Self-directed Brief

Project title: Comfort in Continuity 

Subtitle: A project exploring the comfort that can be drawn from realising and embracing the constants in our surroundings with a view to considering how a focus on what can’t be stopped can bring comfort in an increasingly restrictive world. 

Aims: I aim to explore the constants in our environment which can be held onto regardless of anything else happening in the modern world. This would be done with a view to encouraging positivity and mindfulness by recognising the continuity, freedom and movement within nature and the environment.

Objectives: In order to do this I will carry out a range of reportage-based research. This will be done as a means of documenting the elements of our lives that cannot be restricted or taken away from us in the way we have all experienced in recent months. I could also use questionnaires as a way of gathering information about what a range of individuals have taken comfort in in recent times and consider how I could illustrate this to encourage and share this comfort with others.

The Brief: Produce a tangible object which exhibits a range of illustrations, in an interactive way, in order to engage the public with the idea of finding comfort in continuity. In order to do this a range of research on themes such as mindfulness, nature and movement should be carried out. This should be done by gaining an understanding of the impact of mindfulness and self comfort on mental health as well as gathering a range of views on what brings comfort to the general public in trying times. A wide range of reportage should also be complete in order to document movement and continuity in the environment of Portsmouth in order to explore the impact of encouraging the audience to observe and interact with an unstoppable environment.

Medium: I would explore mediums which lend themselves to fast gestural images which convey movement, such as ink, pen, watercolour, gouache and graphite. These mediums could then be adapted digitally for a more refined style to feature on an outcome which could be a tangible, interactive object.

Initial research sources:

MIND https://www.mind.org.uk/media-a/2891/mindfulness-2018.pdf

Oxford Mindfulness Centre https://oxfordmindfulness.org

Mindfulness: Where It Comes From And What It Means – book by Sarah Shaw

NHS https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mindfulness/

Comfort Theory and Practice: A Vision for Holistic Health Care and Research – Katharine Kolcaba PhD, RN, C – Springer Publishing Company, 30 Dec 2002

Healthy Magazine https://www.healthy-magazine.co.uk/identify-your-emotional-comfort-blanket