All These Late Nights

The Ugly History of Beautiful Things: Mirrors

Mirrors are sparkly and shiny and hypnotic. They’ve fascinated us for thousands of years. And they might show us a lot more about our society’s misplaced priorities than we care to see.

Put on a spread project research

All Weather

I really enjoyed using ink to block out large spaces, as it made me consider negative space in a way that I hadn’t before. For the whole project, I felt as though I was learning how to draw again, which was both a good and bad thing because I feel as though I really don’t know how to draw anymore however I’m starting to develop... something. Before when I looked at my work, I couldn’t really differentiate myself from other people but now I’m seeing hints of myself in my illustrations. On my independent day, I used my journey to and from Kingston to do some observational drawing. The day started like a complete nightmare because I foolishly left my folder of materials on the bus, but luckily I had only done a handful of small drawings. At this point I felt pretty low but I went home, collected myself, found some more paper and went out again. Overall I’m happy with my observational drawings, although I wish I had done more.

Healing: Introduction and intentions

The area subject ‘Healing’ intrigues me as it is something that every live being must go through, whether it be emotionally, mentally or physically. Healing can be regarded in many ways for example the process of returning back to a healthy state in a relationship or physically healing.

Healing in a medical sense has seen such a rapid progression in the last decade, due to so many pivotal inventions, such as recombinant DNA. This discovery not only helped to massively project the development of medicine that is used today, but also helped to solve crimes that were either left cold years ago due to lack of evidence, or free those who served jail time for a crime they did not commit.

Furthermore, the history of medicine intrigue me as it shows how far healing has come and could also inspire future methods. It is also interesting how the philosophy of a certain region at a particular point in time influenced their medical practices. For instance in the middle ages; a time of limited scientific understanding and when people placed their hopes and faith in the supernatural, came up with gory treatments such as whipping themselves in order to earn God’s forgiveness.

I would like to further research more alternative practices of medicine and compare this with modern medicine. Although it is what is most commonly used, modern medicine may not be the best route to recovery, due to the amount of side effects that are displayed. It could also be argued that most modern treatments are just quick and easy short term cures that force you to keep buying from the same supply. From the knowledge I have gathered of those in my family who have invested in Chinese medicine, although the results are not immediate they are long term due to each dose being altered according to the changes in your daily metabolic state.

I first became intrigued in wanting to further research healing after discovering Dr Emoto’s studies on how emotions influence the molecular structure of crystalized water molecules, proving the existence of human vibrational energy. Although some may believe this to be pseudoscience and that his studies conclude to nothing of importance, I believe that his studies at the least promote the idea of self-healing through manifesting positive energy towards yourself. I also found the dismissiveness of western articles writing about Dr Emoto’s theory interesting, as it reveals how despite not fully understanding the science and dedication behind his studies, they were so quick to label his findings as ‘pseudoscience’ as it did not corelate with the western ideology of science. During FMP I intend to further learn about Dr Emoto’s through reading his books ‘Hidden messages in water’ and ‘The true power of water’ as well as collecting research from other sources in order to come to my own conclusion in regards to the subject.

I also intend to gather information about the therapeutic benefits of music. Throughout the ages music has been a presence in the healing world from Native American throat singing to now being used to provide emotional and behavioural benefits to those with Alzheimer’s disease and types of dementia. This is possible due to the key receptors in the brain which are linked to music, are located to a different area of the brain effected by the disease. It has also been researched that listening to music improves the immune system by promoting the development of the antibody, immunoglobulin A which kills unhealthy or defective cells.

Mental and emotional healing after experiencing grief, a rough relationship, a traumatic experience or addiction is so personal, therefore it is important to research this in a way that respects the individual’s story and their route to recovery. At this point, I am not sure how to approach this subject as I don’t want to generalise an individual’s experience or make them feel invalidated.

I can certainly relate to the medicinal aspect of healing having spent half of my childhood in hospital. However despite me being the one lying on the hospital bed, I honestly didn’t have care in the world because I didn’t fully understand what was happening, whereas my parents and family did and now I know that seeing me like that was probably scarier than for them than it was for me at the time. In every healing, there is always a type of support system that aids in the individual’s recovery, for me it was the nurses and my family, for others it may be different.

Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

I really enjoyed the researching aspect of this project, however I struggled with being strict and selective with what I wanted to communicate in the final outcome. My plan was to make an interactive book showing the properties of tape without being obvious... which then turned into an interactive roll.... which then ended up showing the ‘origin story’ of each type of tape. I feel as though I just wasn’t clear enough with what I wanted to communicate, which is reflected in my final outcome. I’m determined to develop on what I have already done and create a sufficient outcome which clearly communicates the properties of tape.

Biscuit Day!

Probably the most chaotic day. Didn’t have any icing so I couldn’t save my biscuits. My dinner party was basically me and my friends eating sushi and drinking bubble tea. I almost forgot to make myself, so i put together what looks like a shuttlecock 2 minutes before I put it into the oven. This biscuits tasted delicious though