CoP3: Proposal

Name:

Aghnia Mardiyah

Email:

am251272@students.leeds-art.ac.uk

SUBJECTS OF CONTEXTUAL RESEARCH ALREADY UNDERTAKEN

Level 4:

If the modernist principle of 'form follows function' is relevant to contemporary illustration.

Level 5:

How has technology impacted the visual arts, artists and audiences?

AIM AND/OR OBJECTIVE OF YOUR PROPOSED C.O.P.3 PROJECT

The influence of fiction/fairy tales on children.

1.     What research needs to be undertaken into the general and specific contexts of your practice?

Research into fairy tales – history, original fairy tales, their purpose Children’s development – children’s psychology Adaptations – illustrative adaptations – children’s books. Movie adaptations Retellings/re-invented fairy tales (Disney’s Princess and the Frog for example, teaches/encourages children (even myself to be honest) to work hard) – why do people remake/re-invent fairy tales? The need for adaptations. Why they still matter.

2.     What approach(es) will you take and what processes, methods, materials and  tools  are to be involved in research into your practice?

Narrative Bold, eye catching Use of sketchbook - visually documenting research through sketchbook, responding to texts, quotes etc. Experiment with different tools – tools depend on what type of feeling I want to capture, so need to keep experimenting – actually doing proper sketchbook studies before going straight to digital like how I always do.

3.     What preparation or investigations do you need to undertake for your creative practice to take place?

Library research - Read articles/journals etc Emailing children’s authors Watch documentaries around the subject Read books into children’s psychology – understanding how their brains work Values and morals held in society today – Children's moral development is probably most influenced by the role models that surround them. – Why fairy tale characters can be good role models for kids – for practical bit, could explore how to make them into one/more relevant to today’s society – through narrative maybe?

4.     What research do you need to undertake regarding who your creativity is for?

The aim of my extended written piece is to explain why fairy tales are important to children, not only to expand a child’s imagination but also in a social and moral sense. So the target audience for my extended written piece will probably be parents, to make them see that exposing children to fiction and fairy tales is not all bad as some people claim it to be. For the practical side of CoP3, I was thinking of re-illustrating children’s fairy tales, by putting a modern twist on it so that it is relevant and reflects the morals held in society today. I am proposing that the target audience for the final product of my CoP3 be children ages 4-8*. *According to a research, children start showing a rudimentary sense of moral understanding around four years old, during the preschool years, so I thought it’d be best to target this age group.

Primary Sources of Information
1.         Description	Questionnaires – asking people/parents of their opinions of fiction books and fairy tales
Location	In person (Leeds, Bristol) or online set up online questionnaire, Libraries, book stores.
2.         Description	Getting in touch with children’s authors and illustrators
Location	Email – maybe book a meet up with ones that are based in Bristol.
3.         Description	Interacting with and talking to children – find out what it is that they like about these tales; maybe see if they actually understand what the moral of the said story is.
Location	Most likely Bristol, Libraries, book stores.

Secondary Sources of Information
1.	The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales by Bruno Bettelheim
2.	How Fairy Tales Live Happily Ever After: (Analyzing) The Art of Adapting Fairy Tales by Connie Eisfeld
3.	http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2014/12/rowan-williams-why-we-need-fairy-tales-now-more-ever
4.	http://the-artifice.com/fairy-tales-how-they-have-changed-over-time/
5.	http://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/oct/13/film.fiction
6.	http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/9078489/Fairytales-too-scary-for-modern-children-say-parents.html
7.	Movie adaptations of fairy tales

Perceived problems or difficulties: Not having enough time to do research (or primary research) due to: o   Leeds Hospital children’s book project needing to be done in time for the launch party happening at end of July. o   Going abroad for a month in July – limited access to Internet. Finding sufficient amount of relevant academic sources? What, where, how? Do I talk about fairy tales as a whole? Or focus on specific tales? Or both?