Bournville

I began by mind mapping everything I knew already and found interesting about Bournville. I wanted to find what drew me in most.

What I found most interesting after my initial research was the want for a care free, social village life and maintaining that from then until now. The idea of the village being looked after by Bournville Village Trust and all alterations being run past them to be accepted so that Bournville remains unspoilt. A 'Model Village.'

The Bournville Story

Bournville Village Trust is about building and sustaining communities and not just houses. The aim has always been to build good quality houses and gardens for people of all kinds; with local shops, open spaces and community centres close to hand. Resident involvement also plays a crucial part.

When George Cadbury began building at Bournville in 1895 he did so, not as a single-handed attempt to solve all Birmingham‟s social problems, but in the hope he could prove that good quality housing in a natural, green environment was a necessity for the greater good of society. He challenged the thinking of the day and sought to change current attitudes by practical example. This is the story of how Bournville Village Trust came about.

I especially enjoyed researching the weekly events that would occur in the village, the fashion and architecture.

(images from Bournville works magazines 1930s)

I decided that what I wanted to do was re create a village scene from the 1900's. To recreate the Utopia and compare from then until now.

I researched different ways of filming and editing and wanted to try something different.

I love this video that I found and decided to attempt stop frame animation.

I read 'The art of Stop Motion Animation' By Ken A. Priebe Foreword By Mike Johnson

I found this book really helpful. It gave me information with regards to correct lighting, images, camera, settings, materials, timings, history, development and much more.

Following reading, the book also suggested various films and websites to also help me. I watched behind the scenes footage of-

Wallace and Gromit - Three Amazing adventures, Nick Park, Univeral, 1996

The Nightmare before Christmas- Henry Selick, Touchstone, Disney, 1993

Here is my first attempt at stop frame animation.

I came across a couple of issues...one being my unsteady tripod and other my model being too small and delicate but I think that the idea has potential!

video-

Following the presentation of my ideas so far and the feedback that I received I found that I needed a more concrete idea with more interesting content.

As much as I found the village life and Utopia interesting I needed a story that I thought would make for an interesting video as there is no great contrast from then until now, it still almost remains a village of utopia.
I researched into various different events/occasions in Bournville. The most interesting information I found came from information from Cadburys.

I began looking into the transportation of raw materials to and from the factory when it initially started production. I researched cocoa bean growing, fair trade and the lengthy process in which these materials arrived in Bournville.

I found these books very helpful and informative. I have extracted a few of my favourite relevant images. I will use these as references towards my animation.

I discovered that when the factory first opened Raw cocoa would arrive by steam boat in Liverpool from Africa, America and Asia. It was then transported via railway to Bournville. The first train to do this was 0-4-0ST PECKETT No. 440/1885

This open cab locomotive was the first to be delivered to the Cadbury factory at Bournville . This photograph was probably taken in the late 1880's and it is interesting to note that as well as two wagons with Midland Railway markings there is also one marked up as 'Cadbury Bournville.

I organised a visit to Cadburys to gather some information from the archive. I found so many books and images to further my research and confirmed that what I already found was accurate.

This step-by-step book confirmed that everything I had researched up until now was correct.

I love these wood etches displayed in the Cadury archive. Presents sent from Ghana and Indonesia plantations. They give you a image of real scenes in the countries. I found them interesting as they were so detailed. I feel they would have taken so much time and effort to only be sent as gestures.

The crumb arrived via narrow gauge line. After unloading it would be stacked in the bonded cocoa warehouse. Sugar from Holland, Belgium and Czechslovakia arrived at Gloucester docks and finished its journey by canal to Bournville. Fresh milk would arrive by boat from Knighton and Frampton.

(miac.org.uk/bournville2)

Initially the 'pulp' is scraped out of the pods and is left to ferment. The beans then need to dry out before transportation.

Using all of this information I will create the story of 'The Cocoa bean in search of Cadburys'

Above is my first attempt at trying to create the beginning my story. I used cut outs of card to create silhouettes. My tripod is not stable enough to enable me to create a successful animation. I also think that my ideas need to be refined. I will attempt to use a light box to create the silhouettes as I think this will be far more successful.

I cut out the silhouettes of the images I wanted to use

I used a light box to take initial stills to create a storyboard. The camera is incorrectly set. I found it difficult to get the right exposure so will have to work on that.

Having still not got the quality that I wanted I seeked some advice and found that there was a stop motion program that I could use to aid my animation success.

I was unable to use the light box as the lighting was from above. As I already had most of the parts to create it I decided to test and see what the outcome would be. As it was a solid set up I didn't have to worry about my tripod moving or light changing. It took a while to get used to the software but once I was comfortable I was really happy with what I was being able to create.

In conclusion I initially found creating an animation really difficult. I would have liked to have spent more time learning the software and improving my technique as I had very little time once I had finally learnt the software. I would have liked to have given myself more time to re-shoot as some of the film isn't as smooth as I would like.
Following the viewings of my final film it was apparent that I could have added a lot more depth and been more daring than I was with what I could include and the layers that were visible. I would add more background and possibly full colour to make my animation more like a storybook illustration as apposed to the silhouettes. I felt that the final scene and the sounds in my animation were what let it down. In hind-sight I should have filmed each scene a day at a time focussing all of my attention on one scene per day which I feel would have been more successful in added detail and precision. Unfortunately I spent too much time on other projects meaning that I was unable to make the adjustments to my video that I would have liked. Now I know that the software is available to me I will definitely attempt to create more animations.

Print
Having visited the archive once, I decided to go back to see whether I could gain any more inspiration. I particularly asked if I could see any other gifts that had been received from Ghana and other cocoa producers to Cadburys after my initial interest in the wood carvings.

Scissors presented to Sir Adrian and Lady Cadbury when Sir Adrian opened the Bournville apartments in Bombay.

Model of India presented to sir Adrian with the company sites marked on it.

Throne from Ghana

I also photographed these old Cadbury design boxes as I like the colour and designs.

As I researched into Ghana and the Cocoa producing countries more I found one thing that they had in common which is fabric production.

Cloth has been serving as a valued trade commodity as early as the eleventh century and continuing until now as a vital art form. Like all African textiles, Ghanaian cloths and textiles communicate on many different levels, throughout their bold designs offbeat rhythms and motifs. Just like in every other society, cloth or textiles is so much an everyday pat of life in Africa which is easily taken for granted.

What is seen in Ghana today is an eclectic mix of local and imported textiles for sale. The local comprising log established product centres of spinners, weavers, embroideries, dyers, tailors and sales points with the possibilities for new forms and trade networks. european trading from the 16th century introduced the 'fancy' printed textiles to Ghana knows as the Java or wax prints which were developed to satisfy the general west african need. these have has a significant bearing on the present state of textiles in Ghana.

Ghanaian textiles can be identified in broad groups as:-

Hand woven traditional textiles (kente)
Hand printed traditional textiles (adinkra)
Fanti cloth-appliqued and embroidered (akunintarma)
Machine printed fabrics (wax prints/fancy prints)
Wax resistant local fabrics (Batiks)

Batik Wax printing was what I took particular interest in as it related to the Print aspect of this project.

Below are examples of batik prints using wax stamping. They are less detailed than other fabrics but use vibrant colours and repetition which gives them their characteristics.

The process of Batik (which was introduced into Ghana from south east asia), is a process of patterning and colouring cloth that requires the use of wax to block the dye from parts of the cloth. Locally produced cotton is usually the preferred fabric. Other fabrics have however been experimented with by various fabric artists. It is quite labour intensive and provides employment for a lot of women locally.

Batik artists also employed patter nation and motifs that are communicative in nature and commemorative fabrics are also produced to mark significant events just like the wax prints.

Here is a video to show how these fabrics are traditionally printed

African symbols known as Adinkra are ubiquitous in Ghana. On cloth and walls, in pottery and logos, these Asante tribe symbols are found everywhere. They are almost always used in Batik printing and have many symbols and meanings.

Originating in the country of Ghana, Adrinka symbols are now related, in general, to the Ashanti people. There are hundreds of these signs, which were first printed on the cloth that were used in sacred ceremonies and rituals, and funerals in particular. "Adrinka" means "goodbye."

The designed patterns are created using a block printing method. The symbols are cut into a calabash gourd, and then stamped onto the cloth in ink or wax.

The language of Adrinka is rich and varied, embracing philosophical concepts and sociological ideas as well as straightforward words. The symbols take their influence from nature such as plants, animals, the landscape, and the natural world, as well man-made objects, There is a vast Adrinka vocabulary, with deeper meanings attached to what might appear, at first glance, to be simple little doodles.

I researched artists who used these colours popular in africa and who created furniture and colourful spaces to get more inspiration from.

jorge pardo

Los Angeles-based Jorge Pardo is an artist whose work crosses the boundaries of art, design and architecture to redefine notions of space and utility. His work re-examines the rules of modernism by incorporating elements of Minimalism and the artist's personal response to everyday objects and settings. I intend to create my own response to everything I have researched so far to create my fabric.

Kiki Kogelnik

Kiki Kogelnik was an Austrian painter, sculptor and printmaker. The colours she used were inspired by pop art and she used block colours and shapes in her works which strongly relate to block colours and shapes similar to techniques I will use in my work.

Martino Gamper

Martino Gamper is an italian designer. Gamper’s practice is infused by spontaneity and a refined ease for working with a variety of materials and processes. While incorporating faithfulness to the history of Italian design. He creates pieces of furniture, many of these chairs and installation spaces to show his work. I will create a one off piece of furniture to display in a space.

A combination of the research of these artists has been very helpful towards furthering my ideas in terms of colour, designs and presentation.

I decided on making my own Batik prints. As i had found the throne from Ghana which had been gifted to cadburys I wanted to use the fabric I was going to create on a piece of furniture to be gifted back to Ghana.

As symbols were so popular in the process of making batik I made some of my own to trial the Batik making process.
I made my own stamps using lino board which I attached to wooden blocks to give an even pressure when stamping. In Ghana the stamps are made of either a large coarse sponge, copper stamps or large craved fruits.

I used a copper stamp to produce the image below. I couldn't print it with wax as it wouldn't fit in the pot. I also would be able to make any of these copper stamps myself.

Initially I used some of my stamps and freehand batik tools to create various images and effects to see what the outcome would be.

Above you can see that the colours have faded and the wax is very visible. This was unsuccessful.

Initially I found the colours dull and had to test various fabrics with different properties and thicknesses and various inks to gain the best and most vibrant outcome.

on the left is a 100% thick cotton, in the middle a thin 70% cotton 30% polyester and on the right a thin 100% cotton which is what I will use as it was the most successful to take to the ink.

Following a further tutorial it became apparent that remaking stamps that already existed in Ghana was being too literal and that I needed to create my own 'symbols'

I decided to use the outlines and silhouettes of the gifts that I had found in the archive to represent them.

On furthering my research I found a 2012 exhibition in Birmigham called Style Africa.

Style Africa presents visitors with the changing traditions of woven, embroidered, printed and dyed clothing and textiles from West Africa, focussing on some of the most beautiful textiles produced from the early 20th century to 2011.young people were invited to collaborate with the expert curators from Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery to create new ways to present the significant West African textile collection from the museum, the University of Birmingham and Craftspace.

I was really inspired by their exhibition. They have created similar works to what I intend to produce with a contemporary twist on traditional with strong, vibrant colours.

I made more stamps, now using the outlines of the gifts from the archive.

Here I didn't leave the ink on for long enough to set thus not getting defined lines around my stamp.

As I was producing my fabrics at home I used a saucepan to hold my melted wax as I couldn't afford a batik wax pot but this also meant that it was large enough for me to be able to dip my stamps in for stamping.

After researching the internet I found that it was possible to remove 99% of the wax by boiling it in a pan of water so that it floats to the surface on melting. This gives a much btter effect and removes blotching.

I wanted to print an image of George Cadbury onto my fabric as the founder of Cadburys. Just like presidents are printed onto textiles and garments as status symbols. Below I used image maker but it really doesn't give the final effect that I want so I think I will attempt to screen print it.

Above is the first example of a possible way of displaying George Cadbury on my print. The Thrones themselves do not have enough detail but adding colour inside definitely improves it and adds necessary detail.

For the inks to be vivid, as I intend, they need to be wrapped in plastic for up to 8 hours for them to stay wet and set. If I want to create a piece like this I will have to make each individual piece separately. As the colours stay wet for so long they unfortunately run into each other underneath the fabric. This photo is taken with the wax still on the fabric which is why it looks blotchy.

The piece of furniture that I wanted to use would have been a traditionally English Chesterfield but due to the cost and time it would take to upholster, this was not possible. Instead I will use a dining chair typically edwardian.

I took the chair apart to be reupholstered and re-stuffed it.

Now that I had the colours sorted I needed to adjust my stamps to make them more effective. Still using the same principles I want to create more abstract geometric shapes. I hope that these will create more crisp lines.

These geometric shapes have given a much more successful effect with sharper lines which I intended.

I didn't have time to print on all of my fabric however I dyed other strips of colour to add vibrancy.

I used a photocopy of George to finish off my Print and am really happy with the outcome.

first trial

I used a wider mesh screen so that more ink would travel through it and added a textile medium so that the image of George remained permanent. I needed to apply a more even pressure over the image to achieve more detail and stronger colour.

Final Royal chair

In conclusion I am really happy with the final outcome of my prints and my chair. It has turned out to be a bright and unique piece. The material that I have used will not withstand constant wear but is a representation of what I would like to professionally create. I had to use thin 100% cotton for the best printing outcome. I found the technique a lot more difficult than I anticipated and needed a lot more time to be able to perfect it. The lines are not perfect which I can only imagine takes a lot more practice of the technique. In saying that I am glad that I learnt to use the traditional method. It would have been easy for me to draw out my designs and screen print them onto the fabric. This would have been the easiest way to produce those crisp lines that I worked so hard to try and create and I could have layered more colours and used a lot more detail. I feel that using the traditional method of Batik has meant that I have gained more skills and broader references. I persevered with this method and feel I have gained a successful and contemporary outcome.