A few weeks after the project, I started reflecting back on commune and what other people did. I know it isn't about comparison but I started to ponder on the inclusivity of the commune project and how it can cause a feeling of not doing a good enough job due to financial or social obstacles (similar to what art school can make people feel anyway). You can do a lot with little money, of course, but doing commune in a bedroom is very different and produces very different work to a group who could all afford to go abroad or somewhere more interesting. 

I feel like commune would've been a much more enriching experience if my group and I had the funds to be able to explore somewhere completely new and foreign to us. I feel like we did make the most of London and the facilities we have, but London isn't really anything new to us.  Similar to what I touched upon before, this is weirdly a micro-version of how it sometimes feels to be at Central Saint Martins?  It's unspoken but true that a lot of wealthy people go here and as much as it is fun to be DIY and using materials within your capability, it can also feel at a loss when you can't afford/or don't have the time because you're working part-time to make your work at the same level as someone who can afford to do more. This was all just a thought process that came to me after looking back at the commune project, rather than an excuse for how my outcomes did. I was happy with how it all went and people shouldn't be prevented from doing things just because other people can't do it, however, maybe it would be cool to consider ways Commune could support and help provide more refreshing experiences for people who lack the financial or social advantages, the same way it does for people who do? 

On Day 2, we met up at CSM Archway and used the studio to shoot our concepts. An obstacle was that the art shop was closed and so our plans to build a set for Harvey's work  or make an ambient environment for my work was something didn't think we could do. However, we realised that using Harvey's projector could be a good alternative through projecting images of dining tables, outside areas that we could place the props around and for my project, using colour changing videos to set a tone.

We then sat down in the Kings Cross Library and made a song for my video using Garageband, alongside this, we got on with Workflow, additional research and editing our photos and videos. Using Harvey's projector, we emitted my videos of him dancing onto the Kings Cross canal at night, however, it wasn't as effective as we would've liked it to be. It wasn't so successful and so we decided to look for other aspects in the natural environment that both contrasted yet suited the concept of my video.  Eventually, we projected it onto the pebbled floor and the ridged area of a bridge. As a result, this distorted the video in the same way I intended it to be with the water and using these different textures taught me how important it is to be fluid and experimental with several ideas, rather than just sticking to one.

Overall, I was happy with my outcomes and found the commune a useful way to bounce off of each others ideas. I don't feel as though I will develop the piece of work I had made during this time, however, it was important for me to experiment with this idea that popped into my mind. Although, it hasn't impacted me enough to want to continue more in depth with it, it has encouraged me to turn another direction with it.

Unfortunately, one of the members of our commune had to back out because she was ill and so we decided to go ahead as a two-person group and spend two days on each other's work. On the first day we met up in central London and rented out Santander bikes to freely cycle wherever we decide spontaneously for Harvey's project. We parted ways for an hour on our bikes and I actively chose to cycle down small and quiet roads until I found greenery since riding on central London main roads is very intense for me. Riding through places like China Town, Saville Row and Hyde Park was very relaxing and made me perceive London in a more picturesque way. 

Eventually, we met up again and compared our routes, what we saw and drew up maps of what directions the other person took, without actually looking at their route. It was interesting to see not only the contrasts in the routes we took, Harvey cycled to Tate Modern through main roads, but it was also cool to see the juxtaposing ways we drew each other's routes. Mine were very rigid and line-ey whereas Harvey's route was more illustrative and curved. 

After this, we discussed ideas that could be a push forward and an effective starting point for Harvey's project. He mentioned the idea of documenting people's actions and movements without actually showing people present. So, we came up with the idea of creating scenarios through building a set e.g a dinner party, a family photo etc. but only using props to give away the idea of what is going on. Suggestions to document this work is through personal and relatable ways such as a family album or a stack of polaroids. 

We then spoke about my theme of escapism and the ways that I could pursue this. We finalised with an idea of filming Harvey dancing in a free way and creating an atmospheric scene through this then projecting it onto water; a form that also feels free and atmospheric but in a contrasting way. Tomorrow, we have planned to execute our work and any spare time we have, we will use to Workflow and sketchbook. 

Bauman, Z. (2000), Liquid Modernity, Cambridge: Polity Press: