Blog Post 4 – Peer Review
I decided to peer review Tasha Francis’ reflective blog post on her project outcomes and personal development as I liked that Tasha detailed how she had to alter her initial plan due to the outbreak of COVID-19, how this meant she had to be more experimental to complete the project, as well as what she had to say about the effects the themes have had on her. I also found the post visually interesting due to the inclusion of images.
Tasha was a part of the contempory portrait photography project. The onset of COVID-19 meant that she was unable to complete her work in-studio, but she carried on at home with what she had to hand. I love this innovative approach and feel that it alone really relates to the themes of the unit of making do and adapting to the environment. I also like that she kept her own personal style present in her work, and that she held the camera herself to take the self-portraits. This worked to create really organic and contempory images which seem to reference the poses and style of social media and Instagram posts, connecting the deeper themes of the unit with a youthful audience and style of image, which works really well.
I really like that Tasha has included a number of images throughout her blog post, of both her final outcomes and of research she had carried out. This makes the post far more interesting to look at and gives context to her words.
Tasha goes on to talk about the effects of materialism on the environment and that nature shall prevail. Her comments on working with what you have and that less is more, are poignant and very fitting with the context of the themes of sustainability and social responsibility. Tasha also says she has become more considerate of where she buys her clothes and that she wants to look at more ethical brands moving forwards. It would be interesting to see what sorts of ethical brands Tasha becomes interested in, whether that is ‘new’ garments produced in a ‘slow fashion’ style, or second hand shops and vintage stores.
Tasha’s final comments about many people not having the means to purchase from smaller, ethical brands but those who do, should, is insightful and shows she understands both the importance of embracing the themes, but also of the limitations some of the potential solutions have with regards to peoples differing financial circumstances.
Overall, I love Tasha’s approach to both her final project and to the themes of the unit. Her personal development is clear and it is obvious she takes pride in it.
References
Francis, T. (2020) Blog Post 3: Project Outcomes and Personal Development Reflection Task Available at: https://1920betterlivessmc.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2020/05/08/blog-post-3-project-outcomes-and-personal-development-reflection-task/ (Accessed: 9 May 2020)