Over and Out
It seems bizzarre to think that I've passed my first year on the BCT. I've never been so exhausted, but strangely, the studio still holds a certain allure. It's only just occurred to me, as I ponder what I'll be doing over the next few months, that I may very well need the ruddy place to keep me wrapped up in my own little world.
All in all, I feel that I've come a long way in terms of my studio practice following on from the first half of the year. This was most noticeable when I was completing the first project of this semester, aptly named 'Transformation'. As my first group project since the difficult 'Syntagm', I felt that I had a lot to resolve. Although I had a hand in each aspect of development, from conceptualisation, to programming, to fabrication of the physical control scheme; by far the most enjoyable part of the brief was bringing it together at the end. Finding a way to resolve the project when nothing seemed to be working was a great buzz. It's given me a good deal to think about in terms of the direction I'd like to take over the next two years and how I'd like to build my portfolio in terms of production roles.
Moving beyond our first project, the BCT threw another curve ball with the exploratory process driven project 'Sonic Appropriation'. As a conceptualite, 'Sonic Appropriation' was most definitely not my forte. I spent a great deal of time agonising over fabrication and the short turn around for each mini-project. Despite thinking I would take absolutely nothing away from exploratory studio practice, I was blindsided within the first week. My obsessive efforts with collaging yielded one of the most satisfying results I've had with a project all year. It was a revelation to realize that refining my cutting technique could put an entirely new spin on my concept. It was like getting your eyes tested and finding out you need a pair of glasses. I didn't realize how limited my creative vision was until I spent hours tearing my hair out over fine-detail cutting. Perhaps most brilliantly of all, the experience has just about convinced me to take a sound-based elective next year! I feel reformed and chastened.
Although I've seen the value in hands-on studio practice, and I will certainly employ it in the future, by the time we hit our third and final studio project, 'Uncanny', I was honestly feeling worn down by the 'make to educate' campaign. It takes me a great deal of time to complete projects because I believe they should be done well and documented accordingly. I have reiterated numerous times on my blog that I take no pleasure in slap-dash jobs. The two exercises we undertook in the lead-up to 'Uncanny' were rather awful in this regard. I don't feel that they facilitated a descent learning experience, particularly as few of us had the software we needed to achieve the desired outcomes.
Having expressed my disappointment at the way project three started, I am pleased with how it's ended. The last four weeks of term have been worth their weight in conceptual gold. Moreover, I've had the chance to use many of the studio practices I learned during 'Sonic Appropriation' to achieve unconventional outcomes. I'm looking forward to seeing how I can continue to develop these skills in order to extend myself over the coming year.











