A year out

Hi, My name’s Vicky. I’m most likely to be found in the IVM (illustration and Visual Media) or printmaking studios of LCC.

I would like to begin by analysing what is «Design» and where it stands in order to present a clearer view of my practice. Design exists everywhere in our daily lives. It comes in various types and each one exists in order to serve society and its constantly growing needs. It is a living language that transforms together with the society, it can neither remain static nor can ever die. In the book «Design as Art» the graphic artist Bruno Munari suggests that «the designer works in a vast sector of human activity». There is: visual design (communicates and informs visually through symbols and forms), industrial design (concerned with functional objects), graphic design (has to do with press, books and advertisements) and research design (concerned with experiments and research on both plastic and visual structures).

Graphic design example of the «notamuse» book, raising awareness of gender equality in the art industry. Photograph by Kristin Kerscher

Industrial design example of a 1300 Volkswagen Beetle. By M62 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2671092

It occurred to me that design can be divided in two bigger categories: The first is the «Functional/plastic» category which is used in order to help society function efficiently through the construction of goods. These are tangible/ physical objects that make life easier and more convenient. The second is the «Emotional/visual» category. It focuses, mainly, on the psychological effect that is being created when interacting with the visual outcome. Its purpose is to explain, educate, inform, narrate, help people grow emotionally, protest against inequalities and support views and ideas. 

My practice falls into the second category. My aim is to evoke feelings, embrace fears, bring back forgotten memories, engage in communication. I particularly enjoy projecting the theory of academic art into the today’s art world using contemporary techniques and materials in an attempt to communicate modern day concerns. I use colour, shape, size, texture, material and knowledge of composition in order to create an outcome that goes beyond representation and invites in further investigation. I am using design in order to re-establish the lost contact between art and the public, make it more approachable and people more willing to understand it. 

​I see the DPS year as an opportunity to get to know myself a bit better and grow personally and artistically. I am planning to try out a number of possible paths I could take driven by my passion for visual communication. As my practice lays upon a number of fields -illustration, painting, sculpture- and it is not focused on one, I will take this opportunity to spend the year figuring out which aspect I am most attracted to. Skills I would also like to develop are printmaking and digital art as I find the combination of handmade and digital fascinating. Optimally, later on this year, I will assist a fine artist in their studio. This will help me gain an insight of how an art studio functions, broaden my theoretical knowledge and enrich my practical skills, learn about freelance work, get to know new interesting practitioners and ways to showcase my work. Additionally, after research I have conducted over summer I discovered a number of illustration agencies as well as magazines I would like to contact and work for, which will enable me to work under pressure, be part of an active team, and get familiar with the art industry. Finally, my research included loads of freelance work and one artist in residency application. 

​The following are details of the progress of two posters I am currently working on for a collaboration with the MA screenwriting.