FMP: Introductory Media

Final Major Project

Introductory Media

1920's Seed Packets:

I visited the Baileys Home Store in Ross-on-Wye on Baileys Whitecross Farm, Bridstow, to personally research the seed packets I had been informed was there.  Pulling into the car park in my little 2002 Vauxhal Corsa, I immediately got a feel of the place, parked next to big, expensive Range Rover, Sport's and those alike.  The displays of every item in Baileys made each product (such as a wooden peg) appear luxurious and worth getting a mortgage out to buy. 

http://www.baileyshome.com/

However, in among this impressive displays, was a stand, with beautiful, delicate and tactile seed packets.  Enquiring about these, I discovered these were French 1920's seed packets.  

I couldn't help myself but to purchase two of my favourite seed packets (see bellow) and by collecting these, gave me the inspiration I needed for my Introductory Media and business cards.  Also having these, I could see how they were constructed and analyse and reference why they are so impressive.

 

This is what I thought of the vintage, 1920's seed packets:

Visual:

• Closely cropped, focuses on the subject and provides a quality composition
• Organic and natural colours
• Shapely lines make the vegetables look luscious
• 'Perfect' vegetables = good advertisement for the seeds
• The text compliments the illustration and subject in a traditional 'type writer' style
• Very 'of its time' and 1920's esqu.  The painted technique goes well with the topic as its a very natural approach.  
• Not so much here, but the painted technique can also be quite messy in appearance which is also complimentary to the hands-on subject matter.

Paper Engineering / Construction:

• The image is printed onto a shiny, textured paper in a quite handmade manner, quite a lot like the hand crafted nature of an allotment. I like these principles.
• However, paper used for the packet itself is very flimsy and easily torn.  Although, this is understandable as they are approximately 90 years old.
• Off white / brown paper compliments the topic well.  Better than a brilliant, sterile white.

FMP: Allotments, Idea's and Development

Final Major Project

Allotments, Idea's & Development

It doesn't only seem to be me that is currently fascinated by allotments and the character they hold.

Shops such as "Salt and Pepper" are also promoting the more traditional joys of allotments and gardening in a range of beautiful, tactile and decorative items.  These consist of storage boxes, paper watering can seed holders, and blank decorative seed packets.  All of their items are either beautifully crafted and decorated to appeal to adults, or created to encourage children to engage in outdoor creativity.  This is very similar to the art work I wish to create.

I want to involve all members of society in gardening, as well as display allotments character and beauty.  Involving children in this to show it can be adventurous is an aim I desire to achieve.  If you can start involvement in allotments at such a young age, it can be taught into new generations that gardening is fun for everyone and has so many benefits.

The allotment and gardening range in "Salt and Pepper" having its own whole section, beautifully arranged and given its own section in the shop, only shows how fashionable and important this back-to-basics activity is.

FMP, Allotments, Primary Research, Part 2

Allotments Primary Research, Part 2

Ross-On-Wye Allotments

Situated next to a well kept cemetery on a housing estate, the Ross-On-Wye allotments are very particular about how they are viewed.  Trying to find the entrance was a nightmare, as this gated community are incredibly conscious of who access the site.  

After persuading a king lady to gain me entry, I could see straight away how well kept and organised the allotments were.  Whilst I was viewing one of the more 'untidy' plots, another gentleman proceeded to make the point that un-kept plots were dealt with seriously.  They have a warning system, then if the plot isn't tidied and brought 'up-to-standard' they are removed and the plot's given to someone else.

However, I find something intriguing about a more unorganised plot, it tells a story and seems to have more character than the 'perfect' plot.

Even the sheds are pristine and 'perfect'

I couldn't help but to compare this allotment to Monmouth's, which I had grown so fond of.  Ross' more pristine appearance and layout may have been much more aesthetically pleasing but was sterile in comparison to Monmouth's.  Where as Ross' was much more modern and up-to-date (as I discovered that half of it was only approximately a year old) and displayed lusher plants, Monmouth's was much more accessible, welcoming and full of character and story.

Even with my preference to my home-towns allotments, Ross' was beautiful in its own right and it was wonderful to see such a contrast in allotments.  I found some home made gems at these allotments which I hadn't in Monmouth's.  The hanging CD's, scare crow and planted golf clubs, but to name a few.

Clever water access

The plants are protected under these large water bottles

Ross' plots include the famous CD bird deter-ant

This scare crow has character with its hat and t-shirt on

The glass panel from an old green house, magnifies and centres the heat and sun onto the plants underneath.  Not only that but its a physical deter-ant to birds

Old plumbing tubing is used here to run wire from to help the plants grow up it. 

This is one of my favourite ideas.  I love how the golf clubs stand out proudly from the ground.  There rubber handles protect people form impaling themselves on them.  However, I wonder how the owner came across this many clubs???

This is very aesthetically pleasing, the spirals and shiny metal are a work of art on there own.  However, its also useful as it gives plants a form to grow up.

Speaking to this allotment owner's parents who come to water the plants, they informed me that the tall sphere of mesh was a structure to grow sweet peas up.

This link to Ross-On-Wye's allotment Internet page shows only 'perfect' photographs of the plots.  This is very representative of how the allotment owners want to represent their community.

Link to: Ross-On-Wye, Town Council's, allotment page

Here I am sketching at the Ross-On-Wye allotments:

FMP: Allotments Research

Final Major Project

Allotments Secondary Research

Now that I have created some primary reportage research I am moving onto secondary research in this post.

To get inspiration I think I shall start at the more historically successful allotment promotion. 

I could not explore this territory without looking at the most famous 'Dig for Victory' campaign.  During World War Two the campaign was so successful that they are still well known today.  After all this time its clear that these posters and media were just as sustainable as the allotments themselves.

Dig For Victory "You Tube" link

This film, intended to be shown in cinema's, advertised the benefits of self sufficient vegetable growth and gave a really romanticised view of allotments.  It was inclusive of all age groups and sexes along with presenting it as a personal responsibility.  It also creates comparisons between allotments and wartime success, stating "Food is just as important a weapon of war, as guns" then showing a boy digging up a marrow and presenting a blimp.  These visual comparisons would have been images the public at that time could relate with.  As a film, this is very out of date and would not connect with today's audience at all.  However, for its time this piece of media considered the interests of the majority and took into consideration what would appeal to them.  I have learnt from this, that I need to consider what contemporary fashions and trends (such as organic vegetables, grow your own and back to basics family activities) would appeal to the majority to promote allotments and outside creative ventures.



This shows how many children were included in the allotments and has a self sufficient tone.  They are given the responsibility and accessibility to all equipment, making them feel involved and helpful.  This is a great way to encourage children to garden.  By having many children involved also makes it seem popular.  I will need to make my allotement project show allotments with their positives.  Taking these into consideration is useful.

Eventhough this is the back of a person, it is obvious that it is a child, due to its outfit and bowed legs.

John Bratby:

The artist John Bratby's approach to the way he paints seems very suitable to the free, imperfection of the allotment itself.

"Birling Gap I with Flecked Sky", Bratby

"Thistles in a Jug", Bratby

His quick way of working is shown through the confident brush strokes and marks that can be seen on his paintings.  Comparisons are shown through his paintings and the subject of the allotment.  They stand out and make you want to reach out and touch them, just as items in a allotment are often hands on and full of varying textures.  The wonky fencing in the 1965 painting "Birling Gap I with Flecked Sky" is very similar to that of the hand made, novice construction of allotment fencing and other items the creative allotment owners have.  The grass in this painting also looks wild and blown in the same direction of the sky's clouds.  This is a very appropriate approach to consider when developing a design and experimenting with techniques.

Antoni Gaudi's "La Sagrada Familia"

When in Barcelona, Spain, in March 2012 I took a trip to Antoni Gaudi's architectural dream, cathedral "La Sagrada Familia".  This beautiful masterpiece is a wondrous combination of worship of God and worship of nature.  There I found his breath taking design a subtly grand expression of the importance of nature. The flowered ceiling and stem pillars were most fascinating.  The following photos are my own primary research:

ME!

Here the pillars in the foreground are like roots anchoring the cathedral into the ground, connecting it with nature and earth.  The background section has windows similar to bee's honeycomb hives.

The natural reference is clear here in the flower head shaped stained glass window.

The vines are beautifully decorating the balcony

The flowery molds are all over this side of the cathedral

Here, there's actually a Christmas tree proudly stood between the other more obviously sculptured turrets, which have taken the shape of the same style fir tree

Gaudi's inspiration from nature was displayed and picked apart in the Cathedral's museum section:

I may not be taking a focus on the actual plants and crops in the allotment project but I will be needing to take a quite natural and organic tone to the image which I create.  This is where I will be considering Gaudi's work, of combining two subject matters in such a natural way.  The whole way he had of looking at things is also what I need to consider when looking around the allotments again.  Either way, I wanted to share this intelligent man with you as I found his work here and in mosaics' truly inspiring.

Tord Boontje

This Dutch interior designer and architect of furniture, goes by the slogan "Use what you've got" and his work can clearly be seen to have a connection to the spirit of an allotment.  This slogan alone seems to sum up well the resourceful nature of allotment holders, who, like Tord can have the vision to create something beautiful and architecturally sound, out of scrap.  Tord's 1997 project sums this up well.  Tord used old, thrown away bottles and recycled them to create a stunning table wear collection.  From vases to cups, he used unwanted, discarded rubbish and found a new use or purpose for them, just like that of the creative people in allotments.

Tord dislikes new, glossy items but finds the more rustic, allotment-esque objects more able to "... tell a story".  His work is very honest and not pretentious.  He loves breaking the rules to make anything possible.  Similar to that of the allotment owner who is known to break the mold and put unrelated items together to create something revolutionary useful, functional and most of all, practical.

In the talk I attended, Tord stated that he doesn't like sterile objects but isn't much into nostalgia either.  When creating my images I will be wanting to create an illustration that is full of character and spirit, but not too 'tweed' or nostalgic either.

Tord's work has no boundaries, like that of allotments when crops of berries escape their confines and spill out onto railway lines or whatever area is near to the plots.  Tord is a lot like a creative allotment owner, in trying to find creative solutions for common outdoor problems.  His unique 'Shadow Chairs' is a wonderful practical design created to provide shade from the sun.  This was created in a well thought of design and stemmed from a common problem.  The allotment owner and Tord are both similar in the problem - solution department, using their imagination and knowledge to fix these issues.

Tord (like allotment owners) is a very practical thinker and all his work is considered in a usable standard.  He learns from the people and specialists who he works with, just as a allotment owner would learn from their community, always gaining knowledge and always learning from others.

This is Tord's most famous work he did for Habitat