OUIL402 - END OF MODULE EVALUATION

PRESENTATION PPP

The Creature Shop

"The Creature Shop" went from being an informal identifier to a formal one, used to denote the more aesthetically realistic, technically involved "creatures". Traditional puppetry techniques, while not entirely abandoned, were placed to the side in favor of radio-controlled advancements, animatronic technology, body suit performers, and fleshy latex faces capable of multiple eye, brow, jaw, and teeth movements."

I've looked at Jim Henson's Creature Shop so many times for other modules but I wanted to revisit it as a WORKPLACE. What would it be like to work there? Why is it my dream?

The Lab
Rather than a studio, the Creature Shop's workshop is called a 'laboratory', since its a place for inventing, experimenting and bringing things to life.
The Lab is filled with everything you'd need - all the materials organised into departments and areas. A wig zone, drawers for eyes and different materials. It would be incredible to work in such a place where freedom is not only allowed but encouraged. Creature Designers have access to all sorts of materials.

 https://makeupmag.com/wp-content/uploads/images/2014_Henson_Syfy_Brooke-Rudd-Smith1200px.jpg

Workplace
The Creature Shop was originally based in Camden, London after Henson wanted to distance his Muppets from his more advanced and artistic creations. The studio is no longer there which I think is a huge shame! It's a piece of history if nothing more and now it's been turned into flats. Such a pity.
The new studios are back in L.A. in the States, and I worry that people will forget the Creature Shop's routes.
It would be awesome to open the Creature Shop back up, especially since it was the British public who received Jim's work so well when America was a little slower. It was in Britain that Labyrinth was filmed, in Britain that several Muppet films were made and that the Frouds met the Hensons!

 

http://www.henson.com/jimsredbook/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/DC_Build_007.jpg

  Productions
The Creature Shop made the puppets for DreamChild, Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal and more. So many of my favourite things came from that very studio, so it's hard not to fall in love with the seed from which they came!

 http://psychodrivein.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CS102-04.jpg

Values
The Creature Shop endeavours to make creatures!
They were behind the first Hollywood blockbuster to use CGI animation technology with the owl in Labyrinth (the worst part of the best movie ever). They pride themselves in being pioneers of new technologies.
They now have a whole department for computer generated animation and embrace digital processes in the design stage. This is the one thing that I don't fully support. I just feel that it contradicts the traditional, hand-made, CRAFT of the work that goes on in there, that Henson started. I know that Jim Henson was excited about digital technology and that it can be really useful editing and finishing scenes, but I think it's taking over and taking away from the thing that makes Henson's work magical.

UPDATE: JOHN COCKSHAW COLLAB

Thank you for the reply. I agree, this could be the start of something brilliant. I'll definitely keep in touch regularly. Could I start with commissioning you an Alice and March hare doll (only when you have time to do so and when your schedule allows) at the 7" dimensions mentioned. From one artist to another I understand the importance of our own signature styles so you have complete artistic licence to do whatever you like and I'll gladly pay. Feel very free to depart from the conventional Alice imagery and go as fantastical or macabre as you wish!

Thank you very much. Oh, and please ask any questions or random musings anytime you wish

Awesome! I'm really excited to start work with John and he has paid me an invoice for £40 for one Alice doll. I want to make sure that it is functional and worth his money. After this module submission I'm going to begin building her. I'd really like to have a go at making eye mechs so many this is the chance I've waited for?
I'm going to do some concept sketches first too, since I always rush into MAKING the character without a clear vision of WHAT it will look like.

Puppet Making Workshops

Fred said there might be an opportunity to do some puppet-making workshops next year!

Absolutely brilliant and just what I've been waiting for, learning about PROFESSIONAL puppet-making techniques and MATERIALS!

But again I'm nervous about the idea of other people in the group learning about puppetry. Everyone is already so much better at drawing than me and MAKING is the only thing I'm ALMOST confident with at the moment. I can't let other people steam ahead of me with that too. This is all I have.

I'm just feeling really low in terms of confidence at the moment. I've been throwing out all my old sketchbooks from previous modules and I know it's all just rubbish. I'm worried that my time on the course so far has been wasted.

I know this is all just a late-night anxiety low but I need to chat this out with myself in order to find out how to move forward from this point.

POSTER TIME

This is the last ever practical piece of work I'll be submitting this year... feels so strange! I want this to be the best, the final and therefore most informed illustration I've made in Level 4.

I don't feel like this is worthy of that place. It's not good enough to be the last thing I make! I want to completely redo it but there's not enough time and I know that my presentation is more important at this point.

It's not awful, but it's just not what I want to end my year on. There's nothing I particularly hate I just don't think it's as exciting or interesting as it could be. It's basic and a little predictable.

This pose feels more immediately obvious as an anatomical/medical diagram.

Have I played it safe by making a doll in the same way I always do? I want to push myself over summer and try some new techniques. Just because I'm enjoying making dolls/puppets doesn't mean I should stick with this - I need to keep pushing it and find ways of making them better, function better, look better, move better!

I like doing something different and out of the box, making things that noone expects or has seen before, so I need to keep moving. I need to keep my work interesting by interesting myself! I can't expect to make something new and innovative if it doesn't excite me.

I think I went wrong at the concept. I didn't spend long enough thinking about ideas for the poster, so I went with one of the first things I thought of.

Tummy Bug

Some photos of the bugs inside my little doll...

Using a Nikon D3200 DSLR camera and two zennox studio lights.

A ribcage too? Bring back the heart? Too busy? Too boring? I made smaller butterflies so they'd be more proportional to the rest of the body but it's now just quite empty. Humph. The good thing about this process of image-making is that I can very easily change the composition, change the butterflies and just take the photo again without having to scrap any drawings or completely start again.

Only putting this one up to demonstrate how horrible it is. A really ugly angle that accentuates her nose and ears, this doesn't work!

Playing with background space, pose, shadow amount and direction of gaze. I think she needs to be central - as I've drawn in my roughs - but I wanted to take some alternative angles just in case there was another solution that worked better. There isn't.

I like the ribcage because it brings back the scientific theme and highlights the idea that it's a cross-section image rather than these butterflies just being on top of her skin. Since the body on this little doll wasn't as concave as the big one, I think the ribcage bones were really needed to shout that part of the concept.

Critters

Time to get on! I'm printing the poster on Thursday so I need to finish all models and photograph them by Wednesday.

I plan to do the digital editing and processing of the POSTER on Thursday in the studio so I have the file ready to print before 4pm.

Making some textile moths and butterflies for the tummy. I want them to be cute with a slight creepiness to them - parasitic but pretty. Needs colour but first try ain't bad. Not sure if they read 'butterfly' though, I was a little hesitant to make butterflies because I thought they might look too cheesy, childish or basic. People draw butterflies all the time, would it show any skill?

Also wondering if this concept has much depth - is it too obvious?!

NOT HAPPY WITH THE BIG DOLL'S PROPORTIONS. I used a hollow shell to get the tummy this shape but it's TOO ROUND, too much like a PREGNANT BELLY?

I showed my mum and she said the moths look like sheep. DAMMIT PAM.

She said to go forward with the butterflies. I'm still not sure whether this is too obvious, too tacky, too 13-year-old-girl-doodleees xoxo  BUT if the butterflies are OBVIOUSLY BUTTERFLIES then the message will read much more clearly.

BUTTERFLY PROBLEMO SOLVED. Found some scraps of wallpaper samples in my drawer and folded them into butterfly shapes - so simple, there's a butterfly! A few black details, wire antenna and double-sided wings, they look pretty groovy.

It's moved quite far away from the creepy, parasitic look I wanted but I guess that's not very me anyway. This vibe of 'cuteness' and 'charm' is something I hear in feedback quite a lot, and the crit the other day told me to go with my strengths. Save creepy for later.

She does look pregnant! Although the butterflies do look good in her deep tummy, I just can't get away from the fact that she looks pregnant! I DON'T WANT TO DISTORT THE MESSAGE.

There's so much I don't like about the big doll. I'd have to make a lot of changes in order for it to work... Her shoulders are too low and also wonky. Her tummy is too round and wide, her ears and nose are too big. Her limbs are too long.

Going back to the little doll. Much prefer her proportions, I'm more familiar with this scale, so I understand how the shape should work.

Might make a new set of smaller butterflies to fit better inside the small doll but I do like the crammed-in notion.

Really enjoying this background - it's just some brown card I had at home, it suits the old-fashioned medical diagram look very well.

ANATOMY OR WORLD

'Worldbuilding is the process of constructing an imaginary world, sometimes associated with a whole fictional universe'  -  Reddit, Worldbuilding (thanks Kyle!) I've never looked at Reddit before but it's a strange place - very nerdy but it's a good thing to be nerdy about something. Am I nerdy ENOUGH about worldbuilding? 

I'M STUCK BETWEEN TWO CONCEPTS

AGH. Do I go worldbuilding or anatomical? Which one is more ME? The feedback said good things about both so I don't know. I really want someone to make this decision for me but I know it's a personal decision...

If I DO do worldbuilding then I want to do it properly. I know I won't be happy unless it's a fully realised world and I know that I don't have enough time to do that the way I want to. Maybe that's a project for over Summer.

FINAL CRIT (Peer Review)

Mary Chu

Character is big for Chu - her Buttman is recognisable and a thread that she's followed since Foundation. GO WITH BUTTMAN, MARY!

Alicja

Talked about time management

how PERSONAL should the presentation be?

Swanson

Spoke about concepts and media

thread and embroidery

both really into research so this would be a good theme for the poster.

Suggested that I follow the medical anatomical route and research old medical leaflets and illustrations.

FEEDBACK

Good communication of intent - storytelling - what you're good at and who you are!

Maybe explore a narrative within the poster - sequential imagery?

Love the anatomy one

maybe include humorous things e.g. brain full of David Bowie or pencils

Storytelling and making puppets are defo your strength!

Good communication of personality and individuality! Love the anatomy idea!

GO WITH YOUR TALENT. I LOVE IDEA 5. Puppets are cooooool.

I love the idea of building a world that encompasses your ideas and likes as a practitioner. Check out the 'world building' reddit.

JAYNIVERSE! Also puppets are amaze balls, I defo think you should incorporate them in poster somehow.

BUGS AND BUTTERFLIES

I'm looking at how other artists make butterflies and bugs to try and see how I will approach this subject. Do I go ULTRA-REALISTIC, or SICKLY SWEET or CARTOON?

Here's some examples of ones I've found and like:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/73/f2/56/73f256d03157928a1cd493a85a9ae831.jpg

Mr Finch's giant, furry insects are equal parts nightmarish and cuddly! How does the man do it? They take a long time to make and they're crafted from textiles and thread. Mr Finch is brilliant and I never expect to many anything of his calibre but I'm just going to sit here for a moment and take in these big-bottomed beauties... woah....

Even though he's used bold, furry fabrics for the bodies and thick, liquorice-like legs, he's still ensured to make those wings as dainty as they can be on such big minibeasts! They're thin and transparent with skeletal details, making them realistic and looking like functional wings.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/ef/72/e2/ef72e258bb91ff61136eb3d461163881.jpg

Yumi Okita is the hands behind these fantastically bright and vibrant textile moths. A little more whimsical than the work of Mr Finch. They're still slightly fluffy to describe the hairy nature of moths, but with attention pulled to the glorious wings, hand-embroidered with metallic threads. Very groovy, perhaps too much going on for my poster? I don't want it to be too busy if I'm having several moths.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/53/42/85/534285fc8547a07a0c68a93575a2b759.jpg

Andrea Uravitch crafts these harder, wire and metal insects that make me clench my teeth - odd reaction but I can actually hear them crunch and click as they move and it unsettles me. They look heavier than the moths, and appear hard and glossy. Their legs are obviously wire, maybe more detail could be paid to them if Uravitch wanted them to be more realistic but they definitely look like BEETLES and they really do make me anxious.

Is this the reaction I want to evoke through my poster???

Donna Wilson - Goose the Bear with Ljubljana Puppet Theatre

Donna Wilson makes these highly decorative illustrations that she applies to bags, fashion garments, fabrics and wallpapers. Her work focuses on nature, pattern, line, shape and design. I think it's this thread of 'trend' and 'cuteness' that makes her designs transfer so easily to any kind of homeware product. 

donna-wilson-cushions-minimoi.jpg

Consumers purchase products from her website that are decorated with her funky lines and animal characters because they want them to decorate their homes with.

Modern-day art-enthusiasts don't buy as many prints or original paintings, but instead purchase the illustrations they like printed onto cushions or blankets to decorate their homes.

Her work feels like it would be at home on Paperchase products or Ohh Deer, very modern and fitting the trend of applied illustration. Bold colours, cute animals that everyone wants on their stationery.

She's big on print and pattern!

http://www.donnawilson.com/wp-content/uploads/puppet_5-e1461767319368.jpg

Wilson's puppets move into the realm of puppets through felt and textile fabrics. Her charming and friendly characters are knitted and sewn into 3D models that can be moved and performed with.

This is a really unusual and unconventional material for puppets, something I've never seen before. Ljubljana puppet theatre have maintained Wilson's aesthetic, her visual signature and brought it to life for the stage.

This performance of 'Goose the Bear' uses a very illustrative approach to set, character and costume.

Echoing Wilson's handmade, hand-drawn lines with thread and material.

Something about this performance that really intrigues me is that the puppeteers aren't dressed in black to blend into the background, they are wearing patterns! Typically, the performers wear something really plain to disappear and not divert attention away from the focal puppets. Ljubljana have chosen not to do this and involve the actors as PART OF THE SET.

Since the set is so heavily patterned and covered in Wilson's illustrations, perhaps the most logical thing to do to make the actors blend in would be to dress them in similar patterns. Wearing plain black would not make the actors blend into this scene, so dressing in the same marks that adorn the fabrics is the way that the Ljubljana puppet company have solved it.

http://www.donnawilson.com/wp-content/uploads/puppet_1-768x512.jpeg

The puppet company Ljubljana is based in Slovenia, a different culture to where Donna Wilson's original illustrations originate (Aberdeenshire). The class of culture might disrupt the communication and bring that make comprehension difficult. BUT PUPPETS ARE UNIVERSAL and can translate through different languages.

The animals might have different connotations in Slovenia than they do in Aberdeenshire.

I wonder if the performance involves speech? If it does, then there will be a different language presenting her puppets. But if not, then the puppets visually do all of the speaking and don't need verbal dialogue to define them, which makes them completely universal and relies on the interpretation of the audience.

OUIL 401 END OF MODULE EVALUATION CONTEXT OF PRACTICE

1.  What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?

I have developed my skills in researching. Learning how to effectively evaluate a discourse has improved the quality of my essay. My tone of voice has become less informal and my writing more concise. I didn’t know how to triangulate an argument before this module, which I have now practiced and applied to my essay. My written evaluation is therefore more reliable and informed.

I’ve improved my skills in image analysis, including how to decode and understand the intention behind a piece of work. As a result of understanding how other artists communicate their arguments, I have attempted to imbue meaning within my own work.

The essay required a Harvard referenced bibliography, which challenged me to refresh my knowledge of Harvard referencing and put it to practice.

I have also developed my practice of visual exploration by keeping a visual journal; this sketch booking process has directed my focus and given me a space to record my journey. I have used the journal consistently and I think the work I’ve made in it has improved since I started this module.

2. What approaches to/methods of research have you developed and how have they informed your practical outcomes?

Before this module, I could be quite lazy with research and rely on just one source, often using the internet, but I now value the variety of sources available to me and I have tried to make the most of them. I have used the College Library to investigate my subject and find books and journals related to my essay topic. I’ve enjoyed reading about the topic because it’s made me more knowledgeable and given me an opportunity to learn more about something I’m interested in. The more sources I’ve found, the better understanding I could gage of the big picture. I have found it interesting to see the opposing views of an argument and to try and decide my own opinion.

The internet has been useful because it has exposed me to a range of information that is unavailable in print form. I’ve found personal opinions, theories and studies through websites and Google Books.

I have also conducted visual research in Studio Brief 2. I have researched through the practice of making and playing. This has been a hands-on approach to primary research, which I’ve been quite explorative with.

I went on a field trip to Ilkley Toy Museum which was a great place to see sources in a physical collection rather than just a book or a website, which thus spurred my practical outcomes (TOYS and physical objects).

The information I have found also helped me to make work that stems from these real-world subjects. I’ve taken quotes from books and tried to tackle them with my visual journal. I don’t think I have actually solved any of these topical concerns (e.g. equality, political socialisation), but I have made work in response to the contextual world.

Looking at other artists has also informed my practical outcomes. I have investigated the work of Ed Cheverton and Alexander Girard, whose work explores similar themes. Seeing how these artists solve the same problem has shown me the potential for my area of work and where my practice could exist within the industry.

3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?

The visual journal has been a really inventive and innovative journey for me. I have used this outlet to be curious in my making and exploring. Not having a final outcome has allowed me to work without limits or direction, pushing me to enjoy the PROCESS of making.

I am passionate about artists I admire. The interest I have for artists has made my work more interesting and I have explored a number of artists within this module who work with three-dimensional materials to produce physical illustration, so my practice/knowledge of practice is becoming quite broad (beyond traditional illustration).

My work has been self-directed and I have been motivated to produce work for my own interest and benefit.

I think that my blog has been used consistently and effectively. I’ve been quite reflective, which has helped me to identify issues/concerns.

4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?

I’ve found Context of Practice very stressful. It felt like a lot of pressure to produce a 3,000 word essay, but it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. Next year I will try not to fret about it and just get it done. I wasted time by worrying about it and therefore lost out on valuable MAKING TIME. 

I wasn’t sure whether the practical work I was making actually answered the brief and the idea that there is no ‘resolved outcome’ did baffle me at first, but I now know that the freedom of the module is a good thing and that the fun is in the process.

I don’t think that I have produced as much work as I could have. Due to the overlapping modules, I think I avoided COP to a certain extent until the other modules were over. I need to address my attention to COP and balance my workload better.

I don’t think the quality of my visual outcomes is great because I was focussing on the quantity and breadth of research rather than making a refined and finished piece, but perhaps by starting the practical work earlier I could have more time to make multiples of pieces and do more roughing in my visual journal.

5. Identify five things that you feel will benefit you during next year’s Context of Practice module?

I need to improve my time management by organising my studio development time and sticking to a plan. By working systematically like this, I will be able to keep on top of work.

Reflecting and evaluating the effectiveness of my work is making my outcomes stronger. Maintaining my blog and keeping it up-to-date with my progress next year will help me to see the journey I’ve taken and how I’ve overcome obstacles.

I found going out and doing primary research really helpful to give me a different perspective on issues than the flat sources in books and online. I want to do more of this next year, especially going out on field trips and interviewing people about the topic.

Although I think I have embraced my visual journal, I know that I can use it MORE to develop roughs and sketch out ideas in response to my research. I will use my visual journal more next year and take it out with me on location to these field trips in order to gather a larger quantity of practical work.

After losing bits of information, I’ve decided that I need to organise my printing and keeping all research together – I will use a folder and archive EVERYTHING I find.

I would like to be more explorative next year – to step out there and do something unexpected instead of playing it safe
.

DIAGRAM

MEDICAL DIAGRAMS

INVESTIGATING Historical and contemporary medical diagrams to get some ideas of the conventional codes for my poster and how I can 'fit in' to this area.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/a9/6a/e8/a96ae808bf9bdefe3448a5b7cbaa9a28.jpg

Sculpture has been used as diagram: used to teach in medical school, a functional tool where the student can see the different organs - they can be removed and re-ordered to test knowledge.
KIND OF LIKE OPERATION! THE BOARD GAME.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/6e/06/55/6e0655a98eb8812f2f98fcad1ec2562e.jpg

Friendly and fun approach to anatomy diagram! I love these! Very illustrative. Great use of character and making factual information more exciting for a younger audience.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/1b/d8/e9/1bd8e97ef0d1df9679a625c4c0119fad.jpg
The restricted colour palette works really well too, separating the different areas of study (respiratory, cardiovascular etc) whilst still using the same visual signature and compositional guide. The artist has differentiated and coded the posters with colour. It also makes them more interesting visually - they're all different because they've different colour palettes.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/e1/6e/a6/e16ea6a9b16f735e5804ab52aeb4b732.jpg

I've no clue what this is but I like it. The tongue is gross but it's just very silly and playful and makes me think of Mr Potato Head. TURNING A SUBJECT ON ITS HEAD.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/cb/cc/e1/cbcce106af73b7c815dc6dad625d8cee.jpg

THIS CONCEPT HAS A FUNCTION AND A PURPOSE. It's biological dissection without the animal cruelty - very clever!

POSTER THOUGHTS

Looking at Latin words to label my medical condition (gives me butterflies)

Phagia = eating (Parasitic, painful anxiety element. I wish I'd made my butterflies more realistic or in their consumption of the INSIDES... not necessarily creepy but at least a little gross).

stomachus-phagia Rhopalocera
(stomach-eating butterfly)

ANATOMY DOLL

From the brief:

'Your diagram needs to be a systematic deconstruction of yourself as a creative practitioner, illustration student and human being

Identify and make links between all aspects of your personal and professional practice as well as consideration for the wider of context of the world around you'

Intention: So far, my powerpoint focuses on the change of path that my work has taken this year. It's about the new things I've discovered and how that has made me more interesting as a person and a practitioner.

To compliment this theme, I really want my diagram to discuss the 'transformation' that I've undergone. A visual reflection of my CHANGE OF HEART, CHANGE OF DIRECTION could be a kind of metamorphasis? A shedding of skin? A natural transition or a mechanical one?

Process: Thought I'd make a start on a body to fill with INSIDES.

Working with bodies and DECONSTRUCTING MYSELF feels like a Frankenstine project.

All the dolls I've made so far have fallen into a 'fantasy' genre, complete with pointy elf ears and spindly limbs... in my last tutorial, Matt said to maybe think about looking at different figures/aesthetics/bodies - so this one is going to be a more human character. It's me, so she needs to be small and weird looking.

Paper mache is still a bit rough, perhaps I should use clay instead for a smoother flesh finish?

Started on a clay one at the same time to see which one works better...

Yes, as expected, clay is much smoother! I'll need to add some joints if I want this one to move though, but that's not important if this is only to be a printed poster!

CLAY IS THE WAY TO GO BUT I'M GOING TO FINISH THE PAPERMACHE ONE AS A TEST.

I've heard people talk about 'paperclay' before. I'd like to have a play with that, not entirely sure what it is.

I'VE DONE THIS BEFORE. For my 10x10x10 project, I made a Jay doll! Is this too similar? I'm doing the same thing again!!!!

IT FEELS LIKE A CIRCULAR JOURNEY, and getting the chance to re-do that project is great because I can show how much I have learnt this year and how I've got here.

Adding hair - I used a yellow/cream wool (not wool roving, it's too thin and doesn't read very well in photos - too frizzy and difficult to cut around in Photoshop). I used a needle felting tool to 'root' the hair into the scalp. Took longer than I usually do over this, trying to pay attention to even the smallest details.

If I want to root hair into the clay version I'll need to have a polystyrene base that's exposed around the back and top of the skull so that I can hook hairs into it. Clay would go over the polystyrene (I hope).

Okay just a quick go at making a textile heart - I would like it to be a bit more realistic - not so much candy heart, but it does communicate 'heart' all the same. Didn't know how to attach it so I strung it up and I actually really like that! It looks dangly and fragile. Sweeet. COULD I MAKE IT ACTUALLY THUMP? Getting ahead of myself, I only need to make a poster but I COULD MAKE IT THUMP... I could make it squirt blood too muahaha.

Ah I haven't decided how to do the eyes yet/what face to do... I think that's one to work out in the sketchbook.

DIAGRAM IDEAS

Since this year for me has been a lot about EXPLORING, ADVENTURING, DISCOVERING, TRAVELLING AND WORLD BUILDING, one of the ideas I've had is to create some kind of little world or universe, documenting my journeys or drawing lines between the places I've been/invented/studied.
This could be presented in the form of a diorama (a little built scene, fulfilling my 3D desires) or a map (a more technical and traditional approach to recording SPACE, but too flat and boring for me. Maybe I can twist this form and make it more interesting)

IDEA 2: DIORAMA/LANDSCAPE

Going to be difficult to make a diorama in a portrait format because it should really be landscape!

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/d3/e8/99/d3e8997cc5d3ee30e14612750a5537e6.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/cb/05/1d/cb051d3af3b27c83c64becd8e2b0daf9.jpg

DIAGRAM IDEAS

Obviously I want to go 3D.

I would really like to communicate the idea of world-building and make some kind of diagram that is a deconstruction of my world? Or my world-building process... How to build a world. Recipe for a world. Or something to do more with me as a person? Anxieties, etc.

IDEA 1: CROSS-SECTION ANATOMY

A doll body with a hollowed-out torso. Fill the torso with the 'inner-workings' - maybe organs and bones (made from felt perhaps - soft, squishy, human, DOLLS ARE ALIVE) - maybe cogs and mechanical contraptions (inventive, clockwork, scientific) - maybe butterflies and creepy crawlies (butterflies in my tummy - each representing fears/worries/things that are eating me up).

Add text and exploded close-up shots of each element.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/e8/b6/f8/e8b6f85c1df5dcf012b71b0402d983d8.jpg

Almost exactly what I was envisioning! Really nice, structured layout that suits itself to the diagram/scientific nature of this brief. I like the gridded background, again adds to the biological theme.

Some um very lovely genitalia, I think I'll avoid sculpting any on mine lolz I am NOT DEFINED BY MY GENDER plus totally not my tone gahh.

An interesting connection between illustration and sculpting here, something that I often struggle to combine and show that I can do both simultaneously. I'd like to show super-detailed and gory close ups... wet and slithering insides... which is why I LOVE 3D. YOU CAN'T GET THAT SAME TANGIBLE GROSSNESS IN A DRAWING. YOU CAN'T MAKE IT PHYSICALLY WET AND SQUIDGY.

Since my presentation is focussing a lot on storytelling and my discoveries this year, maybe I could integrate that into the text and factual information on the poster? A poem maybe.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/16/e2/9a/16e29afcb6eb2b97f49a8ff687e503b4.jpg

Embroidered veins on this anatomy look so fragile and delicate, quite hauntingly beautiful.

Should I have unusual/odd objects inside my tummy rather than what you'd expect? Say something rather than just show some guts. GIRL GOT GUTS THO.

It'd be fun to rig up some lights and circuits in there but I don't want to go too sci-fi, that's not my jaunt. I'm more fantasy innit but again, I don't want to go too whimsical lameass on this either. I want to show that I've grown up a little bit and I do want this to be a professional looking piece.

POLLY DUNBAR - Long Nose Puppets

Got an email from Matt with some super useful puppet resources for me to gander at. Thanks, dood!

Polly Dunbar- Long Nose Puppets

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES

I knew I'd heard her name before. Polly Dunbar is the lady behind the Tilly books which is now also a TV show on Cbeebies. BUT she's got her finger in many pies (what does that saying even mean!!!!!????? or is it a thumb idk)

She's ALSO running a theatre company called Long Nose Puppets.

Two illustration students - Polly Dunbar and Katherine Morton - they met at University and CREATED STORIES AND CHARACTERS TOGETHER. They enjoyed the act of making.

After graduating, they went their separate ways making illustrations but joined forces in 2006 to make a puppet show 'just for fun'.

The show was a huge success and they continued designing, making and performing with a group of friends who helped to bring the puppets to life on stage.

Books written and illustrated by Dunbar are translated into puppet designs BY HER so they are really closely connected. This is a perfect example of the illustration/puppetry cross-over because this lady does both and has been really successful in both paths! 

In an interview with the BBC, she talks about these platforms for her characters and how she finds puppetry the most fulfilling avenue.

'There is something magical about a puppet show because you have a live audience. The audience become part of the show... there is a special atmosphere within a theatre.'

It's that intimacy, immediacy and risk of live performance that doesn't exist in television or books because the audience and the creator are distanced.

I found this quote from Katherine Morton that I think totally captures the magic of PERFORMING with puppets 'if something has a face and you can hide behind it, you can get away with a lot of fun and mischief!'

This is their lovely lil' logo. Their branding and identity is really bold and instantly recognisable as LONG NOSE. It's an illustration - they're associating themselves with an handdrawn logo rather than a 3D puppet, which I found a little confusing at first, but now I've read about and learned who they are, what they do, I understand this really beautiful link they have with illustration and that this is fundamentally the basis of everything they do. Why should one thing be a puppet and another thing they make be an illustration? They are one and the same, they are products of creativity. Although you can't really class these drawings as puppets themselves, they do stand for puppets - they're visual motifs for them (since a logo is a static image anyway and a puppet is only a puppet when it moves, right?!). But I think that since all their puppets are designed and made by illustrators, surely the puppets themselves are illustrations.

They tell the same stories as Dunbar's drawings in her books, only on stage.

http://www.longnosepuppets.com/uploads/5/6/4/5/56454305/1223268.jpg?509

The long-nosed creature is really quite cool, it's very child friendly and just plain silly fun. Damn I want those lil' mint green boots. It's a character and a mascot for the company. I'd like to see him as a puppet too!

It does remind me of Mr Nosey from Mr Men Books though. Seriously. I think they might be long lost cousins.

http://www.gareth53.co.uk/assets/img/content/mr-men/nosey01.jpg

See! Told you.

http://www.longnosepuppets.com/uploads/5/6/4/5/56454305/8518843_orig.jpg

The puppets LOOK like Dunbar's illustrations. They look like they have just climbed off the page.

It's lovely that kids will know her work from different platforms - some will recognise Tilly from the telly or the books, making it really special when they meet these physical translations in the flesh. Like meeting the princesses at Disney Land, kids bloody love to see, touch and MEET their favourite characters.

http://www.longnosepuppets.com/uploads/5/6/4/5/56454305/2839789_orig.jpg

Seem like such lovely people! They're a COMPANY. It takes more than one person to make a production like this. They each have their own skillsets - illustrators, builders, fabricators, performers. It would be really cool to collab with people - find someone who makes costumes, someone to perform the puppet, someone to build me a stage... UTILISE everyone's expertise. There's no point me doing a bodge job when someone else could do a much better job.

Because none of the group were trained in puppetry, none of them had ever been taught the dynamics or process of making puppets. Their approach is so inspiring, just to make and use whatever you have. They make it up as they go along.

PUPPET FESTIVALS

I assumed that there wouldn't be any puppet events/festivals in the UK, nobody cares about puppets anymore, right? WRONG, STELLA. THERE ARE LOADS. You've got to get yourself outside and stop being a lazy arse. If I'm actually passionate about this I need to show it. I need to learn and be an expert and get my hands on as much as I can grab.

UK Puppet Festivals this Summer:

Puppet Festival - THURSDAY 14th-SUNDAY 17th July (Lancashire)

http://www.horseandbamboo.org/puppet-festival-2/what-to-expect-this-year/

FREE ADMISSION, but I'm on holiday in Barcelona from the 11th-18th July so I'm going to miss this one. Absolutely gutted, it looks so good! Agh!

Puppet State are performing with their show 'The Man Who Planted Trees', which has also played at Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Amazing reviews, I might see if I can follow them touring at another date (they're doing York).

Shona Reppe is presenting her puppet show 'The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean'. I've not heard of Reppe before but she seems to have quite a 'Fairy Godmother' reputation in the puppetsphere!

http://www.shonareppe.co.uk/uploads/3/8/9/8/3898924/4551866_orig.jpg

Puppet Animation Festival - SCOTLAND

http://puppetanimationfestival.org/

A little further for me to travel to and the line-up looks more child-centred but could be worth investigating...

Beverley Puppet Festival - 15th-17th July

http://www.beverleypuppetfestival.com/#!free-outdoor-shows/c12xj

My sister lives in Hull so this would be really easy for me to get to BUT BUT BUT AGAIN IT'S ON THE SAME WEEK THAT I'M IN BARCELONA FFFFFFS.

Even more devastated with this one because I could so easily have got to this one and it looks so fun.

I guess there's some things that I'm not too bothered about missing (football puppet parade, no thanks) and it probably makes sense for me to visit the individual theatre companies to learn about their trade in depth.

The one that really stood out to me was Hand to Mouth theatre:

https://static.wixstatic.com/media/3d3611_64cfbc6674654024869f70fc4859a0dd.jpg/v1/fill/w_338,h_517,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/3d3611_64cfbc6674654024869f70fc4859a0dd.jpg

Martin Bridle and Su Eaton, making beautiful hand-crafted puppets, sets and stories to perform around the world. Their gallery photos all look vintage, like they've been shot on film, even though they're recent photos. I wonder if this is deliberate. It seems to me like it's an aesthetic they're aiming for - intentionally making their work look dated and classic?

Reading through their blog I have just found out that Martin worked on Labyrinth! Considering writing to them and asking him about working in the Creature Shop and of course about their entire puppet career.

Skipton Puppet Festival (2017)

http://www.skiptonpuppetfestival.co.uk/page2.html

Awww mannn going to have to wait a year for this one. *twiddles thumbs*

----------------------------------------------------

So I'm not actually going to manage to make it to most of these because I'll be trying to avoid sand in Barcelona. WHY DOES EVERYTHING ALWAYS HAPPEN ON THE SAME DATES? Nothing happens for ages and then everything comes in one go and I can't actually go to any of them deary deary me.

However, I have found some AWESOME puppet things going on in Barcelona that I'm gonna drag my boyfriend and his family to...

BARCELONA PUPPET PLANS

Giants Museum

http://www.barcelonalowdown.com/walking-with-giants-la-casa-dels-entremesos/

Yeah, a little terrifying and some odd-looking things... but definitely worth a visit methinks, even just for curiosity's sake! ALWAYS FOR CURIOSITY'S SAKE.

Figures of Doubleness - Puppets, Machines and Strings

http://ifbarcelona.cat/en/sala/fils/

'The miniature object has always fascinated the imagination. Puppets and puppet theatres to be played with at home have been responsible for the creation of myriad worlds of theatrical fantasy.

Throughout Europe, the tradition of home-made theatrical arts, performed either in private homes or in small theatres – also known as chamber or pocket theatres – has been a constant in the history of theatre.'

I love the name 'pocket theatres'!

http://ifbarcelona.cat/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/7225.jpg

'The practice of puppetry, both for the practitioner and for those who watch it, constitutes a healthy and liberating learning experience, allowing one to understand and experience complex problems of otherness. It allows us to dream, to come out of ourselves and to experience other worlds and identities.'