Final Blog!

I gave up on the plinth at JMU so decided to make my own. I have spent from Tuesday till Thursday working on that. Then my son helped me to take it to the Students Union Building on Friday. I could not have got it there by myself so that was a great help. everything else is ready and now it just remains to take everyhting into Liverpool on Monday to set it all up. I expect it will be very busy. I have spent today getting the CD ready for Wednesday so that I will just have to put the photos of the exhibition on it before giving it in.  Let's hope it all goes according to plan and runs smoothly. I'm just so tired now I can't think of anything to say. It's past midnight.   

The home stretch

week - ending  30th March.

I needed to find a plinth to display my model so I went into JMU to find out what I should do. It seems that I will have to leave it till next week, all the plinths available are being used in another exhibition. So I went over to the Students Union Building to have another look at the lounge where our exhibition will be held and also to check out my space. Some students were working in there and it looked quite dark. It's the orange walls that cause the problem for me. That can't be changed so I will just have to make the best of it.

I walked down to FACT in the afternoon to meet Jai. I was there early so had a cup of coffee and then looked at the exhibition which I quite liked although it was a bit surreal but not too much. Then I saw Jai and we chatted for a bit. I went home after that as I was getting worried about my essay.

I worked all day Tuesday and in the evening till I finished the essay. An unexpected visitor and the fact that I took a birthday card to my grandson took up my time on Wednesday. On Thursday when I was checking my essay over I realised that I could not submit it through blackboard as a works wps document. I rang up the students IT help desk and the guy there told me how to save a works document in the right format to submit through blackboard.  

On Track

week - ending 23rd March.

I am picking up work on my essay. I have made a rough draft of the outine I want it to be in, and have divided it into three sections. Now that I have completed the first section, I feel happier about it.

I have now finished my model, I had a small problem with the flags for the patio. I had decided to make them out of very thick card ( like the card that comes on the back of water colour pads) I cut all the shapes out and painted them. However, as the paint dried the layers of card seperated so I decided to try another tack. I made a stencil of the patio and using the compound that I used for the bricks on the plinth of the model, I made the patio directly onto the wood patio floor. Of course, it was the wrong colour so I painted it with acrylic paint till I got the colour I wanted. For the gravel I used pea gravel from the dolls house shop and glued it into place. I had to do this a few times till I was happy with the result. I used the same method for the paving stone path and the gravel going round the side of the model. The trellis at the side of the patio was made with extra long matches and glued together. For the curve on top of one trellis I soaked a match in water till it was pliable enough to bend then I taped it to a small jar to set in that shape. I carved the ball on the top of each post. The only things I bought ready made were the flowers but I did paint two of the roses to get the colour I wanted and also the clematis. The soil borders were made with ordinary bark dried out and stuck in place.

My plexiglass frames arrived on Thursday at Lunchtime so I didn't have to stay in all day waiting for them. The fittings were also with the frames.

The students who were let down by the Wolstenholme Gallery are now going to have the exhibition in the Students Union Building. We have had two meetings there and had another meeting on Tuesday. The walls are orange  and will show through the plexiglass frames. My photographs will have orange surrounds - it is not even a  nice shade of orange.  This is NOT good!!!!

There was no pop up show this Friday. So our last pop-up show of the year will be next Friday 30th March. Also the deadline for the essay.         

     

 

Getting back on track

My feet haven't touched the ground since I was last on this site.

two weeks - ending 9th March.

Beautiful little Martha was born on the 1st March, weighing in at 6lb 4oz. I went to London on Friday the 2nd of March, straight to the hospital to see our 'new born chick'. she was so tiny at 5 weeks early but doing well and so was allowed home on the Saturday. It was a very worrying time.

I was back home on Monday evening and had to start catching up with my essay for Politics of Representation. I was making good progress before so I was concerned when I couldn't seem to pick up again. I felt I was back to square one although I had done a lot of research on the subject.

The Pop-up show on Friday  was really good. We also went into the gallery on the groung floor to have a sneal peak of the exhibition that was set up in there. It was very impressive. I really liked the way some of the photographs were displayed. they were in plexiglass frames with stand off the wall fittings. I think my photographs would look good in them. I would really like to use them in my exhibition. 

week - ending  16th March.

Its the week of the field trip to Barcelona.

I have spent a lot of time searching the internet for a company that supplies plexiglass frames at a reasonable price and comparing the cost with buying the materials and having them made. There is very little difference in cost so I think it is better to buy them.  I need to do some more checking!

Meanwhile I have been continuing to work on my model having decide to include the patio from where I take the photographs of the sunrise. I also want to include some maps of the area in my CD.  I was telling this to my son and grandson when they came to see me on Mothers Day. My grandson said. you need google earth and immedialely went and down loaded it onto my computer.  So I have now got the maps I wanted to put on my CD.  I have also orderd my photograph frames and fittings they will arrive next Thursday the 22nd. Everything is starting to fall into place.

  

 

 

 

 

February 26th 2012.- Friday Pop-up show - What a difference a week makes!

I was very busy last week, I was in Liverpool 4 days.  What a difference a week makes. I didn't want to go to the pop-up show but as I was in the group that were doing their show I just had to go. 

The day started well right from the word go. Six students arrived with their work and we all showed what we were doing and we all discussed it. We were then allotted a place in accordance with the type of work we were showing and got on with preparing our show ready for the afternoon when the other students were due to arrive. I think there was about a dozen or more students altogether for the afternoon showing as well as the tutors. And we spent a fair length of time with each students show. 

I was making a recording about my project which lasted about three and a half minutes and afterwards tutors and students made comments or ask questions etc. I found it all quite nerve wracking really  especially as it was about me and my presence in my house and how I relate to the photos in my project.-  It was different!

I really enjoyed the rest of the students work and I am totally in awe of them. They are all so creative  and I loved the way they presented their work. I agreed with one of the other students at the end of the afternoon how much we had enjoyed it this week. And we are looking forward to next Friday.

One thing I especially like about the Friday afternoon pop-up show is meeting up with the other students, that's why I make a special effort to get there.  However having said that, my daughter in law is scheduled to have her baby by cesarean section on Thursday 1st March, so it's a question of 'Watch this Space'. 

18th February 2012 - Pop-up show

Yesterday I went to the Friday Pop-up show again. What a waste of time! For me that is. There were 11 students there three of whom were presenting there work. I am not for one minute complaining about the work that was presented, It is a bit nerve wracking, and in general I find looking at other students work is a good thing. However for me I find that I can hardly ever hear what the students are saying about their work and so don't know what it is really about apart from the aesthetic appeal or otherwise of the work. For this reason I can  very rarely join in the discussion about each piece of work.  

I do wear hearing aids but no matter how good they are hearing aids never compensate for natural hearing. they are especially bad in places where the accoustics are inadequate and pick up other sounds in the area.

I am amazed that in a comparatively new building such as JMU ADA there appears to be no loop system, or it is not turned on.  Even in the auditorium hearing is difficult. Really all it takes is for the speaker/tutor to wear a clip-on microphone in a place which catches their voice. It is pointless clipping the microphone to the neck of a round necked jumper because then it is under the chin and doesn't catch the voice. Similarly, there is no point clipping the microphone to a lapel if the head is always turned the other way.

I am amazed yet again, that people who should be used to public speaking, ie, speaking in a group seem to speak as though they are talking to the person next to them. Of course they are probably speaking loud enough for everyone else with normal hearing to hear.

I have really 'had enough' of Friday Pop-up shows.  I have only missed two when I cut my hand and couldn't drive.  I now don't see the point in driving 30+ miles to be left with the experience of feeling totally inadequate.  And Yes! I know that I chose to do this course and have to take on board everything that goes with it, and in the main I do. But lack of hearing is a very frustrating thing, you can't keep asking people to repeat what they are saying because they don't like that.