UEA Collaboration
Ligature
LADY FAY
UEA Creative writing and NUA Illustration collaboration to create a written and visual narrative
UEA Creative writing and NUA Illustration collaboration to create a written and visual narrative
LIGATURE
A character consisting of two or more joined letters
This joining of character also refers to the joining of two courses within NUA and UEA. The collaborative project connects third year Illustration students and first year Creative Writing students, where simultaneously, both processes work together to create a collection of original illustrated writings.
Over the course of the collaboration, each partner has gathered visual and written research on character, place and plot to construct a collective narrative inspired by each other’s developing and emerging creative practice.
The connection unites text and image, but also invites all forms of writing and illustration to take place, where preconceptions may be transformed into seeing how ‘illustration’ and ‘writing’ can co-exist, and ultimately, what it can accomplish.
- - - - - - Written by Ellen Bushell for the NUA/UEA Collaboration statement
This collaboration between myself and a UEA student consisted of the joining of two ideas. It took place during my New York project, which I used as the basis for the collaboration. New York became the location in which the text would surround. In a series of meetings and conversations, me and my partner developed visual ideas and themes in which we each progressed with individually and along side each other to eventually result in an illustrated narrative outcome.
The text focuses on a wealthy old lady named 'Fay'. She is beginning to lose her memory, causing her to often repeat herself, and get her past mixed up. The narrative takes the form of several diary entries, narrated by Graham, a lodger in Fay's grand house. Fay often stands at the window, looking out onto the lawn, which is covered in butterflies. As the narrative goes on, the butterflies presence increases and take over the garden.
In an abrupt end, Fay leaves the house with a young man who seems to have proposed to her and whisks her off to New York. Once Fay has left, the butterflies also are gone.
The butterflies become a metaphor for Fay, symbolising the fragility of time, memory and beauty. I developed this theme from the text and used it as a way for creating two book outcomes which were exhibited as part of the collaborative show. The first book, a detailed colourful book, printed on drafting film - giving the pages translucency and a sheen. This mirrored the daintiness of a butterfly's wing, and also hints at Fay's optimistic yet fading mind.
The second book, is a simple A5 'handmade diary' bound with string. This allows for the pages to be taken apart, as if Graham has grouped the pages together and bound them himself. The text is type set in a way that reflects the movement of the butterflies, and the narrative.
The books were displayed in an arched window space, within the church were the 'Ligature' show took place. I chose the arched space, as it mirrored the window Fay looks out of in the text. Within the arch I arranged the books on a patch of artificial grass, and also some butterflies, which were laid on the grass and across the archway - this allowed me to create a small set or environment inspired by the text.
A character consisting of two or more joined letters
This joining of character also refers to the joining of two courses within NUA and UEA. The collaborative project connects third year Illustration students and first year Creative Writing students, where simultaneously, both processes work together to create a collection of original illustrated writings.
Over the course of the collaboration, each partner has gathered visual and written research on character, place and plot to construct a collective narrative inspired by each other’s developing and emerging creative practice.
The connection unites text and image, but also invites all forms of writing and illustration to take place, where preconceptions may be transformed into seeing how ‘illustration’ and ‘writing’ can co-exist, and ultimately, what it can accomplish.
- - - - - - Written by Ellen Bushell for the NUA/UEA Collaboration statement
This collaboration between myself and a UEA student consisted of the joining of two ideas. It took place during my New York project, which I used as the basis for the collaboration. New York became the location in which the text would surround. In a series of meetings and conversations, me and my partner developed visual ideas and themes in which we each progressed with individually and along side each other to eventually result in an illustrated narrative outcome.
The text focuses on a wealthy old lady named 'Fay'. She is beginning to lose her memory, causing her to often repeat herself, and get her past mixed up. The narrative takes the form of several diary entries, narrated by Graham, a lodger in Fay's grand house. Fay often stands at the window, looking out onto the lawn, which is covered in butterflies. As the narrative goes on, the butterflies presence increases and take over the garden.
In an abrupt end, Fay leaves the house with a young man who seems to have proposed to her and whisks her off to New York. Once Fay has left, the butterflies also are gone.
The butterflies become a metaphor for Fay, symbolising the fragility of time, memory and beauty. I developed this theme from the text and used it as a way for creating two book outcomes which were exhibited as part of the collaborative show. The first book, a detailed colourful book, printed on drafting film - giving the pages translucency and a sheen. This mirrored the daintiness of a butterfly's wing, and also hints at Fay's optimistic yet fading mind.
The second book, is a simple A5 'handmade diary' bound with string. This allows for the pages to be taken apart, as if Graham has grouped the pages together and bound them himself. The text is type set in a way that reflects the movement of the butterflies, and the narrative.
The books were displayed in an arched window space, within the church were the 'Ligature' show took place. I chose the arched space, as it mirrored the window Fay looks out of in the text. Within the arch I arranged the books on a patch of artificial grass, and also some butterflies, which were laid on the grass and across the archway - this allowed me to create a small set or environment inspired by the text.