1) Visual Communication:
In what ways does the visual communication/message of the piece meet the needs of the brief?
The piece meets the needs of the brief by displaying my connection with my place whilst also visually displaying the phemonenology of the seasons on the individual four canvases. These four canvases along with the supporting plaque reflect the relationship between people and nature. The audience are able to physically interact with the display by using their sense of touch and sight, where they will form connections that the four canvases represent the four seasons of the year.
Repeated exposure will eventually wear down the exhibit but that is ultimately the last message of the display. Eventually, man will use up the natural resources of nature and it will be destroyed in the future. The display is only temporary and fleeting.
In what ways does the visual communication/message of the piece fail to meet the needs of the brief?
The piece fails to meet the needs of the brief by not being able to communicate the message above in words. I feel like there could have been more man made structures within the evidence in order to align more within the briefs needs.
What are the strengths of the visual communication? Why?
The strengths of the communication is the uniqueness of the piece. It is a one of a kind piece that focuses on the audiences senses and phenomenology. Also a lot of symbolism is included on each canvas in order to clearly convey the four seasons which are easily identified by many. These symbols include flowers for spring and the beginnings of life, the absence of decor on the summer canvas denotes a clear sky and the prime of life, the autumn leaves on the ground to symbolise the twilight and the white layer of grass with discarded twigs to symbolise winter and death.
Also it shows mans dominion over nature in a way since i managed to roughly recreate the seasons/nature with artificial products.
I think the text on the supporting plaque is also clear enough to see at a reasonable distance as the white easily contrasts against the dark area of the image background.
What are the weaknesses of the visual communication? Why?
None of these notions are clearly communicated in the exhibition which could have done by including the explanation in the supporting plaque poster. I also should have included images of man made objects in the final piece perhaps. But maybe the man made elements which the final piece is made of reflects that enough but not clearly.
In what ways could the piece be mis-read or mis-understood by the audience? Be specific about who the audience is.
The audience is families and normal people who would visit galleries in their spare time as a day out. It it not meant to be solely for artists and critics.
It could be misunderstood by hose who do not have four seasons as some countries only have two seasons and may not understand the symbolisms that are attached to four which are also different. For example, it is possible for some countries that have only wet and dry seasons to have people who will not identify with spring summer autumn and winter.
In what practical ways could the piece be developed or improved?
More information could have been photographed and included in the information plaque.
I could have mounted the canvases on something sturdy and not fragile. Perhaps i could hang it on a wall using nails or tape at least.
I could have added more things on each patch of grass. The summer one looks very bare compared to the others. Maybe if I had included a sunflower and the Spring canvas could use more flowers. I could have also used a better substitute for snow but i did not know or possess any materials that would be a better replacement.
2) Good Design? Evaluation
In what ways have you considered the ethical implications of your project process and outcomes?
I considered using real grass but not only would that be impractical but it would so not be ethically responsible as i would have to rip some grass out and it would not even last very long and go brown.
No actual natural elements are used in my project as most everything is artificial in order to convey ideas relating to nature.
My subject and brief does not offend or does not aim to offend. I believe that there is nothing within my works that will offend anyone of any culture.
3) Reflection of own working practices:
How was my time keeping?
I think my time keeping was bad because this was a year long project and there were definitely times where I would take long breaks from the project and completely forget about working on it.
How was my analysis of the brief?
I think my analysis of the brief was alright but it seemed to me that we could hand in anything I wanted as long as it had to do with the place and stick to the needs of the brief.
How was my research?
I thought my research was okay. I did not manage to take any evidence images from winter as I was sick for a very long time which I regret not doing because my project seems lacking in that sense.
Otherwise I am confident in my research since I documented my research in the form of illustrations which is my interpretation of the evidence and I learned a lot from the evidence workbook and wanted to reflect that in my research and leave the audience questioning and coming to their own interpretations.
How did I draw conclusions from my research?/How did I use research to generate and develop ideas?
I used research to develop my ideas by seeing what inspired me and what I enjoyed drawing/researching about. I found that focusing on trees really resonated with me because I thought they were interesting to draw and study. I liked the symbolism that came with them and after practising drawing them I very much enjoyed drawing more.
I also liked the flowers because by closely observing things I was able to find inner beauty within all things which is also an element of my project.
How did I use experimentation during the project? How can I make this more effective?
I used experimentation during my project by coming up with different ideas in the form of sketches. I would need to consider the restrictions and limitations of designs though since I was planning to make a three dimensional artefact. After many ideas I settled for an amalgamation of my original idea and an inspiration from the trip to Somerset house.
In what ways did I show that I had achieved the Learning Outcomes? How can I improve this next time?
I have increased my awareness of the constraints and opportunities of a design brief by carefully analysing what can and cannot be done reasonably. There may be a lot of ideas in my head with what I can potentially produce as a final product but sometimes the constraints of reality may not always grant me the ability to see those ideas come to fruition. This is done by learning intelligent fast failure to make sure I do not waste time and effort into something that will not work practically or in a design sense.
I feel that my understanding and ability to evaluate solutions to a design brief that encompasses a criteria has deeply improved over the course of the project as I was given a larger time frame and thus allowed me to make considerable and detailed analysis of the criteria of the briefs.
What parts of the project did I enjoy most? Why was this the case?
I enjoyed the sketching part of the project. I really like drawing and I took the opportunity to sketch as much as I could. I especially like learning how to draw trees and am very fond of my improved tree sketches I drew over time as I improved my drawings, I eventually grew as an artist and designer as I observed more carefully and had more patience which I lacked earlier on.
What parts of the project did I enjoy least? Why was this the case?
I did not enjoy not having any ideas for my supporting final piece. I had a big main final piece which I was proud of but could not think of something original to do for a supporting final piece like a plaque or something to describe the main piece.
I do not enjoy not being able to be unique in my ideas and so I ended up having something generic which I am still proud of and I think it looks good and suitable but I could have done better.
At what times did I work best? Why might this be the case? How can I ensure that I work well at all times?
I always work best near the deadline. This time I did not rush because I had learned from last year and made sure everything was done at most the day before so there was no mad dashes or last minute changes which would stress me out. I gave myself more ample time however which allowed me to be focused but not overly stretched.
What areas inspired me? Why was this the case? How could I follow these up?
Drawing the trees in my place really inspired me because I found that there was so much symbolism attached to them that I could not help but want to draw them. I found it challenging at first to draw the leaves but with careful study and practice I succeeded in drawing trees I am proud of.
What areas were challenging or difficult? Why was this the case?
It was difficult to stick the fake grass to the canvases because I had limited resources at the time. Making the flowers were also difficult because the materials were expensive so I had a limited amount of those as well and I messed up a few times which was really frustrating because of my limited experience with origami.
Do I need to develop certain skills? Do I need these now? Or later?
I suppose I could develop my crafting skills to potentially make more artefacts. Luckily for me I work as a builder so I will probably learn these during my time as one.
