Wednesday 23 March 2016

Kelly Palfrey - Sperm Whale


I chose to study the Sperm Whale as it is a mammal that is not only present in Shakespeare's work, but also appears frequently in the news for various reasons. I began by researching general facts and exploring the obvious such as size and I created a large wire model of a beached whale.



A few weeks into my project there was a mass beaching of Sperm Whales of the coast of the UK, this influenced where my project went next. I researched what happens to a Sperm Whale when it beaches and found out that they frequently explode due to a build up of gasses. This led me to create a multimedia model of an exploding beached whale.


 From this I also looked into phrases and sayings surrounding the issue and created a cartoon based on the phrase "As fat as a beached whale".



The quote from Shakespeare that inspired me to study the Sperm Whale was "as white as whale his bone" from Love's labour's Lost. This refers to the whaling industry that was prominent in Shakespeare's time. Sperm Whales were hunted for ivory and spermaceti. Whaling is still a problem with countries such as Japan today, so for my final piece I created a Lino cut of a whale's tail entangled in a harpoon.

Candy Smith- Fox.

'I was as lazy as a hog, sneaky as a fox, as greedy as a wolf, as mad as a dog and as ruthless as a lion.' King Lear, Act 3, Scene 4.

I chose a fox as the animal for my research methodology unit. I was particularly interested in the effect of Fox hunting on the fox population and to raise awareness of keeping the ban intact. I wanted to reverse the roles of the fox and the hound, instead the fox would be hunting the hounds. I first decided to look at the fox itself and different aspects that make it distinctive as a species.

Fine Liner Study. 
I then decided to look more into fox hunting and reversing the roles by placing the fox himself in the traditional British fox hunting uniform.
Watercolour and Fine liner Study. 
Finally for my final piece I wanted to show my chosen words; Agile, Handsome, Elegant, Regal and Cunning. For this I created a watercolour piece as well as additions of fine liner and coloured pencil as well as a salt and watercolour wash background.

This project allowed me to look at the anatomy of the animal and look at more social issues concerning the species as well as looking at more cultural references. I found this uni very helpful in allowing me to divide my time between research and visual working. 

Mantis Shrimp

The Mantis Shrimp

 This crazy little crustacean can pack a punch equivalent to a 22 caliber gun. It can also see 16 colours, which we can't!



Embroidered tote bag




Wire Model

Kathryn Howard - Owl


The Shakespearean animal that I explored was the owl; I researched into the different species, how they move and the connotations surrounding them. I used my sketchbook to collect findings and experiment mark making in order to give an effective representation. 
I specifically used ‘Act 2 Scene 2’ from Macbeth in order to thoroughly engage with the metaphorical meaning behind the animal.


“It was the owl that shrieked the fatal bellman.” 
My development carried my work on a journey, from topics surrounding beauty, behaviour and symbolism.

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Continuously changing between my chosen key words encouraged me to combine ideas; I produced a pop up book in order to express a number of an owl’s qualities. The main focus was to illustrate the owl’s nocturnal behaviour, and how it is an omen in Macbeth. 
I used colour to reinforce the time of day and it was progressively effective because I restricted my whole project into a 5-page book. I used this opportunity to learn how to paper fold and I utilised these skills in order to understand and visualise my concept.



Minotaur menajerry

1. Mino lino,  first cut.



 2,  Illustrated Picasso bull head into mino-man.

3. Mishmash collage of research and mino-features
4.  Ink test for pensive bullman
5.  Sketch of gentlemanly bull on A smoke break

Kathryn Hopkins. Ostrich!

After searching through 'The Animal Lore of Shakespeare's Time' I decided to focus on the ostrich as it seems an unusual choice of animal to use in literature. I found quotes in Shakespeare's plays 'Cleopatra and Antony' and 'Henry IV' where the ostrich is being referred to as strong and ready for battle using metaphors which compare it to a ship and a sword eating knight. These unusual comparisons, the birds historical facts and my own related words created an array of unique ostrich characters including a half camel - half ostrich, Egyptian sword eating ostrich and many contorting ostriches. I explored a range of media to match each of the different personalities such as water paints for the half camel - half ostrich, to show its historical connection through their shared ability to hold water for many weeks gaining its scientific name 'Struthio Camelus' - ostrich camel. After developing each of these characters, I decided to celebrate Shakespeare by placing them all on a stage as though preparing for a play. My mix of inspiration worked well to create a variety of fun and theatrical characters.

                 

                                                    

Manticore- James Kirby (megababe53) #eggs

I chose the manticore for my research methodology project, basically because i think mythical creatures are interesting. The Manticore consists of the head of a man, body of a lion and sometimes a scorpions tail and bat wings depending on its origins. I decided to go into acrylics and oil paints as i wanted to give an air of the old but also the dark, as the Manticore is an ancient mythical creature but also a man eater. What really interested me was morphing human features with that of a lion, but keeping it sinister. I also like making the woodblock print, as it looks like it could be in an old book about mythical beasts in some crazy bookshop. Thanks for looking at my Manticores, you're a true friend.