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Birmingham City University   2008/2009

Alison Saint

The aim of the visual research project I wish to undertake is to explore through printed abstraction, the theme of ‘shed life’ and ‘plot culture’.

Having recently acquired an allotment, I have become fascinated by the ways in which people mark time and territory, develop sub-languages and create complex and highly specific personal methodologies in dealing with the natural world. This is translated into a rich visual landscape of structure, textures, archeology and forms.

Using drawing as an important means of communication, after re-acquainting myself with printmaking techniques, which will extend my mark making vocabulary, using aquatint, deep bite, embossing and photoetching - I hope the resulting works will act as an experimental field with the potential to develop more three dimensional pieces in book, wall or installation formats.

I am currently making silk papers with printed text. Further embellishment explores the positive and negative space between words alluding to ancient scripts and the unspoken. These ideas shared common ground with the proposed work and will be incorporated into the body of research.