May 2011

During this month I have carried a lot of Desk research on Identity, culture, communities, sense of self.  I have worked on idea and question for workshops to develop these ideas with young people.  


I have progressed with my artefacts using the Graffi-tee project.  Which I have now carried out myself and with 2 young people.  


I am currently looking at re-wording my research question to:


How can teenagers be encouraged to build their awareness of and develop their own identities and their cultural identities through the use of crafting?


I sort ethical advise from a psychologist at this point as I was worried about asking young people, some of which will not have a support unit, to delve into such painful issues, I got some advice about perhaps developing a more positive slant to my questions and exercises, this is when I started concentrating more on the hopes, dreams and aspirations side of things.  To find a place to meet young people I have contacted a number of support groups, schools and youth clubs in my area.  


I have also thought about a number of ways to display my work visually at the final exhibition.  I also read some interesting articles about ways to make the most of your exhibition and some of the pitfalls that students experience.  I also went to a number of interesting exhibitions to get inspiration.  I have also started collecting a list of companies that sponsor the kind of small exhibition I go to, to use for the exhibition team, when we meet.  


Something I was extremely excited about this month is the relationship between identity and homelessness, this is something I really want to develop over the summer break, but without contacts in this area, I do not feel I can solely concentrate on homeless young people, and therefore at the moment will continue to look at young people as a whole.  

Maximising your MA Show

I found a great report today from Paul Glinkowski, CLIP/CETL Research Fellow at Wimbledon College of Art part of the University of the Arts London on the purposes served by MA Fine Art shows, the practices
followed in staging them, and their effectiveness in meeting audience needs, some good poitners for our exhibition. 

Clerkenwell Design Week

Last week Clerkenwell was buzzier than normal for their annual design week.  Filled with special attractions, activities and open studios as well as pop up shops and bars in the most unlikely of spots!

My favourite installation was the House of Detention.  An old Victorian prison where each dungeon was filled with a design exhibition.  The nature of the space meant that there were some extremely exciting ways of presenting artefacts and creating installations. I really enjoyed Bobby Petersen's Musical chairs, which allows people to sit together, talk and create their own instant and temporary musical piece. 

Spring Work 2011

Books:

Friedman, J. & Lash, S. (1992) Modernity and identity. Oxford : Blackwell

Woodward, K. (1997) Identity and difference. London: Open University

Du Gay, P. & Hall, S. (1996) Questions of cultural identity London : Sage

Abbott, D. (1998) Culture and identity. London : Hodder & Stoughton

Woodward, K.  (2000) Questioning identity :gender, class, nation London : Routledge.              

Jenkins, R.  (2008) Social identity.  London : Routledge

Articles: 

Riggs, E. H., & Coyle, A. (2002). Young people’s accounts of homelessness: A case study
analysis of psychological well-being and identity. Counselling Psychology Review, 17(3), 5-
15.

Exhibitions and workshops:

Various (2011) Dirt.  London: Wellcome Collection.  24 March - 31 August 2011.

Websites:

http://www.materia.nl/ 

http://www.materialconnexion.com/

http://www.3m.com/uk

http://www.inventables.com/

http://www.cockpitarts.com

http://www.lostvalues.com/

http://southkilburnstudios.org/

http://www.coolhunting.com/culture/design-futures.php

http://www.riverhunt.org/an-exploration-of-identity-through-art/

http://www.education.tas.gov.au/curriculum/needs/inclusive/phase1

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/

http://www.nitrosoft.de/projects/cloning/identity_mindmap.html

http://blog.knowmads.nl/wp-contents/uploads/IDENTITY.jpeg

http://saro92.wordpress.com/2011/04/03/identity-concept/

Sponsors at recent small exhibitions I have been to

I have been collating a list of possible sponsors by just logging the logos I have seen at small events:

Money, food and kind

London Development Agency

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

Deutsche Bank

Arts Council England

Headley Trust

Garfield Weston Foundation

Bank of America Charitable Foundation

City Fringe Partnership

Goldsmiths' Company

John Lewis Partnership

Mark Leonard Trust

Radcliffe Trust

The Zetter Hotel

ERDF

The John Ellerman Foundation

The Tanner Trust

Barclays

Karen Millen

Lifeline IT

L’Oreal Professional

Mulberry

Renault

Rimmel London

Ty Nant

Metro Imaging

1883 magazine

Computer arts magazine

Aesthetica magazine

Dezeen magazine

Hiscox corporate

Conran Foundation

Dyson Foundation

FT Weekend

Homebase

Interbrand

Man Group plc Charitable Trust
Microsoft Research Labs
Royal Mail Philatelic Sector
Sir Jocelyn Stevens Fund
Valpak Ltd
Garfield Weston Foundation
Withers LLP
Matthews Wrightson Charity Trust

http://www.glyphics.co.uk/

Ocado

Sainsbury’s

http://www.chopscakes.co.uk/

Drink, shop, do

OK Club

I am now booked in to meet Keith and the team at the OK Club, a local youth group, to discuss the possibility of working with them over the summer school break. 

Question iteration

How can crafting help young homeless people reaffirm their sense of self?

How can crafting help a homeless person find their true self again?

How can crafting help with therapy to rebuild a homeless person's identity?

Brainstorming

Great brainstorm today on my project idea, trying to really condense down my preferred respondents, discussed young people and teenagers, from local youth clubs as well as religious groups.  Thought about the effect religious beliefs and education have on a young person's identity. 

Also worked through some ideas relating to social networking and online identity. 

Finally discussed in more detail the issues relating to working with young homeless people on this project. 

Places to contact - reply from CCSK

Hi Anna - thank you for your enquiry about a youth and arts project. Community Consultants (South Kilburn) are not currently running any such projects but would suggest you consider approaching:

- The OK Club
Christian Holt House
45 Denmark Road
London
NW6 5BP
(020) 7372 6363
www.okclub.org.uk

or

- Kilburn Youth Centre
12-22 Kilburn High Road
London
NW6 5UH
(020) 7328 7172
www.kilburnyouthcentre.org.uk

A project that may have matched your requirements is:

- southkilburnstudios.org

but I believe they have ceased recruiting creative arts providers.

Please feel free to contact us if you would like to discuss your ideas further and we will keep you in mind if we hear of any opportunities that we think you might find interesting.

--
Best wishes

Michael Spike Hudson
Chairperson 

Community Consultants (South Kilburn) Ltd.
London NW6

Homelessness: psychological well-being and identity

Homelessness poses a real risk to identity, the social stigma and negative status associated with being homeless combined with the 'hearthlessness', leads to a lack of attachment to and identification with temporary accommodation.  Emotional attachment to and identification with places is key to psychological health. Feeling isolated, rejected and alienated are also extremely common with homeless people, these again in turn can lead to psychological problems in relation to identity.  Another key issue is having somewhere 'safe' for emotions and thoughts, without this 'psychological space' a person can become emotionally withdrawn and lock emotions away.  The above can all be described as 'Identity Threat' which occurs when one or more of the elements for identity: self-esteem, continuity, positive distinctiveness and self-efficacy, are challenged. 


Rejection
Numerous homeless people have felt rejected by their friends, family and society.  "Feelings of being rejected by the family may contribute to a feeling of ‘psychological homelessness’, which, according to Baldwin et al. (1997), often precedes physical homelessness".


Loss of original identity and adoption of negative homeless identity
Being homeless can threaten your continuity of self, destroy your self-esteem and distinctiveness. 
It's common for a homeless person to take on an identity projected onto to them by others, from responses from others, having money thrown at you. "Such experiences have been referred to as a denial of a homeless person's right to exist within society (Bentley, 1997)".

Separation and loss
Being separated from your family and loved ones can be a real shock when you are homeless which often resembles the early stages of grief (Murray-Parkes, 1996; Archer, 1999).


Psychological space
For many homeless people moving to a hostel does not necessarily provide them with everything they need emotional, and so not having safe conditions for 'personal issues' can lead to emotional withdrawal.  "Psychological possessions such as thoughts and feelings may be protectively stored away inside the individual concerned (Bentley, 1997)". 'Home' is not just a place to stay, it must be safe and secure, locking your cupboard in the kitchen and your bedroom door leads to a sense of 'hearthlessness', as temporary accommodation usually lacks a home-like quality.


Salvation
To cope with the above homeless people need routine, to maintain regular contact with people, to build self-esteem and feelings of social value, to achieve goals.  This structure, continuity and security can be found by helping others, the elderly, or other homeless people.  Such opportunities can totally change things for a homeless person.  As far as physical space goes, it can help to stamp personality and character into their surroundings, part of a homeless person's identity can often feel as if it still resides at 'home', their primary place of attachment, but their new accommodation, however temporary needs to be seen as a container for their identity.  Connecting with people is key recovering form homelessness, they need to talk about how they feel, they need people around them that can help practically as well as emotionally.

Help in my area

Today I emailed CCSK they are a social enterprise in my area, set up by community activists to provide consultancy, research, project management and administration, training and community development services in South Kilburn. To see if they can help with ideas for venues and volunteers for my project. I am hoping they will know of existing groups in my area.

Workshop 24

Have signed up for a great workshop:

Words work together: A poetic exploration of the use of language, lyrics, and literature to give communities a voice. Participants will learn practical skills to use with local communities and get creative themselves. With Simon Mole.

Have also got an hour session with Dan Thompson:

Empty Shops Surgery: iron out the creases and sooth the struggle, by spending an hour with Empty Shops Network founder and author of the Empty Shops Toolkit Dan Thompson.

I hope both will help with my project, they will inspire me and I get to meet like-minded people.  

Identity and young homeless

Today I have been reading an article from the Counselling Psychology Review: Young people’s accounts of homelessness: A case study analysis of psychological well-being and identity.  It interested me because it refers to a real loss of identity and person-hood felt by the homeless young people in the case study. The psychological implications of homelessness included feeling isolated, rejected, alienated and lacking emotional attachment to or identification with places and people.  One key issue was of course a lack of somewhere safe psychologically for their thoughts and emotions.

It would be amazing to work with young people who are homeless and are just getting back on their feet, a couple of ideas include the emotional back-pack.  Ask the volunteers to think about what they would put in a backpack emotionally to survive on the streets, support, people to talk to, somewhere to feel safe etc. 

Made in Clerkenwell

Another wonderful open studios at Craft Central!

A few favourites, who's work I found truly inspirational:

Katherine Elizabeth Millinery

Amy Keeper Jewellery

Modica Jewellery

 Amanda Li Hope

Emily Jo Gibbs

Ethics issues relating to Identity workshop

Today I have been discussing my identity workshop with a therapist.  Vanessa has worked for a number of years at MIND, the 'National Organisation for Mental Health', providing Psychotherapy and Counselling to their clients, training and workshop.  

I was slightly worried about the issues I will be discussing with the young people in my Identity workshop, a lot of these people will be vulnerable and will not have the support needed if the questions we discuss stir up some issues. Identity and sense of self is such a deep and emotional area, I wanted to discuss the issues with someone qualified.  

Vanessa was also worried about the possible affect this may have on young vulnerable people, who would not have the support to work through any issues the workshop could open up.  We discussed the idea of focusing more on people's passions, interests, and motivations.  A more positive approach to Identity perhaps.  

I have also been thinking about using the workshop with a group of young people who do have the support network around them, people who perhaps are already working through their issues in therapy.  I am investigating any appropriate groups in my area. 

 

Graffi-tee, Natalie

Student Peer Feedback

Year 2 - 10 May 2011 feedback proforma

FEEDBACK TO (STUDENT): Annahita
FEEDBACK FROM (STUDENT): Joseph A

IN YOUR OWN WORDS, PLEASE PROVIDE COMMENTS THAT YOU THINK WILL CRITICALLY SUPPORT YOUR COLLEAGUE’S PROJECT.

I think working with the school is a good idea because you could have a wide audience to work
with. The idea of the large installation for the school is a brilliant idea and could provide you with
a snapshot of how your final exhibit could be like. It could not only be your journey. The cultural
journey of the youth would also be highlighted. Are there any respondents from the migrant
communities? Maybe a visit to a community centre and interviews could introduce an important
strand to push this research further.

IN YOUR ESTIMATION- WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS OF THE PROJECT?

Annahita’s passion and organisation. Narrowing the question down to involve teenagers fuels
the potential to grow. As teenagers are pack oriented, getting a core group involved will let the
project continue its own direction.

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

I agree getting the teenagers is difficult, but this threat could be made a challenge. Maybe
you need a hook or an aspiration quote to emphasise the coolness factor. How can this be
sustained once an individual gets involved?

Interesting Website

http://www.artshole.co.uk/

Good for promoting work and exhibition...

Wall Decals

For any quotes or definiteions I may want in my exhibition:

http://www.trendystickers.co.uk/en/wallstickers/your_own_text/your_text_as_a_sticker/

http://www.wallwords.com/categories.asp

Graffi-tee, Josephine, 26 Aspiring Author

Exhibition display ideas

I have been thinking about how I would display my t-shirt artefacts at the exhibition.  I have always loved Susan Bradley's stiletto heel hooks...

But I would want to upcycle something to make my hooks, to stay in keeping with my crafting theme, so I thought about silver spoons, and then found this example...

I would also like to display not only my printed blog book, but some other research materials, so I thought about using these invisible shelves, people would be able to flick through the books and gallery leaflets, articles and reports I sued for my research themselves...

Also been thinking a lot about finding a quote about identity to have on the wall...

Question iteration

How can crafting be used to help teenagers develop self-awareness and further understanding of their identity and culture?

How can crafting help teenagers develop further awareness of their identity's and Community's?

How can crafting help teenagers develop a real sense of self and understanding of the communities around them?

Interview with Chloe, founder of Hatastic

Today I spent the morning with Chloe, founder of Hatastic, she rescues, reuses and recycles amazing material, bits and bobs, and transforms them into unique handmade hats, fascinators & hair accessories.  I heard about how Hatastic came about, and how being creative, and making things has always been a part of Chloe's life, after growing up with creative parents that encouraged her and her siblings to express themselves through the arts.

Recreation Collection - Group Shot

Recreation Collection - Slinky

L'air du Temps Collection - Vanities Tricorn

L'air du Temps Collection - Group Shot

Photos from  www.julietlemon.com

As part of my interest in understanding how people see themselves compared to how others view us, we discussed identity and validation.  Chloe said she doesn't feel she can call herself a milliner, the Oxford dictionary, defines a milliner as  'a person who makes or sells women's hats'.  I think Chloe does much more than this, her pieces are up-cycled sculptures, when we discuss that she could be described as a designer, she finds this identity one hard to accept also.  This takes us onto the topic of validation, Chloe has been nominated and won a number of awards, she has also been requested to show pieces at a number of fashion shows.  She feels that moments like these are the ones that make her feel more like a designer, and accepted into the world of fashion.

I asked Chloe what piece of advice she would give other people who would like to start up their own creative business; she advised to really consider in depth the branding and identity of the company..  Chloe feels it is important to know exactly who you are, what you are doing and why, this allows you to communicate confidently, and be more authentic.

Running your own business and being a designer/maker can sometimes feel quite isolated.  Chloe has found that bouncing ideas off other like-minded souls and getting feedback from her peers has really helped with the creative process and kept her sane!  Chloe has built up a great relationship with Kat, founder of Creme Nouveau,who's quirky and kitsch creations are well-loved, Chloe feels their products and style really compliment each other, and has led to them working together on a number of projects.

Finally we discussed, what Chloe would change.  That was an easy one, people's perceptions of hats, how to wear them, and when.  Chloe would love to have a Gok Wan style show to demystify the art of wearing hats, which it seems most of us have lost. 

Sense of Self

Social Identity (Second edition)
Richard Jenkins

London, Routledge, 2004

Dirt - Wellcome Collection

Another great exhibition at the Wellcome Collection, exploring something that surrounds us everyday, 'but that we are often reluctant to confront'.  There were over 200 artefacts from film, to paintings, to literature that helped investigate the 'grimy truths and dirty secrets of our past' and in fact present and future.  TYhe exhibition introduced six places as starting points for exploring attitudes towards dirt and cleanliness: 

• a home in 17th-century Delft in Holland
• a street in Victorian London
• a hospital in Glasgow in the 1860s
• a museum in Dresden in the early 20th century
• a community in present day New Delhi
• a New York landfill site in 2030

Tomorrow I would like to look into child development, and art therapy, with relation to identity and attachment. 

10 May 2011 hand-in

Year 2 - 10 May 2011 hand-in

STUDENT PROGRESS REPORT

STUDENT NAME: Annahita Mackee       http://madsjourney.blogspot.com/

RESEARCH QUESTION: How can traditional practices and culture be maintained with the use of crafting in contemporary society? Thinking about re-wording it to be more directed at teenagers, but so far I have only given it a little thought, definitely only a draft re-write: How can teenagers be encouraged to build their awareness of and develop their own identities and their cultural identities through the use of crafting?

WHO ARE YOUR KEY FEEDBACK RESPONDANTS TO DATE? (individuals, companies, or interest groups): Same as before, plus: a few teenagers (neighbours children and children of friends)

WHO ARE YOUR KEY COLLABORATORS TO DATE? (that is, people who are assisting you with artefact creation, surveys etc) Same as before, plus: Nicola Barron – Founder Homemade London, Cecilia Chan – Round London – works with teenage fashion enthusiasts.

BRIEFLY, WHAT ARE YOUR KEY NEW FINDINGS SINCE FEBRUARY? (70 words max, please) I have been develop the idea of self awareness, identity, culture, and am using the theories to develop the Graffi-tee artefact and Kite artefact as ways to help teenagers express and understand themselves and their communities more clearly.  I am also working on a new idea that I would like to present to the headmaster of a local school that is currently refurbishing, in which I have a workshop with the teenagers about identity (key questions outlined in my blog), and then each teenager is given a piece of a puzzle on which they need to visually, and texturally represent who they are and the culture they feel they belong to.  I would like these pieces to be joined together to create a large installation for the school.

WHAT ARE YOUR NEXT KEY ACTIONS? DESCRIBE HOW YOU INTEND TO TEST YOUR CURRENT ARTEFACT DURING THE NEXT TWO MONTHS (70 words max, please) To test  artefacts on teenagers, through friends, the school opposite and Handmade London.  Iterate after feedback from these sessions.  Develop further the identity and culture workshop plan and work on my relationship with local school to try and sell the idea to them.

FOLLOWING YOUR DIARY EXHIBITION, WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT COMMUNICATIONG YOUR PROJECT AND THE KNOWLEDGE IT HAS ACHIEVED IN AN EXHIBITION FORMAT? (3 key points maximum, please) You have to communicate very clearly and precisely, be specific, e.g. I need a little message that explained mine represented key quotes from my online journal, as a number of people thought I had just stuck my journal up. The use of images and diagrams, combined with words seems to work best. Ensure your exhibit is visually interesting, this encourages interaction and engagement.

PLEASE ALSO SEND WITH THIS FORM: Evidence of the artefact which you are currently testing (photos etc, if appropriate) Available on my blog - http://madsjourney.blogspot.com/search/label/Artefact%20Iteration Your bibliography, which as well as books and journals consulted can include websites, and a list of exhibitions, conferences, music events, films, or other relevant sources. Available on my blog - http://madsjourney.blogspot.com/search/label/Bibliography

WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS OF YOUR PROJECT? My passion and commitment to the project and ability to adapt and develop my ideas as the project takes its own form and direction. Involving teenagers is exciting and different, they are bright, lively, honest and upfront! WHERE ARE THE GAPS IN, OR THREATS TO, YOUR PROJECT? (no more than 3 of each, please) Getting access to the teenagers is very difficult, they are naturally less likely to get involved in craft activities and are not usually organised by their parents, have their own lives!  The studio I was hoping to work with are still setting up, I will still keep in touch with them, and hopefully I can set up an evening workshop with their apprentices.

Feedback from external examiners

Feedback from external examiners was pretty worrying, although again not specific enough for us to actually no where we are going wrong or who is going wrong exactly.  The first year part-timers are some ridiculous and quote unrelated questions that used up all the time we had to get feedback from the external examiners on key areas to work on and improve.  But the overall impression is just work harder and smarter.

Culture, identity and society

Graffi-tee - My identity...

Graffi-tee, Josie

10 things I Love

Identity

Identity workshop

Through my research I have come up with the following questions to spur debate with the older teenagers, to get them to think about identity and culture:

What is culture and identity?

Why are some identities more highly regarded than others?

Give examples of the ways in which people's self-image can be influenced by the judgement of the others.  How can this influence the identity of the individual?

What influence does class have upon identity?

Are some cultures better perceived than others?

Give examples of the cultural values reflected in soap operas like Eastenders.  Do they reproduce the dominant cultural norms and values of our society? Consider issues of gender differences, ethnicity, age, sexuality and attitudes to crime and violence.

Make a list of TV programmes, music, films etc and match them up to the cultural preferences of different social classes.  Examine further if this reflects reality, perhaps by questionnaire.

How is age treated in western culture, and how does this influence the construction of identity?

Examine a range of popular magazines and papers.  Produce a collage that show how men's grooming products are associated with toughness and those of women with femininity. 

Consider how important ethnicity or nationality is to your own sense of identity.  It may be unimportant, or perhaps only important at certain times.  It's importance may vary in different contexts.  Do you become very upset when your country's team loses? If so, what functions do you think your ethnic or national identity plays?

Feedback on exhibition

Overall design was considered good, we didn't take our theme too far, and get over involved in a complex idea that didn't add to the impact of the exhibition.  We did extremely well in co-ordinating everything to ensure all labelling/descriptors were uniform.  We need to ensure we do not put too much information up, communicate clearly and precisely.  Also be aware of not putting too little information on our boards.  We were asked if we wanted to re-do our boards, add anything or remove anything.  I have chosen to keep mine the same although I could possibly add something that explains that it is not my actual diary, these are just key passages!

Thoughts from last night, still along the lines of using crafting to pull teenagers away from those screens they are attached to for their entertainment.  Going to concentrate know on the the Graffi-tee project, where I get them to design T-shirts that investigate identity and cultural issues.  Also been thinking about a token related project, something like the tokens mothers left at the Foundling Hospital, combined with a kind of time capsule approach, what things would the teenagers put in a little box (that I make with them) and how would they decorate it, to represent them and their lives/communities.

Diary of a Somebody Exhibition - May 2011