Final Reviews: Grad School S2
This second semester felt like an incredible whirlwind of nonstop learning, experimentation, creeping fear and satisfaction. Occasionally I felt as though I was researching too much and leaving too little time for production. Ultimately, I found these concerns to be unfounded, as I realized over the course of my projects that the process, for me, is just as important as the product and that everything can benefit from further iterations sometimes. It is also important however, to know when a project is finished.
I rehearsed my presentation several times trying to cut where I could to ensure I could fit everything into the timeframe, and likely still cut it relatively close. That said, I was encouraged by all of the feedback that I received. I want to touch on some of the Projects which garnered feedback from my reviewers.
One thing I asked for feedback on was whether or not my research and process translated into the final piece. I was concerned that after weeks of researching and iterating, that the final piece might not convey each purposeful design decision that I made. I was excited to hear that my work felt approachable but complex and well researched, and that attention to detail and materiality was clearly supported in the overall final deliverables.
Nick Rock commented specifically on my final piece for Graphic Design I, about liminality. He interviewed me when I can in for final interviews to be considered for admission to BU, and was aware of my background as a metalsmith. It was very exciting to have him as one of my reviewers because of this, because he had a particular insight into my design and art history that I feel helped him to contextualize my work. He mentioned that this project specifically felt like a very close realization of that liminal space between metalsmith and graphic designer that I am inhabiting, and that he sees potential for this to be pushed forward conceptually in future work. The other guest reviewers agreed that the connection between Cinema 4D, the Risograph and my metalsmithing background created strong connections between the digital and analog forms, and that overall it was successful.
One source of exciting feedback that I received was echoed by all three of my reviewers, that my work showed clear connections to and strong support from research and process, and that those were clearly important aspects of working for me. They expressed that it would be interesting for future presentations to see more of that process leading to the final pieces. I think this could be incredibly beneficial if I were to select perhaps 1 or 2 pieces to show a more detailed background on the full process to give the viewer a better idea of my pre production process. This feedback was very helpful especially as we begin to move towards thesis and I consider documentation.
