Exploring My quadriptych Possibilities

Now that Im ready to start developing my four panels, Im beginning my process of exploration through simple sketches and collage. From there, Ill gradually refine my ideas into something more polished, ready for my presentation to my class.

Family Photographs

Ive started collecting a series of photographs of my family members from both my mums and dad’s sides. I must have gone through hundreds of photos, selecting only the best quality ones for my work. It was particularly challenging to find high-quality images of my great-grandad and my great-nanny Ice Creams, ones where their facial features were clear enough to work with, as close ups is what I want to focus on.

Im interested in exploring genetics and family history by examining facial features across generations. I want to see which side of my family has stronger defining traits and compare masculine and feminine features that have been passed down. After collecting as many images as possible, I narrowed them down to just seven key photographs to develop further.

My First collage experiment

For my first idea, I planned to create a basic collage incorporating my oldest family members to symbolize heritage. I wanted my polyptych to feature my great-grandparents from both my mothers and fathers sides, representing the origins of my genetic history, or at least as far back as I personally know. By including them, I hoped to create a visual link between generations and explore the connections between past and present.

To begin, I searched for historical references and found a beautiful image of a gold-trimmed quadriptych, which Ive included below. I used this as inspiration to structure my collage, experimenting with composition and layering to see how different elements could interact.

As I developed the idea further, I decided to incorporate maps of the places Ive lived into each panel. These maps act as another layer of personal history, grounding the figures in specific locations that have shaped my life. By combining portraits with geographical elements, Im exploring not only genetic heritage but also the influence of place and movement on identity. This initial collage was just a starting point, helping me to visualize the format and consider how I might develop the idea further.

People centred experimentation.