FMP Proposal Feedback with David and Amy 04/03/21
Working Title - Do they have one? Any shouts for easy working titles they might want to consider?
D- No working title - try something relating to Grandparents history, possibly their birth years
A- No title yet, maybe try linking the title to the birth years of his grandparents or the year of a significant event they have experienced. Maybe he could combine their names or the names of something they both enjoy
Pathway Text - Was it clear? Did it focus on their time on the pathway? Was there too much focus on Carousel? Was it clear what they learned, where they struggles, their favourite project? Was it long enough (150 words)? What should they add, and what advice might you give them?
D- Nothing about where he struggled on the Pathway, needs to include strengths and weaknesses.
A- Was clear. He could try adding specific details about the pathways and things he has made. Talk about why he enjoyed the pathway he chose, what he learnt from it, and what he may add to this project.
Project Proposal - Was it clear what they wanted to do? Was it too broad or vague? Do you have any insights or perspectives to give? How can they push their idea forward?
D- Very clear, strong sense of direction for the project. Experimentally focused.
A- The idea is very clear. Just the right amount of vague, for room to expand in different areas and make changes later on. Learning about your grandparents is a great idea. How about not only learning about their life and who they are, but also the contextual and political side of their lives. What they would advocate for, whether they support certain topics, etc. For context, what did they see on the news that was significant? What was a contextual event that might have molded the person they have become now?
Artist Research - Do you have any recommendations of artists/photographers/filmmakers/animator’s things they should check out that might help them with their project research? (if unsure google or check out Instagram to help them find ideas) Any advice for how they can develop their artist research further?
D - Honestly no, I’m quite clueless.
A - Vivian Maier (work in colour), Julia Margaret Cameron (has a very vintage style), maybe try looking at artists that made work when your grandparents were born/young, 40’/50’s/60’s etc
Bibliography - Is it in the right format? Are they using Wikipedia, is there a better source they could look into? Do you have any suggestions of artists they can research? Are they using Paperpile?
D - He hasn’t made a bibliography yet, but has artist reference ideas from workshops and will use Paperpile to create a bibliograhpy
A - Try using paperpile. It's very handy.
Timetable - Is it detailed enough? Do you think they are putting too many important things too far down the line? Are they struggling with it - what advice can you give them for filling that out?
D - He just needs to add in workshops.
A - Has a great detailed timetable. Maybe try creating some specific tasks and some vague tasks. Try timing tasks and not timing them to see which way is more productive for you, I find it easier not to be timed and allowing breaks whenever I feel they're needed)
Building their skills - Any advice or tips for workshops or things they should try or experiment with? (can ask around or check calendar)
D - Experimental Photography with Maddy
A - Attend any that are relevant, experimental photography workshop, request lots of 1 to 1s for individual help and advice
Sketchbook Work - How are they at documenting their progress, can you give them some tips? (might want to look at sketchbook)
D - Documenting progress on website, also notebook
A - Notebook. Try sketching out compositions and poses for your photos (I know you’re not a big fan of drawing, but it may help to document your thought process)
Their Strengths - What have they done so far that is very successful in the past that they should take forward?
D - Portraiture, strong sense of colour
A - Portraiture, dynamic framing, strong sense of colour
Their Weaknesses - Where are they struggling, what can you offer them to help?
D - Experimentation, experiment more with ideas
A - Experimentation, try looking at a wider range of photography styles. Forging different mediums and researching films and art aside from just photography. Experiment with restricting your colour palette - maybe use only 2 or 3 colours. Experiment with different lighting, especially coloured lighting/gels. Experiment with natural lighting at different times of day (sunset, sunrise, night while under a street light, etc.)
Personal Reflection
I think the feedback David and Amy gave me was actually really helpful, and gave me some interesting ideas to explore. It was good to get perspective from someone my own age and similar skill level/knowledge, but from a different specialism in Lens Based Media. I now have a few things to add to my FMP Proposal, research list, and idea generation, which will help me to get a more polished FMP Proposal, which in turn will help me to create quality work over the next 10 weeks.
Peer Feedback with Joshia, Tally, Florence, and Billy 08/03/21
What can you recommend for this person to research?
B - Try to find support groups and chat to people with similar experiences and how they responded to their situation. The only piece of media I can think of that relates is Tracy Beaker, but I'm not sure how accurate that is
F - Look at hashtags, accounts, and groups on social media to find other people with similar experiences
J - See if you can find any artists or photographers who deal with the theme of estranged family
How can their timetable be improved?
J - I like the layout, I think making it look nice will encourage him to get the work done
T - Personally I don't like to timetable things too much as it becomes restrictive, but it sounds like having smaller aims scheduled in rather than general goals works better for him
F - I also like to have smaller goals, and I really like how he's laid it out on his website
What do you think about this person's project concept/theme?
B - It's a solid and personal concept, and I think that will keep him motivated and interested for the whole 10 weeks
J - I think the idea of using the same cameras that his grandparents used is really cool, hopefully campus will open again so there''s access to renting equipment and using the darkroom
T - It's a really personal concept, which will give him lots to talk about and explore in the project
Personal Reflection
This session was really helpful and interesting, as I got to listen to a lot of different ideas and hear a range of people's thought on my project. I tried to lead the session a bit because I usually hate breakout rooms and how awkward they are, but taking this role really helped to keep the conversation going and get everybody comfortable with speaking as if it was a normal, in-person critique group, even though we haven't really spoken to each other before. It was good to hear that they liked my project concept, and they actually seemed pretty interested in it and how it affects me. I hadn't thought about getting interviews from other people who have been in care, and I'm unsure about contacting strangers because I don't want to have to build up a relationship before getting the information I need, but I can try to talk to my sister (who was also in care and was in the same placement as me, meaning we both moved and stayed together until she was 18 and moved out) and an internet friend I already have who is fostered in Ireland. It will be interesting to hear their specific experiences with art and unconventional family situations, especially my sister as we don't talk about it very often.
Peer Feedback with Candice 15/03/21
Good timetable, good experimentation, good organisation, but he feels behind on research. Perhaps needs an improved bibliography, it seems like he struggles to pad it out. This however is obvious as it’s family research so it shouldn’t be a big worry. Needs thinking about the audience, but it would probably be family as the FMP is very focused to that area. Think about how to make a zine relevant and engaging - will the front cover be similar to other magazine styles or will it be creatively unique, just like the story? He has an idea for creative writing, not only photographs, to help tell the stories. Really excited to see how this turns out, has a super organised website too which is visually stunning.
Personal Reflection
I think I'm doing pretty well with my work at the moment, I just need to do a lot more artist research. My laptop kept crashing during the session so this is the only feedback I got, and I didn't get to hear anyone else's ideas, which is unfortunate. I would have liked to see how far along other people are with research, experimentation, and idea development so I can gauge what areas I need to focus on this week. My website seems to impressive to my peers, which is always nice - it even got a shoutout from Kat in today's check-in.
Peer Feedback with Maddy + photography students 16/03/21
- Make paper myself, could be with imagery related to my project
- Don't limit myself to the idea of taking new portraits of my grandparents and not being able to do it due to covid, instead think of other ways to create new images, e.g. get disposable cameras for my grandparents and let them take the photos, then they can send them back and I can develop the film myself
- Could explore using the physical photos I have as a subject, take photos of them on film and them experiment with that in the darkroom (will have to book darkroom time)
- Getting them to take their own photos is appropriate considering the times we are in
Personal Reflection
I really like the ideas Maddy gave me, and I think I will use them. While I have my project concept and outcome structure pretty much done, I have been struggling to come up with actual image ideas so it was really helpful to get this idea. Maddy mentioned a UCA Farnham graduate who sent a disposable camera to her uncle who was in prison, and then used those images to create a project. Kat also knows of a similar photography project, but neither of them could think of a name for me to research which is frustrating, however I like the idea and I'm going to try it out anyway. I've sent an email to my nan and my grandpa to ask if they're willing to do it, and then I'll order the cameras to their houses and ring them to direct the shoot once they arrive.
Peer Feedback with Alex, Chloe, and Shannon 22/03/21
C - I think it could be really interesting to do cyanotypes with family heirlooms or ephemera when we're back on campus, or even with acetate negative prints of your family photos.
A - Artist research wise, you could look into people who work with found photos. I can't think of a name right now, but I'll let you know when I remember.
S - Your theme is really cool! And it's personal, which I think will help to motivate you through the project. Your website is very clear and professional, and it looks like you've got a lot of work done, which is good to see!
Personal Reflection
Although I didn't get much feedback on my work so far, we had a great conversation and I like the cyanotype idea Chloe gave me, although it would be hard to do with objects since my grandparents live hours away. I think I could make it work, either by replicating the quilling my grandma used to do or using stamps because my grandpa collects them or other items that relate to my grandparents. I could then use these prints as background pages in my zine or book. I think looking into found photo/item artists is an amazing idea, and will help to pad out my research. I think I'm better at giving constructive feedback to people than receiving it, as no one ever has much to say about my work other than 'looks good', so I'll have to think of specific questions to ask next time there's a group feedback session.
Peer Feedback with Amrith and Sasha 20/04/21
A - I really like the binding and hard cover on your book draft.
S - Have you thought about making your own sugar paper? It might work better than the paper you made in the workshop if that' going to be too thick to use. I really like the bleach/fairy liquid experiments you did on the Polaroids, it looks really cool. The photos your grandparents took are pretty melancholy, but I especially like the one of your grandpa mowing the grass where the station platform used to be.
A - I think the house being an old station is really cool, you should definitely incorporate that into your project some more. You could overlap old and new photos of the station to see what's changed, or see if your granddad has any old train tickets or other physical items from when it used to be a station.
S - You should try to find more links between your grandparents interests/locations/lives. Maybe you could do something with your granddad's stamp collecting or your grandma's spoon collection, maybe include them as features in your book. It would be cool to use the map in your grandmother's book too.
A - Definitely keep making mockups, it will help with your outcome realisation. I don't really know any artists that do work focused on their grandparents, but Martin Parr has done some family portraits.
S - You could look into some painters who focus on family, either contemporary or historical.
A - Maybe look into collage? The only collage artist I can think of is Peter Kennard.
Personal Reflection
Sasha and Amrith aren't in Lens Based, so I think they found it a little hard to give me feedback but I still got some good ideas. I'm definitely going to look into Martin Parr's work, as well as Peter Kennard. I think I should try collaging my grandparents' portraits, maybe in the style of Kensuke Koike and also in Peter Kennard if I end up liking his work. I was glad for the encouragement on making the draft books as I was unsure if they were actually helpful, but they do help me see the layout and test out bookmaking techniques. I think I could use stamps as a motif in my book in the style of the plants in Blossom's zine 'Grow', and I'd like to think of some other objects I could use in the same way. It's a good idea for me to research into more artists who aren't strictly photographers, and I've done it a little already but I'd like to get more wide research sources.
Peer Feedback with Maddy 26/04/21
If you're thinking of making a diptych/triptych, you should think about the religious and personal history of them. The most common diptych is a locket, which is used to remember loved ones. Triptychs however, often had religious content and were used as reminders of faith or bible stories.
There's a book about bookbinding that you can look at on Thursday, and there's bookbinding equipment you can borrow from university.
You could experiment with liquid light on your handmade paper, or try cyanotypes with them. Also, think about different materials that you could use in your book to make it more tactile and interesting. Tracing paper overlays would be a good start.
You've filmed your book and zine experiments to document them so far, but I think it could be a really nice way to present your final outcome.
Also make sure you've got everything on Flickr, this is the main way your assessors will see what you've done so you really don't want to miss anything out.
Consider looking at Alan Knox, he did some beautiful camera-less images using his grandfather's ashes. The outcomes are galactic and abstract and he has the same sort of personal connection to his work that you do.
Personal Reflection
I'm excited to use the bookbinding book and tools from uni, and I think they will help my outcome be more professional and clean, unless I decide to use a printing service instead. Tracing paper and other materials could also be fun, but I'm not sure what kind of book I want to make. I think if I'm doing a book then I want it to be consistent and sort of basic, but if I do a zine I'll definitely consider this. I would try liquid light and cyanotypes, but it wouldn't fit the project theme/aesthetic. I think Alex Knox's work is very interesting and moving, but it's definitely in a different realm to my project. I'd like to look into his work for a future project though.
Peer Feedback with Maddy and Ava 07/05/21
M - In the self portrait of you as your grandfather, I think you've recreated the pose really well
A - Yeah I agree! They look really similar, you've mimicked it perfectly, down to the facial expression and shadows.
M - For the photo recreating your grandmother's portrait, I think there's a really strong connection between the two images, and what you've done works really well. The images provoke questions in the audience.
A - In your page layouts, I actually really like the blue tone to the photos and the position of the text next to the photo of your grandpa. The text position creates a nice balance
M - I think simplicity can be really effective, and you've used negative space really well. There are calm, soft blue tones and they create a certain atmosphere. It's pretty evocative which is hard to achieve, so well done.
Personal Reflection
I did this peer feedback from the studio and the mic wasn't working, so it was definitely slower and less productive than I wanted. I did get a few good notes though, and I'm glad to see my work is having the effect on people that I want it to. I'm happy my portraits look really similar to the originals. I've looked at them for too long so they stopped feeling the same as the originals to me, but it's good to know the correlation is clear. I was glad to show someone my page layouts because I really love the one with the piece of text next to the image of my grandfather, and I'm excited to make it properly in InDesign.
Peer Feedback with Amrith 15/05/21
I like the white border on the landscape photos and collages, as it give each image a good mount of space on the page. However I think that portrait images should be full bleed, and I like how you've done it in this layout. Personally, I would like it better if a few of the images were slightly different sizes, such as the 24th page, and the 21st/22nd pages. I like that the image is off-centre for this spread, but it could be a little more even. I really love the circles in the collages. You should consider moving the self-portraits to the end of the publication to show the journey of getting to know your grandparents. If you're going to have text you should try putting it in the borders or having blank pages next to portrait images with just the block of text on it.
Personal Reflection
I was very happy to get feedback from Amrith as he's a Visual Communication student, and his advice was very helpful. I'm definitely going to make the alterations that he suggested, and I'm glad he likes the collage. I do want to include text in some way, as I don't think the book really makes sense without it.