Introductory project brief

Introduction

This opening exercise will run from Weeks 1-7. It is aimed to clarify the individual research question that you bring to the MA; as such, it is a means to help you evolve your research concerns through the making of a spatial proposal. This work will form the basis for developing your major project which is to be presented at the end of the course. The introductory exercise will investigate the relationship between space and its representation, and is to be presented in a way that juxtaposes two and three-dimensional means of representation.

The references

You will begin the exercise by making a relation between your research concerns and a series of spatial sequences by other artists, architects, designer and filmmakers. These points of reference are to be presented to the group. You will need to articulate how the sequences have particular relevance to your research concerns; the sequences need to be carefully selected and argued for. The sequences should comprise:

1.     A short (4 minutes maximum) spatial sequence taken from a film of your choice, presented either in dvd format or as a series of film stills.

2.     An extract describing a spatial sequence from a novel or other book of your choice, 500 words maximum.

3.     An architectural sequence from a building you have visited, presented in image and/or drawn form.

4.      A painting, abstract or figurative, that you feel establishes a relationship between the spectator and the virtual space of the painting.

5.     A spatial sequence from a piece of sculpture or installation art.

The spatial sequences do not have to be very long – they could describe a single transition between two adjacent spaces. But there has to be some kind of narrative concern underlying the references selected. You will then develop the proposal through analysis and interpretation, extracting the underlying themes that tie the disparate material together. You must be able to communicate how the sequences might inform your subsequent project.

The exercise

Using the above material, you will develop a spatial sequence of your own that is capable of materializing and communicating your research concerns. This can be in the form of architecture, object, furniture, installation or film – or hybrids between these outcomes. You are asked to combine two and/or three-dimensional ways of representing this sequence, such as by juxtaposing object/film, model/drawing, object/drawing, film/drawing, painting/object, painting/film. The idea is that these are small-scale proposals, which are not heavily workshop dependent, and can be constructed largely in the studio. Any moving image should ideally be incorporated in laptop or monitor form, although it may be possible to use projection. We do not have space at this point for large-scale installations, so the issue of scale has to be thought of creatively, as part of the proposal. The idea is to inventively link your spatial and research concerns. The physical outcome should be accompanied by a 300 word text that describes the spatial sequence your proposal presents.