BA8 PROJECT PROPOSAL - 14.01.2014.

Today we had our group review with Glyn and Peter in order to discuss our project plans for BA8 and get some help/feedback on ideas. I really enjoyed today's discussion and received some positive comments in regards to my ideas for my main body of work as well as my  more experimental side project. The second project brief will be posted at some point but I feel that it still needs some tweaking here and there so for now I thought I would share my main brief on here today since I want to get the ball rolling!

BA(Hons) Illustration Year 3: Learning Agreement.

Project Proposal Form.

Course & Unit number: ILLUSTRATION – BA8 Name: CHIARA MOTTIRONI

1. Project Proposal Title: Nostalgia.

2. Project Proposal Content:  For this project I plan to focus on the idea of nostalgia. Memories are something personal, completely different and unique to each person, being easily built up and down to specific times and places. Working with collage allows me to create imagery through the building of layers and it is this process that I thought would be interesting to link in with my BA8 idea and explore. Having lived in England for 16 years now I consider Norwich to be my home but going to Italy to visit my family always leaves me with a feeling of nostalgia from when I was younger and this crossover of memories of growing up half in Italy and the rest in England. It is this mix-up of recollections that I propose to explore by what things I remember more vividly than others, whether colours and sounds play a part and it will be interesting to see how my memories will look once formed into a piece of work. All of these will come to fruition through a series of images that will contain a mixture of traditional collage, although I like the idea on incorporating embroidery and hopefully screen printing too. I intend to carry this project out for the 16-week period since I find that I work better when I can take my time and really push my work forwards. Although given that it is still a big amount of time to focus on one idea, alongside of this I will have a purely experimental project where I will be able to try out new skills that will help to feed back into my main body of work. It won’t have a specific outcome but if I feel that I have made something in my main project, or vice versa, that can be applied to a different idea e.g. a short film, a series of photographs etc. then there is no reason for that not to happen.

3. Context and Audience: I would ideally see my body of work in a gallery setting or space in which I could then adorn appropriately to link in with the imagery itself. In regards to who the main audience would be, I think that those of an older age group, possibly leaning towards 18 and above, although anyone that is interested in the idea of nostalgia and how that might be represented would, hopefully, enjoy looking at my work.

4. Research Sources: On the topic of how I will research into my subject I will start by looking at a variety of artists that have created work in response to the theme of memories or that have a nostalgic, psychological quality to them, such as Maurizio Anzeri and George Tserionis. I plan to make more use of the university library due to the huge book selection we have, this way I am able to get a deeper understanding of information, as well as images, in regards to specific artists that I am interested in. I will be looking through and collecting old family photos in addition to more recent pictures that I have taken whilst in Italy so that I am able to create a first hand collection of imagery to work from and later develop. I’m also interested in looking at films, which I feel create a sentimental atmosphere or evoke certain moods visually. This is to help me consider my use of colours and placement when it comes to my work.

5. Learning Methodology: The majority of my ideas and imagery will be generated from the photos that I collect since they are my main focus point behind my idea. Alongside this there will be lots of artist research relating to collage, memories and anything else I feel is useful for my learning process because collage has always been my preferred, and visually strongest method of working. This is to give me a deeper and wider knowledge of other ways of working with images that I can take into account to then explore and apply to my own style. I feel that this way of creating illustrations is the easiest way for me to get my ideas across but I don't hesitate to mix medias if I feel it is appropriate.

6. Work for Assessment: I have found that it has taken me a very long time to find my right way of working, I seem to work best by just diving straight in with my research then once that's there I can dive in with the image making and just keep creating visual work. Sometimes I can do my visual alongside my research but it really depends on what I am looking at, either way I will be sure to cut, arrange and glue my thoughts down, regardless of whether the idea is big or small. Alongside this I plan to produce a body of work that clearly shows my thought process and development of ideas, which then lead to my final imagery for assessment that shows my take on the representation of nostalgia and memory.

7. Schedule of Work: (to include the deadline for submission of assessment): Be sure to keep on top of all of my work and keep an online blog of my progress and reflective journal, being sure to update at least once a day. (Will add to this section once a time schedule has been made)

8. Resource requirements: - Library to find books for  first hand research. - Personal photographs from home as well as looking at old photographs I may find in stores, such as Looses, to practice with. - Book myself into workshops for the print studios so that I have enough time to make use of them.  - Printers in the Design Studio to print out final work and also buy paper.