Research so far.

Christin Boltanski: Installation Work 'Ombres (Shadows)'

Rob Ryan: Inricate Papercuts/ Screenprints

Yesterday was really productive in regards to research and development. The main thing I noticed with the Faber & Faber designs is the simplicity of the prints and the images. Some were literal in terms of taking either a single image from a poem, or a title (Mark Hearld's Ted Hughes design for example.) Others were more abstract and focused on overarching themes and imagery. My inital idea's related to other traditional print methods such as etching and mono printing, but due to time restraints this may prove a bit tricky. I then progressed onto the idea of paper cutting as this is a way of producing graphic images but I can still incorporate the mixed media approach I prefer to use. I began by researching the work of Rob Ryan, reading his book 'This is for You'. The delicate imagery he adopts work perfectly with the stanzas in his book; even if you removed the lettering from the images his designs still encompass the text well. He has also produced the recent cover design for Carol Ann Duffy's children's book, 'The Gift'. I also began to look into the work of instillation artist Christian Boltanski. His work was suggested to me in a tutorial last year and I have focused primarily on his pieces related to sculpture, shadows and silhouettes. I think that the dark and surreal qualities of his work could be applied in relation to the more haunting and thought provoking aspects of the poetry I am interpreting.