TPP2 Tutorial 2 (1-2-1 with Lesley Millar 1-2-1)

 Tuesday 2nd March

Pre Tutorial Critical Reflection -

 List 3 priorities below to discuss at your tutorial:

1. How to imbue your work with emotional connection 
2. Themes of familiarity and impermanence 
3. Approach to scale during the pandemic 

What am I currently working on? 

I have just started the second half of my year 3 FMP (embodied absence) 

Why/what are you trying to do/`achieve? 

To convey themes of familiarity and impermanence through creative outcomes (textiles & alternative materials) in an installation context 

Time Factors? 

14 weeks away from dealing (roughly 3 months) 

What stage should I be at / am I at? 

beginning stages / interrogating feedback / research & idea generation / exploring options 

Areas to work on? 

understanding why and where I started 

focusing on one or two areas to explore further

thinking how my range of thinking could inform / manifest in my making going forward 

understanding how I feel when I make so I can understand the effect my work has on its audience , the emotional impact and its ability to create an immersive experience 

What decisions you need to be making to progress? 

themes 

how much textiles I'd like to incorporate 

what to spend my time on

How is the work progressing? What is working well? why? what isn't? Why? 

*not sure I'm far enough to answer this*

What do you plan to do next?

large scale drawing/human form scale studies (could potentially become film slides/a projection

figuring out what I want to do with hard materials if the studios do not open & begin contacting manufacturers /what I want to do with textiles if they do 

I think I am working towards an installation of small objects / samples etc *not sure yet

In what direction is the work evolving? 

in a positive one :)

During your Tutorial:

• Your work doesn’t need to be emotional if you're not comfortable with it being so - if you wanted to share you would have naturally. There are other ways to add emotion to your work however, for example by keeping it general so people can bring their own experiences but you’re not necessarily sharing yours in detail - the project will in itself be personal because it is in your style, it is based on your thoughts etc 
• the absence of presence or the presence of absence 
• “embodied” is suggestive of the body 
• It is the textile thinking and understanding that is crucial, not the material *reference the artist who made sugar patterns which people danced on 
• Think about movement and how people move in a space, how can you show presence without it being there physically - wind, light and shadows, could these shadows become the prints? Could you make objects and leave them in the spaces you’ve been? A photographic series of you presence but also your absence 
• When you are not there what do you see? Cushions are one of the most obvious examples of this 
• Think about what it is for you, could it be the absence of solid walls? A view to the interior? - what would be inside? Could you furnish a space with traces of the person who has been there? Could you wrap those objects in your fabrics, so they become the void
• Touch - a big void for lots of people right now, could you bring this is in? What do things feel like? 
• In terms of scale, when working with a space, consider how you want the audience to interact, if shadows are important, make sure there is a circumference around the object that allows this. If it is meant to be human scale make the sure it is, think about where the light is 
• If you keep the emotion general but strong- people will resonate because they have an experience to bring to it, they don’t need to understand yours, it is the fact that people can come together and share a common emotion/feeling no matter how they felt it? 
• Have you thought about construction? How are you creating your textile installations, can you think of your own techniques? 

Post Tutorial Critical Reflection:

Personal comments 

• A really positive tutorial with Lesley- she was so exuberant about my project and really helped me understand where it is I wanted to take it. 
• Coming to understand the difference between a personal project and a project that resonates was a really important piece of the conversation for me. 
• The installation/mediation of this project seems key- once you have the visuals/objects/physical pinned down a bit more, really delve into this

Priorities/Tasks 

• Attend Lesley’s next talk with tapestry weaver Erin Riley on the 24th March - she will be good to contrast with Beverly Ayling smith - Beverly is abstract in her approach to emotion where are Erin is very forthcoming and literal.
• Contact Lesley again to talk half way through- 7 weeks or so.