My Concepts For Non-Place

Non-place has been a tricky brief to even comprehend and I have so many ideas of what a non-place even is... But I believe I've narrowed it down to a good few ideas that meet the criteria of what it seems to be.

Its about the journey - The emotions you feel when in these non-places, as you pass through. The facial expressions that show those emotions and what situations that cause them, situations that happen in non-places.
On it's own not so fascinating an idea but can be combined with another possibly to give it more depth.

Fictional world - How a fictional world is a non-place. You immerse when you read, become part of that world, travel without even moving. Best idea - select a book - well known/relatable
This is my favourite idea and I believe most socially accepted/known.

Installation work to change the mood of a non-place - If the mood of a non-place ranges from complacent to angry try to lighten the mood. eg. Bus station, bus is late, angry person sees image or light display to cheer them up. Create images of faces showing opposite emotion in same situation, an advertisement? "Have this item and you'll be happier."
Not my field, I wouldn't even know how to tackle it. Was just trying to branch out with my ideas. 

Unused spaces are non-places - Places that were not designed to be used such as under furniture, stairs, behind things. I could give them a function? Illustrate ideas for these places to be used.
Not very exciting... Would get bored working on this over time. 

Non-places within a set area - Photographic series of non-places within Glasgow. Non-places from a certain view point such as, homeless, child, someone travelling through/tourist.
The different view points is a bit far-fetched. Photography isn't my thing but I would have given it a shot. 

We create our own Non-places - We create non-places when we dream, as children when we play. They tend to be places that feel familiar, like you know where you are but they look completely different.
Apparently imagination is not really a non-place. Don't know how I would picture things like this anyway. 

Non-places dictated by use of time - eg. bus journey is 20 mins. Sometimes only proof you've been there is because time has passed. We don't pay attention as we walk by so what are we missing when we dont focus. Stop to smell the roses.
Have no idea how I would create this... 

History creates a place - places where I have history, that mean something to me because me and my friends used to go there. eg teenage hangouts, loitering spots - thinking spot, usual spot, court of miracles. show the real functions vs our functions for them.
Would be too personalised as no-one else would know what these places are or how they are relevant.

Always moving in a non-place - car, bus, train, walking through. What are our views from these non-places, blurred images or scenery mostly.
A bit boring... Not deep enough. 

I believe that fiction is going to be the best idea especially if I pick a classic book that everyone would recognise and would have the same kinds of reactions to.

Expanding on Fiction.

• Do I follow a few different books to show it happens with all of them or just one story all the way through?
• Include tv shows? 
• A lecturer gave me an idea of what if pages were missing, what would happen? Would the reader be trapped in this non-place? 
• Show different emotions for different scenes of the book, how the reader reacts? 
• Look into classical children's literature because they are going to be the best known? Could connect to my essay and maybe Disney's adaptations of these or one of the stories? 
• An evolution of books through the years or like 1800 to present or from childhood to adult hood, our generation?

Non-Place.... Whit?

Ok so our new brief is... "Non-Places"

"...the word 'non-place' designates two complementary but distinct realities: spaces formed in relation to certain ends (transport, transit, commerce, leisure), and the relations that individuals have with these spaces." - (Auge 1994:94)

So first and foremost I needed a mind map to work out my initial reactions to the brief...

...This then led to a full scale panic attack and migraine due to the sheer magnitude of the philosophy behind this project! I mean non places are dependent on the viewer, everywhere and nowhere is a non place because it depends on where you are going. Some are always non places, such as roads and such but Auge mentions airports and I mean yes they are not the final destination, they are the gateways, but I mean they are still a place, and you do so have an identity in them, you are forever asked to prove that identity throughout the process of the airport! So, yeah, my brain is having a melt down comprehending the immensity that is non places. 

My first thought was emotions felt in non-places. If people are always travelling through these places, what do they feel? I thought about expressing the many emotions felt by these many travellers by showing their expressions through paintings and drawings. By showing some of the most common emotions felt in non-places i could even relate them to certain situations so, if some couple are saying goodbye then there would be sadness/ love, if there was an argument there would be anger, if someone got a cute text while walking down the street they would be happy, etc. 

I started to look into colours that could connect of change peoples moods and even found computer based art that changes to match the viewers mood! So, if you are happy, the picture would be bright and cheerful, but if you are sad it would be darker and the brush strokes would change. AMAZING!

A few other ideas I had were - (too name a few) 

• Fiction - we immerse ourselves in fiction, feel like we are there, become part of a world that doesn't exist, this non-place.
• Mood changing installation - a sculpture/light show/animation/projection that can make someone feel more cheerful when seeing it. 
• Perspectives in Non-Places - from the views of a homeless man, a child, a tourist. So a homeless man sees the non place streets as his home, a child sees corners and unused spaces as adventures, imaginary creatures live there, etc. And a tourist sees it as a maze... (I don't like this one) 
• History creates the place -  So places that mean things to me because I have got a strong connection to them. Like, old hang outs such as fields and patches of grass and stairways. Mean nothing to anyone else but are important PLACES to me. 
• Always moving in a Non-Place - cars, buses, trains, all non-places, whizzing past places and other non-places so would be shown with blurred scenery photos. 
• Non-Places dictated by time - eg. bus journey is 20 mins. The only real evidence you have of being in certain non places is the fact time has past. What do you miss when you are not focusing in non places. 

And that is all the ideas I had all through the week and my final decision has been FICTION!

I plan to choose a classic book that everyone would recognize almost instantly and create a series of paintings or drawings depicting this story. 

NEED A FINAL IDEA! NEED TO CHOOSE A BOOK! AAAAHHHH! 

Developments and final piece(s)!

Ok, so I ended up with a selection of pieces ranging from the age of 4 to the present presented in evolutionary formats as to how our work changes over the years and so does how it is displayed. The first one features on a fridge door,surrounded by magnets featuring the alphabet. I tried to create words children would learn early on like cat and dog and such and the ones used to attach the piece spelt out "self". I found the first piece in an old autograph book from when I went to Disney World, Florida with my Grandma, cousin and great aunt. Apparently I doodled more than collecting autographs...

For the next piece I found a drawing from a folder of my primary 2 work, so when I was 6, depicting a scene of me and my sister and she apparently wants my toys or something... I wanted this evolution to be like it was displayed in my bedroom, as I feel that is the next step after the fridge in showing off your work. To do that I placed it onto a corkboard and stuck on some tickets that lead to my grandma's, some other (faked) drawings from around that time, and photos of my family from around this time or younger. 

Thirdly, I went for a QR code which led to a specific photo on my facebook art page of a self portrait that I created when in higher art (the first time around), so 5th year - 16. I feel like when you are a teenager your whole life comes into the public view with the use of the internet. You upload every thought, every achievement to your certain websites. For me at 16 it was facebook, so it became the obvious choice. (My dad tested the QR code and it worked so hopefully it works for others!)

And last but not least, I felt like when you reach your early twenties, you are a grown up, you are mature, you have real framed, final, exhibition pieces that are neat and tidy and so I created a recent self portrait to show the final evolution of my drawing skills and their presentations in a nice simplistic black frame with a pencil shaded drawing. 

And so I arranged them in timeline order from floor to roof, from fridge to frame and here is its final presentation! 

P.S. this is the view from the floor looking up as it was the only way to get all of the pieces into the same photo!

First week of Final Year!

After hearing of the splitting of our classes and losing our dearest Catherine, the new additions seem to be nice and have loads of different backgrounds.

Our first brief is that of "pencils"... 2 WEEKS TO COMPLETE A BRIEF TO EXHIBITION STANDARD!!!

"Pencils create marks by physical abrasion, leaving behind a trail of solid core material that adheres to a sheet of paper or other surface."

my ideas

"trail of solid" - Create a raised surface, make a structure of out of it?
                        - Make a line "drawing" 3D?
                        - Animation/ 3D structure/ 3D pen

"physical abrasion" - Tattoos - ink not pencils
                                - words written leave a physical mark
                                - labeling again like last years piece - like scars this time
                                - evidenced in Harry Potter - Umbridge detention

"sheet of paper or other surface" - walls, wood, on-top of paint, skin (abrasion)

What can the pencil create - buildings - architecture
                                           - masterpieces, drawings, paintings
                                           - joy - fun for all the ages

Pencils leave all kinds of marks
Kinds of marks they can leave : writing - words
                                                    dots
                                                    dashes
                                                    shapes                         everything is made of these - image made OF
                                                    colours                        pencils
                                                    lines
                                                    dark/lights

Final Piece Ideas

Make a monochrome image of the marks it can leave

video of me making a piece with pencil - focus on initial marks and how they create something more.
                                                                - imperfections erased easily
                                                                - speak or labels/ split screens?

Image made of pencils - scenery/ portrait?

pictures of the different marks a "pencil" can leave - dots, shapes, lines

growth of an artist through pencil sketches - series of about 3/4
                                                                     - colourful frames for emotions/background

colour full page of pencil then use rubber to create image - rubber is the abrasion

3D interpretation of a pencil drawing - with wire

pencil drawing on different surfaces - wood, metal, paint, etc.

MAIN PLAN 

Use the evolution of an artist and their work, showing works from over the years, toddler to child to teenager to now. Display on a fridge door like when your parents display your work proudly on the fridge door. If I can't get a fridge I can use a metal sheet and paint it to look like a fridge. Alphabet fridge magnets to attach them and possibly making my own magnets. 

Places to find fridges near me is recycling centres in cumbernauld and/or westfield. But it would be too difficult to transport that to college/stirling on a bus. 

Other things looked into...

adult colouring books

making magnets

kids drawing styles 

IDEA CHANGES!

Instead of all pieces being on the fridge try to evolve how they are presented as well as the skill involved. 

toddler image (aged 4) - presented on the fridge

child (aged 6/7) - put onto corkboard representing the bedroom wall

teenager (aged 17) - QR code leading to facebook art page - because teens put everything online

now (aged 21) - work presented cleanly and neatly in a frame, exhibition standard.