TUESDAY 5TH DECEMBER

Today was the introductory lecture where we were briefed about the fmp project and portfolio. Mark led us through when the submission is (3rd May) and what we need to produce and submit for the fmp. This includes:

• 100 page sketchbook
• rationale: 400-500 words to describe our own personal project, key themes, concept, influences etc.
• blog
• final pieces

Mark also showed us a lot of different work that have been produce for the fmp from different previous students. This was really interesting to see what other people have produced and their own personal ideas however it has made me slightly nervous as some of the work is at a very high level! I particularly liked one students work who made a film that surrounded the theme of her culture identity. I was so shocked at the amount of detail that was in the film as the film felt highly professional due to the videos, music, voiceover and even little details like added in sounds such as wind or birds which helped enhance the film.

My thoughts for this project so far is that i am very very nervous. I feel like there is a lot to do at a very high level and i dont quite believe in myself that i can do it just yet. I hope to read and reflect on this post in may and see how far i have come from the early stages in December.  Mark also mentioned how a zine wouldnt be enough for the fmp which was my planned idea therefore i will need to do some thinking on how to expand my idea. I also want to look at the history of a zine and history of youth culture that mark recommended.

9TH JANUARY 2024- back after xmas!

This week is the first week back after the Christmas break! During the christmas break, i took advantage of the time  to slightly relax and refresh my mind so that when coming back to this module, i would have a clear mindset and ready to produce quality work! Over the break, i did have to focus on some other modules that had deadlines this week and therefore i have not had a lot of time to focus on the FMP. However now im back at university with all my other modules submitted, i can now put full focus into my work for the fmp which i am excited for.

The lecture on tuesday was an opportunity to regroup with our lecturers and other students and talk about our work so far/ ideas we want to produce. This was a really beneficial activity as it was a chance to hear other peoples ideas and how far they have progressed. However unfortunately, i did have to leave the lecture half way through as i’ve been quite poorly for a couple of weeks and needed to rest so that i could get better as soon as possible. Whilst being back home, i made sure to try and get some work done and so i started looking at exhibitions that relate to my theme of dreams so that i can go to them in London for the trip next week!

There was an exhibition called Zineb Sedira: ‘Dreams Have No Titles’ which is an immersive installation that includes an array of differing mediums such as film, sculpture, photography and performance. However this exhibition isn’t open till February and so i would like to maybe go back to London to visit this exhibition and maybe some others that correlate with dreams in the later months. I found that there wasnt many exhibitions that are directly linked to dreams next week in london however i still want to go as i think it will be a fun and beneficial trip regardless.

In terms of how my work is progressing for this module… to be really honest it hasn’t yet. I think with being quite poorly and being focused on HCS as well as these first months always being slightly hard, i have fallen behind already. However i am very adamant to turn this around and work hard as i’m now feeling much better! The first steps i want to make for the fmp is devising moodboards and structured plans for what i will create. I think this will help me in being organised and not leaving a single thing to the last minute. I also want to create a plan for every page of my zine and also think of differing ways to produce my work!

16TH JANUARY 2024- LONDON TRIP

Today we had the trip to london which was really exciting! Im originally from oxford and have not been to london many times in my life compared to a lot of my friends so not only was this a university trip but also i was an excited as a tourist!

We first went to the photographers gallery on oxford street where there was an exhibition on photographer Daido Moriyama. I was clueless going into the gallery as i had never heard of him nor seen his work however i was thoroughly surprised with how much i liked his work. The type of images Daido produces are mostly black and white and documentary style with a lot of density and grain. I really liked this as i have slightly explored the style of documentary images in the last module when i looked at Isaac Marley Morgan images and also have considered adopting this style in my work for the fmp. I particularly like  documentary photography due to how personal the images feel. Daido’s exhibition followed the different moments of his career, beginning with his early works for Japanese magazines and his engagement with photorealism. The exhibition then presented his reflective work and his photography that showed light on reality, memory and cities.

My favourite part of the exhibition was seeing some of the crazy photography produced yet still remaining to be in a photojournalism.  For example he had a close up image of a man with a large bug on his face or a man on an upside down chair that which was a reflective narrative on accidents and incidents. Another part i felt interest towards was how some work was inspired by Sigmund Freud and Karl Marx due to their immersive theories and texts. This stuck out to me as i had done extensive research on Freuds theories of dreams in the research project and how he believes dreams are ways our bodies tell us what our subconscious wants. Below are some of my personal favourite images created by Daido Moriyama.

We then went to Tate Britain to attend the Women in Revolt exhibition.  Although this exhibition wasn’t directly to do with my personal theme of dreams, it was such a good opportunity to see different art pieces and installations as well as the history behind them. The exhibition was an exploration of feminist art by over 100 women artists that worked in the UK. The art we saw helped fuel the women’s liberation movement during a period of significant social, economic and political change and was an opportunity to show women’s life experiences. This was all displayed through an array of different mediums such as paintings, photography and film that was made to fight against injustice and stand for reproductive rights, equal pay and race equality. These are all topics that i feel very strongly about and so seeing the work produced that displays these themes was really interesting and eye-opening.

Overall i really enjoyed the trip and seeing all the different photography and art produced within both exhibitions! It definitely has opened my eyes to see the different types of mediums that creatives use and how they displayed their different inspirations through their work.

30TH JANUARY 2024

Today we had a lecture where we got to meet the first years on our course and pair up as part of their design assistant task. Unfortunately not all the first years attended the lecture which meant  a couple of us didn’t get the chance to meet the first year who we have been paired with!

We also had a group meeting where myself and other class mates had an opportunity to talk to Mark and Chris and speak our concepts as well as listen to other peoples. This time i was in a different group so all the ideas  were new and ones i’ve never heard before which made it really interesting. Chris spoke to me about how R.E.M dreams (rapid eye movement dreams) are dreams where our brain is thinking the fastest whereas when we are deep sleeping, this is when our mind and body is rejuvenating for health. This was extremely interesting to me as i didn’t already know this! This has urged me to expand my knowledge on the science behind dreams rather than the extensive research i undertook on the type of common dreams we have. As well as this Chris recommended to listen to Matthew Walker’s radio 3 podcast on dreams which will be my next task!

PODCAST MATTHEW WALKER

I listened to the recommended podcast by Matthew Walker, the author of “Why We Sleep,” so i could expand my knowledge on the science behind sleep rather than just focusing on dreams. In the podcast, Walker curated classical music that he believes creates relaxation for our brainwave frequencies. For instance, he explained that Debussy’s “Clair De Lune” was chosen for its calming effect on the brain.

The podcast highlighted the fascinating relationship between sleep and memory and anecdotes about how musicians use sleeping/dreams to help their  performance and creativity. For example a pianist struggled learning all the notes for a piece he was working on however after getting a substantial amount of sleep, he could play perfectly in the morning which i found really interesting! This led him to conduct a ten-year study exploring the impact of sleep on memory.

What i also found really interesting is how when we are asleep, our brain frequencies oscillate from front to back, front to back etc. and he also explained the different patterns our brain frequencies work at different stages of sleep. I thought i could maybe use these facts and transform them into some creative work, looking at the different patterns.

AN UPDATE

After a conversation with Chris about how I am struggling on what to produce for my FMP, he stated how a zine would be plenty enough for the FMP and that I could indeed produce this! This has made me really happy as I enjoyed making zines in first year and the magazine project in second year and so having experience in this field is beneficial when making a zine.

As my FMP research progresses, I need to start work on the zine, focusing on planning content/ flat plan, establishing a brand aesthetic, and defining my target audience. However, I’m still  having questions of whether my project should take the form of a zine, a photobook, or even a film or installation. This uncertainty has led to some stress, as I realise i still need a definite plan rather than trying to do everything that i think of.

Chris and I spoke on how zines can be messy, spontaneous and random rather than something like a magazine where every little detail is thought out. We also spoke about how zines can include literally anything, from images and photography to art and collaging and the list goes on. This has made me more confident in what i’m planning to produce as I like to work in a more spontaneous way and work as i go instead of planning everything.

Feedback from my lecturers has prompted me to expand the zine concept, where i need to consider other elements. The idea of creating a song to accompany my zine is still something im eager to do as i have experience in collaborating with my brother and making songs in past projects. We agreed on making the zine a3 as well so it will have a larger impact.

I keep thinking am i creating a zine and a photobook? To me, both formats share similarities. I sort of envision my project as a hybrid of these, combining photography with artistic elements and possibly written content, all professionally printed.

ZINE FLAT PLAN- FEB

This is a highly rough zine flat plan i have made however i do not like to constrict myself to a plan so this might all change. I want the zine to aim for around 60 pages that is filled with photography from shoots and random photography, art and collaging as well as some sections with writing. For the writing i want it to be fun where the tones wont be too serious. I’m not planning on writing a lot, just a bit about dreams and sleeping so the readers are informed, maybe a interview or two as well as some sections that are taken from the dream log ive been keeping since the start of the FMP where i want to make collages inspired by my own personal dreams!

In terms of the zine layout and design, i’ve decided on the name DOZE as its a reference to sleeping and i think its playful and a solid, rememberable name. Throughout my publication research which is featured in my sketchbook, i looked at lots of different zines/ magazines so that i could see how they display their work, common themes in publications and the type of market they promote too. I looked at:

• SNEEZE, a skateboarding zine. Audience: like-minded skateboarders, young audience who are passionate about street/urban city culture.
• VISCOUSE, a fashion criticism magazine. Audience: People fascinated by fashion and want to be informed and kept up to date. Also eco conscious people as the magazine has a focus on sustainability within fashion.
• GOSSAMER, lifestyle zine with a focus on smoking cannabis culture. Audience: mostly young, like-minded people who smoke cannabis, playful or wacky people based on the zines aesthetic.
• OYSTER by Marco Marzocchi’s who created Oyster as an attempt to visually explore the absence of his parents. Audience: i think the audience can be anyone really but more of the type of people that want to read/consume something that has a more serious/deeper tone behind it. The photography is very black/white an documentary style so therefore people passionate about photography too.

Something i noticed when researching all these publications is that they are all entitled with a one word name that is quite unique and memorable. Therefore i think DOZE will be a good and successful name for my zine. Within my research i noticed they all maintain a cohesive aesthetic and colour scheme/brand colours that matches their themes. Therefore i decided to make a moodboard of the type of imagery and branding i will want for DOZE. Like i said previously, i work better as a more do as i go person where i dont like planning extensively as i feel like its an added pressure when making. Therefore colour themes/branding will be decided and added once the imagery and content is completed. However having a mood-board i can go off will be beneficial to see the type of content visually!

SHOOT PLANNING- FEB

the plans i have shoots are displayed more in my sketchbook with research and deeper planning into outfits and settings. However in short the plans i have for the shoots are:

BEDDING SHOOT

• A shoot based in the studio that surrounded the theme of sleep. I want to incorporate bedding where i can be playful with it and display it as fashion. In terms of clothing the clothes will mirror clothes you sleep in such as pj shirts, tartans etc. I want to try and incorporate a slight high fashion feel that will be succeeded by opaque red tights which will stand out against the white backgrounds.  Inspirations behind this include Tracy Emins ‘my bed installation’ as well as the private passions podcast i listened too which spoke about the importance of sleep.

RESULTS: ( a selection of my favourites)

GARDEN SHOOT

• A shoot based in my garden back home (as i am home for easter i want to utilise the facilities i have here). The shoot idea is based of using my mum to model. When speaking and asking about dreams around my peers and family, my mums dream is to tend the garden she has worked really hard on. All i ever hear my mum talk about is how much she loves her garden and how passionate she is about gardening. She is always watching gardening programs or reading books based on those themes. When asking her about dreams she often dreams about gardening as its always on her mind or her ‘dream in life’/ what would make her happiest is if she could just tend her garden all day. Therefore the shoot will include my mum with the setting of her garden. When thinking of dreams we often think about aspirational dreams and so i would like to do a shoot based of aspirations rather than basing my zine on just dreams. I also think a garden shoot could have the effect of being really dreamy as well where inspirations like Alice in Wonderland come to mind. Although the garden is out of season due to plants not flowering till summer, i still think i can make it work by putting indoor plants in the greenhouse. In terms of fashion, i could have a lot of fun and be playful in exploring gardening wear such as gloves, belts and tools as well! An idea i have is merging dressier outifts with gardening wear as i think it could be an effective juxtaposition.

Inspirations:

• Aspirational dreams
• Photographer Arianna Lago and her naturalistic approach to photography. (more in Sketchbook)
• CR Fashion Book: Photographer Jackie Nickerson and stylist Carine Roitfield.

Results:

SURREALISM SHOOT

Another shoot I will be doing over the easter break. I have been researching surrealism and how surrealist art, fashion etc is all inspired by dreams and unspoken feelings and desires. Surrealism often includes dream like scenes, bizarre assemblages of ordinary objects, distorted figures and more. Therefore i think this could be a really effective concept for a shoot. The idea I have for this shoot is to really play with the idea about how surrealism can include weird assortments of ordinary objects. As theres a slight nature theme I’ve explored in my zine, I wanted to further that in this shoot. I noticed that my mum has an insane amount of house plants in our home and so i thought i could put all the house plants in an unconventional room to make it seem like a jungle but also create the idea of a dream like scene that it completely random. I decided that the bathroom would be a good room to experiment this in.

The fashion I want in this shoot is to be fairly simple so that the garments dont take away from the setting. To further my use of drawing elements, I thought the model could wear smart-wear as it creates the juxtaposition of smart wear in a bath.

I ended up trying the location out and I overall loved the outcome of it. I definitely think it relates to dreams and the bizarre nature of surrealist art.

Other inspirations

• Surrealism
• Photographer Tim Walker’s theatrical work and how he draws opposites to create strange, fictional scenes.
• Photographer Viviane Sassen use of shadow work in her images.

Results:

NIGHTMARE SHOOT

– As my zine is about dreams, nightmares fall into this category too and so i thought it was vital to create a shoot inspired by these night terrors we all experience once in a while. Before I created a concept for this shoot, I needed to do research so that I understood the reasoning for why we experience nightmares. The extensive research is more in depth in my sketchbook however in short, we experience nightmares because its the brains way of focusing a person’s attention on issues they need to address.  I studied theories from Freud and Deirdre Barret where they agree on nightmares stemming from instances we experience in the day or our subconscious worrying about something.

From this I had a lot of different ideas for a shoot that included the theory that it stems from everyday worries. However I then remembered about sleep paralysis demons, these weird, non-existent figures that occur in the stage of sleep paralysis. Sleep Paralysis is the ‘resumption of consciousness that occurs while muscle atonia of REM (rapid eye movement). This phenomenon leads to an intense fear where you lie awake however you have the inability to use any part of your body. Therefore the concept behind this shoot will be recreating these figures that occur in this stage of sleep.

For the shoot, I have the idea of creating a wicked/ evil figure through their silhouette as when experiencing sleep paralysis, you often see just silhouettes. therefore to create a weird silhouette, i want to experiment in doing this through hair styling.

Inspirations:

• sleep paralysis demons
• 2022 GQ MAGAZINE: Robert Pattinson’s hair and makeup.
• Sid Vicious spikey hair.

Results:

FILLER CONTENT

On this image I blurred all the faces to replicate those distorted dreams where you don’t recognise anyone.

NOW WHAT? (APRIL)

It is now April and I have finally finished my zine on indesign! I have just realised I have been forgetting to time stamp my blog posts so the timings seem a bit all over the place (sorry) but it is april and I am on track to getting my zine printed. As i have really struggled and was quite last minute in doing my shoots and choosing to do a zine due to health issues and a lot of stress to be honest, I never gave myself a strict plan for my zine. I just sort of did it as i went which I think is the beauty to a zine, they can be messy and unplanned. Looking back at my zine plan, I did not keep to it at all but i dont mind because i personally think my zine has turned out really successful! The overall aesthetic and theme I went with was a black and green, dark theme that has pops of colours. I think it suits the type of zine that content that my target audience of young creatives as it offers art, photography, a tiny bit of written content and a song!

The song production for DOZE zine is explained a lot more extensive in my sketchbook however in short, I always knew i wanted to create a song to accompany my zine. This was because in dreams, you also hear and so i felt like it furthers the experience of dreams if i have a hand-made sound to go with. The idea behind it is that you scan a QR code that takes you to the song, so you can listen to it whilst intaking the content of the zine. It also was a good opportunity to learn song making as well as expanding the different mediums i have used.

Link to song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6D9uzEEFzs

I think for me, the song has been the part that I’ve found myself really proud off. I cant take all the credit as it was a collaboration with my brother who is a DJ for music like DnB, Jungle, Garage etc however i think it makes my zine and FMP stand out and become different to everyone else. The song was inspired by my research on artists like Grimes, Aphex Twin, Sully and Tame Impala where I studied their inspirations and synths. I also added the lyrics ‘Don’t be scared’ which are supposed to time up with when you get to the nightmare section (depending on how slow or fast you read the zine).

Finished flatplan:

finished zine:

1st May 2024

Today I received my physical zine in the post! I ordered from a online printing shop named Doxzoo which is a brand i have used in previous modules and knew was reliable. I requested for two A4 Zines as well as some A6 zines (the typical zine size) as i wanted a variety as well as having some that are available to sell at the exhibition if anyone wants any. Unfortunately, i could not print A3 which is what i initially wanted however i still think a4 will be as effective. the zines looked really good in real life and i was happy with the outcome. I decided on not having a hardback zine as i felt like that is more what a magazine has, whereas a zine is a lot more casual. Overall i am really happy with the outcome and it was nice to see something i have been working on for so long be printed out and seen in real life! There were no issues apart from the front cover having a slight pink tone however this didnt bother me too much.

EXHBITION

This is the final set up for my exhibition! I added all my images to the wooden panels by using double sided sticky tape as well as adding invisible string so that some hung between the panels. Overall, I love my final exhibition and I am really proud of my work, it was great to see all my work come together as well as seeing the other students work and the work completed for their FMP. I added my business cards as well as copies of my zine. I also added the QR code to my song for viewers to scan!

REFLECTION