CRITICAL REVIEW/ EVALUATION
In my project proposal, my aim was to create something that is inspired by derelict building – I feel like I have stuck to this idea but there was several things I was thinking of incorporating into my work like parts of a novel and perhaps looking at objects left behind. The reason why I have not gone in either of these directions is because I found I really wanted to focus on the beauty of the decay and for viewers to think themselves what story could be behind my work.
Through the project I have encountered many problems with experimenting with different materials and techniques – this meant it took me longer to find methods that worked. When creating my final piece I even came across problems including adhesive not working as well as I intended so therefore I had to think on my feet and use wooden blocks and screws to make it more secure – though this was frustrating at the time, I learnt a lot about adapting as I went along and not giving up.
As I said, I really explored different skills that I perhaps would not have learnt otherwise, e.g. using Mod-Roc, Plaster, and using different saws to cut wood. In my project proposal I mentioned that I wanted to do new things and really experiment, I feel like I have achieved this. I tried to take risks like using materials I had never used and using them in a way that they weren’t intended for like using the Mod-Roc to create bricks and wood. I do think as I went along, my materials and methods became more skillful, this was perhaps due to me gaining more confidence in my work and trying new things.
During the last few months I really researched into derelict buildings; how they break down and fall apart, the different layers of a building, what fire damage does to a building and how the environment around it changes, for example homelessness and drugs. I also researched artists that worked with used materials or created something that looked aged, and taking textures from buildings. The research really helped me move along with my project especially site visits as I could find hidden inspiration that may not be found on photographs. I definitely feel that I have gathered enough sources and primary research, which also included all my experiments with different materials and techniques.
One thing I was always conscious of was time. Since the beginning of the project, each week I evaluated my progress and what I was aiming to do the next week. This meant that I was always thinking and planning what I was doing so that everything would be finished by the deadline. If I felt that I was getting behind as I felt like I wasn’t achieving much or wasn’t feeling inspired. On my schedule I would look what I had achieved in the time and therefore what was possible to do in the future. I really felt like this motivated me to keep going till I found inspiration to look at a different route or experiments. Perhaps I could have done this with a bit more planning but I felt that part of what made this project exciting was the fact that it evolved as it went along and one idea one week could be scraped for a completely different idea the next. This kept me on my feet and was really different from what I would traditionally do. As I went along I made sure to document my progression on my Tumblr blog in order to see the development of the project as a whole at the end.
After finishing my final piece, I have many thoughts. I am very pleased with my final outcome not only does it achieve what I set out to do but also has been finished to a high standard. Reflecting back creating my final piece was such a learning curve with highs and lows. Even with all my experiments there were still unexpected things that I came across. There are certain aspects that I am particularly proud of, which is the brick work I created as its so much more realistic than I could have imagined, the overall painting of the piece which even surprised me with the realism – I think that’s probably the thing that makes the work look complete and atmospheric. And I was also very happy with the flooring and scattered debris as I had sourced lots of materials and really thought about the layout and what would work best, I do think it accurately represents the ground of a derelict building. In fact I think the whole piece accurately represents a derelict building with almost all aspects inspired by decaying buildings. The only part of the piece I don’t feel happy with is the lack of artificial lighting, as when the piece was finished I experimenting with light beams and they were not strong enough to be seen as the room is well lit – if I was to do this again perhaps I could have thought of positioning the piece in a darker area where light shining onto the piece would be seen and would add another dimension to the piece.