THE SPIROGRAPH

Looking back at he earlier examples of projection from installation 'Signage' for La cinematheque, Francaise. They really remind me of patterns you make with a spirograph when you are a child. The Spirograph is a geometric drawing toy that produces mathematical curves which are know as Hypotrochoids or Epitrochoids. One technique rotates inside a circle whilst the other rotates around the circumference of a circle.

Once I have gotten my hands on one I want to experiment using a Spirograph, using it to show math and logic of the memories controlled by the left hand side of our brain. This could be by the patterns being used in my illustrations or using them to project light through onto my work instead as I have already been experimenting doing with shape, which associates with memories controlled by the right hand side of the brain. 

EXPERIMENTS

Using water colour's to create symmetrical prints that you would normally associate with a childhood 'butterfly' painting, but here are reflecting the shape of the brain. I have been experimenting with the different effects that using fine line drawings and patterns can create.

These represent the memory in the brain that is unclear and blurry, this kind of memory is mostly found in the unconscious mind where memories are unclear and partial. As these memories are normally related to a trauma, I have used colours that are associated with stress, trauma and injury, that could also be perceived as dangerous.

I have been experimenting with ways of using shape in illustration, I started off cutting free hand triangles out of one page, then by placing the illustration of a personal memory behind the cut out shapes I was able to view the illustration through shape. This then restricts the amount of memory you could view, creating another effect of fragmentation, where a memory can only partially be remembered.

I then reversed this by using light to project the shapes across the memory, creating another way I could use shape without actually including it directly in my illustrations. This resulted in shadows scattered across my work.

As well as using free hand cut out triangles, I used a simple geometric pattern to use instead resulting in a much more even display of light across my work - this more accurate design could be something to develop to portray logic and math in future work.

I would like to take this further, on a larger scale as well as using projection which could lead to installation work, and include 3d work.

SHAPE AND PATTERN

These are a selection of images of existing work that has used shape and pattern, through 2 dimensional, 3 dimensional work, installations and projection.

Light projections for a Signage project by french designer Ruedi Baur for 'La Cinematheque francaise, Paris. I love the complex way shape has been used with pattern to project these huge images. Although minimal colour has been used I think that even with out these would still create the same effect.

 

Album Artwork for new music Passion Pit

3D and 2D installation work by American illustrator Stephanie Dotson, using a range of mixed media such as foam, wood and card.

RESEARCH & INITIAL IDEAS

"Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose"... from the television show - The Wonder Years.

From exploring Memory and Memories, the following information will influence the work that I will produce.

Memory is the organs ability to store, retain and recall information and there are three stages of formation and retrieval of memory. 

1. Encoding

2. Storage

3. Retrieval 

There are also three types of memory... Sensory Memory, Short-term Memory and Long- Term Memory.

 The part of the brain that stores memory is split into two halves, the right hand side controls and stores memories that reflect colour, shape and music, whereas the left hand side focuses more on memories that relate to speech, logic and math.  I plan to experiment creating

illustrations focusing on this idea of two halves, the my work follow this by being created using the themes of the memories that are kept on the different halves of the brain. My work reflecting the the right side of the brain would be abstract, following the ideas of shape and colour. Whereas the illustrations focusing on memories controlled by the left hand side of the brain will show logic through pattern, include text and portray math. 

I would like to produce a book, where the start is at both ends, I would design it so that each of the two themes of illustration would begin at either end and meet in the middle. Representing the two halves and two themes of memory. 

"I have no memory...."

Another aspect of Memory I would like to include in this project are the effects disease's that make us lose our memory like Alzheimer's and Amnesia, that can leave us with no memory at all resulting in a loss of identity. 

VISUAL INSPIRATION

QUOTE

"Memory....is the diary that we all carry about with us" Oscar Wilde.

MEMORY

I have been researching into memory, and memories to explore the possibilities that this will give me as the focus of this brief. 

Memory is something that is diverse and unique topic as well as a personal one. I like idea of collecting different peoples memories, and illustrating them. In Negotiated practice I feel that experimenting with shape and pattern and I really communicated my practice as an illustrator and this is something that I want to explore and carry further throughout the duration of this brief. 

As well as working 2 dimensionally, I would like to push forward my work from 2 dimensional to three dimensional, experimenting with 3D shape, materials such as wood, card, foam and textiles and possibly projection through installation work.

POSTSECRET

"Postsecret is an amazing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a Postcard".

I got this book for christmas, and couldn't put it down until I had finished it. I imagined it to be quite light hearted, and filled full of funny secrets, but actually there were alot of secrets that were deep, moving and extremely sad.

This project is completed and continued by the community, it hold's thousands of secrets all of which are illustrated by the one whose secret is being sent in. What appealed to me is the freedom in which any means of illustration can be, and has been used, creating a diverse range of artwork.

It got me thinking, along the lines of how this type of project could be expanded and the ways that illustration could be used and presented. I am aiming to use illustration in a three dimension, and using locations other than the web or the studio to present my work, hopefully working at the current boundaries of the discipline and pushing them further.

NEW YEAR, NEW PROJECT

After receiving feedback from the previous brief - Negotiated Practice, I have decided that for this brief I am going to do exactly what I want, and stick with my gut instinct and original plans rather than rely on the feedback from the tutors so heavily. I have got the opportunity to have the freedom to really 'do what ever I want'.

This is the last brief that we will be doing so it is important that I am myself, and do what I do, what I feel excels me best as an Illustrator. The main thing that is really in my focus is that I need to show everyone else who I am and that I exist.

Before we graduate I want to have updated my existing website, and created a whole range of self promotional work such as postcards, posters, business cards etc. As well as doing this I need to advertise my blog and website, directing as much traffic to them as possible.

This will be achieved as well as getting stuck in to producing the best, most out there project I have done yet. I have aspirations of using wide range of mixed media, collaged together... and 3D! With the possible outcomes of an installation... and a book....

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