Challenge & Success
In this session, I described which studio practice challenged me the most among the four studio residency (Jewellery, Printmaking, Photography and Ceramic) and which one was the most successful one.
Challenge
Among the four studio residency (Jewellery, printmaking, photography and ceramic), I found photography most challenging, especially when I worked in the dark room. Using a darkroom enlarger in the dark room was new to me as I am used to just take photos with my smartphone. Therefore, it was a bit challenging to manage the exposure time and adjust the lenses to get the right results. I remember when I was doing some test pieces, I forgot to adjust the lens and let too much light go through the lens. So, the photographic paper got over exposed and turned out all black. I felt so confused and thought it was because of too long exposure time. But same result turned out even if I reduced the exposure time. Finally, after discussing with the lecturer, I found that I should have adjust the lens to make it dimmer. It was a learning process. To use the unfamiliar machines and photo taking processes challenged me. Also, using a darkroom enlarger to take photographs is not like using a smartphone as I cannot see the result straightaway from a screen. It is like a guessing game. I may get really different and various results due to different exposure time, different materials, different movement or different mistakes. I can only know the results after developing the photos by soaking them into different liquid for about 10 minutes. It can be frustrating and challenging when I find out the results are not what I wanted after all these processes.
Success
I would say the ceramic piece is the most successful and my favourite piece among all these four studio residency projects. First of all, the plan went really well and smoothly. Alter ego is an interesting topic and I like it so much. I got my idea of the project straightaway without any struggles. Second, the ceramic making process was going well and really therapeutic. I finished my test piece and my final pinch pot piece within the first class even though there were a lot of small details on my pot. I also had some experience playing with clay at home. So, it was not a totally new experience to me. But it deepens and riches my knowledge in ceramic making. I enjoyed the whole process. Even though I could not get the final piece before the due date of this assessment due to the timetable schedule, I believe it will turn out great and I will love it.
