Research 1

Student 2012/001: Placement - Diabetic Clinic

Abstract 1 10 years ago, I was diagnosed with Type 1Diabetes. The disease hit me hard and has become my inspiration for this project. I decided to fight back, teaming up with the Diabetic specialists of North Staffordshire hospital and 'the Parent Family Link' I spent time in each location in order to raise awareness of the causes and educate the public about the coping with the condition. A starting focus was destroying the popular myth that Diabetic children can’t eat sweets!

Student 2012/003. Placement Airspace Gallery, Stoke.

Abstract 2

My initial intention was to invite people to a week of practical workshops out lining the process of creating a model using my own methodology. My models are created from a myriad of materials including wood, polystyrene and plastics. Between conception and completion there are many different skills and techniques that I have learnt over a decade of practice and I felt that these could be useful for artists, regardless of their discipline. These generic skills make use of observation, mould making, casting and several painting techniques. These can be implemented to help disguise, re-appropriate and change objects to suit the requirements of a project. For example in The Old Dining Room model a syringe barrel and a perfume bottle top come together to create a lamp and matches and scrap wood (including firework sticks collected from the streets after bonfire night) have been joined to create furnishings. These community workshops comprised a quick research and design session followed by individual constructions and a collective exhibition.