I then started taking these basis’ I got from my research and then started to try and piece together an idea. The idea of music notes really got me thinking, I thought about who is making the music in this case and of course it is the women. I then thought about if I was placing it in a green space. I asked myself the question, what creates music in a green space, and straight away thought about birds. I started experimenting with that idea.
I then started to work out the size I wanted, small and hidden in trees or larger and being more of a statement. This is when I went to research the Snow Dog and Snails in Brighton. I wanted something to become a conversation and that wouldn’t happen if they were so small. They needed to make a statement.
I then couldn’t stop thinking about the idea of a conversation, and the discussion of women’s rights, as the language seems to be a brilliant representation of the work women have done, standing up and making their voice heard. So I had the idea of having the conversation on the bird. That there would be a few chained markers to the sculpture and a little placard about saying what you want to say about women’s rights, if that is how far we have come, the right to vote etc. Or if you want to say we still have a way to go, for instance in developing countries.
But then I had to design the bird.
I really struggled with this. Did I wanted the design to be more complicated, bold, or did I want it to be more simplistic? So, I decided to look at the letter forms, and I loved all the gentle curves and lines, so I thought I would mirror my design after the letter form. I then wanted to use a brush calligraphy style to draw the letterform down the back as that would interrupt the conversation being had.
But this was the idea I went with, but it wasn’t my only idea. I experimented with placing small birds in trees around London, I then thought about printing the letters and framing them and hanging them from trees. I also had the idea of laser cutting them out of acrylic, again handing them from trees but then at night placing small lights everywhere and seeing all the different reflection. In the end I went with my final outcome because I knew it was something, I could make a prototype out of and achieve financially, but also within the deadline and to a high standard.