Work in Progress

Faza and Hosna at work

Cooking Our Ideas Together

As we all stood around eating delicious A1 bakery pies, we were laughing hysterically both in embarrassment & amazement over last week’s pattern photography workshop – which involved about ten to fifteen of us girls standing in a group and making pattern formations – attempting to reflect those of various Islamic patterns and designs. The outcome of that workshop was definitely a success, as the developed photos looked sensational.

Next on the agenda was our preparation for the following week, which was our studio photo shoot in Brunswick. We all sat around in a circle and mainly brainstormed different ideas we wanted to convey both individually and as a group about how we wanted the world to view us. Many of us wanted to display different aspects of our characteristics. While others just wanted to show their hobbies and interests through the use of props and special effects. Some of the props we will be bringing along to the shoot include skateboards, musical instruments, photographs, old tattered clothes, sporting gear, corporate clothing and ‘Abbayas’ - or full covering traditional Islamic garments.

To try and work as efficiently as possible in the limited timeframe given in the studio, we have all been assigned ten-minute time slots, in which to do our individual photos and our group photo will be pushed forward towards the end of the workshop. Hopefully by then everyone would have arrived! ;-)

Great brainstorming today people! Looking forward to next week :D

Human Art

The 28th of February bought us closer to the end of a month, but opened our eyes to a different way of expressing patterns: using ourselves. We started the workshop by indulging in delicious salad and chicken rolls and some danishes and muffins, everyone was update on the upcoming dates and ‘Crooked Rib’ news and we began the task requested by Faza: making shapes and patterns using our bodies. Sara photographed the patterns we made on the floor from a bird’s eye view (as close to one as possible) and Faza directed our hands and legs and feet and heads. Eventually, as a group, we came up with ideas regarding the placement of our hands and so on and even worked out a synchronised and choreographed piece of movement. It was a real, fun bonding experience between the girls as some of the poses reminded us of a game of ‘Twister’. It was a very cool experience using ourselves and our teamwork as the medium for a piece of art. Can’t wait to see how the photos turned out!

Recyclable Patterns

We were thinking patterns on the following Thursday as well as ideas for our individual pieces. The 21st of February workshop consisted of Lamees, Isma, Nadia, Hella, Veronika and I sorting out all the little bits and pieces of plastic and recycled everyday items Amanda had bought along into coloured piles. Meanwhile, Sumaya, Humeyra, Faza, Reeham and Pesuri worked out the design on the floor with pieces of string and sticky tape. While some of us filled in the design on the floor with designs made out of the bits and pieces of plastic and recycled items, others discussed their project ideas with Amanda. After we had arranged the colour coded bits and pieces as patterns on the floor, at the end of the session, we packed up the pieces by satisfyingly running through the design and messing up the pattern. We had taken pictures of it beforehand so it was all documented. Lisa brought in a macro SLR camera lens and Humeyra, Sara, Nadia and I had fun playing around with it. The world is so detailed through a macro lens!