Andrew Brooks talk- Emma Senior

This talk was very interesting as he spoke about how important it is to get connected with Manchester and as an artist/ designer to get your work and ideas seen by the public. He told us about the companies such as Crowdfunder and Kickstarter that help fund unknown artists to get exhibition space. Also different artists studios such as 

• Islington Mill Studios
• Rogue Studios
• Hot Bed Press- these concentraite on printing
• Black Media

He also told us about the Skyliner blog that he works on with another artist.

Hotspur House Film Nights Part 2- Ailsa Lishman.

I went to the second film night at Hotspur House last night, and i'm pleased to say that this was a much more cheerier film! I'd really recommend everyone going to at least a couple, as they seem to show films that you wouldn't normally watch. This week it was a comedy called 'Airplane!', I had heard of the film, but never watched it before, and don't think i'd ever have picked it out to watch. 

This film was basically about a couple who were on the verge of seperating, as the man is 'too stuck in the past' and his partner says she can no longer deal with it. She works as an air hostess, and says she's changed her shift to go to Chicago, so she can no longer see him. He cannot bare to lose her so buys a ticket onto her flight. 

What was to follow throughout the film is hilarious, I found it a really fun film. The whole thing was a parody of a disaster film, with absurd jokes and slapstick comedy throughout.

I don't want to say too much about what happens incase anyone fancies watching it at anypoint themselves, but I'd really recommend it. 

 

Slide Library- Ailsa Lishman

I really enjoyed the talk from John Davies about the slide library, and I think it's great that he's so enthusiastic about saving the collection. I think it would be such a shame for a collection of over 300,000 slides to go to waste. I'm really keen to try and make use of slides within my project. 

It's given me all sorts of ideas about making my own slides, using acetates etc, and projecting them, using layerying, projecting imagery onto walls to draw from. 

www.flickr.com/photos/mmuvisualresources is the link to look at just a section of the collections!

I went in myself to ask about slides to do with gardens, and the amount that he came up with was amazing and I ended up spending at least 2 hours going though them all and choosing 30 slides to take out. He was so helpful with it all, you can take the slides out for 2 weeks, but that can be extended if you want, and also you can use the projectors and take them to the studio to draw from etc just need to check when it's free first! 

See the full gallery on Posterous

It's really worth just asking him if there's anything at all relevant to your project just to get new inspirations. I found some images I would have never thought to look for before if I hadn't had a look through the slides. 

 

FASHIONFRINGE: Matthew Williamson in conversation with Colin McDowell

Rhian and I were lucky enough to be able to attend a Fashion Fringe roadshow talk on Wednesday. 

What is Fashion Fringe?

Fashion Fringe is an annual award platform – founded by Colin McDowell in 2003 in conjunction with IMG Fashion – offering talented emerging designers the chance to launch their label in London through a combined programme of mentoring, studio space, financial support and a catwalk show at London Fashion Week.

 We were lucky enough to attend a talk with one of Britians most celebrated designers, who started off his education here in Manchester, before moving to London to attend Central St.Martins.  Everyone seemed in awe of the designer and what he has achieved.  He was extremely down to earth and appreciated that he did really land on his feet. Talking about Jade Jagger and Kate Moss walking in his very first show in 1997 and his first time in the Vogue offices, strolling in with his first collection in big bags- surreal!

The conversation mainly focused on young designers today trying to make their mark in the industry.  Willamson was nothing but encouraging.

A very inspiring man.

See the full gallery on Posterous

 

http://www.fashionfringe.co.uk/apply/apply-here/

Lucy

Initial Ideas- Emma Senior

For my initial ideas I thought about when I moved to Manchester and how nervous I was and thought that other future students will also feel like this. You want the community areas in the new building to feel comforting and somewhere the students can relax. This then made me think of being snuggled in my bed, nice and warm, I want to design a place like this for students, to make the concrete area somewhere softer and warmer. I take a lot of inspiration from nature as it has been around me my whole life and I think it is so beautiful. It reminded me of chicks being in a nest, huddled up warm together. I want to take inspiration for my designs from birds to create somewhere comforting and relaxing for students. I started my initial research in the Special Collections, where I found a book of bird paintings by Brian Wildsmith. I like the colours he uses in his work so I would like to take inspiration from this, I think I will choose one of his paintings and do a colour scheme for my project from that.

Also found other books with interesting facts on birds, and also some just on information on different types of birds nests and materials they use to build them. I have now started to do research in books and journals, looking at everything from interiors, garden, jewellery, sculpture and architecture to textiles

I liked this piece someone has been working on in hotspur house, I imagined lining it with thick wadding and then decorating the outside and in like a natural haven.

Initial Ideas- Emma Senior

For my initial ideas I thought about when I moved to Manchester and how nervous I was and thought that other future students will also feel like this. You want the community areas in the new building to feel comforting and somewhere the students can relax. This then made me think of being snuggled in my bed, nice and warm, I want to design a place like this for students, to make the concrete area somewhere softer and warmer. I take a lot of inspiration from nature as it has been around me my whole life and I think it is so beautiful. It reminded me of chicks being in a nest, huddled up warm together. I want to take inspiration for my designs from birds to create somewhere comforting and relaxing for students. I started my initial research in the Special Collections, where I found a book of bird paintings by Brian Wildsmith. I like the colours he uses in his work so I would like to take inspiration from this, I think I will choose one of his paintings and do a colour scheme for my project from that.

Also found other books with interesting facts on birds, and also some just on information on different types of birds nests and materials they use to build them. I have now started to do research in books and journals, looking at everything from interiors, garden, jewellery, sculpture and architecture to textiles

I liked this piece someone has been working on in hotspur house, I imagined lining it with thick wadding and then decorating the outside and in like a natural haven.

Infra_MANC exhibit- Emma Senior

This exhibition was about the infrastructure of Manchester after the war era, giving us information on the guardian underground telephone exchange, the picc- vic tunnel which was a proposed route underneath the city linking the Picadilly and Victoria stations, and also the rooftop heliport which was aspired to be the ultimate mobility for the masses when the helicopter was created in the middle of the 20th century.  Although this exhibit was quite interesting I didn't find it particualarly relevant to my project, maybe it would give someone elses project more inspiration.