Summary of all material research done this year

This is a brief summery of all the material research I have done this year (for more information on each one please refer to their individual blogs).

1) Lizard and Kiwi bird

What is it (how I made it): I used wire and beads to make a lizard and a kiwi bird in a way that was taught to me by a South African friend.

Why I made it: I made the lizard because they are very popular souvenirs in South Africa and thought it would express how I myself felt like a South African souvenir in New Zealand. I then made the Kiwi so I would have something representing New Zealand (since it is the national animal).

why it wasn't successful: It wasn't an effective way to express my ideas and practice and felt like a bit of a dead end (even though it was a good starting point). The theoretical side didn't work as well either - a lizard isn't that important in South Africa, they are just found every where, compared to the national bird of New Zealand. The two animals don't have the same status as each other so can't hold the same relevance.

2) Old bead work

What is it (how I made it): These are things I had made in the past and brought them into studio in bags presented on a board I used to display them on when I used to make this stuff to sell at a market in Hamilton.

Why I made it: I brought them along to show that I had a history with the material I am using (I knew it would never become a fully fledged work - I was using them as a reference)

why it wasn't successful: They weren't new works and didn't say anything other than that I had used beads as a material before.

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3) Heirlooms

What is it (how I made it): I went home to my parents house and gathered many heirlooms from there that I could bring to studio. I chose things with personal importance to me. I displayed them in a cabinet in reference to how important and old things being presented and protected in museums.

Why I made it: I brought these objects in to show everyone the different cultural influences (Dutch, British and South African) I have had in my life.

why it wasn't successful: Everyone said it was 'kitsch' and that there wasn't a way forward with this as I had already shown these objects, I was unwilling to alter them in anyway because of their importance to my family and I. It was a good way to explain my cross cultural upbringing but wouldn't be effective as a stand alone piece.

Right side of photo:

4) photos from home

What is it (how I made it): These are photos that I took at my parents house of things I wasn't able to bring into studio. I presented them in a photo album.

Why I made it: I put this together to further exemplify the different cultural influences in my life.

why it wasn't successful: Once again it was more used as a reference to get my group to understand my cultural influences so was a once off experiment.

middle of the photo:

5) Dutch food

What is it (how I made it): I documented a family tradition: The Dutch meal we eat on Easter every single year

Why I made it: I documented it to show that even though we don't live in Holland we still partake in a traditional Dutch meal. We used to do it every year in South Africa with my Dutch Grandmother and we still do it every year in New Zealand even though she wasn't here.

why it wasn't successful: I felt that documenting it was good but just for research purposes, I wouldn't be able to recreate it for a studio crit because it is only an Easter food. We do have many meals that we eat at my parents house which I could make but I very aware that someone else in my year group is using food to talk about culture and didn't want to invade on their project.

6) beaded skirt

What is it (how I made it): I made a material skirt out of the material I printed on last year, 3 beaded belts (each representing an important place: Europe, South Africa and New Zealand), a beaded net cover and a beaded patch with my family crest on it.

Why I made it: I made it in reference to the Native way beads were/are used in South Africa as a way of referencing where I was from but incorporating everything that was important to me in this project.

why it wasn't successful: It is culturally appropriating the way the native South Africans use beads which I can't claim to know because I have no affiliations with the tribes that use these methods.

7)Printed materials (memoirs)

What is it (how I made it): These are them memoirs I wrote this year in both English and Afrikaans firstly written out (so I could print them out in my own hand writing) then screen printed onto the same 100% organic flax linen that I printed on last year

Why I made it: I wanted to show how important language is to the concept of hybridity and colonization

why it wasn't successful: It was a stepping stone to further projects for me to use this printed material for other object. I just wasn't 100% happy using this method because it was exactly the same thing I did last year (the process not he text)

8) bead and material shapes

What is it (how I made it): This is the result of me trying to incorporate both my beads and my printed material together in a piece

Why I made it: I made these shapes to experiment with 2D and 3D shapes and to see how I could make these two material work together in terms of joining methods (sewing, welding, stretching, gluing). It was an experiment to see what would work best so I could plan a bigger piece using these materials together.

why it wasn't successful: The use of beads still looked too traditional (methods used in South Africa). Not everyone could read and understand the Afrikaans and didn't see the need to have both English and Afrikaans. they thought the shapes were arbitrary (even after I explained they were just to experiment). they were to 'crafty'

9) head cast (and plans for it)

What is it (how I made it): I got my head cast and make the mould. Then I filled it with plaster and got a plaster head out of it. I had 2 plans I could of gone through with this; 1) completely cover the plaster head in beads by gluing them on (influenced by Liza Lou) or make a wire structure from it and stretch the printed material over it to make a replication of my head.

Why I made it: I was talking a lot about identity in my research and my first response to identity is my face and when I started reading about hybridity then I wanted to incorporate beads and the printed material as a way to make different objects out of the same thing.

why it wasn't successful: It was just way to obvious and straight forward, no subtly so it would have been over looked and viewers wouldn't spend much time looking at it.

10) beaded curtain (prototype

I made my years in a bead curtain to see how to do it and found out that the beads definitely need to be the same size so that they end up being the same length. I also discovered that I needed bigger beads for it to be more effective and longer, I would also need more transparent beads because they catch the light and will look better to be presented. This was a great experiment to find out how to make the curtain in terms of technicalities.