OUGD401 / Module Evaluation

Alexander Finney

OUGD401 Module Evaluation

I believe I chose a challenging essay title, and that my explorations within that essay gave me more than enough to explore in the practical, ‘Theory Into Practice’ side of the module. Whether my essay writing and articulation is at a high standard yet is another matter but I feel content with the themes that I’ve explored in the module and enjoyed the module as something that allowed me to look at something reasonably highbrow without any restraint.

Since completing the practical side of the module, I feel that a can of worms has been opened that went unexplored in my essay, notably my foray into silkscreen printing as a medium which can be used to replicate the unpredictability of the paintbrush. This is only a small gripe however and I do feel and hope that to others my practical response is contextually sound and at the very least poses some interesting questions about the subject, while exploring many of the concerns within the essay itself.

The prints are – perhaps not surprisingly – my favourite and the most successful aspect of the whole submission. The process was really interesting in context with the essay and my proposal for the practical side of the module. In essence I took Rothko’s No. 14, 1960, recreated it very quickly and to scale in illustrator using 3 simple, squared off blocks and then attempted to become the artist as I silkscreen printed the final pieces over two days. The results are each individual as I took advantage of the medium and aimed to produce ‘controlled-misprints’, resulting in ten runs of one individual, each slightly different prints, bringing the theory full circle and hopefully presenting ‘other forms of visual communication’ – ie Graphic Design – as a subject which can embody the same weight and exclusivity as fine art.

It occurred to me that due to timing issues, I was only going to be able to produce one printed version out of the examples I put forward in the accompanying ‘exhibition’ guide/ publication. The exhibition is of course all in theory – I believe the Tate are busy on those dates anyhow – but the concept is solid and I genuinely feel that an exhibition of this nature could work and pose serious questions about the state of the two practices. If the original work is replicated to scale, with the exact same hues, through graphic means, It should in theory impose the same power over the audience.

The accompanying exhibition guide took its aesthetic from Ad Reinhart’s Black Series of paintings. As well as simply enjoying the stark aesthetic, I enjoy the echoes - with the barely legible black ink on black stock – of the contents of the book, which poses questions about the intangible, invisible line which undeniably divides fine art and graphic design.