(I use they/them, my full first name is Racheal but I prefer Rach)
PHOTOGRAPHY – ALL SEMESTER
Google Drive to High Res Images in Slideshow – Experimental Photography Book
ARTIST MULTIPLE
When it came to creating my artist multiple I had some trouble, first my ideas didn’t feel complete or always unfinished; and then I nearly broke my hand. In the end I was able to create a multiple that makes myself and others laugh. It plays on how most students get simple pieces of paper to show our degree.
I was able to with one hand make these ribbons, I made 5 in total! Holographic vinyl on a satin ribbon with a metal grommet and then an orange tie!
The ribbon is a mock on track and field ribbons and it says “ I went to art school and all I got was this ribbon”
Environmental Videos
Nikki x Rach Videos
Working as a group brought forth ideas that I personally wouldn’t have thought of. I enjoyed working with someone, someone who was able to bounce ideas off each other and expand on them. We came up with three video ideas, 2 were completed together and 1 separately. The first two are called tree-iage and call birds not girls. The final video we did was about tarot reading within nature and not to a person. We created different-length videos and when we combined them they worked well but upon showing the class we sought we will try them separately and possibly together later down the road once reshot and edited. The one video I did was with a tree, I wouldn’t put it past 50 years at most though I do think it’s a younger tree and we wouldn’t be able to tell unless counting the rings within the tree. The video is called earthly connection and saw I do a tarot card pull and have a connection to the tree I explain to it what each card means and the possible outcomes that I see come from the pull.
(all videos are linked in the paragraph and will open in a new tab!)
BOOK STACKING
This small project made me think about books in a different way than ever before. It had me wondering about the course or context that lead the University of Guelph Library to purchase these books. While working I saw some fellow students thinking out of the box and it sparked creativity within the little work bubble some of us created. I enjoyed this project because it lead to out-of-the-box thinking within titles or colours and so much more. At first, I was going to limit myself to one floor, but I am glad I didn’t; it opened me up too much more. I then carried a few books throughout the library and tried to carry over the different floors that I used most in my pieces of work.
The final three I chose to share are a mixture of levels 2,3,4 of the university library.
The first photo is of three books that look like they are falling and the covers are open, the book spines read; mind in nature, interpreting the universe, nothing so absurd.
The second photo is of a digital painting that could represent feuds. Below the digital painting, there is a photo of 2 books with titles aligned that say; the sun placed in the abyss, the feuds of the clans.
The final photo is a black and grey photo of 2 books with titles aligned. The books are authored by one person, Annie S Swan. The titles read; The Better part, Between the tides.
ENVIRONMENTAL ARTIST PRESENTATION
Jason Logan — Make Ink
He is a Toronto-based artist, or as his website states a creative director and strategic graphic designer. He is known for several projects and companies. He has several books and is the founder of the Toronto Ink Company.
“I am convinced that creativity is a fierce weapon”
— StudioOlafurEliasson
Jason’s approach to design is summed up in two sentences that are stated on his website, “Good design thrives in the space between function and beauty. It completes, awakens, and engages the senses while helping to make sense of information.” He is a big believer that good design requires doing; that means making, doodling, imagining, and prototyping until things work out. And he is all about teamwork, he believes that good design cannot happen alone.
Because Jason has covered so many different artworks and other projects, I wanted to share some of the works before going into the big project that Jason has been working on for a while.
The big project that will be discussed is one of the books that Jason has published. The book is called Make Ink: A Forager’s Guide to Natural Inkmaking; it is 192 pages that are bound by a hardcover, and was printed in 2018. This book was used as a citizen science experiment to see and make eco-friendly, urban ink from street-harvested pigments.
In the book, Jason dives deep into the history of ink making and how to distill pigments from the natural world. We are able to learn to forage from materials such as ash/soot, rush, food, and even cigarette butts! After we are taught how to forage for the supplies to make the pigments, we then are taught how to mix, text, and transform all of the items you foraged into rich, vibrant inks; these inks are sensitive to both place and environment.
(I did not buy the full book, but I am tempted! I have found 2 articles on the library website that Jason has written to talk about natural pigment making!)
