Visual language. Evaluation.

After the first brief about visual language, I was a few lost. « What they want say about visual language ?» « what kind of collection can I do ? » or « what want I to show about my work at the exibition ? » .It was good questions that I needed to think for the project, but also for me and my own « artistic sensibility ».

First, I wanted to work with print making. Because I didn’t really know what kind of collection I wanted make, I thougt that I could experiment print making. But it was a bad way to think like that, because that it was really interesting in this project is the « approach » of the work. After that I begun to really think about my visual language. I wanted to think if my visual language changes because my life change. I’m in a other country, with an other language, other people, I inevitably influenced by other things. It is why I decided to work with post card of Leeds, about my new life. I decided that it would be interesting if this postcard really interact with the person who I had choose to send, and by this way, compare my visual language with that of friends and family.

The postcards of Leeds can show them how I feel in this new city.

« What I want say to them about my new life if I want to send them a postcard? »

I choosed to attach importance to the words

I thought about how a person can chose a suitable post card, among hundreds, for someone else using their own visual language and expect them to like it.

For this I took many photographs, experimented with text and sent 10 quite different friends 4 images, 4 texts and 3 different transparent paper colours. I asked them to choose one photo, one text and one colour, according to their taste, and send me the results. Finally, I have a collection of 9 postcards which are linked due to my taste but are varied due to the choices and tastes of others.

Before the chrismas hollydays, I spent long time to take photos, visits exhibitions, and try to discover Leeds with an other regard. I was really interesting to discover (after 3 month) a new vision of the city.

The chrismas hollydays was a bad break for the project, because I was not in Leeds, I abandoned the project and couldn’t really work. But during this hollydays I took advantage to be in paris in order to visited Parisian's museum. I tried to visit the museum in an other way, tinking about the visual language work, and looking the installation, and the the mode of display.

It’s interesting to see how the artist highlight a collection of work with his installation.

After the hollydays was the exhibit. I decided to do something in relation with my visual language work. I didn’t really want to just put on the wall a serie of my postcard.In my work, what I think interesting is more the process than the result. It’s why I decided to make a « installation » when people can interact whith my work. I chose one postcard for the « postcard’s work » , this work was not so difficult because I had already nine…

Send and receive my postcard was more long that I thougt and I realised that it is really important to manage the time,  in order to have a good organisation. I receved the postcard of my friend and family few days before the deadline, and the last days was really short…I had not many time to realised the book.

I decided to make two book. One first, with a simple realisation, quite sober, to explain the demarche and the process, And an other, where there is just the postcards, with an realisation more experimental. In the second we can move the elements. Book binding was really intersting to. I never did that before, and I learn a lot about book’s realisation. That it was difficult it was to work in autonomy, and go to the « studio » to work alone. I’m quite content of the result, even if i’m not really satisfied about the apparence of the first one : the black cover is dirty, maybe the really sensible paper was a bad choice, and I want to make an other protection cover, when I will have the time.

To conclude, this project really intersted me, it was a good experience because I learn many things about technical, but also about my « art sensibility » and the one of my close family / friends. I increased my knowledge and critical awareness. I’m also content about the exhibition and the postcard, it was  a funny day and the exhibition look was really successful.

Camille Leproust.