January 2010 artefact stage 4; presentation

My goal is to put together a presentation with my group showing how we are going to make the chest, what were going to make it from (giving the client the decision between two woods,) how we are going to decorate the chest also asking the client if they have any preferences or ideas for the chest. (IE2) I looked at all my research and put it together to form all the aspects we will be discussing with the client.

Today we put all of our research together from last week and edited our scrip from last week adding more information into the presentation.

The box is going to be 50cm x 100cm.

First we got a prototype of a mini-treasure chest and then researched what it was made from and how it was made.

Then we researched the types of wood available and what we can use. Firstly I made a list of all

the available types of wood and the types of wood that I know....

- Maple

- M.d.f, I think that this type of wood is the best because it is cheaper and easier to work with.

- pine

- oak

Then I made a new topic.. types of lining;

- silk - stains easy

- velvet - looks authentic and has a good effect

- lycra

- sheet of cotton

After doing this I chose between 3 - plywood, m.d.f and pine. We decided not to use m.d.f because it looked cheap and the finish wasn't as nice as the other woods

we chose between. So we are going to take pine and m.d.f to the junior school for our client to

choose from.

Then I made a final design which was drawn to scale (20cm x 10cm) I measured each feature and drew it to scale so the client can

see how it will look when it is to the actual scale. After doing this we rehearsed and timed our presentation making sure it

was to the time which we were given.

for my research I used the internet to research the types of wood and their features and selected

the most important information which we can use for our presentation.

Our presentation covers the technologies we will use, how we have developed our ideas and how we are going to create it.

When we did the presentation to our client I think that we were well prepared. We researched different types of materials that we could use for the chest and made many detailed sketches and spider diagrams of all the possible ideas we had to create this artefact. I think that I worked well in my group and had a good understanding of what the client wanted. When we presented to the school the feedback they gave was mainly positive. They liked our ideas and they liked the choices of wood we presented to them and they chose which one they liked the best. Furthermore the client gave us some notes about what else they wanted the box to look like for example:

- They wanted a curved top

- It to be a traditionally looking chest

- Gems (green) to be all over the chest

- Silk lining (green or purple.)

Even though I thought that the chest would look best if we had purple gems and more decorations I have to go with what the client has asked for. However I think that my presenting skills could improve. I am still not very confident and need to present my ideas with more faith and be able to converse with the client more.

During this stage I think that I have been very involved in the process and have generated many good ideas to what the chest should look like and be made out of. I came up with the idea of an old fashioned lock and black meta strips around the box to make it look authentic.

Also, I have developed my skill to research in more detail because I researched the materials in more depth and explained in detail why they would be good or bad to use.

Furthermore today I researched the types of wood individually and i have worked independently to come up with good ideas on the treasure chest and I have gathered relevant information from resources like the internet and own knowledge to source necessary materials which could be used.

Today i have worked as a team (TW5) adopting the teams ideas for the presentation and also worked towards the goal to make sure the presentation was clear and had all the right information that the client needed to know about the treasure chest. (TW1)

January 2010 - artefact stage 2

Spider Diagrams and Chest drafts:

Today we had a discussion about the work we are going to be doing today, level 2, unit 3: Artifact stage1. This ment that we

were going to be preparing what we are going to do for the junior school. We had to work independently to make our own notes throughout this stage.

First I started by researching my topic - treasure chests. Treasure chest

are mainly used in stories of pirates and gold. Also I researched how I could produce my artifact. I made a spider diagram with ideas for the chest.

After this we copied it up into an even more detailed spider diagram

showing the materials we could use, the accessories included, size and weight of the chest and safety issues with chest.

Then we researched the materials that we had put on our spider diagram. We researched how much they would cost, how easy they are to work with and if they are lightweight.

after this we each designed the look for our treasure chest. We then developed our own ideas for the chest and merged the good parts of our design to make a final draft for the chest. However we are still going to take our individual designs to the client so they can make their own suggestions and ideas.

After we did these stages we wrote a mock-up pitch to present to the client showing our ideas and how we are going to go about creating the treasure chest. After doing this we practiced the script and improved it.

The types of wood that we discussed:

- pine because we like the colour and know that quite a few things made in the era of when treasure chests were actually used.

- balsa wood because the information for balsa wood was it was quite light-weight and sturdy however it is a foreign wood and quite expensive so it would be hard to import the wood.

- beach-wood is what wooden flooring is made from, however it is quite brittle and we didn't think it gave the right look if we made it into a chest.

- maple is the wood which treasure chests were also made out of - the wood is a good colour, stable and is easy to work with however to buy it is quite expensive.

Then I researched how we would make the chest and the processes we would have to do to make it. I found a website which explained the stages in making a treasure chest which I think is helpful and is going to be a big help when it comes to creating the chest!

www.binkyswoodworking.com/pirateschest

This website is very detailed and it goes through the process which in which you end up with a treasure test. The process

which is on the website is most likely to be very similar top the process which we are going to be doing when we make the treasure chest.

After this we looked up buying a vintage chunky padlock for the front of the chest. we went on ebay and found a few good locks which we are watching on the website.

The cost of the locks is very cheap, which is good.

Today I have worked well in my group bringing new ideas to the discussion, also I have worked well independently as I have found good research on treasure chests which has helped my group greatly e.g - the websites showing how you create a treasure chest, this could be relevant when we come to planning actually how we are going to go about making our artifact.

The things that I need to work on and develop are making my research more detailed and find other ways and ideas that could work, stating all the possible ways it could be done.

Script:

We have been creating the plans and designs for the treasure chest you asked us to make for your school. We have made a spider diagram of all the different ideas that you have given us and we have added a few of our own. For example the materials we could use, what decorations we could use and any other details that could help make the chest look more ‘authentic’. These are the designs that we have come up with for the chest ....... (show the designs). We thought that we would make it (size) because it is then big enough to look real, but not so big that it is hard to store and for your students to carry. Ww thought about lining the inside with material, so it looks more presentable and, if anything is going to be displayed in it, it will look neater and better presented. We also wanted the padlock and the leather strips down the chest to look rusty and old so it looks original. What do you think about our designs? Do you have any further suggestions for the treasure chest?

Sian and I wrote this script and then I edited it to make it appeal to our audience (younger students and a teacher.)

Today I have also learned that the perception of a treasure chest influences its production. For example, when a topic like pirates is discussed or researched a treasure chest can be associated with this topic and that is why it is famous. Furthermore, there are a wide range of examples of lots of different ways to make a treasure chest ( for example there are authentic ways to make a treasure chest and then there is ways such as using cardboard to create a treasure chest.) I think that this is a good way use materials which are available today to make something old fashioned like a treasure chest.

PLATS

- today I think i've achieved...

* TW2 because we worked together to come up with a presentation and plan.

* CT1 Because I made a large contribution to the final plan of the chest with my ideas.\

* RL4 i asked for feedback on my design for the chest

* IE2 I researched products and ideas for the chest

January 2010 - new module (Artefact) stage 1

My goal for today is to have discussions about the artefacts the client would like us to make and how we would go about making it.

Today we started a new module, artifact's. Firstly Mr coulson gave us a brief idea of what were doing on this module and things we are learning. We read pages 76,77,78,79,100,106 and 107 of the Creative and media book. We learned what we will be learning, understanding the process of creating an artifact, planning the creation, creating an artifact, knowing how to monitor my own creative activity, investigating artifacts, researching them, analyzing other people's work, researching visual arts artifacts and preparation you have to do for the assessment.

For the last part of the day we went into the mini-bus to Sarisbury Junior school, sarisbury. We were going to meet Mrs Harrington, our client and teacher at the school. We are going to make things that the school can use and we were going to meet her to see what we can do. When we got there Mrs Harrington and 3 year 6's presented what they would like us to make for their school. These were their ideas:

- Mini solar system to show students how planets orbit. We thought about how we would do this, paper machaeing small balls (the planets) and painting them. Then we would have to made a frame for them all to orbit each other.

2- Mosaic with the junior schools logo - we thought that this would be fun but quite hard to do because we would have to make it safe and make sure that where they put it is a place where it will be safe.

3- Treasure chest to put things for the school in. This would have to be quite light weight for the students to carry and not too big so it is easy to store. Also they want the chest to look authentic and old - a traditional pirates treasure chest. Also we thought about what materials and lining or the inside of the box could use.

Today I have learned what an artefact means and how people research and create artefacts. I also need to develop my skills in evaluating information given to me e.g - how things could be made and how they can be improved.

Furthermore, after assessing each artifact I think that the mosaic would be the hardest. There are a lot of elements to this piece and would take a lot of research into building. The orrary also looks quite complicated, as you have to get the measurements and planets exactly right. The final artifact, the treasure chest also looks like an interesting task. This would entail a lot of wood work, accurate measuring and care. All 3 artifacts are the going to be complicated and a lot of work, developing our skills making it a positive outcome and hopefully we will have 3 successful artifacts to present to our client at the junior school.

I then researched into the three elements we had been asked to create;

Mosaic; creating an image with a range of materials eg stone, glass etc. It is usually in cubes and a range of colours which are then used to create a pattern or picture.

Orrery; A mechanical device that positions the motions of the planets in the solar system in a clockwise rotation. Usually there is a main globe representing the sun and then planets on arms.

Treasure chest; It is based on the idea of pirates. Mainly seen as wooden objects holding stolen treasure buried with a treasure map showing where the treasure is buried.

* (CT1) I have generated ideas to the group today and explored possibilities for all the artefacts.