Secret Leeds: Initial Research

Brief: Create three design direction boards showing research based on our rationale.

1. Problem 2. Evidence 3. We Intend To...

This brief follows on from the research we all individually gathered for the Collection 100 brief.

Secret London

From Wikipedia - Secret London is a Facebook group started by 21-year-old Bristol University graduate, Tiffany Philippou, on 19 January 2010 in response to a Saatchi & Saatchi competition. The group grew rapidly (180,000 members as of 8 February 2010 ) and is composed mostly of Londoners who use the site to share suggestions and photos of London. After the group's early success, the founder announced her intention to launch a website of the same name by crowd sourcing the design and development. The website was launched on 16 February 2010.

[Secret London Facebook Group] [Secret London Blog] [Secret London Website]

Leaflets & Flyers - Collected from freshers fair and tourist information centre

Secret Leeds


We created a Facebook group inspired by the Secret London group to allow people in Leeds to share their unknown discoveries. We want to find clubs/ cafes/ galleries/ events that people don't usually go to. However, we found we had a limited response with this, partially because we needed the answers quickly and also, as first year students, we do not know the area of Leeds too well.

 

Survey

As this facebook group was not succesful, we continued our research by asking around about people's favourite places.

Favourite Places in Leeds

1. Kirkstall Abbey 2. Yorkshire Sculpture Park 3. Hyde Park Picture House 4. The Pack Horse (Hidden Pub) 5. St Georges Field 6. Nation of Shopkeepers 7. Smokestack 8. Brunell Social Club 9. Fuji Hiro 10. Park next to Liberty Park 11. Viva Cuba

Secret Leeds Website


There is already an official Secret Leeds website which we looked through this website to help with our research.

Leeds City Guide Website Screen Shots



Gumtree Leeds

Leeds College of Art Events



The Leeds Guide

LCA Exhibitions Blog

Itchy Leeds

Leeds City Guide

Itchy Feet Events





Secret Tea Room Leeds Secret Tea Room

We have decided not to aim our project at students, as there is already plenty of information available for places where students can go.

St George's Field - Leeds

We found this hidden, secret park after a reply from a resident of Leeds when we asked non-students to tell us about their secret gems. We decided to collect primary research by taking a trip to this beautiful park. We were the only people in the park, which is hidden from the outside. The trail (shown on the photographs at the end of the contact sheet below) to the park is ugly, but leads to a beautiful hidden hideout. 

BBC Leeds Google Maps

Design Direction Boards

The task for this brief was to create three design direction boards, which we then presented to the other groups in a feedback crit. 

Problem

Evidence

What We Intend To...

Defining our research

To help us to understand our research we defined what we had gathered in our group after learning about the different types of research. There is primary research, which is .. There is secondary research, which is... Then there is qualitative research, which is the non-numerical beliefs of people, found from interviews, observations and reviews. Also there is quantitative research, which is the numerical truth research, gathered by counting, and with questionnaires and statistics. 

Primary Research

Qualitative Research

- We visited St George's field, in our opinion a secluded and quiet park

- In a survey we made for Leeds residents, a non-student suggested St George's field as it is peaceful and hidden

- In a group discussion we decided that there weren't many places aimed at non-students

Quantitative Research

- We created the Facebook group 'Secret Leeds'. 20 people joined the group, but we only had 2 replies, showing that no one knows where the secret places are. This shows us that there is 'a gap on the market' for our idea.

Secondary Research

Qualitative Research

- We looked at a BBC website page that said that St George's field was hidden

- We have read an online review about the Bake Ladies tea room containing opinions

- We have read a magazine article about the Bake Ladies tea room

- In the Ross Kemp documentary 'Blood & Crypts' there is evidence to show that hanging shoes over telephone wires has a meaning

Quantitative Research

- 4 out of 5 guide books we looked at were aimed at places for students to go

Statements about what our problem is and what we intend to do

- There aren't many non-student events in Leeds so we intend to create an event for older audiences.

- The knowledge of non-student events/ places is limited so we intend to publicise our event discreetly, for our chosen audience.

- People don't know where there are good places to have picnics so we intend to expose some with our event.

By defining our research, more problems are thrown up, showing that we need more research as the project develops. We shouldn't rush straight to the resolution from the initial research.

Photography Artist Research

Photography - Artist Research

Martin Parr

At first glance, these images seem quite strange for a professional photographer, more like a garish, tacky tourist photograph which has gone wrong. But I like this humour in Parr's work, which keeps the images entertaining, and even more so, original. These are not the kind of images we are used to seeing through the media, of beautiful airbrushed perfection. There is much more to these images that you understand at the first glance. They concern leisure, consumption and communication and are taken all over the world on Parr's travels.

David Bailey

There is a certain glow about these photographs which makes something seemingly boring seem magical and exciting. there is a simplicity throughout his photographs.

Wolfgang Tillmans

   

I think these abstract photographs are interesting because they aren't really understandable, instead, you wonder, what is the being photographed? What is the point? What are they expressing? Through the use of colour, some images seem peaceful, whereas others are dark, despite still not knowing what the subject matter actually is. The photographs are actually of nothing, with the compositions being created accidentally with photographic processing solution.

Richard Avedon

   

    

I would say that Richard Avedon was probably one of the greatest photographers in the world. His images are iconic and famous; I think it is impossible to dislike his images; I would love to hang one on my walls. There is a timeless glamour in his black and white photography which makes these images so fashionable.

Henri Cartier Bresson

Bresson captured interesting scenes he came across all over the world. However, it is questionable how spontaneous these scenes really are. For example, the man and his shadow are mimicking the movements of the dancer on the poster, suggesting that his images were highly constructed for aesthetic value.

John Rankin

Rankin is such a talented photographer, his portfolios including portraiture for: fashion, beauty, hair, celebrities and sports. His images are all on trend and modern, so it is clear to see why they are great for commercial use, and why he has been chosen to shoot covers for fashion magazines such as Vogue. He is known to have a talent for capturing the character and personality of his subjects.

Sebastiao Salgado

    

Salgado used photography as a way of research, to help him understand wildlife, landscapes and human life. His global images contain meanings, they are not pretty pictures to admire, but a means of documenting the lives and environments of others across the world, as well as provoking thought.

Tim Noble and Sue Webster

   

Noble and Webster have created these images by taking ordinary objects, including rubbish, and assembling them so that when light is pointed at the objects the shadows created look like portraits. The materials used include discarded waste, scrap metal or even taxidermy creatures. This may seem odd but the results are interesting and inspiring. It is very clever, causing you to do a double take, thinking, how is it possible to create such accurate shadows?

Nan Goldin

  

  

Goldin's photographs look like they are stills from films. They aren't the type of images I'd hang on my walls but they do capture attention, and make the viewer want to know more about what is going on in the scenes.

Annie Leibovitz

These images shouldn't work, but they really do. You would think celebrities pretending to be famous Disney characters would result in such a tacky image, but instead Leibovitz has created a series of beautiful photographs which capture the magic of the Disney fairy tales. I love how she combines Hollywood, fashion, magic and fairy tales. This is my favourite shoot by Leibovitz, but I am really inspired by all of her work. They are not offensive or wild, but are exciting, fun and magical.


Alexander Rodchenko

Many of Rodchenko's photographs are shot from unusual angles, be this above, below or in a mirror. The use of these different angles suggest that Rodchenko is trying to tell a different side to the story. 

Richard Billingham

Billingham uses his unconventional family in his photography, the subjects being his father, Ray, his mother, Liz, his younger brother, Jason, as well as his dog. The viewer gets a close insight into the personal lives of a real family.


Steven Pippin

Pippins work is unusual because he has converted everyday object into makeshift pinhole cameras, setting up complicated scenes to capture, for a unique but not too understandable outcome. For example, the bottom image is a set of 12 washing machines  in a laundromat which he has turned into a series of cameras, which were triggered into trip wires. He then rode a horse into the laundromat.