Graduate show countdown + studio

Next week we begin installing our degree show. It will be open from 6th-9th June, with the PV on Weds 5th.

 

I’ve more or less gotten everything ready for it, which feels good and am hoping the install goes smoothly. This 5 year part-time degree has been such a huge challenge for me, and I can’t believe I’ve finally reached the end. Managing my uni work, as well as my professional life has been so difficult, and has taken a real toll on my physical and mental health. So it feels right that my final piece- ‘Balancing|Projecting’ is a direct response to this particular subject.

Meanwhile, I’ve moved back into the studio (after a recent refurb) and I can’t believe that after 10 years of living in Brighton, I finally have managed to find a small, affordable space to work in. It’s an ex-boiler room, and I’m sharing with two other artists until the end of the year at least. Fingers crossed we can stay on post-2019.

A plinth lighting test, ready for installation of my Tightrope Diary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Final show prep

| Upcoming exhibitions |

This year, I reach the end of my five year journey and will be showing my work at two graduate art shows, followed by a solo exhibition in Brighton during Brighton Digital Festival.

| June 2019 graduate show at Northbrook MET |

| 3rd – 9th July graduate show at Freerange, Truman Brewery, London |

|12th – 25th October 2019 at Gallery Lock In |

 

Balancing|Projecting

I’ve almost finished editing the final version of my film, to be projected as part of my final degree show installation. Take a look:

The final countdown

Last weekend, videographer Sharon came along to practice with me to shoot the final footage for my final degree show.

I’m really happy with the footage and have been editing all week to get it ready for projection tests.

Looking back over this project, I’m actually really pleased by what I have achieved- learning, within 6 months to tightrope walk and use projection mapping has been more than I thought I could do. I now have just under two months to get the pieces in place for the final installation.

Not long now!

I’ll be uploading the film soon, but in the meantime, visit my instagram for a silly video of me falling off, repeatedly.

 

New displays

As part of my course, I’m encouraged to display my work at college as much as possible.

Since I am creating digital work, this creates a creative challenge for me, since I cannot display projections or film easily in the corridor exhibition spaces. I chose to display stills of tightwire projections in the glass towers area, and documentation of learning tightwire in the display case.

 

New projections…

I’ve been experimenting with projecting on different materials, such as this long curtain (the iPhone camera is not great at photographing projections!) I really like this effect within an installation, and it’s certainly something I can look into for my final piece.

Shoe balance projections- I’ve also been returning to projecting into shoes (using some of my shoe balance clips). However, I need to find a way to get enough lighting in the space so that the objects being projected on can be seen, but not so much light that the projections aren’t visible. I’ve picked up some led strips that I can try out around the plinth or floor…

My next step will be getting some proper footage of a tightrope walk- I have a friend who has offered to do this for me, and this will really step things up a bit!

Balancing Projections!

I put together a smaller-scale version of my projections at uni on Monday for a group crit. The feedback was good, although when I brought the group into the room, my projector had stopped working- I’m not 100% sure why, but I’m going to have to do some trouble shooting in preparation for the end of year show. I’ll need to be confident that I can leave the films running without being in the room…

Projection test with boxes on a metal shelving unit.

New tightwire walking angle

Balancing progress

Getting less wobbly…

Balancing|Projecting …the plot thickens

I’m just a couple of months away from my final degree assessment, and am starting to put together the building blocks of this project, and how I will present it. This is an exciting and scary time usually- that stage of the creative process where you can’t quite envision what a final artwork will look like, but the possibilities are starting to come together. But as this is the final project in my degree, there’s the mounting pressure that ultimately, whatever I make now is my Final Degree Show.

I’m trying not to worry though as that will get me nowhere.

I’ve been practicing more with projection mapping, specifically with clown face on mannequin. I’ve always viewed clowning as a kind of projection, and as a physical, moving projection it creates an eerie yet peaceful vision.

One of the benefits of the studio I currently use is that there is absolutely no natural light- making projection work a dream! Having an affordable studio is such a privilege, especially when living in the centre of a busy town full of artists.

More projection experiments to come soon.

Projecting | work in progress

I’ve been getting into the swing of things with projection mapping and finding it very exciting- it’s like a new little world has opened up creatively. So far I’m using film I already have of tightrope walks, and footage of my own face to project onto objects too (which is spookily delightful!)

It’s difficult to photograph projection work, which I think makes it even more interesting to me- similar to live performance, once it is filmed, it becomes an entirely different thing. One of the main things I’ve been focusing on for this project, is keeping it accessible and affordable (people spend A LOT of money on these kind of effects, but if you’re wanting to just try out ideas before spending, here’s a breakdown of what I’ve been using:

• Optoma Projection Mapper app This is a great little basic app, costs around £5. It’s only available on iPad/iPhone currently, but this is perfect for my needs at the moment. I’ve not tried the app with a phone yet, but for display/exhibition purposes, this could be really handy if it works ok. 
• Deeplee projector £50ish from Amazon. I did a lot of research and asking around, and after finally settling on this one, have found it to be working really well. It’s pretty bright even in a dimly lit room, the only downside so far is that it’s quite noisy. 
• HDMI Adapter – under £20. Like all projection projects, you gotta sort the pesky cable nonsense out. This is the right one to connect an iPad/iPhone to the projector, and it also needs to be connected to a charger at the same time.

More updates soon, when I’ve had more time to play around. I’m off tightrope practice for a couple of weeks, which although makes me sad, it does mean dedicated time to working on the art/tech side of things.