Sticking with the Industrial Theme

I had my seminar today which allowed me to get some feedback on my industrial heritage and MediaCity idea. There seemed to be no problem with the idea, I just now need to find a way of tying the industrial past to this new, modern media expansion. One idea suggested was follow the canals to the Quays and see if there are any old mills or factories along the way. This is definitely something I'm going to try and maybe I could use the photography from this journey and work with it by ressurecting a new, exciting life into these buildings through illustration.

One idea I thought up was using materials as a way to show the industrial might of the city. Salford was a big player in the textiles industry so I could use fabrics as a background and maybe work with ink or some type of mono-print technique over it. Not only would the illustration show the story but it would also allow people to feel the history. I could also use brick, glass or metal to show how its gone from brick factories to contemporary steel and glass structures.

Should I scan the outcomes and print to paper or keep the textiles as part of the book? Both have advantages. Keeping the material gives a new dimension and allows people to feel the history. However, it's a lot harder to mass produce and would have to be applied to a different material each time.

I also want to look into machines and how transport worked. Just the idea of intricate machinery with many cogs, pipes, pistons etc working in sync continuously could provide a basis for an illustration style. Should I use circles so show wheels, as if the wheels and cogs of Salford are once again in motion? Straight lines to show tubes and piping with a strict direction of Salford's prosperous new future? Or break the rules, use a loose media so the intricate machinery has been reformed. Also, how does a canal boat work? How does it travel and maneuver? Who controls it? What path does it take? If I look really deep into each part of the industrial side and the contemporary side I could pick out something really original or unusual that could be more interesting to use.

I need to make sure I'm not showing a grim past with the industrial side. There were a lot of bad sides to the industrial revolution such as child labour, pollution etc. However, it has revolutionised technology and changed things for the better with the introduction of mass production allowing people to have things they couldn't have before.