Thursday 26 May 2011

End of Year Exhibition

Twenty Exhibition -
"Showcasing design work from twenty photographers and
designers from Bath Spa University."

My exhibited work!
Overview
From the 19th to the 21st of May 2011 we held our end-of-course exhibition at Milsom Place, Bath. Everyone on the course prepared work to show in a number of various ways, there were two rooms where our work was being exhibited. The larger room held the majority of the banners which we had got specially printed from ColourWorks, it also held some of the photo framed work, this room was somewhat dedicated to the Photography lot on our course. The smaller room held the rest of the photography work and much of the Interactive lot work. My own self-directed work was displayed in this room in banner form and other portfolio work was displayed on a Mac on an internet portal which had been made specifically for the Interactive members of the group.

Positive Feelings

The opening night was a huge success, an excellent turn-out and an all-round enjoyable night! There was a good feeling overall, people enjoyed the work and drinks were a hit! I was honestly surprised at how many people turned up, I was unsure of the location of our exhibition and felt that it was a little bit secluded.

Negative Feelings
Overall I had a good time but the event may have benefited from having some food/nibbles avaliable on the night. I wasn't entierely happy on the location of my banner, I felt that it could have got more coverage
and people looking at it had it been in another place, but I didn't want to complain because I
had not been down to help put up the banners in the first place!

Contribution to Exhibition

I had created two posters for advertisement of the exhibition and posted them on the Facebook exhibition group as potential choices. No-one really seemed to notice them and they weren't considered in the final selection. Perhaps I should have printed them off and shown them to the group directly, might have had more impact.

Created a banner with the others, after there was a mix-up with the banner themes, I stuck around and corrected mine whereas others had gone and left people that stayed behind to modify theirs.

I was able to help out early on the day of the exhibition opening. Assisting in monitoring the exhibition rooms, taking care of the keys and help set up an internet connection with Alex Stevenson. And later that night I continued to help out when the connection decided to stop at around 6 o'clock! We had continuous problems throughout the days of the exhibition and resorted to moving the computer to the other room of the exhibition, mooching internet connection from the local Parisiene Cafe across the way.

Was able to attend all rota shifts without problems or other commitments, taking care of the work and assisting viewers with their questions and directions.
Friday 20th May- 4:00 - 6:00 (Keyholder)
Saturday 21st May - 1:00 - 3:00

Was part of the get-out crew, spending most of the day helping with removal of equipment and general tidying up of the exhibition prior to us discontinuing our services with Milsom Place.
Sunday 22nd May - 4:00 - 6:00

Final Thoughts
I Felt that myself (and others in the interactive group) were somewhat left out of the decisions, planning. One of the Photography lecturers (Luke Salaman) had somewhat taken charge of the planning etc and he was doing these talks on a Friday (a day which some of us were unable to make.) I feel if I had been living in Bath at the time and had been affiliated better with my colleagues in the photography pathway, I would have been able to get more involved and would have had more of a say as to what are good decisions and what are bad ones. I understand that there were a lot of things to plan with a tight time schedule, but I still feel that myself and others (in the interactive pathway) were at a disadvantage and that perhaps some of the photography students had seized control of the task at hand. At times it seemed that tempers had been fuming within the photography lot and that there had been a lack of democracy at times, perhaps this was a case of there being 'too many cooks', so in that respect, this also probably hindered my chances of having more of an active involvement. Ultimately though it seemed that the event had been very successful and personally I had tried to put as much time into helping with the event as I could whilst still focussing on my coursework alongside it.

Wednesday 11 May 2011

Finished Designs - Exhibition and Banners

It was pretty hectic today, we spent all morning rushing around preparing our self-directed work for display on banners in the Twenty Exhibition next week. The banners are pretty large in size and it took quite a lot of time and effort to prepare them and get them satisfactory so that they would all look good together. Above is a smaller copy of my banner composed using inDesign with all my finished warrior profiles! The next step now is preparing some sketchbook work to go alongside it and include some of my other work on the interactive portal my colleague Alex Stevenson has set up.

Tuesday 10 May 2011

#4 Gothic Knight - Knight - 1560AD

 #4 out of a Series of 4 'Warriors Throughout Time' digital art project for my Self-Directed proposal at Bath Spa Uni.

A Knight is a member of the warrior class in the Middle Ages in Europe who followed a code of law called "chivalry". Knighthood in the middle ages was inextricably linked with horsemanship. Knights would ride on horses into battle as armoured cavalry, boasting superior mobility, and having the advantages of fighting with a greater height, speed and inertial mass over an opponent on foot. Cavalry was used extensively throughout the Middle Ages and Knights from England, France and the Holy Roman Empire (Germany) were renown for their fighting capability and effectiveness. The Holy Roman Empire possessed the most heavily-armored calvary units of the time and the distinctive looking Gothic Knights were the elite warriors of the empire. Their armour is in the distinctive fluted gothic style produced by the finest German armourers, and include the popular visored sallet helmet. Riding an armoured warhorse and wielding a lance and mace, Gothic knights have little to fear on the battlefield. Well practiced in heavy cavalry tactics, these knights make a fearsome addition to any Imperial army and that earns them a place in my series of warrior character profiles!

Friday 6 May 2011

Gothic Knight - Concept Stages


I have finished sketching my Gothic Knight and am currently in the process of colouring and shading him digitally. I will be giving him a typical Gothic plate mail typical of the time as well as a german flanged mace, which they were known to have used on horseback and in dismounted fighting.

Wednesday 4 May 2011

Warriors Throughout Time - Knight

16th Century Gothic Knight
A Knight is a member of the warrior class in the Middle Ages in Europe who followed a code of law called "chivalry". Knighthood in the middle ages was inextricably linked with horsemanship. Knights would ride on horses into battle as armoured cavalry, boasting superior mobility, and having the advantages of fighting with a greater height, speed and inertial mass over an opponent on foot. Cavalry was used extensively throughout the Middle Ages and Knights from England, France and the Holy Roman Empire (Germany) were renown for their fighting capability and effectiveness. The Holy Roman Empire possessed the most heavily-armored calvary units of the time and the distinctive looking Gothic Knights were the elite warriors of the empire. Their armour is in the distinctive fluted gothic style produced by the finest German armourers, and include the popular visored sallet helmet. Riding an armoured warhorse and wielding a lance and mace, Gothic knights have little to fear on the battlefield. Well practiced in heavy cavalry tactics, these knights make a fearsome addition to any Imperial army and that earns them a place in my series of warrior character profiles!

Sunday 1 May 2011

#3 Mongol Archer - Archer - 1100AD


#3 out of a Series of 4 'Warriors Throughout Time' digital art project for my Self-Directed proposal at Bath Spa Uni.

Archery is the art, practice or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow. Archery has been used for hunting and combat. In ancient warfare, archers were particularly useful at decreasing enemy numbers at a distance, by continuously sending volleys of arrows over hundreds of meters. Many ancient armies throughout time made use of ranged warriors, but the most skilled and well-known came from the east. The Parthians, Scythians and Mongols would often combine horse-riding with archery, they were renown for being incredibly accurate and renown for winning battles. Historically, most people associated master archery with the ancient Mongol people. Mongol Horse-Archers were as effective as they were numerous and played a pivotal role in the expansion of Mongol territory in Medieval Asia and Eastern Europe. Of all the Archers and bowmen in the world, The ancient Mongolians are universally considered to be the best, and that earns them a place in my series of warrior character profiles.

Thursday 28 April 2011

Mongol Archer - Concept Stages


I have finished sketching my Mongolian Bowman and am currently in the process of colouring and shading him digitally. I will be giving him a very simple and traditional armour/robe combo, as well as an iconic mongol hat of the time and a composite recurve bow, ideal for horseback!