For my research topic I would like to study Gulls. Growing up on the Isle of Man gulls were ever present:
inside - for as long as I can remember on the wall in the kitchen, a pottery bird (now on our kitchen wall and in the centre of my spider diagram)
outside - on the roof tops, chimneys, garden, beach, sky, etc. Ever present: ever vocal. They never appeared to be the scavenging nuisance they have become in towns and cities today: they were a reminder of coastal proximity. They were just...there, almost taken for granted.
In collecting ideas what has surfaced is a view of gulls:
in different surroundings
in the Arts
in Popular Culture/the News, and
in a closer observation of the species.
Already I know that seagull is a misnomer, there is no such species.
My initial thoughts are on the spider diagram Image 1.
Well, that was where I was when I started my spider diagram last night but this morning things have taken a surprising turn. The diagram I ended up with what I had been thinking about for months, if not years, but as I put it all down on paper it seemed rather...dull. Then it struck me that I always think of gulls in the sunshine. Looking at my diagram again, many of the ideas there and indeed my thoughts were leading to shadow and its creation by objects/shapes, whether it be the metallic bird sculptures of C Jeré or the photographs of Alexey Bednij, etc... even the photograph I took of our pottery bird on the wall was enhanced by shadow. This was when I added the sun and yellow to the interesting bits!
So I then considered a more abstract research topic of 'Shadows' for my study, with an initial emphasis on gulls...I think this is probably going too far so I would like to propose 'Gulls, with an emphasis on shadow'. During my study I hope to extend my use of paper and printing techniques in combination with stitch.
