Ann Veronica Jassen: yellowbluepink
My two experiences in yellowbluepink were very different but both were surreal. The first time I went alone I was rather confused by the experience. The fog was so thick that you feel like you are walking in nothingness as if the world is an infinity plane of colours and sounds. I believe that the artist has achieved her intended effect in making me think about consciousness because every single step I took around the room, I had to be careful and conscious. I felt like I was alone, isolated with my own thoughts. My senses of smell and hearing heightened as I saw the changing colours and for a second I forgot about everything else in the past as well as my thoughts in the future. I was pulled back to the reality, the now, the moment that I was standing there. It was such a surreal experience.
On the second time that I was there with my friends, I was already aware of what I will be experiencing therefore, making the experience more fun and enjoyable. However, walking around wasn't has scary or nerve-wracking as the first time because I knew that even though I was walking so randomly around the space, I will eventually find one of my friends getting lost in the mist too.
Hunterian Museum
The museum has such cool collections of anatomical and zoological specimens. It was surprisingly fun although a little bit disturbing but I love to spend some more time observing and sketching the preserved animal specimens. The atmosphere wasn't all gory than I thought it would be. It was full of quirky and unusual exhibits. What I enjoyed the most was a half decayed preserved specimen of a pregnant rat because it sits in the most beautiful jar and in the most beautiful position. It looks to me more like an art installation rather than a scientific specimen.
The world charles and ray eames
At first glance, I wasn't sure what 'The World of Charles and Ray Eames' exhibition had anything to do with graphic and communication design and the workshop tomorrow. Most of their works are mainly product design, architecture or a collection of items. However, as I walked through I was became interested in a few things from the entire collection. Their cover designs for 'Arts and Architecture' magazines are very unique, characterised by the use of montage and the layering and superimposition of motifs. I also like their card designs using image of familiar nostalgic objects from the animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms or graphic patterns and solid colours. 'The cards encourage play and experimentation with structure, as well as reflection on everyday artefacts that the Eameses felt should be appreciated as both useful and beautiful.' I like their philosophy of using off the shelf standard materials. Building something out of found objects, even the most ordinary object was potential source of material. I believe that this is something that I should be thinking about, exploring the potential of materials and using the resources that I have effective to create something new and eliminate waste.
"Communication is what links any living organism together." - Charles Eames (1953)
"Celebration is a human need that we must not and cannot deny - celebration is not exclusive but the most inclusive human act."
Alexander Calder: Performing Sculpture
Alexander Calder's moving sculptures were very mesmerising. I especially like his elegant arrangements of the needle shaped leaves and boomerangs suspended in mid air. They are forever in motion just slowly turning in the most random way and I could just sit and stare at them for a very long time. As the sculptures move, they slow you right down. It is best, if you can, to stay still. If I ignore one of them for a bit and, when I look again, something has changed. It looks as if it is weightless. I also like his wire sculptures where he created a group of circus performance performing in a big circle. He uses thick and thin wires to convey the depth and the important elements of the piece which I believe is very clever.
Empty Lot is a large geometric sculpture created using scaffolding, a grid of triangular wooden planters, and soil collected from parks across London including Peckham, Haringey and Westminster. Nothing will be planted in the soil, but it will be lit by lamps and watered throughout the six month display. The unpredictable nature of the work, which may grow and change from one week to the next, provokes questions about the city and nature, as well as wider ideas of chance, change, and hope.
The small publishers fair contained a wealth of visual inspiration for the graphic score. Every single publisher was unique and they all brought with them something different to the fair. As I walked through all these beautiful publications, I was quite pleased with the content and the visual I saw. I especially like this tiny illustration book of flowers where the artist has hand painted impressionistic flowers isolated in the white space of the page. This reminds me about the use of colour to convey a certain mood or tone.