S E N S E O F P L A C E
Our first project at Nottingham Trent was called "Sense of Place" - we were put into groups, given a place in Nottingham and were asked to go and spend time there, creating a piece of work that embodies our feelings about the area. My group was given Nottingham Castle.
As well as going to the castle and taking our own photos, we researched the history of the castle from books in the library.
However, the piece that I decided embodied Nottingham Castle has a very different feel to it. Personally, I feel that the history of the castle is a lot more impressive than the actual place. In fact, it's almost a let-down to see what the once famous and majestic castle has now become (it is not much more than a building which is now used as a fairly run-down museum). I decided that the best way to represent this was to attempt to personify it. Thus, Captain Castle was born.
The idea behind Captain Castle is that he thinks he's a bigger deal than he actually is. I gave him a pot belly, worn-out joggers and plimsoles and a makeshift cape to portray a guy who sees himself as a hero, when actually he's a little out of shape and shabby. This is essentially how I see Nottingham Castle - it seems to think that it's still a main attraction to the city, whereas in actual fact it's a bit past it's best (although it must be said, still loveably British).
