Symbolism

 i have decided to carry my symbolism theme on and incorporate it into my FMP idea.

im wanting to use symbols as inspiration to build architectural features for an old building or a new building. im wanting to use symbols again as a foundation of a feature. im going to use a symbol and build upwards onto it to create a 3D art object. this gives me loads of experimenting options and will help me develop my sculptural skills as well as my drawing capability.
i have researched the symbols i will be incorporating:

Alchemist Wheels
alchemist wheels were used by alchemist to supposedly change an element into another. because of the obsession to change base metals into gold they drew up symbols and created the transmutation circle that could accomplish this.
i just think the circles are a beautiful symbol of art and to me they represent changing things for the better.

Hand of Fatima / Hamsa
The hamsa is an ancient Middle Eastern amulet symbolizing the Hand of God. In all faiths it is a protective sign. It brings it's owner happiness, luck, health, and good fortune. this symbols is promontory in Islam and Judaism. in Islam it is the hand of Fatima and worn to ward off evil and the eye is to ward of the evil eye from people.

did my henna in the style of a hamsa hand, this is a traditional style / tribal style henna design. me and my late Nana did our henna like this together.

henna is a paste made from the soaked henna plant leaves and eucalyptus oil. when applied the skin it stains it a orange brown colour. you apply the paste in whatever pattern you want and when it dries it crumbles off and after a good wash all the solid henna is gone leaving behind the colour.

my henna came out quite dark which i love. ancient Pakistani/Indian myth is that if your henna comes out dark you will have a good mother in law.

garnet and hamsa necklace i made the beaded chain myself.

i have 6 hamsa pendants but only one pair of earrings so far these are garnet and silver.

Ankh Cross
Were exactly the symbol comes from is a mystery but some believe that it is called the key of life it an ancient Egyptian hieroglyph. there are many different hypothesis but i like the one that says it symbolizes a person standing with their legs together and arms stretched out and the spirit leaving their body and coming round and reentering. is also known as the "handle cross" and the "crux ansata". it is used widely as a symbol of protection.

my Ankh ring! i wear it on my little finger all the time

i wear this ankh pendant all the time it has cobras and an ankh, i also have some ankh studs.

Pentagram
The Pentagram is a symbol of a star, Always with 5 points (one pointing upward), each has its own meaning. The upward point of the star  represents o the spirit. The other four points all represent an element; earth, air, fire, and water. All these things contribution to life and are a part of each of us. people wear a pentagram necklace or another form of jewelry, to say how they supposedly feel the connection with the elements and respect the earth and also it is a sigh of protection. a pentacle is when the top point of the star is facing down, this symbol is associated with satanism!  aint nobody got time for that (lets keep it innocent, i like the sound of the earth and water stuff, don't mix them up). 

 http://fuckyeahitchywitch.tumblr.com/post/21214537525

my silver pentagram pendant with the moon cycle.

Celtic Knot
The Celtic knot symbol, is also called the mystic knot, or the endless knot. The spiritual meaning of this symbol talks about beginnings and endings. looking at these beautiful knots, we cant see a beginning or and an end, so we are reminded of how timeless the nature of our spirit is. A less spiritual representation is also related to the knots endless nature. because of its infinite path, the Celtic knot can represent an uninterrupted life cycle. Some people may use this symbol as a charm to ward off sickness or setbacks that might ruin an otherwise calm and stable life. these knots are used as emblems, that are found in jewelry, clothing, or at home. In ancient times, gifts with the mystic knots were given with best wishes of longevity, or luck with new endeavors.

one random Celtic knot earring, i don't know what happened to the other one so i only were on in my ear.

All Seeing Eye
also known as the "eye of providence", is a symbol depicting an eye often surrounded by rays of light or a glory and usually inside a triangle. It is sometimes interpreted the eye of God which is watching over the world an humankind. this symbol can also be interpreted as being evil and incorporated in satanism and but is misunderstood like most symbols these days. their reputations are always ruined by evil people, cults and movements when realistically the symbol is innocent.

http://symbology101.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=87440827

Astrological Symbols
stars signs are interesting because there is so much history and science behind it, however i don't believe it is all true because its so vague but i still appreciate the beauty of it. i love astrology and finding out what the universe was doing when you was born. my star sign is Virgo and i find it really interesting to see some similarities in the personality traits but its either a coincidence or true but im a bit of a skeptic. however despite the some what disbelief i think the symbols are interesting, from the object symbols to the tribal styles line drawings.

http://www.comicvine.com/forums/off-topic-5/your-thoughts-on-zodiac-signs-688598/

Peace Sign
peace is an important aspect in life and has been represented in history with many symbols from the ancient dove and olive branch to a white flag. the peace sign im interested in is the international peace sign which was created to represent the campaign of nuclear disarmament an now is used as an international sign of peace.

an old drawing i did!

Triple Moon
In paganism its used to symbolise the goddess as she is represented by the phases of the moon.
Some pagans acknowledge 3 aspects of the goddess, the maiden who is youthful and growing into a woman represented by the waxing moon ). The waxing moon is the phase between the new and full moon.
The mother is represented by the full moon O and as the name suggests is now a woman who looks after her child (the god as well as us). The full moon is significant representing the goddess in her full power.
the ( is the waning moon, the phase of the moon between the full and new moon and represents the crone, the goddess seen as an old, wise woman who guides the souls of the dead into the afterlife.
so all together the symbol )O( shows the maiden,mother and crone.

Dream catchers
dream catchers are a native American creation, because native Americans are very spiritual beings they believe dreams are important. therefore good and bad dreams can influence life. a dream catchers purpose is to catch the bad dreams from entering a persons head an therefore they wont have nightmares and jinx anything. i love this ideology of keeping the dream world clear and happy. i have a dream catcher an i can say iv never had a nightmare since buying it but this could be a coincidence, placebo effect or real who knows.

a dream catcher i have made, one of several !

Green Man
the green man is a drawing sculpture or other representation of a man or face created or surrounded by leafs an other natural things. it is in many cultures and represents rebirth, as well as nature an the beauty of it. also representing the cycle of growth each spring.

http://www.greenspirit.org.uk/resources/GreenMan.shtml

my terracotta green man and my green man book which was a great read i recommend it to anyone on a spiritual path like me.

I Ching
The I Ching is a collection of practical wisdom, related to every conceivable situation. Its origins are in ancient China and is the oldest Chinese classical text. "I Ching" means "Classic of Changes" or "Book of Changes".
There are 64 different main kinds of situations in the I Ching. Each one is indicated by a hexagram, which is a symbol made up by 6 lines, each of which can be broken or unbroken. i am interested in these symbols and what they mean.

http://taichi-ireland.com/disciplines/ba-gua/

All these symbols are used in or around a building; all the protective symbols are used on doors and others in bedrooms or adorned as jewellery. symbols are a massive part of architecture and this is why im wanting to incorporate them in my work.

there is soo much inspiration from a symbol such as the dream catcher. it makes me think about native Americans and there amazing teepees. im wanting to focus on dream catchers as they are circular shapes and could be connected to form a structure or a giant dome made out of dream catchers.

Alchemy Research

the whole alchemy idea came from the fob watches in the National British museum and the alchemist circles, also known as transmutation circles, popped into my head an created an idea.

these are my fob watches.

they are not as amazing as the real gold ones in the museum but they are still pretty. i think they are gold plated.

so what is alchemy you ask and who are alchemists??
Alchemy is an early protoscientific and philosophical discipline. it combines aspects of chemistry, metallurgy, physics, medicine, astrology, semiotics, mysticism, and art. it has been practiced in ancient Egypt, India, and China, in Classical Greece and Rome, as well as the Islamic empire, and then in Europe up to the 19th century.it has been present in a complex network of schools and philosophical systems spanning at least 2500 years.

The alchemists did not use what is known as scientific methods. Most of the "knowledge" they produced was found to be banal, limited, wrong, or just meaningless. Today it is of interest, especially to historians of science and philosophy; for its mystic, esoteric, and artistic aspects. alchemy was a great help to modern sciences, and we owe the ancient alchemists the discovery of many substances and processes that are important factors of the modern chemical and metallurgical industries.
alchemist were "crazy" scientist who were obsessed with immortal life and creating precious metals such as gold and silver from base metals,(they did manage to make fools gold!). they used the esoteric teachings of the universal power and spiritual aspects to do there work. they were deemed very powerful people to to the everyday medieval person but other scientists disregarded there work massively. they used symbols and spells/rituals to do there work hence the creation of the transmutation circles. but alchemist wheel is easier to say.

http://thepaintedalchemist.tumblr.com/about

http://www.junglekey.com/wiki/definition.php?terme=George_Ripley_%28alchemist%29

can you see the resemblance to the fob watches!.
i want to use these circles to help me design a building or an aspect of a building, probably using the symbols and lines as a foundation. then building upon them, thus creating architectural features which is what my final project is about.

if i use the alchemist wheels as foundations i could create circular buildings and this got me thinking about the circular features in architecture and how we rarely see this shape.despite its organic nature it is rarely used in architecture, well it wasn't used but contemporary architects have also picked up upon this. i thought of all the circular/organic building shapes we see in nature and architecture and made a list:

• sun
• moon
• planets
• solar orbits
• spaceships 
• futuristic
• submarines
• circular doorways
• mysterious spaces
• womb
• domes
• cathedrals
• mosques
• igloo
• huts
• wheel
• clocks

despite being such an organic shape it still has a weirdness about it because we hardly see it or we see it too much and don't appreciate the greatness of circles. they come across as ornate when there are many in one place but yet they are contemporary when there is one. the circles is a great shape ans should be used more is what im trying to say.

http://courtneyswonderousworld.blogspot.co.uk/2010_06_01_archive.html

my gem bracelets i beaded and made myself from semi precious stones i ordered from china. this picture shows how something as simple as a circle can look soo ornate (well in my eyes). the gems from descending order are: sapphire, rose quarts, turquoise, garnet, coral, carnelian, amethyst, lapiz lazuli.

the Japanese flag is soo simple. the dot represents the the sun in a simple form. showing how the use of this shape can be simple. image found: http://www.mapsofworld.com/flags/japan-flag.html

Proposal 2

i presented my proposal  idea on Tuesday 26th March and to be honest it didn't go as well as id hoped.
i qued for what felt like hours in the corridor with my high hopes and butterfly's in my stomach. my ideas were not appreciated and i was told i could do better. which was mean and constructive, i asked for them to be brutal and they didn't hold back which was good of them.

i love! the tutors passion and how they want you to do well and they know what works and what doesn't, they are professionals they know what they are talking about. they mentioned how the examiner isn't to fond of the fantasy world i live in so i have to adapt my idea.

they said i could get a distinction i just have to listen and i just need to focus my random idea. if i studies tarot cards id apparently fail so that was a no no. i was asked what i what skill i want to focus on and its drawing because the whole first year of my degree is technical drawing. then i was was asked why i wanted to be an architect and i explained how i love history (history nerd) and hope to preserve/conserve/renovate old buildings instead of leaving them to crumble. so Jamie said why don't i do that! why don't i renovate an old building in Blackburn.

firstly i don't how to that's why im going university to study this and secondly i don't know how to so this is so this going to be fun and a massive learning curve so lets do it! i can still use alchemy as an influence and i need to try and incorporate architecture and alchemy and i can also bring in some of my symbology from the previous project.

so i have a whole knew concept still using the inspiration from the fob watch and alchemy but this time going down the architectural root and focusing on buildings. everyone agree i could get a distinction because my blog is good and i do practical work. however Kim said at the end i don't do any practical work, which hurt (rude!) so i took in my portfolio and explained how i dont do any practical work!

Kim explained how she wanted to push me so she annoyed me with the horrible comment, i am upset i cant do ma fantasy stuff. because im going to be drawing buildings and design probably for the rest of my career life and now was the time i could draw fairies. but hey i can always do it  as a hobby and in my free time so its not that bad. im going to try and enjoy FMP as much as possible but its going to be hard, but a bit of suffering will get me a distinction and into uni so its worth it.

so with my new concept im going to pitch again after doing loads of research in Easter and writing my proposal draft and final proposal so there is lots of work to be doing. so i decided to brainstorm ideas.

i was told to go out and find old buildings im interesting in Blackburn because it has more history than you expect.
im liking the idea of using an old derelict cinema in town center that's been there forever and its a shame its unused, (i actually went to watch harry potter in there). but i want to focus on castles since i cant to fantasy lets find a real castle! there's one in Clitheroe and Skipton castle is beautiful so i shall be making my way there to take photographs.

there has a been a interior design tutor coming in and spending time with us shes called Patricia and shes amazing! she studied an interior design and architectural degree at university and was soo interesting we would discus esoteric aspects of life and alchemy and she gave me some names to study and research and she helped me just plan my ideas and sort my head out.

i have so many ideas and just find it hard to organize them in my head so i have to write them down and speak to some one to make sense of them sometimes (slightly ADD sometimes) and Patricia was the best person to speak too she was soo helpful and and understanding and she didn't judge which was a bonus.she helped with an idea to create parts of buildings with symbols and we spoke about dome buildings and circular buildings because of my influence of alchemist wheels/circles.
this is what she drew in my book! its quite spooky.

so im going to use my symbols to create aspects/parts of buildings and help rebuild it in a design aspect; not in a practical sense more of a design perspective. and the alchemist wheel can be interpreted as many parts of a building so its going to be interesting using it and experimenting. because that is what art is, there is nothing to lose just go for it!

just some alchemist wheels i printed and a dry point plate in going to print of one of the inspirational fob watches.

 finally wrote my proposal!

This course has taught me multiple aspects of printing, creating images and art objects. The first month of this course taught me how to spot welled, paint with new techniques, create scratch films, draw with light, print, stitch and transfer images. I have gained new found confidence in experimenting with different media; exploring different techniques as well as stepping out of my comfort zone.  I will take these skills and use them positively to create a distinction worthy FMP. I have realised I find it hard to concentrate my ideas and thought processes and I will work on this to improve my work.

My main idea is to restore an old building preferably the old town cinema or a castle (Clithero/Skipton). I will use the old architecture as foundations to build upon, using symbols to create aspects of the building. I want to develop my drawing and sketching skills so I shall practice my technical drawings and maybe some scale model sculpting. My project has many interesting prospects.  Researching and visiting old buildings, finding and interpreting symbols and studying history will take time and hard work. Therefore my idea creates a big work load, a great amount of inspiration and a sustainable concept. 

I will use alchemy, symbolism, esoteric concepts, architects and artists as inspiration and influences for my FMP. I am interested in alchemist circles, North African symbols, Antonio Gaudi and Charles Rennie Mackintosh.  My contextual research is studying my symbols and the history of alchemy as well as the works of my favorite Architects and artists. I will be taking photographs of the buildings I want to develop into sketches/models and a final building design. This will be inspired by my research of symbolism and alchemy an incorporating them into architectural features.

I will be using all the skills I have learnt throughout the course; I want to use print making, spot welding, sculpting and explore drawing and maybe painting. I like to use projectors to enlarge and upscale my sketchbook experiments, (bigger is always better!) My final piece shall be the peak of my hard work and buildup. It will hopefully in itself explain what my project based on. I am not certain how big or small it will be but it will be thee final piece! The materials I need are readily available as well as the techniques needed to use them, it is a case of experimenting.

Whilst creating my project and working to make it amazing I will obviously be experimenting with different ideas, concepts and techniques. There will be ups and downs and things will go wrong and some right but they are all learning curves. I will develop FMP blog alongside my practical work. Continually logging down my actions and describing weather they were positive or negative. This will help me with deciding on what processes to avoid and what to take forward and develop in depth.

Proposal

During my trip to London this February I spent a day finding research as well as inspiration in The National British Museum. I initially went in to see the mummies and Ancient Egyptian Artifacts, thinking I was going to base my FMP on this insightful period of history; however I found inspiration elsewhere.

Due to the fact that the museum was Humungous! I and my friends got lots on the way to the mummies! We came upon a room exhibiting clocks, sounds boring but it was amazing. At this point my phone, my only means of photo taking began to play up so I could take good photos of these amazing time keeping machines.

There were skeleton, cookoo and fob watches all different colours materials and sized it was brilliant. The deafening ticking and chiming was awe inspiring. On closer inspection of this chaotic room I saw a cabinet filled with amazingly detailed fob watches from centuries ago. The circular shapes and use of symbols reminded me of the alchemist circles I have previously found interesting. Hence an idea was born the bulb lit and all manner of wondrous ideas were about to entail.

These two watches were especially inspiring!

 These watches reminded me of alchemist circles so I’m going to research alchemy but the esoteric aspect. From this I’m going to research the alchemy circles and alchemists also known as wizards and this gets me thinking about witches, fairy tales, fairies and dreams. My ADHD brain continues to piece together other concepts going to the dream catchers and Native Americans to symbols to rituals to Gypsy to predictions in the sense of tarot cards and dowsers and from there to crystals and gemology.

There are so many ideas running through my head but the main theme is the Esoteric and mystical aspect of life which I love ever so much. From this theme and mountains of research needing to be done I want to create paintings, sketches, illustrations, sculptures, prints and use all the skills I have learnt to make a supreme tarot card. 

It’s going to be fun researching all the mystical ideologies and I can’t wait to get everything into my sketchbook. I’m going to use the same technique of setting my work out and outlining of the paint because it really works and it’s my defined style self created and in need of copyrighting.

As well as researching these things I’m going to research artists who delve into the esoteric work through art. I know of an illustrator who draws fairies called Arthur Racam; I’m sure I’ll find all sorts of artist on the way to help me and influence my ideas by inspiring me to work in different ways.