Final evaluation: Exploring the subconscious

For my FMP I wanted to explore themes of the subconscious and dream while also incorporating sub themes of surrealism and liminal spaces. looking at the subconscious and dreams is something that is important to me as they often influence my work and life and through this project I believed that I could not only understand my own art practice, and influences better but also myself. to begin this project I knew that I wanted to work with Cyanotypes again, this is a process and medium that I have come to love and understand more thoroughly. I believe that this is the medium that I am the most experienced and skilled with and knowing this I decided to take this and use this for my final project. Through some experimentation I found that I wanted to take on the challenge of working with fabric rather than mixed media paper, I believed that this could take my work forwards to the next level and showcase that I am able to adapt to new, more unfamiliar materials. The majority of my developments and choices were to do with composition and colour, and image selection rather than the mediums and processes that I was using. These developments happened through small experimentations including sewing with different coloured threads, looking at cyanotypes with and without borders, placing different acetate images next to each other to see with ones worked well together and making many test Cyanotypes to see what was successful and what needed to be changed. Other things such as peer reviews, tutorials and research also influenced my progress, with me taking on advice from my course mate and tutors. One big decision that I made after a peer tutorial was to create a Cyanotype silhouette of myself and this is something that has become a major part of my final body of work. It was important for me to take on the advice of others as I feel that in previous projects I could withdraw focus on only my own opinion. 

For my primary research I visited four different sited including, Calk Abbey, The Falmouth Hotel, an accommodation site and Nottingham college. Out of all of these places I have used images from three of them within my final body of work and I would say that this research has been integral to the progression and finishing of this project. Due to the surreal undertones of this project, while speaking to my tutor we decided that the best course of action for research would be to visit building and locations that could have surreal spaces within, and this research proved to be a source of inspiration for me going forward with my project. One piece of media that influenced my work is 'The backrooms' an Internet horror concept comprised of liminal spaces. I also looked at artists such as Salvador Dali, Nick Frank, Alun Kirby and Hannah Lamb with there being a mixture of historical and contemporary. These artists are either surrealists, photographers, create Cyanotypes or work with textiles all of which have had a clear influence on my project and inspiration.

The main materials that I have used for this project are Calico, sewing thread and dowel, with mixed media paper being used for tests and experimentation. During the making process I have also used acrylic sheets and acetate. For my main processes I have involved both Cyanotypes, photography and sewing within this project. In terms of experimentation I have shown evidence of multiple test cyanotypes as well as a variety of practice sessions using a sewing machine and hand stitching, during this I have made decisions about stitch length, patterns, thread tension and thread colour. One of the main technical challenges that I faced during this time was learning how to use a sewing machine, in the beginning I had no knowledge of how to use one and a few course mates share some basic knowledge with me which I was very grateful for, however, it was still clear that my skills were poor and this could be seen in the work that I was producing. To rectify this I booked onto a short sewing class where I was able to properly learn every function of the machine and gain some skill. I would say that this decision is what really turned my project around and allowed me to move forwards with confidence. Another source of information was my mum, she is knowledgable when it comes to hand sewing and was able to tell me the proper technique for how to pin and tack to create neater seams. Looking back I am grateful for this help and experience as I now feel confident with a sewing machine and have gained a very useful new skill. In terms of the materials and how they communicate my concept, I wanted to work with fabric because I wanted to create a body of work that was a reminder of sleep. During this reject I wanted to explore themes of dreams and the subconscious and I knew that the material I used need to be somewhat reminiscent of a bed sheet or blanket to connect my work back to the original theme. I decided to use calico as this was a material that I have used in the past, the material is beige which allows me to successfully create Cyanotypes with it and also strong which prevents and unnecessary tearing. I chose the process of Cyanotypes because I believe that this could best communicate the more surreal and whimsical aspects of this project. The different tones of blue always make a very eerie and odd image, invoking a surreal atmosphere. One major idea that was discarded was the stitching on top of the finished Cyanotypes. After experimenting with a test piece I found that the stitching was out of place and tacky, it looked bad and white the colours worked well together the stitching was distracting and juvenile. I think that there is a clear line of thinking and development when it comes to my final piece, I have showcased experimentation and tests to figure out composition, measurements, size and have used almost all of the photographs that I took during my research trips, One of the main decisions was the length of the calico that I would be using, this was a fairly easy decision to make as it needed to be long enough for my own silhouette so I went with a 2 metre length. I then chose to have a 2 metre length for the others as well to keep them consistent. 

Throughout this project I had multiple tutor and peer feedback sessions. Some of the advice that I took on board was to focus on testing and deciding on thread colours and trying out some simple hand stitching, as well as the suggestion of making a Cyanotype of my own silhouette which is something that has made it into my final body of work. as stated earlier I decided not to go forward with the hand sewing which was a suggestion from one of my tutors, as an alternative to machine sewing, as the result wasn't what I wanted.  I believe that through my documentation, both visual and written demonstrates my own independent decision making. It was my own chose to work with cyanotypes, calico and to create patchwork pieces I also made the decision of which photographs to use for my final body of work. 

When looking at my final body of work I am very happy with the results. The images are clear and detailed while also invoking a surreal and unnerving atmosphere, the blue ones are bold and create a stark contrast to the light beige of the surrounding calico. When it comes to the patchwork wall hangings I love the border that surrounds each image it makes them individual while the stitching contrasts this and ties the images together. My silhouette has been very successful, it is clear and bold with a huger contrast between the lighter and darker areas that allows the image to stand out, I think that putting this wall hangings in between the other two will create an iconic focal point for the body of work. The blue tones tie each all hanging together and the theme of dreams and subconscious connect them even further. Some more strengths of this work would be the selection of images that I have chosen, they communicate my theme perfectly creating an uncertain and eerie atmosphere. A few small weakness that I would identify would be the bleeding of colours in the fabric and some slight even corners and seams. However, when looking at my finished work I believe that these aspects tie in well with the themes that I am trying to communicate. The colour bleeding emphasises the odd and creepy elements of the images, they are not supposed to be perfect there's supposed to be something off and slightly wrong with them which is why I think that this has worked well in the end. With the seams, I have done my best to stitch and secure the very end of my seams but I think that there is always going to be some slight discrepancies and individualities when doing things by hand but I believe that with the hand crafted quality that I was going with for the patchwork pieces I think it fits in fairly well. 

I think that the main things that I have learned from this project are my sewing skills, I went into this project with no skills what so ever and have finished being confident in using a sewing machine to its full capacity, I am able to correctly thread the machine and reload a bobbin and I can also fix jams that happen when the material gets caught in the machine. This is something that I think will be very useful in the future and a lifelong skill that I can not only use within my own art practice and personal life. Learning from my previous projects I believe that I  have have done well in terms of time management, primary research. I have kept a more detailed time plan and and have worked far more independently than I have for any other project. I believe that I have come far as an artist through this FMP as well as my last project, I have gained new skills and experiences as well as become confident in my own decision making and ability to communicate and idea and theme.