Inspiration of the Week: Geocaching

Geocaching is an online project which encourages audience participation.

https://www.geocaching.com/

I stumbled on this site whilst searching for various tracking methods as research for my final project. The reason that I looked into it more was because I want to make my piece include something to do with maps and have an element of audience participation. 

https://www.geocaching.com/

How geocaching works is that participants can either "hide or seek" a geocache. The main point of it is once a geocache has been hidden, seekers may try to find it by using GPS coordinates and once found sign the logbook.

https://www.geocaching.com/

I really love the idea behind this project as it can get everyone on the planet involved, which even means that you can participate even when you are on your travels.

https://www.geocaching.com/

Projects like these remind me of the Situationists and their theory of derive and psychogeography as both of these look at the environment around us and encourage us to participate within it more rather than "drifting". I think this method is particularly fun and engaging.

https://www.geocaching.com/

The site even offers the chance for users to attend "Geotours" which are tours around unique areas designed to get users introduced to new locations whilst adding the idea of geocaching.

https://www.geocaching.com/

NB - all photographs here have been taken from the original Geocaching site:
https://www.geocaching.com/
I do not own any of the pictures on this post.

So that's all for now, I'll update you all on my project work at the start of next week I've jut been a little snowed under with an essay to write and a PDP hand in, but all is well now and I am back on track (I hope :P )

byyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeee
Róisín- x

Inspiration of the Week - Binding Sky

What I've looked at this week is a collaborative project between three artists: Andrea Polli, Venaya Yazzie and Esther Belin which is called Binding Sky.

https://vimeo.com/82226072

This project looks at how the environment around Navajo areas is changing due to the emissions coming from coal Power Plants. This sparked my interest as there are many things that I am considering for my final third year project and this combine a few of them.

http://bindingsky.org/

You are invited to follow a route that begins at a brick bench at Dine College Shiprock in New Mexico. You can download the app or get CDs, audio transcripts and maps from the front desk so that you can follow the route set out by the artists and listen to interviews of tribal members who talk of the spiritual and physical health of the Navajo people and how the coal-fired power plants have affected them.

https://vimeo.com/82226072

https://vimeo.com/82226072

This projects has elements of politics, the environment and ideas surrounding heritage and identity. These are all things that I am considering looking into for my degree show piece. I am considering journeying around certain areas of Scotland placing/ doing pieces of artwork and am looking at putting the idea of Scottish Identity throughout it.

https://vimeo.com/82226072

The thing that I like about this project is that it is interactive and also educational and gets people to think. I also want my work to have these elements to it, so it is great to see it executed in a fashion that works and so I think this will help to germinate my ideas.

https://vimeo.com/82226072

https://vimeo.com/82226072

NB - all photographs here have been taken from these sites which the work is featured:
http://bindingsky.org/
https://vimeo.com/82226072

I do not own any of the pictures on this post.

Full credit given to the artists, here's links to their websites:
www.yazzgrlart.com
www.bitterwater.weebly.com
www.andreapolli.com



See you next time :)
byyyyeeeeeeee
Róisín -x

Lights!

So what I've been looking into this week is light installations. I thought about creating a space where people could interact with different coloured lights, each representing different emotions.

Here are some of the inspiration images I have been looking at:

I have also looked at the chemicals involved with certain emotions and investigated their make up and their effect on the mind.

I'm planning on experimenting with some bits of photography as well, and I have also been looking at after effects because I have been thinking about maybe instead of different lights as the installation maybe using a video projection as this might give me a bit more freedom with some imagery as well.

So it's a short and sweet one this week as I've had a bit of a busy weekend, I'm hoping to finish all of my PDP stuff and my essay which is due quite quickly so I can get my teeth stuck into this brief properly.

byyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeee
Róisín -x

Inspiration of the Week - Rachel Maclean

Rachel Maclean is a Glasgow based artist who makes videos where she performs her work dressed as different characters lip syncing to previously recorded audio, she also designs prints which feature these characters.

The reason that I am looking into her work is that for my final brief I don't really have a solid concept down for it but I wanted to look into Scottish Identity/ Culture. I first saw Rachel Maclean's work when it was part of the Travelling Gallery and it came to college. Her 'I Heart Scotland' exhibition which was featured dealt with issues surrounding Scottish and British Identity and Culture.

http://rachelmaclean.tumblr.com/image/53016495520

It had references to the then upcoming Scottish Referendum and the Scottish Commonwealth Games, and other issues concerning Scotland such as Golf, Wind Farms, Oil, The Jacobite Rebellion, Unicorns, and Nessie.

http://www.travellinggallery.com/past-exhibitions/spring-14

http://rachelmaclean.tumblr.com/search/scotland/page/2

With my work I am thinking about tackling issues such as Scottish stereotypes, what it means to be Scottish and Scotland as a part of Britain. Macleans work is a great point of reference as a way to look into these issues as she deals with them in a serious way, but in a way that is very tongue and cheek. I think that this work is great and does highlight a great number of issues that are important to me and Scottish society.

http://rachelmaclean.tumblr.com/search/scotland/page/2

Another thing that I like about this work is that the artist takes a completely unbiased approach towards it. It was only  few months before the Scottish Referendum when I saw this work and it had influenced a number of the pieces in the gallery, however I don't know what Rachel Macclean's status was of the whole thing. With her work she managed to highlight the issues that should be important to everyone in Scotland, whereas her views on Scottish/ British politics were completely hidden.

https://vimeo.com/72097465

https://vimeo.com/72097465

https://vimeo.com/72097465

The travelling gallery also featured her video called "The Lion and the Unicorn" which discusses the concept of national identity through three characters, the lion (England), the unicorn (Scotland) and the queen.

http://www.rachelmaclean.com/thelionandtheunicorn.html

http://www.rachelmaclean.com/thelionandtheunicorn.html

http://www.rachelmaclean.com/thelionandtheunicorn.html

NB - all photographs here have been taken from these sites which her work is featured:
http://www.rachelmaclean.com/
http://rachelmaclean.tumblr.com/
https://vimeo.com/72097465
http://www.travellinggallery.com/past-exhibitions/spring-14
I do not own any of the pictures on this post.

I really do like Rachel Macleans work here and will use here work to further develop my concept.

That's all for now,
byyyeeeee
Róisín -x

Colours colours everywhere

So I am going along with the idea of colour and emotion. I did some work in my sketchbook just playing around with this idea and not really thinking of where it could go. However over the past couple of days I have been thinking about a couple of routes for my final piece to go down.

Idea 1:

So looking at the idea of ephemeral I thought about somehow using the paint cards that you get from hardware stores when buying paints.

So I went to B&Q and took a selection of them and also the catalogue of the paints.

 Idea 2:

I wont go into too much detail here, but basically I had a bit of an emotional breakdown one night this week and started crying. After I was quite finished with that I was going to go downstairs to make dinner. So I went to the mirror to make sure that I looked somewhat presentable, and my mascara had ran down all over my face. Bingo! Inspiration from crappy places. So what I'm thinking of maybe doing is different coloured make-up/ mascara/ eyeliner or something of the sort in different colours to try and associate colour and emotion etc.

And here's a couple of artists I've been looking at for some inspiration.

Rebecca Bauman

http://rebeccabaumann.com/Works/Automated-Colour-Field/

 Robert Swain

http://robertswainnyc.com/newBob/

And here is some more of the sketchbook work I've done, enjoy :)

So that's all for just now 

bbbbbyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Róisín -x