Elements taken from three different students pieces including my building pencil sketch

references to German Expressionism with curved architecture warped to create a round set, as well as references to Nosferatu 1922, a film that utilises perspective to invoke uncomfortable feelings in the audience .

Sci-fi elements taken from Ruby’s summer project.

Claymation nosferatu taken from Niamh’s summer project.

when cutting out the window squares some split down the middle which i utilised by making shutters for the windows (similar to my summer project inspiration).

i plan to use this perspective scale for my future work

we added moss which created a realistic texture for the bottom of the set.

I appreciated the lighting for the set more than i thought i would originally, it definitely reenforces the depth of the set and applies some realism to our otherwise cartoonish style.

The home style videography is endearing and i’m impressed with how the groups elements complimented eachother so well.

Finishing touches such as the 2D moving spaceships tied the project together perfectly.

produced from the promt “nothing”

worms eye perspective

i really like the chaotic style and energy of the charcoal in this and i am considering refining this medium and working with it again later on in my project.

The aim was to test how using only black mediums would affect the depth of the surface i worked with and image i was trying to produce.

i would use it again perhaps with a different colour scheme

red ink dropped using pipette for ‘drip effect’

i like grey-scale on black paper, it subverts the usual light to dark as well as improving the appearance of negative space

i made the emulsion a rough circular shape and used ink to infer randomness in my piece.

my intention was to create the illusion of colourful balloons but change the audiences association of balloons with positivity to something more abstract.

tissue paper, ink and clear film were used to compliment my pattern work turned into clothing pieces.

i like the ink because it took me out of a shape and style ‘rut’, preventing me from doing the same clothing design each time.

the clear overlay looks visually interesting by adding tattoo-like appearance to my design.

i scaled up some of the model poses to get more detailed outfit designs

This could be the specialist subject i chose partly because i want to do product design engineering in university.

his lino prints are a combination of reduction, collage and layered lino.

Reduction lino is a method i have attempted before that i found incredibly difficult, however kenyons work has really inspired me to have another go perhaps later in the year with more time on my hands.

Kenyon, T. (2025). Artist Statement - Tom Kenyon - Artist. Kenyonmotorco.com. Available at: https://www.kenyonmotorco.com/pages/artist-statement%0A%0A

contextual studies is about applying real world problems to your artwork to create meaning for yourself, and for others.

when creating artwork that is practical like a product, you need contextual studies to explain why it was developed, who it was developed for and which artists and visuals made you want to develop it.

in our lecture Stu also discussed harvard referencing, alongside some visual inspiration such as period artwork like the renaissance and medieval times.

the actual shape of the pencil work and overall outcome is apparent in the individual lines that bring it all together. i decided at this point to make my A00 robot poster using coloured pencil to mimic kalu’s scratchy defined pencil lines. there is something about the definition of layers to the piece that were made obvious by choosing not to blend the lines that i felt i needed to explore with my own work.

the logo on the top right is my favourite and i wish i had enlarged it instead, however practically i didn’t have anything to make a circle large enough

i’ve had to rework the idea for a different body.

A key part of Ganz’s meaning behind her work is sustainability and conservation, which is why i think she chose to portray horses over another animal for this particular sculpture. Horses typically symbolise freedom and independence, plus in her japanese culture horses symbolise hard work and occasionally good luck.

the juxtaposition between recycled ‘rubbish’ and discarded objects and the freedom and movement in the pose of the horses reenforces the artists meaning of rebirth.

Nouveau realism is cited (presenting friend and artist- Sayaka Ganz, 2017, barbaranohinek) as influence for Ganz’s work, a movement that began in Paris in the 1960s that was based in artists using everyday ‘trash’ objects in their works as a commentary on the rise in consumerism, mass production and growing globalisation. The translation between the movement and Ganz’s pieces is evident in the subject matter however Ganz refines her work into detailed depictions of animals rather than more abstract and obscure imagery.

I love her work and i am going to work both the nouveau realism movement and Sayaka Ganz’s refined ‘junk’ style into my robot planning.

barbaranohinek. (2017). Presenting Friend and Artist-Sayaka Ganz. [online] Available at:

Presenting Friend and Artist-Sayaka Ganz – barbaranohinek

Instagram.com. (2025). Welcome To Zscaler Directory Authentication. [online] Available at:
https://www.instagram.com/sayakaganz_reclaimedcreations/?hl=e

www.japan-experience.com. (n.d.). The horse in Japan | Japan Experience. [online] Available at:

Horses in Japan | Japan Experience

Ganz, S. (n.d.). Sayaka Ganz; Reclaimed Creations - Vibrant sculptures of the natural world and animals made from discarded materials. [online] Sayaka Ganz; Reclaimed Creations. Available at:

https://sayakaganz.com/

The cardboard itself is used very purposefully, he often follows the grain to imply direction like brushstrokes; such as skin texture or armour cladding.

i will use cardboard in my robot for the ‘screw hat’. i media tested it beforehand and it works well for the structure (compared to clay and styrofoam) and can be easily manipulated into the spiral shape i need to achieve.

i was inspired by Warren Kings work from the sleek appearance of the cardboard achieved by the meticulous cutting process and following the card grain. unlike king, the grain matters less to me because i’m not using bare card surface (spray painting), and i’m using double sided sticky tape rather than hot glue because it shows up less under the spray paint.

stop motion video showing process https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjfrBbUsMTu/?igsh=MTRsbHlyaGR4dnJl

http://wrnking.com/chinatown#/canal-street-purse-vendor/

it also contained instructions on how to use welding in sculptures: although i decided against welding for this project (time consuming considering the length of project) it’s a method i really want to  try in later projects.

The book had all the information on different surfaces to use when sculpting from wood to metal which was really informative on how to attach elements together in a multitude of ways.

generally, the book was incredibly useful for how to make a structurally sound sculpture and really helped to inform my work.

i did read this book in digital format so i don’t have any pictures of the images or words from inside the book.

He combines his background in mechanical engineering to create kinetic art, relying on structure and weight to balance mid air during the avant-garde movement. His most famous work, Mobile (1932) interests me because as Kathrine Kuh said “The mobile has actual movement in itself, while the stabile is back at the old painting idea of implied movement. You have to walk around a stabile or through it- a mobile dances in front of you”. Calder is praised for bringing movement into the sculpture- space, which i think is fascinating: he is credited for bringing movement into art.

Another sculpture that i have referenced is I Can’t Help Myself, by Sun Yuan and Peng Yu. This is a moving installation piece/ sculpture that possibly wouldn’t have existed without Calder’s influence.

I like Calder’s work and it made me consider adding movement to my own piece, however my original plan to include screws to connect my pieces wouldn’t have allowed this.

Tate (2015). Who is Alexander Calder? | Tate. [online] Tate. Available at:

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/alexander-calder-848/who-is-alexander-calder

Calder Foundation. (n.d.). Calder Foundation. [online] Available at:

https://calder.org/

National Gallery of Art. (2015). Alexander Calder. [online] Available at:

https://www.nga.gov/artists/2047-alexander-calder

However, the actual meaning behind the concept is actually an analysis of how our society is becoming increasingly controlled and divided mechanically, which i think is a reference to migration and border control. the dark red liquid is a reference to the violence involved in issues of sovereignty and power. I love this meaning just as much as my own interpretation and it reminds me that art doesn’t have to be understood to be appreciated.

Yuan and Yu actually worked with two robotic engineers in order to bring the project to life- to animate the robotic arm. the robot has 33 pre programmed movements it can preform such as “scratch an itch” and “bow and shake” which is intended to give the robot more human characteristics. it is supposed to be somewhat humorous and an embrace of ‘dark humour’.

This will influence my work by making me consider deeper meanings behind everything i create. i am making a robot as well, however mine is far less complex in terms of socio political meaning.

Weng, X. (2016). Can’t Help Myself. [online] The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation. Available at:

https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/34812

Hampsink, I.O. (2022). Can’t Help Myself – How a Relatable Robot Offers a Critical Reflection on Modern Society. [online] Diggit Magazine. Available at:

https://www.diggitmagazine.com/papers/can-t-help-myself-how-relatable-robot-offers-critical-reflection-modern-society