train of thoughts

beril aksit düşünüyor.

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I didnt want to spoil or jynx the work, but this has been my favorite so far.

“içmeberil”

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Milestone IV

Heading towards the end of our journey, I have realize being done with a lot of things without being aware of it. As I sat down to write the milestone, thinking I have don done anything, made me realize I have done tons.

I have designed an exhibition space on a virutal exhibition website called artsteps.com

I have put all the works I’ve done, while two of them are in process being redone, there are two or three more pieces to come.

As I continue to alter the exhibiton space and some of the works to be redone, I started to make more progress on the exhibition thesis rather than the artwork right now as I have somehow been a little stressed about getting my hands dirty on ever since the beginning of the semester. However, I wrote my artist statement, and I have done the analysis of three of the works.

Then I plan to finish the thesis within next week so that I have a clear mind doing the retouches I want to do, even though the outcome of the exhibition will never meet my own expectations... However, I do believe I did my best regarding the limited time I had to plan and construct a whole new exhibition that meant to take a whole semester, I am still proud of the work.

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“yıkama bebekleri”

my favorite piece so far.

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Virtual Exhibition Preparations

some of the pieces will be revised and two more pieces to come. the title and the artist sign are placeholders and will be designed.

the virtual exhibition space has been designed on artsteps.com

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Milestone III

After adjusting to the new system and evaluating with my advisors on which path to go, we have come up with three options as it is impossible for me to pursue the original plan that I had in mind to create an exhibition. What I want to tell is te same, so I had to come up with a new design and a new alternative to the works.

We have taken it down to three options in terms of the format of the work;

*POV videos of everyday objects being used

*Catalogue-like Photoshoots of everyday objects

*Everyday objects in their natural habitats, photographed.

Because I am lacking tools or objects to recreate a bathroom as originally planned, my advisors told me to think of using the whole house. So now I can basically work on 1-2 projects for each room. I decided to recreate the objects or how I wanted to construct the words on them, I will use two methods; digital  manipulation and craft as much as I can craft, but it is very limited. So I can either move the objects around to spell with them, or I can craft on them too. 

I have been working with re-conceptualizing the idea as I had to change my objects, therefore the sentences accordingly. The work is still in progress in that aspect. However, I managed to work on some demos. 

Here is an example of how a digital manipulation would look like. I photographed my childhood room, and put a poster from the 2000s, and the sentence appears to be like it is part of the poster.

Here is an example of hand crafted work. This one is rather a re-do as I donot like my craftsmanship in this one. But just to put an idea on the process and the concept, this one is called “my sister’s closet”.

In addition, the thesis paper is in progress. I have written my artist statement, and have strated to re-consruct the other parts again as I plan to using digital manipulation and photography rather than only carfting.

Afterwards, my idea has shifted to digital manipulation more and a better way.

I was planning to test the objects both in their natural setting and on a photo-shoot like backdrop but I will prefer the natural setting, however, here are some examples and trials for the backdrop demos:

demo 1:

The one above is an example of a real-life manipulation. The notebook is my first ever notebook I have ever owned.

“behind the scenes”

demo two:

I have failed to manipulate the remote as it did not look natural at all. But here is an example of a natural looking manipulation;

before

after

The following goal will be to pratice shots, angles and light sources to better the compositions.. I plan on shooting almost every object I see around the house until I get the perfect results. That will be all for this tiring and very long milestone!

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Alternative solutions

After a discussion with both my advisors, we thought of a photoshoot or a video-reel to showcase the new exhibition. While a rendered drawing of all the original ideas were also an option, I do not think that it will be pursued.

However, in contrast to my latest idea, it is impossible for me to replicate the idea here as I have zero tools and zero access to new tools in this house as the pandemic is very contaigous in my neighbourhood and I take care of my grandparents, so I cannot risk going out. 

The creation of a bathroom being limited, Jülide hoca advised me to take a step outside the bathroom and create an exhibition that includes all the rooms in the house. By creating 1-2 pieces for each room, the exhibition will turn into a home exhibition instead. 

***some of the items may need to be manipulated on the computer too***

I had two main options for the exhibition style;

 * a POV video where the everyday objects are presented to be used with a videogame point of view.

*A photshott where either the objects are in their authentic place, or on a backdrop with the sense of a catalogue shoot for the objects...

I am quickly revising the items list.

make-up pallette : “hasta mısın?” written on the lid.

tampon: “çok ayıp” written with strings.

poster on the childhood room wall : “artık buraya ait değilsin”

sister’s closet : “izinsiz” on the clothes 

kettle : “burama kadar geldi”

keys/keychain : “otel mi burası?” (keychain manipulation on photoshop

parents night stand : “yasaklı” (dust effect on photoshop?

nail polish : “placeholder”

toothpaste : “placeholder”

remote : “placeholder”

*something with the study room and my ADD

*something with living room

*some joke about the pandemic as well!!*

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Pandemic Occurs.

It’s been two weeks since we have been under lockdown after the pandemic of Covid-19. It’s been three stressful weeks where we would worry about ourselves, our friends and family’s health. After that, we started worrying about our outside life. By outside life, I mean our socila lives, our school, jobs, etc. 

It was my school and this project that got me worrying the most, as it is my graduation semester. Something deep inside says I dont want to finish anything under these circumstances, while I yearn for graduation. It is simply heartbreaking to have it finished like this. I never got to spend my senior year on grass, I never got to say goodbye to my beloved student flat (in which my project takes places, was born and was proceeded), I never got to say goodbye to my second home, Ankara. I never got to spend the best days of my life for the last time with my gang of friends. 

It is very dissapointing yet deep down, knowing that we are the luckiest people that this is what we have to worry about in these awful days on earth, I cannot complain. I am simply broken hearted. Even though I have zero motivation left to finish this project, I will have to find an alternative way to do something, as I have zero access to printing points or tools. Even my imagination is under quarantine and refuses to come out. 

But a solution has to come. 

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omg is this really happening?

REAL SIZE SKETCH OF MY BATHROOM SINK!

imagine if it were attached to a wall, giving you a birds eye view LOOK (and ofcourse imagine them having some works as well)

I think i will add little props to make the scene as personal as possible, even if it does not involve a writing or a lettering; they will be there just for the authenticity, as forcing every object to mean something would reflect to the audience that they were forced.

this one is just for a good measure and a few laughs. i wish to pee standing up for the sake of women’s day.

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prototype no#1

“çok ayıp”

“nasty”

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Milestone II -week 5-

For the process of the second milestone, things have worked out a lot easier and motivating. I have started to construct some pieces, and finished three prototypes, yet I decided to remake them thinking I can do better. Later on this week, as I finish these three works, I will also figure out the problem of turkish characters and how to integrate them into a one-piece lettering work.

I have also decided to construct a figurative bathroom, drew and printed life size objects, but as I have looked through exhibition styles, I have started to consider similar styles that I will attach below.

I also started to construct the outline of my research paper. I have written my artistic statement. I constructed the general topics of the paper. For the academic foundation I will base my argument on cognitive psychology and cultural semiotics. Following that, background information and research on lettering and cultural connotations of bathrooms.

The following week, I will be listing my bibliography and start to analyze and describe the finished projects.

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rough sketches:

how can i use the material

how will i lay them down

how big of a space i ACTUALLY need

illustration or photograph?

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First Milestone

For our first Milestone, i have decided to go step by step. I first listed all the extra objects or tools we put in our bathroom other than a sink, a toilet and a shower cabin.

I have listed those objects, described those objects in their literal meaning and then listed what they meant for me, and tried to eliminate the ones that has a special meaning for me from the ones that doesnt exactly ring a bell.

Following that, I needed to decide on if I actually wanted a real bathroom with real ceramics or if a figurative bathroom would be fine, then I have decided that I can work with a figurative bathroom setup, using only the everyday objects in real form.

I then had to decide what kind of a solution I needed to create a virtual bathroom, and my options were ; a panaromic picture, ilkustration or to photograph the objects by itself. I decided to do a literal photography of the objects one by one, and found a way to print the object in their real life size.

The everyday objects that customize and personalize a bathroom will be sticking out from the flat representations of the photographs.

I have made sketches of the objects and some of the phrases combined, to see how i can construct them and how will they look in a natural set up of a bathroom.

I have started to outline my research paper, yet I havent got a complete bibliography yet.

After meeting with my advisor tomorrow, I will update my Gantt Chart accordingly as well.

I am feeling optimistic about my project, yet I am afraid of the channeling of my feelings as I still do not feel completely comfortable with being totally transparent about them. That is what I need to have a breakthrough on.

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what do we have in a bathroom that makes it unique? what do we associate with those items?

if we were to describe a typical bathroom, we can say that there is a sink, a shower and a toilet. bathrooms are special though. each bathroom has a unique style and a character that could somehow resemble their owner. other than that, the way we are alone in a bathroom is just like the way we are alone in our mind; naked, transparent, honest.

the thing with the bathrooms is that; what makes is ours is not dependent on it having those three essential fixtures, but rather the articles we choose and prefer to keep there.

so here is a list of all those little items and what i associate them with :

blowdryer : used for styling hair and preventing getting cold due to cold wheather and a wet head. I hate blowdryers. they are noisy, break easily, they make my face red and hot, and my hair frizzy. when i try to style my hair the result is usually a failure.

tampons: a hygiene product for women usually used during menstruation. tampons give me anxiety; i am scared that i will have a toxic shock syndrome, i am scared if the string is hanging out, i am scared if i will lose the string and never get it out. it is a product that is usually hidden and a little more controversial than sanitary pads in turkey due to having certain, unreal and obnoxious meanings attached to it.

towel: used for drying hands, body etc. one of the things that stresses me out. the difference between a guest towel and a regular towel, the fact that i can never get a towel completely clean, i am a mess for using it to clean my make-up and postpone washing it. but it is the best make-up remover ever.

the shower head : a device to channel water to make an easier experience on cleaning oneself. my relationship with a shower head is a love-hate relationship. I love taking showers but i hate when the cord is not long enough for me to sit on the tub’s seat and shower. i hate it when the little nozzles clog so soon and the water is now spreading omnidirectional. on the other hand, i love taking long showers, cleaning myself, contemplating on life, and using the shower head to perform on an imaginary concert and sometimes have a lady time alone with it.

mirror: i hate mirrors. i hate cleaning them, i hate looking at them, i hate the fact that they are so expensive and i hate that they expose every tiny pore on my face exactly the way i do not want to see myself. i love, though, having imaginary fights and always walking away from the mirror having won those fights or arguments.

the toilet brush :  it is used to clean the toilet bowl. it is something that my roommate has never learned to use. 

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I’ve created myself a planet of coffee

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dream on, but dont imagine they’ll all come true.

[calm-before-a-storm]

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Cry everytime