ACTION RESEARCH PLANKAT SULLIVAN

Before writing my Action Research Plan I wanted to evaluate my independent practice both past and present.

I identified my areas of interest:

- Illustration- Printing methods- Book/zine design- Type as image/typography

In the past I have focused upon these areas and they drive much of my practice. I have found that methods such as print making and book binding interlink with the meaning of their chosen content instead of simply being used for the sake of it.

Although I am drawn to aesthetically pleasing design I am more interested in the content’s meaning and in particular the relation to the design and it’s chosen form.

I created 4 zines of my work in order to see how my previous work fits into different categories and to see the strengths and weaknesses in each. This process of shifting through past work and evaluating it was beneficial to understand how I want to move forward.

The most reflective zine was ‘Book Binding & Zine Experiments’ which can be read here:http://issuu.com/katsullivan/docs/bookbinding

Areas of design:

- Illustration- Print making- Type as image- Layouts- Publications/zines- Writing/poetry/reflection

I have found there to be recurring themes in my work:

- Story telling- Self reflection- Repetition- Symbolism- Documentation- Journeys- My own writing/poetry

Areas I would like to explore more:

- How a book is made reflects the context/or becomes the context itself

- Designing the content/layout/design for a hand made book

- Keep documenting my practice and create a book to show this as well as a short film

- Experimenting with book binding and how I can externalise my work further (websites/blogs/fairs/exhibitions…)

5 Obstructions: Paint Remains In My Fingernails

For my video I wanted to stick to the rules/obstructions set out in the brief. At first I thought these would be difficult but I soon found these restrictions more useful as I could focus more on the message I wanted to communicate rather than deliberate over the different techniques in which to film it.

I wanted my film to focus on my practice – it’s processes and outcomes. Even though I use the computer to edit a lot of my designs, most of my work originates from sketches, writing and prints. After I refine ideas on the computer I often bring my work back into a physical space in the form of creating books, screen prints etc…

I’ve found creating this video beneficial to reflecting on what my practice is about as well as developing an aspect of design that I don’t often explore (film making).

This video mainly focuses on the processes of lino and screen printing and the outcomes of books/zines I’ve designed and how I display my work. I would like to continue videoing aspects of my practice as I continue the course and add other methods to this video in order to produce something which greater reflects my practice as a whole.

Test film: http://vimeo.com/30433680

What was working:

- Close-up shots- Repition- Sound

What wasn’t:

- Lighting- Pace- Some of the shot angles

Final film: http://vimeo.com/30807756

Alan Kitching is one of my favourite and most inspirational designers. He has a passion for letter pressing (an understatement), an eye for typographical layout and storytelling.

I am interested in storytelling and the messages type can convey through it’s form and layout. I am particularly drawn to his work because of his ability to see the potential in typefaces and the process of letterpressing he uses. He often uses type as image and breaks grids that are usually used in layout design.

Due to my interest in book design and zines I visited these fairs:

- Critical Tensions conference at St Brides- Tate Britain book collection visit- The London Art Book Fair- Handmade and Bound- Small Publishers Fair- Renegade Craft Fair

The four fairs I’ve visited this term have shown a vast array of book designs and have since inspired me to create more books and research further into self-made publications, as well as the history and different methods of book design.

I also had the opportunity to visit Tate Britain’s artist book collection, in which they showed us examples of books they had bought from artists/designers.

Critical Tensions was a conference I attended for two days at St Brides (the full review is on my blog). The conference offered me a greater insight into how different design companies and individual designers approach their work. Seeing such high profile designers be critical of their own work made me think more about my own and question the relevance of my decisions.

- Photograph taken at the Renegade Craft Fair

Print Runner

I created this zine with the intention of selling it at fairs such as Handmade & Bound (as well as online). I am submitting prints to sell at H&B and I wanted to create a zine that explores my passion for the process of print making and also displays examples of my work.

The zine was inspired by a half marathon I did to raise money for Watford Peace Hospice last year. I wanted to develop a more personal way of raising sponsorship money so I set up an online account in which whenever somebody sponsored me £5 or over I would send them (via post) an individual lino print I had made.

http://issuu.com/katsullivan/docs/printrunner

‘In Print We Trust’ started out as an idea for a zine, which would show examples of current Epsom Graphic Design student’s work that are created by different hands-on methods of printing (lino, screen print, letterpress, etc…) as well as including interviews and articles.

It then developed into organising a day event at university in which students can display/sell/trade their work. I was inspired by the increased submission by fellow students for Handmade & Bound this year as well as the productivity/success of the LAB in the second year.

This year’s Handmade & Bound was a great opportunity to sell some of my work in an external environment however the opportunity to get involved/help set up was not a democratic one.

The driving point behind ‘In Print We Trust’ is that it would be a collaborative project that would be open to other students who wouldbe able to have input and get involved with planning the print sale.

Due to a similar print sale at the university being organised by the same group of students who set up Handmade & Bound, I have decided to bring the idea of ‘In Print We Trust’ back into it’s original intention: a publication.

Although a work in progress I hope ‘In Print We Trust’ continues into the next term as I receive more contributions from fellow print makers.

I started by looking at physical journeys that I take everyday, in particular public transport. I then chose to focus upon the items that I would use on these journeys and the journeys thatthe items themselves take.

After taking numerous scans of the objects I thought that the best way to represent a sense of journey through time was to create a consertina book using my images.

I am interested in book design, and by going to various book and zine fairs this year I have found myself increasingly drawn to how the design of a book reflects its content.

I came up with two designs that would depict the same idea but in different ways.

Book 1:

A concertina book that shows photograhic stages of a train journey, with an additional flap at the bottom to store the train tickets.

Book 2:

A card concertina book that shows each train ticket blurring into one another - fading until the last one is blank.

In the past I have designed and printed several books of my writing, usually with just text or with accompanying illustrations. For my next book I wanted to explore the notion of a journey and felt another way I could explore this was to set my writing which describes a mental journey juxtaposed next to a photograph of a physical journey.

Layout 1: http://issuu.com/katsullivan/docs/setcircleslostmotion/1

Layout 2: http://issuu.com/katsullivan/docs/setcircleslostmotion2/1

The progression of my layouts anf the usage of typefaces in my book.I re-created ‘Set Circle/Lost Motion’ three times.

Layout 2: http://issuu.com/katsullivan/docs/setcircleslostmotion2/1

Layout 3: http://issuu.com/katsullivan/docs/setcircleslostmotion3/1

Recurring words within Set Circles/Lost Motion

Whilst printing ‘Set Circles/Lost Motion’ some images that were not my own appeared on a couple of my print outs, whether this is because

the images were already on the paper in the loading tray or a malfunction of the printer I don’t know.

This did raise some questions and thoughts about printing. Often we see digital printing as a more controlled method, where as

methods such as screen printing have varying degrees of success which is acquired through trial and error.

I personally appreciate the slight unpredictable nature of hands on methods of printing, for example when letter pressing you can never

imagine the exact texture and mark left by the ever changing wear of the letters. Rather than a disadvantage, this level of unpredictability and the

surprise each time your letterpress I find can open up your mind to seeing more opportunities within the letter forms.

My action research plan is based upon my reflection of previous work and identifying the areas of design I am interested in and want to further focus on. As well as these methods I identified themes within my work, the strongest being documentation and journeys.

Although I have identified the areas of design I am interested in and the main themes that run through my work I have found it hard at times narrowing my decisions down to a single idea for my FMP.

I have found the process of constantly evaluating my work via my blogs rewarding as the process has helped me create a clearer action research plan with greater meaning and direction towards my FMP.

Throughout this term I have found my passion and understanding increase for printing processes and the significance of their uses in my work in conveying meaning - not just a display of a process. I have also taken a more serious approach to my writing, having found I have moved away from the confines of the term ‘poetry’ and its interpretations - taking further steps toward critical analysis and longer pieces of prose.

Since I have been working on the Independent Practice and Extermal Positioning units at the same time I have found each to influence eachother. I have found that my research for both units focuses heavily on designers who explore the theme of journeys and in particular how they document then present their work.

I am interested in and would consider myself as a multi-practitioner with a leaning towards illustration, printing, layout design and critical analysis. I would like to continue all of these practices into my FMP as I feel they are all aspects of design that contribute to creating the examples of books or publications that I am interested in.

FMP proposal

Theme: Journeys/Documentation

Processes:

- Illustration- Print making- Critical writing

(I still want to keep an open mind when it comes to including photography and film however these areas will not be my focus)

Possible outcomes:

- A series of books exploring the different types of journeys- A set of posters that document a different type of journey- A combination of the above- Exploring the notion of a journey in an historic way (repetition)

After evaluating my work and the time it takes to create some of the books I have designed and written the content for, I have concluded that it is possible to create a series of 4 books - with each exploring a different interpretation of the word journey. I also want to design a screen printed poster to accompany the set of books that will serve as an overarch to the series.

Bibliography:

Books:

Left to Right: The Cultural Shift from Words to Pictures by David Crow

Stolen Sharpie Revolution 2: A Diy Resource for Zines and Zine Culture by Alex Wrekk

Whatcha Mean, What’s a Zine?: The Art of Making Zines and Mini Comics by Esther Pearl Watson and Mark Todd

Behind the Zines: Self-publishing Culture by Robert Klanten, A. Mollard and M. Hubner Fanzines by Teal Triggs (11 October 2010)

Put About: A Critical Anthology on Independent Publishing by Lucy R. Lippard, Michael Bracewell, Stewart Home and Maria Fusco

Her Blue Body Everything We Know: Earthling Poems, 1965-1990 Complete by Alice Walker

Magazines and zines:

Amelia’s MagazineCreative ReviewOn’t road zineSlingshotJuxtapozGrafikEye

Fairs/Conferences:

- Critical Tensions conference at St Brides- Tate Britain book collection visit- The London Art Book Fair- Handmade and Bound- Small Publishers Fair- Renegade Craft Fair

Websites:

www.dobi.nu/http://slingshot.tao.ca/www.studio8design.co.uk/ www.randomhouse.co.uk/http://ohyouprettythings.nethttp://www.stackmagazines.com/http://signalsoverair.tumblr.com/www.debutart.com/artist/alan-kitchinghttp://www.londonmet.ac.uk/thewomenslibrary/

Kat Sullivan 2011