Sir John Soane’s Museum

Sir John Soane's Museum comprises his collection and personal effects, acquired between the 1780's and his death in 1837. I would say that most of the collections are objects from a time and a place.The museum looks at how sir john soane's displayed his collections and the detail on how the rooms were laid out and what colour they would have been. Most of hes collections i was interested in were the white marble sculptures. some rooms had sculptures everywhere you looked. The house reminded me of a fairy tale, with the way the lighting had a soothing ambiance, with shelves of marble heads, and casts of tribes.

Chris Ofili Exibition

this exhibition begins with a selection of the exuberant paintings ofili produced in the 1990's. these richly layered paintings pulsate with colour and energy of ofilis intricate brushwork, to which he adds glitter, resin, map pins, and collaged magazine cut outs. he also has hes own personal idea of applying elephant dung balls to the canvas or using them the prop the paintings off the floor.

Oflil says 'using the dung balls is a way of raising the paintings up from the ground and giving them a feeling that they've come from the earth rather than simply being hung on a wall.'

It was only once i had read this quote that i under stud why he used the dung because at first i through he was being offensive towards African Americans. people questions weather there is a substantial amount of racism and stereotyping withing hes painting but what i feel is that he is doing it in the 21st century where i feel he is representing black male identity.n the 20Th century black males where empower by other races but the modern intake of black males has had a bigger impact on today's society then ever. Hip Hop in particular was a defining cultural force for his generation, and he applied the same attitude to his paintings. with paintings like pimpin' aint easy 1997 showing male dominance, and 'Two doo voodoo 1997' Which was a collages tree of famous black males mainly rap artist who rap about, sex, drugs and violence.

ROOM 3 THE UPPER ROOM

I really found the exhibition interesting it made your mind question his paintings whilst walking around. i had never seen anyone create painting with dung in the way he did. room 3 was my favourite. ofili had a number of meditative paintings based on an Andy Warhol collage

of a monkey holding a chalice. it had a lot of symbolism connected to alots of religions from Christan symbolism of the last supper fuses with other faiths such as Hindu monkey god Hanuman. I like how it invites multiple interpretation to a collection of paintings.

'Neighbourhood Colour'- STAGE 2 EXHIBITION

STAGE 2 textile design student were give the the task to choose two contrasting neighborhood areas in London and capture the essence of each, by emphasizing the importance of colour though designing textiles. Inspired by the things found or seen on there journeys. Looking at stage 2 work was very inspirational and gave a positive impact on our task to come in the following year.
Every bodies work was very different and personal. Looking at various affects i.e, architectural, historical and textural. Most of my work is very textual so i began scanning the exhibition for the 'Stitch' work as this is what specialism i have been thinking of going into. 'Shih Chieh Wang' (Candyce) work intrigued me the most as it was very much like my own work from the specialism, subject and techniques. the Peace was called 'Rotating' inspired by the antiques/rust/metal she had came across in her neighborhood.
The intricate texture and shape are what pulled me towards her work which was allocated on the window and window self. The sun light hit theses creative, decorative, 3D, tactile shapes, which had a muted colour pallet of copper browns. The uses of fabric was very sculptural, and related to her subject very well.
I did have the chance to speak to Candyce, however i spoke to another stitcher and she mentioned that stitch was the right choice for her because you can use any material and do anything you want as their are no boundaries. You get great one to one tutorials with tutor Isabelle who guides you through with truthful criticism which helps you achieve a good result to your work. she did however mention that she didn't have influence of sustainability for this project but she enjoyed the project.

THE FOREST GLADE, THE ENCHANTED CASTLE, HEAVEN AND HELL

THE FOREST GLADE
'LINEN-CUPBOARD HOUSE'
GRIMMI BROTHERS
JURGEN BEY

Childhood memories of a Playhouse, Hideout, Tree House, Fortresses-Guest Room, Never Land feeling. Handmade Homely feeling, Safety, Protection, 'like the Gingerbread House in the classic fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel'.

THE ENCHANTED CASTLE
'THE PYRAMIDS OF MAKKUM TULIP VASE'
FURGEN BEY 1965-2008
TIN GLAZED EARTHENWARE

Unstable, Strange, Confused, Ironic, Smiley, Quirky, Feels like Childhood Tea Parties and how the Tea Cup Family in Beauty and the Beast pile up on top of each other in the kitchen cupboards.

HEAVEN AND HELL
'MOULDED MOLE'
SLIPPERS
NEELS VAN EIJK

Sinister Peace, Quiet, Death, Dark, Black, Speechless, Warm, Cosy, Cruelty/Luxury, Dirty.

TELLING TALES... Fantasy and Fear in Contemporary Design

IMMEDIATE FEELING INTO TELLING TALES

Straight away i felt different but strange at the same time in a good way.it had a relaxing ambiance lighting, the feeling of enchantment and wonderland. It did however feel enclosed. But when i closed my eye to listen to the sound it made me feel you was in an open space with the sound of birds, wind and creaking doors. It reminded me of a forest scene from a fair tale film.

Something Brought...

'Spitalfield market' was a world of its own, amazing furniture, old toys, vintage jewellery and the best china tea cups.
I came across this lady who collected old watch faces. on the table i found a old blue topless box that had the cutest watch faces. The designs were so intricate and most of them had no back, revealing all the mechanical insides. i brought two of the tiny watch face from the blue box for £2!

Something From a Gallery...

I wasn't much impressed with 'Whitechapple Gallary', mainly because most of the the gallery rooms were closed off. however a postcard took my interest in the bookshop... A quirky post card by artist Paul McCarthy-Round house 1999.

To me just from the name of the postcard 'Round' represents a circle of love symbolising oneness and unity. The image is of a gathering of people around a dinner table. From the meal it seems like all the waste has been scraped into the bottle green bucket which is in the middle of the table. The photograph has vivid colours with a dark ambiance lighting that shadows around the bottle green bucket.

The image could have several meanings...

it could be to do with being 'green' and not wasting food, and by using a green bucket it could represent recycling?

or it could have the meaning of being together and having fun enjoying company and food?