Zizzi, Royal Exchange First Round Ideas

Of the themes suggested for the project the ones which appealled the most  were that of GoMA and the Telephone exchange - the second making me think of speech, dialect and the Glasgow Patter.  This resulted in some initial ideas for ' Your Patter's like Water'; The course of the River Clyde and tributaries are plotted by phrases and words peculiar to the City.  These might refer literally to eating and drinking ( 'snashter', 'swally',' get it doon yer thrapple')  or they might be a more metaphorical form of rhyming slang or patter ( ' he's totally gas-cookered' [snookered], ' a face like a burst tomato!')

A site-visit confirmed that the current building was previously Borders' bookshop. Having traded on the site for almost 20 years, the bookshop was synonymous with the building and much-loved by locals. Recognising the obvious relation to dialect, patter and writing I pursued this as a new theme.  I investigated Glasgow-associated novelists, poets, playwrights and seminal books; particularly looking for those with interesting titles and book-jackets ( and would also tie in with the green, grey, maroon and yellow palette).

 I would want to reproduce these in a trompe l'oiel but simplified, hand-drawn style retaining pencil/pen marks. The pillars and wrought-iron-work in and around GoMA and the Royal Exchange- and the iconic, perpetually-cone-headed statue of the Duke of Wellington- also feature. 

These ideas together could be adapted for various walls in the site.  The book jackets would work well inside the provided picture frames and the Clyde-Patter would draw the eye round any space.  This said Art wall 5 on 1st floor  would be my preference:

 

Theme Image (can be orientated up or down) Pastel Neon and Stocking Fillers 24/10/12

Black, Gold and Silver, White and Pattern 23/10/12

Round 2

Friming-up and some getting a feeling of potential layouts. 

patterned

black

neon

white

gold and silver

stocking fillers

Round 2: Further Ideas

Discussed priorities for this round of ideas last week- not characters but bolder, simpler patterns as the pages will be visually busy with products already.Feeling positively towards the structures: patterned pyramids, pylon/trees, brick texture, ink spires. Also the concertina shapes and neon icicles. More hand-drawn quality - almost doodles.  More of a mix of materials perhaps? Something more instinctive that sets the tone for each page. 

First Round Ideas

Black 

 Gold and Silver

 Neon

 Patterned

 pink

 Stocking Fillers

white

More Sketchbook - Totems

I mentioned that I was interested in the idea of totems and structures - a little character that could represent the theme/colour in addition to pattern.  I always feel most comfortable making an image that contains an object or person with a personality. The patterned matryoshka pyramid started it off, so I continued the idea for the other pages.

Landscape ideas combined

I did this as a sort of 'mood-board' for myself 

Initial Ideas

Here is some sketchbook work and some initial ideas for the six W/L pattern pages. Currently finding out what imagery and materials work best.  I have been bearing in mind the simplified ' non-naff'/ oblique Christmas references and the style I worked in for the Traverse Theatre boards but also trying to keep in mind the direction my own fine-art practice has been heading in recently ( namely uncanny landscapes and strange monuments http://calvinswardrobe.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/sneak.html).  I'd ideally like to keep the two related in some way. The images naturally became sort of landscapes

While Louise Smirthwaite was mentioned to me I've also been looking a lot at the work of of Steven Harrington

http://goincase.com/curatedbyarkitip/stevenharrington/  and Scott Barry ( some work on http://file-magazine.com/features/scott-barry) in terms of their little structures, symbolism and patterns. I would like to explore this as part of the project

I'll explain some of the weirder thoughts and images.
Pink: Lebkuchen, pink/ cold noses, collage.
Black: spires, skyline,
Gold and silver: Foil and fire
Pattern: Matryoshka/ Babushka