Over the period of the MA I have been considering the ownership of space and taking into account individual’s reactions with their environment. There appeared to me to be a constant polarisation of thoughts, with people constantly using the environment and immersing themselves within it but at the same time not taking responsibility or owning it; like for example when people choose not to pay attention to homelessness or other negative associations within the city space in one respect, but then also complain about their streets being full of homeless people in another. This led me to consider the idea of how so many past histories and stories remain untold.

Homelessness was a notion that completely contrasted all the experiences and encounters that had defined my personality and thoughts over the years, but was something that I wished to consider and pursue further not only in relation to how my individuality was defined, but also to consider other members of societies thoughts and explore the notion of untold stories further.

Because it is so contrasting to the environment in which I grew up I decided to look at it using elements that I could relate to, but which could, at the same time, also highlight the polar domicile spectrums. I began looking at wallpaper and patterns that provided a link with my safe, secure and solid upbringing that contrasted greatly with the deprived world of homelessness. This culminated in numerous projects over the subsequent year using the wallpaper pattern theme with Bridge being such example of this research.

Using the patterns in diverse environments and in different contexts to their original intention resulted in me further considering the relationship and meaning inherent within a piece of artwork. I also began questioning how the individual perceives the artworks meaning from the environment or location it is featured within, and how this translates when the work is featured within different areas or in positions that remove the artwork from it’s original context and meaning: as with January30th and The Sunday Times 0327 – 0424 – 0529 – 0626 – 05.

Graffitism has been used throughout my work over the period of the year. Graffitism it appeared to me is one way in which certain individuals can make their mark on society and obtain a sense of self. In addition it allows them to have their say without being controlled by the governing bodies and without being affected by the constant messages of consumerism and capitalism. It is instead an art form in which they can declare their existence and stand in contrast to the simulated messages of the media.

Tagging at the same time however works quite ironically as it can also be compared to advertising logos and signs. I decided to ironically incorporate graffitism within my work and use it to juxtapose people’s preconceptions of graffiti and the associations inherent within the artwork linking it to street crime. I thus looked at developing it in relation to the home space and objects that are used on a personal level to create a sense of individuality. All the materials have been selected due to their previous existence or how they relate to the subject matter.