The last project we were set at uni was called 'The Last of England'. We were asked to focus on an aspect of England that has changed or is different from the traditional England we know.
I decided to focus on tea, more specifically tea parties. The traditional, formal gathering for drinking tea and eating cake at a tea party has long changed.
These gatherings that were to celebrate birthdays, Royal Weddings, etc. have been abandoned and forgotten.
I wanted to show this idea through photographs, so with the help of my mum, we set up a tea party scene in the dining room.
I wanted the scene to look as if the tea party had been abandoned half way through. So half eaten cake, tea barely sipped and napkins scrunched up, all add to the effect of this little gathering being abandoned in a hurry (for a reason we do not know, this is left up to your imagination) and never returned to.
Below are some of the original photographs I took of the party scene.
I wanted to represent the tea party as if it was a forgotten memory, something that is no longer around.
So, taking inspiration for a number of old photo albums I have collected, I decided to age each photo in Photoshop and place them into an old-looking photo album.
Below are some of the aged photos, I used old photographs as reference for the scratches, over exposure etc.
I then printed the photos out and placed them into the photo album I made by hand.
Do excuse the awful photos, I took them very quickly just before hand-in, so didn't have a great deal of time to take some nice photos unfortunately.
I was quite please with this outcome, although the photo album could have been better quality.
Again, life has taken over. A lack of time and a lack of interesting things to write about has left my blog a little bit ignored.
I am back home from uni for Easter now, it feels so good to be home, back in my comfortable bed, everything familiar around me and most importantly, I don't have to cook for myself! I think this semester has been the longest I have ever been away from home, it's been three months. Quite a long time, but to be honest I've settled in so well in Cambridge, I actually didn't want to come home.
I am having a little period of doing no work before I dive head first into the piles of work I have finish off for our hand-in in May. Hopefully I get it all done in time.
I am using this little break to reflect on things. Assess where I'm at in life, how far I've come and where I'm going next. And during this little think, I have realised how much everything really has changed and it's true what they say, everything changes with time.
A discussion on this topic, lead to a little advise from a good friend; we cannot look back and wish for what we used to have, that is not how to make the most of the short time we have here. Instead, living in the now and being open to the changes and opportunities that will embrace us in the future is the best way to be right now.
And indeed they are very correct, but, it's hard to let go of previous chapters in your life if they felt so good, and ended before you were ready. You cannot move on when you feel like you'll never find anything as good as that, your natural instinct is to run straight back to what made you feel so happy and safe. But if it's one thing I've learnt recently, that you can never go back to something that you have lost because it will never be the same and will more than likely make you feel worse.
I think it's time to take this advise on board, do all the things I want, whilst I can! There's no point in wishing for better, when it's you that's got to make it better.
I went for a walk today, and took some pictures.
I had the following song on repeat for most of the walk.
I don't know if anyone else gets this, but sometimes I find a song that I just really like and I can relate to well. I will listen to it repeat for hours and just not get bored of it.
I don't know why I do it, or how I do it. But I do it and I enjoy it, so I guess it's fine.
Check out the song if you like, it's really quite beautiful:
Charlie Simpson - Sundown
Have a read of the lyrics too, the pictures also kind of reflect the song!
Girl, I've seen your dreams and they were filled with darkness,
But your eyes turned white in the bright lights.
I know there's torment in your heart and it's swimming round your body like a shark.
Can you not see me anymore?
Or are you just hiding beneath the floor?
Because I can't feel empty anymore.
Just hide your heart anywhere
Please, hide your heart anywhere from me.
Because I'm just not ready for,
No, I'm just not ready for all this.
Just throw a stone into the wishing well,
Walk me down to the waters edge and push me into the swell.
As I walk down the stairs to face another day,
I don't think I drank enough to make your face go away.
Because I have been waiting here from the start,
Hoping the sunlight will rise through the dark
Because my heart is yearning for you dear.
Just hide your heart anywhere
Please, hide your heart anywhere from me.
Because I'm just not ready for,
No, I'm just not ready for all this.
Oh, the nights are so cold
And I'm breathing you in.
But there's blood on the streets,
And it's darker than sin.
And I don't know where I am going,
I don't wanna know anyway.
I just need you here,
because you are my sundown.
Ciao for now
xx
Ps. I hope you are enjoying my new blog design, I have not settled on this, but I just fancied a change, so this is temporary until I find the time to work something else!
Today marks the end of my Art Foundation Course... after 11 weeks of working on my FMP, it is finally done.
I have spent the last week putting up my final display and I handed in my prep work this afternoon. It's such a good feeling handing something in that you have put so much time and effort into, except the inevitable 'don't know what to do with myself' feeling arises. However, that feeling quickly disappeared when I walked into my bedroom and realised the mess I had managed to create in it whilst I had been so busy with my college work. I think I know what I'll be doing over this next week!!
Anyway, here are a few pictures that I took of the bird cage that I have used in my final piece, this is all I am going to show you so far... I will post pictures of the display and explain what it's about after the public show next week.
