An evaluation of synthesis
What is Synthesis? The combining of the constituent elements of separate material or abstract entities into a single or unified entity (opposed to analysis) the separating o any material or abstract entity into its constituent elements. A complex whole formed by combining I like to think of it as all of the different bricks that make up a wall‌
1. Research into the definitions of words from the quote ‘The alchemy of the analogue is more unpredictable and therefore more alluring’ and words related to the quote and my initial research 2. Reading the guardian article by Grayson Perry gave a different slant on technology and its positive impact on craft 3. Reading ‘Magic Box and the computer’ made me consider the importance of hands in craft 4. Lecture on the history of print 5. Arts and craft movement research has given me a sense of where it all began and came from
6. Reading extracts from Richard Sennets ‘The Craftsman’ made me consider craft as a labour - and anything as a craft from dentistry to woodwork 7. Kiera Rathbone type writer artist image analysis influenced my own visual exploration (and struggles) on a typewriter 8. Louise Lockhart use of cut paper when working digitally heavily influenced my journal work 9. Explored using only hand methods and then only digital to compare the two 10.Visual exploration using hand rendered textures and shapes on digital programmes such as Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop
Research into the definitions of words from the quote ‘The alchemy of the analogue is more unpredictable and therefore more alluring’ and words related to the quote and my initial research
‘craft’ an activity involving skill in making things by hand
‘alluring’ powerfully and mysteriously attractive or fascinating; seductive
‘digital’ often contrasted with analogue, relating to, using or storing data or information in the form of digital signals, involving or relating to the use of computer technology.. This led me to exploring in my journal by hand and different ways of showing the use of my hands in the work I produce, thinking in terms of patterns and line to represent something fascinating and mysterious and introducing the use of computer technology to inform my outcomes.
Reading the guardian article by Grayson Perry gave a different slant on technology and its positive impact on craft Quote from article ‘Digital technology offers the craftsman and the artist creative opportunities that were previously too expensive for an individual, too time-consuming or just plain impossible.’ Influenced by Perry’s comments on digital technology giving ‘creative opportunities’ I explored using both hand rendered techniques and digital programmes and combining them both together which led me to some interesting outcomes.
Louise Lockhart use of cut paper when working digitally heavily influenced my journal work
Upon the visual analysis of Lockharts piece for ‘The Skinny’ I used my own cut paper shapes to inform the shape quality when working digitally. This allowed me to work digitally and make mistakes and rectify them yet still achieve an analogue aesthetic.
Rationale show how your work has matched or expanded upon your stated intentions. My theme is the analogue and digital craft and illustration. I am exploring this visually through both analogue and digital processes. I am doing it this way to naturally explore how they work singly or when combined. I intend to use a variety of materials from pencils and pens to crayons and things such as china markers which create more texture. Kiera Rathbone, a typewriter artist, intrigues me and I want to explore using a typewriter myself. I want to focus directly on the differences and similarities between patterns and shapes created by hand and digitally - so for example cut paper and adobe illustrator to build shapes and designs up. Finally, I want to develop work using marks made when making analogue work and develop it in a digital way also.
Successes • clear exploration between the differences and similarities of hand and digital through pattern and shape design outcomes and the repetition of creating a design using different processes • adding hand rendered textures and marks to my digital work I feel is the most successful work in the journal and this is something I intended to do and stated in the rationale so I’m pleased I followed through with it
Weaknesses • didn’t explore using as many materials as I had hoped to • I really struggled when using the typewriter as it just didn’t work as fast as I am used to on a computer keyboard and I struggled to line things up and it was a lengthy process which almost answers the topic in question of do we value the analogue and craft in the digital age as I clearly didn’t have the patience to produce work using the typewriter and turned to digital programmes to recreate something inspired by the outcomes of Kiera Rathbone.