Odilia Bird FDA

 Prototype tapestry:  I decided to create a prototype tapestry so that I could figure out sizing include the length and width that I wanted my pieces to be and came to the conclusion that 2 metres would be a good length for the three wall hangings. I sewed this piece together using a sewing machine and created seems that ran across the back of the work. I struggled a little bit with getting the seems to be neat and tidy and sometimes there would be gaps where I could poke my fingers through, I think that moving forwards I need to get some advice or look at some tutorials on how to do this properly.  Overall, I think that this was a successful development that has allowed me to move forward with a clearer picture in my head of what I want for my final body of work. when looking at this work I noticed that the edges seemed uneven and frayed, the more I look at it the more I realise that I want the outside edges of my work to be uniform and tidy. I like the idea of the work ...

 Hand stitching with embroidery thread: After choosing the pink thread I needed to see how this would look being stitched into an actual image. I used one of my older Cyanotypes that I made earlier surfing this project and hand stitched long and short stitches into it. I also selected a variety of stitch patterns on the sewing machine to see how these would look against the blue tones.  When looking at this experiment I have come to the decision not to have any stitching on top of my Cyanotype images. I like the warmer tones of the dark pink but when paired with the rest of my work I find it distracting and out of place. I think that the stitching makes the image look a bit tacky and childish. I wanted to really focus on the surreal and liminal during this project and unfortunately I believe that this process takes away from the surreal aspects of the work.  As a way of somehow incorporating this pink thread into my work in another way, I could use it when I am creat...

 First attempt at silhouette cyanotype: For my final body of work I wanted the middle of my three wall hangings to be a silhouette of my own body. I wanted to do this to link my work more closely to my project theme, the images of liminal spaces on the other wall hangings would represent the surreal elements of the subconscious and dreams. These images showcase how out of place a person can feel in a dream and how confused they can feel when trying to recollect one. The silhouette would provide a more grounded aspect to the work, providing a physical connection for the viewer, the body would would link each piece together.  This first attempt was not successful at all, the silhouette was so faint that it can hardly be seen and I was wearing baggy clothes which makes the put-on look odd. The cyanotype mixture seemed to wash out very easily and with the final colour being a very pale blue and not the usual dark blue. I wonder if this is because the mixture I was using was quite ...

 Printing onto acetate and practice cyanotypes: To move forwards with my project I needed to choose the right selection of images from my Calk Abbey trip and from around the college. I wanted to have a mixture of images that had the right atmosphere of a surreal and liminal space, a balance between vacant and lived in. After looking at each one carefully I chose eight images that I felt portrayed this atmosphere the best. I also think that the black and white tones emphasise this surreal aspect. The monotone colours create character within each photograph, invoking a vintage atmosphere. Unfortunately, the printing facilities that I would usually use are not available so I had to go back to using the old printer that we have in the studio. I was quite concerned about this because my previous experience with making my own acetates hasn't been good. They always seemed to come out patchy or the ink wouldn't dry properly and run, sometimes they would get caught in the printer and c...

 Adding loops and testing how to hang the wall hangings: For the next stage of my work I needed to begin to figure out how I would hang my pieces on the wall for the show. After speaking to my tutor, she suggested that I add a simple loop at the end of the fabric that I can then put a piece of wood through to create some support, as well as one on the bottom of the piece to weigh it down so it hangs as straight as possible. Theoretically, I believe that hanging up the work would be fairly easy, as I would just need either a nail or a screw in the wall and some sturdy string attached to the wood so that I can hang the pieces.

 Photography of liminal spaces at Calk Abbey and College:  Our course went to Calk Abbey for a field trip, and while walking around the main house I decided to use this as an opportunity to get some more primary research and photographs of spaces that are surreal and liminal. This trip turned out to be for more successful that I could have imagined and I was able to get a variety of images that portray this atmosphere perfectly.  When looking at all of these images together I can see that they work well together, due to all of the photographs being taken from inside the same house each image has this authentic and antique atmosphere to it that correlates well with the others. I am proud of all the images that I took, I think that they work well with my theme and when looking at all of these images a as a body of work I can almost feel the creepiness of the all. There is this odd, liminal atmosphere that runs throughout each image. It feels as if we are getting secret glim...

 Printing photos onto acetate: To get these my images onto acetate I needed to alter them on photoshop first. To do this I inverted the image, changed it to black and white and then adjusted the contrast and shadows on curves to get the right degree of dark and light. I then sent these images to the print shop to get them printed out to a more professional degree.  I have alway thought that this process creates a very eerie image on it's own, without even needing to turn them into cyanotypes. I think that the black and white tones are effective at creating this uncanny atmosphere within an image, it not only makes the work seem old but also slightly unnatural. The quality of these acetates are good, better than when I print them from the studio printer and if possible this is how I will have them done from now on if possible. 

Hand stitching and comparing different colours: For the next step of this project I wanted to experiment a bit more with the colour of the thread that I would be using within my work. The more I looked at the neon yellow thread that I used the more I questioned if it was the best colour to use. I like the contrast and bold elements of this colour but I have a concern that this might take away and distract from the overall body of work. I decided to experiment with a pink, green and light yellow thread and I did a simple long stitch by hand. While looking at all three colours I can immediately tell that the green and yellow won't work, the green is too dark and blends in too much. It's the same case with the yellow thread, the thread is so pale that it looks almost white which unfortunately seems to merge with the lighter parts of the cyanotype. The best option out of them all has been the pink thread, the colour is different enough to provide a contrast and stand out and I thin...

 Natural UV cyanotypes: I wanted to have another go at using the acetate images to make cyanotypes after my failed attempt last time. This time I made sure to place them in a very sunny spot in my back garden and weigh down the corners of the acetates with some small rocks to make sure that they don't blow away. I then left them out for about half an hour, took them inside, washed them with cold water and left them to dry in the attic.  I believe that this attempt was very successful, the images came out so clearly and the detail is visible. Another thing I did that I think improved these cyanotypes was not scrunching them up to get the extra water out of them after washing them. When I used to scrunch them it would cause the calico have creases and wrinkles that were very hard to get out, even with and iron and this then caused the images to be obscured and ruined the details of the work. By laying them flat to dry I have managed to get past this issue and I am left with...

 Learning how to use the sewing machine and some more practice stitches: Yesterday afternoon and this morning I decided to take the time to figure out how to properly use the sewing machine that it available for us to use in the fine art department. My course mate was kind enough to show me how to thread the machine properly as well as put thread onto the bobbin, we then managed to work out how to select the correct stitch on the machine and from there I was able to start stitching with no problems.  I tried out a variety of different patterns, however, there are definitely more that I would like to try as this project goes on as well as different thread colours. Possibly a neon pink or green, and after speaking to my tutor they suggested using thread similar to the lighter sections of the cyanotypes and using that to embellish sections of the work and then contrasting that piece by using the neon colours on another.  I think that these experiments have been very suc...