My practice project aims are to develop a body of work and a finalized object related to the research I gathered during my MAI 130 critical publication. Specifically, I want this project to be led by a folklore known as Lantern Man. It is a regional folklore from the county of Norfolk and is a personified rendition of the globally observed folklore of will-o’-the-wisp (an ethereal, mysterious floating luminous entity usually found in marshy, uncertain places.)
I found myself intrigued by the concept of Lantern Man during my research and yet I could not find much materiality concerning this folklore. I have been thinking about this bodily form could consist of. This ranges from its origin story, which archetypes it embodies, and how the influence of darkness – specifically twilight or gloaming – can empower its form. Furthermore, the way that light can influence a narrative’s path.
I aim to complete the term with an article/s which are the culmination of a considered time experimenting with light, dark and materials. I plan on working with materials which are both familiar and new to my practice. These include laser cutting, cyanotype, considerations of light/ dark, and possibly thinking about movement via analogue means and an introductory set of classes in Adobe After Effects. All will be chosen in terms of my initial aim: to experience place via narrative, materiality, light & dark
When reflecting upon my MAI 120 project, a critique I have is that the connection between application of research to my practice could have been more detailed and thoughtful. I am hoping during the MAI 140 to push myself to be bolder in image making and therefore do not want to solidify this project into a format as of this moment: I would prefer to the research and material experimentation to naturally inform me through the semester. I believe that fostering my own instincts is an important component to my authorial practice and connects to other positive and required skills such as confidence, decisiveness, and time management.
I would prefer to not focus my project on specifically children, although my mind did immediately veer towards this demographic, due to my initial visions for the work and my past professional work in children’s design. Instead, I would like to think more about the article as a piece for perhaps both adults and children, something that both demographics could take information from. This is another reason that I see this project becoming a tactile, or interactive piece – to enhance the sense of inclusion in the creation of a communal space.
Creatives of interest:
Ways to start this:
- focusing on the main character and how they can be portrayed: creating shapes via various materials to get a sense of their presence
- Collecting photographic source material to gain a sense of the environment I want to portray
- thinking about materials which effect quality of light such as: drawing/ painting on transparent / translucent sheets, carbon drawing, tracing paper, thin fabric,
- how light would be used in relation to the project