Alexandra Arts

One of the projects I am working on involves designing an identity for Alexandra Arts. A creative community group which uses the facilities and space within Alexandra Park to host events, meetings and workshops. This Easter the group will host a series of craft and creative workshops and therefore require an identity, flyers and a poster. I'm working with Jenny Davies on this project and our first thoughts were to take a trip down to the park and connect with the surroundings, identify the community and users of the park and just get a feel for its style, space and the facilities it offers.

The Erasure of Memory

The Jewish Galacia Museum

When in Poland we visited the Jewish Galacia Museum. There was an exhibition called 'Traces of Memory' which featured photographs by Chris Schwarz. I loved how this exhibition was curated, the layout the presentation and display and importantly the content. This photograph really stood out for me. The photography exhibition attempted to piece together the remains of an entire culture and religion almost wiped out. How time has passed and significant buildings, traditions and Jewish memories are slowly erased. The photograph below is a Lion of Judah it appears at the entrance of an abandoned synagogue in Poland. The painting of a lion was a symbol of the ideal that Jews should be as strong as lions. Full of meaning, irony and memory the photograph really communicated this erasure of Jewish culture. There are hundreds of disused and abandoned synagogues across Poland.

From the end of my nose to the tips of my toes...

Valentines Fundraiser Card and Cakes Sale

"From the end of my nose to the tips of my toes" is a quote taken from a card by Stacie who was running the fundraiser. Lots of people had contributed to the sale some of the cards were fantastic I liked Hannah Davies cards they were really beautiful and Emma Browns animals, Stacie had spent quite some time and effort on some cut-out cards. On the confectionery side of things there was a great selection including some home-made bath-bombs and some cupcake works of art. Below are a selection of my collage cards...

Auschwitz- Birkenau

So we had one day going to Auschwitz-Birkenau. I felt this huge apprehension about going as my mother had been and she couldn't go further than the gates. i was surprised at how many tourists there were for such an out of season visit. The three hour tour felt rushed and brief, there are so many stories and information to learn. I was helping my friend take notes and note statistical information which prevented me from being fully reflective about the place I was in.
I've always known that the sacrifice you make as a photographer is withdrawal. As soon as you lift the camera up to take a photograph you then psychologically step outside of the place you are in. You go from active-participant to passive observer in a second, I felt guilty taking the photographs and considering such menial thoughts like light, composition etc.
Besides that I tried at points to put myself in the position of a prisoner. Especially with these two shots - not particularity beautiful in anyway but carry such a heavy metaphor. My friend Nat was questioning chances of survival in Auschwitz, we were discussing how some people who 'gave-up' did not have anything waiting for them on the other side, we compared this situation to those driven to survive to care for others or loved ones. Some were prepared to escaped others didn't even consider it. This is what I was contemplating whilst I took these photographs (both the same photo, just a different focus.)


It seemed strange to see a cat wandering around the gates, I remember distinclty at Birkenau there are no birds, just a few trees but there is just no life. Its so vast as well, you don't really realise the scale of it all.

Krakow

The opportunity to go to Poland came when my flatmate was going over for research on her dissertation. I decided to go with her (just for two nights) to Krakow, whilst there we went around Krakow, to Auschwitz-Birkenau and to the Jewish quarter to the Galacia Jewish museum. Whilst over there I did a bit of photography I was concerned that my SLR may be affected by the cold weather, condensation/moisture but I luckily managed to avoid that with the cold temperatures! On one early morning the light was particularly beautiful. Here are a few of my favorites,

Beee Italian....

NINE

On Wednesday I saw NINE, I'd seen the trailer and some of the adverts and I just had to go and see it. The film is just beautiful, the lighting, direction styling. Set it Italy is the glamorous golden era the story line begins with the glamour and the excitement of the celebrity life, the cars, the women, the power and as the film develops everything unravels through current events which flashback to Guido's (The main characters) early life. A mans journey to find his inspiration, through all the beautiful women in his life.
The musical turned movie starred an unbelievable cast, all who delivered strong performances and believable characters. At times it was very frustrating to see Guido dig his own grave. Toward the end Guido gave-up directing and left the film business entirely, mainly because his heart wasn't in it. However in true creative style he realised his gift (thanks to a little encouragement from our Judi) and returned to directing in the end to finish the film with a humbling and bittersweet ending.

For me Marion Cotillard outshone them all, perhaps because she played the part of the wife I really sympathized with her. She played the loyal wife who'd sacrificed everything for him, her acting was brilliant.


With a reminiscence of Chicago (both directed by rob marshall) the scenes are spectacular and dramatic, one of my favorites being the the performance by Fergie in which the dance was performed with sand.

I have nothing to say and I'm saying it - Alan Fletcher preview

The Alan Fletcher exhibition preview was opened by his friend Peter Saville last Thursday, It was my first time at The Cube Gallery and I thought it was a really good exhibition space, the exhibition was nicely curated and the work was arranged well. Some of my favorite pieces I snapped below. There was such a variety of work on show and all of it was equally impressive from his letterhead and identity designs (of which Fire&Burn stood out.) to his posters and his books. I really like the V&A logo design which was developed by Fletcher.









Maria and I managed to have a little chat with Mr. Saville, it was strange that we couldn't really think of much we just wanted to see what he was like. We chatted about his work and how he moved from Music to Fashion, and how he feels really relaxed coming up to Manchester. I guess like Johhny Hardstaff he's never really had to 'apply for any jobs or prove himself, so when asking him if he had any advice for current design students he basically replied - find what you love and do it.... damm if only life was that simple.

Silence Part II

For Silence Part II I made a short film (under 5 mins) which explores the effect the loss of a family pet can have on children and families, my aim was for it to encourage the viewer to think of their own memories and experiences and what other emotions we build with our pets. The doc/film also follows my own journey discovering and interviewing the professional and some relatives about their experiences. Below is a storyboard of stills from the film.



Here is a link to the actual film,

http://www.vimeo.com/8936167

HG Wells Book covers

I wanted to produce a clean and simple solution to this brief and this was done with condensing each books main theme into a basic visual metaphor. I feel the most successful design is that of Kipps, as it not only explains the book's main running concept but also how the character deals with this sudden change of social situation, his displaced name indicates he is feeling unstable and uncomfortable in high society. I'm also quite happy with the History of Mr. Polly because the simple outline of the mans body is in my opinion a perfectly suitable metaphor for Mr.Polly's desperation for an escape to his life (to which he fakes his death and creates a new life) the dotted line both suggests a dead body being found and also a design for a new life, (i.e. sketching out his ideal character.)

hmmm....little bit of market research?

This evening I agreed to be part of a market research group, conducting research on behalf of the Open-Eye Gallery in Liverpool as it is moving from its current location to the Dock's close to the Tate.....did I mention I got paid for it?


Ten of us met at Cornerhouse (the group included a painter, someone who worked within advertising, an English graduate and a temp worker.) An independent researcher was holding the meeting and she got us to talk about our experiences of visiting exhibitions and museums. What would we look for, what would appeal to us, we discussed our thoughts about Liverpool and about the different art practices. We dabbled in a little profiling of what we imagined the guests would be like at a dinner party (guests included mr. photographer, ms sculpture etc.) what stereotypes do we place on these professions?
The discussion was really interesting and we talked about how work should be presented in galleries, and how to make galleries accessible? How important is the work and how a good background and context should support and enhance the artistic and aesthetic elements of an exhibition. I think a few of the people went to carry on the conversation (carry on drinking) as we were all very passionate about our feelings towards these experiences. It was interesting to hear about everyone's opinions on what should make a brilliant gallery and exhibition, the popular choices were the following..

- Easy directions/signage/central location
- Close to other galleries or museums
- Good coffee - was a big one/some sort of refreshment option
- A sociable area (possible cafe) where we can meet friends
- Close nearby parking or free transfer from city center rail station
- Welcoming staff who are knowledgeable and friendly
- Lots of different things to see and not just one exhibition
- Warm and comfortable surroundings
- A sense that we are not doing what every tourist is doing, possible provide local
insider knowledge?
- Some representation of local artistic community
- Option to put belongings in safe lockers or bag storage
- At least one free exhibition, or something extra added into admission price
(e.g.free coffee)
- Access to archives before/during/after exhibition
- A chance to offer our feedback/vote for pieces of work

We also discussed to what extent we all appreciated an interactive element to an exhibition. I said yes I believe it is very important to engage another sense than my sight even if it is just touch or sound, atmosphere or lighting. The others as a whole had not had positive experiences of past 'interactive' exhibitions and therefore were against the idea, or not using it just for the sake of it.