LO1: Produce convincing visual products that communicate your intentions, using accomplished techniques in complex and unfamiliar environments, with minimal supervision from your tutor
Following assignment four and the feed back there were a number of changes to the series; the introduction of the panorama images to divide the chapters and introduce each of the women; the start and finish would still be black and white but all images would be square, I added a location map to the inside of the cover for the mock up of the book and involved a collaboration piece with one of the illustration students who joins the Rest of the World form.
The draft book pdf can be found here (v0.2). This was then used to send to my peers for further feedback.
I had to learn InDesign for pulling together the book design and layout and being able to generate the ‘gatefold’ pages for the panoramas. The process is detailed within my Work in Progress blog here and here. Draft layouts can be seen here, these are screen shots taken from InDesign.
I also attended a Platinum and Palladium course, and this is detailed here. I aim to use this in SYP for limited edition exhibition prints.
LO2: Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of your area of specialisation and be able to situate your own work within a larger context of practice in your field
I continued to review different book styles and processes whilst working on my own draft. There were a number of hurdles to navigate and address and these have all been documented in my Work in Progress blog here. The size and number of prints made the final production extremely difficult to both produce and view. I was happy with the gatefolds but as I wanted a small A5 size book opening of the pages for the individual images was impossible unless printed professionally. As this was going to be just a mock-up I have left the final production to SYP as the cost would be too high for something that wasn’t going to be sent for review. The video showed the images to full advantage and I believe give a good impression of the book being turned and viewed.
Listening to and attending online talks around books has been helpful, and these can be found in my Exhibition/talks/presentations section of the blog here.
Feedback from my peers on the book can be found here.
LO3: transform abstract concepts and ideas into rich narratives and integrate them in your images
This section of the course has really highlighted the importance of editing, to learn how to take a step back and select, reselect and part with images that just do not fit. Gaining peer review has helped and the link above provides those.
The transition from mental health in the rural community which was the original theme of my project has changed considerably over the duration of this course, but there’s still some remaining aspects of this within the final set. Research and not taking media/government reports at face value has been a lesson well learnt. It is important to get to know the community/subject in order to be able to portray the narrative correctly. As an observer there will of course be my bias but by listening and gaining trust I have offered a glimpse into what makes this community so strong, how they hold up to what nature and the government throws at them.
LO4: Critically review your own work and evaluate it against desired outcomes
Assignment Five submission provides a critical review and can be found here.
LO5: Demonstrate management, leadership and communication skills and have deployed them during the negotiation and production of the final body of work with your tutor and third parties
Throughout the course I have managed my time and organised the submissions to allow for any rework prior to final submission for formal assessment in September 2021. Due to distance and time differences I have pretty much worked on my own throughout the project with only face to face reviews with my tutor following assignments 3 to 5. Once I have received formal review notes I have actioned any recommendations and this can be found in my Work in Progress blog and Thoughts and Reflections. I have also provided my own reflections and critical review.
I have attended student forums throughout the course to ensure I maximise my learning and support from other students. These forums have allowed me to show my work in a supportive and constructive environment. I have received both oral and written feedback which I have documented and then used this to amend my project (here). Ideas have been formed and progressed through these interactive sessions.
Michele Usher 