Unit 1: Methods of Investigating: explorations and findings

Initially I approached this brief by selecting my space: a pub in my local area of Camden called The Good Mixer. I began by recording my experience there one evening by photographing the areas I found myself in on my phone.

I found myself gravitating to the outside areas of the pub, where the interaction of space – between the seated areas within the gated boundary of the pub and the on street beer garden where groups smoking would often congregate – exterior and interior to the pub itself was most liquid. While I made my observations, through photographs and quick notes and sketches, I would see conversations form between and within these spaces.

The inherently communal aspect of these conversations and moments in time are, by broad assumption, not unique to this space. However, the opportunity for human interaction provided by a comfortable and familiar environment, especially when surrounded by known faces and geographical location (this is a pub where local regulars congregate) provided for unique moments in time that could be separated from their setting, and create a sporadic and isolated visual record of the environment.

Having established this method and attitude of enquiry, I returned to the space on three more occasions, this time with the intention of recording interactions and environment through sketches. This, in practice, took the form of reportage drawing and hand lettering – recordings of isolated moments I observed (seen here)

In quiet points, I would expand on my human recordings with further sketches and recordings of the space itself – eg tables, chairs, ashtrays and trees. However, upon reflection, i found that my initial recordings of human interactions were the most visually successful.

Following this series of days at The Good Mixer, I made some notes of my key findings (found below) before progressing on to visual experiments and making.