Unit X allows students from interdisciplinary areas within the School of Art to work together as a team on a project, exploring and experimenting shared ideas. The group comprises of designers covering 3D design (specialising in glass making), weave and printed textiles. The aim to bring a personal contribution of creativity through a shared body of work, to create and develop a range of products, relevant for purchase within the Whitworth shop. The gallery houses thousands of art works and artefacts spanning many centuries and supports developing artists and designers.
RESEARCH
During the groups first meeting it was decided we would complete research visits to The Manchester and Whitworth Art Galleries.
The pilot project allowed us to explore our individual skills and how they combined as a whole to achieve a strong outcome. It was beneficial for the group to bond, understanding each others strengths and creativity. My personal contribution was to draw motifs and designs onto vinyl transfer paper which was placed onto the glass. As a group we created a glass bowl, two coasters and a place mat using the sand blasting technique. We worked productively as a group bringing different ideas and skill sets, which combined effectively to produce strong results. Feedback from this mini project was positive, however areas were identified for improvement. It was suggested that the place mat, although aesthetically effective was not functional due to the metal weave design. However, overall as a group we were pleased with our first collaboration and felt motivated to continue with our research and subsequent designs.
Collaborative art work has been prevalent in the art world for many decades. Artists now realise that it can be mutually beneficial to artists to join forces in the creation of new designs. Whilst researching I was introduced to many examples of collaborations. Each artist can extensively influence each others work, having their own distinctive designs, which when combined, produces a new concept of art work. Famous collaborations include Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol and Jean -Michel Basquiat and Pablo Picasso and Gjori Mili.
Olympic Rings, Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat / Source: Gagosian
Basquiat was a young 20 year old graffiti artist who in the 1980's collaborated with famous pop artist Andy Warhol. He thought Warhol's fame would help him break into the art world.
Picablo Picasso painting with light, Photograph by Gjon Mili / Source: Visual News
Mili the photographer captured this image of Picasso creating patterns with a flash of light as his paint and using the air as his canvas. The same effect can be captured on bonfire night using sparklers to create patterns against the back drop of the dark sky.
For art collaboration to be successful there must be a mutual respect and agreement with equal exposure. We intend to follow this principle in our workings as a group.
On our first visit to the Whitworth we were struck with the external architecture of the building and it's location within the urban setting. There are however gardens and parklands that surround this museum, and it's large picture windows allow this outside space full of nature, colour and plants to enter into the building and compliment the works of art and artefacts. Inspired by this show of natural surroundings we decided as a group that the relationship between the gallery and its gardens would be our theme. This seemed to fit perfectly to the gallery's green and sustainable ethos.
The gallery is home to a mixture of artists with a broad spectrum of design work. Traditional paintings and abstract art hang side by side with glass cases containing artefacts from all over the world. Many of the paintings continue the theme of nature. Below are some photographs from inside and outside which I have used to inspire and influence my body of work.
Casts on display made from real plants
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