Annabel Maguire Artist and Designer

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Design through mapping, narrative & drawing

I found the session with Simon yesterday very useful in helping me think about my project from the outside. Firstly creating a mind map of questions allowed me to turn the complex and expansive (occasionally mind boggling) mind map of my research (left) and begin to unpack it into the lines of enquiry I’ve been following within my project. Bringing some much needed simplicity and order into the complexity. I’m beginning to see areas synthesise and interconnect.

The second narrative task I found really helped me visualise what I wanted to achieve with my objects, working backwards from the senses I wanted to trigger. I felt like the use of narrative could be a tool I use continually to prompt clarity on the intention I have for my objects, and also the gap between that intention and what my objects are delivering. Perhaps by comparing documented feedback to my narratives. I would like to write a series which explore the life span of my objects charting the way they are interacted with from sourcing materials to use to eventual reuse or recycle.
The words Simon points out ‘glimmering light’ and ‘dismantle’ are ques I will take into my next iterations and experiments.


The final task I was able to better understand how my practice might react to different scales and the contexts those would afford. I like this thinking through drawing technique and think it fits well with natural way that my brain iterates ideas. I’m sometimes overwhelmed by possibility and getting things on paper in even very sketch form can help move through ideas without getting stuck on what if or maybes.