OUGD502 LIFE'S A PITCH IDEA DEVELOPMENT/PLANT ROOM VISIT

Today the visiting professionals, the plant room came in and did a talk about their practice. They also spoke through a few of their completed briefs and specifically some of the installation they conducted. They began as graphic designers and over time their love for plants inspired a lot of their work and they began being contracted for instillations, involving architecture, furniture design and of course plants. This was interesting to learn about how this came across and their process into creating something like this, using the space given to them as a tool to their advantage. This information was incredibly useful as it would further aid us in deciding how our exhibition would look and where it would go.

To develop out idea with out exhibition, we discussed it with the plant room and they gave us some advice on how it would work. One thing that would help us continue this project is to think why we would want to create this exhibition, not why we should because this means we would actually be passionate about what we were creating meaning a more successful outcome. We decided that the exhibition would take part outdoors instead of indoors, meaning more people would be involved and see it everyday instead of conforming to a set event. We were then split between these two ideas, having people create a tile sized design and we would place these around the city outdoors in random locations or, have the designed tiles build a single wall in one specific place. 

Some inspiration we discovered was this massive mural painted on the Lyons Works building, bringing an abandoned building back to life. The typography and design on the building has been inspired by the architecture of the Kirkgate market, making a heritage and history based exhibition which lasts forever in this space. We really liked the idea of the exhibition lasting for ever instead of just one or two nights, aiding our outdoor idea even more. 

We decided that we wanted to perhaps express some bizarre history of a building in Leeds so we began researching peculiar facts of some of the architecture around the city. One great story was about the bar now known as Mook, previously known as The Whip, which was previously a gentle mens bar in the 19th century, in the sense they only let men in. At one time in history they finally decided to include women and had to build a whole new women's toilet, causing an outrage with the male community. An idea is that people could redesign toilet logos and signs for this building.

The only Grade I-listed building in Holbeck, Temple Works was known for the unusual sight of sheep grazing on the roof, which was done so the wool would retain humidity whilst in the mill and wouldn’t dry out. There would be reports of sheep looking down from the rooftop of this mill and monument. Another idea there is to somehow reinvent this historic tale through design.

OUGD502 MEANWHILE PRESS QUESTIONS

What’s your name, where are you from and what do you do?

My name’s Mark Buchanan, I live in North Shields, beside the seaside in the North East of England. I’m a photographer, a graphic designer, I play bass guitar in a post-punk band and I run a small press photo book publishing label called Meanwhile Press.

How do you translate your ideas through your work?

I generally translate my ideas through trial and error. I usually have an idea in my head of how I want the final piece to look and then during the process my idea changes and develops as I work. I very rarely settle for the first draft or idea and constantly push myself to develop my skills and style.

I am aware you have been involved in several collaborative projects such as the Psalms zine.

What was it like communicating with such a large amount collaborators? 

Psalms was the 6th Meanwhile Press collaborative publication. To be honest, it was the easiest one I’ve worked on as the religious theme throughout was so specific. I’ve worked on books in the past where there’s been more of a buzz word instead of a set theme. People can interpret the words or themes how they wish and there’s no particular set of rules. Just with Psalms it was very heavily and obviously based on religious imagery. All the work was collected via email over the duration of a few months and I slowly put it together in my spare time. Because the theme was so tight it was quite straight forward to assemble, keep a flow throughout and create a relationship between the pages.

How long did it take you to complete such a large briefs like these?

I work a full time job managing a tattoo studio and all of my creative work is carried out in my spare time. Some jobs take a lot longer than others but I tend to work when I’m feeling inspired so it keeps everything fun. As soon as it stops being fun and turns into more of a chore, I put down my laptop and focus on something else. If I’m doing work for a client I’ll always aim to have the work finished well in advance of the deadline. However, with Meanwhile Press I’m my own boss and can work at my own pace. For this reason some publications are finished within a few weeks and other can take around 4-6 months.

Did you ever come across any misconception with some of the collaborators about the

publication during these projects?

Not really, I tend to be fortunate enough to always work with like minded people and I try to make sure we’re always on the same page from the very start of any project. Most of the contributors will just email me a selection of photos and it’s my job to curate the work and then design and layout the book. I’ll then often pass a draft over to one of my friends to get a second opinion and make changes after I’ve read through their annotations and listened to their suggestions.

Have you stumbled upon any other challenges during the collaborative process?

Again not really, because I always work with like minded people. The only thing I can think of that’s sometimes quite frustrating is the time difference when working with people in different continents. It can sometimes be quite frustrating working together over the internet and not face to face. It can be slow, but it does work. It just takes a little longer than I’d like sometimes.

How specific do you get with the briefs you create when involving such a large amount of

people?

The brief is only ever a theme or a buzz word and I allow the contributors to interpret this however they see fit. I like to keep it fairly loose to allow a wider range of work to come forward. This always helps keep the publication interesting and I often receive photographs I never would’ve initially thought of or included until you can see it from someone else’s point of view.

Any advice for young creatives who are collaborating with someone who’s practice they are not used to?

If possible try and work together in person, plan thoroughly and set time aside to carry out what needs to be achieved. Don’t be scared to criticise but make sure it’s constructive. Don’t just say something negative for the sake of it. If you don’t like it, explain why.

Are you working on anything right now? And if so what is it?

At the minute I’m only taking on freelance design work which usually consists of event posters for bands or record labels which I really enjoying doing. I’m planning a few publications for the new year and have a couple of photographers in mind that I’d like to work with.

OUGD502 LIFE'S A PITCH

In the project we will be generating an event in groups which can be of any form and function. For instance an exhibition, podcast, pop up, screening, talk etc. Working in groups, we will create a pitch to present to our peers. We must consider location, theme, budget, what will be shown, target audience and branding. Whoever has the most successful pitch will be put into play and the whole class will contribute to finalising that chosen exhibition. Some ideas I have generated for some form of interesting events are to have a more interactive workshop where the audience teach themselves about a specific design principle, print workshop or zine making exercise. Another one is to perform a film screening or create a documentary for people to come and watch with beer and other networking resources. The film created would have some sort of theme relating to our practice or something we care about.

After choosing my group we began generating ideas for a possible creative event that would appeal to creatives in Leeds. Our group is called 'Northern Glory' on account of all the team members being from the north. After a few hours of putting our ideas together we have a loose idea of what we would like our exhibition to be. We would hold an event inspired by street art which would feature the work of the audience. This work would then be conducted by us. The work would be generated through a workshop within the event which is currently undecided but the idea of some type of print process is in the mix. The work would be printed on some form of construction object like a brick and a wall would be created out of the work. Once it had been complete, the wall would be placed around the city to make some form of statement based upon the undecided theme. It's very loose but there is definitely potential for this idea to be cheap, reliable and simple whilst also releasing a positive impact on the world plus giving creatives an opportunity to meet each other.