"Project Allotment"

iTunes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 5 Aug 2008 11:38:00 +0100

The podcasts are now availible via iTunes.

Go to iTunes!

Presentation Box

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 4 Aug 2008 21:43:00 +0100

To bind everything together I made a presentation box. I think this works well to show off the work but also it adds that little bit extra to the whole experiance.

Publication Pages

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 1 Aug 2008 22:56:00 +0100

A collection of photographs I had taken on the allotment, brought together into an interactive book made up of three interchangeable sections that build up a vivid image of the allotment.
This publication is a great addition to the podcast/cassettes as it provides a visual backdrop, and works within a different medium, giving the project as a whole more depth and character.

The Cassette Tapes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:16:00 +0100

The cassette tape labels.

Publication

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:27:00 +0100

With all the photographs I have of the allotment I'm going to put together a publication, to compliment the the cassettes and seed packets.

The design of the book is strongly influenced by the allotment. Allotments are interactive; a place where people go and force themselves on a piece of land to get want they want from it. Also allotments are ever changing; you wouldn’t recognise individual plots from one week to the next. So I wanted the book to reflect this. I came up with an idea to split the book into sections and by spiral binding them together it would allow each page to be individually turned. This would allow the reader to interact with the book, going through in their own way and by doing so creating a new combination of photographs. This method means people can go through the book getting a different mix of photographs every time- it’s always changing.

Sandra Seed Packet Design

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 20:09:00 +0100

Sandra is very artistic so I decided to use a Passion flower as her cover as its a piece of art itself.

Episode 05 - Sandra

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 19:51:00 +0100

Sandra takes a philosophical approach to her allotment, she feels it is a part of her and she is a part of it. As well as manual work of the plot, Sandra takes time out to focus on her artistic side too.

The Net

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:12:00 +0100

The Back

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:36:00 +0100

This is the back of the seed packets. I tried to include the things you would generaly see on a normal seed packet, such as the gurarantee, when to sow calendar (which indicates when the recording took place), date and contents - one cassette tape 00:03:20 recording (although this isn't shown on the image, its part of the packet net that folds round to be visible on the back), information about the product and the location of the recording.

Gianni and Tony's Seed Packets

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:42:00 +0100

With Gianni coming from Italy I thought it would be fitting to have Grape vine as the cover of His and Paulines seed packet cover.
When visiting Tony on his plot he told me he liked to eat his peas fresh from the pod and gave me some to try, they were delicious!

Episode 04 - Tony

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:48:00 +0100

Aged 84, Tony’s one of the oldest member on the allotment. He talks about memories of his father, joining the Navy and tells tales of ‘mending and make do’ during his time in the home guard.

The Design

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 20:37:00 +0100

These are the designs for Bert and Brian's seed packets.
I used Sage for the cover of Bert's packet as this features in his podcast.
For Brian I chose an Oriental Poppy and placed some bees around, as he talks about creating a miniature ecosystem on his plot by using plants and flowers to attract friendly insects such as bees.
For the background I created a rough paper effect to give it more depth and texture. I did this by scanning in a brown envelope and playing around with the brightness and contrast, as well as the colours to bring out the textures in the paper.

Episode 03 - Gianni and Pauline

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:12:00 +0100

Tending to a plot can often be teamwork. Gianni and Pauline have been a team for nearly 40 years and here they discuss their past and their now award winning plot.

The Stamp

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:23:00 +0100

I noticed a lot of the old seed packets had been stamped with the company name and logo – and this seemed to fill the packets with life, the fact they weren’t perfect and were quite wonky, each one slightly different.
I wanted my design to have this charm too, so I have designed my own Project Allotment stamp, keeping to the old style design. I sent the design off to Germany where it has been made into a wooden stamp. This will help give my packets that unique handmade feel, that charm you get from imperfections. The very fact it was made in Germany and sent over imbues it with more meaning and soul than a lifeless print out you get from a computer generated graphic.

Illustrations

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:11:00 +0100

I spent a lot of time at the Liverpool Central Library to find inspiration and to look for books with old style plant paintings or drawings for the seed packet covers. I was there for a good few hours looking through all kinds of books, some just were just the style drawings I needed but where about trees, no good, I wanted them preferably of vegetables if not flowers.
I eventually came across a book which was perfect and was specifically for designers as it was copyright free: Plants and Flowers - 1,761 Illustrations for Artists and Designers. These lined drawings were just what I was looking for, I can use some of these drawings but colour, adapt them myself.

The Book:
Plants and Flowers
1,761 Illustrations for Artists and Designers
edited by
Alan E. Bessette and William K. Chapman
• ISBN-10: 0486269574
• ISBN-13: 978-0486269573
Dover Publications (September 8, 1992)
doverpublications.com

Gill

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:46:00 +0100

Looking over some war time posters I found some from the ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign, which encouraged the population to turn their gardens or whatever land you had available over to allotments and grow food for you and your family. The font used on these posters is big, bold and uncomplicated. I think this font would work well on the seed packets as it has such a strong, important history with allotments and gardening. I wasn’t able what font this is, but it’s possibly Gill sans, if not then it’s the closest match I was able to find. This was designed around the time of the campaign by an English designer called Eric Gill, which makes it more probable this was the font used.
So I’m going to use this as my main font on the seed packets and throughout the rest of the project to keep continuity and that ‘brand’ feeling.

Seed Packets Research

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:02:00 +0100

These are some seed packets I found. I prefer the older styles then the new one (top) they look handmade and have a warmth to them. My design will be reminiscent of these styles.
Notice each seed packet has a depiction of the plant on the front; this is something I could use on my seed packets. Give each episode its own image on the seed packet, making it distinguishable in from the rest, but maintaining them all in the same style, to keep them part of a ‘brand’.

Seed Packets

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:13:00 +0100

To package the cassette tapes I’m going to design seed packets that the tapes can fit into. It is important that the seed packets resemble an original seed packet rather than a simple 'approximation', because this will not only look more aesthetically pleasing, it will also create a more authentic feel.
On a surface level it works as seed packets are synonymous with gardening and allotments, so without people thinking about it they already have gardening in they’re heads. But it works on a deeper level too. Seeds are harvested and put into packets and passed on to other people to grow. Those packets hold the essence of the plant(s), the heart if you like.
I’ve harvested peoples storied and life experiences, essentially what makes them unique, and put it into packets to be passed on to other people for them to heed. So there’s that deeper link too.

Cassette Tapes!?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:29:00 +0100

There is a strong sense of 'mend and make do' on the allotment even today; I hardly saw a new piece of equipment and everything was recycled to create something else. I wanted to reflect this in my work and I think using cassette tape is the answer.
In today’s media world it seems almost a relic already, but there is a certain warmth to cassette tape that is hard to achieve in digital form, and even then it is 'fake'. Also, the cassette tape helps represent a certain mechanical approach to my work, and is also a tangible object that people can feel, rather than simply something that exists in ‘cyberspace’.

Episode 02 - Brian

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:01:00 +0100

Brian’s one of the dedicated growers on the allotment, who loves a challenge.
Brian consults his knowledge of chinese proverbs, remembers his time in germany and discusses what brings him to the allotment.

Episode 01 - Bert

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 23:31:00 +0100

Meet Bert, he’s 78 and is the longest standing member on the allotment.
Here he reminisces about his time at school, the smell of Sage and what the allotment means to him.

Sight or Sound?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:59:00 +0100

I’ve coupled Bert’s Podcast with some footage of him working on his plot.
This isn’t working as well as I was hoping it would do. The footage isn’t as fruitful as I hoped and I find the footage is acting as a distraction, drawing your attention away from what Bert is saying and the environment.
Comparing the two podcasts (one without the footage and one with) the one without the footage seems to be working best. As there’s no visuals to work with I find you rely on your hearing more, taking in little details that you may not have, such as birds singing and people working in the distance so you can to build your own image of what’s happening.

Bert - Podcast

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:41:00 +0100

Using the recording I have from my chat with Bert, I’ve edited together a short sound clip or podcast as it will surely become.
This is Bert telling of his lack of smell, his younger days and what the allotment is about for him.

Podcasts - The Way Forward?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 9 Jul 2008 22:51:00 +0100

I could make the recordings available as podcasts. This would be an ideal format as it would package them nicely and make them easily accessible to a wider audience.
Podcasts are an ideal format as they’re a fast and easy way to get work online and publically available at no cost.
Using the podcasts I could create a series of episodes, each one a glimpse into the life of individual character on the allotment. Each one different from the rest as everyone is different from each other; all offering their own unique life experiences, stories, opinions, beliefs, emotions.

The Sound Recordings With Video

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 9 Jul 2008 19:57:00 +0100