Theme: Celebration
To explore the theme of celebration, we will create a cardboard record that pays tribute to someone close to us.
For those who don’t know what vinyl records are, they are like the grandparents of Spotify and YouTube. It’s how people used to listen to music. Records come in different formats:
One is the 33 rpm (revolutions per minute), which allows you to listen to an entire album by a musician or a band.
The other is the 45 rpm, which usually has only one or two songs per side.
The format we will make is the 45. For this, you are invited to come up with two song titles that are dedicated to someone you love.
Materials: a file folder, a glue stick, adhesive tape, scissors, oil pastels and/or pencil crayons, a ruler, black construction paper, white construction paper, a pen or a fine-tip felt pen, a small plate, a mug, glitter, and aluminum foil.
Step 1: Make the album cover
First, you will make the album cover for your record.
To do this, you will need a file folder.
Using a ruler and scissors, measure and cut the folder into a square that is 7 x 7 inches (about 18 x 18 cm). Keep the folder scraps; you will need them later on.
Next, use the glue stick to apply glue along the two edges of the folder. This will create a kind of pocket-envelope.
Step 2: Make the record
Using the plate, trace a circle on the black construction paper and cut it out. This will be your vinyl record.
Note: Before you cut, make sure your plate is a bit smaller than the album cover you just made.
Add a smaller circle in the centre of your record by tracing around the end of the glue stick. Cut this smaller hole out.
Next, use the mug to trace two small circles on the white construction paper; these will be the labels that will go in the middle of the record. Cut these circles out.
Now use the end of the glue stick to trace a small circle in the centre of these two white circles. Cut these two holes out.
Glue the two white circles in the middle of the black record on both sides to create the record labels.
On the labels, you’ll write the titles of the two songs you will invent and the name of the person you want to celebrate.
Step 3: Designing the album cover
In her artworks, Sonia has often explored the idea of the pattern. A pattern is a shape that is repeated in a space to create a visual rhythm.
In her artwork titled FEELING HER WAY (2022), the walls of the gallery are covered in wallpaper that has a geometric print.
With this in mind, decorate your album cover. We suggest that you create your pattern using oil pastels or coloured pencils, and the scraps of paper you saved earlier on.
On a piece of scrap paper, trace and cut out a geometric shape of your choice. Then seal the shape with some tape to create a stencil.
Now you can experiment with repeating the pattern on your album cover. Have fun colouring, stamping, and positioning your shapes in different ways.
You can also recreate this shape using glue and glitter directly on your album cover. Sonia Boyce is particularly fond of shiny materials like gold and reflective surfaces.
If you don’t have any glitter, you can glue pieces of aluminum foil or any other reflective material onto your album cover.
Step 4: Celebration
For the final step, think of the person you would like to celebrate and invent two song titles that you could give to them as a present. We also suggest that the name of the artist on your record be the name of the person you want to celebrate. Write the song titles and their name on the labels on both sides of the record.
Give them your record as a gift!
Have fun!