POETRY BY CHANCE

I was at work today and went on my lunch-break for an hour, in which time I went to the Tate, watched ben buy some paint and bought a baguette with some tasty filling. On my way to the Tate, I randomly saw this sticker stuck to the side of a gate, which could very easily be missed, however something attracted me to it...

FACILITY FOR THOUGHT - DEVELOPMENT RED

Here is the same design, just in red, as I said I'd do this project in colour.

FACILITY FOR THOUGHT - DEVELOPMENT

After designing, and re-designing the facility for thought work I have suddenly fallen upon this design. Its one out of a very long list that is actually working. I stripped the information on it right back to the essential. Allowing the real essence of what the design is, be known...

FACILITY FOR THOUGHT - THE INFORMATION

Today I have been trying to design the stamp for the Facility For Thought work, however it is a lot harder than I imagined. I have been trying to strip the design of it right down, so it is purely there for a function and not for how it looks. This is a very clear design choice I am making due to the fact that if I over design it then it will come more about the stamp and less about its use. Which defeats the point of the work. Anyhow I have been thinking of what information to put on the stamp too and these are the main things that are going to be on there.

FACILITY FOR THOUGHT
DATE
EXPLANATION OF THOUGHT
MADE BY

All these factors are important, this is because the date is there as a time stamp, of when the piece got recognised, and branded as art. The explanation of thought is there so if someone wants to explain why they think this object or thing is of merit they can. Finally made by is there so that someone can put a name or signature to it, much like that of R. MUTT (Marcel Duchamp) for the urinal work.

I am also still toying with the idea of the stickers, maybe I will do a stamp and a sticker, just for good measure, I am also pondering the idea of a small book to accompany it.

STAMPS

I was looking at an old printing methods book today, and saw that the stamp which shows how long you have the book out for was an old 'central school of arts' stamp, and was dated 23rd November 1948. I find it amazing how long it has been there for and how many people must have looked at it over the years...

FACILITY FOR THOUGHT - EXPLAINED

I thought I'd quickly explain what my working title means and how it explains what I am doing within the work.

FACILITY
An installation, contrivance, or other thing which facilitates something; a place for doing something. Essentially the sticker facilitates the object upon which it is placed.

FOR THOUGHT
The second part of the title refers to the idea or thought of the individual who places the sticker upon the object and why they think this thing deserves some form of elevation into a piece of art.

Basically the title just explains what I am doing in a roundabout way.

LETTERPRESS FACILITY FOR THOUGHT

I am now going through various ideas that could be used on a sticker that could be placed upon an object that is of interest to the individual, which then becomes something other than an object. Here is an idea I have been looking at tonight. I have been looking at stamps, and how I could use them within my design...

FACILITY FOR THOUGHT

I have been thinking of ways of refining the ideas I have had about the IS IT ART work and for a starting point I have changed the title to FACILITY FOR THOUGHT this is because the work I am producing is all about making people think about things they wouldn't else wise, the end product is a facility or a catalyst for this thought process.

So for the work I have chosen to go down the path of a sticker, that can be attached to anything that one would perceive to be of interest. This means if I place any words on it this become my idea, and takes away from them being able to voice their opinion. I want to be able to give the option of either saying what they think but also if they just want to make a statement this will also be possible.

I was talking to my Bahia today about it all, thinking she would be a good person to talk to about the work, because she is nothing herself, and it seemed as if she had very similar ideas to what I am trying to express. It was good to be able to talk to someone who is not tied into graphic design. We both agreed that art should be in the eye of the beholder, and that if a message needed to be given it is about the function of that message and not the form of how it comes. Very interesting stuff but also very confusing, however I think I have cleared my mind a bit about what direction I am heading with the work, which is a nice thing.

I am now coming up with some new ideas that have evolved from my initial ideas I had about the project, after thinking this brief was good to last only a day it was quite a surprise to me that I'm still doing it, however it is a lot broader subject than I imagined and I feel it necessary to give it the time it deserves.

PAT TESTED

As I was talking about in one of my other posts about a girl doing a project on PAT tested things, and saying how everything now had to be checked and checked again for health and safety, I was looking at the design of it, and although it is a very simple and standard, clinical design, there is something interesting about it...

READY-MADE

Ordinary objects that are manufactured to be something else, by either repositioning, tilting or signing it when this act was done, the object became a ready-made and therefore art. This process involved very little interaction of the artist and the art, however provoked reactions of millions and sent them into a frenzy...

BLOGGED

Having spoken about its nice that, I am increasingly thinking about blogs. I use mine for work I do and for things I think are relevant or cool. Its a place where you can put stuff that you think is cool or worth looking at. As I said I could spend hours at a time trawling through all the style, art, design, fashion blogs that pop up, its like a never ending bank or images and writing. I feel this project would be bringing a blog to life in a way, this is because when you see something cool, you mark it, you let share your finding with other people people either agree or disagree.

GET SOME COLOUR

I have noticed that a lot of my work has been in black and white recently, so for this project I want to use some colour, how very exciting.

ITS NICE THAT

It’s Nice That is a website that has been around for a while now, they basically champion great creative ideas, and in doing so they expose lots of new talent, This idea is something that is quite similar to the 'Is It Art' work that im doing, in the sense that they are voicing an opinion...

IDEA 3

The third idea has evolved within the time I was writing it down. I was basically talking about the fact I could use a stamp or sticker or even have a rule book for the catalyst for observation and discussion of art. I have been thinking about the gallery that art sits in and the outside world that can be observed as art...

POP

I was drawing out some ideas this morning and this afternoon had to go out, however I walked past this POP sign on my way out and about. It was crazy as its exactly what I was talking about within my second idea. Pretty cool though.

IDEA 2

The second idea I have had is pretty much the opposite of the first, this is to go with the shock tactic, or the bright and bold tactic. Highlighting this platform to discuss about the artwork that is on show, possibly using different shapes and colours to distinguish different feelings towards the art...

IDEA 1 - IS IT ART

The first idea that I have come up with for the 'Is It Art' work is a little piece that sits next to a piece of art within in a gallery. It is a piece that is passive, subtle and involves the artwork with its design. It can be written on and what people have written can be read...

OPEN FOR DEBATE

Focusing on the 'is it art' project at the moment I am looking to open up anybody to have their own opinions about art, or what they perceive as art, this is either what they have seen which is branded art or something they have seen which they think could be art. This opens up the enjoyment of observation, and looking at the world around us in a different light. As art is becoming more and more accessible it doesn't mean people understand it.

I feel that this works needs to open out a conversation between a group of people or just to make you question your own perception of art. I want it to give more than just a yes, no or any other one word answer. Art is subjective, which I guess means your views can never be wrong. Which goes back to one of my original sources of Marcel Ducamp, and his urinal project.

I also feel that this piece should have some form of satirical take on art, so it questions art itself, while also promoting it. At the end of the day art is made and viewed for pleasure, weather it has a serious message or not.

SJ CRIT - 11/03/11

Friday was the day of my first crit after the mid term assessments. It was a chance to get some new ideas on the table and discuss what was going to happen next. the idea that I was mainly talking about was the 'is it art' brief that I have come up for myself. I explained to the group what I wanted to do...

IS IT ART

I want to undergo a one day project soon, which will tackle the point I was talking about in earlier posts about empowering people to be able to have their own opinions about things they have seen and thought were interesting. It means that people can join in with the act of art and therefore means they can form decisions about the world around them whilst enjoying the act of observing.

This is where I want to step in and enable this person to be able to say what they think is cool, or worth giving recognition to it by making a simple sticker that has some words on it, when the person sees something of merit, they stick the sticker by it, creating a debate between other people who see it, and in turn making people think about art and the world that surrounds us.