22.02.2019
Having heard back from Glen at AirSpace Gallery, my proposal has been accepted so I need to start finishing works off and getting fully prepped for the week. My 'In The Window' exhibition will run from installing on Sunday 24th March through to de-installing on the following Friday 29th March. My Proposal for the space is as follows:

PolluShine– Is It Worth It?

100% from the ocean 

My practice – 

I am currently a Level 5 Fine Art BA (Hons) student at Staffordshire University. Recently I have opened up my practice by experimenting with sculpture and have attained a love and appreciation for the three-dimensional world of art. Having gained some experience in prop making and scenic art within theatre, I was able to experience installation in a different context compared to a gallery setting. This has inspired me to create my own displays and scenes. Being a vegetarian and a conscious recycler I spend a lot of my time worrying about the waste in products I use, instead of being proactive and being part of the change. Producing work that could make a difference has always been an aim of mine, to leave a mark on someone and alter their perception, even if in the slightest way. I haven’t had an opportunity yet to reach a wider audience, and AirSpace would give me that chance. The more we see about how our lifestyles are damaging the world around us, the more likely we are to adjust. 

Aims –

I will create a luxurious staged shop window of a jewellery/clothing store ‘PolluShine – Is it worth it?’ to highlight how barbaric and damaging we are being to marine life and surrounding species. By featuring the animals we are neglecting through pollution debris we are leaving behind, I want to create a confrontational display in hopes of provoking change. By using recycled items and a plastic base clay I want to keep the materials a true reflection of the context. Including play on words like Pollution and PolluShine, Garnier’s ‘because you’re worth it’ slogan and other hidden gems. 

Proposal – 

I propose to have in one half of the window a large table covered entirely with a silver fabric and a three-part mirror, along with polymer clay sculptures of the animals/heads made in the fashion of mannequins. These animals will be promoting our pollution as fashion accessories or jewellery. The table will be eyelevel to those walking past so they can see the animals and themselves in the reflection. The jewellery and accessories featured will be a Penguin cape (beer plastic around neck), a Turtle nose stud (straw in nostril), a white stork rain coat (clear plastic bag) along with a few others. In the adjacent window, I will continue the theme and have a silver clothes rail featuring a few ‘one size fits all’ clothing items (also relating to images sourced) e.g. a fishnet dress suitable for any specie. From the ceiling I will hang the stork along with sun catchers fashioned from melted plastic beads and have a plinth displaying the seal head. 

My hopes for this project is to make a believable shop window that’s glamourous and enticing as viewers walk by, but they soon realise it’s a shop of horrors. I would love to be able touse AirSpace as a platform to reach more people than I ever have before, including a wider collection of people.  As the window is located in a busy pedestrian area in town, it opens up the possibility to an audience who may not normally access galleries or enter the world of art. 

Logistics – 

For technical requirement’s I would need access to a plug where I can use an upcycled plastic straw and water barrel lighting lit by an eco-bulb, and hang some elements from the ceiling with transparent fishing line. I would also use a tulle fabric hung by a thin curtain wire against the back wall. Along with the display in the window I will be handing out leaflets promoting a ‘sale’ to create awareness, also having brochure of the items. Using images the pieces were based on, instead of the price in a money sense it will be the price the animals pay each day. If possible I would like a leaflet holder outside holding this brochure. 

21.02.2019
Antonio Roberts was next on our visiting artist programme and he is actually a past student/graduate from our university. Now being a digital artist, art made with error and coding, a very unique form of artwork. Coding to me feels very matter of fact and restricting. Each formula or sequence will work in a specific way and nothing else, emotionless and predictable. But Antonio proved that it doesn't have to be predictable at all. As he showed us a few one minute clips of the videos he has produced (a mere snippet of the full length videos), they were anything but.
Antonio explained a fascination with copyright and how it's almost been lost in this digital age. Reposting photos or videos on facebook, sending them in text messages or adding captions to create 'MEMEs' are just some ways you could be in violation of the copyright laws. For example if Youtube channels/videos use another video clip, they tend to add "no copyright infringement intended" thinking it allows them use of the video/clip, when actually you're still acting against the law. Copyright laws are dated and in some ways no longer relevant because of these reasons, so does copyright still exist? The answer seems to be only when someone with enough money and/or lawyers chooses to enforce their rights to said image/video etc. Antonio agrees that there needs to be an appropriation of using other peoples work (or image) but should not be ruled out completely. Adaptations and versions of past work happens constantly. It would be very rare if not impossible to come up with an idea completely new which hasn't already been done in some way. We should instead be using and encouraging each other in our creativity inquest. Antonio explained he believes real creativity is taking something that's been done and making it your own. He encouraged us to ask ourself in the future, why am I using this image and is it appropriate/ethical to be used? But also question who is allowed to appropriate culture? Who decides one thing is okay compared to another?
It was really inspiring to see a past student of my university established in his practice, and has opened my eyes to the world of glitch art.

https://www.hellocatfood.com

14.02.2019
Rosalie Schweiker came to our university for the visiting artist programme this semester and gave a really interesting twist on a lecture. She explained she used to have a copy of  'The Little Red School Book' and how it used to educate teenagers on topics you might not have found in school, such as sex and drugs. In the 1970's you didn't have the internet, a go to place for answers to questions that might've been too uncomfortable to ask aloud. So some people were getting themselves into situations they weren't prepared for, or could in some cases, become dangerous. The book at the time was seen as outrageous, but as Rosalie explained, was a safety net for many of its readers. This idea of having a backup plan and a point of call for information right inside your pocket was a comforting precaution. Which lead Rosalie to develop this idea into something we could use in the present. As sex and drugs aren't that much of a hot topic anymore and we're able to find answers to our questions on search engines such as google, the path of her book lead down another direction. Rosalie explained that she rarely sells her work but still earns as a working artist. She spends a lot of her time presenting lectures or talks, or with workshops and lessons in schools. Which the idea then became a book by Rosalie and Mirjam Bayerdorfer 'Teaching   for people who prefer not to teach'.
A magic 8 ball of learning, each page reveals a different answer, an activity or discussion to be had. This can be chosen by the teacher or as Rosalie said is intended, by the class themselves. This is a fun and exciting way to teach and learn as the power of the classroom is disrupted and handed back to the students.
As the books were handed out for us to have a read it was clear this was the direction of the lecture today also. Our lecture was to be exploring Rosalie's calendar for this month (as she picked from the book) and we spent the hour finding out what it's really like to be a working artist. As she spoke about her month of current projects to yoga class I found it a very useful incite into how you need to stay organised and network yourself all the time. There are opportunities everywhere and creating this publication was just one that allows Rosalie's work to travel, and reach a wider audience.

http://rosalieschweiker.info/come-along/

21.02.2019
As Easter is fast approaching and the piece for the university needs to be complete by then, myself and the students union need to get press releases and posters around campus as soon as possible. Spreading information about workshops and drop off points for bottle tops is essential as I will be relying totally on students and staff coming together for materials for the work. Coming up with a photo for these posters was at first a difficult task, as the work wouldn't be complete or even started until after said workshops and campaigns, getting a photo that relates and connects with the end result took a while. After going through ideas about drawings or having a collection of bottle tops laid out in a certain way and photographed, I wanted to create an image that was more of a completed outcome itself. I brainstormed a few ideas sticking with the theme of a wave and thought about creating a wave that looked to be from the ocean but instead was formed entirely of plastic waste. This later developed into using Hokusai's original print but replacing the white with plastic waste instead. I found an image with 4 water bottles on it in different usage conditions from filled and new to screwed up and crushed. In Photoshop I then manipulated them to look as though they were naturally apart of the original piece and the wave.
Using water bottles within the image instead of bottle tops (which will be the material used in the artwork), will remind everyone that there is even more plastic being thrown away than they can see when the work is complete, and that one water bottle consists of two separate pieces of plastic.
I am happy with how the image has turned out as the movement is still captured of the wave and on a quick glance you wouldn't notice the bottles within the print. I am excited to share this with the University at our next meeting.

20.02.2019
During 'Green Week' at my university there were discussions about having a piece of work produced for the courtyard reflecting the urgency of taking action against plastic pollution. After putting myself forward to be apart of the work, I have now become the artist behind the design.
This morning I had a meeting with some of the University's student's union staff relaying my proposed idea and to discuss logistics and dates, negotiating what we want to come from this work as a whole.
My proposal is to do our own interpretation of Hokusai's 'The great wave off Kanagawa'. Hokusai's print is quite a well known and recognisable artwork reflecting the natural disaster of tsunami's. We are at a point of crisis where an estimated 18 billion lbs of plastic enters the ocean every year, we are drowning in plastic similar to the effects of a tsunami itself. The ocean is vital to the survival of hundreds of thousands of species, including us.
We had agreed on the work being 2metres x 2metres to be placed on the wall next to the Cadman Gallery, front facing the entrance to the courtyard. Using a weather proofed hard board hoarding to be installed, I will use plastic bottle tops/caps with resin to seal the work reducing the risk of weathering. I will use bottle tops flat for the background and use them on their side for within the wave. This will create a sense of calculated chaos, up close you will see the movement and drama reflecting the life of a wave itself, and from a distance it will paint a picture of the ocean.
As well as producing a finished outcome to be mounted on the wall, a vital part of this work is bringing the community together to make a difference. Creating awareness about action that needs to be taken and how the students and staff can help. We will be organising workshops with the University's nursery, students and staff where they will be given a chance to get involved by bringing in the material for the work (bottle tops), but also to learn about what they can do to help whilst producing some work together as a group, using similar or the same materials. This installation is about encouraging everyone to get involved together and make a real difference. We are the future and we need to work together to create change.

29.01.2019
I had a short trip to Prague, Czech Republic, this week and whilst I was there I noticed that in contrast to all their traditional Gothic and Renaissance style buildings, it was quite an urban and contemporary city. A few shop window displays seemed to blur the line between an art installation and  a decorated window. Using technology and screens as an aid to catch passer by's attention, one shop really struck me as innovative and creative with the props and items used to accessorise their shop display.
In one of the city centre's streets I also came across an art installation of a fishing net holding an assortment of plastic bottles and litter, lit with some colour correlating lights. As the piece was high up it was easily missable, which I think coincides with the possible message. As a culture we seem to know about the damage plastics are causing our environment and wildlife (especially in the more recent years) but seem to do nothing about it. Research and activists are providing us access to crucial information that we should be pursuing, but as this causes extra effort in our daily routines, we choose wilful ignorance over action. By having this statement piece there but easily missable or easily ignored it provides us a window to see how we know about the problem but choose to ignore it. Seeing activist art pieces tackling the same themes in a different country reinforces that this is a worldwide problem that needs action, but also excites me and gives me faith that little by little we can make a difference and encourage change.
During my stay we also visited the Prague Castle where they had staged scenes of what life for the workers in the Castle would have been like in the early 1900's. This was also helpful for me to see how they filled the space with different objects and props to make the area look lived in and natural. This is the effect I want to create and it was helpful to see different types of spaces who have similar intentions, and get a grasp of techniques I can implement myself.

15.01.2019
After having a meeting with AirSpace's curator Glen on the 10th, I was able to really home in on what I wanted to say in my exhibit and get an idea of past window exhibitions to see how mine would compare.
I had seen on the Selfridges website that they were engaging in a creative campaign, State of The Arts, bringing art to unexpected places. From my last visit to Selfridges I was able to delve into their window displays for Christmas and I was excited to now see window displays that directly link to my vision.
Featuring art in their Oxford Street windows is a fantastic way to bring public art to a community, but also brings an exciting new way to experience art. This helps making it more accessible and broadens the audience you will reach, including some who may not normally visit galleries or experience art in a more traditional way. It also changes the way the art is viewed and the relationship with the viewer. Simon Periton explains that "The work will be experienced in glimpses and that's where a public artwork is different to putting a piece in a gallery". When visiting a gallery you expect to spend at least a few hours (potentially a whole day), spending time examining the art and reading the different emotions it gives you, where if you're riding the bus or walking past you really do have seconds. This creates a certain pressure and responsibility for the artist to grab the viewers attention as quick as they can and hold it for as long as they can. This grab and go, fast food style of exhibiting is new and exiting but also challenging.
Collaborating with some of the UK's leading galleries and critically acclaimed artists they have also created a 'corner shop' inside where you can buy a sculpture or painting as if it is a bag of crisps and a can of lemonade. I was shocked to see some of Jeff Koons' small balloon animals on sale amongst sketchbooks and pencils as if it belonged there.
Cass Art have also teamed up in the 'corner shop' where they are selling artist tools and mediums that customers can take home and try themselves, also putting on daily workshops or talks at 14:00 where anyone can join and get creative or involved with important conversations about the world of art. Again, this is opening up the (what sometimes feels closed) community of artists and art lovers showing that all is welcome, from established artists to someone walking by who just wanted to join in.
Although the work in the window was in a very different space to a gallery setting, they still had the same white cube feel with crisp white walls, feeling very clinical. It was great for me to see a similar use of a shop style scene but to also get some ideas on how I would do it differently.

http://selfridges.com/GB/en/features/articles/selfridges-guideto/state-of-the-arts

18.12.2018
From spending a day helping Claybody theatre I wanted to see if I could arrange with the support and help from Airspace Gallery, a way to stage my own scene and set using their window exhibition programme. After speaking with the director Glen and preparing a proposal for how I would use the time and space, we have set to meet in the new year to discuss further my ideas and hopes for the project. My proposal featured an idea to create a shopfront called 'PolluShine - is it worth it?' focusing on the detrimental effects of pollution within our oceans. For inspiration and ideas on construction and application, I took a trip into London to see how high end shops such as Harrods, Selfridges, John Lewis and House Of Fraser treat their shop fronts and stores within the busiest and most competitive time of the year, Christmas. I was completely awe-struck with how elaborate and exciting these windows were. I felt transformed to another world studying every detail and consideration, almost forgetting that I was standing outside in the rain. Creating a fantasy that's equally believable than it is imagined is creating a new possibility for the audience. A magical modification of the world we know and live in. This has propelled me with fresh ideas and thoughts on use of lighting, movement and curatorial considerations to take in order to fill the space and command attention.

10.11.2018
After discussing different possible opportunities with my lecturer about companies or places i could gain some industry experience, i got in contact with ClayBody Theatre. They were in the middle of preparing their latest show Hot Lane and invited me to spend a day helping them set up. I arrived on location at 11am Saturday morning and was introduced to their scenic artist who i was going to be helping out for the day. We spent most of the day painting some red lines into the wallpaper of a backdrop and getting a first coat on the skirting board for it. It was quite challenging as we faced a few problems such as paint bleeding from the type of wallpaper it was, and halfway through had decided to tape all the lines so it would take less time. Although it was time consuming it was fascinating to see the attention to detail and care we were both taking to what could be seen as a minor detail, but would only take one person to notice it from the audience and it could ruin the whole illusion and fantasy of the set.
This was a great taster at prop making/set design and after speaking to the scenic artist i helped, who works at the New Vic Theatre, i will hopefully get a chance to help out there for a bit. This has defiantly inspired me to take some more time to think about my future as an artist and start making some connections to the industry.

04.10.2018
As part of our professional practice and placement module, we spent the day in Festival Park, Stoke on Trent looking into how an artist would interact with an environment and create an intervention within a space. We started off with some drawing exercises such as one minute sketches up to 10, created a Haiku for the space, and created short voice recordings describing either a route we were taking or what we saw on the route. I then also wanted to respond to all the fallen leaves and bare branches surrounding me, so i took to the pet cemetery within the grounds and patched back together some trees and branches. By using a very thin wire i was able to then attach these 'branches' back onto a tree or a bush, it was almost unnoticeable which i loved. No one walking by would ever have known that the leaves on the branch were in fact dead, and the thin wire gently danced in the wind identical to the natural branches. This very man made intervention among something as natural as trees gave a fairly confronting notion of how we as humans are so damaging to our natural environment, and think that by patching up the problems will make our damage go away. I also collected different amounts of pine and bound them into 3 different sized paintbrushes. Using these i created quick 5 minute landscape paintings of the surrounding area. This was a fun way of using the environment to help me recreate it.
I learnt a lot on this day about different approaches you can take as an artist to respond to any type of location. On reflection, being experimental and really taking time to take in the space and really explore are key to creating an interesting intervention.

I haven't given much thought about life after University. It always seems quite daunting as i'm still finding out who i am as an artist. Last year i discovered a love for sculpture and making objects rather than just painting them. I want to further explore and expand my knowledge within sculpture and potentially get involved with some workshops to see where it takes me. I would love to have an industry placement where i can focus on creating art with a hands on approach and possibly shadow another artist. I think it would be very helpful for me to see how an artist in the real world produces work, and see the stages behind the scenes that no one else gets to see. I have always been fascinated by sculpture within the film industry such as SFX, prop making or set designs and it would be a dream to be involved in some way.