for the first time ever in my life I have come from a crit feeling better about my work than when I went in,
If you don’t know what a crit is, its basically when the tutor sits infront of a clas of your peers, usually between 30-60 people and criticaly analyse the work done for the set assignment…..
sounds straight forward right???
wrong, for the most part tutors have no human feelings, so an analysis is more like a little ritual they have of opening your chest, tearing your heart out and dancing on it in front of everyone you know…. In the past I have seen tutors make people cry, hell, twice last year (in my first year of design) I left the crit in tears, but apparently we aren’t meant to take it personally.
I remember last year an issue of the university student magazine salient, wrote an article as to what a crit is. I remember Lisa reacting to it, and being glad that she hadn’t done design.
I think the worst crit I ever had was when Gail, my tutor, who happens to be the wife of the head of the design school, told me I hadn’t obviously been bothered to put any effort into my work.. That was more upsetting considering I hadn’t slept in 2 days to get the assignment finished, and there had been a fire in my building at 4am, and I had to stand outside half in pyjamas in the rain on the side of the road in central Wellington. I hated her for a long time after that, I am over it now, well maybe not, but she was a good tutor. Just very, very harsh.
Today was the ultimate exception, I never expect to have this joy again, there is absolutely no way I will ever have a crit this good ever again. It was for interior architecture core, and I was designing an interior wall space. I made the whole piece from glad wrap, which I had painted red and layered together and burned. It was the ugliest thing I have ever produced. Not to mention the stinkiest thing for my flatmates to endure. They had to sit with me in the lounge as I set fire to this plastic square for 2 weeks on end. Total assignment cost??? $10
I was more nervous because my flatmate Francine had made her assignment from resin, which had cost her about $120 all up.
The tutors sat around taking about the wonderful materiality and texture, and the concepts involved with glowing praise.
I am actually a little nervous about that too, cause maybe I am over thinking it, and think I did better than I have, I guess the marks will tell all.
Song of the day:
The Climber, Neil Finn
“I try to reach the top most every day
In hope I turn my face up to the sky
The cover hangs so low
I see no sign of life
Nothing springs to mind
Among the flies that wait in line
For days on end, and the nights so cold,
It’s always so intense.”
Person of the day: the poor supermarket guy who had to deal with splitting our grocery bill 5 ways tonight, as well as our other 5 separate transactions.