Outside the Studio (10/03/2014)

I decided to take my work outside of the studio following on from the feedback I received in the crit. I photographed my sellotape cells around Woodlane gardens, positioning them in different settings. It was interesting to see the relationship they had to different environments, and the associations the different settings gave to the work. It was fortunate that the sun was strong so that I could also see how they appear in the light; one of the things which draws me to sellotape is its translucency and how it holds the light. I find the photos interesting, although I view them very much as a brief experiment into understanding how the material works outdoors. In the state that they are in currently, as single cells, I don't think they have any particular significance in that environment. I also plan on photographing them at the beach because of the reflectiveness of the water which echoesthat of the plastic.

 

 

Looking closer at how the plastic was illuminated by the sun reminded me of the material of the wasps nest, where strands of fibres can be seen running through it. This has renewed my aim to find/borrow a macro lens, or even a microscope to examine the materials I'm working with. I love the idea of uncovering something that cannot be seen by the naked eye, which extends my proposed theme of 'observing the unseen'.

I also photographed the sellotape maquettes on the bike shelter roof outside the studio, which has caught my attention several times before because of the patterns in the lichen (some made by people but mostly by snails). Something really interesting happened when I placed my work on there: I began noticing many other things, looking closer at the surface of the plastic and all the signs of life that had changed it. I often find that if I take my work out of the studio, even if I am just carrying it home, I notice my surroundings more because I am looking at them in a different way, in relation to the work instead of just a place I must walk through. I am really interested in this idea of making people notice things that they don't normally and I think the bikes helter is certainly something that may don't pay much attention to because it is such an ordinary thing.

 

 

I have started to think about what I could do to the shelter with my sellotape cells, perhaps making a 'fabric' from them and draping it over the whole structure. I need to think about where people will be viewing it from - the sellotape sections look fascinating from beneath but that is not the natural angle that someone would approach it from. I like the idea that the work would become part of the environment, as it is adhesive dust and dirt can stick to it, it will take in the sun and collect the rain.