Today I sent off the photograph to Photo Cake for printing as well as ordering red tape for marking out the route of the performance. I have also purchased white muffin cakes for the cakes that will be places on the other masks.
The red tape: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150812077554?var=450077483405&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
Today I took photographs with a Canon 1000D to create the image that I will send to Photo Cake to be printed for the top of my cake. The image that I felt portrayed the feeling of fear strongest was the sixth one.
From this I created 5 edits that I believe reflect the style of Rist’s “Elbstlos Im Lavabad”. From this criteria I believe the strongest image is the first one shown below.
Image 1.
Image 2.
Image 3.
Image 4.
Image 5.
Afterwards I posted these images on my facebook profile and asked the public to select their favourite one and why. Some people only chose to select an image rather than to choose one and give a reason. The results were:
Image 1: 7 votes
Image 2: 0 votes
Image 3: 3 votes
Image 4: 0 votes
Image 5: 1 votes
As the first image was the most popular and the style of it was strongest, I will send it to be printed for my cake.
Daisy Evans (Studio 1) filmed Charlotte leading me though the art department. This was the first time the rest of Studio 2 have been exposed to my performance and their reactions can be seen in the video. Through this rehearsal we have established that I will have to place the mask on myself. This is because it was moulded to my face and there is only one way of putting it on, which can only be found by being able to feel the inside of the mask against your skin. There will be no communication between Charlotte and I during the performance so I would not be able to direct her on how to put the mask on.
Yesterday I emailed Angus Wyatt, the digital media teaching fellow, for an image of the floor plan of the art department. Today I received the image and have begun to plan out a few routes that I think would be appropriate.
1. Around my studio space. This accommodates a small audience to be packed in a small room, even more so for a larger audience.
2. Around Studio 2. This encompasses a slightly longer performance and a larger audience, but also gives an audience of any size a chance to follow me around a winding path.
3. Entering one side of the building and leaving the other. This route allows an audience of any size to follow me through the building, using both thin areas such as the corridor and wider areas such as the studio spaces. At the present time this is my preferred route, but I will ask around for opinions.
Feedback given
Route 2:
Route 3:
I have begun to put together a collection of pieces for use as inspiration when I reflect Rist’s piece “Selbstlos Im Lavabad” in my practice through photography.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gYBXRwsDjY
To test out a new recipe, I created Red Velvet cupcakes. As Red Velvet cake is a traditional Southern American dish, there is a lot of oil added which gives the dessert a texture similar to brownies. To begin you sift the plain flour, cocoa and baking powder into a large bowl.
Then in another bowl you cream the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Afterwards you whisk in the oil, eggs, vanilla essence until the mixture is smooth. 
In another jug you combine the milk and lemon to create a healthy substitution for buttermilk and then add the food colouring and mix until the colour is solid.
Whisk all the ingredients together adding the liquid combinations alternatively, then at the very end you mix in the vinegar. Once the mixture is smooth you spoon, or pour, it evenly into the cases and left to bake at 180 degrees celsius for 30 minutes.
The articles listed below have not been mentioned on my “Artist Influences” page as I feel they have not affected my practice directly, but they have been worth mentioning here so that I may refer back to them in the future.
STD Cupcakes Meant To Shock, Educate, Perhaps Entice Visitors At Unique London Exhibition
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/23/std-cupcakes_n_2006769.html#slide=more258847
Half Baked: The Trouble With Cupcake Feminism
http://thequietus.com/articles/07962-cupcake-feminism
I have chosen to dress my assistants in complete black so that they remain neutral and do not draw attention away from the cake and the layout of the performance. The colour black is used for the same generalised reasons within theatrical practice, and it is because of this that I made my decision.
After my second practice cake did not work out as planned I have begun to research other types of cake. The one that stands out to me in particular is the Red Velvet cake. It is a classic American desert filled and covered in a white chocolate cream cheese icing.
I thought that the use of the colour red may be effective shocking the audience and so baked a basic sponge cake with red food colouring, however it turned out to be more purply grey when mixed and baked than red. This is something I need to more research into so I am able to bake a bright red coloured sponge.
I mixed some royal icing together in the same way that I mixed the icing for the masks. When applied to the sponge cake, it would not spread and tore the cake apart. To fix this issue I will apply royal icing or buttercream underneath roll on icing which will then be placed on top of the cake I bake for the performance.
My Fine Art Practice (W101) 
