WEEK 1 (24/02-01/03) reflection

Within this week I wanted to complete the bulk of the contextual research. To have a good grasp on what the current general publics perception of Alzheimers is. Also once knowing the understanding of different groups and age ranges this could help inform and narrow my target audience for this project. Also most of my research was on mainstream media and the portrayal of people with Alzheimer’s within it. As it is the most wide reaching form that a lot of people base all their knowledge on and don’t seek to expand upon unless it affects them personally.

Ultimately I keep returning to the personal angle as it is something that remains at an arms length until it actually happens in your personal life. A narrative format may best portray this however that is probably the only format I’ve ever seen Alzheimers explored. Admittedly it has been successfully but the impact is only emotional. It does not call you to action in any way when Alzheimers is in fact a disease you can take steps in your everyday life to prevent.

.how my week went- I found my week very productive as I was able to pool many resources of both primary and secondary. Specifically I was able to get into contact with 5 separate family members who have experienced caregiving in one form or another to individuals they knew who had Alzheimer’s. I have comprised a list of questions that alters slightly for each interviewee. I have come to the decision that I’d like to record the interviews via taping either video or audio in order to let the conversation flow organically and give the subject matter the sensitivity it deserves.

.how were certain days- We went to visit LCC’s Zine collection which I found vastly informative

--I got the questions for the family interviews written up and sent off. The responses will most likely come back staggered throughout the project

.two things I learnt-- that the most favoured format for depicting human stories and thus Alzheimers is narrative, so most often this is film, animation, book. Because it gives the audience enough time to connect with the character an thus empathise

--what a fanzine is, pretty self explanatory but as a very effective and efficient format I'd never heard of it before. The format enables quick production and efficient communication. It would be good to utilise it to make my thoughts more cohesive in order to better communicate them.

.two things I enjoyed-- genuinely I enjoy getting to delve into a topic I knew very little about before and uncovering so much. This is why I often spend too much time the research phase, but as it is early and essential at this point in order for me to choose a stance in message I want to convey, I can enjoy it.

--Exhibition based research I find essential as you are often in the room engaging with the work so you can speak from a first hand account. I'm enjoying the analysis side of this research and seeing how different formatting effects the impact on the the viewer. How the placement of the piece, what you couple it with, what you choose to tell the audience and what you leave for them to figure out on their own.

.what could I do differently-- upload more to the blog. most of my work is contained to the sketchbook as I often draw images in order to better convey my thinking. That is harder to translate to the blog. As result what i do upload is word based when this is a visual qualification. I need to find a way to better convey my visual thinking, whether it be me sketching on the iPad so I can quickly upload it to the blog as it will all be in one place, or I take a more active role in delving into digital art forms or I photograph my work much more frequently. This method does require less printing whilst still being viewable by a teacher which is effective.

.what should I do next-- Look at different visual ways Alzheimers has been portrayed in media, whether that is a fogginess around the lens or something else. What visual cues in narrative work do artists us to show that what is currently happening is because of Alzheimers. Which one are most effective, and you as the viewer understand what is happening immediately and so the story doesn't miss a beat.