"Tate Modern- Graciela Iturbide- Review"

On entering Room 11 of the “Poetry and Dream” exhibition at the Tate, one gets the opportunity to “travel” along Graciela Iturbide and experience everyday life in places such Mexico, Italy and Mississippi. A retrospective exhibition featuring an overview of Iturbide’s’ work over four decades, in which she depicts the themes of urban and rural life. Through her photographs she presents various ideas such as, indigenous rituals, the role of women in society, as well as the tension between tradition and modernity. One of the highlights of the exhibition, titled as “Nuestra Senora de las Iguanas”-1979, is a photograph of a powerful female figure, which portrays the theme of feminism that the artist explores. The mutual relationship between Iturbide and her subjects is vividly reflected and this seems to catch the attention of everyone in the room. By photographing the world in black and white, she manages to arouse and amaze all visitors of the exhibition, who stop and thoroughly study her work. Although she explores cultural themes and her work does not have any colour, there is certain playfulness in most of her pieces and this makes the exhibition enjoyable for people of all ages. As an artist, Iturbide achieves to pass on her emotions and ideas through something so simple as a black and white photograph. In addition, the minimalistic layout of the exhibition makes each picture individually unique and therefore, every piece is equally appreciated. Whether she photographs humans, scenery or even objects, Graciela Iturbide manages to capture an essence of culture through her work and this culture is transferred vividly to her viewers.

"3DD- Day Three"

For the final day of the 3DD rotation, we were split in groups of six and had to create a bridge out of cardboard and bamboo sticks. The challenging part was that it had to only touch the floor on two places and it had to be strong enough for a remote control car to go on it. The team I was in worked very well together and we came up with a design which was both impressive and strong. My favorite aspect of the bridge was the triangular shapes on top, which created a tunnel for the car to pass through. I thought that this was very effective since it held the car on the road and it was also a unique detail of the bridge, which made it look better. In addition, we decided to make the supports of the structure leaning so that the design of the bridge would look more innovative and it was an aspect no one would expect to see. Unfortunately, we did not manage our time well therefore, we were able to apply this on only one of the two supports. Thankfully, the bridge did not collapse when the car was driven on it. I really enjoyed this exercise since I got the opportunity to work in a group in order to create something. Everyone shared their ideas in the group and then we put everything together in order to create a final outcome. I believe that the whole group was pleased with the design and structure of our bridge.  

"3DD- Day Two"

On the second day of the 3DD rotation, we had to create a structure to hold up three plastic balls, using spaghetti. In the beginning, I thought that this sounded impossible because the spaghetti would not be strong enough to hold other objects on them. However, after thoroughly thinking about the structure I would use, I managed to create something which was strong enough to hold the plastic balls above the ground. Firstly, we had to connect the different pieces of the structure using blue tack  and later on we secured them together with a glue gun. This time, I tried to focus on the design I would do, as well as well as how effective it would be and this because on the first day of this week I tended to give more attention to one of the two aspects. 

After everyone finished their structure we presented all of them on a table and I though this was very exciting since we got the opportunity to see each others ideas and techniques. I think everyone was pleased with the outcome of their work since we all managed to create unique structures which holder the plastic balls above the ground. 

In order to take this project a step further away, the tutor asked us to use paper, in whatever way we wanted to, in order to make our structures stronger. I tried to fill my structure with folded pieces of paper, thinking that it would make it more dense, therefore more suitable for supporting a heavier object. Even though it collapsed when a basketball was thrown on it, I was still pleased with the outcome of it. I tried to decorate it in order to make it look more like an object rather than a structure to support other things. I think that even if I tried to approach this with a different technique, it would still not be able to hold the weight of a basketball since spaghetti are are a very delicate material to work with.

"3DD- Day One"

During the first part of the 3DD rotation, we had to make quick sketches of three-dimensional objects however, using new techniques. For instance, we had to create a bus stop inspired by the number of our house and a lamp inspired by our favorite piece of clothing. This exercise was fascinating since we got to think out of the box and in addition, it taught us that we can find inspiration from everywhere. Later on, we had to create a three-dimensional object, out of a piece of A3 paper, which would be able to hold up a flask full of water. What I decided to do was to fold the paper in various ways in order to create this abstract and triangular object. When I tried to put the flask on, my object crushed. What I did wrong, was that before creating this I did not carefully think about the structure of my object and what would make it stronger in order to hold the flask. Even though I am pleased with the appearance of my object, if I were to do this again, I would not use the same technique of folding the paper since it was not efficient enough. I would probably try and make it more structural rather than more abstract for instance, create a base out of triangles so that it would be more steady. Although my attempt was not successful, I enjoyed this exercise a lot since I got the opportunity to try something new.  

During the last part of the day, our new task was to create a structure that would hold our body 30cm from the ground, using cardboard. It was the first time I was working with this material and at first I found it difficult to fold it and alter its shape. What I intended to do was to create a chair however, what I did not think about was the size of it. It turned out to be so small that it almost fitted me to sit on and in addition, the design was very simple. If I had the chance to do this again, I would try and create a much more innovative design for it. What I am pleased about is that although it is very small, the structure was very strong and it did not collapse. For the two three-dimensional projects we did that day, I realized that both the structure as well as the design matter when creating an object. You have to focus equally on both of them so that the end result is effective and looks good as well. 

"Fashion and Textiles- Day Two"

For the second day of the fashion and textiles rotation we were asked to bring in ten magazine cut outs of body figures. During the lesson, we had to create  three-dimensional garments or accessories on top of these cut outs. I got inspired by flowers and therefore I wanted to create something which depicts the flowing form of pedals. I mostly focused on the upper part of the body and created garments which have an interesting shape and loads of volume. Working with paper and tape was easy for me because they are two elements which I often use in my work however, I wished I had used different materials so that I could experiment more and create something more innovative. Later on, we had to draw about twenty designs in our sketchbook for a clothing piece or accessory we would later on create. I tried to design both clothing pieces as well as scarves and head accessories so that I could have a range of designs to choose from. The thing that I would do differently if I had to do this again, would be that I would spend less time on each drawing so that I would have time to do more. In my opinion, this was one of the most exciting days of the foundation course, since we did collages using various materials and came up with our own unique ideas for clothing items. 

"Fashion and Textiles- Day One- Part Two"

During the second part of the day, we were asked to choose one of the shapes we created and produce 20 of them in different sizes. After that, we were split into groups of two and we had to go around and create garments using other people's shapes. What I found most exciting about this exercise was that we had to work along with one of our classmates in order to create these final pieces. Each time we would move on a different mannequin, the task changed and this made it more challenging for us. For instance, we had to experiment with volume, focus on one area of the body, as well as creating an avant-garde piece. In my opinion, me and my partner managed to cooperate and create unique pieces, even though it was the first time we worked together. We both shared our ideas and, most of the times, combined them in order to create something which would esthetically look good. It was the first time I had ever worked on a mannequin, therefore the first few times we found it difficult to complete our garment in time. However, after a few times we learnt how to work faster and work on different aspects of the piece so that we could complete it in time. This exercise was a great opportunity for experimenting by trying new shapes and structures on the mannequin. 

"Fashion and Textiles- Day One- Part One"

                                                                   For the first part of the fashion and textiles rotation, we had to make various three-dimensional shapes using paper and magazine cut outs. I wanted to experiment with loads of different shapes and elements such as circles and  triangles, as well as volume. At first, I just used one element at a time however, later on I combined two or three, in order to make things look more interesting and complicated. In some of them, I used tape instead of glue, to connect the different parts of the structure and I though that this created a very effective outcome. I noticed that the tape worked well both for attaching everything together, as well as adding more depth to the shape. I really enjoyed this exercise because it gave us the opportunity to experiment and creating interesting shapes just by using a simple material

like paper. 

"Lens Based Media- Day Three"

For the final day of the lens media rotation, we had to create a series of six photographs to tell a story. My story was about a young girl who had to leave home because she fell unwanted by her parents. She became addicted to drugs and was forced to sleep in dark alleys because she did not belong anywhere. One day, she had an overdose and ended up in a place where she was lost between two realities, not sure whether she was dead or alive. A few hours later, she woke up on a raft, in the middle of the sea, without knowing how she ended up there. Thankfully, a man was passing by with his boat, noticed the girl and saved her. They fell in love, lived on the boat and traveled around the world. The girl finally stopped using drugs, found a place to call home and for the first time in her life, felt wanted. 

In order to depict this story board I decided to experiment with different materials such as cardboard, plastic bags, paper and tape. I created my own figures and settings and this made me more involved in the process of telling the story. For example, I had to think of different aspects such as the lighting, in order to create a suitable atmosphere. I enjoy the outcome however, I think that I could use more variation in my pictures. The settings are mostly the same and I believe that  if i had changed them a bit, the storyboard would have looked more interesting. 

 

After everyone presented their work in groups of six, we had to do a critique, which I found very effective since I got advice on how I could improve my story. They told me that if I had introduced another problem to the character, like falling in love with the wrong man who treats her badly, the story would be more effective. In addition, in the scene where she wakes up in the middle of the sea, I could have almost make her drown so that there is more tension in the story, therefore it will catch the audiences' attention more. I believe that the advice I got was very helpful since it made me realize what I did effectively and what I could improve to make my work better.