My inspiration has been taken from Patrick Pounds collective showcase ‘The Great Exhibition‘ in which he “poetically explores the art of collecting”. As Pound states “to collect is to gather your thoughts through things”. When we start to observe we notice patterns, this can be unintentional or intentionally; I think in regards to Pound- when he started his collections he went with what was most prominent, the photographs that were reoccurring and then after noticing there were patterns the level of ‘intentional’ searching (for those that fitted the themes) became the dominant task. What captures our focus and drives us to collect, for Pound it isn’t about the quality of the photo itself but purely it’s theme.

Taking from the last quote I will be collecting various media in relation to my own thoughts. Whether it be specific flora and fauna, individuals or objects that grab my attention. My aim is to observe but in a relaxed state, I want to note everything as though I am a visitor enjoying rather than a student studying.

I think the above is important to note as this location was chosen by someone who visits to relax and would observe differently to someone intentionally observing with the idea to capture as much information and detail as possible.

My respective partner for this project was Sarah Reddick who chose Princes Park in Carlton for a location that makes her feel content and at ease. I don’t have much prior knowledge of the location except the fact that it is behind the Melbourne Cemetery.

My first thoughts are that it is a very central location, I wonder if there will be too much going on and I wont be able to reflect easily or if It will be calmer then expected. I also know that Princes Park is close to or the home for the Carlton Football Club, I expect that if there is a practice or game on when I visit that it will create a lot of noise and a busy atmosphere. In knowing this I expect to hear a lot of traffic due to the central area of the location, and potentially numerous individuals talking or interacting. I also expect to hear relaxing sounds whether it be from nature or man-made objects (such as running water from fountains) or birds, and the noise of leaves bustling if windy.

The way I’ll be collecting media is by observation (both visually and auditory).
Firstly I will observe visually. I’m interested in what will jump out at me, whether it will be similar things like the types of individuals in the park or more precise observations like insects trailing into their nests. I’ll aim to collect these observations through photographs and potentially video.
My second form of observation will be listening, closing my eyes and really taking in the sounds that engulf me- how they affect me and how I feel in general. I’ll be taking these notes for collection through a microphone– whether the microphone picks up on the same sounds (or the volume of the sounds) will be interesting as what we observe auditory can be dependent on selective hearing.