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If you're wondering, all these pictures below are my own
CONtexual studies
Week 1 30/08/18
What is CTX?
CTX is a critical, in depth analysis and breakdown of various forms of art and design in their social and historical contexts.
In our very first session, we watched a video of one punch man and analysed the problems wrong with the character.
Week 2 06/09/18
Modernism
Modernism refers to a global movement in society and culture that, from the early decades of the twentieth century sought a new alignment with the experience and values of modern industrial life. Building on late nineteenth-century precedents, artists around the world used new imagery, materials and techniques to create artworks that they felt better reflected the realities and hopes of modern societies.
We talked about the importance of critical thinking and were encouraged to critique everything around us
Mr Charles presented assignment 1 and we read "The rabbits who caused all the trouble" The whole class was questioned on their opinion of the fable and then we had to figure out the problems associated with the text.
Week 3 13/09/18
Assignment 1: Finding a research problem
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"The Rabbits Who Caused All The Trouble""
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Hypothesis 1
when the status quo of a society experiences a shift in dynamics thr power of authoritative figures are threatened and they will do as much as they could to preserve it.
Hypothesis 2
the wolves are an insecure race as they are victims of their own trauma.
Post modernism
While modernism was based on idealism and reason, postmodernism was born of scepticism and a suspicion of reason. It challenged the notion that there are universal certainties or truths. Postmodern art drew on philosophy of the mid to late twentieth century, and advocated that individual experience and interpretation of our experience was more concrete than abstract principles. While the modernists championed clarity and simplicity; postmodernism embraced complex and often contradictory layers of meaning.
Post modern movements were diverse and disparate. This is a period where the desire to convey meaning neglected the importance of technique.
reflexive attitude
to investigate contemporary culture
Appropriation ; repurposing objects to create something new
types of art movements
dada
surrealism
pop art
conceptualism
what are the characterstics of post modern art?
ironical and playful treatment of a fragmented subject
the breakdown of high and low culture hierarchies undermining of concepts, authenticity and originality
Decollage ; giving meaning by tearing or removal
Week 4 20/09/18
Presentation
Well, that was embarrassing to say the least. Giving a presentation is scary enough, but imagine not being prepared for it. A crucial group member of ours was absent this week and that made everything a lot more challenging
Yes, that is me
Week 5 27/09/18
Visual semiotics
a philosophical approach that seeks to interpret messages in terms of their signs and patterns of symbolism
Theory
The word theory comes from the greek word 'Theoria'
Cornerstone of modern semiotics
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Study of linguistics - historical usage of language
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why do philosopher study this ? Because they wanna know something deeper, what is the intention behind it
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In the search of meaning - linguist look to the origins of language. If so, the nature of thought could be found in language as well
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In its early stages, linguistics was an attempt to explain signs by imagining them as descriptions of a series of gestures, actions.
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Saussure himself was concerned with the study of historical languages and had a particular interest in the comparative grammar of Indo-European languages, particularly Sanskrit.
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Video to show gestures as a way of communicating
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Saussure was a linguist. As a result, his theory focused on language and his model is centred on words as signs.
There are three main areas that form what we understand as semiotics. the signs themselves. the way they are organised into systems and the context in which they appear.
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From an early age we are taught the relationship between the signifier and the signified. This is not something we are conscious of, but it remains one of the most fundamental building blocks in the structure of language.
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According to Saussure, language is constructed from a small set of units call phonemes.
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These are the sounds that we use in variety of combinations to construct words. These noises can only be judged as language when they attempt to communicate the idea.
PEIRCe's MODEL
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Philosopher and founder of the American tradition of semiotics
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Signifier
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Similar model to Saussure’s but different terms
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In this case the sign is viewed but the signified is arbitrary and interpretive ( point of view )
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The signifier is the representation
SAUSSURE’S MODEL
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Signified - denote (fact)
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Signifier - connotation ( representations or interpretations )
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A sign is produced when the two is brought together
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He was primarily interested in language and linguistics
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Realised after extensive study that there is more to it than that
Icon
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The signifier ( denotation ) is perceived as resembling or imitating the signified (connotation). A pictorial representation, a photograph, an architect’s model of a building, or a star chart are all icons because they imitate or copy aspects of their subject.
*insert picture of memes*
Index
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An index had a factual or casual connection that points towards its object. Wet streets are a sign that it has rained recently. Smoke signifies fire. A nest image is an icon of a nest but also an index of a bird.
Symbol
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A symbol has an arbitrary relationship between the signifier and the signified. The interpreter understands the symbol through previous knowledge and experience. It must be learned and agreed upon. Spoken or written words are symbols. There is no reason that the word CAT should represent a cat instead of a tree.
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Metasymbol
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Meaning transcends the tangible realm of simple one to one relationships. History, culture, and tradition play all role in creating meta symbols, such as the dove with an olive branch as a symbol for peace. For certain audience, religious and magical signs and symbols take on these properties.
Week 6 4/10/18
visual language and rhetorics
Uncle Sam Poster
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Originally published as a cover of a July issue of Leslie’s Weekly in 1916
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As the United States earned Work World 1 between 1917 and 1918 over four million copies of this poster were printed
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Puts a face to the country
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The patriotic top that and overall color scheme create pathos and evoke a sense of patriot sentiment
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The advertisement should be of interest and value to the reader. The writer should ask himself, ‘How can I interest my prospects in my proposition’ How can my offer be of service to prospects’
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The advertisement should be precise, that is, get to the point as quickly as possible, hence the success of the most hard-worked word in advertising. FREE!
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The advertisement should be concise, saying what it has to say in the fewest necessary words, remembering that an encyclopedia of many volumes can be concise compared with a verbose novel.
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To examine the relationship between text and image, Barthes choose to focus on compositions from advertising. In advertising, the reader can be sure that signification is always intentional. Nothing is left to chance
key words
structuralism
social theory
Contextual Visualization
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“Visual thinking pervades all human activity, from the abstract and the theoretical to the down-to-earth and everyday…’ Robert McKim, Experiencing in Visual Thinking
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Using visual rhetoric’s creates purpose and promotes themes.
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Visual Thinking is cultural
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Language can be in a logical order form; it is semiotic
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Interior spaces has a language of its own, don’t need to look at the elements, you look at everything because there is story to every design.
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Visual Rhetoric’s = the language of seeing. It is not about aesthetics, it is purpose becoming a style and eccentricity.
Week 7 11/10/18
storyboard
inspired by hypothesis 1
After our first discussion, Mr Charles found the pill concept interesting hence he wanted us to proceed with the second storyboard, which was actually a very rushed back up we made
inspired by hypothesis 2
I had to stay up the night to finish these
Week 8 18/10/18
last session with mr charles
We sat down with Mr Charles for potentially the very last time and we decided to turn to our original storyboard, as there were a lot of uncertainties with the direction of our second one. I'm actually glad we settled on the original
WEEK 9 25/10/18
New and improved storyline
Baahy is disquised as a human named Yhaab, in order to figure out how to coexist with humans again. Somewhere along this mission he falls in love with a girl. Yhaab now has to be cautious in preserving his true identify from the one he loves. All goes well in their relationship until the girl, who is a student has to do research on what happened to tthe Baahys and their inevitable feud with humans from over a 30 years ago, which had them barred from ever existing on earth, Baahy feels some type of way about this girl being so invested in this controversial topic and tries his best to get her to change her mind however, she fails to understand why Yhaab is so emotionally affected. One night Yhaab gets to a breaking point and goes in to the toilet, whilst the girl watches a documentary of the Baahys but notices that Yhaab has been in the toilet for an unusually long time. She goes to check and there he is, Baahy in his true form, staring back at her
week 10 01/11/18
studying educational/ public service announcement style videos from the 50s and 60s
A main portion of the video will consist of Dr Fujita, a scientist educating the world on the Baahys thus we wanted it to have the vibe of a 50s / 60s public service announcement style video
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week 11 08/11/18
filming trailer and working on moodboard
We had to shoot the skype call scene about 30 times as we kept messing up and also because we we were sitting on the stairs near the design studio so we got interrupted a couple times
week 12 15/11/18
completely changed our whole direction
Mr Charles said the idea sucked and encouraged us to make it more abstract and to change the focus from the Baahys to the relationship that surrounded. He suggested ideas of exploring the complicated relationship between martians and venitians and the sacrifices that come with it, whilst still portraying the theme of xenophobia as initially intended.
revamped storyline
"The second sin"
We also finalized story line, props, location, makeup and costume throughout this week
One day Nahar (martian) and Layla (venusian) cross paths in the "forbidden forest" which seperates martians and venusians. They do not understand why their people hate each other and believe that everyone is equal and thus, curiosity led them to meet eyes for the first time. That encounter alone was an overwhelming and slighly scary experience for both of them. During their meeting, mind body and soul appear. The trio transfers their energy to this mysterious box with gifts from each of them respectively. They are both then persuaded to eat an apple ( attaction ) provided by the mind which makes them realize their true feelings. Nahar and Laylar go back to their homes and share these new found feelings with their fellow people. Upon disapproval, they both drink the portion ( rationality ) provided by body, which makes them desire and crave each others' touch. It made them realize they had to see each other as they knew it was the only way to resolve their feelings and get closure considering how it may as well be the last time they may see each other. They both know they are deep in love with each other and are committed to making sacrifices. They call upon soul using the eggs provided ( choice ) and soul presents two options. One is the blue drink, which once consumed erases the memory of the other and two is to take the poisonous red drink which is guaranteed to give eternal happiness and preserve their relationship in the after life. They take the poison and sacrifice their lives to be with each other forever.
week 13 24/11/18
Day 1 of Filming
We filmed our scenes today at Lacosta, as there were plenty of greenery which compliments the nature of our video.Our original plan was to shoot in the botanical garden of KL but we all thought it was too far. Luckily we found a great alternative just in time so thanks to Roksana for giving us access
It was a fun day of shooting especially for me as I'm always keen on using camera whenever I have the chance.Due to some circumstances we could not film all our scenes then and there, mostly because we ran out of light
Watch the trailer
week 14 01/12/18
Day 2 of Filming
As all of the scenes of the mind, who I played were finished, I filmed all of the scenes today, some of which are shot in Taylor's and Lacosta
It was certainly a struggle, especially when we filmed the forbidden forest scene near the pond on campus, as the rocks were pretty unstable. We had to shoot the same scene multiple times as our actors kept tripping. I even had to squat down on the rocks to shoot the closeups and somehow managed not to fall into the pond. After a while of shooting at uni, we went back to Lacosta to finish off the rest
It looked like it was going to rain as we were filming so we had to make the most of our time. We ended up having to rush the sex scene as it started to rain but I guess it made the scene more intense due to the conditions and helped to portray the element of desire better
And it's a wrap
Time to edit and finalize
Here's the final video, all done and dusted. Extremely happy with how it turned out!
reflection
Phew. I am one more semester away from officially completing this foundation programme. It has certainly been a journey and I am grateful to say that this experience has impacted me and shaped my identity as a designer. Coming into this, I thought I was ready to tackle on this year since I already completed a 6 month long foundation in 2017 thus I underestimated how hard it would be. Now you may be wondering why I chose to do a second foundation and no, I did not fail the previous one. It was simply due my stupidity as I thought that I could apply for degree with the certificate but I did not check if it was recognized by the universities I planned on applying to. Since I could not afford to go New Zealand and due to the fact that I had to complete a general foundation instead of a design one, I turned to my second option, Taylor's.
Semester 2 was undoubtedly more challenging than the first and that may be due to all the group assignments we were tasked with. I learned how to work with people I have never worked with before and experienced many difficulties in co operating with some of them. But I must mention that I learnt a lot from a few others in the process. I used to be someone who avoided responsibility ( especially in semester 1 ) as I was scared of letting anyone down however, due to the lack of cooperation by some people I had no other choice but to take matters into my own hands and work through it. I had to stay up multiple nights just to make sure everything was sorted. Although it was a tough experience overall, I guess it gave me a great insight into how it will be working in the industry and most importantly allowed me to become a much more responsible individual.
As far as undergraduate studies go, I am thinking of going into graphic design. If you asked me what I wanted to do 2 years prior, I would have said fine arts as I am pretty skilled at it. This passion for drawing started when i was a kid and I attempted to draw Naruto's face and it turned out pretty good for someone my age. I was so satisfied with it that I showed my family but no one believed it and thought I traced it. So, ever since then I wanted to prove myself to everyone and worked hard to achieve that. I drew almost everyday and taught myself the many aspects of art thus becoming a pretty decent drawer. Ever since I proved myself everyone have been super supportive and now encourage me to still get better and horn my craft. Here a some drawings I did for my O levels, which somehow managed to earn myself a spot in the top of the country for IGSE art.
This is my favorite drawing I have ever done. First time using color pencils also. You may be wondering why I drew old people. Well, the topic I chose for O levels was 'worn out' so the way I interpreted this is old age and the wrinkles that emphasize the vulnerability that comes with it. Thus I drew a series of very detailed drawings of first hand pictures of the elderly I took all around Sri Lanka. I travelled to parts of the country I have never been to and met these very special people.
I know what you're thinking, why graphic design? why don't you just do a degree in fine arts? Well, I have gotten this question a lot so hear me out. I feel like I have already learnt and achieved a lot through drawing. Although it has been a passion throughout my life, I want to learn something new, I crave a new challenge and I seek that in graphic design. This may take you by surprise but I am actually not that into fonts and all that but I have come to appreciate the different styles lately. I really love taking pictures and this is pretty evident as you scroll through this blog and I want to incorporate my own pictures somehow in future my designs. I learnt a bit of Photoshop and Illustrator during my previous foundation and made some illustrations by getting inspired by the pictures I take. One of my goals in life is to sell my own unique t-shirt prints and I have tried to make this a reality however I still have not found a good place to print my designs and haven't had much time to myself to figure everything out. I am pretty influenced by fashion too and to fuse fashion and graphic design to create a sustainable brand in the future.
Some illustrations inspired by my pictures are below
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