The initial paper cube making session used the parameters of a basic form and challenged me to take it to the boundary of what was possible. Naturally as the first artistically testing thing post summer it took a few tries to get the hang of it. The most interesting thing from this session was the individual response to the brief varied so much between people as they dealt with it in their own way.
My set of three cubes
During the group cube making session it illuminated the effective uses of subtlety within work that up until this point has been a concept that has eluded me.
My groups cube
Sequential thinking session Highlighted that ideas don’t need to start complex, in fact the inverse is more practical. Starting with a key idea and evolving it can leave you with a developmental history of an object and a clear pathway of thought process leading to the current design. Giving you ideas more clarity when communicating to others.
The first of the rotational workshop sessions in glass this week banished all preconceived ideas of glass as a material. From my time in the glass workshop I have received the impression that glass is only dangerous when not treated with the respect it deserves. After tuition in cutting, gluing and sandblasting techniques separately I wanted to explore the effect of using all three techniques in combination.
Glass is a material where precision and timing matters. In the past I have been made aware that precision is not a strong suit of mine so I took it as a personal challenge to construct a box from glass using the techniques I had learned, taking extra care with precise cutting and measuring to ensure that all the components of the box aligned perfectly.
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I also tested to see what effect sand blasting text into glass gave for a later comparison with the laser engraving processes.
From the first group tutorial session and seminar sessions I have realized how important having a sketchbook is to me. For storage of ideas and inspiration without it I am lost to fleeting thoughts that stroll in and out without reflection. Having realized what an important role a sketchbook takes and that (with exception) books are cuboid in shape, my first ideas are based around exploring book construction using different methods and materials. I was informed at the first group tutorial that this weekend the 8th Manchester Artists’ Book Fair was taking place in the Holden gallery so I thought it would be prudent to have a look at practicing contemporary bookmakers seeing how they interpret books.
While at the book fair today I came across a book artist called Michelle Holland who makes books using ceramics topped with glass found on the beach. She informed me that she now uses a piece of Perspex for the back cover because when she used to make both covers from ceramic people were afraid of putting them down and damaging the book.
Michelle Holland’s blog – http://michellesaxon1.blogspot.co.uk/p/art-book-craft.html
Rudi Morris 