Today we were set tasks in our tutor groups to explore the different areas of London. This was to help us find the things we will need such as art supplies, galleries and many other handy locations to aid us on our course.
1. Camera Museum
I was in a group of four and we travelled to Tottenham Court Road to find one of the locations on our list which was the Cartoon Museum. However when we arrived, the gallery seemed to have closed for the year. So we decided to explore the area instead and happened to stumble across a small cafe with a very homely atmosphere. We entered the place quite perplexed but the man behind the till kindly gravitated us down towards the basement where we saw two rooms scattered with a display of cameras. It was quite fascinating seeing a history that exhibits a comprehensive timeline of cameras of all descriptions and makes, from the early 1800s to the forefront of the current digital age.
2. Fossils London
After the Camera Museum, we went across the street and saw a little shop that sells crystals of all colours, shapes and sizes. There were some in particular such as the Bismuth Crystals and Coprolite Nodules that were absolutely mesmerising to look at.
These are Bismuth Crystals. They have been reduced to its molten state and then cooled to naturally allow the Bismuth to form into its characteristic cubic crystal. The iridescent rainbow colour is a result of oxidation as the stairstep crystal cools down.
3. The British museum
The next place we visited was the British museum which happened to be on our list! We went to the Japanese exhibition and discovered many beautiful illustrations, printed with ink on woodblock and lots of ceramics too.
This was my favourite piece from the Japanese exhibition called the Ring of Small Petals by Mori Junko, (1974). I really enjoyed looking a it in depth and seeing how it curves in many directions which greatly emphasises the contrast of the metalwork. It also looks a lot like fish scales or fur.
Netsuke are intricately carved toggles which were worn by Japanese men as fashion accessories between 1600 and 1930. They would wear them with a silk cord, passed through the Netsuke and attaching it to another accessory such as a small box storing herbal medicine, a tobacco pouch, pipe or purse. These toggles were made with ivory which give it its shine and authenticity.
Response
As a response to the task given, I have created small A5 drawings using monoprints and inkblots. The image on the left is an observational drawing of the Ring of Small Petals. I have used my thumb dipped in ink to portray the round shape of the flower, then filled in the blanks using a brush pen.
The image on the right is of a Netsuke,(a toggle) with some shapes in the background taken from the Ring of Small Petals. The same technique was used with inkblots onto small handmade paper to record the texture and shape of the objects I was drawings.
Screen printing
I had the opportunity to use the printing facilities during my printmaking induction and decided to use my drawings from the orientation task to experiment with screen printing. As a result, I have produced a series of black and gold A3 pieces by combining my two drawings together in one piece. I have used the colour gold in reponse to the toggles I have seen at the Japanese exhibition because it was considered such a popular statement at the time and gold is often associated with wealth and prosperity, as well as sparkle, glitz, and glamour.
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