Studio Brief 2: Event/public space choices

Event 1

Leeds West Indian Carnival
'Leeds West Indian Carnival is Europe’s longest running authentic Caribbean carnival parade. What started in the 1960’s as one man’s remedy for West Indian homesickness is now the perfect blend of jaw-dropping costumes, infectious tropical rhythms, mouth watering food and entertainment for everyone.'

The carnival is held on the last Monday in August, in the streets of Leeds. 
There are carnival events, carnival arts and carnival workshops which attract a total of over 100,000 people. 
The poster that I could design could either be to advertise the date of the festival for 2017, or it could act a a tribute celebrating the festival within Leeds and the sense of community and celebration of culture it allows for.

Event 2

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Hyde Park Picture House - 102nd year renewal
The Hyde Park Picture House opened on November 7th 1914, meaning that it was a valued building by the majority of the locals. It served as a place for news bulletins, the displaying of war footage and moral boosting dramas to distract everyone from what was happening in the wider world. 
I have chosen to research into this as an event in Leeds that is celebratory as it provides a lot for the community in Leeds for over 102 years. It has faced closure a number of times due to low funding, but it has always been saved as it is valued by many within Leeds. Recently winning the Heritage Lottery Fund, the project to protect and restore the existing building can start in August 2017, allowing it to be reopened again in November. 
The poster that I will produce could focus on the reopening as a public event and something that should be celebrated. It is an old building that has a lot of history and valuable memories for many people over the past 100 years. 

I visited the location to get some primary images (fig.1) that I could use for collaging, screen print designs and also to generally see the most important features about the building. Research into existing projects related to the Hyde Park Picture House was a useful way to see which features people distinguish to be the most important and unique to the building. A project which focused on the collaging of the most visual elements of the building (fig.2) was a way in which I was able to see the architectural history that the building held, highlighting that it may be something to include in my print if I was to choose this as the final location. Figure 3 shows a series of posters aiming to advertise the venue to a target audience of 65+, an age group that don't often use it. The posters focus on advertising the 'classic cinema' experience and have been presented in a way in which the target audience would find inviting and engaging. The project shown in figure 4 focuses on the different aspects of the Picture House and what it can offer that is unique to the other more modern cinemas. These elements are quality, atmosphere, history and community. I think that these are all elements that make it so successful and a very strong reason as to why it is being renovated after being open for 102 years. I like the style of the posters shown in figure 5 as they are funny and very relatable. The aim of the project was to encourage people to come to the Hyde Park Picture House rather than other cinemas, highlighting all of the annoyances and irritations that would be experienced at the modern day cinema. I could play on this idea and use it as a way of promoting the reopening of the Picture House, encouraging people to visit. 


Event 3

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Leeds Print Festival 2017

One thing that has surprised me about my move to Leeds is how big the creative scene within the city is, the links between music and art is massive. I have really enjoyed attending different art exhibitions, events, gigs and opening nights; encouraging me to look for one of the bigger festivals within the city to research as part of this 'Public Spaces/Events' project. I found that the next upcoming event is Leeds Print Festival (fig. 6), an event held to celebrate the use of traditional and contemporary printing methods. The event invites professional designers to deliver talks to a paying audience, this year there is an exhibition curated by DR.ME with a variety of exhibitors all with a unique style to print and then a music event held at Leeds College of Music in the evening with some upcoming artists. 

This event could be something to focus on as the reasonings for it shaping Leeds are that it bring all creatives and those with a creative interest together to celebrate how print has developed over the years and how now we are mixing old and new processes together to create some interesting and experimental pieces of work. 
Research has shown that there are not a lot of promotional prints for the festival, allowing for a project to be developed in order to help promote either the exhibition that will be held at Colours May Vary (fig. 7), or the music event that is in the evening at Leeds College of Music (fig. 8).