artefact or artifact (‘a:tI,faekt) n. 1. Something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp. an object or archaeological interest. 2. Cytology. a structure seen in tissue after death, fixation, staining, etc., that is not normally present in the living tissue.
[C19: from Latin phrase arte factum from ars skill + facere to make]
After reading the Borges short story you are required to research an ‘artefact’ and its maker/manufacturer. The exact nature of that artefact will be negotiated during the tutorial sessions. It is important that you are able to gain access to information concerning its production, such as: biographical details of the maker; construction material; construction process; details of the environment it was produced in…
You are required to immerse yourself in research surrounding the artefact and its maker. As far as possible you should experience the same/similar investigative process undertaken by the artefacts manufacturer.
“… artefacts do not exist in a space of their own, transmitting meaning to the spectator, but, on the contrary, are susceptible to a multiform construction of meaning which is dependent on the design, the context of other objects, the visual and historical representation, the whole environment; … artefacts can change their meaning not just over the years as different histriographical and institutional currents pick them out and transform their significance, but from day to day as different people view them and subject them to their own interpretation.”
(Saumarez Smith, C. Museums, Artefacts, and Meanings. The New Museology. Vergo, P, ed. pp19. Reaktion Books Ltd, London, 1989.)
Requirements:
A: Diary/logbook/workbook, an account of the production representing the investigative research process, which should include a short critical account of the process (Approx 1000 words).
B: Documentary evidence representing the reconstructed artefact. The format and presentation of this material will be negotiated with your tutor.
C:All of this material must be formatted as a discreet section of the Portfolio
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For this project we had to select a piece of art and then research the artist technique on how they created the chosen piece. I decided to research into a wood press done by artist Polly Apfelbaum and her piece Baby Love. With the use of the Internet I researched for technique and prepared myself to copy the same progress for my copy of Baby Love.
First off I had to get all the same equipment that Polly used herself to create to end piece. So I went out and bought:
• Handmade paper 25’ by 25’, this is the size of the original piece as well
• Acrylic paint this was Polly’s choice of paint
• MDF Wood, this was Polly choice of wood, good and cheep. I even managed to get it for free!!
Polly Had helpers to cut out her wood for her and I myself had helpers of the men in Burnell who cut out my flowers, which I drew on the flat wood. Next I mixed up the paint to make sure I had the same colour scheme on the original.
Another thing I had to take in account was the where abouts of Polly when she completed these prints. It was in a larger open workspace, so I went into my large space of my kitchen.
Before Polly printed she would create a template of the where abouts of where each flower would get pressed. I also completed this by placing the flowers on A4 paper and drawing around them just so I could get an idea of what the final piece will look like, apart from the colours.
Polly would start her print with the larger flowers and then move down a scale each time. I also copied this process until I had completed the task.
Here is my final pieces for this project and here is a link to all the blogs that relate to this project.
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Baby Love-35 created by Claudia
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Baby Love-35 by Polly Apfelbaum
Digital Arts and Technology: The diary of my degree, with a few additives. 