For our last session of term I had what feel like an early Christmas present - lots of really wonderful feedback that was so kind and insightful. I feel very humbled!
I really struggled with the video. I tried to roughly follow my unit 2 assessement page, that was the starting point for putting it together. I decided to include lots of pictures taken in the forest, both of the forest and of my sketchbook layed out in it, and me drawing in it. The feedback was amazing and really confirmed that the images of the forest are really important as a means of showing what I see.
First everyone watched the video then filled out comments on a miro board with 3 prompts: I feel....., I wonder......., I think....... MIRO BOARD
These are the comments:
I feel awestruck by how productive Jo is and many beautiful prints she can create over term 2. I feel small with how expert Jo is and how much she is able to incorporate into a single print
I wonder how Jo learnt all of these techniques and how to blend them so well. I wonder how long you will explore this forest through your work and what this specific place means to you. I wonder where this exploration of place will go
I think the collaboration with nature is really special. The print techniques combined with the natural materials and place as a subject are really beautiful. I think it would be interesting to see how you will continue evolving this thinking and continue growing as you seem to have made so much progress already. I think the way in which you represent the forest as your place is telling of a very intimate relationship with it. Choosing to not have the sun be blocked by the lines of the tree for example are telling of your experience of seeing the sun and how the light just kind of envelopes what's in front of it. I wonder how you could ever know a place as well as that forest and whether it's possible to do a subject beyond the forest without that intimate relationship and back and forth happening already. I would be really interested to see you try it for somewhere new - the same collaboration, the same kind of scenes, just to compare!
I feel... in place
I wonder ... about the consequence of the work...
I think... about the physical engagement with the landscape
I feel excited and eager to know more about your work the video includes lots of content that I can know about not only the process but the way you feel about the nature.
I wonder how you manage to work with so many different materials and sources for the prints. As you have mentioned about the natural materials, fabrics, woods... I wonder if there are any dificulties when you are experimenting on using them
I think it's very nice to show the process of print making, including lots of scenes of you in the forest, so I can really related to the reason why you are so interested in making works with the place, the views and natural scenery are so beautiful and give me energies by just seeing it
I feel...
Curious, involved in Jo’s process, like she has made me care more about the forest that she cares about
I wonder ...
how much Jo is motivated by issues related to the environment, not just her environment, but the broader global climate. I wonder about the connection between the paper she uses and the paper from the forest, paper as a material made from trees
I think...
that Jo loves her craft deeply, and this absolutely comes through with the work that she is creating. There is such an immense amount of care for it, and I think that this is connected to the care she has for the forest.
I feel... intrigue and some excitement for the process of the work, I especially love the use of mixed materials bound up, as well as the implementation of less common interactions like the soda. I feel that the work is in a process of steady explorative and confident progression that seems to have some sense of looking ahead. I enjoyed the photographic contexts provided because they helped me see the inspiration behind this body of work
I wonder ... what role your dog plays in your outings! Does she help with your journeys or hinder them?
I think... the work shows commitment to printing processes.
I feel interested in all your processes, a sense of admiration that you have a get on with it attitude and work hard. I dont feel challenged or upset, I feel reassured that life in the forest will go on and the atmosphere you've captured in your photos are shining through in your print work
I wonder what processes you will choose to major on next and if you will develop the sense of discovery evident especially in your textile work.
I think you've nailed how to work and you are not content to continue with only what you know sells, you are pushing boundaries. I think that forest is going to provide a fruitful source for endless inspiration. I can't imagine there is print process you haven't explored.
I feel...a real sense of the forest, nature seeping outwards from the screen
I wonder ...how these works could be seen as an installation piece,
I think...a fab display of your process, and different approaches, really excited at the contextual aspect and the way in which you have moved through your ideas, really great, very professionally put together, and your understanding of print but with ethical vision. I see an activist in the making!
I feel...a real sense of the variety of techniques and processes involved with printmaking. Also a strong energy coming through from the forest. A reminder of our impact on the planet is plainly seen through the images of the logged areas and this is particularly emotive for me.
I wonder ...if there is a particular print making process that speaks to you most strongly and whether this is a process you're familiar with (and therefore perhaps more confident with) or whether it's a process less known to you, but intriguing all the same - and one you would like to develop more.
I think...the moonlight used in your work is lovely and wonder if exploring more night time pieces might yield some interesting experiments?
This is the only author I know: Jonathan -
I feel... mesmerised by the experimentation - captivated by the mark making and the processes involved
I wonder ... what exciting possibilities will emerge as you combine even more the experimental processes -
also the laying on the ground of the sketches - so much potential - I wonder how else you could explore installing in place?
I think... the mixing of the print techniques have an echo of the mixing of purposes for the woods, the SSSI, the logging, the dog walking etc -- all these different uses are a type of mixing of the methods of the landscape itself - like the mixing of the etching and natural materials or the caustic soda etc.
Next there was a verbal feedback park where people started with the phrase: 'what worked for me'. Others who agreed gave a thumbs up on the sreen. I took an audio recording of this part, this is a summary:
Prints on textiles - connected to the photographs , the colours & vibrancy of it came through
Striking reminder of the impact of logging - the images of the logged areas were quite shocking - interesting to see how that feeds into new work
Activism approach is quite striking and exciting. Scenes of beauty to the changing scenes of logged areas. Judi Bari - american activist for forest logging in California - someone to look up. Various ways of working with print.
Long concertina piece on the floor in the forest
Understanding how all the stuff that brought you to making the lithograph and how much of an achievement that was
The engagement with the enviroment
The collaboration you have with the space and the telling relationship with the woods
The ability of the video itself - very professional - put me in your space and in the forest with you - really nice way to tell your story
The range of techniques and processes with printmaking - there was vocabulary that I didn't understand but it was reallly interesting to see you experimenting in the different ways, wondering whether there is one that you find most invigorating or fulfilling?
Being taken along with your enthusiasm, the evidence of hard work and development, feels likes the forest is safe in your hands!
The sense of looking forward in the process, really liked the bound materials, the experimental aspect
The way that you presented the video, the most imporatant things being the experiment and places then breaking it down into the details, repeating the same movement in different ways, gives me a sense of experimenting in the way you work
The realisation about the sense of place and how informative that is in your work
Some early shots of things you were experimenting on and how you felt they were mistakes - they had a lovely ambiguity about them
Use of the photgraphic documentation to offer context
There is so much to think about from this, and I know I will need to revisit this repeadtedly! Firstly the comments about the video will really help me contextualise my work for others in the future (thinking ahead to unit 3, as well as the wider context).
I'm particularly pleased that the connection to place has really come through. I think this is so key to my work that if I wasn't communicationg this I'd feel like I'd failed before I'd even made anything! I'm also particularly pleased that the experiemntation and range of 'makings' was enjoyed as I think that's the other core part of my practice, I seem unable to stand still and really enjoy experimenting. I want to print out all these comments and fully digest them then I can comment further, but my overall feeling is that I have managed to share my place and my practice in a way that my coursemates enjoyed and found engaging which I'm absolutely delighted by.
The comments that initially stand out are about ignoring the selling aspect and making what I want to make and the role of my dog! I love that someone picked up on this because without the dog I wouldn't be in the forest half as much as I am, it's mainly through the dog that I have come to know the forest as well as I do since I have to walk her every day. The question of whether she's a hindrance or help is really interesting as she's the reason I'm there and yet she is an asolute pain sometimes when I want to sketch as she digs holes, covers me in dirt, gets herself filthy and then 'protects' me by barking at other dogs who might get too close (although this can be handy as more than one sketch bears the muddy/slobbery marks of overly interested labradors!). It's a good remider that the real connection to the forest began during lockdown as a place to amuse the children everyday and has been sustained ever since though dog walking. A timely reminder of our need for, reliance on and the benefits of spaces such as the forest!