Lord Whitney

Tuesday 10th March 2015.

Lord Whitney are a contemporary, dynamic duo who use imagination and everyday, recycled materials to create set designs and experimental illustrations.

As apart of UNIT X, I was asked to participate in a group experimental project with Lord Whitney to create a 3D sculpture made from things that you could find in everyday life i.e cardboard, plastic plates, wire etc. I thoroughly enjoyed the project and Lord Whitney's presentation about career progression over 10 years in the creative industry.It was a great insight into the real world and how to become a successful illustrator.

One of Lord Whitney's most recognised pieces of work was an editorial and film for Rankin, Missoni and Hunger. The illustrations and film showcases Missoni's new season handbags designed by Margherita Missoni, while also exploring the innate  values behind the label.

The duo were inspired by Missoni's signature zigzag pattern, therefore the film portrays a tale of lonely Zig, trying to fit in a world filled with polka dots, stripes, sequins and flowers. 'Zig' is unable to relate to any other patterns she encounters and eventually she ends up becoming a recluse and alone in an empty room. Then all of a sudden... 'ZAG' enters the room and both become inseparable, creating Missoni magic. 

Amy Lord and Rebekah Whitney pulled together this slightly unusual yet endearing shoot, using recycled materials, across seven sets and two London locations. This particular shoot was very inspiring for me as the duo's creations captivates the imagination of viewers with their bright colours and simplistic shapes.

We then formed collective groups of 6 or 8 and were given an miscellaneous object and two words. As a team we had to visualize and create a piece of work reflecting our chosen words within a few hours. I had come prepared, bringing paper tubes, felt, polystrene, paper cups, pipe cleaners, tape, glitter and many other things.

                                  

The three words we were given: Clock, Heavy & towering.

Our group decided to portray a body clock through the aging of the tree of life. To execute the project we had planned to intertwine human bodies of different ages forming a giant tree - I was particularly inspired by The Bodhi tree at Mahabodhi Temple in Nepal.

We decided that we all wanted to use photo-manipulation to create the faces that we wanted to appear in our tree - so that portraits of people from all different ages would overlap clock faces at different set times.

We twisted newspaper to create texture for the trunk of our tree, then we attached the trunk with a hot glue gun to a large section of cardboard so that the tree would (hopefully) stand upright and be supported. To secure the tree trunk in place, we added further roots so that the tree would be well grounded and supported.

                                           

We continued to add the branches using a huge amount of duct tape!! Then we painted the twisted news paper white to suggest and old withered, magical look. We wanted the branches to appear as if they were withering and heavy as this would link to our 'aging' of the tree of life idea.

Others went to collect real tree branches from the local park to add to our tree, making it look more realistic yet from an unknown realm.

                                  

Once completed, I realised the tree was a little unstable - however as a group we had underestimated the amount of time we had been given and were worried about finishing the project overall. We did not have enough time to make the base of the tree thicker, therefore eventually the tree collapsed after carrying it down stairs to have it photographed. It was a natural disaster.

             

Above: BEFORE INCIDENT

Above: AFTER INCIDENT

                            

However!! This fit into our outcome quite well as I had recorded the life and death of our tree - the tree of life.

Overall, I enjoyed working with my group as they had brilliant ideas and worked hard as a team. Not one person did not contribute to this exciting project which made the experience even better as I was inspired - not only by Lord Whitney but by the other students around me also.

Apart from our tree collapsing when it was on its last legs, the project was successful and we achieved some great photos taken by one of the Photographers/technicians at Manchester Metropolitan University. The tree possessed a raw, organic look which we all strived for and I would definitely work with the same people again in the future.

Furthermore, I will definitely be making some of my own independent 3D installations and illustrations as Lord Whitney have shown me other unique ways to make a drawing come to life. 

*FROM RECYCLED MATERIALS WHICH IS EVEN BETTER BECAUSE ITS CHEAP AND GREAT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT!!* :)