Week 5 ‘A terrifying night’

I decided to put together a video where the ‘bus-shit crazy old lady’ appears completely out of context.I hope this to be one film in a series of many. I plan to film other short films with her quirks etc before looking back at how she became the anger riddled/bitter old lady that she is today.

I think the video was far more sucessful then I had envisioned,the red lighting really gave an atmosperic feel and I think the video was the right level of dark avant_garde humour.I’d say for my first time making a comedic performance and not a serious performance art piece it has turned out well.I must admit it was a lot of fun to make and coming up with ideas. Alot of laughter was involved in the filming of this and I hope it it brings laughter to everyone that watches it especially in these dark times.

Medusa has been a very obvious choice in terms of the hair altho Granma sadly doesn’t have the power of looks to entice people in with!

I was encouraged by my partner to watch some of the Monty Python sketches as they may be somewhat of an influence to me.And I just so happened to occur this sketch called ‘hells grannies’ which obviously coincided really well with my project.Altho bus-shit crazy old lady is obviously alot darker I love the thought of grannies rebelling and doing what society doesn’t expect of them.I also think that in a way we all know some old person who rebels like that. I allways remember being in total awe of my friends granny as she looked so sweet but swore like a trooper and would allways be flirting with old men,especially one that used to bring her a paper each day.

A few illustrations of ideas for further filming.I feel that drawing the ideas helps the development of the process and helps them come alive.It also felt natural to use the paper used for creating the wig in order to draw on it.This connection just felt like part of the process.Writing some dialogue also helped with the characters development.I felt that using continous line gave her the most character.

I feel that the prison shot would be a good shot for when she gets caught after all the ‘cable murders’.

A look at giving the wig a personality of it’s own after discovering last week that it had it’s own sculptural almost facial like qualties.I also drew some drawings of potential personalities with added to dialogue.I don’t know if prehaps this would be too much work alongside the character of Granma herself but I am willing to see where this takes me as nothing ventured,nothing gained.

I have the idea of a stop motion where the knitting starts to knit on top of her head and down her face and round her into a scarf.The only issue would be getting the needles to stay upright especially when they are meant to be moving.

I decided to make posters which will be put about town with the hashtag ‘what is the last stop’ so that without people even knowing it she is getting inside there minds as they take a photo and use the hashtag which then connects the image to the internet.So the public become almost part of the performance but without realising it.

I was encouraged by a fellow classmate to watch ‘Commedia dell’Arte.I find it interesting how they talk about ‘moving through the emotions of the character using the body’ as opposed to speaking and this is something I think i will try to take into future performances.

Bibliography

Comedia dell’arte. (2011). Character Shape. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJEwuurzDe4&t=38s. Last accessed 16th Nov 2020.

Youtube. (2010). Monty python-Hells grannies. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmzMzmnB-iQ. Last accessed 13th Nov 2020

Week 4

This week I started to create the wig for the character as well as creating the character herself. I also came to the decision that as the character develops so will the wig.

After some quick development sketches, I got to work creating the wig. The initial starting point was to use a mop-head but the one I had was too small for my head, so I decided to use sheep’s wool and stretched it out and attached it to the scrap material I had used to cover the top of the foam headband. The sheep’s wool didn’t give the desired effect as ‘bus shit crazy old lady’ has really big, almost foam like hair; so I decided to use some wadding mixed in with the sheep’s wool and super-glued it together which was very effective in giving the exaggerated look I wanted. I then took a pair of old glasses and decided to cover them with red collage and the word ‘bus’ at the top; I wanted the character to look like she had walked straight out of a story book with parts of it still attached to her.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fgmtv8k9MhXCOrxnlCxPODYscCiBIG5z/view?usp=sharing

Some quick sketches/scribberlings on how I was planning to develop the wig further/eyes crutches etc.

https://images.app.goo.gl/UK8FjggNLorZhA3C6

https://images.app.goo.gl/mENtGa1UMJpnu6xEA

https://images.app.goo.gl/P8QADcV9GrT5LLCG9

https://images.app.goo.gl/EuHvASDRkW6Wvsp38

https://images.app.goo.gl/6cWAeLTgLtTFQ7zP7

https://images.app.goo.gl/N65CiYmH6sDAqoxA8

https://images.app.goo.gl/Lhz24SHW9o7xvMUW7

https://images.app.goo.gl/3UAjyD9DdZyJJs8a9

I also decided to change the name of the character to ‘bus shit crazy old lady’ in order to stray away from any kind of connection with poor mental health and the from the person that she is based on.

Bibliography

BBC. (2005). BBC 2 Limmy show.. Available: https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/640×360/p01h0dpg.jpg&imgrefurl=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00z1jhd&tbnid=J1gp-oPjjxQDVM&vet=1&docid=RqAgySpN3GORRM&w=640&h. Last accessed 16th Nov 2020.

Pininterest. (2003). Cindy Sherman on photography. Available: https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/cf/57/c3/cf57c3a8c975e2ae00ba978fcd42db82.jpg&imgrefurl=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/383720830743465016/&tbnid=djECbq6PtMhvGM&vet=1. Last accessed 3rd Nov 2020

The Third Eye. (2003). Jack Smith and the destruction of Atlantis. Available: https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.thethird-eye.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/the_third_eye_jack_smith_destruction_of_atlantis_02.980×0.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.thethird-eye.co.uk/jack. Last accessed 8th November 2020

Walliams D. (2003). Gangsta Granny in North. Available: https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://www.clipartkey.com/mpngs/m/115-1157304_gangsta-granny-in-north-gangsta-granny-david-walliams.png&imgrefurl=https://www.clipartkey.com/view/ooimRw_gangsta-g. Last accessed 5th Nov 2020

Wikipedia. (2003). Isa Drenann Still Game. Available: https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/stillgame/images/c/ca/Isa.jpg/revision/latest?cb%3D20110822195522&imgrefurl=https://stillgame.fandom.com/wiki/Isa_Drennan&tbnid. Last accessed 9th Nov 2020.

Youtube. (1996). Aunt sponge and Aunt Spike scenes:Dinner. Available: https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nAiWhT5ysVo/maxresdefault.jpg&imgrefurl=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DnAiWhT5ysVo&tbnid=511QepWbgS2ikM&vet=1&docid=ny2r0EdKBPl2TM&w=1280. Last accessed 8th November 2020.

Youtube. (2015). Mrs Doyle’s best bit’s.Father Ted compilation. Available: https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://i.ytimg.com/vi/RSW6oDckOjo/maxresdefault.jpg&imgrefurl=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DRSW6oDckOjo&tbnid=c2aua3LTT2nhtM&vet=1&docid=nG6OdfL8ZLWFUM&w=1280. Last accessed 9th Nov 2020.

Youtube. (2015). The Babadook.A visit from the Babadook. Available: https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://i.ytimg.com/vi/O4pZH9Miew8/maxresdefault.jpg&imgrefurl=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DO4pZH9Miew8&tbnid=40I97q4MFXJk0M&vet=1&docid=eA4RDM1RrtMLgM&w=1280. Last accessed 8th November 2020.

Week 3 Another derive and mixed media work.

I decided to go on another derive with my partner as I felt like we needed a walk in general and because walks and fresh air often help our creative process otherwise our creativity becomes stagment.

It was an incredibly windy day especially down by the pier.I noticed a couple of things I hadn’t noticed before and tried to capture some sounds but due to the wind it was really hard to pick them up.I think once we move to dundee and are able to have access to DJCAD I will try to access DSLR equitement and attach a microphone with a windshield to my phone.

I also started to look at the sea and think of a physical gesture that would best represent the movement of the sea.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aXBzgCGLzjCTkoyYxUWd0aM9XZM8xmAz/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aT-0Ec_c_nZ7Cs77zSGgHuR0vFzo0ZK5/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aPFXVPpD6hoft9XBrJtFCt57lTNlpAu6/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aIAsozU-qych5F-0QZUL7XpfWLGsNf2e/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aH-U8HOT6KVIgKQ8oNbF1gyKLVR4QuHO/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aSZHGX7ieEOMsHP4GjVcMA4DxJ-ICkp9/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aEaO24ZS67b-FIpiseEKi0loCpSDMszr/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aFcWO3lXQICpFKlDVPjKc57Q5AEnZe6k/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aCEMUfJxQ-1k5TxkxAFklg_dTDuOJaGR/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aCUK3SHoQujYSeebV8Zn8etS4QHNTWXf/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a14Afocc1CocJLj7HzVr39IR7xQJH2GI/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a4rHKCArhlmRixWj_zDflOFNNvi7WnKv/view?usp=sharing

Some gestural marks made whilst listening to one of the videos with crow noises in it.The marks remind me of chinese characters and words.The yellow was the sweet sound of the sparrows,the loose black marks are the hum drum of the schoolchildren making there way past us.I found there conversations quite interesting (little bits you may be able to hear) such as ‘my phone is bigger then yours’ and something about the year 11s.I found the bragging quite interesting as this is usually something children mimick from their parents.

Gestural marks that i made using the same flowing gestural movements that are featured in one of the videos above.I feel that the mixed blues looked much better once I had deconstructed the painting and put it back together again as the illustrations created a map like effected within the ocean of blue and represented the characters and things i noticed on my walk.The use of gestural marks towards the end of the painting i feel were more effective then the mixed blues as you could see them more clearly and I felt that they captured the performative aspect much better and gave the impression of the flow and the crash of the sea.I think I would like to try making some more of thoose marks on paper and add some more illustrations to it.

Pic no2 is the ‘It’s a wee bit windy ay?’ character that we occured talking to his friend.

And a man I decided was in the ‘secret santa society’ walking along by the pier.He had quite the undercover look about him.

I feel like i have taken the oppertunity of the derive to make the most of the local characters in the area and giving them back stories. Aswell as paying attention to the noises and visuals around me and making marks and performative pieces to co-incide with that.I’m currently moving flat and don’t have access to the studio so I would like to of spent more time working on a large scale and focusing on the perfromative side of things but I haven’t had the chance.I will obviously be looking to focus more on that next week once we have moved up.

Week 2 A Derive

Asked by the uni lecturers to take a local derive myself and my partner (who is also on my fine art course) decided to take an hour long one.Louis decided to choose my destination by closing his eyes and scrolling upwards on google maps.We then followed the instructions google maps gave us.I doccumeted interactions made,sights,smells and sounds partially using a small reflective diary.

I feel like i am generally a very visually aware person so I don’t feel like I noticed anything more then I usually would but i feel that audibly I switched on to the noises around me and tried to identify.I noticed particualry how noises would clash against each other.The sweet sounds of the birds chirping against the harsh craw of the crow.The children playing against a man shouting to his wife about an unfair situation at his work. I also noticed how his energy almost made his toddler run away with only his wife noticing.I realised that even tho I don’t live in city centre that there was so much noise pollution surrounding me.Other noises were drilling,lorries reversing and an coversation made comical (I found) merely by the accents of the male workmen conversing.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_ajo-ZqD7R_SCAcCYzQQg6X4m45DO4Qp/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_XSxE4ceey8KhTcdY9-ZkAyuxnjgYFQM/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_XKje6D1rWUqbW9FIjfz2Y518fdDhfpN/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_Uzm7MDjDzCr0vkO7ygN2I7bDMqL_osc/view?usp=sharing

I feel like the derive can be added to my repetoir in terms of ways of working especially during these times and not allways having access to the studio.

I am hoping to collaberate with my partner once we have worked on some of our own stuff.After watching a doccumentary about the situationalists I feel inspried by one of the pieces I saw on that to do some gestural work on lining paper that i have whilst listening to some of the audio.Hopefully the outcome will be sucessful!