Week 27

At the start of the week I had to deliver a 10 minute presentation about my most significant outcome of BA2b, thus I chose my publication, as to me it carries great value as the conclusion to my main project of the second year. I generally struggle with public speaking, however despite my nerves I was able to deliver what I felt was an effective presentation. It felt strange that it was my final official assessment of year 2 before deadline. For the remainder of the week I finished off my proposal, research and supporting documentation. I aimed to have all my work finished by the Thursday so that I had no trouble submitting for assessment on the Friday. Below I have included evidence of my presentation. 10 minute Presentation Evidence For the 10 minute presentation I chose to focus on the publication I made as documentation of my primary outcome from year 2 the life-size hybrid wolf/horse sculpture. Plan for the presentation: Slide 1 “My primary outcome for BA2b has been my Publication which is being passed around at the moment, the book is a documentation of my most significant work from the second year an aluminium sculpture of a horse and wolf hybrid skull.” Slide 2 ·         Give context to publication, introduce sculpture, design, material, dimensions. ·         Explain practice “I create a menagerie of unsettling creatures which reflect darker aspects of the human condition”. ·         Link theme of sculpture to practice. “In this case the hybrid skull is a reflection of human conflict. By merging the forms of two species which have been present in human conflict for centuries I intended to create an organism which would embody conflict, almost like a totem. I chose the horse and wolf as both species have been present in human warfare for hundreds and in the case of the horse thousands of years. It could be argued that the horse has been the war engine, as they have been literal engines pulling machinery, carrying troops etc. on the other hand the wolf I use a little loosely as it is really its descendant the hound which is present in human conflict, yet as the superior member of the canine family it seemed most appropriate.” Slide 3 ·         Discuss artist research: ·         Charles Avery: the islander’s project, original fictional hybrid organisms which reflect ideas and themes relevant to Avery’s practice, inspired the use of a hybrid skull to reflect human conflict. ·         James B Webster: use of life size skulls, with metallic hints to reflect his own concepts, gold= sun= life and power. Inspired me to use a metal to reflect the brutality and tactility of human conflict. ·         Quentin garell: larger than life animal skull sculptures, inspired me to work in a larger scale to create a real sense of impact. Slide 4 ·         The publication, explain how it was made… ·         Explain why you made it, talk about its importance to the sculpture, a final farewell to the 6 month project as a sense of closure. Slide 5 ·         Discuss the stages of the book, the chronological order of the book starting from mere sketches of the sculpture to its creation, its casting and the final outcome. ·         Discuss how the book is more a referencing guide for yourself, for future projects. Slide 6 ·         Primary lesson of the project, experimenting with the moulding process lead me to find a new form of hybrid moulding using both plaster and gel flex in the same mould so as to remove the risk of pinch points and help to record as much detail as possible. ·         Explain how in future you would rather start experimenting and practicing for such a large sculpture using a smaller scale practice version than starting work on a large scale sculpture as when something goes wrong it’s a huge set back, walk before you can run concept.