Wednesday, 7 December 2016
What is Research?
Week 9
28 November - 4 December
A lecture on the importance of research and its surrounding circle; analysis, research, evaluation and solution. A reminder that research will tick the boxes on a grading list as well as furthering the development of a project. Discussed was the different types of research that we may employ and their atttributes: Stimulated (looking for inspiration), Systematic (deconstructive) and Intuitive (having a basis knowledge).
When researching visually, I often find myself sub consciously scouring Instagram and Pinterest for interesting illustrators or creatives. Sometimes I can get lost thinking of ideas in my head and appreciating this other art, that I forget to record it as part of the development process. Yet it is crucial to create a plethora of material for creative inspiration to personally refer to, and for your audience to be able to contextualise and visualise how the growth of the concept occured.
On the other hand, I lean strongly towards deconstructive research where you begin to pull things apart and see their inner workings; starting the trials and errors, redrawing and revisiting ideas.
It's important to remember not to anchor yourself to the first idea that pops into your head as innovation can be found through changing media or colour, or other artists' influence.
We are all still fresh faced, bushy tailed babies when it comes to our 'art careers' which is why we can't take ourselves too seriously, and must learn to enjoy the little failures.
As Fred put, we must fail, or our practice becomes stagnant.
We cannot let our dreamed outcome drive the process or we will only ever venture as far as we have been before and only ever find the same solutions. We must progress through our process by producing bundles of ideas and experimenting thoroughly.
Therefore Process is more important than Outcome.
Sunday, 13 November 2016
Print Culture
Fine Art vs. Popular Art
Week 6
7 November - 13 November
It is important to note that 18th Century Beaux Arts included the traditional forms of art: sculpture, architecture, music, poetry; only these were taught at art schools at the time. It was very elitist, and split between genders. Only men were the life drawing models, a sure way to glamorize men even further. And the very rich were very content with this set up.
Then between 1760 and 1840 everybody's lives were changed by the Industrial Revolution. This caused an avalanche of changes; life moved from the country to the city, everything sped up, so much became mechanised in order to meet higher demands, meaning an increase in laborers also. Amazing change came from being able to create printed works like pamphlets. It became a way of the working people to take control of their lives, rejecting the societal elitism they had so long endured. A milestone came with John Martin (1820) when he made the unheard of decision to charge peoples to view his painting Belshazzar's Feast, gathering a crowd of 500 people. This is when people started to realise that they could make their own money.
Unsurprisingly this caused a backlash from pretentious writers and theorists (or higher class) who claimed the quality and meaning of art was being demeaned by copiers. They said that culture was to be a study of perfection and that it seeks to 'minister the deceased spirit of our time' ie. the working class. Leavisism also said that "culture has always been in minority keeping" so that only a minority of society had the intellectual capability, enforcing this elitism.
There would continue to be this political struggle between the 'art of the elite' and popular art (us- the animators, illustrators, graphic designers etc, of the world). Essentially, this is where the pretension of Fine Artist originated.
Eidophusikon |
More new technologies such as the Panorama and camera opened up new avenues for art, it began to unbalance what people had defined it as. It gave the working man a chance. Now it was not just the higher class who could have a portrait taken; moving on from the traditional elitist painted portraits.
So although much conflict came from the wonder that was the industrial revolution, it unhinged the rich, but gave ample opportunities for budding artists. It created new industries and professions, allowing the creative world to keep up with faster spinning cogs of the rest of the world. After all, our degree began because of it.
Type Production and Distribution
Weeks 4&5
24 October - 6 November
Entering into early modernism we meet the Bauhaus movement which seeked to unify art, craft and technology. This was the first time that the industrial age had a visual language where typography was describing brands (what we now call graphic design) and commerce was driving the industry. In this modern world it was encouraged to move 'onwards and upwards'. And the world of typography was definitely propelled forward with the creation of the font Helvetica in 1957 by Max Miedinger
This was the ultimate expression of modernism; a dynamic font that could be interpreted and used wherever, in whichever scale with it's form then being followed by the desire function. It was thoroughly used in company logos. The wonder being that it created a competition of neutrality vs. Elegance.
A font so admired in the creative world, that Microsoft took it 25 years later for themselves (supposedly after this time there are no copyright infringements so long as you change the subject slightly). I think they really did the absolute bare minimum to make their new font: Arial.
They really didn't even try to pretend did they.
1994 showed a quick demise of well, the world, because all of our eyes have since been cursed by Comic Sans.
The introduction of Internet Explorer (thank you Bill Gates) in 1995 saw a kind of 360 as the use of images and pictures (emojis) as words returned. This is reminiscent of what we can see by the use of pictures in Egyptian hieroglyphics.
Friday, 28 October 2016
Quote It Research It
Finding Research Sources Study Task
Week 3
17 October - 23 October
Choosing a quotation and theme to work on for the next few months... and finding initial research responses to our choice.
Theme: History
Quote: "The history we read[...]though based on fact, is, strictly speaking, not factual at all, but a series of accepted judgements"
Carr E.H. (1961) What is history? Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Undertones: History - Ideology - Propaganda - Linear - Non Linear - Truth - Revisionism - Politics - Power
LCA Library
- Fredrik Stromberg, 741.5. (2010) Comic Art Propaganda: a graphic history,
United Kingdom: ILEX
- Paul Ricoeur, 306 RIC. (1965) History and Truth,
Northwestern University Press
- Jacques Ellul, 306 ELL. (1968) Propaganda: The Formation of Men’s Attitudes, Vintage Books e. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc
JStor
- Quentin Skinner (1965) History and Ideology in the English Revolution
The Historical Journal, Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 151-178, Cambridge University Press
Accessed on: 17-10-16
- David Shambaugh (2007) China's Propaganda System: Institutions, Processes and Efficacy
The China Journal, No. 57 , pp. 25-58, The University of Chicago Press
Accessed: 17-10-2016
- Leonard W. Doob (1950) Goebbels' Principles of Propaganda
The Public Opinion Quarterly, Vol. 14, No. 3, pp. 419-44, Oxford University Press
Accessed: 17-10-2016
- Cynthia Herrup (1996) What's in a Name?
Journal of British Studies, Vol. 35, No. 2, Revisionisms, pp. 135-138, Cambridge
University Press
Accessed: 17-10-2016
- Hadley Cantril (1938) Propaganda Analysis
The English Journal, Vol. 27, No. 3 (Mar., 1938), pp. 217-22, Published by: National
Council of Teachers of English
Accessed: 17-10-2016
Google Books
- Ann Curthoys, John Docker (2010) Is History Fiction?
UNSW Press, https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Is_History_Fiction.html?id=qQXXlCaApe4C&redir_esc=y
- Jeff Riggenbach (2009) Why American History is not What They Say
Ludwig von Mises Institute, 2009
- Edward Hallett Carr (2008) What is History? Penguin
Phillip.M.Taylor (2003) Munitions of the Mind: A History of Propaganda, Third Edition
Manchester University Press https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_KS3fBvjkicC&dq=history+propaganda&lr=&source=gbs_navlinks_s
Websites
- What are some recent examples of revisionist history? https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-recent-examples-of-revisionist-history
Accessed on: 28-10-16
- Schulze-Wechsungen , Political Propaganda “Politische Propaganda,” Unser Wille und Weg, 4(1934), pp. 323-332. http://research.calvin.edu/german-propaganda-archive/polprop.htm
- Global Research (2016) Truth, War Propaganda, CIA and Media Manipulation
Tuesday, 25 October 2016
Animation Analysis
Week 2
10 October - 16 October
Animation Genres
In the same way that we can characterize the music we listen to and the films we watch, animations fall under similar groupings. Examples are Political, Abstract, Paradigmatic (exploring the concept of paradimes) and Primal (containing animalistic themes, in turn making us question our humanity).In more detail:
RE NARRATION uses expectations of stories as stimuli for re-direction. This may take a well known story such as Red Riding Hood, or less well known stories and narrative strands from the point of view of an object, animal or form without a voice. The creator benefits from being able to make a narrative from established themes and motifs whilst avoiding expected outcomes. (Source: P, Wells, Basics Animation 01: Script writing)
More Sex and Violence (Bill Plympton) This animation contains multiples skits containing the concept of re-narration, one playing on the phrase "Elvis has left the building" where Elvis has an iron stomach and eats everything in his sight, so when he inevitably vomits it back up, the narrator calls out "Ladies and Gentleman , the building has left Elvis".
DECONSTRUCTIVE animation is when it steps out of its own boundaries, where a character might speak to the audience, or a way of showing how the artist is involved, hinting to the illusion of how an animation is made. Used for comedic or intellectual effect.
Manipulation (Daniel Greaves) is a perfect example of this, where the artist is seen to be directly interacting with his character; and where the audience is allowed an insight of the drawing and design process. The hardship that the character goes through and their fluctuating relationship is used for comedic effect.
FORMAL animation is one that focuses intensely on one characteristic: narrative, character, colour, sound/music, technique or movement. By focusing and possibly repeating a technique, we can be taught something about the narrative.
For example in the Roadrunner series the Roadrunner makes the Coyote fall off the cliff in every episode with the repetition making it more and more funny, but without interrupting the plot. Therefore this device teaches us how to set up a narrative structure to tell jokes; as well as making us consider the premise behind fairy tales and how the "baddies" are always doomed to fail.
We also see repetition in the Looney Tunes cartoon series with the phrase "Eh, what's up Doc?" being delivered by Bugs Bunny. Tex Avery commented that "We decided he [Bugs] was going to be a smart-aleck rabbit, but casual about it. That opening line of 'Eh, what's up, Doc?' floored them. They expected the rabbit to scream, or anything but make a casual remark. For here's a guy pointing a gun in his face! It got such a laugh that we said, 'Boy, we'll do that every chance we get.'" [source: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/406400.html]
Monday, 24 October 2016
A 2000 Year Non-Linear History of the Image
Week 2
10 October - 16 October
10 October - 16 October
The
main theme that I took from this lecture was Power. This being the power of art
and its ability to create sub cultures and cult like behaviour around it. But
also whether the power comes from the creations or the select individuals who
decide what is or isn’t “Art”. We therefore explore the elitism amongst
institutions, artists and the audience.
An
attempt for Magicians of the Earth at the Pompidou Centre to be a cultural
display and show that Western Art holds a continuity to Aborigine Art in fact
just eluded to the idea that Modern Western is the eventual end point to
Aborigine Art, undermining its cultural importance. This cultural appropriation
is either a kind gesture of representation from the West, or an accidental
racist commentary where third world culture is hi jacked by the first world yet
again.
In
the same way, we see the same issues portrayed in the past as the present. In
response to female artists not being represented in galleries, The Guerrilla
Girls bought advertising space outside of these institutions with a petition of
“Do Women Have to be Naked to get into the Met?” A report* says that in nineteenth and twentieth century galleries, not even 5% of the artists represented in the galleries were women, while 85% of the nudes were female. This is an example of Art being a weapon against Art.
Similarly,
the expressive and emotive art of Jackson Pollock was employed as a cultural
weapon by the CIA to retaliate against Soviet Russia’s oppression of
Avant-Garde Art. This questions whether Modern Expressionism would have been so
successful without this overriding power.
Why
is it that we allow a select group of people to agree on what is powerful image
making? It is questionable whether the Mona Lisa does in fact evoke emotions in
crowds of people; or whether they want to be involved in a cultural obsession
with this priceless bullet proofed painting. So is it the art or the institution with the
power?
*http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.139856.html
Wednesday, 12 October 2016
Visual Literacy and Language of Design
Week 1
3 October - 9 October
Maybe being communicative artists living in a digital age means we are unaware of how we have grown to learn a visual language so fluently. We are able to interpret symbols, images and type whilst discerning the message that is being communicated to us. Visual Imagery teaches the idea that pictures can be read, under the convention that they are a combination of universal and cultural symbols.
"Why is this not an apple?"
Given the image of a crisp apple, we suggested connotations of health, but when a smaller apple was placed next to it, our original image became the bigger apple, or Big Apple, thus indicating New York City. This is an example of a Visual Synecdoche- when a part is used to represent a whole.
A Visual Syntax refers to pictorial structure and visual organization of an element.
Visual Semantics are the way an image fits into the cultural process of communication and the relationship between form and meaning.
Semiotics (the study of signs and sign processes) are another part of visual communication that we have a passive understanding of and include at the core of our work, starting at storyboard level in an animation, as we need to have an understanding of linguistics and non linguistic sign systems in order to accurately portray a character or story message.
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