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SPECULATIVE LAB WEEK 1



TUESDAY 9TH : SPECULATIVE LAB LAUNCH


Today marks the beginning of our new module - speculative lab - and this time I want to learn from my previous mistakes and be consistently organised and engaged, especially since we only have five weeks. So as Lara introduced us to the brief I already started getting ideas:


  • Fabric and light instillation

  • Public cinema

  • Chinese lantern inspired instillation fused with other medias

  • Platform for creatives to perform to the public

  • Accessible Classical Music?

  • Light Light Light


TASKS:


  • Create a pitch: MP4 file (2 mins)


  • Primary research: People/interviews


  • Secondary research: Archives/online


  • Revisit fundamentals from previous modules




VISITING FLOODGATE ARCH


It seems that a key part of this brief is to attract people so when we then went to the site I focused on what engaged us and made some observations. The two main things which caught my eye were the graffiti art, a no brainier, but also the leaky pipes for some reason. There was something beautiful and interesting about how the moss followed the trail of water from the pipes, and this could be a source of energy that can be utilised.





Architecture, lighting, weather, background, these are some of the things which I took notice of in this place. I just hope I can come up with a concept in time for next Tuesday because now I have nothing.



THURSDAY 11TH : DEVELOPING MY PROPOSAL


Okay so looking back on the leaky pipes and moss I could propose creating a garden for this space since Digbeth lacks a lot of nature. However there needs to be a twist that makes it more interesting. I do not want to take away from the beautiful pre existing artwork on the walls, yet there is a lot of negative wall space as well which looks dull. Moss and other plant life will only grow on water, so we could install a water system sourced from rain, pipes or the river, and manipulate it to create a mosaic of greenery and graffiti on the walls where moss will only grow around and in between the graffiti pieces. I think a perfect name for this space is

Graffiti Garden”because it sound really catchy but unique, and there’s lots of potential for development.




FRIDAY 12TH: MOD 2 FEEDBACK


I’m surprised and pleased that I received a First in my nature lab considering that my nature inspired clothing piece malfunctioned. I fully agree with Lara that I still need to work on time management and organisation, add to blogs more consistently. I think an effective way for me to do this is to start audio journaling regularly.


SATURDAY 13TH


I was looking at a rainbow today and wandered if you can go through it, which reminded me of a photoshoot I took a year ago under a rainbow reflected off a glass table





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I just find it fascinating how light interacts with reality to create cool scenes like this naturally.



For as long as I can remember I loved rainbows, in nursery I’d cry if I didn’t get a rainbow sticker, in primary I was obsessed with drawing rainbow gradients and ironically I turned out to be 🏳️‍🌈. Rainbows are universally considered a beautiful natural phenomena which we now know is formed by refracted light, so what if we can simulate a rainbow using the physics of refraction, in a place you would never expect - under the floodgate arch.


I think this is a really exciting way of developing Graffiti Garden for it introduces a surreal and magical element to this concept which will attract any audience, and I could reflect on other aspects of our audience and nature for inspiration; potentially delving into to serotonin (psychology/biology), human fascination, fictional worlds and dreams.



SUNDAY 14TH : MY PITCH


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