The topic is Air pollution, in particular related to the Clean Air Acts. The wall hanging will mostly relate to skies but there will also be a link to water.
Evidence of Research
I researched the topic of Clean Air Acts from 1956, 1968 and 1993 within the UK. These Acts were very much related to 'The Great London Smog' of December 1952, which resulted in 4000 deaths and a further 8000 soon afterwards. There was a realisation that something needed to be done to reduce coal dust particles in the air at the time of fogs, and a need to build on earlier Acts.
According to Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_Air_Act_1956 it is suggested that this major event helped inspire the modern environmental movement.
Sixty years following this historical event, The Guardian published a series of photographs of the London smog
http://theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2012/dec/05/60-years-great-smog-london-in-pictures
What is 'smog'? Classic smog results from large amounts of coal burning in an area and is caused by a mixture of smoke and sulphur dioxide and in the 1950's a photochemical smog was identified. Ground level conditions are especially harmful to senior citizens, children and people with heart and lung conditions, and as shown in 1952 resulted in death.
This definition is more fully given at http://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/smog.htm
Clean Air Act 1956
This Act aimed to control domestic sources of smoke pollution by introducing smokeless zones.
Air pollution was dramatically reduced:
- domestic emissions reduced because of smoke control area
- gas and electric usage increased, coal usage decreased
- cleaner coals had a lower sulphur content
- power stations used taller chimneys and
- were located away from urban areas
- decline in heavy industry
This Act brought in:
- the use of higher chimneys for industries using coal, liquid or gaseous fuels, to allow better dispersal of sulphur dioxide
- further development of smokeless zones
- imposed reduction of particulate emissions
This Act extended the earlier Acts:
- to eliminate 'dark smoke'
- improve furnaces and the height of their chimneys
- declare smoke control areas under the auspices of Local Authorities
- and for them to adapt fireplaces in private dwellings, churches, chapels, charities
- regulations for motor fuel
http://www.air-quality.org.uk
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1993/11/introduction
Ringelmann Chart
This was developed in order to measure the smoke colour. It is a practical easy to use series of grids measuring smoke colour emitted from a chimney over a period. I found a brief but comprehensive explanation of its use on the Soliftec website, which included three different types of grid, a picture showing its use and record card.
It is suggested that air pollution of this nature is not so great in the West, but it is clearly still important to combat it for those emerging nations ' While Europe has managed to drastically cut some, but not all, of the most noxious pollutants ... emerging nations experienced the opposite trend.... The World Health Organisation estimates that about 2 million people die prematurely every year as a result of air pollution' So globally a lot has still to be done.
http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2001/pix/PrintPage.asp?REF=/2009/04/05/jun04.asp
This is the background leading to the collection of relevant information to help towards a wall hanging.
Visual Reference
From all this information I produced a Visual reference containing a number of images, some documentation and abstract terms. In order to distinguish between different periods of pollution I built up columns, with a tonal variation both vertically and horizontally.
The photographs selected reflect skies, clouds, smoke and chimneys, water and the colours.
The left column the darker, blacker side of air pollution adding the smog, murky element for the wall hanging.
The middle column the greys and the right brighter column
I also made a topic web
Drawings
Several drawings were made related to collected photographs (mostly my photos, references are given to those from secondary sources). The drawings show shape, textures, patterns and colour related to smoke, clouds and water. I used coloured pictures and drawings linked to a possible colour scheme for the wall hanging. The marks will help when coming to do stitching.
These first three are linked to the left hand column.
These next five are related to the central column
This final set linked to the right column
Words related to the topic
In the topic web there were a number of words related to the topic, from these and a selection of abstract words is the following list
Using black card 10cm x 10cm a series of compositions or designs were made related to the words, especially to show the abstract words. The words were added to the design.
The compositions were then reworked using coloured papers 15cm x 20cm.
Using scalpel, metal ruler and cutting board it is important to be conscious of Health & Safety, ensuring the scalpel is covered when not in use. Ideally the ruler should have a ridge along its length to protect fingers when cutting.
The colours used are shown here, based on those already identified.
Here are presented in pairs first the black design then the coloured design:
These last two are based on stitch work in Chapter 7
To date I have selected five designs i,j,k,o,and r from which I will need to select 3 to make A3 compositions in Chapter 9 and final one for my final wall hanging. Meanwhile I've put together a collection of pictures, drawings, and a few pieces of stitch made in previous chapters and am thinking of having at least if not more free hanging columns of work, either completely loose or stitched loosely together using stitch on dissolved fabric. I hope to incorporate some manipulated fabrics, possibly in cotton, the other fabrics being delicate such as scrim, silk, satin, organza, voile, chiffon, cotton scrim and muslin.
This picture is of my ideas without stitched pieces added
The following three have stitched pieces added (See how the grids show through the smoke at the top)
Also the dissolvable fabric piece ripples in the sea as a possible joining between columns 2 and 3
An alternative to having several columns of work - I have thought about three overlapping hangings on one of those towel rails that moves like opening the pages of a book, revealing different stages of pollution or tones. I know the back of the work would also appear but that may be intriguing. Those parts worked in dissolvable fabric would almost be back to back.
No comments:
Post a Comment