Exploring 2 and 3D spaces using the illusions created by light, this piece plays with the imagination. It took a very long time to get the set up right for this and it still needs some work but it is still very interesting. To fully grasp the feeling of this piece you need to watch the video:
Inspired by Slinkachu’s work in the miniature world of models, this project was to explore and play with scale in and around ECA (Edinburgh College of Art). The models where made using Milliput a two part epoxy resin that’s immensely useful.
‘A Piece of an Artist’ explores and examines the studio space of an artist, commenting on the layers of paint and marks made over time that record the process of making art. From a small space, the layers have been separated by colour onto ten separate ‘slides’. Each ‘slide’ is attached to the mechanism, which makes them move in an uncoordinated manner. This piece was never finished properly adding to the character and intrigue; a facination of movement.
As the first project at ECA (Edinburgh College of Art) we worked in groups to create an installation piece that was then part of our first exhibition at the college. We were given the title ‘Fairground’ to work from. Our concept for this piece mixed the aftermath of a fairground and a music festival to create a damp, colourful and rubbish-filled space. We had a budget of nothing so it had to all be free or as cheap as possible. A large amount of the materials were found in bins but we also collected broken or unsellable pieces from charity shops. To add to the mess and to create effect we brought in a bag full of leave that we added to the space.
Having finished college, I am planning on setting myself some projects over summer, before I go off to uni. I have no idea as yet what these might be but I will begin planning shortly. In the meantime I have reverted back to the therapeutic folding of origami as a means of relaxation. There is something so satisfying about folding a flat piece of paper to create a 3D sculpture. So I dug out one of my many origami books and found some paper I would probably never use otherwise and began folding. These three pieces are modular (they use more than one piece of paper) and are very difficult to piece together. This is what makes them so fascinating to me. The process of assembling them makes me feel like I understand the geometric form better. I have often wanted to try adapting these in some way.
As a part of our trip to Venice we went to visit Mantua, Padua and Verona. In Padua there is this fascinating little chapel called the Scrovegni Chapel which contains works by the artist Giotto. I highly recommend going to see this even if you’re not a fan of churches, because pictures don’t do it justice. The colour in the room is so bright considering it’s over 700 years old. Lapis and Gold make a beautiful contrast. I could go into all the history but that’s not what astonished me. I like to look at the details.
Mantua was the next stop and the Ducal Palace, Mantua and the “bridal chapel” Camera degli Sposi by Andrea Mantegna. There was some history behind this room and it defiantly felt quite odd, because most of the rest of the palace had no decoration left, but this room was preserved. The detail is beautiful even though some parts have fallen away. In the top corner of one of the frescos was what seemed to be a shadow of something that was added later on, in a paint that didn’t last as long as the original. There is something so beautiful about decay.
Finally we visited Verona, most commonly known as the setting for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The two main places we went were Verona’s Arena and “Juliet’s Balcony”. The Arena was particularly pretty as we got there at sunset. It was built by the romans in the first century and is still used for concerts. Originally I’d thought that “Juliet’s Balcony” would be really bland and boring but it was amazing. The sheer amount of graffiti blew me away. Millions of signatures and notes stuck to the walls in everyday imaginable. Well worth the visit.
Gwyneth Machin 