Allison Sommers' Ghosts.

This particular piece by one of my favourite illustrators Allison Sommers has inspired me because of the use of materials - Sommers used shrinking plastic to create these ting test tube sizes creatures. 

I think that if I were to do the same but use a petri dish to store all of the images that I have been gathering I could create a really interesting map of bournemouth in petri dish style. 

Klari Reis and Using Plastic

Klari Reis uses epoxy polymers to create her series of "petri projects" in which she uses the plastic to create abstract pieces that mimic a petri dish. I love that her work actually has a scientific element to it and that the process that she has to go through tells the story of the work. 

The petri projects have an interesting composition to them as the dishes rarely stand on their own. They are usually organised into larger circles or scattered to look as if they are growing onto something. Putting emphasis on the mould idea. 


I like these compositions and think that they would work well as a map as each little dish forms a kind of island within the larger body of work - each island could represent something that I relate to bournemouth.

I also like the idea of using plastic or there being some kind of process to the making of each little element as if it is really meaningful. 

Marina Muun

Marina Muun's work has a subtle but definite scientific theme running through out it. I came across her work when searching for petri dishes in art and saw that she was using the circular composition in a way that I had not thought about before.

The thing that I like about this piece is that she has not made the images look as if they are in a petri dish but instead just used the circle to enclose the images and keep them from one another. All of the images within the circles are quite chaotic or distressing, the people are either trapped or bringing their hands to their face as if they are upset. The fact that the image is circular places emphasis on this emotion because it makes you look at the person through tunnel vision, places all focus on them and making you think about how they are feeling. This tunnel vision effect is something that I think would work well in my map as it mimics the view through a telescope - reminding me of the sea. 

The image shows a lot of natural disasters, I think the way that they are shown in such a satisfying and uniformed way gives the image a sense of irony as natural disasters cant be contained into something that is satisfying. The playful use of colour can also distract the attention away from the distressing nature of the images. At first glance it is easy to over look what is going on in the images much like it is easy to over look these kinds of stories when we hear about them in the news. The colour of this piece really plays a big role in the message behind it and the ways it can be interpreted.

What would I like the colour scheme of my piece to be?
What do I want to portray? 

Initial Ideas

My initial ideas for the introductory project is to make a "map" of Bournemouth that reflects how new it is to me and how my knowledge of my surroundings are constantly growing. 

What grows from nothing? 

feelings.
too deep. 

babies.
too gross.

mould.
still gross, but perfect. 

Mould, is actually a far more accomplished idea than I could have originally imagined. The experimental way that scientists grow mould in petri dishes  reflects the way in which I am experiencing Bournemouth perfectly. Planned, but anything could happen.

The patterns and colours that can be seen in petri dishes are very interesting and after studying a few photos on pinterest, the negative spaces and small island like shapes that are made mirror a map perfectly. 

By looking at the circular composition of a petri dish I can also look into the history of cartography and how the world used to be perceived - flat, round etc.

I would also like to look into mandalas as the architecture of them is very similar to the map that I am envisioning in side of my head. They are also very fitting in theme.

The enclosed area will be an excellent portrayal of my knowledge of Bournemouth as it shows that it is limited to the things that are inside of it.