Construction Diary Day 3 - The Last day, The Last Eval, The Last Word

The Long Story

I never enjoy writing final evaluation they are like eulogies, I write a long article talking all about all I've done and all my project has achieved, sometime I even discuss my projects loved ones. The problem is when I write a Final evaluation I’m basically drawing a line under a project and moving on whilst saying I've learned a lot from it, which I have. This project began with a chunky paragraph talking about all the ideas I planned to explore, it also started an extremely long time ago and my life has changed greatly as the project has developed. Recent months have taken a toll on my life view but the ideas and the emotional crux I wanted this project to discuss are just as strong as ever. I wanted this project to explore how I change the reason I make things from being about inventing to being about art, in the process of this project I have explored and discussed at tedious length the fine line between these things. I also wanted to take everyday functional Items and turn them into art to then raise the great debate about whether it is functional, I could write pages on the subject but I held myself back. What I believe is art has a great function it's not like a potato peeler has a function and does one thing really well its more like a thing which improves the world.

I've harped on about relationships and I've made enough justifications that the end of my project is well linked to relationships albeit in a very literal way. One aspect of this project which is more developed than ever before is the emotional link, this whole project has spurn from the love I had for the people who taught me a lot of the stuff I now use to do art. All my past work has had a truly emotional link, I love doing art so much basically all my work does have an emotional aspect but this project has been caused more self-growth and soul searching than any other. I’ve created dozens of works in a myriad of different medium and with a variety of different meanings all of which have fed into my final piece. This project has been full of detours and tangents this is partly because I wanted to avoid the linarcy of my past project and more to do with my desire to push myself and what I can do. This project has explored the relationship within my work between engineering and construction techniques and ideas and aesthetics, the main thing about this project is is perhaps my first example of where my ambition is on level pegging with my ability to fulfill it.

I wanted to create a work which was a homage to one of my greatest influences, the grandfathers on both sides of my family. I knew the more emotionally tied to this piece I was the more pressure I’d be putting on myself to meet my own standards, a little later on I’ll get all self piteous and say what's wrong with it but overall I’m happy I have met most of my aims. I’m writing this in the room I've spent thirteen and a half hours making the final piece to the aforementioned project, writing this i'm comfortably killing the last few hours of my exam. I won't deny when i’m normally writing these final evaluation I struggle to find things to discuss that i've learned but, in this project much has been gained. I've learned a lot of new technically building skill, the shed dollhouse I made for this project is going to herald a new age of miniature work. This project was the first time I've experimented with kinetic elements within sculptures and I think this is something i’ll continue it's a great way to add new aspects to sculptures and the challenge of making it all work is scintillating. I must of course talk about time management, in this project I demonstrated either better or worse time management than I have in the past depending on your point of view. I will finish this post and publish it by the end of the day, two days before my deadline, normally I finished at least two weeks before the deadline, so I've filled my time better than usual.

I think this work is very original and exploring new territory, I've stretched what I can do and I've moved out my comfort zone. I’d also hazard to exist that those of you judging my work had seen nothing like this before, if you have let me know we’ll start a club. I've talked a lot about how the various artist and designers I have looked at link to this final piece and there are many many little link, nods and influences from the research I've done. To pick one artist who's had the greatest influence I would have to say Giles Walker, his style of steampunk, dark and grungy scrap based art is similar to my own anyway and looking at his work helped to inspire the forms of my piece. Its also true his work out of all the artists I looked at is the most similarly kinetic to my own, although his is far more complex they are comparisons to be drawn.

I;ve already talked about the failings of my piece, I’d hope to create a work which would move balls around a sculpture through a series of controlled modules. What I have is a sculpture which looks like it could do this but doesn't entirely work, I managed to connect lots of modules up but could get all of them working in a continual motion. The reason this proved unachievable was the sheer complexity of the piece, there were simply too many variables. On the bright side my work look more appealing, its more aesthetically pleasing than I expected it to be and the overall noise, motion and effect of the work mean it has the look I was aiming for. The main aspect of the work was to create a assemblage sculpture from lots of repurposed everyday items, I’d take functional item and give them a more complex and convoluted function as a piece of art which also did something. I achieve this aim and I managed to massively stretch my abilities in the process which was both a personal goal and one imposed upon me.

The Short Story

My finishing remarks will be a more refined version of the last few paragraphs. I created a work which discussed the relationships between me and my art, me and my grandfather and art and its function. I stretched myself and I did new things which will influence my work from now on. Although it didn’t fully work it is still a powerful, interesting and meaningful art work, which was developed over many month and was so refined it's barely worth talking about.  

The Tiny Story

For the last two years three words have been the bane of my art career: development, refinement and evaluation. In this project I have done all three... Moss or Less...

The Meaning of My Art - It's like the Meaning of Life only Nobody Cares

A few months ago I posted the following few paragraphs describing what my final piece would mean and how this concept had been formed from my project up to that point, as my project reaches its conclusion I will reevaluate what the final piece means. Below is the concept behind the work, the work which followed it and lead to the final piece developed the form and refine this idea...

The Links

This idea links to every piece of work I've done so far for this project, because this idea was born from the research and exploration I've already done. This work links to Andrew Wyeth because I accept I can’t paint like Wyeth but I can strive to create a work as meaningful and deep as his. It links to Giles walker because I’ll use scrap and found object which have been discarded by people to create a new piece of meaningful art. This idea links to Da Vinci’s sketchbooks because I will use the beauty of mechanical forms to create an aesthetically beautiful work. Most obviously it links to the work of Theo Jansen because I want to create a piece of work which moves and intrigues and I want to create something which is both engineeringly amazing and artistically, just like his strand beasts.

I have done four design Ideas and take an aspect from each and blended them into this final design. My POW escape kit influence this project because the repurposing I used in that has inspired my idea to create a final piece made of repurposed objects. My mosaic waste product skull looks at the use of discarded objects to create something beautiful and that’s what I aim to do in the final piece. Inken Cities looked and the interplay between people and urbanisation, this work will take that further and look at the relationship between artists and technology. Finally in my post EMP artist idea I explored what a bare bones artist would look like and I thought about what an artist would do if the world as we knew it ended, the world as we know it is changing every day because of technology so in this piece I can explore where the modern artisan stand in the face of modern engineering.

Of course I've taken this project on a merry jaunt to the bare extremes of my question ‘Relationships’ but this idea explore the relationship between my art and the engineering and creative processes which

go into its production. The underlying problem with all my design ideas is they lacked a personal to me aspect which I was really passionate about but this idea lets me combine my passion for making things I had as a child and the great transition I've made from wanting to invent thing to have a purpose and improve the world to want to make art which improve the world by being interesting and meaningful.

The Short Story

I’m going to create a work of assemblage made of scrap and discarded pieces of machinery and technology. This work will be kinetic and will take objects which have an everyday function and give them a single function of being a piece of art. It will look at the relationship between artists and technology and explore my personal transition between making things for a function and making things for art.

The Really Short Really Refined Story

I’m going to make a big-ass sculpture which will move and mean… many things.

Many weeks later and I have a big-ass sculpture which means many things and moves. The sculpture is made from everyday objects which have a function and has allowed them to be reborn into a work of art which has the single function  of being a piece of art. Like I had planned the work moved, makes noise and is the great assault on the senses I have ever created. I’m not going to lie the road that started with the question of ‘Relationships’ has been long and winding, its got more tangents than I care to mention and you may think the link is vague. I’ve in the past been told my projects are too linear, this project has reverted to another extreme, it's extremely wavy. However this final piece does look at the relationship between artists and technology and explore my personal transition between making things for a function and making things for art. When I was little I made things that worked but were not normally aesthetically pleasing, in this project I have tried to make a piece of art which functions as a mover of balls but also explores being visually interesting and the beauty within the forms of engineering.

I've explored a lot of different forms my final piece could take through experimentation and the making of other pieces. In the end I decided to make a rube goldberg style ball rolling machine because it was the perfect format for a visually interesting and meaningful piece. I looked at sheds, pinball machines, and several other different kinds forms my final piece could take but in the end I settled on the ball rolling machine because it set me both an aesthetic and technical challenge. One of the underlying themes in this project is me challenging myself, it would be both easy and fun for me to keep making dollhouses and doing the same kind of work however this would not facilitate growth as a person.

The main premises of this project is not dissimilar to works I have created in the past, I take pre existing objects and combine and adjust them into works of art. Because I did this I left myself more than a little open to not creating anything interesting or original. What has made this project more original is my desire to challenge myself, push my skill and the deep personal link this project has had. All of my past projects have had a personal element but for the first time I have created a work that explores my inner turmoil over moving from making things with a function to making art. Art has a function I do not doubt nor argue with this but its is clear to see the difference between a work of art and screwdriver, both have function but the difference is obvious.

That’s it, stop reading, I think I've said enough about what this work means, I believe discussing my own artwork is like dissecting a frog, nobody's that interested and the frog is dead. If you must keep reading then you can read about how this work is about my relationship with my grandad. When I was a small boy I used to watch my grandad work in his shed and I remember now how much I wanted to have my own shed and make things. I also wanted to live a long life and make things so by the time I die i’ll be halfway good at it. This project is a homage to the man who perhaps influenced my work more than any other, the irony is not lost on me that he probably didn't know a Van Gogh from a Rembrandt.I now have my own workshop/studio type thing and I spend most my life out there working on stuff and in the last two years of being an art student I have often thought about how I am doing what I love and getting a grade in it. All my art works are personal to me because I don't make them to get a grade or for the praise I receive, I do it because it's what I want to do and i’m not good at anything else.

Me as a small child back when I made proper things

My workshop: Humble and Grubby

Evaluation of This Blog's Font

It's a really great font...

Evaluation of This Blog

Blog Evaluation

I decided to create a blog for two reasons, I wanted to show my work to wider audience and I was hoping to be discovered. One of these two things happened, my blog was viewed by nearly three hundred people at the time of writing this post which I feel is fairly good, no doubt if I was a sneezing infant panda I’d have had more views but we can but dream. The blog was also viewed in many countries around the world including Kuwait and Iceland two places which are not culturally dissimilar. It was interesting to put my work out in the world for public viewing and it certainly made me think about the way I write, by changing my writing style to fit a wider audience I think it has been more pleasant and comprehendible for everyone concerned. I was inspired to start my own blog because I often extract information from other blogs. I think in future project I would probably use a blog again or expand on the one I have started for this project to publicise my work, although it took some time I did decide I could fill the internet with more drivel and not feel bad. Part of the reason I did a blog is because was to be receive feedback from a wider audience this didn't in fact happen, I did however get lots of people to look at it and many people were interested and complimentary of my work and writing style. On the whole doing a blog was a good idea. Although I missed doing a pretty traditional sketchbook, simply sending this blog as a PDF to my lecturer and having it printed off means I have more time to work of pieces of art which will benefit my grade.

A Note to Those Who Judge Me....

I wrote this evaluation several weeks ago and at the time of its first draft I had planned to make a traditional sketchbook in addition to my blog print out. I was told not to do this and have thus modified my plans and this evaluation accordingly, instead you are now evaluating my project as a whole through reading a printout of this blog or by using an internet connected device. If you’d rather be reading this in a sketchbook than on one of the above formats then I apologize however I was only following orders. Cast your eye over my other work and you’ll notice three boards of photo montage, these boards are the collation of the images within this blog and show the work which inspired my project and the work I created towards it. They serve as an interesting and far more tangible demonstration of my work effort and desire to please and succeed.

A Note to Those Who are Sick of Evaluations

I grasp the constant evaluation of my work could be deemed overkill, however self evaluation is a key skill to possess and a person and a key source of mark within an art project. Stay tuned in my next post i'll be evaluating the font I used in this blog...  

The Breakdown of Modules (in both sense of the term)

Don't Tip the Table - The first module functions a as a large collection point for a great number of balls either entered at this stage or that are pushed down by the train module. Based on the tip table design of module I looked at in the past the module works by changing the angle of the hopper and combining gravity and a motor. The module is made mostly from mount board and wood to make the base, the mechanics are K'nex and a small motor and gearbox which were taken from a classic penguin slide game. This piece wasn't intended to have great meaning or representation, it was one of the first pieces made and is in a prominent position at the front of the final piece because its frenetic but repetitive motion is interesting visually.



The Bat Phone - The module is one of several which aren't motored and simply work with gravity. The module is made from a authentic vintage phone, the dial is removed so balls can fall through it and set of the internal bells, they then roll out the back and onto a ramp leading to the next module. The phone was originally binge but I sprayed it red to better resemble the Bat Phone, the module is more visually interesting than anything else and helps to add the the cacophony of noises the sculpture produces.




The Little House on the Prairie - The section is less of a module and more of a ramp, the ramp is made of four knitting needles bound together in pairs which are then attached through a Lego joint. The ramp was made to connect to sections which were distant from each other, the interesting feature of this ramp was its low friction that meant the balls roll fast along it and the joint which allows it to be angled even after it's mounted to the mainframe. I added the small house onto this ramp so balls could roll through its front door and out the back, I liked to include the house as a little reference to my past works which have normally be dollhouse inspired or structured.



Record Breaking - I acquired a large number of quality vintage vinyl singles from the younger sister of an ex-girlfriend. The module works because the rods spin round and tap balls along the base, it not only accelerates balls but also looks visually excellent and sounds amusing. The module is powered by the rear differential from an RC car, by mounting the axle and wheel horizontally it drives the larger metal rods through friction. I decide to make the module look like a convoluted record player so a needle arm from a art mannequin and fitted some electrical parts to suggest a function. The module has a great vintage look and is appealing visually and audibly. The module is made from several everyday items, a RC car, a art mannequin, several electrical circuit boards and the metal frame used to be a novelty picture frame.



The 3:10 to Yuma - I thought a module theme around a train would be an interesting addition to the project, the train travels on an oval track and rams balls along it and off the edge. The module was vastly inconsistent and indeed barely functioning at times, the track and train base where from an electric toy train which can be purchased off Amazon for under £3 which is pretty amazing in my humble opinion. I wanted the track to be removable so it was possible to view and interact with the modules beneath which meant I have to build it a frame, The frame was made from a section of balsa wood model plane. Train was intended to be the module directly after the Ferris wheel and I deliberately set myself the challenge of mounting it seemingly in mid-air. I continued this train theme by making a signal box which also covers the Ferris wheel motor, and added minor touches of a Hornby carriage and authentic model railway signal which no doubt will be older than most the people viewing my work.



Ferris Wheel - From the start the Ferris wheel was to be the largest and most complex module, it's also the heaviest and most noticeable. The Ferris wheel is made from a bike wheel mounted on an old mirror frame, its powered by a friction drive which is cleverly hidden under the signal box. The wheel works by collecting balls at the bottom and and dropping them at the top, the buckets which facilitate this are each made by me from flat sheets of card. I'd have liked to have repurposed something but I needed seventeen identical and complex buckets so this was impossible. The Ferris Wheel is the most eye catching module and its slow but monotonous movement set the mood of the whole piece.



Chain Conveyor - This char convey works by having a series of cups on a chair which rotate and lift balls to a higher point, I made this module because most of my module transport balls to a lower point so I need some lifting modules too. The chain conveyor was more function over form however the way it moves is also quite appealing, it was made from several children's toys meshed together, I purchase a lot of toys and object from car boot to make this project so this module encapsulates the reuse of an unwanted object.

The Z-Ramp - This module was designed to showcase to aspects of my final piece in one section. I wanted to build a module which used only gravity to move balls in an interesting way, the ramp also makes a pleasing sounds as balls flow through it. The other aspect this module explore is in its construction, the ramp was made from two pieces of 3 metre wood which I found and recycled. The module also explore my own ability to make things from basic materials, a lot of my sculpture are made from other objects so I rarely make something entirely from scratch. The module itself is the wrong size to fit with the other modules but none the less I included it within my final piece, because of its visual and technical intrigue.

Lift Me Up - This module is based on the lifting disc style of Lego Module I research, by rotating a disc this module incorporates gravity and a lower rev motor to lift balls. This module was made almost entirely from sheets of foam board, it's powered by a K’nex motor which has been rewired to work with the mains adaptors just like the rest of the project. The whole final piece is powered by five main electrical adaptor plugs, recycles from everyday electrical devices. The adaptors range in output voltage from 1.5v (a phone charger) to 12v from a small DIY drill. This modules motion is slow and visually appealing it one of my favourite and one of the most technically interesting. From an aesthetic standpoint the module is painted in acrylic spray paint and has several colours layered for a vintage industrial effect.

Paddle Boat - The paddle boat functions by moving balls in the same way a boat moves through water. I decided to make this module resemble a tug boat, by doing this it add interest and combine the ideas of function and aesthetic appeal. I mounted the boat in such a way that one of the paddles brushes against a barrier so it makes a sound similar to that of a combustion engine. The power source of the boat comes from the rear drive train of a RC car, each paddle has its own motor and gearbox which I modified by gearing down for slower revolutions. This module was interesting because it is one of the most reliable but also one of the most aesthetically pleasing of all the modules this one best combines the ideas of form and function. The ship's hull is made from cardboard which I then textured using resin and then painted accordingly, the cabin and minor details on the ship are various everyday objects linking to my ideas of repurposing. I created the water effect on the base plate using spray paint, I layers light blue with green, white and black to imitate the appearing of water on a flat surface.

Moss or Less - I wanted this work to have a genuinely clever and thought provoking title, I also wanted to incorporate this title in my final piece. The title 'Moss of Less' is the combination and blending of two phrases 'a rolling stone gathers no moss' and 'more or less'. my piece explore the idea of turning everyday items into pieces of art which are less traditionally functional hence 'more or less' is it more available as a piece of art or less viable because it comes from the destruction of functioning objects. 'A rolling stone gathers no moss' is a is an old proverb, credited to Publilius Syrus which mean a person who travels and is without roots will have no responsibility or cares, this proverb seems suited to the piece because it explores both movement and because its creator aims to live a life without responsibility or cares.



Archimedes’ Drill - The Archimedes' drill is one of the biggest and most visually stunning pieces within the project, the hypnotic motion is not only appealing but one of the most interesting ways of moving balls up and incline. An Archimedes' screw consists of a helical screw inside a hollow pipe or gutter which rotates to move matter upwards, originally created by Academies to move water the principle can be used on small objects. This module is made of a gardener's auger (a type of long screw used for digging) and the motor from a small drill. The framework that holds these two elements is made from board and reinforced with wooden beams, to make the channel the screw fits in I bent pieces of card within a framework to get and effective curve. This module is effective, noisy, reliable and appealing so it ticks all the boxes, its use of everyday items also means it links well to my premises.

The Bagatelle - The bagatelle module is simple from a technical standpoint, the module is simply a slope with a variety of obstacles and a channel at the end. This module was inspired by my pinball/bagatelle board which i made as lead up work to my final piece. This module is visual interesting to see the balls roll through it and make an amusing poinging noise as they fall. The obstacles are made from various bits of scrap metal and odds and end by using them scrap objects like this make it more interesting to look at and shows a variety of different materials to make different sounds and fall patterns. This piece had a really good junky look and combines standard manufacture and paint in the baseplate and assemblage and everyday object collecting in the obstacles

The last module is a series of par which form a greater whole. Then inverted Oxo tin is in fact the casing for the mainframe of overall sculpture, all the power cables come and go from this unassuming box. The whole final piece is power by 5 mains adaptors and each module can be turned on and off by a series of switches and controlled independently. The OXO tin was used intentionally, I also used red wiring to draw a comparison between the electrical system and the human heart.

On the box are several elements which use gravity and are intended to be aesthetically pleasing if not technically inventive. The first is a ramp which runs from the end of the bagatelle board to the next section, this ramp is made from a piece of plastic which was made to hold plywood panels together in a wardrobe, this ramp is very low friction so despite a small incline the balls move very quickly along it.

After the low friction ramp is a simply helta skelta like module which changed the angle of the balls and wraps them back round to the last module. This module is made from several old pegs and the box from a Edison record roll. These cylinders work similar to records and are fairly unusual, using the box from one a counters the record player module opposite it. The piece is very loud so the theme of sound is one which came about semi-accidental.

The last module is made from the body of an old SLR camera, having studied photography for the last year I have lost almost all interest in learning to take photos, however the form and technology behind the process does interest me, a idea which I've hinted at by using a camera in this module. The module works using gravity in the form of a small ramp, it is the beans on toast of modules from a technical standpoint but from an meaningful point its more interesting. The camera used is the same model as one my grandfather on my mother's side used. This piece is a homage to my grandfather on my father's side so in the interest of fairness I've used this module as representation of the other grandfather. He was a skilled metal worker for various companies, there's no doubt in my mind most of my metal work is piteous in comparison but perhaps there's a little in the genes, I do often use some of his tools.

Day 2 of Exam - Construction Diary

I observed a phenomenon today, when talking to my peers I realised everyone goes through a set of stages when creating a piece which can make for a emotional rollercoaster. Today I experienced all of these stages in quick succession...

Stage 1 - Hopeful Beginning

I began the day positively assuming that I would have lots of time to bring my work together and by the end of the day I would know exactly what I'd have to do to bring this project to a close. I finished putting together all my modules and then decided to try to wire them all and get them fully functioning and working in tandem.

Stage 2 - The Midpiece Crisis

None of the pieces worked together and I discovered my attempts at wiring were similar to my attempts at unassisted flight and divination. I was no the only person to become despondent due top set back and looking at my past work I think the midpiece crisis is common in many people not just me.

Stage 3 - Post Crisis reality check

I decided that I would need to re-wire my project, lower my expectation and accept I wouldn't get a continual motion. After rewiring the whole piece I managed to get it moving and was somewhat startled to find most people were entertained solely by its movement, noise and visual interest. I Then decide that my piece would still be as effective and interesting despite it not actually doing what it;s suppose to.

Stage 4 - Plan Change and Piece Completion

With my plans altered I forged on for many hours and as the day drew to a close most of my final piece was completed. I do however still have several hours work in fine tuning, attaching up several individual elements and final finishing touches to improve the peices composition.

Apart from discovering a series of stage that all art pieces seem to go through I have actually nearly finished my final peice, I've got five hours worth of improving and tuning to do to get the piece up to the quality i'm aiming for but all in all it has gone well. I was faced by wiring set-backs, I spent much of today battling gravity but on the whole it went well.

Day 1 of Exam - Construction Diary

Today was not the first time I was struck by a metaphor in the early evening sun, as I sit in my workshop and watch my elderly grandmother and semi-elderly mother do a jigsaw puzzle I realise i have spent most of the day doing one myself. Today was the first of three days of controlled art exam and I spent five hours assembling my final piece which is to be the culmination of a life time of work. Not my life time obviously perhaps the lifetime of a shrew or other small hearted mammal. Small hearted mammals brings me back to my family doing a jigsaw puzzle, today I did my own sort of a jigsaw puzzle because i put lots of pieces i have been working on together. The notable difference is with my final piece I'm not sure if all the parts are there or it they'll fit together.

I began my days work by unpacking all the part that I've been delivering for the past few week, I cam quickly to the realistion of two things, the mountain of work ahead and the mountain of parts beside me. Spreading out all the part gave me an appreciation for the work ahead, I screwed the main upright frame to the base frame and then assembled each individual module. With each module assembled I could then test to make sure they still worked, the modules fall into two major groups with some subdivision, either they raise balls up or drop them down, the most prominent module the ferris wheel lifts the balls to there highest point so I use that as my starting place. With my starting place, I then built the necessary frame to hold the system which would deliver balls to the bottom of the ferris wheel, this meant I have a start and finish place. As the day wore on I came up with a rough order of modules and started to mount them in series with the hope that at some point they would join up. By the end of the day my contraption was mostly in one piece and was partially wired and moderately functional.

I got alot done on the first day, most of today was assembling all the part and making sure they worked individually the more difficult bit will be to connect every module and get them all working in sync. I'm no fool and I admit the more I work on it the less likely I think it will be that i'll get every module working together and that i'll achieve perpetual motion, However the more I work on this piece the more I realise it is going to be visually ore inspiring whether it functions or not so I think that I'll still have a strong piece even if it doesn't work as well as I might have liked it to. The problem I'm having is that each module works perfectly individually but to fit each one within the base frame and then line them up in such a way they all work is difficult at this stage it may not be impossible however I feel chances are slim to none.

On the whole today did go very well I got a huge amount done and by starting to put every piece together I've realised I may have to curb my ambition which is a good thing to realise now rather than closer to the end of my time. I'm lucky that I can get straight back to work tomorrow, I plan to finish assembling my piece and then wire it so it is all functional and aesthetically pleasing. I'll spend my last day which will be three days subsequent to my second connecting all the modules up and hoping I can get an effective chain reaction, I'll also use the time to do finished aesthetic touches.

My invigilator