Number of words used.
Thursday, 30 April 2015
Lines of Enquiry: Toil and Enjoy
Lines of Enquiry: Toil and Enjoy
It was very interesting working
in a team because everybody is good at different making processes and having
different ideas. Working together allows developing team work skills and this
has shown me that by working together creates faster solutions than just
working on your own. The theme that the team have come up with is Toil and
Joy. The Toil is the hard working miner’s digging underground for coal and
Enjoy represents the houses and people within the industry.
I have learned through this
process how to carry out basic electric wiring in order for the bulb to
function. I have also learned how to earth a pick axe and this was achieved by
net working with other people in different places, for example asking people in
shops such as Wilko and B&Q. I have learned how to problem solve and
discuss in a team in order to get the best possible out-come. The start of the
process I came up with a range of ideas but an un-expected development happened
when I visited a vintage shop in Leeds. I found an old rusty pick axe without
the handle and bought it for £6. This instigated new ideas and I concluded the
axe could be used to make a light stand. I cleaned the rust off the pick axe and
covered it with Clear Super Gloss Sealer to stop it from rusting further. I
researched the use of the pick axe and then came up with the idea of a light
because the miners needed light in order to dig for coal and the pick axe is
the tool used by the miners and the coal is used to generate light and the two
items seemed to complete the circle of what the miners needed to assist their
work and what they ultimately produced.
I have used a series of drawings
of the same pick axe object but with different shapes that represent the mining
history. The drawing process assists creativity taking one idea and evolving it
into different options which helps develops new ideas which can when be
subtracted or added to the design. 
The additional research I had to
do was finding an interesting and detailed light bulb which would complement
the axe. This primary research resulted in a visit to a shop called RE in
Corbridge, Newcastle. The shop sells Transformable/Reclaimed products and this
is where I found the industrial light bulb and Lead. During my stay in
Newcastle I visited an Art Gallery called The Biscuit Factory and by chance
there was an exhibition by an artist called Alistair Brookes who specialised in
sculptures of miners which helped me understand that the Pick Axe was one of the
main tools used and the conditions down the mine.
In order to complete this
functional product I will need to make a base that is going to be made out of
wood as the handle of the pick axe would originally have been wood. If I use
plaster to support the light fitting and paint it with Black Acrylic to change
the white toned plaster to black/grey then it can represent coal in the mines.
The next step would be ensure the light bulb is connected and works correctly
before securing it in the plaster, which will also attach the base to the pick
axe. An important consideration is the pick axe needs to sit central on the
base to give aesthetically a good effect. The base is also used to pick up and
transport the light stand.
This product will be completed
within two days and will be fully functional.
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