Tag Archives: SP2Development

COMFORT: Crit Feedback + More Resolved Work

Expanding foam and soft forms In response to all the soft objects I have made throughout this project and the 24 observational drawings exploring texture shape and form thinking a out a more resolved piece I wanted up the scale and spend more time considering before hand the types of shapes and textures I wanted to create. Keeping in mind that the object i was now making was a comfort object for myself. Making it for myself i wanted to have some kind of larger base to dd softer materials on top of.

The expanding foam provided This solid soft looking forms however became ver hard to work with when it had dried and hardened, moving and manipulating it was difficult however I think it provided me with the type of soft rounded shapes I had in mind and that are reflective of my last set of drawings. I also like the kind of fleshy tone and surface texture.

Taking these smaller hard forms and covering them with the softer materials I have been using (multi coloured sting ) allowed me have something solid and larger to start from and work round. I later decided to add these to a large pregnancy pillow that belonged to my mum and was gifted to me when i moved away from home. I thought this was a good place to start as the pillow already held a maternal quality to it and has sat on my bed ( a place of comfort) the whole time iv lived here over lockdown and has occupied my space. It carries with it a part of me and my mum and as i’m making this object for myself its almost got to have parts of it that are reflective of me or pieces of myself that i want to put in it. Creating and adding parts to my object became very time consuming and almost intimate as I had to physically wrap myself around to to sew and knit pieces around it. This closeness and hugged shape I think can be seen in how the object sits and slumps over by itself, it also looks likes its missing companion.

Final Crit Feedback

Interesting combination of objects and text- contrasting with the childish bold fonts and use of language. Develop the narrative between the object and yourself and to the audience.

interesting ideas surrounding skill and aesthetics of object making – dose it have to be “well made” to have aesthetic value? The objects and text hold sinister quality especially when looking at the expanding foam, the grotesque runs thought holding themes of inner and outer beauty.

the work can be interpreted as sophisticated when thinking about line, colour and composition and not just skill alone. along side a strong body of work throughout this project and keep up the relationship between soft sculpture and drawing.

Longer text works are quite successful and encourage more writing maybe in combination with images and drawings when making a resolved piece.

COMFORT: Comfort objects 2

Comfort Doll

After a positive response in my last crit to the first comfort doll/object i made for my self i decided to make another two. Again just using scraps of fabric and things left over from other projects and things iv made. I also used old socks/pants that i would have otherwise thrown away. Repurposing bits of things i have to make myself a comfort object. The three of them big enough to hold and interesting and complex in terms of the different textures, shapes and colour. And when all but together create interesting compositions and things to draw from. Though i think they have a kind of ugliness to them they almost resemble a child drawing. They are kind of 3d drawings of scraps. Brough together making a composition of textures.

Observational Drawings

Moving forward these images and the objects themselves provided me with a staring point for drawings. Using a hand full of different timed drawing exercises on A3 paper using a mixture of kids crayons and pen. Some drawn by feeling the object with one hand and drawing with the other, some just looking at the object and not at the paper. As well as using my left hand and holding multiple pens at one time. The drawing themselves i think convey the kind of childish quality i think the object has and i like a lot of the lines and textures that have came out of them.

I think the drawings where you can see repeated circular motions hold a softness to them and communicate this idea of how the object feels. Using these drawings I could make maybe a larger scale comforter object with the purpose of reflecting these drawings and again making the object for myself out of this is have.

I also found these drawings to be a nice break from all the sewing knitting and gluing that has become kind of frustrating at some points through the project. Its given me time to think about and observe what kind of object i have made, the space it occupies and who its for, what purpose dose this comfort object have? dose it fulfil it?

Writing to objects

As it was suggested to me i my crit i wanted to write to the object and from the perspective of the object again thinking about what purpose dose it have and if it requires one at all. When writing i was kind of questioning why it was made and asking if it was selfish if me to make something intentionally just for myself. How would it feel to just be made purely for touch and comfort.

I them began to draw similarities between me and the thing i had made for myself out of my own belongings. Am i a comforter for people, do people rely on me to give them what they need?

I was also acknowledging that the thing iv made hasn’t been made very well purely because of my skill set and the materials i have however because i made it for myself i can identify its charm and things i like about it. Much like a child would think the world of a ragged toy or baby blanket.

acknowledging it has been poorly made but has redeemable qualities that i have attached to it. Maybe this is true when i think about myself and things that comfort me, acknowledging that its not the best quality or coping mechanism but it brings with it reassurance or feelings of comfort. The quality of an object or a person or a habit is more important that is aesthetic value.

COMFORT: comfort objects

structures

After feedback from a one to one i decided to move away from making box rooms as this was becoming very limiting in the sense that it could only be a proposal for a space and nothing else. So moving forward i wanted to create structures (small scale) still thinking about colour texture line and creating a playful space. Though time consuming to wrap in the wool the 3 i made offer lots in terms of thinking about occupying a space to make it more playful or child like. They also offer good potential for maybe more 2D drawings and collage work. I could also see them with smaller things (text ) imbedded in the wool itself.

Again however, I became stuck and decided to focus more on making an object instead of a comfort space i wanted to create a comfort object. Something that would sooth and reflect this same colourful safe childish environment that i have been focusing on.

comfort objects

shifting focus to objects of comfort my first response was things like blankets and pillows.As well as this i started to incorporate and play around with knitting and crocheting as acts of creating something to comfort someone and warm someone else. the fact that these processes are also associated with women and crafts instead of art. Th rhythmic quality of knitting i also found really interesting. I think a lot of what i take comfort in this female energy and surrounding myself with women. I always associate safety with woman. I feel like there is this shared pain and understanding between women that i don’t feel exists in the same way between men.

Women also hold this nurturing quality that i guess is almost expected and assumed. I made small little cushions with all the things i feel encapsulate comfort itself- safety, familiarity and reliability. Having them a small little objects you could hold i find really interesting, almost like little keep sakes that could be passed around when needed.

Thorough this iv been researching into why we have comfort objects. Things like security blankets or toys that provide phycological comfort to us not only as children but as adults. The transitional object does not have to be a blanket. It can be a stuffed bear or some other toy that the child finds comforting. The transitional object is comforting when the mother is not around or at any other time. Most mothers try to wash it because it becomes dirty and smelly. Most kids hold onto it because the smelliness and dirtiness forms part of what feels familiar, safe and comforting. But why do we loose this as adults?

According to the New York University Psychoanalytical Institute, “the transitional object may be conceived of in three ways: as typifying a phase in a child’s development; as a defense against seperation anxiety and, lastly, as a neutral sphere in which experience is not challenged.”

Reflecting on this i wanted to create my own transitional comfort object, using scrap fabrics and old thins associated with me. making it to ‘feel better’. Though it holds this real ugly quality to it i find it really endearing and nice to hold.

COMFORT : Environments/Text

Soft Play

Thinking about nostalgia and safety as themes that came up in my small tutorial group i was thinking about spaces that exists purely for comfort and play; as comfort can only be felt and achieved in a safe space. This made me think about soft play areas and the relief they supply to kids as well as parents. A safe space literally designed so you cant leave or hurt yourself; pure comfort. So wanted to mimic this using ball pit balls as objects to fill a space. However it didn’t really provide me with much to work from or move forward with. Though i did create some nice imagery to maybe return to or maybe draw from later it came to a dead end. Moving forward i began researching into a lot of sensory soft play spaces for children with learning difficulty and things like autism where everyday spaces (supermarkets) can be challenging and overwhelming. These spaces provide sanctuary from the outside world. A multi-sensory is the ideal place for people of all ages and abilities to have the stimulation they need to encourage them to interact with their environment and increase or maintain functional skills. I found this idea of an ‘away space’ really interesting and want to come back to it.

Comfort Text

Thinking about materials i started experimenting with crochet and knitting originally because i wanted to make a safety/security blanket. However i found it to be too time consuming as i was new to it but still want to do it throughout the project and continue to use and explore these materials. I love the colour-full soft quality of using wool and string and this motherly quality they have to them as I have discovered a lot of this project and my own feelings of comfort come from a type of female energy.

The text came from ‘Are you sitting comfortably?’ Listen with Mother which was a bbc radio programme for children which ran between 1950 and 1982. I found this very fitting with spending so much time inside ‘comfortable’ because of covid. Almost encouraging us to settle into our own space/minds/bodies as this is the way its going to be for a while weather we like it or not.

COMFORT : Space

Thinking about how it feels to be comfortable and how that would look in terms of space I wanted to make almost little comfort rooms where ideally you could go inside of. I used cardboard from the packaging of foods I comfort eat. And for the interior I used the stuffing from one of the pillows on my bed and the lights that normally hang over my bed. I really liked how They turned out in the end however they were very time consuming to make.

I find these images really Immersive and could picture them as rooms themselves. They look how it feels to be comfortable and have this real dreamy escapism quality to them. The actual precess of making them was almost like making a doll house of some sort and i think ill continue to make these little spaces throughout the project as it goes on

Mark Making

I wanted to experiment with the kinds of marks soft materials could make. Using different types of fabric sponges and anything I had to hand that hat a soft texture.

COMFORT :Initial Responses

Theme

Starting this new project I wanted to explore the idea of comfort. A theme a touched on in the last project thinking about contrast between comfort and discomfort.

Initial Responses

When I think of what comfort is for me I immediately think of objects I surround myself with and things I do or keep that sooth and bring me this feeling. Weather thats because of the person that gave me the item or memories attached to it. I also have unconscious things i do repeatedly that I guess sooth me in some way and I assume I do to make me feel comfortable. So initially I just made a digital collage on my phone of all the first thing that come to mine to me when I think about comfort. Making a list of anything I didn’t have an image of. the collage itself isn’t very thinking about possible avenues for the project and consider how personal i wanted to make it.

Thinking about home, specifically my mums house, I made a little house model out of soft pink clay which I initially though was rubbish but i guess everyone finds the thought of their childhood home comforting to come extent. I also took a lot of pictures of my bed a place I feel everyone experiences the ultimate sense of comfort. However has become a place i’m spending the majority of my time in to a point it becomes uncomfortable and i feel unproductive, in excess it brings around feelings of depression. Thinking about my space and how I occupy it I do use a lot of pink and always associate it with my room specifically sleeping and my bed. Lastly this week I made bubble wrap bra and pants to kind of represent the comfort and fragility I have within being in my own body and how hard it is to love your own body and how you almost need to protect this as a woman. My own body is my forever home and though its often difficult I think its really important to find comfort and safety in your own skin.

Initially I found starting the project and finding a theme was very challenging I think based on all of the things iv made and i’m exploring so far i’m confident this project has a lot of scope and i’m excited to further explore things like comfort space and the materials usage.