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Mindful Postcard 1
Looking up at sky, seeing the suns rays highlight the clouds, made me feel calm, and aware of being in the present moment.
The clouds slowly moving have a therapeutic effect, which is what i wanted to capture in my photograph.
Standard Postcard Size – 148 x 105 mm
I thought about the text to compliment the image and reflect mindfulness. In that moment, ‘Just Breathe’ felt like a suitable phrase. Highlighting to remind yourself to clear your mind and just breathe for a while.
I used Callie Hand for the type of ‘Just’ because it is
For the word ‘breathe’ i wanted a carefree type with loose lines and a soft edge. I found this in Athelas.
Final Design
Historical Design in Historical Context: Dada
Sancha lesson Friday 27th Jan
Dada
People against the main stream – design in a different manner.
William morris utopia in mind better for society, Dada didn’t do that.
Song – Dropkick Murphys – The Green fields of France (What Dada was about) 1st world war. Dogs in prams as had no husbands.
War to end Wars which didnt as happened again and again. Dada wanted to protest against machinery in the War. 1916
- Anti -War
- Anti – Machinery
- Anti – ‘Art’
(Swiss Design was able to exist from 2nd world war)
How did Dada protest…? by doing weird things
Society thought that way to go sending waves of people in – 1st time machines used against people. Guns, Tanks (seemed like strange science fiction)
Dada wanted to counter that which has come to see as NONSENSE / RANDOM. College, jumble together to make new meanings.
Type thrown around Polluneers first time to play with type
Newspapers at the time the mainstream respectable way to present information. Dada style was opposite to that, messy type and in your face
Cabarat Voltere? French writer and critic – funny entertaining.
Gallery was mismatch of stuff. Marcel Quote. Shock and make people think again, like PUNK.
Image – Seems to be like a play – role play dressing up – imitating, human just a number.
Dada poem – cats and peacocks.
Kurt Schwitters – mainly known for gathering collages an sound poems.
Main things is DADA QUESTIONS SOCIETY THROUGH NONSENSE
Fascination WITH MACHINERY NONE THE LESS
Modernism – design styles shaken up. Hannah Hock female artist.
Collage is always political – take something that always has a meaning and makes something different.
Hannah Hock image – eye and mouth dont match, not in proportion, african kind of style colours, the big sun, sinister.
undermining expectations of what art should be, Feminism critiques
Dada – Disruption of meaning , society makes meaning, how can war be normal
We cut out 25 random words and placed them in a bag, shook them and placed them on a card to read in the order we pulled them out the bag – RANDOM.
Slide 2 of Story Board
The next clip moves on to a interactive heart rate monitor, with the sound of a fast beating heart beat in the background – its showing a build of excitement, engaging the user
I used found images of the heart rate, human heart to represent this emotion
Gaming Site Research
War of Thunder – Home Page
http://warthunder.com/uk/play4free?r=BING_2851316_AD000000003
http://www.sony.com -Home page
http://www.ea.com – Homepage
Time Travel Pecha Cusha 20 slides
Slide 1.
My conspiracy theory subject is on Time Travel. I found in my research that People have captured images apparently showing proof or tricky editing of Time Travel. One image shows this man is seen wearing a modern print t-shirt and sun glasses, whilst in the other image a woman is apparently seen holding and talking on a mobile phone.
Slide 2.
After researching photographers Flora Borsi and Fontcuberta and their styles, i started to think about how i needed to convey the message of time travel in my photographs and manipulation techniques. Borsi and her cellphone can be seen in these famous images and Fontcuberta describes himself as a “teller of mistruths.” His mantra is simple: question everything.
Slide 3.
Cindy Sherman creates Film Stills using black-and-white photographs made between 1977 and 1980. In them, Sherman appears as fictional characters in scenarios resembling moments in a film. Gregory Crewdson photographs feature often disturbing, surreal events using motion picture film equipment and techniques. Both gave me a further insight into photo manipulation.
Slide 4.
People are creating works of art using their smartphones and due to developing technology they have pretty good cameras on them. In low light, camera phones slow the shutter speed to let in more light and have a longer opportunity to capture movement. I researched tips in achieving good photographs by this method to link with my idea development.
Slide 5.
These are some of the photographs i took with my camera phone. I had to plan the positions of my time traveller as well as their clothing and style before i took my images, also taking the lighting into consideration by taking photos inside and out. It can be quite challenging directing a person to achieve your desired image.
Slide 6.
I researched Photo Manipulation Techniques to learn what is important in gaining the desired effect using Photoshop by Rendering Images, Shadows, Proportion, Texture use, Enhancing, Colour Blending, Emphasis on Detail and combining multiple images. Using the right composition and turning them into something more attractive to the eye.
Slide 7.
I also researched photo restoration and how to rescue vintage prints. Adjusting levels and using Dust & Scratch filter improves by filling in contrasting areas. Old prints can suffer from loss of tone and detail thanks to ongoing chemical reactions, such as ‘silvering’ a reflective metallic patch in the image. Not something we have to worry about today.
Slide 8.
The first image i worked on manipulating in photoshop was a 1900 mirror that i took a photograph of and myself showing a time traveller selfie with a camera phone. I combined the images in photoshop, using the selection tool on the mirror to frame the image inside and playing with different saturations and levels to achieve a good contrast.
Slide 9.
In order to gain the desired textured effect you see in an old photograph, i used a background image and placed this layer on my photograph to create a spoiled spotted effect. The image itself has a good Resolution of 300 . A sepia tone is a reddish brown monochrome tint. When applied to a photo, it gives the picture a warm, antique feeling.
Slide 10.
The second image i manipulated was a well known photograph called ‘The Kiss’ in Time Square, in 1945. The space on the right hand side was perfect to place my time traveller in. If this image was taken in modern times, there would sure have been people capturing this moment with their camera phones in the background.
Slide 11.
I learnt how to manipulate the photo so the person wasn’t floating by using the clone tool to create a shadow effect on the floor, grounding the person in the image. I went back to further edit and remove part of the shoulder so it looked more realistic behind the man in front. This is not an image you would be able to use in the real world due to copyright laws.
Slide 12.
I did find it difficult finding good, appropriate images to place my time traveller in. This street scene in France was good to learn from and experiment with. The lighting in this photo meant careful placement of the shadows and highlighting parts of the person to make it look realistic. The clone tool is good to pick up tones from similar areas to create this effect.
Slide 13.
For my final image i chose to scan one of my family photographs where i placed a time traveller in the background on her phone. This polaroid image was taken in 1972 , This is when Polaroid introduced integral film, which incorporated timing and receiving layers to automatically develop and fix the photo without any intervention from the photographer.
Slide 14.
For my front cover image of my Souvenir book, i used the semiotics in my research and took a photograph of a clock to represent time. First of all i played with different levels and saturations to create a scientific effect, then created another image by combining the photo with a filtered image of an hour glass which worked well.
Slide 15.
When looking at artist books, the Concertina / accordion book reminded me of the wallet size photo albums. It is an unusual format of folding which pages fan out for an interesting display alternating between front and back. It goes with the photography theme and separates the images well for my project idea being different styles.
Slide 16.
Here are my sketches of layout ideas of the different consortina folds i could use in my design. Although this style of fold could be tricky, i wanted to try something different. The paper would need to be thin enough so as the fold is not creased, yet of good quality for the souvenir and image purpose.
Slide 17.
I cut out some paper folds to get an idea of size and measurements for my book, Placing a square polaroid picture in the centre to gain a visual of the layout and practicing the alternating folds. I wanted little text on the layout due to the images being the focus of the book. This style also allows content on the reverse of the folds.
Slide 18.
These are the 4 final images i chose to go in my souvenir book. I added in some type showing the dates written on the bottom of the photographs to reference the time they were taken. The quality in the images is improved by the smaller size and the combination of different effects and styles shows the different time periods of the photographs.
Slide 19.
I didn’t want to place my images on a plain background, even though the photographs need less distractions around them. Wanting to make it an interesting design being a souvenir, I scanned in a negative strip and lowered the opacity to use as part of my layout which frames the photographs without making it too busy.
Slide 20.
This is my final design of the souvenir book for my Time Traveller Exhibition. I done some test prints to see which type of paper would be most effective for the fold and still have a glossy effect to show off the images well. I enjoyed learning new techniques for this project and seeing the different effects of photo manipulation.
Conspiracy Theories Research
I researched different conspiracy theories online to gain a better understanding of the meaning behind them.
A conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy without warrant, generally one involving an illegal or harmful act carried out by government or other powerful actors. Conspiracy theories often produce hypotheses that contradict the prevailing understanding of history or simple facts. The term is a derogatory one.
According to the political scientist Michael Barkun, conspiracy theories rely on the view that the universe is governed by design, and embody three principles: nothing happens by accident, nothing is as it seems, and everything is connected. Another common feature is that conspiracy theories evolve to incorporate whatever evidence exists against them, so that they become, as Barkun writes, a closed system that is unfalsifiable, and therefore “a matter of faith rather than proof“
The conspiracy theories below are ones that initially took my interest, in particularly i was looking at the photographs used to relay the conspiracy behind them and if i could see what they were from the image itself.
http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/recommended/
William Morris – Arts & Crafts Movement
Most influential in design history
An Earthly Paradise (Refresh videos Sancha sent via email)
Concern = way people living by victorian times – Didn’t like suffering most people had crap coming out of factories – mass produced – too perfect – nothing bespoke / same – tacky colours from chemical dyes – highly polluting
Design history & issues we are still involved in
- Love & Hate of Machinery
- Design for Society – Design for Good / Society
- Utopia / Social Reform / Systems – Best of everything 19 century
- Hand made vs Machine made – not in opposition
- Commerce / Economy – Graphic Design came into existent
- Design as Research – Researches not just designers
- Looking back (Nostalgia) for answers – were things better in the past
Industrial Revolution = alot of bad / two sides / save labour – leisure = earn and work to pay for these things / miserable -smog – sadness (Harvesting school holidays)
Walter Crane – Illustrator
Quote – making beauty make people happy. people died and gave up lives to work in factories. Products not appreciated. All forms of Art & Crafts were equal , not fine art better. Useful as well as being beautiful . Everyone should have access to nice useful things. long standing products. Crafts people what they wanted, everything they looked at was design. All ethics fitted in together. All looked back at middle ages / medievalism , John ruskin – parliament by Pugin. Fire at westminster, competition to reflect the British power of the country, Tudor style or Gothic (romanticism early Cathedrals ) fancy architecture.
Pugin designed inside interior. Art & Craft tiles – ornate based on middle ages. Pugin wrote book called Contrasts.
Top image – village / city
Important to visualise them and not just write about them – middle ages society was really nice as religion of backbone of society, monastery monks, if fell on hard times they lived in monastery and paid there way for help until well again.
Industrial 19th century – poor people went to work house, built in hexagonal manor like prisons are to keep an eye on everybody. Families segregated. Terrible work, crime to be disabled or poor.
Pugin showed most people came out in coffins. Panoptigan is like big brother in a building ( powers that be (guards) watched all times. MEDIVALISM important part of it.
John Ruskin – Beauty medievalist (video called political theory) – unusual timely figure. Venice,
England ugly that surrounds us. art critic, economic ideology, modern capitalism. Practical action – guild of St George – work to reform capitalism
inspiration – fear of seeming ridiculous,
Thoughts on video – One person can make a difference, artistic people important to express their views to make it beautiful again, Helps see whats wrong in the world. accept the world and dont reform for change. Influential
whistler – court , slander cos of painting comment
Idea of beauty – high level ( pubic hair marriage shocked)
Take pleasure fro living and working space if beauty is pleasant and not cluttered. Something people trying to bring back in, sustainability making too much stuff. Planet couldn’t tolerate it they just thought it was ugly. Socialist to make everybody lifes to be better. Luck of their birth and money to help society.
Bradwell – lake district
Tutors – social responsibility to set up opportunities to do something practical to have an insight as what the world is like
Going forward for us to apply these principles and not all about money. Work we enjoy and celebrating that labour, system broke because of money.
Success not as money or treading on people. Everyone wants to be like Donald trump will be a problem.
William Morris famous quote – you will be most happy by noticing every day life
Pleasure work . consumer
Artist & poet – own satisfaction family friends. Red house – architecture. Economy = cheaper and easier – enjoy labour of craft offers important achievement & dignified.
1861 – decorative art business – wallpaper – quality and elegance. Firm problem, machines provided mass production. Lower price always win, key factor customers pay just price. education of consumer – worth to us, better collective taste.
Beautiful or useful in homes. See purchases as investments. Each generation not to buy their own cheap stuff but generations pass down their goods
Less creative and less skills from machines. Craftsmanship.
True task in creating good economy life lies within us in our own homes
Thoughts – time. even though we have all this technology we still dont seem to have time to make things.
Ethics and morals in arts and crafts still as today. We care how things are made – thank arts and crafts movement for that. Crisis in world and design has created problems packaging plastic etc anti sustainable stuff – back lash.
Organisation called show your label, and who made my clothes. Asks people to ask companies if they were made in sweat shops etc. Contemporary designer persuaded by these issues.
Not any happier by having lots of money. Happy means helping people and being productive.
NEW GENERATIONS – want new shiny stuff. system want you to think people are selfish and dont care.
Red house Bexleyheath, run out of money. Wallpaper instead of tapestries. Vegetables dyes.
Set up printing press(red parts of book rubrication?) Canterbury Tales by Chaucer / medieval invented golden type face. Double page spread. Medieval layouts.
News from Nowhere – utopia and society = book he wrote
What he did influenced many people – german design school and education today. Remembered for wallpaper – important for ordinary people and design. Everything he complained about has not changed, could be worse.
Phenonomogy
Look at video – a measure of the Earth
Christien Meindertsma – Design with a Conscience
Making processes transparent –
Links to – product makes life more beautiful – history of product – raw materials
Honest story to it, product trace back to raw materials
Cheap products = poorly made. Poor circumstances. Not possible to buy cheap products from good circumstances
Feels like a journalist – unraveling the story – design by the whole process from bottom – up.
The story gives it VALUE!!!! – Sheep project / sweater. marketing story for things themselves rather than having to make up marketing stories
Quality of life translates into the product. Sheep has a bad year – the quality of wool is poorer. Better story = Better Product
COW = how many things come from a cow. PIG = There but absent at the same time. Book explains all its uses. not takes sides to make up their own mind. Open perspective!
Design helps explain things in an easier and better way,
Hard to be a good consumer because of the way production system are.
Uses design as research – to help see how life could be
Cradle to Cradle design – continues being used
9. Photography Technical Developments
- Developed a knowledge of technological developments in photography.
8. Photography – Historical approaches
- Developed an understanding of different historical approaches to photography and the historical and cultural debates relevant to the medium.
LO 1)
Consider the wider picture of photography and why/how it is used. Make a short discussion of photos used for:
Art and aesthetic pleasure (ie photos framed and on the wall in their own right)
Documentary, news, historical records (ie “the camera never lies” type images.) Discuss here how the camera CAN lie – think of the ways the shot is set up, the labels added (ie in a newspaper). INCLUDE issues of things like ideology WHY would anyone (photographer or editor) want to slant the viewer’s connotations of an image.
Photography used in advertising – how does its role change?
Sarah Killick 