Project Two - Presenting and Presentation: Peer Critique

 Here are two examples of presentations of my piece, both are similar, and I would like to take more time to try different set ups to help convey my meaning better. I have had some suggestions from others in my critique group, and intend on trying some of them during the upcoming holidays.
This first one is the one I used for the critique, a desk fairly empty of objects, but for the ones I use everyday while working - my teapot and cup, my books and papers with drawings and notes on, my laptop, with a photo on the screen that matches the ones on the wall behind the desk.
The whole set up is designed to look like a student's desk, with the "final work" laid out on the desk, and in the photos behind the desk. But without the set up around it it would change the meaning, it would just become a badge with a yin yang fish pattern on it.

This set up has more "junk" on the desk, with makes it look more realistic to me, being as that's the junk that is normally on my desk, but at the same time, I do not want to have objects on the desk that people will try to put meaning to when it is not intended. Just having the paper craft Darlik (a race from the tv series Dr Who) is iffy enough, as I can think of multiple ways in which it could have other meanings than intended placed upon its back. My intended meaning is nothing more than an icon of a series which I highly enjoy, and consider important, or as important as a fictional tv series can get to me.











A Collation of Critique
this is a quick collation of the critique notes my peers and tutors provided me with, at least, the ones that I could read...

Visuals - distinctive visual aspects, what is interesting about the work, why etc:

- Interesting use of space
- Yin Yang Fish, Asian influences
- Colour, not usual yin yang colours
- Materials, shiny/reflective surface
- presentation, important to the concept. Unconventional display
- odd/interesting locations for photo backgrounds
- Balance
- Flow
- Repetition
- Harmony
- Organic
- expressive mark making on the fish

Some Visual aspects that came up that I felt were quite irrelevant to my idea of my concept, but I will have to consider in connection to this piece now

- Symbolic of construction difficulties
- Pisces (star sign)


Concept - Communicative value of the work. Ideas that feature prominently, and impact the work could/does have:

- Balance of opposites
- Contrast
- Asian Influence (teapot and cup, yin yang)
- Strong colours, delicate work
- Linked to earth element (yin yang)
- Development of an artist
- Presentation (thought provoking)
- Meta theme (conception and growth)
- Alot of readings
- Traditional + primitive concepts displayed contemporary)
- Pull between two forces
- Unity
- Circle of life
- Hard to follow

Completely unintentional concepts people read

- Waterproof
- Life of an enameller
- A relation between Yin Yang and Pisces


Presentation - How well the work is presented:
I have separated them into three groups in this order - ideas from people who I feel have understood the basic idea, ideas from people who felt the presentation was all wrong, and comments that may not show one way or another. All are valid groups, I simply find it easier to separate them.

- Worked well as a whole
- Objects on desk represent common 'needs' of a student (tea, coffee, etc)
- Piece is almost all presentation
- Haphazard
- Workspace very tidy for a working student

- Images alone strong enough, desk is surplus
- Enamel piece almost lost on workbook
- Photos should have been displayed straight
- Too much
- Confusing, should be displayed as jewellery?

- Decorative
- Large images help show details of badge
- Need for harmony?
- Badge is re contextualised as adornment for objects, not body

Suggestions for presentations:

- Photos displayed differently, eg - straight?
- Table not directly below photos
- Displayed as jewellery
- Specifically lit room/area
- More minimalist approach
- Larger images
- Isolate object on plinth
- Shift focus to piece, not everything all together
- Cubical with wall either side


General - general improvements and comments

- Greater number of pieces
- Use three stages of development
- develop into other pieces - necklace, earrings, cuffs?
- Concept louder within presentation

- Not 100% on ideas and narratives
- Beautiful design