Evaluation
Aim
My aim of this project was to investigate how found objects in an area reflect certain demographics (e.g. wealth, age etc.) of the people that live in or use that area, with my objectives being to collect and analyse the objects and conduct an investigation into three separate areas comparing them.
As the project progressed, for me the analysis of the objects became less and less important, as I feel that it is how others, or we as a society view these objects rather than me offering just my own reflection. That is why I think that my method of display being a website is the most suitable for this project, people are able to view these objects and make their own judgements on who lives there and what kind of person they would be.
The main comparable difference I was able to make between each of the areas wasn't necessarily the type of objects I was able to find, more rather the number of items that I found. Areas 2 and 3 both had minimal amounts of objects to collect however Area 1 (my chosen deprived area) was filled. Another observation that I was able to make was that energy drinks seem to be the most popular item found across all three areas as I found multiple examples in each of them, smoking is also prevalent in all three areas.
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Methodology
To conduct my investigation I researched what areas I would be going to, I decided that the best way for me to choose where to go was to pick 6 areas that I could potentially use then narrow that down to three; these would be then become my three main sites for investigation. The Falkirk Council website was my first information point as this listed information on council estates and also provided a list of Falkirk districts that were in Scotland's <15% deprived areas. I then looked at housing lists looking at average rent/ bought houses and the most expensive houses; I picked two from each of these categories and visited them to get a general scope of each area.
Both the deprived areas were quite similar except Bainsford seemed to have more newer houses built right next to the council flats, I chose to go with The Valley as it was more secluded and quieter as Bainsford was just of the main road. For my average area the decision was easy to make as the area in Carronshore hardly had anything there that I would be able to use, with the area in Stenhousemuir giving better results. Both of my expensive areas were a lot quieter than the other places I had visited and also didn't have as many objects I could use, I decided to go with Anton's Hill because it did have slightly more objects, but it also showed more signs of wealth, people's gardens were a lot bigger than other places and extremely well kept and boats and caravans were also in people's driveways. I visited each of my chosen areas 4 times and whilst conducting my walks I recorded video and audio clips and took photographs of the objects I was about to collect and also the area itself and other objects I wasn't able to pick up. These files were then edited and uploaded to my website to allow the viewer to get a feel for what the area itself is like rather than just looking at the collection of objects.
The main issue I feel this investigation had was that in Area 2 and 3 (my average and wealthy areas) I was able to collect everything that I found however in Area 1 (my deprived area) I was only able to collect a percentage of found objects due to the sheer number of them with also plenty of others being seen in gardens and stuck in hedges etc. that I was able to get to. I think that the objects that I have collected may not offer a true enough reflection of the area to the viewer although looking at the collection as a whole I think the differences in the objects found are quite apparent.
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Resources
My research into museums, exhibits and galleries helped to give me an idea of what I wanted my final display to be. The thing that has stuck with me the most from my research was a Ted Talk by Thomas Campbell titled "Weaving Narratives in Museum Galleries". In this he explained how he makes his exhibits more interesting for the viewer, making it an immersive experience for them, not just display objects and descriptive text. Other articles I have read also describe exhibits being designed to feel more like the area that they are displaying with light, reading this I wanted to incorporate this into my work and have a more immersive experience for the viewer.
Another source of inspiration for my project came from reading an article on archaeology describing it as "a magical gateway to the past". I really liked this concept and as my project developed, I wanted to bring people face-to-face with the people that exist now, that they may not even know. That is why I decided to title my project "Contemporary Gateways" as I am forming new gateways for people to look at the others around them.
Deliverables
My intention was always to create a documentary style piece which I feel that I have achieved in this investigation. My website documents both my process and my final walks and collected objects. It contains all the information that I have collected on each area: photographs, video and sound files so that every person visiting my site is able to get a better idea of what being in that area feels like. For my physical display my research moulded this into becoming more of a museum style piece, with objects being able to view in drawers and viewers being able to reference them in magazine with their photograph and code. My visits to museums and my research into exhibitions inspired me to experiment more with the idea of involving light in my piece and also sound.