OFFSET 2013 - Get your tickets !!!!

It's nearly time for OFFSET 2013 in Dublin, I have volunteered to be the main point of contact at Stockport College for information and enquiries on tickets for OFFSET 2013.

OFFSET is on the 5/6 & 7th April at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dublin.

OFFSET are also offering day tickets and also group booking offers, For further information please contact me at laurasharpe23@hotmail.co.uk or SHA06063089@stockport.ac.uk.  You can also find me in Level 5 Illustration studio on Tuesdays and Fridays.

MISS IT, MISS OUT!!!!

Creative Writing at the School of Visual Arts New York

I was very fortunate to sit in on a 'Creative Writing' class hosted by Michele Zackheim who is a Arts Lecturer at the School of Visual Arts in New York.  The lesson was about 'Creative Writing' which is something I want to do more of as I loven to create imaginary worlds, characters and narratives. We were asked to select an image at random, Being a massive fan of Masks I chose E. S. Curtis's 'Humanoid Mask'.

 Once we had a image to work with we began creating a 'Sense of Place' for the world in which this person lived in, the message or meaning it communicated to me and the era/location it originates from.  I came up with the following....

• A tribal Chief, Figure of importance
• Proud stance, dominant
• Aztec Tribe, Native American
• Mysterious, Secretive
• Unsure if Male or Female
• We all wear Masks in our lives either physically or subconsciously
• Vibrant warm colours such as Red, Yellow, Orange & Green
• Religious Beliefs, Mother Nature
• Smells: Fire, Ink, Wood, Midnight air & Nature
• Sounds: Tribal Drums & strange songs

We then were asked to write a short story to describe our chosen character in a creative, descriptive way....

''Under the bright moon, deep in the native forest the leaves move to the beat of the drums and song dances through the deep, dark night.  Tall burning flames flicker up totem poles that reach high into the sky and beyond.  Warm yellow, orange and red beam from above, whilst below dark shadows worship this human shaped burst of colour.  It's mask is still and dominant in it's presence.  Silently.  It sits''

I found this exercise very beneficial and useful, from looking at one image it's possible to create a 'Sense of Place' and a short piece of descriptive language that could be the main essence of a story/narrative.  It really opened up my mind and I enjoyed it very much.  I shall use this process again for creating stories in the future, It's also a great way to create characters and worlds.

The students in the class were also a delight to meet and they made us feel so welcome, So a big thank you to all at SVA!, I also got to sit at an American style desk!

Another great thing from this experience was that I discovered the photographer E.S Curtis, who has done alot of Mask & Tribal photography, So I shall look into their work some more.

The Manchester Weekender!

The Manchester Weekender

This weekend sees the city of Manchester showcasing everything creative from pop-up cinema and video artists to David Shrigley's exhibition 'How are you feeling?'... There is something for everyone to see and get involved in!  The events will be taking place across Manchester during Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday.  I shall certainly be visiting over the weekend!

Please visit: http://www.creativetourist.com/weekender-2/the-manchester-weekender-events-all-weekend-11-14-oct for more information.

Just So Festival, Saturday 18th August

What can I say!! - A totally crazy, busy and kaos experience.  Between myself and 1 other volunteer in the morning and an additional volunteer in the afternoon we helped make just short of 400 lanterns in just over 6 hours, Which means we beat last years record…So I feel very happy about that :)
It was a very challenging but really enjoyable experience, despite being drenced in water, PVA glue with tissue paper stuck to my hair and muddy feet, I loved the entire experience and really learnt alot in terms of working with the public in a live event.

If I get the opportunity to help at next year’s Just So Festival I would like to be more involved in the organisation of the Lantern Making, and I would also like to work with other students in my class to create a really fun activity for all to participate in.

At the end of the day I walked around the festival and looked at all the crazy, surreal and beautiful things that were created and made, It was amazing…Lord Whitney as per usual did some really brilliant things.
I look forward to ‘Just So 2013’

'Pass the Baton'

These images were taken at ‘Pass the Baton’ ceremony in Great Moor Park, Stockport to celebrate the Olympics.  I was asked along with other students to go along and capture the day’s events through my own eyes.
It was a great day with a real community spirit!.  It also pushed me out of my comfort zone as this isn’t normally something I would do, but it was a great experience and learning curve.

'GROW' In Town

Here are some photos I took when I volunteered at the ‘GROW In Town’ Degree show last month.  The show was put together by the 3rd year Illustration & Graphics students and was shown at the Krak Gallery in Manchester’s vibrant Northern Quarter.
I really enjoyed the day, it was a great to talk to the students about their work, influences and their experiences in Illustration so far, and gave me a great insight into displaying my work in a public venue.