March 2011

This month I have had the pleasure of meeting a number of amazing creatives, that have helped me with my project, there have been some great local projects to get involved in, as well as the planning of the diary of a somebody project, I have also received some helpful feedback from my peers.  


Currently my research question stands at:


How can traditional practices and culture be maintained with the use crafting with contemporary society?


There were a couple of moments where communication between myself and the tutors was perhaps not at 
its best, however I hope these have now been ironed out.  


I have really enjoyed my work on the Diary of a Somebody project and the exhibition and am looking 
forward to seeing the finished article.   It has made me really realise how difficult the planning of the main 
exhibition will be.  This is only a very small group of people to organise compared to the real thing 
and Rachel and I are already struggling to get people to each volunteer for a very small role!


I was lucky enough to attend a very inspiring Storytelling demonstration at the British Museum, which 
has given me further ideas about creativity, communication and performance.  


The greatest piece of advice this month was definitely to use feedback from users to get gatekeepers 
onside, which i will try to remember!

Diary of a Somebody - planning sheet

	Meetings and exhibition?
Name	29-Mar	12-Apr	3-May	9-May	Tasks Assigned	Paid £5
Anita	0				0	0
Annahita	1				Project Manage Order and deliver cardboard roll  Collect funds  Bring staple gun	5
Bushra	0				0	0
Emma	0				0	0
Gary	0				0	0
Gayle	0				0	0
Gemma	1				Post it notes Fairy lights	0
Hun	1				Design e-flyer/poster for opening night Communicate with web guy to get it on MADS website	0
James	1				Write introductory text for exhibition send to Rachel to print and mount for exhibition	5
Janette	0				0	0
Jenni	0				0	0
Jonas	0				0	0
Joseph	1				Send out email (with flyer) to full cohort and tutors 2 weeks before and reminder 1 week before, put up posters	5
Julia	1				0	5
Luigi	1				Staple gun Cardboard cups/barman Facebook page	5
Nick	1				0	5
Peter	1				Snacks Feedback interaction/Post it notes	5
Rachel	1				Project Manage Artworking of name panels, printing, cutting mounting Carpet tape	4
Rebecca	1				Title boxes staple gun	0
Verdiana	1				0	5
						£44.00

 

Diary of a Somebody - planning meeting

Rachel and I were surprised and  extremely pleased with tonight's turn out for our planning meeting for the diary exhibition.

I am really looking forward to this, I think we have come up with a wonderful story for the exhibition, looking at the life in a box and out of a box, we have decided to cover the whole area in cardboard boxes.  As Rachel and I had discussed, she presented an idea of a template for everyone to follow, which includes name, question and synopsis.  This will be on a separate card, so the whole A2 can be covered with project work.  All sheets will be mounted onto foam board.  We are deciding on how to create an interactive element, we will probably use post-it notes.  We will be marketing the event with an e-flyer and Facebook page 2 weeks in advance, and then sending a reminder a week in advance. We are putting on refreshments and nibbles.

The next planning meeting is on the 12th April, so for now I just need to start worrying about my totally empty A2 board....

People Over Profit: The New Economy vs The Old Economy

Great blog post today from Oh My Handmade, Jessika Hepburn asks if you would rather 'pay more for more or less for less?' and shares her ideas on a new economy where people are more important than profit. 

“Mindful spending begs you to consider each dollar you spend an extension of your personal values, creating an individual economy that centers on what you love and not what society tells you you have to have. It means choosing not to spend money at all sometimes, choosing to spend more on high-quality, well-crafted items that support your community, and choosing to spend less on items that commercialism has put an unnecessary price tag on.” ~Tara Gentile of ScoutieGirl on Mindful Spending

Diary of a Somebody - planning

Rachel and I have been emailing back and forth to begin planning the exhibition, we have asked everyone to attend a planning meeting, not much response as yet, so may just be us two!  We have been discussing covering the whole area, to provide a nice clean background to all the boards, we really like the idea of covering all surfaces with cardboard.  Rachel i going to come up with a template for everyone to follow to get consistency across the board. 

Oh So Beautiful Paper

Today I came across a wonderful blog full of beautiful lettering , printing and paper.  Some beautiful ideas here for my project...

A lamp with a terrarium

Spotted this winderful invention today!  From the New York-based Autumn Workshop studio, they create products from found and natural materials, an amazing idea, can imagine creating a simpler version for one of my kits/project ideas. 

Disused allotments unearthed in South Kilburn

Great article from my local paper

Marrows, potatoes and vegetables of all variety could be the latest addition to the South Kilburn Estate after disused allotments were unearthed there.

Dan Thompson, an artist who runs the pop-up shop in Peel Precinct, South Kilburn, stumbled across the secret garden just off Carlton Vale, after a resident told him about it.

Who owns the patch remains a mystery, but Mr Thompson says he is confident it can be brought back into community use.

He said: “I was really surprised to find them, but that is South Kilburn through and through – full of hidden treasures.”

Mr Thompson is part of Workshop 24, a team of artists-in-residence in South Kilburn who have been staging workshops and creating art which unlocks the creativity, culture and history of the area.

With the project due to wind up at the end of the month, bringing the allotments back into community use will their final farewell.

“We have spent a lot of time going out and exploring the estate and talking to people, and that’s how we found them”, says Mr Thompson.

“There is a lot of green space in South Kilburn, but it is not very well used. This is an opportunity to change that and get people out of their flats and enjoying the outdoors.

“Setting up these allotments will be our last act here, and what a great way to go out.”

All 20 allotment sites run by Brent Council have lengthy waiting lists and campaigners have long demanded more are made available, particularly in the built up south of the borough.

Green-fingered residents, schools and community groups have all shown an interest in taking over a plot, and residents can attend a public meeting on the allotments next Wednesday at the Workshop 24 pop-up shop in Peel Precinct, South Kilburn, at 3pm.

A Brent Council spokeswoman said: “Before a decision is taken to bring the allotments back into use, we need to ensure residents are interested in using them. If they are, we can then discuss how best to do this.”

March Tutorial

I had a one on one tutorial with Richard on Tuesday which was extremely positive.  I discussed with him my interest in engaging younger people/teenagers with my project.  At the start of the tutorial, the other members of the group were around and one piece of feedback given to Joseph that I thought was really interesting was:

Use feedback from users to get gatekeepers on side.

So I am now thinking about re-inventing craft for the new generation, rather than preserving it.  The generation that probably doesn't know about the Slow movement.  They have had and want everything instantly.  They use the internet no an hourly basis to find information, to entertain and to communicate.  Can my project teach them how to slow down, enjoy a project, learn from each other, face-to-face, appreciate finer things, show that brands aren't always best?!  I would like to use my project to help the participants build an awareness of their identity and diversity.  My projects will need to be interactive and interesting enough to keep their attention.

Workshop 24

On the way to the station this morning spotted a tiny little poster forWorkshop 24.  Based in a shop which had been empty for nearly a year, Workshop 24 is managed by artist and writer Dan Thompson, and has been a home to "poetry and parkour, guerilla gardening and urban exploration, patchwork and photography" – all powered by endless cups of tea.

"A floating band of artists, creatives, writers, makers and thinkers made Workshop 24 their temporary home. Some were local, some passing through, some, inspired by Workshop 24 itself, had come to spend time in a bit of London they’d never seen. And they all made sure that Workshop 24 was a place to have a go at things you’d never tried, find out about things you never knew, explore corners of South Kilburn you’d never seen and make friends with people you’d never met. Workshop 24 uncovered lost rivers and abandoned allotments, unlocked creativity and culture and unwrapped South Kilburn’s stories and histories".

Over four months, the shop became part of the local landscape, and part of the rhythm of life in Peel Precinct. A quiet morning, the bustle of hometime, calm in early evening; Workshop 24 was there for people to stop, meet, catch up.

Projects based at Workshop 24 incude:

• Evolve 0.1
• South Kilburn Speaks (download South Kilburn Speaks: Poems from Peel Precinct)

A project from the Empty Shops Network, funded by South Kilburn Partnership.

To do list...

Diary Project

email Rachel ideas
Facebook group
3 main ideas for templates
discuss and finalise next week
watch film about NY collective producing an exhibition
Read through reflective passages of diary
Chose key images for my A2 board
pick out key paragraphs
Chose quotes
write 300 word description of project/process
design layout

Personal Project

finish off Marsha film
finish of Josie film
develop artefact
check South Kilbur studios - email Moira
try and get teenagers to buy in
different types of weaving with one length of ribbon, shapes you can make, new deisgns

Diary of a Somebody

MADS/MAAI  PART TIME MODE 2010/11

Year 2 Spring Project

Diary of a Somebody

Issued Tuesday 22 March 2011

Presentation: Tuesday 3 May 2011

Introduction

Your Diary is one of the key elements of evidence of the process and the progress of your MA project. It helps to identify and communicate the new knowledge, both for you and for the subject area, which a project at MA level must generate.

While your Diary is a research tool that is personal to you in terms of its form, it must also be capable of revealing a clear narrative of your project to an outsider. Both for this reason and to enable you to monitor your own progress, you have been advised previously to include reflective summary pages (usually at intervals of between one to three weeks, depending on your level of activity at any stage).

Brief

On 3 May, mount a pop-up Research Diary Exhibition on the boards in the studio (the ones on the wall between the AV cupboard and the disused door). The exhibition should remain in place until Tuesday 10 May.

Individually: every student should exhibit an A2 display that communicates their project using primarily facsimiles and extracts from their Diaries, including one or more reflective passages. You should also include in the display: your research question and a three hundred word (maximum) project rationale, together with any other explanatory captions you think necessary.

Collectively: you should liaise to plan, curate, and design the Diary exhibition, including arriving at key decisions about format, identity, graphics, etc.

As well as being reviewed by your own tutor team, the exhibition will be reviewed by other course staff, by the Full-time cohort with whom you will be exhibiting in December, and by First Year Part-time students. Incidental outcomes of the project, therefore, will be to introduce yourselves and to expose your projects to key new audiences within the course.

Outcomes

The project will enable you to:

• Understand the key role of your Diary in the communication and evaluation of your project.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of your own Diary-keeping practice
• Share and exchange good practice with other students
• Understand the importance of working with others to prepare and mount an exhibition in which your project is an element.

Storytelling

Last night I went to the British Museum for their Members evening, there were special activities and performances laid on the for the evening.  One of which I found most inspiring. 

Sally Pomme Clayton, Storyteller, she brings to life tales that have travelled through Central Asia for centuries told traditionally by the traders on the Silk Road – stories of nomadic life, magic horses, speaking birds, wish trees, and saints.  The story she told was originally told by the famous Central Asian ‘father of stories’ – Dede Korkut.  She peppered her performance with wonderful authentic sounds of the silk route using artefacts that had been given to her as gifts on her travels whilst researching these tales.  Clayton has written a number of books for adults and children from this research. 

It was a wonderful experience watching and listening to her performance, and displayed brilliantly another way of dimensionalising research, in a powerful, engaging and creative way.  The age-old practice of traditional storytelling, but from this performance it was obvious that Sally had a very special talent for this. 

Feedback from Tutor

March 8 2011 progress report feedback proforma - TUTORS’ VERSION

Please complete and return to the student on or before 8 March 2011.

STUDENT NAME: ANNAHITA

Research question: How can traditional practices and culture be maintained with the use of crafting in contemporary society?

DOES THE PROGRESS REPORT SUBMITTED BY 22 FEBRUARY EVIDENCE LISTS OF:

FEEDBACK RESPONDANTS TO DATE? YES COLLABORATORS TO DATE? (where applicable) YES CONVINCING EVIDENCE OF ONGOING ARTEFACT TESTING  SINCE DECEMBER 2010 YES CONVINCING EVIDENCE OF NEW FINDINGS PRODUCED BY ARTEFACT TESTING SINCE DECEMBER 2010? YES APPROPRIATE AND REALISTIC NEXT KEY ACTIONS? YES (PLEASE COMMENT ON ANY OF THE ABOVE AS NECESSARY)

What is your overall evaluation of the student’s work AT THIS STAGE?

0    1    2    3x    4

0= Unsatisfactory; 1= Satisfactory; 2= good; 3= Very good; 4=Outstanding

KEY ADVICE  GIVEN TO THE STUDENT: Please use between 2 and 6 (maximum) bullet points

·         Your background research is impressive - I think you may be ready to move beyond this phase now? ·         I would advise you to initiate the collaboration with the designer now ·         Try to keep the enthusiasm going!!! ·         In general, you seem to be well organised and making good progress – I look forward to learning more at our tutorial tomorrow!

Paper Lantern

Great new project idea...

Lovely Clusters

Just found this blog and love the beautiful images and colour combinations she has found:

Today I have been discussing the branding and design of my artefacts with a graphic designer, and so should have the next iteration ready shortly, to be re-tested. 

Glowing Eco Wall Plugs

Seungwoo Kim Finds a Clever Way to Remind People to Unplug

 

Very stressful day at work today, I really want to leave early to check out the open afternoon at the South Kilburn Studios, as I would love to get involved in the project and feel it would help with my MADS project.  I have been too busy to edit that last 2 interviews I have recorded as well, but hope to do that this weekend.  

I feel a little happier about the feedback on my project though, as I am now more aware of how I must communicate my progress and how important it is to insure my tutors and peers understand the depths of my work.  I think because I write in this blog everyday I forget that I have not necessarily communicated all of my thoughts and developments to them. I believe the different iterations of my artefacts will however demonstrate my journey and I have to have faith in that, if my exhibition is well thought out, I am sure everything will become self-explanatory. 

Obviously slightly disappointed with the tutor feedback I have received.  I think it's it very difficult to display the volume and detail of work you have done by completing a number of pro formas.  Which has been demonstrated by this feedback. 

The first piece of advice is to decide on one question asap.  Which I have done, and the last 2 submissions have only contained this question:

How can traditional practices and culture be maintained with the use of crafting in contemporary society?

The second is to use my artefact as research tools, which I most definitely will be doing, they are interactive kits, which when I have completed their design will be tested with a wide audience so that they can evolve into the final artefact.  

I understand the advice on background research, but I do not feel the research I am doing is considered background research, as the interviews I am currently doing are tailoring aspects of the artefact, and testing the artefact, which surely should continue throughout the MADS journey.  

My “If” is idealistic and impressive, not yet sure how I can make this come about in practical terms, but that's part of the journey through the course really.  

One recommendation was to write out a detailed timeline plan, which I have already done and has been submitted twice already.  

I definitely feel the feedback has given me a lot to work with, but it definitely hasn't alleviated my worries of how we can actually communicate the progress of our projects, with our tutors through merely a few forms and a couple of tutorials.

Tutor Feedback on proforma

STUDENT NAME: ANNAHITA MACKEE

Research question: How can traditional practices and values be maintained by combining crafting with contemporary culture? How can traditional practices and culture be maintained with the use of crafting in contemporary society? How can the use of crafting in contemporary society help encourage traditional community values?

DOES THE PROGRESS REPORT SUBMITTED BY 22 FEBRUARY EVIDENCE LISTS OF:

FEEDBACK RESPONDANTS TO DATE? COLLABORATORS TO DATE? (where applicable) YES CONVINCING EVIDENCE OF ONGOING ARTEFACT TESTING  SINCE DECEMBER 2010 YES CONVINCING EVIDENCE OF NEW FINDINGS PRODUCED BY ARTEFACT TESTING SINCE DECEMBER 2010? YES APPROPRIATE AND REALISTIC NEXT KEY ACTIONS? YES (PLEASE COMMENT ON ANY OF THE ABOVE AS NECESSARY)

What is your overall evaluation of the student’s work AT THIS STAGE?

0    1    2x    3    4

0= Unsatisfactory; 1= Satisfactory; 2= good; 3= Very good; 4=Outstanding

KEY ADVICE  GIVEN TO THE STUDENT: Please use between 2 and 6 (maximum) bullet points

·          You really need to fix on just one question asap ·         It’s not completely clear from  your proforma that you are planning to use your artifacts as your research  tools (which you must!!) ·         Your background research is impressive - I think you may be ready to move beyond this phase now? ·         Your “If” is idealistic and impressive – how would you make this come about in practical terms? ·         Try to keep the tangible enthusiasm going!!! ·          I would recommend that you produce a time plan that runs right up to the exhibition in December

Peer Feedback

Year 2

8 MARCH 2011 feedback proforma

STUDENT PEER FEEDBACK

You should have received a report from the other members of your group by 22 February. If not, please ask them for it!

Please study your group members’ documents and fill in one of these forms for each, then return it to them, copying in your tutor, on or before 8 March.

STUDENT: Annahita GROUP MEMBER FEEDING BACK: Julia

Are there lists of key: FEEDBACK RESPONDANTS TO DATE? Yes, Annahita's communications  with her respondants  are very extensive. COLLABORATORS TO DATE? (where applicable) Yes. I think whole process of interviewing people and getting experience in different crafts makes all the people who are involved collaborators. FINDINGS SINCE DECEMBER 2010? Yes. Annahita produced different and interesting artefacts and her thoughts on the subject slightly changed in the direction of social aspect of craft experience. NEXT KEY ACTIONS?Yes. Film production sounds interesting.

IN YOUR OWN WORDS, PLEASE  PROVIDE COMMENTS THAT YOU THINK WILL CRITICALLY SUPPORT THE PROJECT. If I may suggest the question sounds to me more like: “How can craft help to express your identity in modern multicultural society.”

IN YOUR ESTIMATION- WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS OF THE PROJECT? Personal interest, desire to discover and learn. The demand in society for this kind of projects. WHERE ARE THE GAPS IN, OR WHAT COULD BE THE THREATS TO, THE PROJECT AT THIS STAGE? Annahita is well aware of threats: time, momentum, dependance on other people. (no more than 3 of each, please)

Fonts and printing for boxes

Peer Feedback

Year 2

8 MARCH 2011 feedback proforma

STUDENT PEER FEEDBACK

• You should have received a report from the other members of your group by 22 February. If not, please ask them for it!
• Please study your group members’ documents and fill in one of these forms for each, then return it to them, copying in your tutor, on or before 8 March.

STUDENT: Annahita Mackee GROUP MEMBER FEEDING BACK: Rachel Dunscombe

Are there lists of key: FEEDBACK RESPONDANTS TO DATE? COLLABORATORS TO DATE? (where applicable) FINDINGS SINCE DECEMBER 2010? NEXT KEY ACTIONS?

IN YOUR OWN WORDS, PLEASE  PROVIDE COMMENTS THAT YOU THINK WILL CRITICALLY SUPPORT THE PROJECT. I feel the artefact needs to be defined further. I had a look at the online blog but couldn’t see a clear indication of you latest artefact and the iterative process. Is the artefact more of an idea, rather than a physical object? How do you intend to develop the artefact further? How has the feedback you referred to impacted on your project and idea? Is it defining the focus of your project or widening the scope of your research? Are you concerned that the breadth of your research may distract you from pursuing a single idea?  You write about taking a keener interest in the community aspects of your project, have or do you intend to gain feedback in regards to your artefact from a wider group of people than the crafting community? (e.g. people the crafts are aimed *at* and not the people who create the crafts)

IN YOUR ESTIMATION- WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS OF THE PROJECT? WHERE ARE THE GAPS IN, OR WHAT COULD BE THE THREATS TO, THE PROJECT AT THIS STAGE? (no more than 3 of each, please)

Strengths: Experimental artefact, an experience and not a finished piece? Thinking beyond the artefact, able to see it as more than simply a finished object. Blog, research. You have an extensive and thorough array of research and a very good record of your journey. Flaws: Moving on from the research phase. There is an impressive wealth of information gathered from your research but I feel that there is a reluctance to move on beyond this phase and to settle for any one idea long enough to take it to the next phase. Artefact. The experimental artefact as an idea and not an object specifically is interesting in principle, however I wonder if it will prove challenging to gain feedback when it’s purpose is to communicate an idea. How clearly can an idea communicate an idea? Is there a risk of an unclear message, resulting in confusion?

Peer Feedback

Year 2

8 MARCH 2011 feedback proforma

STUDENT PEER FEEDBACK

• You should have received a report from the other members of your group by 22 February. If not, please ask them for it!
• Please study your group members’ documents and fill in one of these forms for each, then return it to them, copying in your tutor, on or before 8 March.

STUDENT: Annahita Mackee GROUP MEMBER FEEDING BACK: Joseph Adjei

Are there lists of key: FEEDBACK RESPONDANTS TO DATE? Yes COLLABORATORS TO DATE? (where applicable) No key collaborator yet, but Annahita has it in mind to get help soon. FINDINGS SINCE DECEMBER 2010? Through Annahita’s survey and her online, the questioned is more honed, and she has also thought of other ways to enrich her journey through video. NEXT KEY ACTIONS? To record interactions with designer makers which will be key to the next iterations of her artefact

IN YOUR OWN WORDS, PLEASE PROVIDE COMMENTS THAT YOU THINK WILL CRITICALLY SUPPORT THE PROJECT. I’ve not come across this in Annahita’s records but maybe filming yourself as you work on your artefact might arouse a thought or help reinforce the learning’s on the journey.

IN YOUR ESTIMATION- WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS OF THE PROJECT? I think your passion is driving this project well and the online blog is good. In my opinion, I think you have documented things well too. WHERE ARE THE GAPS IN, OR WHAT COULD BE THE THREATS TO, THE PROJECT AT THIS STAGE? You’ve rightly identified the time issue, because the nature of the project requires a lot of leg work, ie to state the obvious. I believe the an introductory chat with the designer (is it a graphic designer?) will be useful so that s/he can even offer some initial thoughts which might be useful (no more than 3 of each, please)

Kit Design

I would like my kits to feel like they hold a wealth of information, history, that they have been handed down generations, feel individual and special.  I like the feel of these luggage tags, the idea that this parcel has made it's way specifically to the user, their family and friends.

USB-Rechargeable Battery

Karen, Costume Designer, London

Karen, Costume Designer, London from Annahita Mackee on Vimeo.

Karen is an experienced costume designer currently 

working on a personal project based on attachment theory. 

Creates electricity by bending back and forth

Just found this new smart material, using Piezoelectric crystals, it is currently used in very special skis, that use the energy from the ski’s vibrations to become more or less flexible for optimal performance.

Back from work very late last night, so havent had a chance to finish off editing the Karen interview or beginning the Marsha interview. I will get on with some work tomorrow night. 

Today I have begun editing my interview with Karen.  There's a lot of good information in it.  Footage to follow shortly. 

House boats, sausage dogs, chickens and great hospitality

Today I spent a wonderful day with jewellery designer Marsha. We discussed rafting, the slow movement, community engagement and much much more.  Have a bit of work to do to work through the interview and video footage I have, but will update soon.   

I hope that these interviews will help me further formulate my ideas, so far the testing of my artefact has received very positive feedback, so I think I will continue along the same lines of the kits that combine, recycled and found items with modern technology to engage groups of friends and families in making and communicating together.  

Local Project

I heard about a local community arts project in my area, looks really great, will see if I can volunteer to help on Thursdays. 

http://southkilburnstudios.org/

The Architecture Foundation and the South Kilburn Neighbourhood Trust are regenerating a site and have had the idea of transforming some of the buildings into studio space for 6 months, The tenants will pledge – in lieu of rent payments – to train a young person from the local area, helping them learn the skills of their profession and build a portfolio in their chosen trade.

Recycled Card Wallet

I really like the simplicity of weEco's recycled card wallets, they are ideal for my tight budget.  They are 100% recycled board with professional print, I guess some of the kits could probably be this small, rather than a box shape, more of an envelope... Sure they could create the simple boxes I am looking at...

Karen, Costume Designer, London

Today I have spent a day in West London talking to designers and interviewing Karen, Costume Designer about her amazing work on attachment theory, she has created some very moving installations using a very angry child-sized manikin she found in a boot sale.  She is exploring the emotional bonds children who have been adopted or fostered have with their carers, schooling and extended communities.  It's a wonderfully powerful project, her artefact's are a very strong dimensionalisation of quite complex issues, so they are extremely inspiring to me on my journey through MADS and her interview was full of great soundbites that I need to digest.

Baggage

"This 3D Biaxal Knitted structure material has two Self-styled exterior surfaces. These are connected by spacer yarns of different materials and simultaneously kept at a distance. 

This creates complex textile structures that can be both by flexibility, the other characterized by structural stability. The material offers strain, force absorption and strength in all three dimensions while maintaining a large degree of freedom. 

The specially designed machines are able to produce the 3D biaxial knitted fabric resulting in sophisticated textile structures for individual applications in high-end resulting composites which require a high load capacity and low weight."