Showtime

After some fairly frantic packing, unloading and then working out logistics we managed to get our pieces up. Moreover they complemented each other!

The science department allowed me to borrow one of their Leica analogue microscopes which was very exciting. This aspect brought in intrigue and added an immersive element to our exhibition. It caused interaction and provided a point of conversation. Using the paint was interesting as people assumed it was something directly related to science. However it was materials taken from the printing workshop, referencing the parallels between the lab and workshop.

Hovering around and engaging in conversation with tutors from different areas was insightful and the feedback received was great all round. In reflection, if allowed more time I would of liked to make use of the space and go even bigger. A0 (although big) was as large as screen printing would permit, after working with the paint to make the screens I would have liked to have done some paintings! This is definitely on the cards for the future. However, overall I feel like our section of the thursday late event was a success and it was great to see such intrigue from friends, family and the general public. The collaboration with the science department and my time in the labs has been amazing and am going to carry on working through the summer!

 

 

 

 

Finishing off the Prints

Bringing the Lab to the Workshop

The lovely microbiology department allowed me to borrow their portable microscope in a test to see if it is sufficient in harbouring some visual stimulus interesting enough to display with my work in the show. I decided to create some slides of the inks i’ve been using and some with printing medium to mimic the effect of the oil used in the real process when looking at microbes. This interchanging of materials: bringing the microscope to the workshop and the print materials to the lab is quite exciting and highlights some of the parallels between the two; experimentation!

Although very convenient in its size and portability it would be more interesting to zoom further in, its range is capped at 400x whereas the larger microscopes can zoom up to 10,000x. Also as the area we will be in needs optimum darkness to maximise the glowing of the plant and my prints the screen of this microscope may detract and distract. The nature of the larger analogue microscopes, having to look through the scope would be more suited to not only keeping the light down but creating a more immersive experience. Translating our experience of the project (being in the labs and such) to the audience more sufficiently.

Print in Progress

Employing my glow in the dark ink alongside a deep sea palette I started mixing up the colours.

Funny as i was printing I was considering the parallels between the lab and the workshop, paint covered apron replacing the pristine lab coat, agar plate swapped for the paint pot and the way everything is labeled and laid out is similar yet obviously the content changes.

So I decided to run two different colour ways both incorporating the glow in the dark inks.

Steadily, layer by layer piecing them together. Due to the size of the screen I have to use the printing arm as an aid: a mechanism that helps make it possible.

With just one more layer to go on the other colourway i’m pretty pleased with the outcomes yet as always technicalities and my perfectionist tendencies lead me to feel I could or should have done better. Specifically the layering, choosing the right colours in the right order to make sure other colours overlap in a desirable fashion, knowledge of which colours ‘kill’ the others in attempt of a solid print. However it’s a learning curve and exciting to be working on such a large scale.

 

Loch Rannoch

This weekend me and my girlfriend decided to make a pilgrimage to the Scottish Highlands to a place called Loch Rannoch in search of James Turrell’s skyspace piece.

After some traveling and searching in the remoteness, we acquired some knowledge from the seldom locals. Luckily got a ride from a man named Gordon Brown who pointed us toward the whereabouts. We then pitched up our tent near the loch and made our way into Craiganour Estate where the Turrell piece stood hidden within a birch tree woodland.

Anxiety rising with the setting suns darkness looming we sighted the skyspace easing our doubts and suspicions of false information. Quite a momentous piece of architecture.

 

An experience that permits a calmness. Allows one to focus on the slow transformation of cloud formations. A stillness that circles the constant flow of nature. Whilst staring through the elliptical border I was reminded of the agar plates and again of the visual oneness between the micro and the macro. Also the notion of ordering chaos is touched upon with this piece which relates to the microscoping.

 

 

 

 

Print Prep

In line with my interest in the micro – macro relation I blew up one of my earlier A5 drawings (pictured above) and decided to go A0, as big as possible, to fill the massive wall space.

Print technician Mike kindly gave me access to materials more frequently used for textiles due to large nature of the screen. Armed with some acrylic paint and some brushes I began preparing 4 layers for the different colours. Using paint was great, a more liquid substance compared to the marker pens used to create the original image. The paint forced the forms to become more organic and fluid, more appropriate in reflecting the sea and it’s depths.

 

 

One Man’s Stain Is Another Man’s Gain

‘What are you doing?’ I simply explained I was an art student.

 

Group Meet

Today we discussed logistics of the exhibition, equipment needed etc. also working out space and making sure there were no clashes between groups.

What was most helpful was discussing with Annie and Sam the intentions of our work. Highlighting the importance of the thursday late as an event opposed to an exhibition. As Dec has had his idea from the beginning he was criticized on not being adaptive enough to the situation – too rigid. Especially since the night is looming close and he is still dead set on making it the way he sees it, which I respect to an extent, his determination. In attempt to make our work more accessible and to try and translate our journey to the audience we needed something more enticing, more interactive. So to accompany my prints and Dec’s piece we thought it would be a great idea to get one of the microscopes in from the lab and prepare some slides of intriguing subjects, potentially some of the bacteria and also specs of paint or just relevant things that would be great to look at.

Fungi

Quite amazing fungi… I’m reading a book at the moment called Food of the Gods by Terence Mckenna. The book introduces the idea of psilocybin being the unsung hero of the rapid development of human consciousness from Primeape to Man. The nature of fungi and its manner of growth visually symbolises their potential psychological effect on man. Sending hyphae out in search of nutrients, roots spanning enormous distances underground and only in exact circumstances will it sproat, will the mushroom, the flower unearth itself, quite special. This below surface amalgamation of hyphae could stand as metaphor for the unknown, the unconscious or unseen/transcendent as it remains hidden underground. Then the mushroom as the flower surfaced from the realms of the unearthed mesh of root that span through the world; once eaten, the mushroom opens consciousness, widens the aperture of our perception and heightens our awareness of nature. Promotes interconnectedness. Cultivates connectivity: quite simply as the hyphae entwine and connect to cultivate itself.

 

 

 

Scoping the MAG!

We went back to our chosen spot to work out some logistics and had a chat with Clare Gannaway who very helpfully talked us through what was possible. As well as measuring up the wall space to gauge available room for work. We spoke of Dec’s plant – squid work and also of an appropriate method of hanging my printwork.

Quite kindle Clare took us into the store section to search for a plinth for Dec’s piece, it was great to get a look into the workings of the Gallery and talk with her about MAG and also her past, the industry etc. Turns out she used to curate at the Cornerhouse which I loved greatly.