MA Visual Communication: Online Journal

REALISATION: Blog entry 8

Experimentation photoshop - sparrows

This image is just another little bit of experimentation carried on from before, with spots and dots and just trying little things that I might be able to incorporate into the layers of my pattern. I've also been thinking about how Mel Lim takes small aspects of her patterns and uses it on a range of things..I think this is something that I should be thinking of as, I'm not sure what exactly my outcome will be, but I'm currently thinking that I will be a range of things, all tied together by one pattern. Using small aspects of the design on different things is a good way to connect them all together under one project.

I have been looking into the active projects by the RSPB to get more information on the issues surrounding sparrows, to get a better grasp on what gap my project could fill;

London House Sparrow Parks Project

Recent research has shown house sparrows in urban areas suffer from a lack of invertebrates (insects) to feed their young. This was shown by a study in Leicester, where poor condition and death of young chicks was linked to low numbers of invertebrates in their diet (RSPB and De Montfort University study). A large-scale feeding experiment in London (RSPB study) has demonstrated the importance of invertebrates for the survival of young chicks. Through this project, we tested more natural ways to increase the numbers of invertebrates available to sparrows and other birds in our urban green spaces. 

The London House Sparrow Parks Project tested different habitat management types in London parks with the aim of boosting invertebrate numbers and also seeds during the winter. This could benefit a host of urban birds, insects and other wildlife. 

Project objectives 

• To test which of the following habitat management types benefit house sparrows and other species the most: (1) long grass (left to set seed over winter); (2) native wildflower meadows (with traditional haymeadow management); (3) 'Wildlife seed plots' (based on wild bird cover options of the Environmental Stewardship Scheme for farmland). 
• To provide advice to parks across London and the UK, based on the results 
• To raise awareness of the problems facing urban wildlife and encourage people to consider wildlife in local parks and their own gardens 

Key dates so far 

• 25 trial plots (and corresponding 'control' plots of normal park management) were set up in 20 parks across London 
• Three years of monitoring have been completed (bird, insect and seed numbers) 
• A team of forty dedicated volunteers helped to monitor bird use of the plots during the project
•  Public engagement and educational activities were carried out at and near some of the parks 
• Results have been analysed and papers will be written up to make the results widely available

(The RSPB, 2014) 

However, I still have more research to do;

-More into individual projects and what they actually were! (info on RSPB website is pretty vague)

-Research into invertebrates (suspected main cause for species decline)

-Other sparrow research (history/symbolism/etc..)

Hopefully doing more research will give me the fuel I need to become more productive.

I'm having an ideas dry spell, and am not sure what to make or where to go with anything at the moment..I think I've been too focused on having to have my stuff together for the upcoming concept panel, and also trying to figure out what my outcome maybe (which I of course wont know t the moment but I cant help but think about it...) so I decided to just brain storm, and have a couple of days just experimenting and see what come from it.

Photoshop experimentation - Urban Sparrows

This is just a random idea that I thought I'd try. I wanted to experiment with taking elements of my pattern and applying it in different ways, to different things..this was just a quick experiment with that (I intend to do more with this). I also had the idea to try a really simplified version of the style that I have been working with; I wanted to see if it would be possible to reduce it to one colour. I think this may work with a more recognisable bird (such as the capercaillie, which I'm going to try this with next) but with the sparrow, I just don't think that it is recognisable as that...so this kind of flops. The idea of using the photographs works (not my image by the way, just one from google for the sake of experimentation) to give a good idea of the location, and possibly the issue at hand. Overall though i'm not sure this idea works too well..but I will also try this, and some more variations with capercaillie, and the forest to see how that works. I will also try a couple more variations of this idea with sparrow and the city, although I'm not convinced by the idea anymore...

The RSPB, (2014). London House Sparrow Parks Project. [online] Available at: http://www.rspb.org.uk/whatwedo/projects/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-235650 [Accessed 9 Oct. 2014].