Shleter Project.

I had my first tutorial with Jon today, I know it’s early on in the year but before I went to see him I still felt I was lacking with ideas and work, and really I have plenty of good ideas. I think because of what’s happened with Rachel I’ve just put everything on hold, when really I can’t do that because I love art and I can’t risk my degree because of personal circumstances, I just have to focus on what I need to do.

So generally Jon and I spoke about my ideas for where I’ll be taking my next project, which I think Jon found interesting, though I get the feeling he likes to see the work rather than just hear my ideas! I have a plan to create a dolls house, I just love making miniature creations and producing little story scenes, I think there’s something really magical and intriguing about small versions of life-sized objects. During my first year on this course, I began a fascination with taxidermy and story books, I enjoy the humour which animals and toys can create when set as though human, acting out roles which are unexpected of these creatures. I imagine my doll’s house to set a different scene within each room, each scene will relate to a chapter from a story book...I’m unsure whether I will create my own story or refer to one which interests me already. I’m very excited about this project!!

I also discussed with Jon the new project we’ve been given in class the other week, the project is based on ‘shelter’. Initially I loved the sound of this; there are so many avenues which can be taken with it so it’s something I’m really looking forward to getting on with. Being in a group was optional, so I decided it would be a good opportunity to work with my friend Felix, we’re both very similar in our ideas, we both love making intricate things, and generally have quite a similar outlook. I’ve spoken to Fee about my dolls house idea already and she loves the idea, so I suggested we do something similar with this shelter project, and we came up with a few ideas. We both liked the aspect of having some sort of contradiction in the context, I thought of perhaps creating a shelter from the environment like survivalists do, using any means we could find such as branches, leaves, grass, wood etc. And then inside the shelter would be a readymade ‘home’, including the likely objects you would find in a house such as a carpet, lamp, picture frame and other household associations. Fee came up with the idea of doing something with a bus shelter, focusing on the obvious fact that the general public all use this space as a shelter by some means. Combining both of our ideas we landed on the decision to create a home within a bus shelter, transforming the usual and familiar surroundings of a ‘bus stop’ into a space which creates a home for those who shelter underneath it. Two girls from my class, Holly and Emma both needed to be in a group so they ended up joining onto mine and Fee’s project too. So far we’ve planned out the concept of the project and have given ourselves targets as for when to start setting the scene.