Evaluating & reflecting on my FMP
FAD Stage 2 Feedback & Advice
I received this formal written feedback today during a formal one2one with my course tutor, which included an assessment of my performance and grade for Stage 2: Developing Specialist Practice. We also discussed his written and verbal guidance for planning Stage 3: Consolidating Creative Practice and preparing a proposal for my project. My tutor's feedback covered three main aspects of my creative practice, which I'm including in my planning, producing and presenting phases of my Final Major Project (FMP) going forward...
Narrative - I'm thinking about how to achieve a balance between my narrative, aesthetics & impact; I'm also exploring my personal narrative as described in my personal project plan; and I'm investigating how best to communicate my narrative through creative practice for the Final Major Project (FMP).
​
Audience - I've reflected how to share the energy & intensity of my workbooks with my audience; considering who my audience is in short-term (FMP) but also long-term after course; exploring ideas for linking the meaning of my FMP with methods & audience; and deciding what I want audience to understand and feel from work.
​
Content - I've realised that my artwork may not be coherent at this stage but considering how a body of work could connect with the audience; I'm starting to create practical work early in project and thinking about how to construct an end of diploma exhibition where my work will come together; I'm also considering what creative methods might communicate my ideas best to the chosen audience.
I'm currently reflecting further on this feedback and advice, as well as the points raised and discussed during the meeting, and recording my ideas and thoughts in my FMP worksbook. It is likely that I will modify my FMP proposal form to reflect this feedback and to create a narrative around connecting people with the natural world and helping communities develop a 'sense of place' for their unique local landscapes.
Monday 24/02/2025
Final Major Project - Weekly reviews & self-assessments
FMP self-assessment process
A key aspect of my approach to the monitoring & reviewing of Stage 1 & 2 were regular self-assessments.
I carried these out at the end of each project using my own forms. They had a summary of creative activity plus a section for a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities & threats) to ensure that I considered all factors affecting my performance.
​
I had written feedback in my Stage 2 UAL assessment about this approach that advised I continue during Stage 3 FMP. However, as the WIX website and FMP Workbook contain so much info about my creative activity I've taken out the first section but kept SWOT.
​
For the FMP I wrote my own personal project plan and included forms so that I could review & self-evaluate as the FMP progresses. I am completing short SWOT forms at the end of each week to ensure that I evaluate and reflect on my progress effectively.
These compliment the weekly Group Crit sessions on Tuesdays and the Crit presentation later this month.
Saturday 08 March 2025
Final Major Project tutorial
Today I had a one2one session with my FAD Tutor, not only to evaluate the progress of my FMP, but also to seek feedback from his perspective so that I can reflect on my plans for the FMP creative practice and my Diploma Exhibition display. I found it a really useful session and the outcome was clarity about what I'm trying to achieve for this FAD Stage 3 activity, which I needed as I was in danger of straying off track from my FMP narrative. I aim to create an art installation featuring banners that entertain visitors so that they will engage with me about the educational aspect of the narrative as set out in my FMP plan.
This meeting helped me to reflect on the learning from research and my own creative practice from my earlier FAD Stage 1 & 2 projects, which to some extent I had put behind me as I've progressed further into Stage 3 of the course. Some critical moments that have influenced my FMP proposal without realising are associated with my past interest in ancient Japanese culture that is a recurring theme as I diagnosed and developed my own creative practice so far. This influence of ancient Japanese culture to my creative practice is an outcome of my practice of martial arts and study of judo and aikido.
​
My plan to create a set of banners that will be suspended in a cube shaped open wooden frame was inspired by ancient Japanese banners that were carried into battle by Samurai and hung outside homes. I revisited this interest when visting the V&A Museum during my FAD Stage 1 Project: Encounters and my FAD Stage 2 Project: The Art of Storytelling research at the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford when I visited the Japanese armour, costume and relics displays. I decided to include sashimono (banners) in my FMP.
Another critical moment of inspiration was discovering artwork entitled Chant by Paula Roland (2003) when reading one of my reserach books called Installation & Experimental Printmaking, which showed her artwork created using monoprint and fabric drawing methods onto Japanese paper hung like banners and draped across the floor of her installation. I spotted a similar style of installation by Leonor Attunes (discrepancies with T.P II 1972) in the Tate Modern Gallery recently but here the banners were made of fabrics and suspended in a style more like Japanese sashimono. My plan for the FMP will have banners that feature screen printed designs that will include Celtic runes, tree leaves & possibly wildlife.
​​
These recollections of prior learning on this course and reflections on feedback I've received from my tutors and peers have helped me develop my ideas ready for producing and presenting my Stage 3: FMP creative practice. I've realised that by consolidating my personal interests and lived experience into my creative practice I am adding value and a personal perspective to my 'unique selling point' as an developing artist and thereby gaining a broader benefit from just learning new skills on the FAD course.
Monday 17 March 2025
Final Major Project - Presentation of a Sense of Place
UAL Unit 4: Interim Crit Presentation
So whilst I already shared this presentation earlier in this website on the Planning my FMP page this posting contains the original UAL brief, the essay & feedback about my performance.
Friday 16 May 2025
Delivery of my presentation
I delivered my FMP Presentation to FAD Course Tutors David Tinn & Lloyd Jenkins today. During my presentation I set out the title, themes, concept & ideas for my FMP; shared my research, artists & influences; explained about context, ethical issues & meaning of my ideas; and proposed my intended audience & method of presentation. After stating my intended outcome to entertain, engage and educate people using my creative practice the tutors gave me feedback that my FMP met the specification for the UAL Unit 4 project, my planning appeared to be appropriate, production seemed achievable and my proposed presentation creative. They advised me to push on with working with the Printmaking tutor Monica to create the 8 banners and the book.
Tuesday 18 March 2025
Assessment & feedback from my presentation
OMG... I'm so pleased to receive the assessment & feedback for the UAL Unit 4: FMP Interim Crit & Presentation from my course tutors today. I was awarded a distinction across all seven (7) criteria with positive feedback about how I should proceed with my FMP creative practice. After getting their advice and agreement about my Contextual Studies Essay I have written first draft over the weekend.
Tuesday 25 March 2025
Final Major Project - Contextual Essay
UAL Unit 4: FMP Contextual Essay
So whilst I already shared this essay earlier in this website on My context & research page this posting contains the original UAL brief, the essay & feedback about my performance.
Friday 16 May 2025
Submitting my FMP Contextual Essay
I decided to complete my 2000 word essay for my FMP early and submit it today for assessment Unit 4 of the UAL Foundation in Art & Design. I had received positive feedback and a good grade for my FMP Presentation (see above) from the FAD Course tutors, which motivated me to push on and write about my premise that art can help people connect with the natural world around them. As the feedback from tutors recommended that I start delivering my creative practice for my FMP and start making artwork now, I felt it was better for me to get on and write my essay to free up time over the Easter break so that I can create the nature journal.
​
I am satisfied that the research for this essay confirms the premise of my FMP is valid and that art and creative practice help people connect with the natural world. I was able to demonstrate how I can use my own creative practice to engage people with nature and help local communities to develop a ‘sense of place’ for the historic landscape of Surrey. I found the process of writing this essay was useful in putting my ideas and plans into a wider context and reinforced that the positive feedback I received during my FMP Presentation. I can now consolidate my creative practice and to deliver a body of artwork through my final major project.
Friday 28 March 2025
End of planning phase self-critique
I was unable to attend this weeks Peer Group Crit session because of family illness so the tutor Lucia asked me to do a self-critique of my FMP after completing the planning phase. Above are my own notes, which should be considered in context of my revised personal project plan that I've posted on previous page.
During the planning phase I tried to ensure that I considered the meaning, audience and method for my FMP as I consolidate my creative practice and aim to produce and present an aesthetic body of work relevant to my narrative. The challenge for me is to create a meaningful balance between my enthusiastic ambitions and practical delivery of creative practice. I will need to be productive working from home over the two week Easter break and get straight into the printmaking studio when we return to college next term.
​
My presentation piece will include this planned installation, a PPT video that links to the installation and a book that develops the visual information featured on the banners. I will consolidate my creative practice to make eye-catching and intriguing banners to act as a hook to draw in an audience to my video and book. I will use my art to facilitate my education. My video will be on a large screen TV monitor that will form the nucleus of my insatallation and it could also be uploaded onto this website. I feel the suggestion by my tutor to interpret the dynamism of my FMP Workbook through a video and a simple book is a motivating one.
​
The book will comprise A3 landscape format pages in the style of a nature journal featuring individual trees, or fungi, wildflowers or animal wildlife that will be linked to individual banners by Celtic rune symbols. These pages will be scanned into my FMP data base as PDF and JPEG files for use on this WIX website and a PPT presentation to be viewed on a monitor during the exhibition. The original pages will be hand-bound into a simple book to accompany exhibition display stitched using twine and split hazel rod. I feel this one2one evaluation and self-reflection activity was timely after all my thereotical and practical research.
Tuesday 01 April 2025
Final Major Project - End of Stage 3 self-evaluation
FMP Stage 3 Final Self-evaluation
As the FAD course draws to a close I looked back over the last year of learning about art & design last night and reflected on my journey from Summer Sketchbook Project, through Stage 1 discovering my art, Stage 2 developing my creative practice and Stage 3 consolidating that practice through my Final Major Project.
​
As required for assessment I've completed the End of Unit Evaluation Form for Unit 4 of the UAL Foundation in Art & Design. But I also just reflected broadly on the fun I've had, the inspiring people I've met and how surpised I am about my own creative practice. I was surprised to realise that my Stage 3 FMP comprises elements from all my projects from Stages 1 & 2.
Friday 16 May 2025
Well that's all folks - explore my digital gallery on next page
The Dorking Cockeral - a rare breed of chicken & an iconic metal statue on roundabout in town