I was amazed at how much Gemma picked up on my personality in her analysis of of my photographs.
"Now, Colette wears glasses. Some people wear contact lenses or alternate between the two but the fact she wears hers all the time shows maybe she isn't completely image conscious and is confident in her appearence ..."
Ok, scratch the last part at the risk of sounding like blowing one's own trumpet, and it's very true. I have always worn my glasses as a statement piece as a result of being bullied for wearing them when I was at high school.
"Her taste in music can be judged, to a certain extent, by the playful photo of her and friends in Dundee's Fat Sam's nightclub. This may suggest she listens to chart and current music but the fact she's on the third might mean she tends to op for the older more classic style music ..."
Anyone who knows me knows that Bruce Springsteen is my homeboy, and I'd not realised just how much I gave things away in my photographs when it came to fac ts about me that are no secret but are evidently more obvious than I thought.
Friday, 12 February 2010
Friday, 5 February 2010
Semester 2, Assignment 1; Photographs
For our first assignment of the semester, we had to swap photographs of ourselves in various stages of embarrassment growing up with someone else in our lecture group, and had to write about the photographs and what kind of an impression we could gauge from them, what they made us think, what the photographs could tell us.
I found it incredibly bizarre to write about someone I've never exchanged two words with, and felt very put on edge, as you're making massive assuptions about a person's life, without knowing their background or history. I found I could only say 'nice' things as it were, as I felt it wasn't my place to say anything that may have been conceived as nasty in any way, as I didn't know anything about the person in question.
There's at least a couple featuring what I assume to be family holidays judging by what Gemma's wearing and by how tanned she is, so would assume she's obviously quite close to her family; more so with her mum and possibly with a sister or cousin because there's a couple in which a younger girl appears who looks similar. There's one of her wearing a pale pink long sleeve top around about Christmas time, and I assume the woman on the right of the photo is Gemma's mum because she's the spitting image of her. The majority of photographs are of Gemma with friends suggesting she's pretty sociable and outgoing. The only thing I can't gauge is how old Gemma is because in what look to be the most most recent ones, she doesn't look as she's gone through any major image changes, as often happen when you grow up trying to find an exterior you feel comfortable in. This would suggest to me that Gemma is someone who's quite comfortable in her own skin. She's aways got long hair, even when she was little. There's one that looks like she's taking in part in some form of acting, so again, this would suggest confidence. She's got a really cheeky smiley face, which looks to me like she'd be pretty approachable and easy to chat to.
I found it incredibly bizarre to write about someone I've never exchanged two words with, and felt very put on edge, as you're making massive assuptions about a person's life, without knowing their background or history. I found I could only say 'nice' things as it were, as I felt it wasn't my place to say anything that may have been conceived as nasty in any way, as I didn't know anything about the person in question.
There's at least a couple featuring what I assume to be family holidays judging by what Gemma's wearing and by how tanned she is, so would assume she's obviously quite close to her family; more so with her mum and possibly with a sister or cousin because there's a couple in which a younger girl appears who looks similar. There's one of her wearing a pale pink long sleeve top around about Christmas time, and I assume the woman on the right of the photo is Gemma's mum because she's the spitting image of her. The majority of photographs are of Gemma with friends suggesting she's pretty sociable and outgoing. The only thing I can't gauge is how old Gemma is because in what look to be the most most recent ones, she doesn't look as she's gone through any major image changes, as often happen when you grow up trying to find an exterior you feel comfortable in. This would suggest to me that Gemma is someone who's quite comfortable in her own skin. She's aways got long hair, even when she was little. There's one that looks like she's taking in part in some form of acting, so again, this would suggest confidence. She's got a really cheeky smiley face, which looks to me like she'd be pretty approachable and easy to chat to.
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Bibliography for Asssignment 4 Essay
http://bnp.org.uk/
http://www.jobbik.com/
Lyon, D, (2009), Identifying Citizens; ID Cards as Surveillence, Cambridge, Polity Press
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.frontnational.com/&ei=Hu8XS-egHIGD4QbXg6HfAg&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CBkQ7gEwAg&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dfront%2Bnational%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1R2ACPW_en
http://www.groepwilders.com/website/default.aspx?ID=4
Trilling, D, (2009), Who do you think you are kidding…?, New Statesman, London, Spencer Neal
http://www.jobbik.com/
Lyon, D, (2009), Identifying Citizens; ID Cards as Surveillence, Cambridge, Polity Press
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.frontnational.com/&ei=Hu8XS-egHIGD4QbXg6HfAg&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CBkQ7gEwAg&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dfront%2Bnational%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1R2ACPW_en
http://www.groepwilders.com/website/default.aspx?ID=4
Trilling, D, (2009), Who do you think you are kidding…?, New Statesman, London, Spencer Neal
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Assignment 4: The Essay
Although I do intend to read the entire book over the Christmas period, I chose for this assignment to only look at the first chapter: “Demanding Documents”, (Lyon, D, (2009), Identifying Citizens; ID Cards as Surveillance, Cambridge, Polity Press) as it was the control factor and idea of an authority figure having to the power to request identification from you at any given moment, that interested me in this subject in the first place. The chapter opens with Lyon looking at ‘slave tags’, which was a tin tag that a slave was required to carry at all times, and which stated their occupation and an ID number so that suspects could be distinguished from runaways, and goes on to document various methods of identification throughout history, right up to the present day. It looks at passports and how they have become commonplace, but by definition are for those who wish to cross borders and travel to foreign soil, whereas the intent of ID cards is to include the entire population.
Lyon goes to onto examine the “legibility of citizens,” starting with the first national census in New France, which was to become Canada, in 1666, and its purpose being for taxation, as well as an initiate to encourage citizens to have larger families. He then moves onto looking at ‘internal passports’ which were used in Stalinist Russia and their purpose; to regulate the “movements of certain groups” and the consequences they brought to the successor states that formed after the fall of communism. The example given is that of the Mayor of Moscow, who in 1995 was ordered to clear the city of unregistered habitants from the Caucasus and Central Asia using the passport system. Almost one million Chechens, who had been stamped as “enemy of the people” and had been deported by Stalin back in the 1940s, had gradually filtered back into Russia, but they were faced with the same situation as they were ‘unregistered’ and it was their children who fought for Chechnya during the mid 1990s. (page 26)
The next section; “Identification and Colonial Administration” goes onto study the differences between American slavery identification methods and British colonial identification methods, going into more detail about the slave tags mentioned at the beginning of the chapter, and the first use of fingerprints in India in the 19th century. The Belgian system of “ethnic classification” practised in Rwanda in the 1930s, and its negative effects of segregation between the main indigenous groups; Hutu and Tutsi, who populated the country, resulted in mass genocide in 1994, is also discussed.
“Identification and Crime Control,” as the name suggests, looks at perhaps the most popular argument for ID cards in our time; the prevention of terrorism. It would seem that methods of identification to protect law abiding citizens have been around since the earliest historical times, and Lyon begins this section by looking at branding; the act of burning a stamp or mark into the skin of a human being, with the intent of making it permanent, as a way to separate the criminals from the innocent. Fingerprinting is examined in more detail, looking at how it was chosen over Bertillonage; “a system, named after its inventor, Alphonse Bertillon, of body measurements, photos and a detailed description (portrait parlé)”, as well as other methods. Lyon then discusses the racial implications, as he looks at Juan Vucetich who was in charge of the statistical bureau of the La Plata police force in Argentina and his system of categorising immigrants. He then ends the section stating that whilst the methods have been updated and modernised, the same old prejudices and discriminatory means have been proven difficult to completely expel. (page 31)
War creates the need for ever more identification systems to come into play. The government needs to source prospective military material; those willing to defend King and country, as well as ousting potential hostiles and illegal aliens. After the beginning of the second world war in 1914, the General Register Office (GRO) harvested mass data on a variety of groups including military recruitment, mining and agricultural workers. A catalogue of war refugees was kept in order to protect against fifth columnists, and any necessary information was sent to the intelligence services; MI5. The driving force behind the first national ID card in Britain was the fierce debate going on between those who supported conscription to the army and those who supported voluntary methods. The National Registration Bill by July of 1915 proved that almost 1.5 million men were still available for national service.
The chapter concludes with Lyon stating that racism plays a major role in terms of identification with its tragic consequences, segregation, discrimination and alienation and his example is that of the Gaza conflict; Palestine versus Israel. He questions whether or not modern methods will be able to escape the “negative histories that have dogged such documents in the past.” (page 38)
As the title of this chapter suggests, Lyon is going to examine identification as a method of control and practised using force, and all of his examples back up this idea; genocide in Rwanda, persecution of the Chechens under Stalin, treatment of slaves and criminals, all have a bleak backdrop. He goes over how different time periods and countries have enforced various forms of ID, and how they have evolved, and often, their consequences of mass murder and maltreatment. He has obviously researched the area in much detail and his pages are laden with references, and his bibliography and notes are extensive. Very little of what he writes appears to be of his own opinion and what is, is backed by facts, but from the austere tone of the chapter, I would suggest he has manipulated the information given and presented a case which argues an anti ID case.
The government has always kept registers of various groups including births, deaths and stillbirths, marriages, voters, sufferers of tuberculosis, the mentally deficient and primary/secondary school pupils, and Lyon indirectly asks the reader why we accept this method of identification, but not in the form of ID cards. I agree with this type of information being on file somewhere, as to me it seems necessary, but as for carrying identification? I am yet to be persuaded, and from the negative implications put forward by Lyon, the government will have a hard time convincing the general public to rise to the idea of ID cards. From the examples he has given, racism appears to have a major influence, and in the already unsteady global relationship between the East and the West and the prejudices that are now commonplace, due to the level of hatred towards Islam that has been inspired by the events of 9/11, then it is not possible to escape the “negative histories” that plagued identification in the past, so what makes us think we can escape it now and produce a system which is entirely unbiased and is created purely to protect its citizens?
The journal article I chose to look at in more depth is from ‘The New Statesman’; a magazine I’ve read for quite a few months now, particularly in the lead up to the European elections. It was written by Daniel Trilling as he documents his trip to Strasbourg, France on the trail of Nick Griffin and Andrew Brons; members of the far right political party, the BNP, as they make their first appearance at the European Parliament.
The title of the article immediately gives away the tone of the report; “Who do you think you are kidding...?” which is a play on the popular British sitcom ‘Dad’s Army’ which was about the National Guard in the Second World War, and the artwork in the article is reminiscent of the opening titles of the programme, in which arrows with swastikas representing Hilter’s Nazi party are chased back across to Europe by arrows bearing the Union Jack, whilst the song “Who do you think you are kidding Mr Hilter?” plays. This time the arrows which once bore the Nazi swastika now represent the European Union. This play on the arrows can be read a number of ways but the once that stuck out most to me was that the British National Party are often described as “Nazi” and indeed their policies of segregation and purification of British soil by ridding the country of any who are not of white, Caucasian descend are in keeping with Hilter’s persecution of the Jews in the Second World War. Yet, now the so called Nazi’s have reached power in Britain and the invasion of Europe has come from the opposite side as the BNP reach out to other fanaticals in the EU.
Trilling’s report could best be described as scathing. He begins with waiting at the Louise Weiss Building for the politicians to arrive, and compares it with the stuffy atmosphere of Westminster, whereas here it is “open and collegiate”. He depicts the various fascist, far right MEPs with venom, including Krisztina Morvai of Jobbik; “the gypsy hating Hungarian party”, Jean Marie Le Pen of Front National and various members of Netherland’s Party for Freedom, both of which share the BNP’s views on Holocaust denial and anti Islam policies.
Trilling’s article tells of the victory that Griffin and his comrades have won, but describes it as being “decidedly hollow” due to the fact that they have failed to form an official coalition with any MEPs. And whereas I completely and wholeheartedly agree with Trilling’s depiction and disgust of the BNP and their sympathisers, I cannot help but feel that he at no point questions why the BNP have gained these seats in the EU, and I feel this is a critical point to make. His article is based for the majority of his own primary research and is mostly his opinion, with statistics and facts to back up his points.
He also examines the relationship between the BNP and the Conservatives, a fellow, but not nearly as extremist, or indeed, racist, right wing party. Trilling talks of how actions by the Conservatives to quit the European People’s Party, thus allowing some “ultranationalist elements” into the mainstream, which I take to mean that by the Conservatives joining the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), they have allowed the BNP to associate themselves into mainstream politics with similar policies.
Both of the sources I chose to look at focus on two different, but interwoven subjects: identification and racism on identity within politics. Originally I studied ID cards; a subject which I’d already had my views formed on, without really knowing why. Within ID, I have looked at identity theft and misrepresentation, something which I have experienced through a fanatical right wing webzine known as ‘Redwatch’ which targets socialist and communist sympathisers and anyone who disagrees with the BNPs policies. I chose to look at the two areas which interested me most which was the BNP and the racism and their recent rise to power in the EU, whilst still investigating ID cards.
The sources were completely different in content, the style in which they were written and the way the author presented and manipulated their information. Lyon’s writing is mainly factual, but presented in a way which implies his opinion on the subject and Trilling’s writing is purely opinion, with little fact, but enough to back up his article in terms of what percentage of votes the BNP received at the European elections and the main policies of various other right wing groups within the EU. I found Trilling’s far easier to read and digest, whilst with Lyon, I had to reread and make notes in order to fully grasp his meaning.
Trilling’s work was of limited use as it is only one person’s opinion and is only an article describing one event, whilst Lyon’s book covers identification throughout history and from many different angles and perspectives, which results in me preferring it as a more valuable source.
Lyon goes to onto examine the “legibility of citizens,” starting with the first national census in New France, which was to become Canada, in 1666, and its purpose being for taxation, as well as an initiate to encourage citizens to have larger families. He then moves onto looking at ‘internal passports’ which were used in Stalinist Russia and their purpose; to regulate the “movements of certain groups” and the consequences they brought to the successor states that formed after the fall of communism. The example given is that of the Mayor of Moscow, who in 1995 was ordered to clear the city of unregistered habitants from the Caucasus and Central Asia using the passport system. Almost one million Chechens, who had been stamped as “enemy of the people” and had been deported by Stalin back in the 1940s, had gradually filtered back into Russia, but they were faced with the same situation as they were ‘unregistered’ and it was their children who fought for Chechnya during the mid 1990s. (page 26)
The next section; “Identification and Colonial Administration” goes onto study the differences between American slavery identification methods and British colonial identification methods, going into more detail about the slave tags mentioned at the beginning of the chapter, and the first use of fingerprints in India in the 19th century. The Belgian system of “ethnic classification” practised in Rwanda in the 1930s, and its negative effects of segregation between the main indigenous groups; Hutu and Tutsi, who populated the country, resulted in mass genocide in 1994, is also discussed.
“Identification and Crime Control,” as the name suggests, looks at perhaps the most popular argument for ID cards in our time; the prevention of terrorism. It would seem that methods of identification to protect law abiding citizens have been around since the earliest historical times, and Lyon begins this section by looking at branding; the act of burning a stamp or mark into the skin of a human being, with the intent of making it permanent, as a way to separate the criminals from the innocent. Fingerprinting is examined in more detail, looking at how it was chosen over Bertillonage; “a system, named after its inventor, Alphonse Bertillon, of body measurements, photos and a detailed description (portrait parlé)”, as well as other methods. Lyon then discusses the racial implications, as he looks at Juan Vucetich who was in charge of the statistical bureau of the La Plata police force in Argentina and his system of categorising immigrants. He then ends the section stating that whilst the methods have been updated and modernised, the same old prejudices and discriminatory means have been proven difficult to completely expel. (page 31)
War creates the need for ever more identification systems to come into play. The government needs to source prospective military material; those willing to defend King and country, as well as ousting potential hostiles and illegal aliens. After the beginning of the second world war in 1914, the General Register Office (GRO) harvested mass data on a variety of groups including military recruitment, mining and agricultural workers. A catalogue of war refugees was kept in order to protect against fifth columnists, and any necessary information was sent to the intelligence services; MI5. The driving force behind the first national ID card in Britain was the fierce debate going on between those who supported conscription to the army and those who supported voluntary methods. The National Registration Bill by July of 1915 proved that almost 1.5 million men were still available for national service.
The chapter concludes with Lyon stating that racism plays a major role in terms of identification with its tragic consequences, segregation, discrimination and alienation and his example is that of the Gaza conflict; Palestine versus Israel. He questions whether or not modern methods will be able to escape the “negative histories that have dogged such documents in the past.” (page 38)
As the title of this chapter suggests, Lyon is going to examine identification as a method of control and practised using force, and all of his examples back up this idea; genocide in Rwanda, persecution of the Chechens under Stalin, treatment of slaves and criminals, all have a bleak backdrop. He goes over how different time periods and countries have enforced various forms of ID, and how they have evolved, and often, their consequences of mass murder and maltreatment. He has obviously researched the area in much detail and his pages are laden with references, and his bibliography and notes are extensive. Very little of what he writes appears to be of his own opinion and what is, is backed by facts, but from the austere tone of the chapter, I would suggest he has manipulated the information given and presented a case which argues an anti ID case.
The government has always kept registers of various groups including births, deaths and stillbirths, marriages, voters, sufferers of tuberculosis, the mentally deficient and primary/secondary school pupils, and Lyon indirectly asks the reader why we accept this method of identification, but not in the form of ID cards. I agree with this type of information being on file somewhere, as to me it seems necessary, but as for carrying identification? I am yet to be persuaded, and from the negative implications put forward by Lyon, the government will have a hard time convincing the general public to rise to the idea of ID cards. From the examples he has given, racism appears to have a major influence, and in the already unsteady global relationship between the East and the West and the prejudices that are now commonplace, due to the level of hatred towards Islam that has been inspired by the events of 9/11, then it is not possible to escape the “negative histories” that plagued identification in the past, so what makes us think we can escape it now and produce a system which is entirely unbiased and is created purely to protect its citizens?
The journal article I chose to look at in more depth is from ‘The New Statesman’; a magazine I’ve read for quite a few months now, particularly in the lead up to the European elections. It was written by Daniel Trilling as he documents his trip to Strasbourg, France on the trail of Nick Griffin and Andrew Brons; members of the far right political party, the BNP, as they make their first appearance at the European Parliament.
The title of the article immediately gives away the tone of the report; “Who do you think you are kidding...?” which is a play on the popular British sitcom ‘Dad’s Army’ which was about the National Guard in the Second World War, and the artwork in the article is reminiscent of the opening titles of the programme, in which arrows with swastikas representing Hilter’s Nazi party are chased back across to Europe by arrows bearing the Union Jack, whilst the song “Who do you think you are kidding Mr Hilter?” plays. This time the arrows which once bore the Nazi swastika now represent the European Union. This play on the arrows can be read a number of ways but the once that stuck out most to me was that the British National Party are often described as “Nazi” and indeed their policies of segregation and purification of British soil by ridding the country of any who are not of white, Caucasian descend are in keeping with Hilter’s persecution of the Jews in the Second World War. Yet, now the so called Nazi’s have reached power in Britain and the invasion of Europe has come from the opposite side as the BNP reach out to other fanaticals in the EU.
Trilling’s report could best be described as scathing. He begins with waiting at the Louise Weiss Building for the politicians to arrive, and compares it with the stuffy atmosphere of Westminster, whereas here it is “open and collegiate”. He depicts the various fascist, far right MEPs with venom, including Krisztina Morvai of Jobbik; “the gypsy hating Hungarian party”, Jean Marie Le Pen of Front National and various members of Netherland’s Party for Freedom, both of which share the BNP’s views on Holocaust denial and anti Islam policies.
Trilling’s article tells of the victory that Griffin and his comrades have won, but describes it as being “decidedly hollow” due to the fact that they have failed to form an official coalition with any MEPs. And whereas I completely and wholeheartedly agree with Trilling’s depiction and disgust of the BNP and their sympathisers, I cannot help but feel that he at no point questions why the BNP have gained these seats in the EU, and I feel this is a critical point to make. His article is based for the majority of his own primary research and is mostly his opinion, with statistics and facts to back up his points.
He also examines the relationship between the BNP and the Conservatives, a fellow, but not nearly as extremist, or indeed, racist, right wing party. Trilling talks of how actions by the Conservatives to quit the European People’s Party, thus allowing some “ultranationalist elements” into the mainstream, which I take to mean that by the Conservatives joining the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), they have allowed the BNP to associate themselves into mainstream politics with similar policies.
Both of the sources I chose to look at focus on two different, but interwoven subjects: identification and racism on identity within politics. Originally I studied ID cards; a subject which I’d already had my views formed on, without really knowing why. Within ID, I have looked at identity theft and misrepresentation, something which I have experienced through a fanatical right wing webzine known as ‘Redwatch’ which targets socialist and communist sympathisers and anyone who disagrees with the BNPs policies. I chose to look at the two areas which interested me most which was the BNP and the racism and their recent rise to power in the EU, whilst still investigating ID cards.
The sources were completely different in content, the style in which they were written and the way the author presented and manipulated their information. Lyon’s writing is mainly factual, but presented in a way which implies his opinion on the subject and Trilling’s writing is purely opinion, with little fact, but enough to back up his article in terms of what percentage of votes the BNP received at the European elections and the main policies of various other right wing groups within the EU. I found Trilling’s far easier to read and digest, whilst with Lyon, I had to reread and make notes in order to fully grasp his meaning.
Trilling’s work was of limited use as it is only one person’s opinion and is only an article describing one event, whilst Lyon’s book covers identification throughout history and from many different angles and perspectives, which results in me preferring it as a more valuable source.
Monday, 16 November 2009
Update
As I come hurtling back up the country on a train bound for the North, where Irn Bru flows in orange rivers and people can actually understand my accent and what I'm talking about (sort of), I can think of no better reason to have a go at blogging just for the fun of it and not look upon it as some tiresome chore. I must admit I was rather sceptical at the thought of uploading our assignments onto a blog as opposed to just handing them over. My views haven't changed completely; they have softened slightly however. I completely understand the purpose of the blog; as a direct insight into what projects we're doing and the research we're carrying out and our views on the world around us (seeing as we are the designers of tomorrow, and indeed, today). Still not entirely convinced about photographing and scanning the mind maps (bane of my life) into the blog. I think we should probably have to upload them and still had them in because I don't think you get an entire view of the work put in from a scan. Or perhaps that's just my appalling technological skills! I'm trying to get better and since I have been accepted as onto TBA as an honorary member, Ill need to tap them for help seeing as it's what they do for their skive of a degree! Just joking guys.
Well, the Vessel project came to an end not that long ago and we're onto the next one; the Wire project. The basic gist (if you will) of the Vessel project was to come up with a theme and create a 'vessel' of some sorts i.e. pot, vase, box, bowl ... etc. which featured at least one texture. I chose architecture as my theme (seeing as Dundee has some gorgeous Gothic buildings) and created a hexagonal box out of brass, which I aged using oxidisation (applying heat to the metal til it leaves a black residue on the surface) and then etched a separate sheet of brass with I wrapped around the box. Etching was fun despite all the warnings about burning my eyes out and the toxic fumes. To etch you cover your piece in either stop out varnish or black polish (both are kind of a cross between paint and nail polish) and then scribe (scratch) your image onto the metal. You then submerge the piece in nitric acid and the acid bites into the exposed marks you've left on the piece. All these wee bubbles appear and you have to sit and stroke your piece with a feather (and look like an utter nutjob) until you've decided that it's bitten deep enough. You then give it a wash, take off the polish and voila! El etching is done. Add a quirky wee moon and you have one vessel a la Letskii.
And now onto the wire project. I got started on this one much faster than the vessel project purely because I'd been out of practise. I chose birds as my theme because I'm v.illustrative when I draw and I thought I'd be able to manipulate wee linear drawings into wire fairly easily, but also because I've always loved bird jewellery and I've never really tried it before. It's going fairly well. Started out doing lots of inspirational and informative sketches of birds from nature books and the RSPB website. Found this amazing website (www.paperscissorsstone.info/; which I included in the previous assignment but I'll give you it again) when I was researching artists. It's got muy ceramic, jewellery, textile, fine art, illustration artists with links to their websites. It's actually also a blog so I may just be converted yet!!
We had to choose an artist from who we could take a particular method/trait/philosophy and incorporate it into your own work. I chose Su Blackwell (http://sublackwell.co.uk/) who makes these structures out of paper. It's difficult to explain, but basically she gets a book and makes a sculpture of the story inside i.e. Alice in Wonderland as well as one off paper constructions. It was her idea of "irreversible, destructive processes to reflect on the precariousness of the world we inhabit and the fragility of our life, dreams and ambitions..." that drew me to her as birds are fairly delicate creatures, esp. the ones I'm focusing on; tits (chuckle), buntings and tree creepers and I wanted to bring that quality of delicacy to my own work.
I'm still working on final designs, but I'll upload then as soon as I've got a better idea of what I want to do!
Well, the Vessel project came to an end not that long ago and we're onto the next one; the Wire project. The basic gist (if you will) of the Vessel project was to come up with a theme and create a 'vessel' of some sorts i.e. pot, vase, box, bowl ... etc. which featured at least one texture. I chose architecture as my theme (seeing as Dundee has some gorgeous Gothic buildings) and created a hexagonal box out of brass, which I aged using oxidisation (applying heat to the metal til it leaves a black residue on the surface) and then etched a separate sheet of brass with I wrapped around the box. Etching was fun despite all the warnings about burning my eyes out and the toxic fumes. To etch you cover your piece in either stop out varnish or black polish (both are kind of a cross between paint and nail polish) and then scribe (scratch) your image onto the metal. You then submerge the piece in nitric acid and the acid bites into the exposed marks you've left on the piece. All these wee bubbles appear and you have to sit and stroke your piece with a feather (and look like an utter nutjob) until you've decided that it's bitten deep enough. You then give it a wash, take off the polish and voila! El etching is done. Add a quirky wee moon and you have one vessel a la Letskii.
And now onto the wire project. I got started on this one much faster than the vessel project purely because I'd been out of practise. I chose birds as my theme because I'm v.illustrative when I draw and I thought I'd be able to manipulate wee linear drawings into wire fairly easily, but also because I've always loved bird jewellery and I've never really tried it before. It's going fairly well. Started out doing lots of inspirational and informative sketches of birds from nature books and the RSPB website. Found this amazing website (www.paperscissorsstone.info/; which I included in the previous assignment but I'll give you it again) when I was researching artists. It's got muy ceramic, jewellery, textile, fine art, illustration artists with links to their websites. It's actually also a blog so I may just be converted yet!!
We had to choose an artist from who we could take a particular method/trait/philosophy and incorporate it into your own work. I chose Su Blackwell (http://sublackwell.co.uk/) who makes these structures out of paper. It's difficult to explain, but basically she gets a book and makes a sculpture of the story inside i.e. Alice in Wonderland as well as one off paper constructions. It was her idea of "irreversible, destructive processes to reflect on the precariousness of the world we inhabit and the fragility of our life, dreams and ambitions..." that drew me to her as birds are fairly delicate creatures, esp. the ones I'm focusing on; tits (chuckle), buntings and tree creepers and I wanted to bring that quality of delicacy to my own work.
I'm still working on final designs, but I'll upload then as soon as I've got a better idea of what I want to do!
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
Websites
Websites relating to Jewellery and Metalwork:
http://www.dazzle-exhibitions.com/dazzle/
http://www.fordforlano.com/
http://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/
http://www.griannemorton.co.uk
http://www.melanietomlinson.co.uk/
Websites within the wider world, but more or less all about art!:
http://www.paperscissorsstone.info/
http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/
http://www.davemartist.typepad.com/
http://www.artmcewan.blogspot.com/
http://www.wgsn.com/
http://www.dazzle-exhibitions.com/dazzle/
http://www.fordforlano.com/
http://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/
http://www.griannemorton.co.uk
http://www.melanietomlinson.co.uk/
Websites within the wider world, but more or less all about art!:
http://www.paperscissorsstone.info/
http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/
http://www.davemartist.typepad.com/
http://www.artmcewan.blogspot.com/
http://www.wgsn.com/
Harvard Method
Banton, M, (1994), Discrimination, Buckingham, Open University Press
Questions whether or not discrimination is always unlawful. Focuses mainly on race and sex, but also looks at age, sexual orientation and disability. Gives a detailed background to the history of discrimination and the effectiveness of the law in combating it. Concentrates upon internationally accepted principles and the underlying problems that any proposed reforms will have to address.
Lyon, D, (2009), Identifying Citizens; ID Cards as Surveillence, Cambridge, Polity Press
Takes a historical, comparative and sociological look at citizen identification, paying particular attention to new ID cards. Concludes that their widespread use is likely, but potentially troublesome, although not for the reasons most popularly proposed.
Lyon, D and Bennet, C, J, (2008), Playing the Identity Card; Surveillance, Security and Identification in Global Perspective, Oxon, Routledge
An amalgamation of writers who are all experts in some way relating to the field of ID. Uses examples from South Africa, China, Japan, India, Australia and Canada, as well as the UK and USA. Looks at ID cards as one of the responses to 9/11 and the need for more stable security systems. The articles explore not only the technical and administrative arguments, but also the historical and economic implications.
Macintyre, J, (2009), Public Enemy Number One, New Statesman, London, Spencer Neal
Article which looks at police brutality towards so called ‘suspected terrorists’ and protesters. Questions why little action is taken, despite the evidence against the police. Focuses mainly on the tragic deaths of Jean Charles de Menezes; a Brazilian plumber from London who was pursued into Stockwell Tube station and shot repeatedly in the head in July 2005, and more recently; Ian Tomlinson, a newspaper vendor, also from London, who was beaten to the ground in April of this year. Also briefly touches upon racism within the police force and calls for the police to be reformed.
Trilling, D, (2009), What‘s Left?, New Statesman, London, Spencer Neal
Part of a series of articles recording the impact of the BNP on Britain in the lead-up to the European elections. Focuses on Stoke-on-Trent; a town in decline with the mayor charged with corruption, along with the towns former Conservative leader. Looks at how Fringe parties such as the BNP benefit from low voter turnout, especially in deprived formal industrial areas, exploiting on the prejudices and frustration of the white working class.
Trilling, D, (2009), Who do you think you are kidding…?, New Statesman, London, Spencer Neal
Personal account as Trilling follows Griffin and Brons across the Channel to Strasbourg as they make their European début. Gives detailed description of the various similar right wing parties in Europe including; Polish Law and Justice Party which calls Obama’s election success as “an impending catastrophe - the end of the civilisation of the white man,” Lijst Dedecker who have called for “global chemotherapy against Islam to save civilisation” and the Dutch Reformed Political Party; a strongly religious party that cites biblical authority as justification for the prevention of women standing for election. Looks at how the BNP have failed to round up enough MEPS to form an official coalition within the EU.
Questions whether or not discrimination is always unlawful. Focuses mainly on race and sex, but also looks at age, sexual orientation and disability. Gives a detailed background to the history of discrimination and the effectiveness of the law in combating it. Concentrates upon internationally accepted principles and the underlying problems that any proposed reforms will have to address.
Lyon, D, (2009), Identifying Citizens; ID Cards as Surveillence, Cambridge, Polity Press
Takes a historical, comparative and sociological look at citizen identification, paying particular attention to new ID cards. Concludes that their widespread use is likely, but potentially troublesome, although not for the reasons most popularly proposed.
Lyon, D and Bennet, C, J, (2008), Playing the Identity Card; Surveillance, Security and Identification in Global Perspective, Oxon, Routledge
An amalgamation of writers who are all experts in some way relating to the field of ID. Uses examples from South Africa, China, Japan, India, Australia and Canada, as well as the UK and USA. Looks at ID cards as one of the responses to 9/11 and the need for more stable security systems. The articles explore not only the technical and administrative arguments, but also the historical and economic implications.
Macintyre, J, (2009), Public Enemy Number One, New Statesman, London, Spencer Neal
Article which looks at police brutality towards so called ‘suspected terrorists’ and protesters. Questions why little action is taken, despite the evidence against the police. Focuses mainly on the tragic deaths of Jean Charles de Menezes; a Brazilian plumber from London who was pursued into Stockwell Tube station and shot repeatedly in the head in July 2005, and more recently; Ian Tomlinson, a newspaper vendor, also from London, who was beaten to the ground in April of this year. Also briefly touches upon racism within the police force and calls for the police to be reformed.
Trilling, D, (2009), What‘s Left?, New Statesman, London, Spencer Neal
Part of a series of articles recording the impact of the BNP on Britain in the lead-up to the European elections. Focuses on Stoke-on-Trent; a town in decline with the mayor charged with corruption, along with the towns former Conservative leader. Looks at how Fringe parties such as the BNP benefit from low voter turnout, especially in deprived formal industrial areas, exploiting on the prejudices and frustration of the white working class.
Trilling, D, (2009), Who do you think you are kidding…?, New Statesman, London, Spencer Neal
Personal account as Trilling follows Griffin and Brons across the Channel to Strasbourg as they make their European début. Gives detailed description of the various similar right wing parties in Europe including; Polish Law and Justice Party which calls Obama’s election success as “an impending catastrophe - the end of the civilisation of the white man,” Lijst Dedecker who have called for “global chemotherapy against Islam to save civilisation” and the Dutch Reformed Political Party; a strongly religious party that cites biblical authority as justification for the prevention of women standing for election. Looks at how the BNP have failed to round up enough MEPS to form an official coalition within the EU.
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