Made-up Worlds Part 2

Creating the physical model was an entirely separate task to developing the idea. Thankfully I had some packaging cardboard to space - slicing this created simple tower blocks with readymade floors.

Gluing these together was a simple and effective way of making unique (whilst still incredibly brutalist) forms. Using pinking scissors to cut paper staircases was also a terribly lucky coincidence - whilst I wish the scissors had created smaller forms, they did in fact create the perfect suggestion of stairs. I spray painted each building and several pieces of cardboard, and then saw about assembling the model. 

My plan for lighting the city relied heavily on what I had learnt from a youtube video explaining the process used to create the model city from the film Bladerunner. As explained in the video, 2D cutouts are used towards the back, 3D models at the front of the shot. Lights shine up from the base, with the wiring concealed below the floor.

Obviously we were working at a much lower scale of production, with the base of the model being composed of two A1 sheets of cardboard. After spray painting the bases, I painted on a vague roadmap that perhaps resembled a circuit board more than anything else. I found that this worked very well, as it suggested a structure to the city without looking too familiar in comparison to any existing place.

The lights I used were in fact outdoor christmas lights, as this meant that I would at least be able to reuse some of the materials I had purchased for the construction of the model.

          

 After I had finished assembling the model, the group and I all filmed the final video. This took the better part of the day, as we experimented with lots of different angles and potential shots. Thanks to the help of another group, we had access to a coloured LED lamp which was controlled remotely, so we had the opportunity to experiment with a far stronger lighting element than originally planned.

The lamp not only let us view and discuss the immediate effects of changing the colour, but allowed us yet another way to manipulate various shots of the video. Switching between blues, reds and oranges, we could very easily dictate the mood without permanently affecting the model itself.

And as an additional bonus, on one of the shades of yellow the centre of the lamp glowed orange and the edge was a green ring. By moving the light we could control the length of the shadows, and the combination of the two created what was by far one of my favourite pieces of footage, which when sped up resembles a time lapse of a city using perhaps a tilt-shift lens.


One element I felt the model was missing was smoke - although the paint work and lighting at the back of the model suggested night and vague pollution, it was not explicit enough without the presence of traffic noises in the soundtrack.

I would have liked to add smoke to the model in some form - a low hanging mist, even a breath of cigarette smoke over the top to create an additional sense of depth and physical air.

If I had more time I would also have wanted to spend more time making smaller and smaller 2D buildings in the background in order to give a greater field of depth for the camera, and perhaps install lighting of some kind beyond the fairy lights in the base.

I attempted to have the top of one of the towers light up by placing it directly on top of a light and have the ceiling constructed of parcel tape (as the windows of the model building I made previously had been) however as you can see (the top of the tower is visible at the very front of the image above) the light was not strong enough to make the tower look anything but brown.

Whilst I didn't manage to create any successful hollow buildings, I purposefully created structures with the towers to have courtyards, through which light could shine and light up several surfaces at a time.

Our group produced three final videos. Below is the one that I created - model made, filmed, sound design and editing all myself.

Made-up Worlds Part 1

For the last two weeks before the Christmas holidays we took part in an interdisciplinary project. I chose to create a short video of a model of a made-up world - a world and model of our own construction.

 Starting off with absolutely no limits besides what we believed that we would be able to produce, I found the freedom a welcome turn, and generated a host of ideas and conceptual sketches.

We found that the two most striking ideas were that of a world of diamonds (and nothing else) and a world of endless staircases, not unlike the famous piece by Escher with infinitely looping staircases.

The staircases were inspired by a set of concrete steps that pass through a narrow alleyway, steps that are lit by dim orange streetlights. I was particularly interested in how they seemed to glow orange after it had rained, due to the reflection of the streetlights.

Given that the area is very quiet (people only use the steps for access to the back of the station, as so there is a stream of people every twenty minutes or so) and the high walls of the buildings either side completely enclose the light, I felt that the staircase became entirely muted, and a bubble of a world. However, we decided that because of the warm orange glow, we would make the staircase world a loud, exciting place, full of movement and life.

The diamond idea I particularly liked because again, it held a sense of isolation - diamond structures suspended in an endless void, like stars in space without any planets or debris. It also seemed to be particularly elegant, and had the potential to be oppressive (some force that may have destroyed the surroundings) or hopeful (the last, repopulating ships in the galaxy) depending on whatever sound we applied to the video footage. We felt that the cool blue tones and severe shape of the diamonds would lend itself more readily to being perceived as 'cold' 'hard' and therefore, oppressive.

By combining the two we would create a city of staircases, living and dying underneath the cold eye of the diamonds, which would float alone in the night sky.





To accompany the initial design of the world, I created some characters.

This is because I felt that a story world is inseparable from the characters that inhabit it, the world should reflect the character, and thus the character should reflect the world.

As a result, I created two young girls - to be innocent and ignorant of any social corruptions in the worlds they represent, that were just reflections.

The diamond girl has sharp eyes, straight hair, neat and plain clothing, and bone structure that suggests she may be from East Asia. However her colour scheme is kept at a silvery blue, alike the diamond ships.

The city girl has larger, rounder eyes (to take in more light) and wider, softer features. By giving her darker skin and a chaotic curl to her hair, I made her resemble someone of African descent. She has a hand-me-down coat, and a long floppy scarf that I imagined to trail behind her as she ran clumsily up and down the steps.

I found that this exercise really helped me gain an in depth understanding of the world we had begun to create, and as I continued to develop a 3D realisation of how this world would work, I used the characters as a measure against which to judge creative decisions.

At the end of the first week I had created a model building that represented the average architecture that could be found in the city; corrugated iron ceilings and panels much alike  Dharavi in Mumbai, Asia's largest shanty town. Then, with the added element of the staircases to give a height to the city, the shanty town built up and up towards the stars.

To the right, the cardboard model was spray painted rusty brown, black, and a metallic silver to suggest age and weathering. I then placed several candles inside to show that it was inhabited.

This practise provided a further reference when considering the final model.

Catalysts

The purpose of this project was to start from a point of research and expand upon that. Starting from Conceptual art, I considered pieces by Marcel Duchamp, Kurt Schwitters, and other Dada artists before looking at Assemblage art, and artists such as Jean Tinguely.

                               

  

To keep with the traditional attitude of Duchamp, I first experimented with whatever I had on hand - car registration plates, a toy keyboard, a CD and tape player, and later on, a sheep skull. It was greatly amusing to pull apart everything I could reasonably get my hands on considering the shorter time frame I had been given for this project than my previous two.

I assembled them and considered the new forms, shapes, and also any lack thereof. My experimentation wasn't so much in order to achieve anything, more towards discovery, and as a result this project has produced a series of different images that I could all happily use. I experimented with using the piano keys to obscure the letters of the plates, leaving them useless.

I have realised over the course of these few days' experimentation that I greatly enjoy making items useless.

 
  

 


To further this line of thinking, I considered how to transform these ‘readymade’ objects. After ‘unmaking’ them, I applied the same idea to them as I had the registration plates - how to best render them completely useless, yet again. By removing their only function, they could no longer be considered as the objects they once were.

At what point did the CD player stop being a CD player? When I took all the screws out, it was a potential CD player in different parts. When I glued the screws together and removed any possibility of the pieces being reunited, was that potential destroyed with any object we might still call a CD player? Or had that potential already been destroyed when I accidentally ripped with wiring from the speakers in an attempt to access more of the screws?

Questions like this might be travelling too far into the philosophical, however in conceptual art, it is ideas like this that may drive pieces.

The photograph above shows (from left to right) a piece of the plastic body of the CD player that once-was, a headless quadrupedal body made using wiring and circuit boards, and a sheep’s skull. From displaying the three once-were-objects next to each other, I am forcing an association between them; an outer casing, a structure of connections akin to motor neutral pathways through a body, and an organic, complete skull.

Whether this implies that they all fit together in some way, or tell some meaningful, disturbing story, is entirely subjective. However, these objects were all once part of something that had a function that is now impossible for them to ever regain. I think that bringing in complex ideas behind simple or seemingly random collections of objects is both highly enjoyable and rewarding.

Ultimately, I would have loved to have more time to simply keep unmaking objects, to keep re-assembling and to experiment even more with creating associations between them. However, as I have to leave the project, I am satisfied with the level of sophistication of ideas I managed to express in such a short space of time.

Record, Respond, Remake

The second project started with an object from Poundland. We had to analyse the purpose and function of the object, as well as the aesthetic, texture, and any other qualities we thought relevant or interesting.

My object, a packet of plasters, was my starting point. I spent time thinking over what meaning we ascribe plasters. Why is it we associate them inherently with childhood? Why are more plasters flesh tone as you grow older? Why are we ashamed of showing that we have a minor injury, when we know that there is no harsh judgement for a paper cut?

From the hand with plasters on it, I progressed onto the idea of a hand made out of plasters. To practise this, I made a small hand. This was hilarious, and I am glad that I made it, as it gave me an accurate prediction of how many plasters can be used to cover how much space.

After constructing this, I decided to make a perfectly scale plaster hand with the assistant of a patient friend.

The hand was photographed in a variety of positions as an attempt to experiment with different perceptions. I do wish that I could have involved a few more props and settings, however I had limited time and I am still incredibly pleased with the results of the experiments I managed to get done.

Because I liked the warm glow created by the lit up hand so much, I decided to keep it illuminated. I thought that this made the design a lot less 'creepy', as it had been pointed out to me multiple times how disturbing it was to see a hand with an 'off-flesh-but-near-enough' tone.

The above image is my final design - I researched average heights across the UK - if it stands at 5"6 it should be in the eyeline of the most adults as possible. The hand would be illuminated at the base, and provide the only light in the room in which it would be displayed. 

I think that the final result is both unsettling and charming at the same time. I don't believe I would change anything if I revisited this project, as I feel it was an interesting challenge to take on, involving completely new ideas and an unusual material.

Fixtures and Fittings

The first project of the 3D Design pathway started off with a cardboard box of fixtures; zip-ties, tape, wire, balsa wood, plastic, and cardboard. Then, the instructions to create 10 shapes.

These images show the first set of structures I created without thought. I immensely enjoyed this process. The next stage I took was to consider what each piece might mean, and how I could develop these ideas further.

These are refined versions of earlier pieces. I took themes I could see and attempted to make them far more obvious; family, flight, orbit, freedom. I noticed that all these new creations were suspended from above.

Then, I found a material in a box that had been delivered to my house - a lightweight plastic wrap, slightly spongey to the touch, and smooth. It was so light that it drifted softly and I found this very calming.

After looking at research into structures built like the ArcelorMittal Orbit, Seth Goldstein's calming sculptures, and the series of individual works by Allan Mccollum, I decided that I would use this material to create an installation in order to perpetuate a feeling of calm.

The installation would be a cubic room, featuring the packaging plastic hanging down in strands of different length. In the centre there would be a spiral staircase, that people could step up or down to be in the strands as they wanted.

Whilst I am pleased with the aesthetics of the final concept, I am not happy with the fact that anybody who can't climb stairs would not then be able to experience the installation to the full.

To rectify this, I considered removing the staircase, and have completed a few sketches of alternative shapes to the plastic. The best alternative I have found would be to cover the entire of the ceiling, ranging from long to short, so that you can walk from one end of the room to the other and back again. Whilst I am not sure this would solve all of my problems, it is definitely an avenue I would pursue if given extra time on this project.

Graphics: Part 2

After missing a morning due to an appointment, I tagged along with a group activity for the afternoon that involved creating a product or franchise, and completing a presentation to show the rest of the class. Unfortunately, as I spent the whole afternoon catching up on the morning, I have very little show for what time I was in, especially as the majority of contributions that I made were verbal.

However, on the final day of our graphics rotation, we were set the task to create 6 15x15cm square designs, in order to represent better who we were. These designs found their creating roots in the 10 pages of preparatory 'doodles' and 'not-scribbles-but-still-kind-of-random-designs' we had to complete for homework.

Obviously this meant that I revisited a few of the conclusions I had drawn earlier in the rotations in which we had to ask ourselves the questions of 'who am I?' 'what does that mean?'. As I had already concluded that I am expressed best by showing what I love, I started by drawing my surroundings and working outwards and into relationships, and far more conceptual designs.

Above are a selection of the pages from which I drew my 6 designs, and below are the more refined plans I made for the 6 squares.

Whilst I experimented with various colours and sizes, I decided that the blue pen I had was not only a lovely colour, but by using it for all the squares presented them as a matching set far better than the content could. To draw each in a minimalist style effectively required me to use pencil to sketch in and measure exactly where I wanted each feature to sit - the sketching actually added a good sense of depth to the otherwise light and thin blue marks, and so I decided not to erase any of my planning whatsoever.

I feel that whilst this adds to the aesthetic, its also interesting to see how I worked - using the pencil sketches it is possible to trace back to how I lay each square out, which adds another type of depth beyond the 'visual' to each square, as the entire process is revealed.

The above photograph is not as clear as I had hoped when it was taken, however it shows all of my completed squares on display how they are intended. I put a lot of thought into how the diagonal, horizontal, and vertical elements of each square would sit together in order to create a neat, balanced layout.

Graphics: Part 1

The first day was spent with the aim to create a collage using a photo we had to bring in of ourselves.

However, before we created the collage, we were put into groups of four and instructed to draw one another, then ourselves, only with varying conditions. Those being with our eyes closed (after staring at them for a full minute), with our weaker hand, then with our mouths. Lastly, a self portrait completed without using any pictures nor reflective surfaces for reference.

As someone who created a rather accurate self portrait, I felt rather vain.

We then had to draw a picture of someone's ear. We put all of our drawings on the ground before returning upstairs and taking a photograph of all of them together.

In the afternoon however, we got on with creating the main product of the day; the collage. After photocopying and enlarging my image, I made it black and white, and produced yet another copy in green. I decided to stick with the theme of green and black and white - if not for the rather trivial reason that having dyed my hair green I am rather restricted to the colourless items of my wardrobe.

 Besides the use of our face, it was also required that we included at least one word of text - I used cuttings of a photocopy of an issue of french Vogue from 2007 using the words 'de la vérité'.

I find the image rather interesting, simply observing it as a product with little to no plan, but the result of letting my hands get on with cutting things up, sticking things down, resizing and then considering the tones of grey - completed mostly in a state of autopilot after a large lunch.

The bright tone of the green certainly adds a depth to the piece, and it is rather engaging.

It is also reminiscent of perhaps computer coding; black and green.

I don't know that I would change anything had I the chance to repeat the day. I might try to find a darker or plainer background for the selfie I used, however the spontaneity of the task prevented me from considering the picture too much. Why put excess effort into staging something that mightn't be used? Then again, I had every opportunity to manually cut out the background and replace it with a darker image, and didn't.

The day was spent exploring where my instincts could take me with these images.