Student Creative exhibition

I have been so busy with making the work and preparing for the exhibition that time has flown by since my last post. My work is now installed in the Museum display cases and the exhibition opens on 20 March 2015. 

I submitted a proposal to make a small book and a print. I intended to make a traditional print but the idea has developed and the result is a print installation which is both two and three dimensional and fills one of the Museum’s large display cabinets.

When I was photographing the objects that I chose from the Collection the butter dish reminded me of the domed roof of the Alexandra Palace or a cathedral.

I started to think of the Museum as a place to worship and celebrate all things plastic.

I decided to develop the moulded pattern on the base of the butter dish into a grid using black to reference leaded lights and stained glass windows. 

The vibrant colours reflect the bold flat colour of many plastic objects and the repetition references the mass production of plastic objects. However, each individual coloured square in the print has been inked by hand. Even mass produced everyday objects are special enough to be included in a museum collection. 

In contrast, the book is all white. It combines traditional printmaking techniques (etching and embossing) with modern materials (plastic). The ten objects that I chose each have a page in the book. They were selected at random to highlight the diversity of objects in MoDiP’s collection and the part that plastics play in all aspects of our lives. These objects are all on display as part of this exhibition. 

I am able to use the residency for my Independent Studies Unit so the time I have spent working on the project will count towards my degree, but irrespective of this, it has been an invaluable, practical experience for working as an artist when I have finished my studies.

As well as writing a proposal for a “real brief”, preparing my digital portfolio and interview experience, I have developed practical skills such as project planning, writing blog posts, and curating the exhibition.

The residency has also encouraged me to think about and use plastics as a material and I have learned new practical skills.

However, I think the most significant benefit of doing the residency is that it has really encouraged me to think about the scale and presentation of my work. The print installation is the most ambitious work I have made so far, and it has really encouraged me to be more ambitious in terms of scale, and to think about the viewer and context in my future practice. 

Carrie Mason (Student Creative)
http://www.carrie-mason.weebly.com