- having to do time limited tasks meant I was thinking quickly about compositions, some didn't turn out too well but some were quite successful. Working under pressure means I can't over think the images which can sometimes be a good thing.
- because I wasn't working with a strict concept it meant I could be a lot more experimental and loose with my work, as I am still not clear on the direction I will go into so I can be quite open with my work.
- I worked a lot more with texture during the tasks which became the main way I brought in mood and atmosphere into the images, so will definitely consider it more in the future.
- we were limited to using only collage and line for the tasks which I wasn't use to, it meant I thought more about how I could create an image I liked and try out techniques I hadn't tried before.
- I found I discovered some methods that I think are really effective through being limited with materials and having a set amount of images to create. So I will try to limit how I work in everyday practise as it has proved to be quite effective.
5 things I intend to explore further through my visual journal and why:
- the collage work I did went down well, the feedback I got said I managed to be really expressive with my textures and mark making, and captured the feelings of the books so I will continue to work in this way.
- I want to consider colour more in my images, see how I can draw attention to things and create different moods. I've worked mostly in black and white so far but I think I can explore colour schemes more to create dark and sinister images.
- I want to start being more refined with my image making, it has been quite messy so far but I want to use more clear cut edges when drawing the machinery to give them more of a mechanical feel.
- I need to use more relevant motifs, not just to windmill as that only relates to one book. I like the textures I have created, I just need to apply it to other ideas.
- I don't feel I have though enough about composition, I want to play around more with the foreground, mid ground, background; because that will aid in manipulating how the viewer sees my images.
- cities; intimidating buildings and absence of nature is a common theme throughout dystopian literature. Especially in 1984 where the city is in a constant state of war so all the houses are poorly built except for the buildings of the state which tower over everyone.
- technology; corruption of manmade technology is a big part in Orwell's novels, the utopian idea of moving towards something better with new technologies - like the windmill - but it becomes the tool which those in power use to manipulate and control the people.
- surveillance; important theme in dystopia, the idea of those in power always knowing what people are doing so that they can control their actions and not allow for any individual actions.
- bleak; as well as themes I want to explore atmospheres that fit with the books, like bleak landscapes that provoke quite dark, dreary imagery.
- oppressive; there is a constant feeling of being oppressed by those in charge, visually I could try creating quite intense images using harsh mark making and textures.
Orwell was around during WW2 so experienced the harsh lifestyle during wartime Britain, he also fought in the Spanish Civil War where he experienced the oppression from the communist state and the manipulation of the press.
He also lived in Yorkshire with the working class so to gain an understanding of their lifestyle and the poverty in which they lived.
Research activities I will undertake in order to explore these themes and how they will inform my work:
- read parts of 1984 again, so to find quotes that might inspire some visual imagery, get more of an idea of the mood
- I created some successful work using the photocopier where I inverted the positive and negative so I will do more of that
- Leeds has a lot of tall, bleak looking buildings so I will go out and do some observational drawings of them
- also take my camera out with me and document anything that relates to the moods and themes I am looking at
- look at oner practitioners who work in styles I am interested in or with similar themes
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