TIMOROUS BEASTIES

I discovered Timorous Beasties last year whilst on my foundation but have found that I have come back to them time and time again for inspiration. Taking inspiration mainly from the natural world, they create amazing unique and modern designs sometimes however harking back to classic print designs such as their well known 'Glasgow Toile'.

  
Most of their designs have a hand drawn quality to them that I love and even though some finished products are digitally printed, they still use the 'hand made', screen printed method which I think sets them apart from many other design houses.


In June 2011 they embarked upon a project to create window coverings for the inside of Stratford Market station in East London to provide privacy in parts of the building. They used their 'Tree Of Life' design on clear vinyl for the finished product.
This could be an area of further investigation for my work as the new build houses a lot of glass and this is a contemporary and fun way of giving privacy to areas in and around buildings.

http://www.timorousbeasties.com/

6 IMAGES- my project so far...

We were given a task to sum up our work so far using only 6 images in the hope that it would help us analyse our project critically. 

To showcase these images I decided to make a concertina artists book with the 6 images/pages that I think have played the biggest part in my project's development so far.

I think this helps to show clear thought processes and it also helps to make decisions about the next steps of my project. 

INKBLOT PATTERNS

Over the past week I've been developing my imagery (iconic Manchester inkblots) into patterns that can be used in and around the new art school. I've been using photoshop for this and I've found using the programme very easy and effective! :) I love the colours I've developed in the patterns and I think it could be just what the new building needs to get it to start looking and feeling like an art 'hub'. 

 This process will be ongoing however I have started to now think about how I can display these patterns. So, I have been experimenting with different paper and fabrics to examine and to help me choose which textures and finishes I want to use in my work. 

INKBLOTS

I've decided to focus my imagery for this project on inkblots and how they can represent events, people, places and marks found within Manchester and Manchester's past. So, I started to look at marks found in and around Manchester such as peeling walls, puddles, brickwork etc and I have also started to look into major events, music movements and influential people within the city's past. From these I have made some inkblots which I think represent the imagery and information I have found.

'Factory Records Inkblot'

 The imagery I have created has lead me to think about pattern and how I can use these to create pattern in and around the new build.

Thoughts and Ideas (week 2)

Just a few thoughts and ideas I've had progressing from my starting point. Jotting down my thoughts like this helps me to sift through my ideas and give me a sense of direction!

CLAIRE LOWE 19/03/2012- Danusha Komar

Today I attended a talk by Claire Lowe, the partenership manager for 'The Corridor Manchester'. The 'Corridor' runs from St.Peter's Square, through the city and down to and past the Whitworth Art Gallery, the heart of the corridor being Oxford Road. The area covers 243 hectares and employs 18% of the city's total workforce.

The Corridor is a unique business location which links three of the main educational centres in Manchester:

Manchester Metropolitan University

The University of Manchester

Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS foundation Trust

The Commonwealth Games and the move of part of the BBC to Oxford Road (Manchester) in 2002-6 made way and kickstarted the partnership. In 2007 the Manchester City South Partenership was formed and in 2008 the name was changed to 'The Corridor Manchester'.

The main aim of 'the Corridor' is to be 'the leading UK location for knowledge-based businesses, research & development and learning and knowledge'. Their vision is to be CREATIVE, ORIGINAL and SMART and they are currently working on 5 main themes throughout their business:

1.SENSE OF PLACE

2.TRANSPORT

3.ENVIRONMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE

4.RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

5.EMPLOYMENT, BUSINESS AND SKILLS

One fundemental project they are working on at the moment is the Cross City Bus Package which is going to involve a bus route that travels up and down the Corridor and allows tourists and workers to visit and get to places along the corridor without a need for and transport changes. This should make the Corridor more accessible and more well known.

Another project the partenership is working on is the Public Realm. In this they aim to regenerate and to develop streets and areas which surround the Corridor through art and new technology. One area where this can already be seen is the Grosvenor Square.

They are also very interested in 'green' spaces and travelling.

Other members of the partenership are:

Cornerhouse

Bruntwood

Manchester City Council

Manchester Science Parks LTD

http://www.corridormanchester.com/welcome

Arrivals...

 

I decided to look at Manchester for my arrival point as the start of the unit. I thought it would be fitting to look at the city and the immediate surroundings of the art school to add history and context to my ideas. I wrote a short piece describing the scenes I saw when I first visited Manchester and ended in the Northern Quarter which is where I have decided to focus my attention at this point in Unit X.

I made some drawings from memory that related to my 'short story'.

I then visited the Northern Quarter to gather research and take photographs. I started to take photos of backstreets and the brickwork but then discovered the metal tiles in the floor about half way up 'Oldham Street'. They are symbolic tiles with images and patterns synonymous with Manchester and what was once the underground music scene. This made me think about the marks and the memories people have made and left in and upon Manchester. Hopefully this idea of memories and mark making will feed into my work and help me to produce some amazing ideas!