With my series of workshops, part of the joy of making and taking part and one of the themes of my project, is the idea of a network. With the workshops not happening in isolation, I have known for a while (since my two minute presentation) that I need both a way of archiving the events as well as a platform for creators to connect with each other and digitally share their work, forming the communication between makers that initially inspired me from the Feminist Postal art of the 1980s. The purpose of making ‘things’ at my workshops is not just to record whatever aspects from your daily life you wish to, but also share your work with like-minded people and connect within the community.
To do this, I want to therefore make a website where you can ‘post’ your work after each workshop for others to see in one centralised location. Details of the maker can be included as well as contact details if they so wish but it will not be necessary as I understand some people in the community might wish to remain anonymous. This also fits in with current GDPR laws. The website in this way will serve the community as their own archive of what others are making, similar to how ATLAS Arts’ website as shown by tutor Francis Davis in Week 5 works as an archive of remote site-specific and time-dependent events. I am hoping they will find inspiration from each other, having the pages almost feel like Pinterest when you scroll through where the emphasis is on the work made. Having the website will also allow people who cannot access the workshops a way of participating which balances with having the in-person sessions which people without internet access will be able to attend.
How the Website Will Work:
To keep the practicalities of the website simple I will act as the host of the website, setting up a ‘Stick With It’ email address which people can send their images to throughout the week. This will be handed out at workshops and be available online. After one of my workshops I intend to spend some time uploading the images from that day as well as the online submissions, so that other people do not need to worry about technicalities. For ease I will ask for all images to be send in .jpg form with a 250 character limit if they wish to briefly talk about their work. This however is optional. For any potential video art if that arises I will ask people to email me. The images of the work will then be visible on the website for people to scroll through demonstrating what others in the network are making. The website is a portfolio of the Network’s workings.
Website Building:
As I am creating the website and will be the primary editor on it, I am choosing to host and design the the page through Canva. With an emphasis on visual appearance, I do not feel like the web page needs to be complex, with no purchasing options or intricate coded design. I did consider WordPress but I feel like the default layouts do not lend themselves to this more passive portfolio and scrolling design. I also thought that Wix might be a good place to design the page however they are an Israeli owned company which actively support Israel during the current genocide, which does not align with any of my personal ethics, my project’s ethics, or my collective’s ethics. For that reason my website will be built using Canva, with a cost of approximately £30 for a domain purchase and an upkeep of £80 per year it is active in subscription fees. I hope for my website to last longer than the immediate workshops, so I will budget for 5 years at these prices, not including inflation.
Website Design:
My design for the website will be heavily Inspired by Jade Blood’s, Emily Pope’s, and Lutz Bacher’s websites (post #013), with a layout similar to a pin board where the simple navigation is just scrolling through images of the works created. I will have some navigation tools, like a main page which will have the groups intentions on it as well as information of upcoming events. I also want to alter their formatting to fit my aspiration for community by including comments boxes below images which people can discuss the work in. This will allow some of the in-person communication to exist beyond the allotted workshop time and translate to the online. I will act as a moderator for the comment box, removing any inappropriate comments on a daily basis if necessary. By checking on the website daily I will also be able to gauge how the community is engaging with my project. With work ‘posted’ online and exchanged in-person, there are many ways my project has potential to make networks.
Here are some potential mock up designs for the website:
https://jadeblood.hotglue.me/hibes
https://www.lutzbacher.com/2.html
https://www.emilypope.co.uk/
https://www.canva.com/website-builder/templates/
