Utopia Project | Pages 1,2&3

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Hello! I have finished some of the pages in my sketchbook and would like to show and talk to you about it. Like I've said before I've been using it like a scrapbook and I plan to continue this throughout my book.

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PAGE1.

Page one is a combination of research of Utopia and things that I would include in my own utopia.

I've used a mix of collarging methods where I have stuck objects and layered paper over the top of each other. Using masking tape to stick them in place.

I have some photocopies from out of books, a photocopy of a postcard, a mind map, some writing about the postcard, some leaves and some writing about utopia which reads; Mid 16th Century based on Greek ou not + topos place; first used ''Utopia'' (1516) by sir Thomas More.

This is a mind map which I used to pick things from this world that I love and would take with me to my own utopia. I've just used a brio pen for this and tried to make it as busy as possible.

I wrote things like snow, crunchy leaves, flowers, Christmas lights...

I might plan to draw some of these things later on in my book.

This is a map of Utopia by Ambrosius Holbein, from Froben edition of March 1518, photocopied from Tomas More's Utopia, published in 1516.

I love the look of this map but I thought the map of Utopia would be much bigger then this!

I have also written about the other things on this page that you can read about here: Sketchbook Sneak Peeks | Utopia Project










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PAGE2.

As I said before I'm going to try and continue the whole scrapbook theme so here again I have used collarging and masking tape to stick down the things on this page.

Theres brown paper that got printed out wrong - notes about it, a photocopy of the Utopian alphabet and a quote I pulled out of Dylan Evans ''The Utopia Experiment'' on page 28.

The quote reads; ''To call something utopia is, of course, not entirely positive. The connotation of a perfect society is offset by that of a hopelessly impractical ideal.''

I agree with Evans on this statement because even if you was to create your own utopia it would have many problems, kind of like a film with plot holes.

Utopian alphabet with a quatrain in that language followed by a translation into Latin, from the Froben edition of March 1518. Photocopied from Thomas More's Utopia 1516.

I have also talked about the missed print on the brown paper over on my other post, that you can read here: Sketchbook Sneak Peeks | Utopia Project












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PAGE3.

This page shows research from Disney's (cartoon) ''Alice in Wonderland'' and Lewis Carroll's ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''. I've also included a quote from Dylan Evans ''The Utopia Experiment''

I've hand wrote the quote in the bottom right and it reads: ''...we might dream of a perfect society, we will never find it in this world''.

In the bottom left I have typed up the lyrics of two songs sang in the Disney's cartoon version of ''Alice in Wonderland'', In a ''World of my Own'' and ''Very Good Advice''.

In a ''World of my Own'' Alice sings about having her own world, at the top of the page I have wrote about this being like her own utopia. In ''Very Good Advice'' she sings how she has got herself into trouble and in my writing I've said how her own utopia becomes a dystopia as she doesn't want to be there any longer.

This is page 33 photocopied from Lewis Carrol's ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''.

I've included it into my book because it reminds me of my miss print on the brown paper and got me thinking about how Wonderland seemed perfect to Alice at the start but then turned out to be a kind of dystopia.

If I have missed anything on these pages that you would like to see/ read about I have another post I did before hand with the missing things on, that you can read here: Sketchbook Sneak Peeks | Utopia Project





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Thanks for reading! I hope you have enjoyed this post and it has given you some ideas for your own sketchbooks and research! Be sure to check out my other social medias linked below.xx

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Sketchbook Sneak Peeks | Utopia Project

Hey hey, I have been working on my sketchbook for my utopia project. I have found more things that I would like to place in my perfect world. Here are some photographs I have taken of things I have suck into my sketchbook. I have been using it like a scrap book as I find that easiest to work with and I think it makes it look really interesting. 

Here is a happy accident. I have tried to create the effect of typewriter on brown paper with the definitions of utopia that I found on the internet. My printer wasn't happy with the brown paper, I'm not sure why but it chewed it up. Though it didn't go to plan I am happy with the outcome, the writing has been distorted - moved - enlarged - miss printed. This works really well for the idea against utopia - dystopia. 

This is a photocopy of a postcard stuck in with masking tape. The postcard is of 101 Dalmations 1961 - Characters Roger Radcliffee and Pongo. 
The reason I have chosen to include this postcard is because of the house they live in. In my perfect world I would live in an old town house/ a house built in the 1930s which is furnished with antiques such as things shown in the postcard - the fireplace - piano - chairs, I also love to have a vintage record player and type-writer. Being made in the 1930s the ceilings would be high and I'd convert the attic so that I could have an art studio. The walls around/in the house would be covered in prints/art with mix and matched frames that are different woods and colours. I'd be married to/have a partner who is tall and blonde similar to Roger. The house would be located near the back of a small town - I've described it being like Stars Hallow from Gilmore Girls in previous posts. The town would then be surrounded by fields and there would be many fur trees that the town would decorate around Christmas time.

I have stuck this leaf into my sketchbook using little strips of masking tape. I have chosen this leaf because I think it is stereotypically a autumn/winter leaf and I wanted something to represent that my utopia would be autumn most of the time. I have written in previous posts that I would still keep spring and summer but I have deiced that I want my world to be 80% autumn and 20% winter. When it is winter it will be snowy a lot of the time. 













Leafs, writing and printed up text.
I have also suck in a bay leaf, its from my dads bay tree and again I have suck it in using little strips of masking tape. I chose it because of the colour it has - it's hard to tell in this photograph but it is a very dark red brown colour which I think works perfectly for the idea of autumn as again they are stereotypically autumn colours. 
The writing is just my handwriting explaining why I have stuck them in. 
The printed up text, I have also used the masking tape for (I just love masking tape)  this but I have covered the text in one strip. The masking tape is translucent so you can still read the text through it. The text is the same as the text of the brown paper (definitions of utopia) but obviously has printed out correctly. The text reads as ''Modelled on or aiming for a state in which everything is perfect; Idealistic''. I think the masking tape works well with the idea of my utopia as it gives it a rustic feel that I want my utopia to have.




That's all I have for now, thank you for reading and be sure to check out my other social medias!x

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Update | Utopia Project

Hello, hello, I want to do a little update on my utopia and what I've been doing to gather research. I've been asking friends and family to write a 200 word paragraph on what their utopia/perfect world would look like; one said how in their perfect world nature and technology would connect more, how we could be surrounded by forests but still be able to have technology like we do today. I haven't had much feedback on this little project I have set out for people but I have thought more about my own utopia and I have also made a board over on Pinterest of imagery to what my perfect world would look like. You can check this out here: https://www.pinterest.com/victoriaeanne/my-utopia/

So I've been thinking more about what I want from my perfect world and I think it would be a lot like Stars Hollow from the program Gilmore Girls; a quiet, quaint town with friendly people. It would have a small pebbly beach at the end of the town. Like I said before there wouldn't be any brands such as Tesco, Apple, Starbucks etc. just independent shops but we will have technology like we have today, just no one would actually care who it was made by. Around the town there will be lots of country side and fir trees and it would snow a lot. The spring and summer sessions would be shorter to make autumn longer and the weather would never get above 18 degrees. We would be very very big fans of Halloween and Christmas and would go all out with decorations/themes all across the town.

That's pretty much all that I have thought of so far for my perfect world. Thank you for reading, make sure to go follow my board on Pinterest for my utopia imagery updates and be sure to check on my other social medias.



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Utopia

Hello, 

I have been playing around with blogs/social media for years now and never really settled on a blog site, I have always gone back and forth to different sites making promises to myself and people reading my blog that I will keep up with it but never did. As one of my assignments for university I had to create a blog and write about my other assignments. I am not happy with the site they had advised us to use so here I am.

As a project over the summer we were told to study utopia and create our own perfect world. Taking on this project I bought two books The Utopia Experiment by Dylan Evans and Utopia by Thomas More. I have read up to chapter three of The Utopia Experiment as it have proven to be a bit of a difficult read but has given some interesting thoughts about what utopia is. 

I've been thinking about my own utopia, my own perfect world but I just don't know. Being able to control your own world and creating all it's little nooks and crannies is big job if you take it literally. 

-But to start I think my own utopia would be a quiet town, with friendly people, there would be no brands and only independent stores. There would be loads of fir tress everywhere and it would snow a lot. 



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Forensic Self Portrait

The brief of this project is to collect objects that describe who I am and what my story is. The idea is to collect objects that could be sentimental, everyday or symbolic. I've started by collecting a few sentimental objects.

Object 1: One of the item that I've collected was my mothers who passed away in 2011. 

 I remember this object from when I was very young, I remember playing with it when my mother wore it and thought it was beautiful. It was in my mothers jewellery box and I had forgotten all about it until my step father had given it to me and my sister.

It's broken so I cant wear it and the charms keep falling off. I think that by me keeping this object communicates that I think it's important to hold onto memories no matter how vague they are and that broken things have a value if they hold a memory or belonged to someone who meant a lot to you.

Also the bracelet shows me, my sister and my mother though the charms, each one represents each of us. For example the ballet slippers are my sister, the swan is my mother and the little booties are me. 

A part of this project is to let other people look at the objects you have chosen and they have to say what they think each object communicates about you. I think that they would look at each charm as it's own meaning, like the ballet shoes would indicate that I may like ballet or I may have done it.


Objects: 2&3 | Inhalers

My next objects are everyday objects and one of the two are sentimental. They are both the same kind of inhaler but there are a number of differentness to them. 

They are different shades of blue, they look different in the style (the shape) and size. One has old stickers stuck on it and the other one is clean. Also the dates are different, one expired 2004 and the other expires 2017. One is heavier then the other. It's obviousness that one is old and one is new.

The one with stickers on is my very first inhaler from when I was about 6 and the other one is my newest inhaler.

These objects communicate that I am asthmatic and that I have been for very long (over 12 years). I also take into account that one has ran out were the other has hardly been touched, I think if the date of the year was past the date on the inhaler and it was still full then it would communicate that my asthma would be getting better. 

Objects 4: Make-up

I chose to put make-up into my collection of things because I think make-up can have a lot of different meanings for different people. Firstly for me it's a everyday object, saying that I don't wear it everyday but it falls into that category. 

Make-up could mean that you like to cover up, you don't like your skin, you feel confident when you wear it/you think you look better, you feel like you have to because other people do, it helps you to identify yourself to other people, you enjoy putting it on (a hobby).

For me make-up is about confidence, I don't wear it all the time and love that I have good-ish skin but sometimes it makes me feel a lot better about myself. I also have it as a hobby, I love make-up packaging and love applying make-up. 

Also I like to explore make-up, I have some products that are from drug-stores and some that are that are higher-end. I like to try new things and see what works best for me.



Object 5: Book | Eleanor & Park

This is one of my favourite books. I trouble with dyslexia so it's really hard for me to keep myself interested in a book but I enjoyed the writing so much that I didn't want to stop reading it. I love the story and the characters. I think this communicates that I enjoy romantic teen books (which wouldn't be wrong).


Object 6: Photograph from Disney Land Paris yr 2000.

This photograph is one of my most favourite photos. It was taken in Disney Land Paris when I was 5 years old. The photograph was taken by my mother and in the photograph is (from the left to right) my sister, me and my father. I love Disney and think that the castle in the background looks stunning.

I think that this may communicate that I like Disney Land and have happy memories from my child hood.


Objects: 7, 8 and 9 | Winnie The Pooh Books

These books are early-ish edition. ''Now We Are 6'' is a sixteenth edition and it filled with poems. ''Winnie The Pooh'' is a twenty-sixth edition book and ''The House At Pooh Corner'' is a fourteenth edition book. 

I found these books while I was on holiday in Felixstowe. They were in a recycled books shop.  Inside of them is writing from 1942 and seem to be a gift to someone. I love to think about them when they were bought new with the intention of being a gift for someone and how that person felt when they had been given them. And also what kind of gift they were, a birthday gift or a get well gift.

I love everything about them. The oldness of them, that they were a gift to someone, that they are early-ish editions. I also really love A.A. Milne stories and the illustrations. 

I think this my communicate that I like the work inside of the book. I also think that people will ask about how I have became to have them, if they were in my family or if they had been bought.


Objects: 10,11,12 | DVDs | Musicals

Theses are a few of the musicals I own. I love plays and musical and have done since I was little. I love how you can tell a story or a feeling though song and movement. I would say that I collect musicals and own about 6 more (that I can think of) and own and book of the play ''Blood Brothers''. I also have seen a few plays/musicals such as ''The King and I'', ''Witches'', ''Cats'', ''Blood Brothers''.

I think this communicates that I enjoy music and enjoy the theatre.  


Objects: 13 | A Pair Of Socks

These socks were given to me by my sister for my birthday. She got me 2 other pairs with animals on them too. The are my favourite socks and make me so happy when I wear them. I also really love the pattern on them and the illustration aspect of them. I think this communicates that I like cute things/cute accessories. Also I think that they could mean I don't like feet (which I don't) because socks hide away your feet so it might mean I like to cover up my feet (which I do).


Object: 14 | Alice In Wonderland Pocket Mirror

I bought this in the Natural History Museum in Oxford. I am in love with all things Alice in Wonderland and always have since I was small. I love the art work on it and think that it is beautiful. I think that this communicates that one, I like the art work/like Alice in Wonderland and two, feel the need to carry a mirror with me to check on my appearance making me seem self aware. Also think that it shows that I like imaginary things.


Object 15: Pin | Cancer Research | Marie Curie | Daffodil

I decided to put this in as a symbol for Wales. I donated to Marie Curie and I support it very much but I wanted something to show Wales as I had lived there for 9 years before coming back to England. I think that people will think that this communicates that I know someone with cancer or there had been a death in the family from cancer. 


Object 16: Record | Ben Howard | Every Kingdom

Ben Howard is a folk singer. I love his music and it has helped me though some rough times. This is one of my favourite albums and have been for 4-5 years. It is a record and I do have a record player, this may seem a little odd to people but I love listening to records, I think it sounds a lot better and I love the crackle sound the record makes. I also have a big interest in history from the 1920-1950s so I think my interest from the record player and older ways of doing things started there. I'm not really sure what this will communicate about me or what others will take from it. 


All my objects together

So I wanted to talk about my objects all together, there are a few objects I didn't write about on there own so I'm going to quickly go over them. 

The umbrella: I included this because of the pattern and the designer. The pattern is a floral print and the design is Cath Kidston. I want this to communicate that I like vintage style/ designed things.

The Elton John Record: I really like Elton Johns music, I think his voice is great and he writes beautiful and fun music. Again I'm not sure what people will think of this as Elton John is a little bit before my time.

Photo of my brother: I wanted to show that 1. I have a brother and 2. that he is very important to me. Words can not describe how much I love him. He is wonderful in every way and is very caring.


So all my objects have been placed in a way were there is enough space around them and some things have been over layed and stacked. I wanted to get across a kind of scrap book style, sort of like a pin bored but layed down on the table. My mothers charm bracelet has been placed at the front along with the photographs of my family, the inhalers and the Alice mirror which communicates importance. My mothers bracelet is seen as most important as it is at the front in the middle of everything and is place on top of a paper bag which looks like fabric/a blanket, this shows that it needs to be protected, it needs to have its own placed where its not going to get broken or ruined. 


What other People thought of my objects

The DVDS: They fingered out that I enjoy the theatre.
The charm bracelet: Some people thought that it was my own bracelet and everything on it said something about it but one person questioned if it was my mothers or someone in my family's. 
The umbrella: Someone said it may be because I like to protect my hair from the weather, which I don't think I do, I just don't like getting wet with soggy clothes. Also someone said that if they was to see me in the street with it they would think I was sweet. 
The photograph of my brother: People said that he must be very important to me as the photo is well looked after and it is just him in the photo. 
The books: Some people thought I like to read alot, which I do enjoy reading but I find it hard because of my dyslexia. 

I hope you enjoyed learning about me and my objects. Thank you very much for reading.