Exercise 2: Refining Project Work

✦ Exercise 2: Refining Project Work

Negotiated Project – Consolidation and Review

1. Critical & Contextual Perspectives

Present a range of critical and contextual perspectives used in the development of a project.

Reflection:

Throughout this project, I’ve been exploring how irony, memory, language, and romanticised imagery can be subverted and reframed using poetry, text-image work, and bilingual expression (Greek/English). I’ve drawn contextual inspiration from:

  • Banksy – for his ironic, layered political commentary
  • Warhol & Basquiat – for pop-cultural detachment, layering, and appropriation
  • Joe Brainard (“I Remember”), and conceptual list-poetry
  • Cavafy and Greek etymologies – for poetic voice rooted in classical and existential reflection

These artists and thinkers have shaped how I view narrative, self-expression, and the poetic self, not just as content but as form and structure.

2.  Research – Breadth and Depth

Research relevant and appropriate depth and breadth to support project development and realisation.

What I’ve done:

  • checked multilingual writing practices through sources like the Australian Multilingual Writing Project
  • Used etymology of Greek words (e.g., pathos, catharsis, sycophant, nostalgia, aletheia, pandemonium) as poetic triggers
  • Referenced psychological, philosophical, and autobiographical frameworks to support the reflective tone of my work

Next steps:

  • Continue refining how research feeds directly into the final outcomes
  • Possibly reference theorists even Greek mythological sources more explicitly.

3. Integration of Skills

Integration of practical, theoretical and technical understanding and skills to realise project outcomes.

What I’ve developed:

  • Combined visual poetry, image/text collages, and bilingual layouts using tools like:
    • Canva
    • Word (superscript, spacing)
    • Photoshop/InDesign mockups (ongoing)
  • Developed poems as:
    • Irony-laced romantic imagery
    • Bilingual explorations (using Greek roots to deepen meaning)
    • Experiments in form (lists, repetition, hybrid languages)

4.  Critical Analysis & Creative Decision-Making

How to maintain and utilise critical analysis and reflection to support creative decision-making.

Example Reflections:

  • Realised that using exclamation marks was weakening the punch of my words — chose to remove them after feedback.
  • Shifted from “telling” the story of poems to “unfolding” the discovery with the reader
  • Observed how I idolised people in personal narrative — then turned that into a poetic theme about the burden of being a fantasy

5. Working Process & Evaluation

Articulate, in an appropriate form, an analysis, and evaluation of the working processes that have led to the realisation of a project.

Evaluation:

  • My project became stronger when I accepted imperfection and leaned into emotional contradictions
  • Voice and language became more authentic when I merged Greek and English poetically, rather than just using translation
  • I now understand my creative process as:
    • Emotional response → poetic sketch → research → visual or typographic experimentation → reflection.
  • I plan to include visual layouts, process notes, and annotated sketches in my final submission