March 9, 2011
Mad as a March Hare
Another busy day in the studios, sipping Women’s Energy Tea, chatting about making door signs and vaguely planning the threatening abyss that is the Final Degree Show, whilst I set about making a rather wonderful hare mask.
March 9, 2011
Ebay Scavenger Hunt
I am so deliciously happy with my ebay winnings this week. I got a collection of beautiful china tap tops that read ‘hot’ and cold’ and a brass tap for my installation. They should arrive soon, and possibly means I should be able to finish it by the end of this weekend, although I am hoping to find another three or four taps before then.
I also won a portable TV which I’ve had my eye on for over a week, which I am going to use in my studio installation to show the videos of my Childhood Field Studies installations.
March 8, 2011
‘Time For Tea’ Week 7: Prep for Movie Trailers
There was an alteration to our planned session this week, as Rob was unable to do his improvisation session, so we decided to continue to prepare for making our movie trailer next week. In addition to our usual attendees, we also had Amelia Whitehouse joining us for tea and talking though out the afternoon.
We decided to do a trailer for the Gruffalo, as it seemed the perfect excuse to use my foxy mask, which meant that we also needed and owl, snake, mouse and of course, a Gruffalo itself.
The Gruffalo website gave us a few hours of hysterics, in particular some of the songs sung by Julia and Malcolm featured on their Clips page. A firm favourite is ‘Sharing a Shell Song’, about a Crab, a Purple Blob and a Brush Thing who share a shell and argue when they get claustrophobic. They go their separate ways, until a huge storm, which is enthusiastically enacted by Julia beating the table stuffed toys with a mighty stick with a storm cloud on it, brings a bigger shell to the rock pool. ‘The Crow and the Fox’ also offered moments of delight for their wonderful serenading foxy man.
It was eventually decided that the fox, owl and snake would all be masked people, the mouse would be a hand puppet that could be played by anyone, and two of us would form the huge Gruffalo.
Martina worked on painting her mask she made in last week’s papier mache session, and I set about making a somewhat deformed mouse, which looks more like road kill than the cute creature featured in the books!
March 2, 2011
Site Scenes
My hands hurt. I don’t understand how people like Rob Ryan can make some intricate paper cuts and still be able to move their hands. I have only been making simple site scenes that are far to chunky for my liking and my hands ache like I’ve put them in one of those cardboard box crushers they used to have at the Co-op.
I enjoy the finished work though and I want to do something with it. Although a part of me wonders how useful this will be for my Critical Arts Practice, which I have been pushing out of my mind a lot these days and should really be getting on with.
March 2, 2011
Foxy
I am feeling rather pleased with myself today. I went into the studios early and began work on my new fabric fox mask, and was excited to find the pattern I had designed worked well. As it’s only the initial draft there are a few patchy bits, but I hope to neaten up the design/order of sewing so that I can sell them after I finish university. I also began to design some other woodland animal masks too, which I’m rather excited to begin making.
March 1, 2011
‘Time For Tea’ Week 6: Papier Mache
We hoped to make things for our movie trailer making session in a few weeks time, but things took longer to dry than expected. I started to make a fox mask – for my own personal pleasure rather than for my Critical Arts Practice, but half way through decided I wanted to make material masks instead..
Flour and water paste, blowing baloons and ripping newspapers..
Playing with static electricity on the ceiling..
