Tag: Rebecca Elizabeth Bierton

The first board I have created for my window features is a frame made of book spines to frame the window that looks onto Lincoln Cathedral. This has been one of my favourite features since I first explored the library. The cathedral is really clear through this window and looks beautiful, and I do not feel like enough people pay attention to this architextual feature. My book spines frame will hopefully encourage students to look out into Lincoln.
Lincoln is also the first station in which the old railway used to stop, this is where the railway would collect the goods from the warehouse. So this window is particularly important.

This is my original sketch for how I wanted the frame to look.
Dan and Conan talked about experimenting with materials and seeing what I could create so this frame is made entirely out of hardback book spines. The use of book spines is a direct and obvious link to the library, as well bringing your focus to the city of Lincoln, Lincoln as a station and the brickwork feature of the back wall of the library.

This is how my art piece has progressed:

Rebecca Elizabeth Bierton

My piece  now focuses on the idea of the railway and the warehouse’s uses. I have a literal railway that runs around the back wall of the library and will carry a small amount of grain. This will be a play on my idea of a trail, as you can follow the railway from board to board. My idea of a board has developed to being the different stations that the railway used to stop at.
Starting with Lincoln, through to Midville. these ‘station’ points will each have a different visiual art piece to focus on. For example, at ‘Lincoln Station’, there will be a window framed with book spines to make you focus on the Lincoln Cathedral.
Each station gives focus to a different aspect connecting the library and the warehouse. This idea has developed from my proposal meeting with Conan and Dan and their suggestions on how to make my work bigger and more ambitious. By having my boards develop into visial art pieces, this has made me focus more on the materials I could use and also work on a bigger scale.
The pieces will be at eye level and so will capture the attention of library users and bring their attention to the back wall of the library, which is my overall aim.

I have just had my meeting with Dan about my ideas and the progression of my piece. I am now using the third floor as my location, particularly the back wall of the third floor. This is because the third floor is an interesting space in general, as there is an unspoken understanding that you do not speak up there. I can play on this idea of silence and have nothing spoken and no sound made within my piece. This means the audience will be purely focusing on the work I am creating. The back wall is the original brickwork from when the library was a warehouse, and as my piece is about drawing attention to the unnoticed areas of the library, this will be ideal. The third floor also has the original wooden beams, which will be fun to play with and explore. Most students do not notice these beams as they are above eye level, but they are an original architextual feature of the warehouse that has remained intact since the reconstruction.
I want to build on my idea of an illustrated trail, but make it specific to the third floor. I want the brickwork of the back wall to be a feature, but also to incorporate the beams using ideas from the past. One way to do this is to look at the railway, and use a literal railway as the basis of the trail. Maybe have it circulate around the wall of the third floor, leading you to different ‘boards’ and ideas presenting information about the warehouse and it’s uses. I could use solid materials, like grain, IT equipment, books, brick, and pages to help create these boards and make them a sculptural piece rather than a informational piece. These ‘boards’ could be styled like a railway station to fit in with a railway theme.
I am wanting the bring the past into the present in a literal visiual sense and look closely at the idea of the railway running alongside the library.

Although Conan and Dan liked my idea, they did feel as though I could push myself further and push the boundaries I had created for myself.
I can be more ambitious and work on a bigger scale, being more daring and creative with my work.
In order to move forward, I need to think of a way to make my work more ambitious.
Some ideas suggested were to make sure the boards were bigger and more visiual, to put them at eye level and make them more appealing  by using interesting and different materials. Maybe looking at old warehouse produce and the railway. I need to emphasise the architextual features more and explore hidden areas of the library. Encouraging the audience to use and explore the full space.
It was also suggested that I don’t use the whole alphabet for my work, and that I only focus on a few letters, focus on making them bigger and using different more diverse materials. This gives me more time to make those fewer boards bigger and better, as I’m not focusing on 26 different ones, but rather a few simpler ones.
It was suggested that I lead the trail myself and take on a performance role, leading the audience around the library and taking them on the journey. This adds less of an academic aspect, whereas the audience can listen to me guide them rather than follow of their own accord.

Rebecca Elizabeth Bierton

During my research phase, I took a group of my friends on an ‘exploration’ of the library. It became clear as we travelled that many of my friends only visited the section that contained books for their subject area and failed to venture further into the library. One of my friends wasn’t even aware that there was a back staircase and another had never set foot on the third floor.
I would like to look at this concept for my piece, and hopefully use my piece to encourage exploration and full use of the library.

The library runs on an alphabetical format. This means it’s quick and easy to find the books and resources you are looking for.
The alphabetical system is a main feature of the library, it creates an easy organisation that students are familar with.
I am wanting to look at this concept when creating my piece.

I have thought about using the alphabet as a starting point. Having the letters A-Z in board-like forms, each containing a word that relates to the library. Whether this be the library structure or the way the library is used. You follow the boards, in alphabetical order, on a trail-like adventure through the library, causing you to visit and look at places you may not have been aware of. The boards will contain bright and visiual information about areas of the library, encouraging you to read and learn as you follow the trail.

This is what my boards will look like, although they will have text on them for participates to read and engage with.

Rebecca Elizabeth Bierton