Project: Stencils
A quick mind map of potential themes for my poster
initial sketches for the big brother theme
sketch plan for the big brother theme poster. in this one i liked the idea of the one thing you cant run from is the floor and being watched by the man so i combined the two with this carpet of eyes looking up at everyone standing on it.
psychedelic theme. in this sketch i’m combining the iconic imagery of of the raised workers fist and a joint; common mans attempt to achieve changes in consciousness
psychedelic theme. very simple one here however simple is effective combining the poster to a clockwork orange (famous for violent youths, the human condition and the use of drugs and abuse of power to recondition the human mind) and again a joint.
psychedelic theme. inspired by posters of the 60’s the birth of the psychedelic movement.
take 1
take 2
take 3 and we have a winner
Project: Manifesto
You are no longer just artists
To you the artists, writers, musicians and creators reading this manifesto it is time to rethink are role in the world and open your mind to the possibility of magic. Magic is neither an escape nor a joke it’s a new way of thinking about both yourself and the world around us.
I believe we creators reside in two realms of existence; the perceivable physical world upon which we interact, live and the realm of conciseness and ideas. This reality in our heads has its own rules and properties; it is as real as the 3D space we perceive. This immaterial realm of ideas has an exact equivalent or echo to the material reality. For example in the material reality there excites chairs this is the same for the immaterial reality where the idea of a chair excites. Now if I was to remove all the chairs from the material reality so we can’t see it, smell it or even site in it; however the idea of a chair still excites. As creators we transform the material world into the shapes and form that we see in our conscious mind, we transcend realms so people can listen to music, appreciate art and yes even sit comfily.
In the earliest description of magic shamans would manipulate symbols, words and images to achieve changes in consciousness. I believe creators; artists, writers and musicians are the closest things in the contemporary world that we can compare to shamans. Art is a transformative force that can change a human being, that can change a society and if that is not magical what is it?
What the manifesto looks like.
Project: Instructional painting
My own instructional painting:
Imagine a piece of art, this piece already excises however not on the material realm we perceive, it resides only in the realm of thought and we are going to transcend the gaps between these existences and give this piece a physical form. To do so you first need to watch the full video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRrfQZLrVGI preferably alone in a dark room. I ask this for several reasons first we are going to use imagery from it as a frame of reference. Secondly how the video affected you, how did it make you feel? What were you thinking? All things I need you to draw from when creating this piece, wondering what colours to use? Or what brush strokes to use or what size should the canvas should be, just refer to those feelings. Finally as an example of what cooperation can achieve, the imagery and the music come from two different places however when combined create something greater than its individual parts, something I believe we are about to create. (Have someone read this bit to you if need be) Now you are prepared close your eyes, clear your head and picture a checkerboard landscape stretching to the infant horizon reminiscent of Dali’s work. Paintings, a fireplace and a chair residing in a room you can’t see, paintings suspending on invisible walls. The monolith looming in the center of this room placed on the checkerboard with an omnipotent ora reflecting off its smooth black surface. The sky illuminated by impossibly close planets two or three of them, one might be a star not positive, hardly any stars out now you look closer mainly nothingness then again is there such a thing as nothingness?
Looking at the instructional painting i received i am rather excited, everything is strait forewords and is more of an artistic response to music. More specifically “David Bowie”, “Bears den”, “Catfish and the bottlemen” and most importantly “the Doors”. Now i’m fans of both David Bowie and catfish and the bottlemen however iv loved The Doors for a long time and because the instructions give me the leeway too, i’m going to focus on their music. (I live the rocker lifestyle so this was made for me) now on the other hand the instructions near the end want me to depict the concert i see in my head as I listen with set things to illustrate within the piece. however specking from experience the concert never ends for the musician so i’m not restricted to the crowd and the stage and the lights and whatnot. Of course there will be elements from the instructions i will be following like the peacock but the illuminate symbol is disgustingly clique and wont fit in with The Doors maybe a more subtle approach with that sort of imagery. Over all i’m happy to have received this particular piece and am looking forward to brainstorming more ideas.
Trying to get some inspiration going so started reading the book that inspired “The Doors” name and other aspects of their music.
There are some noticeable line from this book that would intrigue anyone even a narc would seriously consider partaking in a bit of recreational drug use. I can see the intrigue that fascinated The Doors, this unexplored realm of perception with mescaline being the key which doesn’t just sound appealing but downright beautiful.”That chair – shall i ever forget it? where the shadows fell on the canvas upholstery, stripes of a deep but glowing indigo alternated with stripes of an incandescence so intensely bright that it was hard to believe that they could be made of anything but blue fire. For what seemed an immensely long time i gazed without knowing, even without wishing to know, what it was that confronted me. At any other time i would have seen a chair barred with alternate light and shade. Today the precept has swallowed up the concept. i was so completely absorbed in looking, so thunderstruck by what i actually saw, that i could not be aware of anything else”. (page 43)
These three above are my first experiments, i haven’t painted in a very long time so it was more playing around and getting a feel for the medium again. non the less in doing so i came up with an idea seen in the third image with the green pattern on the blue background. trying to depict a peacock without actually painting it would work for me as painting a realistic and visually interesting peacock is out of my ability. however taking elements from the peacock and combining them with The Doors and the counter culture movement they represent we get this quick idea which i have been advised by lecturers and students to continue experimentation with.
These two images above are quick paintings done by other students based on the same text that i have revived the top one focusing on one of the bands that i didn’t pick: “Catfish and the bottlemen” as well as the all seeing eye which is interesting i didn’t consider implementing any of the lyrics from any of their song but perhaps i should as the doors arguably have some of the best and most iconic of them all.
The second is a lot like my third experiment with patterns over-lade on a background. however in this piece the wood block that it has been painted on has been incorporated into the painting itself. this has been achieved with a watered down wash of paint letting the texture of the wood to come through as wavy lines reminiscent of counter culture art of the time and something i’m going to experiment with myself.
Using the lessons i learned from my on experiment and other students we come to the next piece. this was achieved by priming the wood with metallic silver spray paint so the lines really come through with its new, slightly reflective surface. then the light wash of blue for another layer and the peacock eye feathers on top. i really dig this piece it captures the motive i was going for well however something is missing. further experimenting is required.
Experimenting with letting go of the bush by painting Jim Morrison with the paintbrush at the end of a long stick funny how one can be freed by what would be considered a restriction as knowing it wouldn’t be an accurate depictions i went with the flow and created a not bad painting even had some fun in doing so.
How the wood looks after spray paint but before painting over it.
Trying something different yet similar in this one, same metallic background, same colours as the last however this time i masked off some shapes with masking tape and using a dry paintbrush to scratch the colours down. I did this because the background needs to come through more or needs to be better incorporated or so i’m told by co students and i agree with them. So although this looks good is not what i’m going for and need to try again.
Finally i think i have come to an ascetic that goes well with the themes i’m exploring in the text. the natural patterns that are brought out through spray painting the wood gives me flowing natural lines to follow and paint in something that only be found in nature yet with the right combination of colours can come to look unnatural. i have used the same “peacock” colour pallet as the last experiments and it looks great the natural colours contrast with the unnatural metallic silver of the spray paint. i will do a few more of these before changing up the colour a bit however i think i’m onto a winning idea.
Breaking the wood to get different textures and gestures. removing the clean edges that as The Doors and Aldous Huxley would likely describe as “pretentious” for the mescaline user would be perplexed in the mundane beauty that is broken and frayed wood.
Getting more experimental with this one, using a combination of metallic silver and black i only did this because i’m slowly running out of silver paint however i like the results no the less. with the others the spray paint would bring out the lines in the wood however this time the spray paint has made its own. By overloading the top with the spray the paint ran down the wood giving the visual effect you see above.
^ my personal favorite of the bunch. which is interesting because through talking to other students i discovered that there is no defining wood block that stands out above or even blow the rest.Which is great for me when it come to the assemblage stage of the piece for everything will fall into place seamlessly (hopefully). Each person had their own favorite but never the same one once again proving beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
if i hadn’t run out of silver spray paint before i have now with these two pieces.
all of these above are different layouts i was trying for when it comes to mounting them however i’m not liking any of these and am going to try a different method.
how i’m going to mount this work: MDF board cut at a 45 degree angle and cut into two interlocking pieces one to be drilled into the wall and one glued to the back of the thing you want mounted. They slot together perfectly (if you have aliened them properly) and bring the work forward off the wall which can be complementary to the work.
The layout i finally decided on. i mentioned earlier that i was going to try a different method of planing out the placement of the wood. i did this by tracing the outline of the wood onto paper cutting that out and masking taped them to the wall until i found an arrangement that was ascetically pleasing and complementary to the work itself.
with the wall behind it painted white and everything mounted this is the final product of all that work before it. a quick note that you may see is the return of that first wood painting i did at the start of the experimental stage chilling in the middle there. well after talking with Linda she recommended to include for its quick gestural motion and pattern would fit right in with the rest and i have to admit at first i was skeptical however is something that really brings the piece together.
Summer Term assignments:
Project: Artist Film.
Initial ideas in picture:
1- An animation in old computer program Pencil.
2- Edit 1 or 2 frames of porn into Disney films (idea taken from the film fight club) to destroy what they are trying to be (innocent instead of an evil company).
3- Music video Avant-garde style.
4- Document the process of us making the film throughout, not showing the film we are presented as making.
5- Montage of homemade visual effects (ink pumped into water etc, and found footage.
6- Four mins of us slowly dying (video of us doing nothing).
7- Fake interview of a character/artist.
8- Adverts constantly breaking up the film destroying any seriousness the narrative is trying to achieve.
9-Tutorial video of stupid shit how to roll a joint, make a bowl of cereal (not one of my best ideas ever but hey i’m spit balling here).
10- Voice over a screen of colour that changes depending on the way the conversation is going showing emotion.
11- A video on a self aware character that knows he cant excised beyond the video he is in.
12- Are group watching other films with quick cuts to text on screen saying stuff like Avant-garde? art? original? contemporary? video art?
13- images or films of thing that inspire us or we enjoy/are passionate about projected onto are faces (we become the thing being viewed).
14- Dada script technique.
After going over my initial ideas with the group we decided that 3 of them we would take into further consideration ideas 8, 10 and 13 as they would have the most potential of succeeding however one above the others stuck out idea 8. deciding on the theme of capitalist advertising intruding on potential art is interesting and easily achieved through the contrast of dramatic tension and mass consumable marketing tells you everything without having to say it.after all film is a visual medium in other words show don’t tell.(also a quick sketch of a timetable).
For research, another film that has this theme of advertisement and consumerism is Fight club so lets look and see how it portrays these themes through this video essay.
time stamp 6:30 the essay talks about how the film, throughout its duration emphasizes lack of individuality and identity. It does so in many ways the main character is never referred to by name he is only ever known as the narrator using fake names in support groups. taking on the identity of someone with a disorder taking on the identity of them to get by as the group sessions help him sleep. In other words being someone else helps him live normally. through the coarse of the film it is discovered that the main character has a split personality or lost of identity made manifest. All commentary on how we live lives through others attach are self’s to more attractive identity’s like ones shown in advertisements or celebrates to get by. The film also apparently contains a Starbucks coffee cup hidden in every scene. In the film they also destroy a piece of corporate art attacking the irony of corporations supporting free expression like art.
obviously this is a two hour feature length film and we have four mins however its helpful to see how others have tackled the subject. I really like the use of the main character name or lack there of its something not many viewers would notice but if you think about it is a great but subtle expression of the films themes.
This video breaks down how the camera is used to visualize a shift in perspective with changes in the cameras lens, shots and placement. Reminding me that the camera can also help tell the story outside of the script, costume and acting. this is also an excellent example of editing shifting the perspective from older scenes or fusing two sets together seamlessly with shot reverse shots becoming present/shot past/reverse shot this crazy editing and camerawork reflecting the characters drugged up state of mine as he comes to a revelation. if we where to make are own short film to edit ads over these are points to remember.
Another one that was interesting to look at.
The short film above was written, directed and edited by a friend of mine Flynn Cleobury i was part of the filming process controlling lighting and coming up with a shot or two. I’m thinking of directing the artist film with a similar tone to this one i already know how to pull it off so why not play to my strengths. No dialogue is also a good take away from are short film no overdubbing and trying the nail line delivery makes the process of it all easier. Cant forget the golden rule; show don’t tell so i’m going to have to focus on shot composure along with some sleek editing like my friend has done here. By far one of the best aspects of are short film was Flynn’s master sound editing, the timing is perfect and the quality is consistent the ending track being his personal making combining lots of separate recordings of him waling to create the illusion of multiple entity’s. Amateur technique, masterful result. A great example of how to do a lot in a short 2 min film.
above is a timetable Eleanor has made for the group so we don’t fall behind and can easily see when people are free for shooting or discussions.
when stuck always useful to ask a friend outside of the situation.
Will have to research what he suggested at worst i get to watch the twilight zone again. But it does bring up a good point i haven’t thought about and that is the way advertisement is presented to us over the course of history there method and attempt to appeal to an audience that is constantly changing or trying to shape that audience to their thought process. (subliminal messaging is one that comes to mind)
an advert about adverts that’s so big it gets its own credits at the end. mmmm that capitalist propaganda machines keeps on chugging.
Initial script/story bored plan. Very basic however the core premise is there going again with the stuck in a loop thing however presented differently more like out of place with characters self. also includes how i want shots to be set up and where the cuts will be i’m going to head to the art block at night, scout the location if you will, check the lighting and take pictures for further story boarding.
Said finished story boarding.
Considering the main premise is the intrusion of advertisement in art and are lives i wanted to implement these things into the short film that will be cut up with the adverts even in a small way. The way i think i’m going to pull this off and build tension at the same time is the narrative of the short film, the character is walking around the place encountering him/her self shifting the perspective to the new version of themselves that they see being almost unaware of it and coming round to a loop. I think this is a good idea of depicting my feelings towards advertisement specially in the modern day with the invention of the internet and search engines all the things we look at are collected and sold to company’s to help them better appeal to us as consumers and help sell there product. they are everywhere and better tailored towards the individual. In a world so permeated by advertising how can we know what ideas are truly are own rather than planted by clever advertisement, i think the best way to depict this is lose of identity and self hens the characters displacement with him/herself. (idea stolen from fight club)
During one of the seminars Jon brought up an important all be it irritating point that i didn’t take into consideration. That being the audience that will be viewing my film is familiar with the environment that i decided for it to take place which will make it hard for me to immerse them in the narrative i’m trying to construct and ultimately destroy. Now taking this into consideration we later decided to move the shooting to the new location shown in these test shots its still in the art department however different and unused enough to hopefully suspend the viewers disbelief. the story boarding and shot composure stays the same however the location changes, it may come to some improvising later however i believe i’m competent and confident enough to direct this piece going forwards with Tom as the actor, Lucy on lighting and Eleanor on documenting the process things are going swimmingly.
Moving onto the soundtrack i want in the film i was initially looking at free domain music as not to in crouch on copyright laws however Jon mentioned although important to take into consideration in this project we can use anything with this in mind the first thing i jumped to which will complement the imagery and tone of the film would be the masterful soundtrack for the film “The Shining” Written and preformed by Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind and many many others the effectiveness and how complementary this soundtrack is to “the Shining” can not be understated its quiet and foreboding as well as loud and surprising helping drive the narrative of someone slowly going insane with bursts of intermediate off tune strings and long and drawn out ringing noises. The music helps punctuate scenes not just as a background noise but as part of the story. So much so that when i hear a specific track i know exactly which scene it corresponds with. This could be a problem of course as the audience might automatically think “the shining” when viewing my film however after talking to many of my fellow students a vast majority of them have never seen it! to my shock and horror (may need to educate them on films you need to see) 
To say i’m a fan of the film and its soundtrack would be underplaying it and for the reasons stated is why i want to use it, take a listen for yourselves.
(sick of Jack Nicholson’s face yet?)
Pictures of me and Tom during the filming process everything went really well however the lighting was very inconsistent the great thing is i could always change it in post production my thoughts would be make it black and white as it adds to the atmosphere and i don’t have to go through the pain of colour correction. I wish i could put all the raw footage on here to show you however technology is a pain in the ass.
Pictures of me and Eleanor editing the footage and audio in post production a few shots had to be cut for time as we ran over the 4 min guideline however when you see the finished product i think you will understand why we did. no extra filming was required because i stuck to my well planned story boarding and Eleanor’s brilliant timetabling ability. I’m extremely proud of what we managed to achieve and believe it came out exactly as i envisioned. Hopefully i have successfully depicted the themes mentioned and communicated them clearly as well as provided an entertaining film. A huge shout out to my group for trusting me to take the lead on this project and for all pitching in, something i wish i could say for my past experiences in group projects.
I liked to put this here its the finished produced but without the ads edited in as i think its enjoyable on its own however not the intended final piece. have a watch if you wan
this one is the final piece.
^^^ group presentation
Project: Impossible Sculpture
initial ideas
Going with the idea of an impossible object my first thought was one me and my friends have had in are very stoned states that being the ambition to build a castle on the moon. Obviously this would be an impossible task at this moment in time however we have always held out hope that we would colonise the moon within are lifetime and in turn build are castle. (grow that space weed) for this idea I will look into the actual logistics of trying to build this thing that means planning blue prints getting material lists and total cost of the build. If I don’t take this idea any further I could always use my blueprints in the future when we do end up on the moon.
This idea isn’t exactly impossible however it does try and question what a sculpture is. As you can see the idea is to remove the ability for the viewer to interact with the sculpture in its 3D state and only its 2D shadow however after taking the sketch into consideration I will have to rethink the way the sculpture is stored because if I was to make the box the box its self might be considered a part of the sculpture and in turn be able to be interacted with in its 3D form.
My third idea was one that didn’t get far I wanted to make something from phrases used to describe something as impossible or pointless. like; would fly like a lead balloon, like talking to a break wall and in this case; you cant polish a turd. when asked to design an impossible sculpture I thought why not uses something that someone else has come up with and just do that however when looking into it iv found that mythbusters have done it already as seen above. don’t get me wrong I’m glad I don’t have to do it myself however I thought I had a really original idea on my hands just glad that if I did do it, it would have worked.
script for the video:
Oh man have i got an investment for you! i got the crank for your wank, i got the load for your chode, i got the dose so pote for bros your close to blow the most cosmic juice you’ll ever let loose. that’s right its a fucking castle on the moon, what you don’t think its a good idea? fuck you man its a rad idea! Just imagine chilling in your watchtower when your blasting some Hendrix, your rinsing your weed and shit starts getting real fucking meta. just that moment that tab you took like an hour ago kicks in right as the earth comes over the horizon and you start feeling like that cat Marx after he dropped the sassiest social manifesto this side of the bougswaise …….where was i going with this?……the point is its a sick cunt idea. if your pondering if its possible? no problemo gringo just ask this science man. (science guy) he’s right. What will it be used for? aside from being diviod of those pesky boys in blue stopping you from doing them no no’s on your skitz adventures. it can be a place of creativity with the sky as the sickest tie dye tapestry you’ve ever seen. Making them astoriod blues and Jupiter jazz tunes. But wait it has a skate park inside this is literally the best idea since toilet paper. low grave boneless manual inside one mid evil looking mother fucker the only way this could be better is if it was narrated by Morgan Freeman. and what a better time to do it, cunts are running the place. ever look at the capitalist shit in the world like homelessness, misogyny, exploiting the working class and political system because your a white privileged male and thought yeah no thats not goings to last only to discover you have greatly underestimated the staying power of even the cuntiest of human nature. if not fuck off! if yes hey nice to meet you, i feel you man but don’t go on that killing spree just yet because you can escape all that at moon castle: universal dispersal atomic matter splatter. we have enough drugs to knock out every animal in the lion king movie. – haven’t finished the ending yet might just improve it, having trouble capping it off-
^ all the shit images i made in paint to be used in the pitch video
The Logical Response
My sculpture is a miniature castle inside a glass dome on top of a small television playing a video, all of which are crudely constructed. I made this piece with an array of found and made objects. From small pins, rolling papers, glue and poster board to a television and computer editing software for the video and DVD. I was initially unfamiliar with some of the processes involved in creating what I set out to depict like the script writing and voice recording needed for the pitch video shown. But came to adjust quickly to them. As for the castle it was just a process of cutting up poster board and reassembling it in the form of a somewhat decently made, model castle. I also used premiere pro to assemble the images made in paint and voice recording so they synced up in the finished product.
My intention for the piece is to make manifest the comedic nihilism expressed whenever I and others like me see the direction the ones on top are taking us. I do this to critique, in a loving way myself and others that openly disagree with the way things are going but don’t do much to change or stop it. Rather like in the sculpture escape the world through drugs or a castle on the moon comparing yourself to visionary’s like Karl Marx just because your view is the system is unfair. These ideas are expressed through the materials used and the subject matter depicted. I used basic materials to reflect those that would be making it, I thought; “stupid idea, stupid execution” this goes the same for the level of professionalism to which the video is produced. What interests me most about this work is the way it transformed from its initial idea to the end product. Starting with an impossible and funny concept between stoners, to a self reflective critic of the behaviours that birthed the concept to begin with. Where an impossible sculpture becomes a metaphor for escaping reality.
I looked into many things when trying to inspire the core themes and presentation of the piece. One example is the work of Nam June Paik to who gave me the idea of displaying the model atop an old CRT television and in turn lead me to make a video to be played on it. Another person of interest and piece of work would be the film Clerks by Kevin Smith a film exploring the day of two people at the bottom of the working class and the monotonies of customer service. This would help inform the theme of my piece as the characters would critique the things around them and the situation they are in but in the end they are the ones keeping themselves in that situation explored with well written and funny dialogue. which made me change the piece from a critique to a critique on the way we (and myself) critique.
Year 2:
Week 1: assignment in response to “The Street Practical Exercises 3” (text below)
My intention with this was to somehow find a narrative or story behind the discarding of these objects detective style analysis to tell me about the person who threw this away.
Bin Stuff
Counter-Planning From The Kitchen (article photocopy on paper) collected from outside the entrance to the art block bin at 16:45 on Thursday the 28th of September. Why was this discarded? the paper is not torn or overly creased/folded must have received it close to discarding perhaps has a digital copy, possibly didn’t agree with its subject matter although unlikely, what devalued this object? Has all information it offers been consumed to exhaustion can its raw material not be reused why not catalog it for future use or share with a friend for discussion no name of the owner or notes dissecting its words. sixteen pages long, front to back with no missing pages all in black ink and was placed in the bin curved in on itself, title shown for passers by to read but perhaps not intentional was it to cumbersome to carry or not important enough.
Bin Stuff
Light bulb, blown ITP40W A60 240V Collected from Green Road bin outside GP car park on Wednesday the 27th September 12;38. Why was this discarded, because it doesn’t work anymore it doesn’t fulfill its function must have taken it with them to find similar replacement and discarded on the way back . It was delicately placed on top of other items, dust still around the glass shell. If devalued why not crushed or dismantled like other items surrounding it, too precious to destroy its original shape but not enough to keep around or reuse it has a symbol on it what looks like a bin with an X on it obviously they did not follow the instructions.
Bin Stuff
Plastic bottle of unknown brand collected from the bin by the lake in uni (this bin has both a recycling and general waste section this was found in the general waste section) on Friday 29th September 14:06 this is an interesting object not only has its content been consumed but its label removed and crushed to then be further disrespected by cataloging it in the wrong bin as its a recyclable. this object was not only devalued but used beyond its intended purpose as a possible way to vent anger or stress and lack of care for what happens after its discarding i.e not recycling it.
Bin Stuff
Cardboard box, brand Tyrrells found outside the Co-Op’s recycling cage on Friday 29th September 16;30. this cardboard box is in good condition it still has the packing tape on it and has not been torn off was probably opened with a safety knife furthermore has been folded nicely and flat so to get maximum ergonomic space in the cage common for a big business as not wanting to waste space/money. the bar code for the items inside the box still on the outside cataloging it and place in the cage to be reused.
Week 2: make an abstract piece of work that conveys the words; Frightful, Erotic, Muffled, Transcendent or passive.
This is going to be something easy for me as I find working in abstraction fun and imaging the ability to suggest thoughts and feelings without form is like communicating through a universal yet subjective language we all tap into. That and I find abstraction aesthetically pleasing especially when in heightened states of mind.
So recently I discovered a form of animation called oil paint on glass and instantly wanted to try it out as iv always wanted to try animation but this form lends itself to being less time consuming and free from the constraints of traditional animation. This task is a perfect opportunity to try it out as for the word I’m going to try and explore frightful as its an easy one and I haven’t used oil on glass so start somewhere I am familiar with.
So the way to do this is a lot like stop motion animation you apply the oil paint on the glass take a picture move the paint take another picture and so on this first one was a test and the pictures where taken with my phone as you can see with the horrible consistency in framing this will be fixed if I get a tripod. I applied the paint with ear cleaners as it gives this unique texture on the glass and I can chuck them when they get to much paint on them. the video below is the finished test when put into a video editor.
This piece took about 150-170 individual photos to make and put together even then its not up to the stuff of the standard 24 frames (photos) per second of video. Other inconsistences I realised is the lighting as this process takes a long time the lighting in the room changed and can be see in the final product if I was to try this again which is likely I would build something to block out the daylight and have the primary source of light coming from the light box below the glass. Another thing I would change is the positioning of the camera and the framing of the work. I would have the camera directly above the light box and focus the camera on the centre of the box with the black boarders and measurement lines out of frame because they detract from the moving parts of the animation. I want people to get lost in them and possible use this technique in future music videos and these elements would be detrimental to that emersion. over all I have learned a lot form this experimentation and believe it to be successful in communicating the word transcendence without the use of form and will likely use what I have learned in future projects.
Week 3: make a political piece of art (something you are passionate about.
As you can tell this week we need to produce political art, the hardest part about this task for me would be where to start as I think of myself as someone that has an understanding of the way the world works and the hypocrisy’s of its system. however my stance on political art is a complicated one as far as I have seen art that critics politics or sheds light on its faults, well it does just that and goes no further. If you look back on this blog to my year 1 sculpture project you will see I had this realisation in making that work starting from critiquing the political climate and ending with the magnified glass focused on myself and others for not doing anything about it. So being the learned individual I am I’m going to take this into this work and set about creating art that goes about trying to change politics whether personal or global.
okay so a slight bit of cheating on this one as was already cutting out many of these stencils and going to spray paint my hometown before given this mini project but I will make up for this with another piece. As far a this one is concerned however spray paint is already a politically charged gesture with associations to Banksy and his authority mocking work and that of its other term vandalism. spray painting is a way for the proletariat to use the public space to express and share ideas through simultaneously undermining the system ability to control its population. so spray painting is a powerful thing and disrupts power relations which is why I have chosen to use it and why the location is one that is personally close to me. bringing my work out of the gallery and into the public space will hopefully change the thought patterns of those who see it on there way to work or shopping. but does it go far enough to change the publics mind and/or change the system. it will make small changes in those that look but I don’t think it goes far enough.
^ the finished result^
As you can see placement of these paintings is critical. being right next to a so called community art project and not covering it as to not deface it (undermining my message with aggressive tactics, intent ends when execution begins) with what I consider real community art but to offer a genuine, alternative response to it. This is funnier to me as of the writing of this reflection it has been painted over. it seems the powers at be have deemed my work an improper piece of community art despite all the positive responses I have been hearing from those still in town. a surprise to me was my response to this news I expected myself to be angry and unsurprising the almost textbook responses to alternative gestures outside the statues quo. however I was ecstatic! for them to remove it and quite literally white wash it, it proves that someone or more have at least acknowledged its existence and (humor me hear) hopefully thought about the imagery and considered the motivations and gestures within the work and its placement in the community. where to go from here would be to except there challenge and just spray paint it all over again until this is clear (P.S I already have but I didn’t get pictures as the old bill turned up and I had to bail as to not get my ass in the slammer however I will update this when I have them).
(update again not much but something ^)
Talking about that other piece I mentioned well this would be it. As said on the front the intent of this was it do what i wasn’t seeing the government doing reducing the damage that would be done with improper drug use and legal alternatives to LSD with the hopeful long term effect of changing the social consciousness to a more positive image of mind altering substances and the personal growth it can initiate. Naive? yes, idealistic? defiantly, something I want to do? gotta start somewhere. I would need to produce these in bulk and spread them throughout the uni. The one shown is a first draft with improvements to come perhaps a projects outside the uni curriculum and more of a personal pursuit. but for now this will do. I intend to make different guides on the subject. My inspiration for this came from a documentary called “the sunshine makers” an account of the people involved in producing 4 million tabs of LSD in the 1960’s which would fuel the counter culture movement. They give there intentions and there motivations to make the world a more Utopian vision all of which i could relate to and admire and this would be my start to the same ends.
Week 4: Presentation
Gunna come back to this book after the pamphlet because as an object to get people into the mindset of taking these substances nothing I better although there is a catch, books for people seem to be a big turn off and it was written in the 50’s so quite a large time gab despite how his words echo my own experience and that of others
Week 5: Go your own way (with art that is)
1)
2)
3)
4)
I wanted to work on a comic this time around (take a step back from the leaflet from week 3) and work in a medium I’m more familiar with, good old pen and paper illustrations. I know very conceptually starved compared to the past works but its nice to aim for aesthetic beauty sometimes. i went about making this by creating some panels on the 3) image you see and filled the larger ones with patterns and weird shit not really planing anything and going with the flow of the panels eventually coming up with something I liked and went over the pencil with a fine liner. now i have a short story of an eye (hopefully attached to someone) looking and reacting to odd imagery the flow of the panels leading your eyes around the page. from this i made the other 1) 2) and 4) pages fleshing out this short story. main artists in the comic industry i know of which inspire some of the panel trickery in this would be Jim Steranko, Alan Moore and David Gibbins.
Week 6 & 7:
All of these photos are of things I have tried out for presenting this comic version of Aldous Huxley’s the doors of perception all of these things present a bordered comic panel like for with the ability to interact with the changing of the slides in the slide projector or the moving of acetate on the (what I call a school projector). although this is looking good I don’t know if it is the write way to translate the source material so much of the excellent writing would be lost. on top of that the book talks a lot about the superficiality of trying to capture real things in painting or drawings. Also how the inner world of geometric shapes are second to the majesty of everyday objects so I might have to focus on them if to do the book justice.
old way of doing my animations, no budget no problem (except when it comes to lighting)
This is my finished animation table. as you can see I got the rest of the art group to chip in and draw random things on it as it was boring to look at. This is not gunna be part of the final piece however it does help me create the work for the final piece. I’m also going to donate this to Dave so others can use his if they need to do animation.
This piece is an animation used using my newly finished animation table ™ as you can tell its a lot cleaner than any of the other before it. thankfully it worked out great. all I need to consider now is the way I’m going to present it TV? maybe, projection? could do, but all needs to be relevant to the book. I might re work this in premiere pro make it loop for longer as to fit in with the voice acting.
I got a free chair isn’t that great, anyway I was thinking of assembling several readymades mentioned in the book like the Chair and flowers that are used as the McGuffin for the aesthetic awakening mentioned in the text
did some late game experimentation. I stole this technique from a fellow student turns out when you mix; acrylic paint, PVA Glue, and soap water the outcome is something extremely trippy and fun to make although it creates a lot of mess. I did this to maybe compliment the animation possibly display them with it not sure but wanted to do it anyway.
plan for the layout of the instillation however I have come back to this after talking with Tim and have low key shat myself with realising how unfocused my project Is going. I have a concept and an end goal but have been really indecisive with the execution of my intent. I’m not happy with myself for not realising it sooner so I would have more time to correct my course however the best thing I can do is learn from this and do more experimenting and planning (also artist research) in the early stages rather than the end I know this is formative and doesn’t really mean shit but my art means a lot to me so when its not living up to its potential it feels like a waste of a good concept and one I believe in. but the things to do after are talk is 1) cut down on the voice acting from the book as the hole thing would be to long and I would loose audience attention 2) change location of display as I cant have the store room or more accurately I cant find another place to store the stuff and 3) work on the way all these elements I have gathered are going to be displayed and how the work with each other. got that? good, lets get to it.
all the cherry picked lines from the book I think are most relevant to my idea I have decided to get other people to voice act as well to help with that attention thing we mentioned earlier and this in turn will help make the reading a lot less personal and more public.
displaying the work. I managed to break the damn chair by leaning on the back to much so I had to hot glue it together, whether it will hold is another question but I did leave a note saying to watch yourself so no one would hurt themselves. I bought the flowers on the day I set it up as to get maximum shelf life however forgot I was in a dark room and if you know flowers you know they close in the dark so well done me. Not my proudest moment but live and learn. Dave came to the rescue with a great projector and HDMI player all being hard to set up so again I have left instructions for the assessors so they know how to operate the contraption. overall I’m really happy with the way it turned out considering to outcome I had in my minds eye was one of disaster not only that but my work has this synergy with the other works being shown in the room which also include sound and light creating a through the rabbit hole sort of world inside to get lost in although small.
Artist Statement
Name: The chair, the table and the flowers
My work is an instillation piece comprised of several ready-mades including a wooden chair, wooden table, glass vase and flowers. This is assembled with an audio recording of people reading from excerpts from Aldous Huxley’s the doors of perception and a projection of paint on glass animation.
I constructed this pieces with a variety of mediums and materials starting from the top with the animation. Through experimentation I discovered I needed to control the lighting more when taking the photos to make the animation. So, I built an animation table with foam board and the metal frame of a desk cutting a hole in the top for the camera. Using this table, I would take frame by frame photos, moving, removing and adding oil paints to glass with earbuds adding light from underneath using a light pad. After this I would assemble these photos in premiere pro altering the colours and looping the video with mirror effects to accentuate the psychedelic movement of its patterns. Similarly, to the animation the audio was gathered and edited in premiere pro cutting out stutters and breaks to allow for better flow and keep the viewers attention to a max. Everything else was a ready made found in charity shops, bins or the internet all relating to the intent of my piece.
Speaking of which the intent of my work is to envelope the viewer in an environment of reflection, contemplation and revelation to translate the key points invoked in the book and make them manifest in a space somewhat like that explored by Huxley. I want this to achieve a change in perception in the mind of the viewer to see, if only for a moment in time, things around not as the utilitarian who uses for ends and means but as the artist who witnesses the beauty in the everyday, the mundanity of the outer world. I have communicated this didactically by the translation of the text to spoken word to address the viewer in a more humanising manner. As well as having the objects of adoration displayed and untouched for them to digest as the speaker does. To have that complimented by the large, ever changing, ever enveloping movement of animated colour evoking the transcendent nature of the experience.
One of the main inspirations for the work was a documentary called “The sunshine makers” in which two chemists use their knowledge to manufacture copious quantities of LSD which fouled the 1960’s counter culture movement. My key takes away from this is individuals using their perfection as a tool to change the consciousness of many people. Now I’m no chemist but I am an artist so however different I’m still going to use what I know as a tool of communication for the broadening of consciousness. Another profound influence on the execution of my work is that of Pipilotti Rist. Her instillation work helps structure mine in a way which allows me to control the atmosphere of the environment for which the piece is going to be viewed and in turn better help the viewer see what I’m trying to show them.
Lewis Mckay (Captain) 