IAN ROBERTS (OBJECT & CONTEXT) MEETING

I discussed my current project with Ian and showed him the collection of music equipment that I have. Ian spoke a bit about some of the objects, what they do and perhaps why they are in the collection, which items may have samples saved onto them created by John.

He exclaimed that in choosing to do something, you’re not doing something else. So in essence, what you are choosing is what not to do. You have to be comfortable with your choice. It’s moor about the things you chose not to do, than what you chose to do.

With the collection being so large it is important to chose one piece to focus on. I had already discussed this with Jonathan Hitchen in a meeting last week and have since chosen to focus on the Tenori-on. Otherwise Ian said, with this amount of equipment, the possibilities are endless.

The process of pricing the equipment and selling it should not be taken lightly, this should be a very slow process that I should take my time in doing. Ian offered to help me with things when the time arises.

From meeting Ian, I’d say he reitrified what Hitch and I had discussed last week which proves I am on the right path. What he has perhaps pointed out more so is that it is important to take my time doing these things as it is a big job. This worries me a little, not in terms of whether I can do it or not, but whether this is the right time to be doing it. Have I chosen a project to emotionally involved for my Ma or will the structure of the Ma help me along this path?

NOTES FROM ONE TO ONE MEETING - 3 - 26.11.2013

• The objects are surrounded by narratives, write these down and use design to translate them. My relationship with the objects and their narratives.
• Excession - The equipment moves on, I part from that part of my life in a structured and very carefully planned way, My work translates music/knitting into media. I am making my own excssion for the equipment which allows me to take the next step.
• Translation and transposition. These may be good words to use when describing what it is I am doing.
• Ian Roberts - Object & Context tutor. He has an interest in historic guitars and our relationships with objects, worth getting in touch with him to chat about the project.
• Use the tenori-on to translate knitting punch cards into music and use the tenori-on templates to transfer back into knitted patterns.
• Constructive criticism to be aware of is that I can try to focus on too many things at once and so wont ever go into real depth in a project. If you I were to concentrate on too many projects then they would all accelerate at the same level. By leaving some projects behind I can come back to them later and with the things I have learnt from going ahead with just one, the projects will move forward a lot quicker and with more depth, meaning and understanding then if I went ahead straight away. Just note down any other ideas for future reference.
• Good idea to pull out one piece of equipment to translate everything through and to focus on. Why the tenor-on? After all it is the one piece of equipment that I brought to Manchester with me.
• Do I need to collate everything, i.e. music collection, bookmarks, shops equipment is bought from etc? Is this part of the story?
• My work almost has a nod to fine art but does lean towards design for it to work.
• Spoke about the set up of John’s equipment, it doesn’t take on the role of a recording studio but more an ad hoc kind of environment.
• Where the equipment goes onto next. Hitch and me discussed ebay but I’d like for the objects to remain within a close circuit of friends, or friends of friends. People around me who I haven’t known for very long, each want a piece of equipment to buy, they respect me for allowing them to use the equipment and respect the journey I am on and want to show their appreciation by owning one of the pieces, does the story make them want a piece more?

JONATHAN HITCHEN MEETING -1

Today I met with Jonathan Hitchen to discuss the personal music publication project.

• What’s the story?
• Guitars are bought due to the musician wanting a particular sound, one that they have heard another musician accomplishing
• Effects pedals are more for experimenting with and sometimes several of the same pedals are owned by the same person
• If it were just a catalogue the objects would just be seen as hardware, what were John’s arrangements with the hardware, how did he have the modulars set up?
• You can re-create a digital version of the modular synthesisers online (where?)
• The set up is like looking at an artists studio, you could perhaps link the colours on a paint palette to a particular painting, could you do this with the music equipment, what wires were in where to create what sound?
• WHat’s my story and reason for doing this?
• Ebay - part of the transaction could be that you ask for a story from them in return for them receiving a story from you. Does this add value?
• Attachments to the objects
• Map destination of where the object go
• Use the Tenori-on as an interface.
• Equipment - Tenori-on - what comes out from this side?
• Not so much about other peoples stories, more about the stories that John’s equipment has.
• Tenori-on stores it’s sounds almost like a miniature version of a punch card.

NOTES FROM ONE TO ONE MEETING - 2 - 12.11.2013

- MFA structure after Ma year, MFA is about allowing you project to have an impact, to share it either by having it published or organising events.

- At end of Ma, slot some time into planned timeline to review work done so far and to allow for any changes. If no review is needed then use this time as practice time.

- Get in touch with Lewis Sykes with regards to MacJournal - Code Creative - http://www.codecreatives.info/

- Use the inductions had to put some elements of my projects through a process i.e. knitting, embroidery etc. This may lead to other ideas within my practice.

- You can’t access the digital without an object.

- Metaphors - They can be cheesy but it is what allows other people to understand your ideas clearly. Clinton sees my projects as small cupboards which I keep dipping in and out of the different doors. Each are linked but are their own project in their own right also.

- Mind mapping - Great start but don’t get too focussed on doing this, keep going back to it but move onto next thing now.

NOTES FROM ONE TO ONE MEETING - 1 - 29.10.2013

- Mind map ideas chosen to understand how they link together better

- Write myself a brief for each of the stages of my work (include mood boards)

- Set myself a timeline, i.e. art direct my work

- Object + photo. Photo of an object, the physical object is more important. Painting of an object, the painting is more important

- Why do i collect objects and then photograph them?

- Collections and reason - physical objects Vs photos of the objects

- Is this to preserve memory, wanting to keep it alive and holding onto these things?

- Blogging. Try a different style to deal with the amount of content. Mac journal, limit amount of labels/tags

- Try more reverse mind mapping once I have narrowed down the subject areas.

- Narrow my list down, perhaps just write and research into one subject for now.

- Set myself tasks in my briefs.

- "Bits section" Illustration, improve as a tool to better my mark making in sketchbooks, mushrooms from tokyo, relate back to 1st ideas.

- Write about each of the projects individually, come back to these notes and make sense of all!

PINT WITH ANT ELLIS

Last night after a days teaching I met with Ant Ellis for a pint in Liverpool. Ant is a writer, designer and artist and works full time teaching on the Graphic Arts course at Liverpool John Moore’s University. Ant has also graduated from an Ma course at The Royal College of Art in London and so it was helpful to have a chat and find out what he found worthwhile about his time on his Ma course. We spoke a lot about the theory side of an Ma course and how this is integral to the development of your learning, pushing it further than on a Ba course. We also spoke about plotting the trajectories of your work throughout the course of the Ma but how it is also important for there to be areas that naturally branch out from your planned route for you to get the best out of what it is you are researching/practicing. Ant kindly forwarded his research statement onto me to read through and also suggested a book that he found helpful whilst studying. (Poststructuralism: A very short Introduction - Catherine Belsey - See image below) Ant’s research project came about during his Ma and looks at the relationship between typographic representation and language, and how this representation can affect the meaning of a word. Some examples of Ant’s work can be seen below and you can visit his website here to read more about each one.