02
Christmas Boxes

COLLABORATION NOTES:

GROUP A3 - Han Rowe, Tom Quadri, Lottie Riley, Kiki Rusak and Colin Fiore. Team Outputs can be found in image 1, 2 and 9. Created a group presentation together for an output.

 

This project is a live design project in collaboration with Newstead Abbey as a part of their Christmas presentation of 'The Nutcracker'. We were asked to work in small groups to collaborate in making artefacts in boxes to display at the Abbey in cross-pathway work. We came together to 'illustrate the narrative' and generate ideas, coming up with the concept of Victorian-inspired toys with a steampunk aesthetic. 

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Before we received our briefs, we met our groups and came together to have a group creation session. I think that this was really useful as the design language we developed really informed the look of our final project. We also had a ‘recce’ to Newstead Abbey, which helped when deciding our concept as the Abbey itself was divided into story points from The Nutcracker. We decided to respond to the ‘Toymaker’ part and got onto doing our 3D sketches with foam board. What really helped in this project was a creation of a timetable for everyone to stick to in our group. That way, we were able to keep to a deadline and know that we were on the right track. Our calendar perhaps could have been improved by revising it every session, but the way that we treated our projects with regards to our deadline still benefited from it. 

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To start with, I did some reactive drawing from some photos I took of Newstead Abbey when we made our trip. Through talking with the members of my group, I was helped when creating my moodboard for my Christmas Box – I really benefited from a discussion with my tutors also, encouraged to look at pictures of Burning Man and vintage Bavarian wooden carvings which I really liked the look of. 

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I decided, for my box, I would create a wooden steampunk-inspired bear, using the laser cutter, inspired by an account of Lord Byron bringing a bear back home for Christmas that I found when doing my primary research at Newstead. I have used my graphic design skills to enhance the surrounding moment of the box and created signs and patterns to really reflect the theme of a Victorian toyshop. The technique I have used, in my opinion, works well as I think it really gives off the feeling of shopping at Christmas, which is what I associate with the season.

 

I came across a problem when the laser-cutter broke and my cutting took longer than expected. In addition, parts were lost and the wood that I used bent in the post and there were a lot of unavoidable absences in our group throughout the project. This project for me was one of patience and development, so my decision to keep working on the outside and tackle the other parts of the project whilst I was waiting is one I am really proud of. My feedback for the project reflected the higher standard of model-making that I was directed to achieve for the previous one, which I was pleased with. It also reflected that the work that I did with the laser-cutter was worth it, despite the ‘trials’ I had with it breaking. I was really happy with this.

 

Altogether, I think that our project was successful. We used similar colours and techniques to create a cohesive presentation of our works together. Feedback for me was a more extensive cataloguing of my process so I will aim to do that in the future. There was also a question of a better finish for our boxes as a whole, which I would agree with.

 

Overall, though, I’m pleased with the end of my personal contribution to the project and our work as a team overall.