for my final project i chose to explore the theme of identity, i wanted to dive into the question of ‘what makes up an identity?’. i began my research by gathering and collecting primary images i thought related to my theme. i wanted to collect primary images at the beginning of my project in order to keep a broad base for further developments. 

my secondary research began as i conducted contextual research in the form of articles, i explored three different articles, one of gender, the second on identity within the media and the final article on identity throughout different life stages. i explored a range of articles as i wanted to develop a wide range of thoughts and ideas early on into my project. researching into different forms of identity forced me to keep my ideas broad within the start of my project which i found to be really useful.

this article was based off caitlyn jenners transition from male to female and how their identity changed due to this, the article explores how identity can often be viewed as a political matter. 

researching into how media affects identity later lead me to explore how people choose to express themselves through social media. 

my primary research continued in the form of a short google document i sent to my peers. the questionnaire was based on personal identity as well as how you think others may perceive you as this is something i wanted to explore, choosing to create a google document allowed me to gain insight into other peoples perception rather than just my own allowing me to develop further ideas and research. the knowledge i gained from this research enabled me to explore the idea of identity further. 

BARBRA KRUGER 

 

as apart of my contextual studies i read two books exploring identity.

JESSICA SO REN TANG 

AUDE NASR

FLORENCE GIVENS

as i continued with my research i took interest into different forms of identification such as passports and licences, i opted to explore different countries forms of identification in order to compare the differences. i found the patterns and security measures fascinating.   

as apart of my visual research i wanted to compare mine and my peers belongings i order to compare peoples choice, i wish that i would’ve taken this further by drawing more objects in further detail as it would give me a bigger spectrum to compare.

exploring licenses and passports lead me onto the idea of fingerprints and how they can be used within identification. i discovered that fingerprints are created by papillary ridges on the fingertip creating an individual impression which can be used for identification by fingerprint scanners and of course various techniques of taking fingerprints.

this is further development based on my initial research into fingerprints.

here i completed a quick page of visual research on fingerprints. i did this in order to refresh my visual drawing skills as well as developing further research and ideas. i found this task useful as it allowed me to practice my skills and also develop ideas.  

i wanted to explore the idea of typography within my theme as i realised i was mostly working on different medias and forms of identification. i chose to explore typography through signatures as i could directly link it to my project. i gathered a handful of signatures from myself and peers which enabled me to compare and explore handwriting. within this task i explored different types of pen as well as signatures from paint and also fabric. i preferred the outcome i created using fabric as i enjoy the texture.

i wanted to explore how features change peoples identities as well as how hair changes the perception we have on people, i found through my exploration that the addition of more hair or facial hair created a scruffy appearance so therefore my immediate perception of the person changed. 

after exploring how features can change a persons appearance i wanted to discover how gender changes and creates an identity, i chose to do this by using an app to switch the genders of my peers. i then asked my peers how looking at themselves in the opposite gender made them feel, the general consensus was an uncomfortable uneasy feeling. this task allowed me to see how features impact a persons identity, as although my peers genders had swapped i was still able to recognise them based of their features.

to further my knowledge i wanted to explore more ways in which a person can be identified which lead me to eye colour, everyone’s eye colour varies which means its often used as a form of identification as its very accurate. once learning this i wanted to explore different uses of eye colour identification which lead me too iris recognition and retinal scans. i found it really interesting discovering how commonly used different forms of eye recognition are used. 

i really enjoyed combining the features of my peers as it informed me of the impact that features can make on a[persons identity or appearance, although i wish my images were the same size so that i could have created more accurate combinations. 

for this task i created a series of collages using my peers ad my own portraits i wanted to create and combine new identities to explore how features change identity. 

As i began my visual and media exploration i explored the technique monoprinting. i chose to create prints on various materials such as paper, different fabrics and plastic so that i was able to explore a range of outcomes. i found each outcome created a vastly different final piece. 

so that i was able to further develop my prints i chose to stitch into pieces inspired by Jessic So Ren Tang, and i also explored the possibility of using my hands. i really enjoyed the textures created by combining the mono-prints and stitching. 

throughout my research i wanted to find out how other people view themselves, so i decided to ask my peers to create a quick five minute self portrait. this really helped me develop my project as it gave me the opportunity to see how others see themselves. this meant i also discovered what others think of their personal identities or what makes them themselves. 

after exploring how my peers view themselves i wanted to look into how my peers display themselves on social media and digital platforms, i chose to do this via snapchats bitmojis as snapchat allows you to completely customise your character based on their features, body build and outfit. as a graphic student i thought it would be best for me to explore the media side of identity which i’m really grateful i did as it allowed me to understand a different view of identity based off online personas. 

in addition to my mono-prints i explore lino cutting prints so that i was able to compare the different forms of printing. i found that my lino prints came out cleaner opposed to my mono-prints which i preferred however i struggled to add further details which i could with mono-prints.

these images are from our class trip to sheffield, i personally chose to visit the Graves art gallery as they were exhibiting an show about identity within the art world. i really enjoyed visiting the exhibition as it exposed me to new ideas and ways of showing identity within art. i was especially inspired by the work of David Hockney as he produced a screen printed licence. 

after visiting sheffield i was inspired by a screen printed license created by David Hockney, this made me want to explore the technique of screen printing which is something i have never done before. i created a simple line drawing which was then created into a screen allowing me to print my design.  i wanted to explore how different materials react to screen printing so alongside paper i also experimented with four different fabrics.

i really enjoyed the outcome of the more textured fabrics as i found that the screen printing ink absorbs better, i also really enjoy the print i created onto satin. the smooth surface allowed for an even distribution of paint.

to devlop my work further i wanted to experiment digitally by exploring colour using a range of printer settings. i changed colour opacity as well as different values and combinations. i really enjoyed looking at how i could make my existing work digital. 

at this point in my project i was still in sure as to what i wanted to create, i wanted to combine portraits of my peers as well as signatures. this lead me to use a technique using image transfer medium in order to convert my images onto fabric because i wanted to combine my work, i stitched signatures into my transfers and i really enjoyed this outcome. 

i explored a few different fabrics with ranging textures as i wanted to find out which would create the cleanest outcome as i had previously struggled creating clean transfers. through this exploration i found that smoother fabrics allow for a better transfer, however i often found when removing excess paper my images would slip off the fabric.    

i began my preparation for my final piece by mind mapping multiple outcome ideas. i explored the possibility of creating a collection of typography posters however decided that i had not done enough research to support this idea. i also explored the idea of creating a collection of stitched image transfers inspired by my own experiments, however i needed to figure out a way to create cleaner transfers. 

i really liked the idea of creating a series off passports, each one being personalised to one of my peers. 

For my final piece i decided to create three different outcomes using the techniques and ideas i had explored. I chose to create six image transfers with signatures stitched to them which linked to my research into typography, a large mono-printed licence and five personalised passports. 

I completed my passports using traditional bookbinding techniques, however i wanted to use a range of mediums within each such as fabric, acetate and tracing paper in order to create a tactile experience when they are held. although i really enjoyed my idea my first outcome was now how i wanted them to be as they looked messy and unprofessional, this led me to redo my passports in order to create an outcome i could say i was happy with. 

These are my improved passports, i still included a range of materials inside as well as illustrations but I also added a digital element to some of them which created a cleaner outcome. I also  bound them differently using both a cover paper as well as an end paper which i am so glad I as the end result was improved so much. If I were to change anything about my passports I would definitely add in more pages however, because i chose to redo them i was short for time and unable to do this.