project statement and evaluation x

Project statement and Evaluation Ideas and intentions Ideas for this project were to show a sense of place through a visual means. A number of topics were considered such as family, a childhood setting, bedrooms etc. The topic which showed a greater sense of place was North Wales. North Wales was chosen due to the fact family members live there and many happy personal memories have been made there. Having decided upon a topic of North Wales, what was left to decide was how to capture the true essence and meaning of how North Wales became a sense of place. Photographs were researched of north Wales via the internet and personal photographs and sticking them into a sketchbook with information about the source and meaning of the photo. After carrying out this research it was decided that the true intention of this project would be to make an observer feel like they wanted to experience North Wales for themselves and to feel a sense of belonging and place with the different areas. An idea of how to portray this feeling was to create a video to show exploration of North Wales culture through an electronic means. The idea was to combine still images and information of North Wales along with a true Welsh hymn to portray why North Wales is a sense of place. This was disregarded as a final piece due to it containing the same content as the sketchbook. The use of a sketchbook displays the original ideas linked to a sense of place and the process from deciding upon the topic of North Wales to the final piece. It includes the pictures, the reasons why those pictures were chosen and how they relate to my sense of place. It also includes memories, family photographs, hobbies; culture and places of interest that have made those areas contribute to north Wales being a sense of place. The idea of the final piece was to show all feelings and affection that have made North Wales become a sense of place through creating a traditional love spoon. Having explored the key ideas that have made north Wales a sense of place, it was noted that the final piece needed to be typically welsh, show the love and affection felt for the area and stand on its own as representing that sense of place. It was felt that culture best displayed this and in particular a welsh love spoon. Therefore, the final piece is a love spoon. Subject matter/reference material/sources A sketchbook was developed to accompany and show the processes used in both developing ideas and the final piece itself. The sketchbook firstly contains two mindmaps, which were used to generate and display ideas. One mindmap shows general thoughts and ideas about 'sense of place', while the other focuses more specifically on ideas around how North Wales offers personal sense of place. The ideas shown on the second mindmap are then expanded upon, looking at each aspect in detail. Wales and Welsh culture were researched using the internet, including the language, symbols and emblems, flags, welsh cakes, welsh love spoons and welsh costumes, and the history of each. North Wales was a focus of much internet research, looking at why people would want to visit the are, local attractions etc and blending the information researched from the internet, with personal memories and emotions. These are displayed as a collage of scenery images of North Wales. Horse riding in North Wales also provides a sense of place, therefore personal memories and family photographs are included. As a love spoon was chosen to be the final piece, love spoon artist Adam King was researched and his designs were studied. Ideas for the designing and making processes were developed from this research, including mindmaps and sketches. Materials/media/ICT programs/techniques explored A range of materials were explored and used throughout the process to present ideas, including photographs displayed in various ways, pictures / sketches, written information and diagrams. ICT has featured strongly in this project. The programme Tagxedo was used to draw a love spoon using associated, relevant words, to also show how a sense of place has developed. An internet blog has been developed to provide information about the project. easywhois.co.uk has been employed to validate websites used and graffiti creator has been used to produce a visually pleasing title for the sketchbook. The final piece was made using pine as it is a softer wood, which is generally easier to work with, and a variety of tools and techniques were used in the making process, as is explained in the sketchbook. Evaluation The main intention of this project was to visually demonstrate and communicate a ‘sense of place’. This aim has been successfully met, as the final product clearly demonstrates a well-known artefact of Welsh history and culture, with North Wales being the area where a sense of place is found. The final product also contains symbolism of Wales and of ‘home’ or ‘sense of place’, with a daffodil, the symbol of Wales, being burned onto the spoon and a keyhole has been cut out which represents home or the “unlocking of a sense of place,” the final product communicates both visually and in a tactile way. The support material also helps to communicate a sense of place successfully, as it demonstrates clearly and coherently how ideas have been developed, with the use of mind maps, the processes involved in the making stage and explains why North Wales has a strong sense of place, communicating this visually with the use of drawings, diagrams, photographs and personal experience. It is clear that how we visualise and interpret visual images is greatly influenced by social, historical and social/cultural influences, this project addresses and demonstrates visually all of these features and explains clearly how they have helped to build a sense of place. ICT has been used suitably and meaningfully to also communicate ideas visually, with the use of ‘Tagxedo” showing relevant vocabulary displayed in a visually stimulating way, in the shape of a love spoon. “graffiti maker” has been used to produce a striking and eye-catching title for the portfolio. Easywhois.co.uk was employed to validate websites used, and an internet blog has been created to provide further information about the project. As stated, the use of a video story was considered, but was disregarded as it would have simply been a duplication of the still images contained in the portfolio and therefore would not have enhanced the project, it would simply have used ICT for the sake of using ICT. Where as the ICT used in the final material, visually enhances the project, communicating ideas in a stimulating way. The research carried out for this project made use of both primary and secondary sources, allowing the ideas, influences and thinking of others to be linked with personal feelings and experiences.