Alice Galvin | Portfolio

Alice Galvin | Portfolio |

The pieces in this portfolio have been selected to showcase my interest in landscape andarchitecture. I wish to push this interest forward and ultimately gain skills and understanding to workwithin the field of urban Landscape Architecture.

Having just graduated with a BA Honors degree in Fine Art, I have accumulated a designbackground that spans a multitude of discipline and techniques. Confident in the field of Fine Art,Photography and Graphics, I have also had the chance to develop these skills professionally,gaining work experience in several galleries and a graphic design agency. I am fascinated byUrban Photography, Contemporary Architecture and Post-Modern Art, regularly visiting exhibitionsto remain informed and gain inspiration. In turn, I hope these fields will influence my work inLandscape Architecture and produce the aesthetic, clean designs that the public find intriguingand enjoyable.

Thank you for your time and interest.

Personal Statement

Conte

nts Man v Nature

Section 1 | A Study of Textures

The Familiar Section 2 | A Question of Landmark over Location

Public Surveillance Section 3 | The Space, the Public and the Cameras

City of Light Section 4 | The balance of Utopia and Dystopia

Man v Nature A Study of Textures

These drawings were undertaken as a sustained project tocapture the high level of detail seen within the texture of the woodand metal. Located on the coast of the Thames Estuary, the abandoned boatrack shows the natural decay of a structure and the materialssupporting it. Particular interest lay in the reaction of the wood andthe metal chain against the harsh, seaside environment and theresults that entailed. The colours, textures and functional quality ofboth materials proved interesting to document due to the variationin maturity over time.

All three drawings were selected to feature in a group exhibition,"Lead," featuring over 30 different artists associated with NorwichUniversity of the Arts, 2011.

Fig. 1 Fig. 2

Fig. 1 + Fig. 2 + Fig. 3 | Rusted Chains on Wood | Medium: Colour Pencil on Paper | 2010

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Fig. 1 | Original NationalGeographic photograph takenby Peter Carsten, located in anunderwater cave in Vietnam |2010Fig. 2 | The Timesphotography, depicting abombed town centre in Iraq |Medium: Photoshop | N/AFig. 3 | Bombed Atlantis |Medium: Collage Magazine +Photoshop + Screen Print |2011

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Inspired by the work of artist John Stezaker, I wanted to create my own juxtapositions between architecture and nature, seeking to achieve the samedisjointed harmony that features in his own collages. Focusing on his theme of subtle surrealism, the chosen photographs were selected due to thealternative ideas that could be projected on to them. Due to the historical and current context of the photographs, this allowed the pairing of imagery toretain traces of past and present but showcase them in a new light.

"Empire Tree" was selected to feature in a peer run exhibition, "Meta/Physical," hosted at Norwich University of the Arts, 2012. Meta/Phyiscal is definedas "in an objective world, refers to an idea of reality, posited outside human sense perception. A potentially abstract thought or subject, it relates toexistence, causality, and truth."

The Familiar A question of Landmark over Location

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Fig. 1 to Fig. 7 | Uncanny Holiday Snaps | Medium: Photoshop | 2012

Through a combination of play and intent, the photographic series below experiments with displacement from traditional location and landmark to see howthey react when placed in a new environment or context. D ismissed from afar, the images hold a sense of recognizability due to their global stature, butalso an underlying sense of uncanny when the location does not match the historical surroundings traditionally associated with the image. This task wasgenerated from the initial introduction to Photoshop so it therefore acts a personal indication of how my digital design skills have improved since this firstattempt but also reminds me of the importance of play when learning.

Fig. 8 to Fig. 10 | Uncanny Holiday Snaps | Medium: Photoshop | 2012

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20% of the world's cameras are in the UK.¹ The UK has less than 1% of the world's population.¹There is approximately 1 camera for every 12 people. ¹

“Our society is not one of spectacle, but of surveillance… weare neither in the amphitheatre nor on the stage, but in thepanoptic machine.” ²

Drawing on the theoretical work of Thomas Bentham’sPanopticon Prison, investigating the relation between space,the camera and the public became the drive of this project.As a model recognized globally, the public shopping centrerepresents a self-contained environment which is closelymonitored and generates a tremendous daily footfall.

Located in Norwich, the painted views of ChapelfieldShopping Centre imitate the gaze of a CCTV camera. Due tothe close proximity of the cameras and the volume ofmovement they capture, are the cameras invasive ornormality? And, under the assumption they are beingwatched, is the behaviour of the public altered in any way?

In a direct response to theoretical understandings ofBentham’s prison, the transfer drawing (Fig. 5) demonstratesthe level of visibility that can be shown across all levels of theshopping centre. There is also a sense of narrative that startsto appear from this focal point and on reflection, it could havebeen interesting to explore a stock motion project.

Inspired by the architectural stair drawings of M.C Escher, thescreen print emulates the confusion created by the vastamount of escalators present in Norwich Castle Mall. Tryingto capture this never-ending view, digital manipulation andscreen printing were selected as the tools to configure thisconcept.

¹ L.Smith, (2007) London Evening Standard ² T.Levin, (2001), CTRL: (Rhetorics of surveillance from Bentham to Big Brother)Cambridge Mass: MITpress

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Partnered with Norwich Castle Museum, an annual projectcalled Constellations requires students from Norwich Universityof the Arts to collaborated and produce an exhibition inresponse to the Museum’s collection. As an extension from the Public Surveillance project, it wasproposed to feature CCTV cameras into the final exhibition tocreate a false sense of value and security. The illusion of valuewould then be placed upon the objects in which the camerawould “monitor,” yet the actual camera itself would be a dummy,to further exaggerate this assumption. With the positioning of the camera show on this page, it wasassumed by many of the audience members that the camerahad always been there, unable to pin point its exact arrival.From the questions proposed on the previous page, thissuggests that cameras have become a part of the Everyday andare universally accepted as normality.

Fig. 1 Fig. 3Fig. 2

Fig. 1 to Fig. 7 | Constellations installation view | Medium: X2 Dummy CCTV Cameras | 2013

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City of Light The balance of Utopia and Dystopia

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Stemming from public surveillance, my research took me in the direction of city infrastructure and the process of city planning. Through this research I becameinterested in the notion of Utopian architecture and curiosity led to the proposed investigation of “Why does Utopian architecture fail to make the leap from dreamto reality?” Wanting to reflect this research in my studio work, the materials of lights and mirrors were selected to produce an installation with an architectural focus. Theimages shown demonstrate the initial sketches exploring different cityscapes in preparation for the final outcome.

Fig. 1 + Fig. 3 | Initial Sketch 0.1 | Concept: To produce an interactional cityscapepositioned on a mirrored floor with a mirrored ceiling. This producing a infinity

reflection and allowing the audience to walk amongst the installation and engage withit |

Medium: Ink Pen + Watercolour Paint | 2014Fig. 2 + Fig. 4 | Initial Sketch 0.2 | Concept: Architectural exploration |

Medium: Ink Pen + Water Colour Paint + Photoshop | 2014Fig. 5 to Fig. 8 | Initial Sketch 0.3 | Inspired by dystopian and Gothic film sets such

as Tim Burton's Batman and Sin City, I tried to emulate this feeling | Medium: Ink Pen | 2014

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The transformational process from sketch to a threedimensional product allowed for a better grasp of therelationship between the space and the materials. In turn,this allowed for a clearer speculation between the narrativebetween the materials and interaction of the audience.

In terms of process and techniques, by scratching away thesilvering from the back of the mirror, natural and artificiallight penetrate the marks made and reveal the illuminatedcity. This illumination in turn produces a cinematic feel tothe installation. The freestanding buildings, seen from theprevious page, are positioned in front of the backdropmirror, with the aim of creating a mirrored city for theaudience to walk amongst.

The experimentation with the scale and positioning ofelements concluded in removing the foregroundedbuildings and to focus on a purer rendition of the concept.By focusing on the background mirror design, this allowedfor a greater impact and a harmonious balance inaesthetics.

“The mirror has always been regarded as somethingmagical.”

Michelangelo Pistoletto | 2012

“A sense of theatre or spectacle has an impact on theaudience. The end result is mysterious and seduction.”

Jeppe Hein | 2003

“…Entice the viewer so they become a part of the work...as their image is fragmented across the mirrored walls.”

Yayoi Kusama | 2007

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Fig. 1 to Fig. 3 | Design Development 0.1 | Intention: To interact with space and arrangement | Medium: X2 Desk Lamps + Fairy Lights + X3 A4 Mirrors + Paper Building Props supported by Coloured Straws | 2014

Fig. 4 to Fig. 8 | Design Development 0.2 | Intention: Experiment with scale, material and support | Medium: X4 Desk Lamps + X2 5ft x 1ft Mirrors + 6ft x 5ft foil strips + Hanging Paper Buildings | 2014

Fig. 9 + Fig. 8 | Design Development 0.3 | Intention: Experimenting with the idea of facing mirrors and ways to support the buildings | Medium: X4 A4 Mirrors + x2 Desk Lamps + Paper Building Props supported by Coloured Straws | 2014

Showcased in Norwich University of the Arts’ gallery, the installation above uses glass, light and space to create an atmosphere that questions the theme ofUtopian and Dystopian architecture. The choice of material also echoes the fragile nature our cities currently worldwide, with the exhibition itself beingephemeral. Created by scratching away the silvering from the back of the mirror, natural and artificial light penetrate the marks made and reveal the illuminatedcity. Interestingly, the alignment of the mirrors produced an unexpected phenomenon by where the spectator’s own eyes were never reflected back in the mirror.However, when looking into the mirror, you could see the eyes of a spectator standing next to you.

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Fig. 1 to Fig. 3 | City in the Dark | Medium: X2 6ft x 4Ft mirrors split into x4 parts + X3 LED Strip Lights + 1 Floor to Ceiling Double Window | 2014

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Thank you for taking the time to look atmy work.

Alice [email protected] | 07855028911

Alice Galvin | Portfolio

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