Question Three

Question Three: Artists/ Designers related to my work.

Designer, Giancarlo Zema.

For this semester in Contemporary craft and interior design, I have been looking at designs based on the idea of an underwater world. I have been awe-inspired by some of the creations and concepts for interior design that are available.
This particular design by Giancarlo Zema[5], takes the idea of living in an aquarium to the extreme as it is not for fish, but humans to enjoy.

The interior concept is called 'underwater'. With lighting that reflects the colours of the ocean, coral like shape design's and unique touch lights lamps decorated with river rocks. You really get the feel that you are in calm and serene environment. The room also acts like an installation, with everything including the furniture using spiral like shapes that would be seen in the water.[6]

I feel very much inspired by the lighting designs. I would like to use some of the ideas in this project, such as the use of white as it easy for reflecting different colours of light. The simple cut out circular shape resembles coral. The overall shape of the shade is unusual, so I would like to experiment further with this. In interior I started on my own underwater, using marble as I found them very reflective in the light. I've decide that this 'castle' will be placed inside an aquarium, where I add light and other objects to resemble the underwater theme.

                                                                                                                              

[5]Official site, Giancarlo Zema Design, 2011.

http://giancarlozema.com/

[6] Contemporist, Underwater Design, Giancarlo Zema, 2011.

http://www.contemporist.com/2011/04/23/underwater-design-by-giancarlo-zema/#more-29659
                                                                                                                             

Designer, M. J Murphy.Another interesting design I liked was a restaurant that was placed underwater, where you can sit and eat your food seeing fish float by. The theme was carried on into the interior of the restaurant, where jelly like creatures glow as light and seating that are jelly-fish.

This particular restaurant is built in Eliat, Israel, under the Red Sea, and is known to be the second in the world, which I believe has extended upon the first underwater restaurant which is in the Hilton Maldives Resort & Spa on the Rangalifinolhu Island in the Maldives. The design for underwater project was developed by a New Zealand-based design consultancy company M.J. Murphy Ltd, (a design consultancy based in New Zealand).[7]





                                                                                                                                      
[7] M & J Murphy, Underwater Restaurant, 2002.

http://www.mjmurphy.co.nz/

                                                                                                                                      

Photographer, Julian Germain.
“Every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.”[8]
Whilst doing my research for my photography project, The Best things in Life are Free I came across the Photographer Julian Germain.

He did a familiar project called "Every moment you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness." In this particular project that was made over 8 years, he took photographs of an elderly man called Charles Snelling, who lived in England. These series of photographs were then made into a book photo.[9]

Subtitled 'Portrait of an elderly gentleman' this book combines Julian Germain's portraits with the photo albums of Charles Snelling, who is also the protagonist of the book. Mr. Snelling is living by himself after the death of his wife, in a terraced house in Portsmouth. All the houses in this street look the same, only Mr. Snelling's stands out by its lively colours. When Julian Germain entered into this house by chance, a six year collaboration and friendship grew from this. You could call it a sad story, but it is more a story about a "simple, gentle man".
"Charlie was my antidote to modern living." Julian Germain. [10]

I found this project relevant to my project, as I found my subject matter was very similar. I felt that both Julian Germain and myself had the same thoughts in mind when documenting our chosen people. It was about showing how the simple life is sometimes the best life you can have.

                                                                                                                                    

[8] BlogSpot, Julian Germain, 2008-2011.

 http://juliangermain.blogspot.com/

[9]Julian Germain, For Every Minute Project, 2011.

 http://www.juliangermain.com/projects/foreveryminute1.php

[10] Schaden Books, Julian Germain, 2010.

 http://www.schaden.com/book/GerJuelFor03607.html

Question One and Two.

Question One: Contemporary Craft.


‘Mermaid Me Pretty.’ This jewellery was created to expand the viewer’s mind to understand the importance of the materiality used. I purposely used fish scales that are usually discarded after a fish is scaled to reinforce the idea of recycling, also to effectively make the jewellery fish-like similar to that of mermaid skin. The result created unique pieces of contemporary jewellery worn as cuffs and brooches. Combining hand-painted, expanding foam to give the impression of coral with the fish scales made for underwater inspired pieces. Cosmetic products for the pearlising sheen they give when crushed created an understanding that they are used for beautification of the human body.

The photograph’s below show the brooches and cuff activated on the body.



















The PPMT, brief was to create jewellery based on your chosen neighbourhood. The neighbourhood I chose was underwater, mermaids. I chose this neighbourhood as it linked on from my previous neighbourhood of childhood memories associated with now with underwater magical mermaids.

Question Two: Written research.


Dictionary site.


Pearlising- Having a pearlescent finish, having or given a pearly lustre a pearlised lipstick. [3]

Fish scale - scale of the kind that covers the bodies of fish.
Scale - a flattened rigid plate forming part of the body covering of many animals.
Fish - any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills; "the shark is a large fish"; "in the living room there was a tank of colourful fish."[4]


For my PPMT brief, it was important to understand what fish scales were, and what they are usually used for. As I had never worked with fish scales as a material, understanding what they were and how they were used meant that it was easier to work with them. Through the dictionary site telling me that fish scales had a pearlescent finish, I came to understand that if I sprayed with an enamel finish it would bring out the sheen the scale had.
                                                                                                                                
[3] The Free Dictionary, Fish + Scale, 2011.


http://www.thefreedictionary.com/fish+scale


[4]The Free Dictionary, Pearlized, 2011.


 http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pearlized

Question One and Two.

Question One: Identify Favourite Works, Photography Brief.


‘The best things in life are those that are free.’
The purpose of documenting Karl Thomann, my grandfather through a series of photographic images was to portray how with age, our view of what is important in life changes. I decided to capture the everyday aspects of Karl’s life, something that was rarely captured in our private family photo collection. The photographs became about depicting the simple pleasures he found in his life, such as sitting down to have a cup of tea or tending to his orchid flowers. The photographs were also taken, so that they could be used as keepsakes for my family to enjoy not just in this generation, but in generations to come. It is through the use of documentary style photography, that the viewer can see how Karl lives a simple and fulfilling life.

This project started in a documentary style in which I took random photo's of my grandfather going about him daily life, making a cup of tea, putting washing on the line. From taking these photograph's I realised I also wanted photograph's that had meaning behind them. As I spent more time with my grandfather, he started to open up about his life, something that he does not usually do as he is a very private person. He told me about the simple pleasures he enjoyed in his life, like his gardening and his passion for growing Orchids. It was then that I started to photograph these special things, which made this project especially enjoyable for me.

Question Two: Written research, Blog site.

What is Documentary Photography?

Documentary Photographers are our eyewitnesses with their observations of the world and its people. They use their knowledge, skills and trained eye to see the hidden messages in our societies and captures the moments of time for all of us to see, now and in the future.[1]


Karin Becker Orn, Professor at University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm, Sweden: ’ The cluster of characteristics defining the documentary style incorporates all aspects of the making and use of photographs. Although not rigid, these characteristics serve as referents for comparing photographers work within... the documentary tradition – a tradition that includes aspects of journalism, art, education, sociology and history. Primarily, documentary was thought of as having a goal beyond the production of fine art. The photographer’s goal was to bring the attention of an audience to the subject of his or her work and, in many cases, to pave the way for social change.’[2]


It was important for me to understand what documentary photography was, the final photograph’s for my series, I needed to know, that they showed the viewer of picture of person’s life. Through the understanding of documentary photography I came to understand that it also meant that the photograph’s needed to demonstrate some type of message. In my photography series featuring my grandfather, Karl Thomann this was that the best pleasures in life are ones that are free. This statement then became a very fitting title for the series.

                                                                                                                                              


[1] BlogSpot, What Is Documentary Photography, 2011.
http://thoughtsondocumentaryphotography.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-documentary-photography.html

[2] Orn, Karin. Thoughts on documentary photography, 2009.