LAUIL601 - PRACTICAL PEER REVIEW 2 & REFLECTION

W/C 19TH Nov PRACTICAL PEER REVIEW

PEER FEEDBACK

INITIAL REACTIONS TO PRACTICAL WORK

-colours portray a strong reference to industrial heritage

-variety of work is exciting 

-the current scale of work works really well but can definitely go bigger

-clear development of synthesis across project

QUALITIES TO CELEBRATE

-strong use of technical and traditional crafts; type, weave, binding

-lovely sense of the 'hand of the maker', hand generated quality

-traditional book binding techniques elevate content appropriately

FURTHER RESOLUTION NEEDED

-provide evidence of sketchbook or development work to show journey and thought process

-develop ink type work into more resolved screen prints

-develop use of weaving into more resolved outcomes, start to merge processes

-use colloquial language and illustrations to start to link this work with your more playful tone of voice

SYNTHESIS OF THEORY & PRACTICE

-tradition aesthetic and handcrafted approach unites research question with practice; type & colour

-very effective synthesis through modernisation of relevant processes and themes

-strong sense of celebration across work

-all processes are relevant to subject of British craft

WIDE RANGE OF RESEARCH

-effective exploration of multiple strands surrounding research question

-you could further explore the issue of modernisation through animation or digital print but there is a variety of processes already

DEVELOPMENT ADVICE

-work even bigger, think mural or large scale banner?

-continue to explore other areas of heritage crafts

-incorporate print processes to develop outcomes e.g. screen print

PRACTICAL REVIEW REFLECTION (500 words)

While we are really in the thick of the project now, I still feel as though my practical work has quite a long way to go. I've been exhaustive with my evidence of different processes and commitment to the aesthetic of heritage, but there still needs to be a consolidation of narrative in my practical outcomes. At this stage, I felt happy going into this review as I felt that my work had purpose and direction, and while this was corroborated by my peers, I have identified a definite need to bring the linguistic and crafted elements together more coherently.

I've maintained a colour palette across the project which is still relevant, it supports my wider aesthetic, and the attributes of my case studies, an element which has translated well across media. In typographic work, I have attained a very graphic and clean aesthetic, whereas the imagery explored in the sublimation prints I have made is a bit more fluid and playful. As suggested by my peers, scale is important and scaling up my type work should encourage me to be more playful as I work towards a resolution.

The synthesis of my practical and theoretical concerns was celebrated in several feedback comments, particularly through the visual sense of the 'hand of the maker' as this seems the most discernibly reference to the authenticity discussed in my written work. On personal reflection, I do feel this is one of the strongest areas of my practical body of work; the crafted qualities and authenticity, and in turn, the respect that pays to my research subject. I do feel though that I may be able to push the practical work further in order to fully explore the idea of a modern holistic identity; how can I re-appropriate these aesthetics for a modern purpose?

Working towards a resolution, my next task is to fully integrate the brass band into the thematic concerns of the work. Up to this point, the narrative evidenced in my practical outputs has been that of heritage and industry, but my practical rationale has not yet come to fruition. Colloquial language has been considered in my type work, but pushing this further will enable me to attain the playful language appropriate to achieving a modern alternative to the mining banner. Feedback has also addressed the absence of a sketchbook, which although I deemed unnecessary to the nature of my project, I may need to further evidence my visual thought process through more exhaustive type explorations and compositions as I work towards a resolution. I will now use feedback and reflections to work towards a tactile and crafted banner that is both playful and modernised, yet reverent of the mining communities that pioneered such a visual output.

LAUIL601 - PRACTICAL DEVELOPMENT - SUBLIMATION PRINTING

I used sublimation, or disperse printing, simply because it was a process accessible to me in a workshop, but it is a process that attains the solid colour and shape appropriate to my research topic, whilst encouraging a more contemporary and playful tone of voice. Colloquial language associated with the joy of the brass band here creates a very playful message which I have enhanced using embroidery to achieve the more formal constructs of typography, through drop shadows. While this process attains a playfulness relevant to a more modern approach to banner making, I feel it loses a degree of traditional aesthetic.

LAUIL601 - PRACTICAL DEVELOPMENT - TYPOGRAPHY

Hand generated type has been a really experimental way to explore translation of language and dialect through a device that is so direct and accessible. The importance of text on mining banners drove this aspect of my project with the intention to attain identity and meaning. I feel through exhaustive experimentation and a large body of outcomes, I have developed a technical competency appropriate to the collective aesthetic of the project and the context it speaks of.

LAUIL601 - PRIMARY RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE - CONCLUSION

FORMAL CONCLUSION DRAWN FROM 14 PARTICIPANT QUESTIONNAIRES

Having carried out a primary research investigation, I have been able to collate a range of opinions on the topics most influential to my work. I have chosen to carry out this research towards the end of my project in order to seek validation for the decisions I have made and to see if my research project is substantiated by the concerns of my participants.

On the issue of what it means to be part of a brass band, or why people may join,  the most common themes raised were the camaraderie and community spirit offered by one. Community was acknowledged in the form of a collective identity, sharing a common goal, and feeling a joint fulfilment from entertaining the surrounding community. Whilst this sense of community is through a social hobby, it seems to resonate with the sense of collectivism attributed to industrial communities. 

Family and local tradition or culture was also raised as a reason behind the practice, and something celebrated as a benefit of brass bands over other musical outlets. Participants discussed the sense of tradition and history behind brass bands and how these often achieve a real connection with their communities, particularly from the point of view of them being accessible to players and audiences from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds.

Whilst my research focuses on the role of brass bands in working-class industrial communities, this is a context that was raised by only three of fourteen participants, perhaps revealing the loss of context and identity surrounding modern brass bands.

The issue of identity brought up a clear collective opinions. Associations with industry, the cloth-cap image, the North, and the working-class, were observations raised by most, corroborating my contextual research.

An observation that was raised, which opened up a new avenue of thought, was the duty the band has to its modern community; offering a multi-generational social activity, promoting community cohesion, offering entertainment for local people, by local people. These roles perhaps suggest the importance of re-appraising that collective identity embodied in the mining communities, but for the purpose of community cohesion, supporting my endeavour to modernise the visual language of mining banners. One participant also acknowledged the role of certain, more established bands, in upholding links to heritage, being the one familiar thing a community can celebrate in relation to their shared past and heritage. 

The practice of carrying out this research questionnaire helped to substantiate some concerns already explored in my research, but also raised new concerns which fell into a similar need for a collective visual identity. From both my primary and secondary research, it is clear that the brass band has a duty of care to its community, as an emblem of tradition and heritage, but also as an advocate of collectivism and pride, suggesting that to have an object such as the mining banners, would create a central object around which the practice would evolve.

LAUIL601 - PRIMARY RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE