Hi, I should probably introduce myself to you. I enrolled on Friday and met some of you at the welcome lunch.My name is Catharina Axelsson Pine I'm Swedish but I have live in England for the last 12 years. I did my BA in Textiles in Sweden and now I'm going for a MA in England!! I have read some of your comments as Sharon so kindly gave me the link. I really like the idea with the goldfish bowl.
Look forwads to meet you all on Tuesday.
Just some thought streaming as they say.....some links I found when looking up 'Thinking outside the Box' ...may prompt some more ideas:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outside_the_box
http://www.canadaone.com/ezine/april02/out_of_the_box_thinking.html
http://ezinearticles.com/?Innovation:-Thinking-Outside-The-Box&id=74268
An article with a different stance on this, rather 'Thinking Inside the box':
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/95/debunk.html
Another one who views 'The Box' as useful:
http://dmiracle.com/conversation/are-you-thinking-outside-the-box/
What is an image:
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.
mozilla:en-GB:official&hs=uEP&defl=en&q=define:image&sa=X&oi=
glossary_definition&ct=title
What is an object:
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.
mozilla:en-GB:official&hs=pvj&defl=en&q=define:object&sa=X&oi=
glossary_definition&ct=title
Sorry - I see these links won't fit onto the page - sorry! I can't remember how to add hyper-links so sorry you can't access any of these.
hi ellie
love the links, like the idea of "assume the absurd" and the article about "outside the box. The inside story" the idea that a person wanting to be creative is better off thinking say inside the box, is really interesting, would'nt it be great if we could state that the room is the box, turn the light down low and just get everyone to see if they
had more creative ideas like the article suggests happens, wouldnt life be very easy if we could get away with that!
will see you all tomorrow
sharon
Hello all. Reposting a post I tried to make yesterday.
I liked the clay/ bricks thing. At Farnham (a bricks and mortar institution) we are learning and building our creative selves, moulding ourselves and being moulded by the ideas of others. Some of us are exploring a digital/virtual creativity, others a more tangible type, but we have all been brought together here. Farnham seem to be take great pains to get us to look at learning/research methodologies, reflective learning and the multi-stranded nature of creative learning. The learning from other peers and exemplars could be thought of as interlocking bricks that can build a strong, reinforced creative structure.
Damn, that sounds a government educational feelgood pamphlet .. :(
But .... do you get my drift? :)
Today! It was great to get so much done in such a short space of time!
It was good to have new Havana members. :)
Our current, "New, improved version with 25% extra free" roster now includes:
Makiko
Jenella
Li-Min
Catherina
Sharon
Yuko
Steve
Ellie
Ian
Dan
Sorry you couldn't make it Steve. We missed you. I'll try and get you up to speed in this quick recap.
Ok, we seem to have decided on an object/ installation.
Havana members .. Should we leave out/disguise on this blog some of the things we are going to do?
I just wonder, because other MA's will be reading this, and it might spoil the surprise.
Steve, I'll email you a full version, or call you (will be quicker!)during an evening if you can email me a landline number.
Ok, the install will be using bricks. The hue of your brick will depend on your course. The hues are as follows:
Digital Games Design - Black
Interior Design, Graphics, Product Design, Innovation & Brand Management - White
Fine Art - Blue
Textiles - Yellow
Ceramics, sculpture - Red
Remember to bring in two photos or small photo-sized 2d objects (a flag was mentioned) - one relating to your Farnham experience/s , the other relating to you life/work or experience/s outside Farnham.
Sharon is going to get the 'smaller bricks' -
Ellie is bringing extra standard bricks and the 'gifts'
Dan (me) is going to sort out the table for installation (talk to Sarah) and will arrange furniture for the object in the morning.
I reckon we will need a few stools to place on two tables, then a flat board.
Sharon - you idea about lighting sounds great. Can you sort something out for next week?
We'll also need about 6 small buckets to hold the 'small bricks' Sharon will bring. Can anyone sort this out?
Just thought, a single, overhanging light would look quite interesting. It would emerge from the chinks between the bricks. Is anyone going to be in college this week? I'm sure we could borrow a small Fresnel or something similar from the TV studio and a light stand with boom arm (whatever it's called) for wednesday morning.
Or is that a bit too much?
Great comments and ideas everyone and what a productive day it was today! Like the dimmed light idea Sharon and glad you liked those links and thanks Dan for your input and for writing everything up for us today on the blog. The spotlight idea sounds good Dan, but not sure practically how easy it will be to do...I am in tomorrow and can be on other days (except Friday) if you are going in and want a hand with it...just let me know. I also like the 'code' language going on Dan and think we should keep this up!
I am bringing in the bricks for the others tomorrow but thought it was decided that Catherina was bringing in the 'gifts' - is this right Catherina? I am happy to do so but would be silly if both of us do...just let me know. I have 3 small red buckets that I can bring in for the 'smaller bricks' so will do so and if anyone else can provide the other 3???? oh actually, if no one else has buckets, I have 3 washing up bowls I can bring also(don't ask!)
Hi everyone, thanks for welcoming me into the group... It's me Ian.
I see now that you have been working hard on this for a week! It was good to see your ideas crystallise in the meeting today. I think we did well to get the idea so solid in such a short time.
Having read the statement at the head of the blog for the first time. I have some thoughts which may or may not be relevant:
a. The statement says the misson is "to explore and record through a blog our first experiences of Farnham either as a place of learning or the place itself".
This implies to me that the blog is an important part of the exercise? i.e. a place to record our first experiences and discuss what this means?
b. Also, "Our task is to produce a 10-15 minute presentation of our research".
This implies to me that the presentation is to be mainly about the research, and the 'object' representing our research is really only a talking point for our research and not the end in itself?
On the other hand I tend to think differently than everyone I know, so these comments could mean nothing :)
To some extent what we have discussed today and what I have seen on the blog tonight could fit within the scope of the statement.
I will put some other thoughts on as separate comments.
On the use of HTML tags, to make a link you have to add an anchor <a>. An Anchor tag looks like this:
<a href="URL">Title of URL</a>
where URL is the address you want to link to.
Title is ant text
e.g.
<a href="http://www.google.com/">Google Home</a>
My first experiences Farnham (the town) are somewhat old now since I have lived just up the road for over 10 years.
What I remember most is the horrendous one way system. It is enough to make me want to avoid the town whenever possible. That being said I have had to visit the town on a few occasions and it is a nice old town with many beautiful corners (I particularly like the older buildings and alleyways), although I have never had the time to look around properly, I have always visited with a distinct purpose (otherwise I would not go there because of the traffic).
What I remember of Farnham, the College, is more immediate since I only became aware of it when I was looking for a course earlier his year. My first visit was to the open day in the summer when the graduate exhibition was on. I had plenty of time to look around at the exhibits, all of which I enjoyed. However, I also sat in on the Animation course presentation and I was very impressed by the work I saw and the descriptions of the work by the presenter. But best of all was getting a tour of the College with the MA group. The place is packed full of rich working environments and I have always had a fascination with devices and the making of 'things', and what better place to look around than a place dedicated to the art of making things!
A few words on secrecy. Secrecy is a appropriate in the right context i.e. when it matters that someone else should not obtain information. In this instance I do not see that it matters, in fact the opposite for the following reasons:
a. The aim is to explore and record in a blog. A blog is public, therefore the exercise asks for no secrecy. If we do not record in the blog the 'evidence' of our work it cannot be assessed.
If you remember Sarah's words at the presentation 'Think about how you would mark the output of this exercise?' (not exact words but close enough). How do you mark an object, a design, a text or an image? Looks nice I'll give you 100% for that! ;-)
b. There is no competition, nothing to be 'won' nothing to be gained by hiding our work.
There is knowledge to be gained by recording and explaining the processes both to ourselves and others. Also it fits the requirement of the exercise.
c. The concept of hiding what we are doing in order to 'surprise' the others, although appropriate in some contexts, is not part of this exercise, as far as I can see.
This is my view, it should not be taken as a criticism of anything said here :)
More first experiences, if that is not a contradiction!
Meeting Jon Weinbren:
Because I have limited time I had to find out more about the course content before committing to the course I wanted a meeting with Jon from the Digital Games Design course. Conversely Jon also had to meet me so he could determine if I was up to doing the course.
When we met up the College was empty of all of the exhibits from the open day and the pace looked ordinary. Nevertheless it was a nice day and we sat outside in the courtyard and had a good chat about games and the course.
We took a look up in the games room where two students were working on their final games projects. Each was able to give me a brief overview of their game, the concept and run through a demo. I was very much reassured to see what actually was involved in the practical side of the course and to be able to see the tools in action. I was convinced it would all work out so I submitted my application!
Registration day:
I was not looking forward to the traffic into Farnham and the probability of no free parking spaces! Farnham did not disappoint me it was as bad as expected.
It was busy in the College as I anticipated but I was now familiar with the layout and finding my way about was not a problem. The only uncertainty was that the actual MA meeting room number did not match the instructions for finding it!
Registration itself went through without any problems, and the introductions to the College were fine except that I felt I could have done with much more written information.
IT Induction:
Because I have to work, I missed most of the rest of the week, except that I came down to do the IT induction on the Thursday lunchtime. This was a disappointment! It appears that we should all have received our login details, but that this had gone wrong for many students so they were not available. Also the information provided in the induction was at the wrong level for me (as an IT Professional). For me, there were only a few useful items of information but these could just as easily have been presented on a handout or online.
The Library:
I went into the library to try and get my login details set-up and have a look around. It was all very friendly and I felt very comfortable looking around. When I got home I looked up the reading list for the R&C course and looked up the references in the library catalogue so I could find the books quickly. It all worked smoothly and it was easy locating the books. I like the library accepting that there are problems with the IT generally at the College which give me some concern as it is my area of speciality :)
There is a common thread to all these experiences, it remains to be seen if the thread continues or becomes an issue.
Damn! I hate it when I see typos in my posts and I cannot fix them.
I would like to pull together my thoughts on what this is about and then I will leave it for a while!
It seems to me that the exercise is a deliberate academic device to get us all to think about the nature of an MA research project. The wording of the exercise in conjunction with the Exploratory Project (EP) Unit Handbook (UH) and the introduction on Tuesday all seems to indicate this is the case.
If this were true and this exercise was our MA project, what would we have to do to pass the test? Again there is the link back to what Sarah said at the EP introduction. 'Think about how you would mark the output of this exercise?'
Looking at the exercise with reference to the Unit Handbook:
1. What is the Question/Problem that is the basis of the project? It is stated as:
The objective (Thematic Content UH, p25) is "to explore and record through a blog our first experiences of Farnham either as a place of learning or the place itself".
The Research Methods (UH, p26) are partly stated in the question record experiences in a blog and explore the results. In more general terms this is to be qualitative research (see Cresswell, 2002; Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Method Approaches.)
The Projected Outcomes (UH, p26) are:
a. A (b)log of what we did (this is implicit in the objective)
b. A 10-15 minute presentation of our research.
c. A 'thing' (object, design, report or image) which embodies the research
2. If this is the problem then what is the answer?
This is where we have to show an understanding of what it means to "do Research". This is projected outcome b. For this we have to have a common understanding of what doing research means that is acceptable to the person marking our work and to the academic community in general. The best discussion of "What is Research?" I have found is in Walliman, "Your Research Project" (2005, p8-14).
Interestingly Walliman starts by saying what research is not, it is not:
"1. A mere gathering of facts or information [...]
2. Moving facts from one situation to another [...]
3. An esoteric activity, far removed from practical life [...]
4. A word to get your product noticed [...]" (Walliman 2005, p8)
He then gives the various definitions of research all of which are valid but none of which are definitive. He then gives the following three characteristics of research:
"1. [...] research is systematic and controlled
2. [...] research is empirical and turns to experience and the world around us for validation
3. [...] research aims to be self-correcting. The process of research involves rigorously testing the results obtained, and methods and results are open to public scrutiny and criticism" (Walliman 2005, p11)
(note the "open to public scrutiny and criticism")
This implies we need to systematically gather our collective "first impressions" and record them on the blog. We should also explore what this means in terms of how these impressions might be represented in our chosen method of representation.
Returning to the Handbook we have to list our Research Sources (UH, p27). So far we have a few resources given in this log, perhaps not all relevant or systematically obtained but a start.
Then there are the Specific Resources (UH, p28). Specifically we need access to the internet, the library and any materials need for our 'thing'.
We have to do all this and hand in by the deadline, which is Wednesday next week. In this case the hand in is the completion of each element of the objectives (outcomes), effectively finishing with the end of the presentation.
Simple really! :-))
All for one, and one for all!!
hi everyone
lots of things to think about from all the comments. Am trying to post the link to jean-claude christo's site, as he wraps buildings and we are wrapping bricks, i thought that it would be interesting to see how he changes the site relationship between how you see the environment before and after he has wrapped the buildings. From comments in his book, it seems to changes how people see and interact with the surrounding area and makes them see the view with new eyes. Hope that this makes sense!!!!!!!!!
Here is the web address for the site www.christojeanneclaude, sorry i could not link it, i did follow ians instructions but it would not accept it, it kept stating that my html could not be accepted, tags cannot enclose tags so not sure what i am doing wrong.
Will update the blog with my experiences of the first week at Farnham in the next couple of days, hope that this is ok.
To Ian's comments about the research, it is hard to be systematic and controlled as we all differ to our ways of thinking and backgrounds, we are all trying to evaluate the research collaboratively but any ideas how to not be so haphazard would be useful. i think it is important to explore the relationship between theoretical perspectives and the practial enagaement of the brief but it is very difficult to be so concise in the time allowed, we do need to provide the proof of development of research skills which hopefully will be shown in the blogg when it is fully updated, but obously we do need make sure that research draws on several sources, personaly i saw that the prime focus of the research is the relationship we build between our observations and experiences of being in Farnham and what theorists write about this theme and what local evidence can show you. It does seem that the prime purpose of this unit is to develop our skills in the methods of research in order that we can turn a subject of which we might know little at the beginning into one where you can create an informed knowledge base and produce a visually stimulating accournt of the research we have undertaken. It seems that this approach is designed to be a foundation which contributes to all future research to support our studio design work as well as work in historical and theoretical studies,
We do need to set boundares within what is a large and perhaps bewildering subject area, and we do need to focus on certain aspects and make sure we are supporting and extending the empirical research with readings from relevant texts, i will provide some more seconary texts which will hopefully support the primary material but also ian, catharina and jenelle having a fresh eye to this project can point out and home in on the points we have not studied and missed because we are too close to the project
hope this makes sense
I cannot think what you could be doing with the links, if you cut and paste the example into the comment box and just change the href and title it will work ok
The art of Christo and Jeanne-Claude
hi ian
sorry not sure what you mean by the href as i am not very computer minded. Thanks for linking the Christo site, i will have another go with some other web sites i want to post later, but if i have no luck would it be ok it you link them and when we meet in person if you have time perhaps you could show me how it is done, i have dyslexia so often need to see something done visually to understand how to do it manualy, also hence the bad spelling!!!!!
thanks
It should be easy to be systematic and controlled in this exercise. All it asks us to do is to record our experiences of Farnham on the blog.
Each person just has to record their first experiences of Farnham here and then remember to update it as new experiences happen. This is all that systematic and controlled means.
When we can see all the experiences recorded, we will find it easier to explore what should be included in our chosen product. Also we would have data that we could discuss and could feed into the design of our item.
So far the experiences of the group seem to have been given verbally and there is no record of what was said. Reading the blog it is hard to find data specific to the research subject "The Farnham Experience", there is a lot about the 'object' and possible meanings for it, but that is not answering the question :)
The meaning of the object should represent an answer to the research i.e. what is our experience of Farnham.
I hope this makes it clearer?
If not try forgetting all about the production of the object. Then read the blog as if you were marking an essay, which aspects of the question have been answered.
I managed to get in to the library catalogue today only to find out that I have been fined 50p for not returning a book which I did return last night (when the computers were down). It is probably because I took the book out again and the manual recording of in/out does not cope with this. I have sent a note to a Librarian and we shall see what happens.
Hello again fellow Havana people :)
Some quick points:
Ellie - my apologies regarding mistakenly saying you were taking responsibilty for the 'gifts'. Catherina ... is it you who is doing this?
Ian - It is great to have you pull us back on course regarding the objectives, however, I think the issue is/has been complicated by a number of factors.
The most important of which is that, to most of the group, this exercise is a thinly veiled attempt to get students from a wide variety of disciplines to work together constructively and in a creative manner. As such the PROCESS of establishing an effective group dynamic that produces a creative multidisciplinary RESULT that coherently encapsulates contributions from all its members is of fundemental importance.
It is an unwritten extrapolated subtext of an objective, but an important one nonetheless. Teamwork, reflection, discussion, etc.... That, in essence is what they've been banging on about since we got here. Learn from one another, check out experts in other fields, etc.....
I think Sarah/Farnham don't really care what we think of Farnham - this exercise is a crash course in getting MA students to work together and learn more about each other. In doing so, we do not constrict our ideas to those based on our particular specialism alone, but look to the wider multidisciplinary nature of creativity.
I'll just go into 'secrecy', which is a bit too grand a word for what I had proposed earlier! I think the 'secrecy' DOES matter here! Look at it less from the perspective of the objectives, but more from the perspective of ... something as trivial as a birthday present. Would you like to tell the intended what all their birthday presents are going to be before the 'big day'? With such a view, there is no queston of competition, of winning or losing or secrecy. An element that makes the 'gifts' 'gifts' are that (hopefully) they will be a suprise. Nice surprises make people happy. I think if we, the Havana group, can surprise and delight the other MA students, that makes it a worthy creative/social endeavour. (?) I hope that answers a, b and c.
I liked your 'first Farnham experience' bit Ian, I'll add mine in a bit.
Steve ... are you still around? we need to tell you what to do. Just get yourself a brick first of all .... :)
To add to my last post. Ian, I think we don't have to get too hung up on the objectives. I bet the stated objectives aren't that important. The PROCESS of getting there is.
As such, we have to blog effectively as both individuals and as a group. Farnham think blogging and Blackboard is a great way to share and order information. This exercise just gets everyone going with them.
I could be wrong though :)
My initial Farnham experience (taken from my blog)
One of my strongest initial experiences of Farnham was of people milling around or walking aimlessly because they didn't know where to find room P513a or such and such corridor. And that alot of the college, especially the quad, was quite drab for a place that was supposed to foster and uphold creativity.
It was nice to meet up with fellow MA students and talk about art, life and chickens.
The town of Farnham itself seemed quaint with a central one-way road system that, although small, was irritating enough
to have to go round more than once to work out how to get to the college if you were coming down Castle Street (I can orient myself on a bike, but with cars I'm a bit slow!).
It was interesting to see a Waitrose supermarket - fitted in with the town demographic, I thought :)
Oh, and the fun thing was meeting other Digital Game Design people - people who were interested in games and had great,stupid or crazy ideas about games. And it was even better meeting creative people from other fields. I am very happy to curl up snug as a bug in a rug whilst someone passionately reveals the delights and fascinations of their craft or field. So I'm quite happy with all this 'learn from other areas/people' and 'see shows and galleries to get a contemporary UK creative context'
I didn't think we were off-course :)
It seem clear that part of the exercise is simply to provide an 'icebreaker' to get people talking and working together. As you say this message has been put across fairly strongly in all of the meetings.
I disagree about the team thing being of fundamental importance. The main reason for this being that the MA course is not a group effort. Each of us has to produce an individual project.
This is not to say that it is a solitary effort, we should talk and discuss ideas and this exercise is part of getting this discussion process started.
I think people do care to some extent what we think of the college! Although they will not get much of an idea from this blog, so far.
On the other hand it seems clear that the 'thing' we produce is very unlikely to have any value other than as a transient item of art.
I do not see where the concept of surprises comes from, perhaps it came across in the startup meeting that I missed. On the basis of all I have actually seen and heard it does not appear to be appropriate to this situation. Saying just because surprises are nice does not answer my points :)
In my experience, if people ask a question in a formal environment, such as a course, they expect people to try and answer the question or at least attempt to answer the question?
To use another cliché it is very Arty Farty to say the process is more important than the objectives. You will not get an MA by saying you "went through a process", unless you record it all and can back up your information with appropriate research. (just joking!!).
In the overall scheme of things this is just an exercise, and you will get something out of it if you take part.
I understand and appreciate you point of view. I find that this particular method of discussion (blog) can lead to misunderstandings. Just in case, I am just putting forward my ideas for discussion. Overall I think the basic group concept for this exercise is sound and we should carry it through. I would like to see more contributions along the line of the basic question 'our first experiences of Farnham', from everyone in the group. I would be genuinely interested to hear what people’s experiences have been and how they express this in their own words.
We got 'the call' from or leader today. Jon wants the Digital Games people to meet up on Tuesday the 2nd of October. This makes things difficult for me because I only have one day a week that I can attend. I would like to come on both days but I can't. The choice seems clear though, I have to go with Digital Games, sorry!
I will complete my part of the exercise as best I can, I just won't be able to be there on the day. I will of course put any contributions I think might be helpful for the presentation here on the blog and I will continue to add other thoughts as time permits :)
Ian. If you can bring in your contribution on the Tuesday, we'll add it to the piece on Wednesday :)
My first experience with Farnham was when I came to look around on the MA Open Days. I was impressed with the level of enthusiasm which came from the staff and felt that the college was a nurturing and safe environment to continue my academic journey. This feeling has not changed, and it is only my own insecurities which are giving me a hard time. The enrollment week was a particularly difficult week as I was out of my comfort zone, and felt lost and invisible. I knew that this week would be hard and I always hate the pressure of form filling at the beginning, for me this is a hideous and cruel torture especially as I had forgotten my dictionary. I know that it is necessity but knowing that fact does not make it easier.
During the first week, as I traveled in on the train, from where I live (Portsmouth). I was again struck by the beautiful green country side and the quaintest of the town. It seemed quite strange to be met by the by-pass as I left the station, and the traffic seemed never ending. As I walked through the town, I was struck by how everyone was so leisurely and taken all the time in the world to do their shopping, in Portsmouth everyone is in a hurry and we all are rushing to be some where.
Like Dan, I was struck by the placement of Waitrose, as I strolled up to the college and I did enjoy the gallery entrance of the college. I was disappointed in the lack of color and the quad did seem very grey. The uni I have been used to attending always had plenty of students who dressed loudly, whether it was their hair or clothes, and there was always something interesting to look at. I do miss that a lot, however, the welcome lunch and the tea-party for the textile students was great, as it gave me a chance to put names to faces and made me feel less of a newbie. I will always associate Farnham with food as there seemed to be lots of talk of food, drink and free offerings of mints, during the first week, plus the mention of a pub guide, and don’t forget, the best thing of all though, Christmas dinner which I cannot wait for!
I have finished my items for the presentation, and I will bring them along on Tuesday.
I would suggest that we reconsider the 'extra' items beyond the three basic items we each have to make. I do not think that they fit in with the concept of the exercise. I would also suggest a that it would be simpler and more practical to go for a basic table top presentation of the items. In my experience simple clear statements make the most impact. Just a suggestion :)
Your discussion is both incorporating your concepts and generating new contexts and ideas for your research. You are all beginning to identify and acknowledge how you gather information and process your thoughts in synthesis with your practice. Barthes once described the critical writers, thinkers and creative practitioners that emerged in the aftermath of the first world war in the new metropolis that spread across Europe as the 'ragpickers' of culture; sorting through the plethora of new ideas and the rethinking of culture and tradition, brick by brick, street by street. Congratulations on an intriguing and insightful blog.
hi
found an article about the bricks at the tate,
BRICKS at TATE
hi everyone
how found an interesting page connected with carl andre, bricks and the use of space and display, connects quite nicely i think with what we are doing, here is the link
CARL ANDRE
hi ian
the small bricks were going to be our quantitative research, as the placement is going to show how people react. As you are no doubt aware all responses are not about questions (non verbal communication is of great importance) and interpretation by the moderator (us) is an integral part to the process, however, if the others think that this is not suitable then that is ok by me. It will save me time sorting out the bricks! Just let me know soon if i need to get everything ready.
thanks
Hi everyone,
How difficult it is to get time to think without being interrupred (you know what I mean if you've got kids) and then to find time to blog you all!
I'm half way thorugh creating my brick and i've got my flag sorted. So, what do the rest of you think about Ian's suggestion about the extra bits not fitting in within the concept of this exercise. I still think the bricks are a good idea, but I think he's right if he's refering to the sweets, what do the rest of you think?
My first experience:
I enrolled late so my first day at Farnham was friday and the welcome lunch where I met some of you.
Earlier that day I had been taken around the campus by staff to complete all the paperwork. It struck me that all of them were so friendly.
As I waited to get in for lunch, standing in the quad, it felt very dull, grey and deserted. Not what I expected from an educational environment!
At lunch Sharon (who I had travelled up with) discussed the project with the people in the group. I really felt left out as I at that point in time didn't have a clue, I really worried about it. But when on Sunday I mannaged to access the blog and read 'our mission' I relaxed a bit.
Later reading comments of the blog made me doubt myself. I started asking myself questions whether something had been discussed earlier which I was unaware of, or was it because english isn't my first language and I had interpreted it wrongly. I will have to start a vocab book!
I really started questioning myself if I was up to doing an MA in a foreign language.
On Tuesday when we all met and had our meeting, things seemed to come together quickly. I felt I could be in control of my 'brick' and express through it how I had felt during my first 2 days. I left the meeting feeling relieved for the first time. I then went on to meet the textile group tutors, 2nd year students and graduates. I would say this was the most informative meeting so far, just chatting to all these people and listening to their experiences made me feel more at ease about the whole thing.
Hi everyone
For me the reason for the sweets is to recreate a feeling of comfort and welcome, as provided by the welcome lunch and tutors at Farnham. We also want the audience to be active participants, rather than just be passive viewers, we did discuss providing a safe environment e.g. dimming the lights etc, where our audience would feel more in tune with our ideas and felt an ownership with what we are saying and producing, but as I’m interested in performance and live art, maybe I am pulling that particular language and methodology in the collaboration where it does not belong. If everyone wants to get rid of the sweets, i will go with the group decision
hi everyone (again)
i been thinking about the presentation and timing, do you think it would be a good idea to ask Sarah (any of you who are in on Tuesday) if we could have the slot after the morning coffee break. If we had that slot we would have the time to check out the lighting, set up the bricks and when people come back into the room, we could also get them to take a brick and place it on the brick display. We could also use this time to give out the sweets if we are still going with that idea. This means that we would not be eating (excuse the pun) into our presentation time. This would also means that the viewers would not be getting restless while we dealt with those bits.
Are we all talking about our bricks, as i wondering if a couple of us need to explain the idea behind the lego bricks, the large bricks and if we do it, the sweets, should some of us explain our bricks on the blogg and use the time to explain these little extra bits, what do you all think
Eating and sweets does not create a feeling of comfort and welcome in everyone. Similarly dimming the lights may not feel safe to everyone. When creating an environment you must consider that not everyone has the same perception of it as you e.g some people might feel threatened in a dim or darkened room? Some people may have specific allergies to certain foods etc.
I appreciate that these things may have a particular symbolic meaning to you but can these same feelings be projected on to the audience? And is it appropriate to attempt to do so in this exercise?
Questions to think about, answers are not required :)
Hi,
I've been thinking about Wednesday.Can I suggest at the presentation Dan start off talking about our concept with the large bricks as he explained it so clearely during our meeting.
From there Sharon can go on to explain the idea behind the small bricks and the sweets maybe??
After that the rest of us talk about our brick.What do the rest of you think about that?
Hi Ian
I know that you stated that answers were not required, but if you don't understand where I am coming from, how will the people who come from outside the group follow the train of thought. It is important that the ideas are questioned as it makes us justify if they are relevant or not, so I am glad that you continue to do this. The reason the lighting was suggested was due to the information posted in some of ellie's links. One web site in particular talked about research and creative people, and how they responded to a dimmed room. I think the link is thinking inside the box. However, the point you make is important, have you any ideas, as we do need to get the presentation sorted, the sweets, the lighting etc are just suggestions, please could anyone give some other ideas, as we are running out of time.
I like the sweets idea! People can take them or not, and they can eat them or not. I like the community aspect. I am viewing this as a presentation I suppose, since I too am interested in live art. It is also interesting that our audience is also our peer community. The little bricks provide an interactive opportunity for the 'audience' to be on the same level as the 'performers/performance'. The 'fourth wall' is broken down.
I understand your points Ian and see where you are coming from. If this were being marked, I might think differently about it, but because it is an intial project, and a group one at that where I am finding out about my collegues and their working methodologies, I am quite happy to see where things go.
Ian, it is a real shame you cannot make the Wednesday. We all have different views on the same project. It would be great for all the group's viewpoints to be expressed. If we had a longer development time and were allable to meet up each day, I'm sure we would have great discussions and come up with something more which better incorporated our ideas. To me, the project illustrates the pros and cons of working in a creative team environment, which is exactly the type of environment I will be working in as a Digital Games Designer. So for me, the team part of the project is important. If we couldn't work reasonably with each other, we wouldn't come up with anything.
Ina, I am very happy to start off our presentation. I think it would be good for someone to add some more about it after me though, maybe add some more theory, context, etc as evidenced by the art links on our blog?
Ian, if you like, you could write up a short piece and one of us could read it out on the day. How does that sound?
I am worried about Steve. Has anyone been in contact with him?
hi dan
glad that you are willing to start the presentation, i think that it would be a good idea to have the bit about the theory, context, etc as evidenced by the art links on our blog?
The timetable says the presentations will be in room 151. Which is about the same size as 152 (not big). There will only be enough room for 1 display/presentation at a time (probably).
If this is the case each group will have an allocated time to setup time for their presentation and time for people to look at the object?. I have not seen or heard anything about a timetable. It seems likely one will be needed.
We could assume 15mins setup, 15mins presentation, 15mins for people to have a look. In that order?
Hi Yuko
Tried to get on your blogg, to see your photos, but was not allowed, i do not have your e-mail address, so could you let me know it, i really would like to see your photos as they show your point of view of Farnham. Thanks
This is my description of my contribution that could be included in the presentation
My items have the following concept behind them:
Outside Photo: Composite Photo
The image is a digital composite of pictures of me Fencing and doing Archery. This represents my major non-computer related activities outside work and college. The archery images are faded and merged with the Fencing. It sort of represents that Fencing is now more important than Archery to me now.
Inside Photo: Composite Photo
The image is a heavily digitized photo of the Campus (looking towards the library) merged with a character drawing from a digital game and a tiny game character in the foreground. The character drawing repeats in the brick design - this joins the campus with Digital Games Design course.
The Brick: Collage of images from Digital Games
I made the collage such that each face of the brick contains a different image representing elements from digital games. The brick only represents Digital Games. One face contains a screen shot from Anarchy, an online game I played for a long time and which lead me to my current interest in Digital Games.
Each of the images were digitally processed and converted to greyscale to represent the chosen colour of the Digital Games Design Path - Black.
I considered representing all of my impressions from inside the college within my pictures (i.e. elements from fine art, textiles, animation, etc), but this did not fit with the group aspect of the project. Each of us had to create a personal representation of our path, the whole represents our collective impression, in this sense each of my impressions will be present in the whole and represented by the contributions from the other members of the group.
hi ian
found the whole concept behind your brick really interesting. I am looking forward to seeing it in person, your choices have made me rethink how i have chosen to cover my brick. i think i need to be less abstract and more critical about why i have chosen to cover my surface this way. If you have ever watched twin peaks you will understand what i mean when i say i feel like the log lady but with a brick!!!!
I understand where you are coming from with the sweets, small bricks and lighting. I have no problem including all of these things in the presentation. It is just my personal view that they are unnecessary distractions from the piece :)
<rant on>
I do not like the cliché "Thinking outside the box". It conveys the wrong impression about thinking and problem solving. Everyone thinks inside their box. Everyone has a different box and it changes all the time as people learn new things. People are mostly unaware of things outside their box, this is what defines the outer limits of their box. They cannot get outside of this without the help of someone else who has a different box which has areas outside of their experience and abilities.
<end rant>
Sharon and everyone
I am sorry that my response is late.
My brick:
My speciality is Brand Management, so I wrapped my brick in advertisement(I chose white ones) on some magazines, also add handles to make it look like a shopping bag.
Inside Photo:UCCA sign (the entrance of James Hockey Gallery)
I have two reasons why I chose it.
1)As I came to farnham from Tokyo, everything was unfamilier to me. I felt uneasy, to be honest...
But when I saw the UCCA Logo, I took great confort, because before coming to Farnham, I had seen the Logo manytimes on the web, the brochure and application forms etc... The logo brought relief to my anxious suspense.
2)The logo seems the complete opposite of farnham town itself. While I feel the logo is modern looking shape and color, Farnham town is very traditional and classical. I love both atmospheres and I am enjoying the contrast.
Outside Photo:The phote I took in Japanese pub in Tokyo
I want to use it to tell my dayly life in Japan and
how different it is between my life in Farnham and in Tokyo.
I am sorry again.
If you have any questions, please tell me!!!
Yuko
Hi everyone
Thought I ought to write up my journey of research, and how it has been influenced by you guys and the blogg
1st Meeting
We were all put into groups, felt a bit worried about my time constraint as I was the only part time student, at the time. The rest of the group reassured me, and said that any meetings I missed would be updated on the blog. Felt excited about working with such a variety of artists. E-mail addresses were exchanged, and we decided to reflect on our first experinces of Farnham.
I decided to look at the history of Farnham the town, art and culture appear to be important and well represented.
farnham a rural market town
I also looked at Farnham College, found that the one of the things stated in the article was that they encouraged and invited participation, wondered if we could carry this idea though to our presentation
James Hockey & Foyer Galleries
Ideas started to flow between the members of the group and myself, like colour, how drab the quad is, now confusing everything was, photos were taken by Ellie and Yuko and the idea of colour and the placement of colour was decided to be reviewed more.
These were some of the points I wondered about
What were the expectations from a colour managed building
What were the barriers to adoption and to successful implementation of the system?
Where there any weaknesses in the present colour management architecture
What specific developmental needs were required?
Due to a lack of time, these questions were only briefly looked at
At the next meeting we meet some new members of our group and I was no longer the only part time student.
Artists influencing the direction we were going were mentioned and Barthe was also looked at, as he discussed the utilitarian function of objects and how we as a culture impose meaning upon them.
Roland Barthes:mythologies
The creative idea was agreed upon by the group and that it would be a visual object.
As we felt that we were visual people, we would relate more to this way of producing a finished object.
Different ideas from the bricks were discussed; e.g. a goldfish bowl, photos, etc
In the end a mix of some of the ideas discussed were chosen
More research was suggested to do with the college etc
Ideas about the goldfish bowl and the bricks were continued to be exchanged, but a firm group agreement decided that the bricks were the way to go; explanations about the bricks will be given in the presentation
The idea about decorating or wrapping our bricks to show our emotional and visual response to the experience were agreed upon and the bricks were decided to be colour coded to our pathways, as people seem to be remembered by their pathways.
Some interesting links were added about thinking outside the box, which helped the group develop the idea about the lighting and also gave us some ideas about how it would affect our environment.
________________________________________________________________________
In our next meeting the idea about the small bricks was raised, emphasizing the idea of the colour coded significance, audience participation, team building and how it would be used as our quantitative research and promote commutation between all the groups, (hopefully), we also discussed the idea of surprise and secrecy.
I decided to have a quick look at research about “looking” looked at research to do with identity construction, had a quick look at Michel Foucault, he talks about how individuals engage in social practices Michel Foucault power/knowledge
Some useful technical information was added onto the blog about links.
The blog was also discussed on the blog, are we noting down all our research, is the blog disjointed with missing information, which has been discussed and forgotten
Personally I do think that we have forgotten to note all the relevant information down, I am use to taping my conversions and then referring back to them, so miss that a lot.
The discussion then continued to discuss the idea of research and that we are not been systematic or controlled about gathering information, I think that because we are a group it is much harder to be organised about the research, as we have so many different ideas and ways of researching, it does make it interesting and it is a huge learning curve for me.
More links are added about artists, Carl Andre looks at space and the object and also an article from the Tate about Carl Andre and how audiences react to his bricks! Which was interesting to see how people perceive the value of objects?
A reminder to post our first experiences of Farnham was posted; I updated mine onto the blog.
The concept of surprise was again discussed and how does it fit into our research and is it needed in the presentation.
The smaller items for the presentation are discussed and however it is needed or would just be a distraction.
Timing for the presentation and who is saying what is discussed
Ian’s brick description is entered
At this present moment in time I have not finished my brick, I know I am cutting it fine, but I feel that I needed to write up about my journey with the research, to get a deeper understanding of where I am headed with my brick,
I have had a great time working as part of a team and have learnt a lot about how I work and research in the process. I realise that I do like to work in an orderly way, and the most difficult part of this whole process was not always been able to contact some of the other members of the team. I do like to work face to face as it seems much easier to get ideas when we can be spontaneous, somehow communicating by blog seems to loose the fluency of the ideas. I know some of the bits might be slightly out of order but I written up how ideas came up as best as I can remember. I know that you will all have different memories of how ideas grew and what we discussed, this text is just how I understood what was happening; I know that we all see things in a different way. I will update the blog later with the description of the my brick
I saw Dan today and passed on my items for tomorrow. I am sorry that I cannot be there as I would very much like to see the final assembly of the piece. If someone could remember to take a photo of it and post it on the blog that would be great.
Good luck tomorrow with the presentation.
Hi everyone,
I got the sweets and I will bring them in tomorrow.
Just to update you,
My brick:
As textiles is my speciality I choose to cover my brick with fabrics.
I went for warm yellow colours as this to me represents the warm and positive atmosphere created by the tutors.
I used different types of fabric to reflect on all different emotions I've been through.
Such as confusion, insecurity and doubt. I also knitted a piece with threads sticking out to represent me reaching out to new knowledge and people.(It could also represent my nerves)
I have left one side uncovered to show how I feel exposed in this new environment but I also believe that it reflects that I am open to the other pathways and new experiences.
For my outside photo:
I will bring a Swedish flag.
I think your nationality in a way influence who you are. My values and my way of looking and relating to things reflects back to my upbringing in Sweden.
My inside picture:
I've chosen a map to represent the different routes I will explore and research during my time at Farnham. And hopefully one of these paths will help my decide where I want to head professionally.
Hi everyone
Here is the update for my brick
My brick has been coloured yellow to represent my pathway (textiles). It has been stained red and purple to show the passion I have for my work, and it has little glints of gold as I am optimistic for the future. It is a little bit aged to show the strain I have felt over the last couple of weeks, being out of my comfort zone.
I have pasted images on the side of my brick; the first image is of words difficult to read. This represents my dyslexia, and the daily struggle I have with it.
The second image has a statement which states "dare to be yourself" and my business card; this is a reminder to be the best I can be and to be true to myself and my work.
The third side has an 1940's image of a woman sitting at a desk and the words dreaming of the future by the side. This image has several meanings for me, the most important, is this was me three years ago stuck in a desk job, and that by taking a leap of faith and stepping out of my comfort zone, I have started to achieve some of the things I have always dreamed of doing.
The last side has three images of art work I find inspiring and which gives me inspiration.
That is my brick!
For my photos I have chosen two, one of my family and one of my friends, they are been held together by my work badge, representing my life outside Farnham.
For the inside I have chosen to put a small mirror, as this course is about reflection and the person I see now and the person I will see in the future will no doubt be different.
Well done everyone in the Havana group!!! I thought it went really well, and everyone got a real insight into the creative life of everyone in our group. It has been great fun working with you all on this project! :)
hi everyone
was really pleased with how everything went on the day. I tried to upload photos onto this site, but could not find the tool bar so have uploaded them onto my blog. If you just click on to my name, you will be able to see the photos. I hope that we have another chance to work together, as it was an interesting and fun experience. Thanks
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