The BOW Thread

[beatroot]

Today's the day!

Congratulations to the class of 2018 for submitting in their body of works today! Can you believe it? Goodbye to spending all your lunches in the art room. Goodbye to bringing art supplies to and from your house and school. Goodbye to all the stress.

BUT! Don't you feel so damn great that your body of work is complete? You've spent the last 11 months planning and creating this beautiful artwork about a topic you're passionate about and the journey is finally over. How does everyone feel?

I understand that the HSC VA community is small on AN, but it wouldn't hurt to ask- Favourite part of your body of work? Favourite part of the journey? Do you feel that you've changed as a person? Would love to hear some reflections on the BOW thread

Congrats once again!

[beatroot]

Bump!

ARTEXPRESS 2019 Nominations have made their way to the Class of 2018.

BOW proposals are due very soon for the Class of 2019!

[FelicityTu]

Sorry if this question was asked already or seems a little dumb, but I keep seeing all these people online and irl having their BOW be done through a variety of mediums (for example, ceramics, painting and photography) and getting a band six. Does exploring and expressing artworks through a range of mediums increase the likeliness to get a band six? Can I simply focus on a singular medium that I know I'm best at and do just as well?
In addition, are more artworks better, or could I just focus on a singular idea and be very thorough with it?

Thank you very much and have a good day!

[angewina_naguen]

Sorry if this question was asked already or seems a little dumb, but I keep seeing all these people online and irl having their BOW be done through a variety of mediums (for example, ceramics, painting and photography) and getting a band six. Does exploring and expressing artworks through a range of mediums increase the likeliness to get a band six? Can I simply focus on a singular medium that I know I'm best at and do just as well?
In addition, are more artworks better, or could I just focus on a singular idea and be very thorough with it?

Thank you very much and have a good day!

Hey, FelicityTu!

At the end of the day, what determines a high-quality BOW is the technical refinement and conceptual strength it has. It depends on the student and where their skills lie. I achieved a Band 6 by doing a mixed media artwork and having multiple pieces in my BOW. Bea, who is our VA goddess, also achieved a Band 6 (and an ARTEXPRESS selection!) with a singular medium and one overarching image. What works for those other students may not work for you. If you are certain you have a strength in one particular medium, I would suggest trusting yourself and going with that  It will not only make the BOW journey more satisfying but you will also be able to play your best cards with it. I recommend asking your teacher what they think as well because they can help you tap into your potential.

As for having multiple concepts integrated in the BOW or a major idea that is evident from the get go, I would also leave that up to your own decision-making. As long as you communicate your idea or ideas well, it will guarantee a great mark anyway  There are some other BOW-related resources which you can consider looking at if you want some more ideas  Hope this helps and good luck with your BOW 

Angelina 

[beatroot]

Sorry if this question was asked already or seems a little dumb, but I keep seeing all these people online and irl having their BOW be done through a variety of mediums (for example, ceramics, painting and photography) and getting a band six. Does exploring and expressing artworks through a range of mediums increase the likeliness to get a band six? Can I simply focus on a singular medium that I know I'm best at and do just as well?
In addition, are more artworks better, or could I just focus on a singular idea and be very thorough with it?

Thank you very much and have a good day!

Hello and welcome to the forums!

I’m gonna say this straight up and say that quality wins over quantity any day. People who do mixed media for their BOW can get a Band 6 or they can not. People who focus on one medium can get a Band 6 or they can not.

At the end of the day, your body of work topic is the thing that will really push you to get a Band 6 for the subject (along with your performance for your theory assessments and the external HSC exam). A particular type of medium (or mixed media rather) will not guarantee you a Band 6.

And to answer your second question- again quality > quantity. If you believe that you can be thorough with a singular idea, you can best bet that you can get amazing marks for your BOW! The markers like to see how passionate students are when it comes to portraying their idea in their BOW. Works with layers of meaning (in both structural and subjective frames of your major) will help boost your marks. So ensure to pick an idea you are passionate about and will work on consistently up until the day of final submission.

Hope this helps!

[_Himani_]

Hello,
I am reconsidering my Body of Work idea. My initial idea was going to be about how we explore our world through science, but I felt like this idea was too broad and that I wasn't really saying anything- and whatever i would be trying to say, I wouldn't be able to communicate through to the audience. I realise now, looking back at the experiments and journalling I did while I was brainstorming for the first idea, that I have been very focused on textures, and I was wondering whether I could form my whole body of work on the principle of the texture itself. I haven't developed the idea very much yet, but I plan to link it to a theme like identity and experiences. Do you have any advice on whether this would be a good concept and how I could potentially begin to approach it?
I am getting very lost and anxious about not being able to communicate my ideas/(come up with ideas) through my work and hence want to have a very simple idea to start with. Please help!
Thank You

[beatroot]

Hello,
I am reconsidering my Body of Work idea. My initial idea was going to be about how we explore our world through science, but I felt like this idea was too broad and that I wasn't really saying anything- and whatever i would be trying to say, I wouldn't be able to communicate through to the audience. I realise now, looking back at the experiments and journalling I did while I was brainstorming for the first idea, that I have been very focused on textures, and I was wondering whether I could form my whole body of work on the principle of the texture itself. I haven't developed the idea very much yet, but I plan to link it to a theme like identity and experiences. Do you have any advice on whether this would be a good concept and how I could potentially begin to approach it?
I am getting very lost and anxious about not being able to communicate my ideas/(come up with ideas) through my work and hence want to have a very simple idea to start with. Please help!
Thank You

Hello!

That sounds like an interesting concept! What was it about the whole concept of texture that speaks to you personally? When it comes to concepts for BOW, it's normal to start with a broad topic then work your way into a more specific idea- that is personal and unique to you! What would be the middle ground for texture and the themes of identity and/or experiences? Would this be about your cultural heritage perhaps? Or the physical world you live in? Etc.

[beatroot]

Art update: ARTEXPRESS 2019 recently opened at the Art Gallery of New South Wales! Here's the lineup for the works displayed at the gallery itself.

Extremely proud to say that someone from my school got into ARTEXPRESS 2019 at the art gallery so I'll definitely be attending the exhibition to support my school

[slothologist]

HI!
How much time should we spend on major works during school terms? Is it bad to dedicate one day to major work each week, or just 1/3 of the day? 

[angewina_naguen]

HI!
How much time should we spend on major works during school terms? Is it bad to dedicate one day to major work each week, or just 1/3 of the day? 

Hey, slothologist!

I think it's less of a concern how much time you're specifically spending on your major works but rather how productive you are in that time. I worked on my BOW after school for three hours for two days a week in Term 2 and cranked it up towards every day in Term 3 leading up to submission (and when I wasn't in Trials). I knew people who allocated a full weekend day to doing it because they were more productive if they were doing something in one go. Others did a little each day and found frequent work more effective. As long as you have a clear objective and/or plan for the time you do spend doing your BOW, it doesn't matter much if you spend once a week or six hours straight on it 

If you want more advice on the BOW, I'd recommend Bea's article here and checkpoint post here  Hope that helps!

Angelina 

[ikhanfatima16]

Happy New Year Everyone,
I hope that everyone is amazing and having a great holiday.
I had a question regarding my BOW for Visual arts about my topic that I am doing.

I am more inclined towards the religious aspect and I am representing how my religion forms a great part of me.

I am making different designs but I don't know if my idea is good enough.  I kinda feel like maybe religion can be a sensitive topic and I may not get good marks in the end.


Any Advices on how I should approach my BOW?[/tt][/tt][/tt]