1. Vision
Module Leader, Professor Alex Coles’ publication series EP (Extended Play) is based on the interim format between a Single Play vinyl and Long-Playing album. The concept is to meld the discursive intellectual weight of academic art and design journals such as Domus, with the edgy public vacuity of cool culture magazines such as Frieze. Despite collaborating with a renowned design team to materialize the styling, the logo and circular image, lacks the magnetic impact of fashioning culture publications or uber stylish journals and the efficacy of the logo was in question. Rather than collaboration, the deployed process appeared commission based with a directorship of control that Coles, openly states is difficult to relinquish (Coles, A. 2023)
The ideation of work is a bearing of creative fruit. As the visionary in a project it is often difficult to renounce responsibility and prideful ownership of your work. On watching the documentary Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist (Tucker, 2018) the aggrandisement of global expansion subjected Westwood to an emotional dichotomy upon being told international stores stock a plethora of plastic shoes. Sharply grating against her environmental standards of design and diluting the iconoclastic statementing in the meaningful oeuvre of her vision. Both modes of production have a monarchical structure of creativity, whose heir may not have parallels in practice. Alex’s choice of maverick abdication of the EP project shows that he is the project – unwilling to relinquish the lineage to another – the project ceases to exist. Without the vision of the fashion royalty Vivienne Westwood, it is yet unknown if the brand can continue to co-exist with her absence.
So, How to have succession in a project?
The head of state must implement a strong house, scripture, theme, dictum, core concept – a brand.
Studying Art and Design at master’s level, we have collective capacity to be visionary within the Creative Industries. This may have been problematic assigning commerce defined roles as described by Janine Sykes, Lecturer in Art, in the talk on project management (Sykes, J. 2023). Creative innovation and Entrepreneurship being the penultimate module to our Final Major Project, my looming thoughts if allocated an unsatisfactory role, were of a possible complete waste of time.
Therefore, to be thrown into a musical chairs panic of deciding group members, prior knowledge of individual practices from the Creative Studio Module, sent haste emails requesting collaborations. Namely with Caitlyn Mathews whose work in Contemporary Art had evident parallel concepts with my own practice; the body as a vessel of expression and aesthetic view.
Our introductory edgy atmosphere mirrored my anxious anticipation of relinquishing relevance in practice. Caitlyn and I, interplaying a seizure of scribbled notes and exchanges of verbal confidences, interjected a rigorous desire to perpetuate our narrative within this choiceless collaborative confinement.
Yet such a drive inverted the gaze of the group to the pole of our leadership, not a conscious will of authoritarian dominance, but a gravitation towards strength in ideation and determination of mutual benefice. The answer of ‘Cathie’ unanimously exposed the natural selection of personality traits with the question ‘So who is going to be project leader?’
From our initial introductions, our mood board thoughts were presented through visual impetus of previous work, ideas, and desired outcomes for the project. Connecting the lines of comparison led to natural categorisation of input from team members. Several of us had a human emphasis unifying the decision of ‘the body’, and ergonomics to be the core theme.
I wished to consolidate opportunities to enhance all individual outcomes benefitting the final major project. Having a gallery showcase would give many of us the chance to incorporate our practice and I suggested blending the pop-up gallery idea with hospitality. Adding immersive experience, marketing and publishing to create a hybrid between gallery/bar/performance space. Contemporary exhibitions, themed rooms, a weekly ‘art wall’ where public and artists could create their own wall piece, performance vestibule, lecture and discussion program, a rolling digital art screen, Interactive installations all combined with hospitality and socializing to create an ‘ArtBar’.
References
Coles, A J . University of Huddersfield. (2023, January, 19). EP Talk [Presentation].
Tucker, L (Director). (2018) Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist [Television Broadcast]. BBC.
Sykes, J. University of Huddersfield (2023, January, 23). Job Roles [Presentation]
Images
- Domus Journal Cover [Presentation Image]. In Coles, A. (2023). EP Talk (p.4)
- Tucker, L (2019). Vivienne Westwood [Video Still]. Youtube
- EP Publication Cover [Presentation Image]. In Coles, A. (2023). EP Talk (p.4)
- Freize Magazine Covers [Presentation Image]. In Coles, A. (2023). EP Talk (p.3)
- Alamy (1987). Vivienne Westwood, trying on her crown [Stock Photograph]. British Vogue. https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/decoding-the-personal-style-of-vivienne-westwood
- Job Roles [Presentation Slide] in Sykes, J. (2023) Job Roles (p. 1)
- Mathews, C. (2022) Naked Atelier [Performance Photograph]
- Mathews, C. (2022) Naked Atelier 2 [Performance Photograph
- Mathews, C. (2022) Naked Atelier 3 [Performance Photograph]
- Sivinska McCartan , C. (2021-2022). Slublean [Pencil on Paper]
- Sivinska McCartan , C. (2021-2022). Bold Identity[Digitally Manipulated Photographs]
- Sivinska McCartan , C. (2021-2022). Elemental Phrases[Presentation Slide]
- Initial Ideas Slide [Presentation] In McCartan, C. (2023). Artbar MoodBoard (p15)
- Categories Slide [Presentation] In McCartan, C. (2023). ArtBar MoodBoard (p16)
- Buildings Slide [Presentation] In McCartan, C. (2023). ArtBar MoodBoard (p2)
- Interior Slide Slide [Presentation] In McCartan, C. (2023). ArtBar MoodBoard (p3)
- Fashion Installation Slide [Presentation] In McCartan, C. (2023). ArtBar MoodBoard (p4)
Web Pages
314 architecture studio designs a curved house on the greek coast (designboom.com)