Practical work

Family photos

I wanted to begin with simply presenting my ancestors' portraits all together. I placed them on top of the fireplace in a row in our lounge, with a clock and mirror on the wall.

SLR photos

Using an SLR camera I took some photos in the Westgate Gardens in Canterbury, to experiment with using this type of camera.

After taking them I then had to process the film in order to enlarge the images and print them myself.
Using this technique will help me with my exploration of light and appearance, and see how it can change the overall outcome of an image.

This first image I processed in steps, in order to create a brightness/contrast sheet. Using this helped me get an idea as to how I would like my overall image to look.

This piece shows the same shot again, but this time reveals the whole image in a very light atmosphere. Because of the brightness of the image the sides slowly fade into white, adding a misty effect.

In comparison to the last image, this one has a less bright effect, making it easier for the viewer to see everything contained in the photograph. The fade surrounding the image is not as clear as the last, so the viewer can see what surrounds the building.

Because of the lack of light on this image, it is harder to make out what is within this scene. Although it is the same image as the others, the darkness that overshadows the building creates a rather eerie finish on the piece which is something I particularly like about this one!

This photo shows a man taking a picture of a figure that is hidden by the sunlight that hits them. Behind is a house with the silhouette of a tree on it, which brings a more intricate element to the overall image. This particular piece reminds me of my ancestor's pictures a lot, because of the hidden figure, and amount of detail that is actually on show.  

This last photo has a rather low contrast compared to the darker images I have. I had also mistakenly layered this image with another which can be very lightly spotted just above the buildings to the left. Although this was unintended, I actually really like the finish.   

Dolls house

When my mum was little she had a dolls house her and her siblings would play with. It was made by a man who's daughter grew too old for it. It is made of wood, and has tin windows. The windows used to all have shutters on, but unfortunately they have all fallen off.

My dad used to take the dolls house out of the shed so I could play with it in the garden. It didn't have a lot of furniture with it so most of the time I would just use my imagination. When I was a bit older I asked if I could redecorate it, and mum and dad helped me. My dad and I started with getting free samples of wallpaper from a shop up the road, and began pasting these on the walls of each room. We then went to some dolls house shops around where we live, and found different styles of flooring and sets of furniture. So we bought these and added them into the house. We then bought lights for it, and added a tiles wallpaper to the roof, to make it look more home-like.

The only room in the house we haven't decorated if the hallway, as the downstairs is impossible to get to. That has the original wallpaper and flooring the man had put on it.

There's still lots I want to do with the exterior of the dolls house. I'd like to remake the shutters that were once on there. I have repainted the back and front of the house, and the interior doors and ceilings. 

This is the original wallpaper and interior design of the hallway

I had the roof removed so the interior upstairs can be seen easily. This also made it easier to paint and wallpaper the rooms.

The Nursery

The daughters' bedroom

The Living room

This room has an original fireplace that was in the dolls house when my mum was little. It came as plain white, so I repainted it to give it a wood-like effect, and I added bits of clay and painted it black, to make it look like coal.

The Master bedroom

The bathroom

The bathroom still contains the original mirror frame, but I replaced the mirror itself as the other was very dirty.

The Kitchen

The kitchen has a storage cupboard built in the hallway, which is shown with a tiny door on the far wall. There was nothing in it when I looked inside, but it does have one of the original tin shutters still on a window that can be seen through the back entrance/

An original shutter found on the wall of the kitchen storage cupboard.

The Dining room

The Study

Granny's House

One of my previous projects took inspiration from some dolls that my granny has in her bedroom. This time I went back and decided to focus more on what surrounds her (and me when I visit).

One of the first things I notice when I go and visit are the lampshades my granny has for her lights, and the ceiling roses that her ceiling lights come out of.

She has inherited a lot of objects from her mother and father, that she still has on show around the house.

A still life painting by one of my ancestors, signed in the top right corner 'E Cardo, Feb 1899'

I took pictures of some of the photos my granny has around her house

My granny (at various ages)

My granddad

My granny and granddad together

My Great granddad Porter

My great granny (at various ages)

Some old family articles and letters. One letter was written by my great granny to her dad. The article in the newspaper is about my auntie being born (Monkhouse).

My granny making tea for mum, dad and I

A drawing my mum drew when she was little of her family, with my granny and granddad on the far left. My mum is second in on the far right.

Layering portraits

I found a book on John Stezaker's work at a friend's house and started looking through it. I was rather fascinated by the way Stezaker would apply portraits together, to create a sort of new, abstract face.

After having seen his work I was inspired to create my own interpretation using photographs of my ancestors, and photos of myself. However, instead of splitting the middle of them like Stezaker has for his collages, I decided to use a fade effect that would reveal the whole of both the photographs I have applied.

This photo is of an ancestor and I put together. We're both turning to look a particular way. As I face the camera she faces towards her right.

This is the same ancestor I used in the last, but when she was younger. The larger image behind shows her with a friend out in the garden, looking casual and informal. The one layered in front reveals her as a child, dressed smartly and more formal than the other.

This photo layers the sisters together. I did this one to focus more on their similarities in their looks.

Here I have the sisters again, but behind them are two young girls. This piece I made to show how much they had changed from their youth to adulthood.

This piece is of me with the other sister. One thing I did notice was our shoulders line up quite nicely.

This is one ancestor but at different ages. The direction she faces and way she looks in each photo are very different, the result being a rather unusual mirrored-like image.

This piece is of an ancestor and I smiling. I particularly like this one because of the similarities I can see between our looks when I observe it.

This last image I was unable to look at after having made it. The "new face" that has been created scared me, and I almost got rid of the piece completely. Instead I decided to keep it because of the reaction I had from observing it.

Scent

I have been thinking about what I would like to do as a final piece. Although I already have some ideas, I would like to explore the use of scent in art, so I can feature this in my final piece.

I want to explore scent because of the memories people gain from smelling something they may recognize from their past; it is a sort of throwback remedy to good/bad times in our lives.

Using an old cake tin I have placed different herbs, spices and ashes into each indentation.

In these indentations I have;

Coriander Seeds

Cloves

Matchstick ashes

Tea leaves

Oregano

Rosemary

Star Anise

Mixed spice

Lavender

Burnt matchsticks

And coffee beans

The reason I have chosen these herbs, spices and ashes are because they all have a memory behind them for myself. The matchsticks and ashes are from when I made a small fire last Summer. The coffee beans I got from a coffee grinder which belonged to my granddad, who had passed away a few years ago. The star anise, oregano, mixed spice, cloves and coriander seeds are all a reminder of my fascination with the scents they all give off, that I remember from childhood in the kitchen. The tea leaves and lavender are things that I love now.

Music

I am interested in applying music to my work, although I am unsure as to how I will do this. I have composed pieces in the past, and play piano on a regular basis so music has become an important part of my life.

Last year I composed a few pieces for Gavriilidis' animation. This year she asked me to do the same. She told me the plot of her story, and about her character she has animated. When composing it usually takes me a while to come up with a tune. 

I have been hugely influenced by Danny Elfman's compositions for this piece, mainly his work for;

Tim Burton's Corpse Bride

Sleepy Hollow

Edward Scissorhands

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

The piece I have composed is mainly influenced by Edward Scissorhands, though I usually compose my music in this style. Gavriilidis asked the piece to be "dramatic" and "emotional". I think I have successfully been able to bring that across within the composition.

"Nothing Changes"