Bis 60

Monday/Tueday are the only days that I officially have school. I think it will pick up in a few weeks as i've only just started most of my courses. Have to keep reminding myself that. We had our second meet for the Entwurf course and talked about our initial research. Talked abit about different ways that we could express our research. Less words and just go a bit more crazy. Defs up for giving that a go. Mostly this week work wise I've been working more on my Illustration work which was frustrating at times and I still haven't finished what I should have finished in the first part but now I finally know my end point. Gonna have to learn After Effects to do the animation which I hope will be okay. Actually looking forward to the challenge as I wanna make more animations in the future.

Started the webdesign course which was a bit wierd. Had to try and listen to the teach explaining HTML (I think?) in german. Need to work on it a bit. I think I will stick with it though.

Non studious things:

At the beginning of the week had a lil meal with ma old german crew. Crepes were on the plate (we were trying to remake the dishes from different lands event from earlier in our Erasmus adventure) it was sweet.

We tried to find the crazy funky second hand shop that we read about in the guide but still couldn't find it :(.

Went to 603 for F*** design, lets dance! And danced.

Went to the every-other-week fleemarket (norm) but got on the wrong train and ended up in Aschaffhausen. Set me back about an hour. Still grabbed sum bargs though. Including my Halloween costume. 'Dead snake'. LoL.

Picz:

Just ran into this one day. I think that the point of it is that it's made of all the things that you leave on all the time. The day felt brighter after having bumped into a giant igloo made of fridges.

Inside.

Crazy.
This was last sun. We cooked a red, white and blue (british) storm. This was influenced by a discussion me and Liv had about what to do on Sundays. Everything is closed on Sundays and although there is lots to do it requires a lil bit more effort and motivation outside the home. So we made a roast. And apple crumble. Makes me salivate just thinking about it.

52

Today I met my mother in Frankfurt and we went to the modern art museum.

This is the view from her hotel.

Building work next to 2nd part of art gal.

Room of confetti.

Illustrative Installation.

'Toilet Installation' with sound. Weird but cool.

Pop art work I found interesting

Lil' Illustrations

I really liked these fashion illustrations and how they were exhibited in the colourful frames.

Trendy Radiator. (not actually an exhibit).

Film of Elephants. (I am the shadow).

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End of our intensive course, illustration but not quite the end because I have to continue making work for the extensive course, Animation. Really excited. I think i need to do quite a bit more work though coz i didn't reeeeally finish. I got really into sewing this (image) of a brain when i should have just left it and brought everything together a bit more. Staying up till 3am desperately sewing really did seem a bit like a waste of the precious time left.

We had a crit with 2/3 other groups for the work that we had done. It was quite nerve wracking but when we got around to it, although it appears to be quite stiff (see photo) it was actually really relaxed and people just got on with it. We were given 1 timed minute to present, which was good because you don't have time to bullshit about what you've done or feel bad about what you haven't.

We started our Entwurf course aswell. Entwurf is more conceptual so I think it will be a bit more like what we're used to. More research based. It's gonna be really useful to do this course with different teachers, especially as the tutor was a student at Camberwell so we can experience a different approach to a familiar style of teaching. It's really been nice to have a bit more guidance and have the tutors be a bit more hands on.

So, for Entwurf, i've been researching movements. For our first session we had to meet in the library at 6 and were allowed to stay until 12pm. We stayed until about 10(ish). To be fair, most of the books were in german but I did find some images that i liked, some related more than others.

Gonna try n be more illustrative to summarise my research as i think i respond better to it.

As a final product from da research we have to come up with a publication and in the second part the suggested outcomes are a mini film or create our own movement. Potentially a big thing. Watch out kids.

Our First Crit
Researching Images in the Library (Movement).

On Thursday we went to this party in a Cafeteria (Mensa). It can appropriately describe it as a Sausage Fest. Probably about 80% boys hungry for beer and food, we were trapped in a queue for about an hour outside. Crammed. My friend lost her shoe. Check da pic;



& the tram ride there;

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Freitag.

Went to meet ma pal who's travelling in Frankfurt. We wandered about a bit and then she couldn't get a train back coz they stopped going at 18:30 so she came back to stay in Darmy! She is my first visitor and was a lovely guest to have. We made dinner and ate it on my balcony, despite the cold. We then met up with Liv and went to the industrial designers ending party thing. Had a little schmooze and then left a tad early in order to prepare for our early rise today.

Samstag.

Woke up at the crack of dawn. We were on a mission to get to the fleemarket good n early but it just didn't happen. Said goodbye to my pal and did some embroidering of a brain for my proj on the slow S train back to Frankfurt. Met up with Liv and we went to the fleemarket. Was looking for a coat as it is freezing but did not find one. Nor a bike. I'm too fussy.

After we went to this book/zine fair called 'Dead or Alive?!'. Unfortunately due to the early bird wake up call and general lack of sleep we were more dead but we found some cool peeps to talk to and saw some cool stuff. There were people from everywhere to chat to so it was more than a bit of an alright.

I was interested to see and take mental note of what type of work stands out at those kind of events and what just looks like a jumble of complicated words and ideas. Simple seems to win.

We were talking to this guy who, amongst other things, had made a publication out of his old collection of spice girl articles. His work was really funny and readable and he said he always seemed to break the air of the graphic style boff vibe that you kind of can't avoid at most graphicsy book events. This appealed to me. He was still using rules in a serious way not to be serious. Cool ey.

We went to a bit of the talks. They were ok. More interesting were the chats with people.

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The Illustration course ended on monday. We have to make 20 sheets with specific measurements by monday. I feel ok about this. I think that I am going to end up with a really weird narrative though. This is good. I have also started thinking more about how i'm going to work with my narrative to make an animation, which is the next course I have. Really looking forward to it.

One thing that I have learned this week already, which is quite a massive learning for me is that trying to define yourself is defs a bad thing. Last first year I was always really worried that I wasn't 'Graphics' enough and I was always trying to work in a certain way which I think really hindered my work and made me confused. Coming here and having been able to choose subjects that I am interested in and enjoying what i'm doing, already in the first week, really made me feel like I wasn't a freak or actually should be doing something 'more free' like fine art (which I have being really baffed about for a long time) or any other subject.

In the class one of the gals said that she thought that her work didn't really have a point (which is something that I always feel like and they I loose motivation and stop, or just try to make a point and do something that is either cliche or that i've done before) and the teach said that there is always a point to work. I kind of see this maybe as a subconscious reaction. Anyway from this proj I have learned to try and trust my instinct a bit more and not think consciously about the direction so much and just do. I guess i also need to learn how to maintain a comfortable balance.

I feel like I have secretly known this all along. I think it may have gradually became a bad habit or a teufelskreis (viscous cycle*).

Day 42 we went to 603 where people were doing crazy dancing and they played some old choons. So great for talking german. German is ridiculously difficult to practise as when I try to speak german to people they talk back in english. Mega sad face. So i'm gonna maybe get an extra lesson or a german bud to have intense conversation timez.

Yesterday we went icesk8in. SO good. Highlight.

*I learned this phrase in 6th Form and i try to work it into conversation at every opportunity. Score.

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Summary

The past days have been a bit of a blur and quite a lot of work.

As it is an intensive course it is on the weekend aswell (!!!) it was quite weird going to col this morn. and on sat. And working a full day with a tutor who was there the whole time. It has been great and I already feel like my confidence in my work is growing and that I am actually doing work that I am enjoying working on.

I haven't got my scanner working yet so I will have to post my work on a later date when I can be bothered to work it. Tired timez.

Basically just been going into the studio and working and then going to various pubs. Today we went to 'Neue Heimat'. Yesterday we went to this really german german pub where we had a bit of a vocab swap which was fun. Beer and word fun.

The day before I went with my new friend to visit her studio. It's in an office block and they have rented out the room where quite a few people work and they have a photocopier, some printing stuff and paper cutting machine. Her and her friends who worked there had organised a talk with this guy who used to be a lecturer at the Uni but left and who is also super cool and their friend and so I went along to that. I could only understand bits of it but it was really interesting, basically about how he worked for this company and how he gradually became more confident and free with his work (very brief explanation).

The studio has a really good vibe and I thought it was a really cool thing that they had going so I am considering renting a space, maybe later on in the year if I stay a year (which I am thinking of doing). It is also under 40euro for a months rent there. Barg.

The talk in 'Der Raum' (the studio).

A work of his (^) that I loiked

Found this beaut on the street. Sign: 'zum mitnehmen' (to take).

37 Heidelburg

Woke up at six which was kinda rough.

Got on the train to Heidelberg!!

Only an hour away and appazzers it's the prettiest city in Germany. It was well nice.

We wandered to the exhibition, stopping off for coffee along the way. The exhibition exhibits works of art that has been created by artists (or so i understood) who have some kind of mental illness. We learnt that it is important to not look at the artwork and try and work out what kind of mental illness the person had but try and empathise with it. It's interesting as many of these people don't have the boundaries that 'normal' people in society have so their work is childlike but also reflective. There is also a reoccurring theme of obsession and order which is interesting to see in such a raw form that is so easy to empathise with. Which is quite disconcerting really.

We were given a talk. Most of our course so far is in German which is really intense but makes picking up on the main jist of whatever's being talked about more exciting and in a way it's easier to hang on to what stands out the most in the whole talk rather than lots of ideas.

We were taken into the downstairs bit where all the art is stored away and artwork was taken out and shown.

Then we went into the main exhibit which was mostly photography.

After lunch we were taken into the library and were told to find images that we found inspiring. We were a bit confused about what was being asked of us but the people who could speak german were also confused so we managed okay.

I don't really know what is expected of us in the next week but i already have some ideas and i'm really looking forward to it! We have to bring a 'Spiegel' to draw self portraits tomorrow so yeah. Good but tiring day.

Woolworths lives on.

Patterns-colours-spiral-obsessions.

Fluidity/detail

Headless.

Little jacket embroidered with reflective writing.

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35.

Early start.
Had an english speaking chat about what we were about to encounter in the day and how we were meant to make choices about which courses and what we had to do etc.

Had brief talks from the different lecturers and their talks.

We then had to vote for which courses we wanted to do which was difficult coz there was loads and they all sounded good.

I chose: Illustration, Webdesign, Storytelling and as my main proj 'Sieg über die Sonne' (something about movements in history and lots of research). All of these are more specific ie. rather than just illustration in general. We have to choose a certain amount of subjects in each category, so you have to do atleast 1 Entwurf which is the main proj and then 2 experimental courses and 2 Darstellungsmethoden which is like methods of presenting. There are some other random theory based courses as well which sounded interesting, but i didn't want to put too much on my plate.

Had such a stress trying to find courses that didn't overlap with each other, did a bit of name crossing off lists of people accepted onto that course and then we were straight in there with the first intro to the course which was Illustration. All auf deutsch! We were told that we would be going on a trip to see an exhibition in Heidelberg about 'mentally ill' and that we should bring in paper and stuff to make kewldrawingz with 4 tomoz. Also a very long german text to read.

36.

Woke up in the morn to read the text. Was interesting but 7/10 difficult to understand. Understood something about how when we look at art from the mentally ill it is interesting as they have no 'normal' order so they have free minds and how we can learn from this.

We were supposed to make poem pictures from the text for Hausaufgaben but we didn't understand that so we just did it in class. Then from our poems we could make something visual. For the rest of the day we watched documentaries in german about all this. Can't be bothered to post more about today as i am doing it late and it was a bit of a blur of not understanding but it's a really interesting subject and i am extra excited about what we are embarking on.

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I am still feeling very slow from Oktoberfest. I slept most of yesterday so i had a good early start today and did some housey stuff. I baked some pasties for a picnic with Olivia. They were alright but the pastry was a bit thick.

THEN,

went to Karlshof and then from there we went to the FIELDS which were vast and green and the weather was great so that is where we picnic-ed and then we went to a park to watch Erasmus peeps play American Football. Sweet.

Could have got some good pics but i forgot my Cam. Nice to take a break from it.

32 Oktoberfest

Was crazy. Peeps got their lederhosen on. Giant fairground and lots of different halls that you could get into after queuing and using tactical thinking to get in. Lots of drinking beer whilst dancing/standing on tables and chairs.

It took many trains to get there but it only cost €10 on a schönes wochenende ticket! Barg.

31

We got our course descriptions today. This was the first time i've been to the campus and it was impressive. The course descriptions sounded great and i'm really looking forward to starting but also don't really know which ones to choose. After this we went and had schnitzel in the square to celebrate. Was good. Then later, it was irish friend Dylans birthday so we went to his flat and played a drinking game. Didn't get too wild as other Ersmusees and I will be leaving for Oktoberfest tomorrow at 4:30am. Eek.

Liv in square.

Treats

Fridge Fun


The Infamous Drinking game