OUIL401 End of module evaluation

Cop final essay

Theory into Practice - A Visual Response

Lino prints

I did these lino prints as an extension upon the collages I made exploring ways in which to express disconnecting from technology through images of nature and meditation. I created these because I wanted to experiment with how different media could similarly bring a sense of texture to my work. I think this is achieved through the mistakes and lack of perfection within these images - when bits of printing have gone wrong or certain shapes are a bit faded. I think lino printing as a medium has also brought a sense of naivety and a childlike nature to these images - I am not sure as to whether I see this quality appropriate to the subject; however one could argue children do live wholly in the moment. 

Technology pieces

These are the final designs I created in response to the negative impacts of technology upon mindfulness. I am quite pleased with these, as I feel that I have fulfilled my intent for the work, of creating illustrations that evoke a feeling of being absorbed within technology, and it seeming busy, noisy, jarring and overwhelming... I think that the sombre black figures encircled within this world of patterns and shapes creates this idea of being isolated and disconnected from the outside world. I think that repetitive nature and shapes within the patterns effectively echo a sense of technology, and the high contrast, garish colour schemes aid the images in being appropriately overwhelming, and perhaps slightly uncomfortable to look at...? I think that generally creating these on illustrator, instead of them being handmade also further reinforces what I am trying to communicate through these images. 

Developing prints on illustrator

I have been making some patterns on illustrating using the transform and pattern 'maker' tools. I thought that the repetitive nature of patterns could reflect digital technology - as we scroll through endless information and content, repeatedly press and click buttons. It would also do well to represent the tedium and constancy of societies relationship with technology perhaps?

With these patterns I intended to created something quite garish, bright and slightly uncomfortable to look at.... Therefore I choose simple, repetitive patterns - all the shapes taken from aspects of technology - as well as really high contrast colours. Overall I am quite happy with these and think that they communicate the business and discomfort that I think is really appropriate to this theme of technology. To move forward I want to feature these in some kind of illustration - abstract or figurative...I need to go back to roughing and brainstorming ideas.

Yukai Du

Yukai Du's gifs look at our reliance on digital technology - exploring this through both conventional domestic environments and surrealistic concepts. I really like the use of texture and pattern in her work - I think this conveys an atmosphere of chaos and business to the work really appropriate to her theme of technology. I would really like to adopt a similar aesthetic in my own work, as I think that especially using pattern, will work really well to convey the disadvantages of living in a technological world. On other hand I think I would like to adopt a more digital, rather than handmade approach, because I think using photoshop or illustrator as a medium would be more appropriate in communicating the theme of technology and would contrast nicely to my more textured/painterly collages. 

Michael Craig-Martin: "Transcience"

I went to see Michael Craig-Martin's exhibition "Transcience" at the Serpentine Gallery.

The subject that Craig-Martin is trying to communicate through these drawings is very relevant to my theme of technology. Through drawing old and present everyday pieces of technology and design Craig-Martin intends to highlight the constant technological advancement of our world. I think this is very effective, and communicates the restlessness and constancy of technological development. I like  the simple and bold aesthetic of his images, as well as the vibrancy of his colour palettes and the clear definition of the objects through the continuous black line and blocks of colour.  I think that overwhelming and chaotic compositions...

Crit

Key Points -:

• The visual work looks at two different sides of technology - what its like to be consumed by it and what can be achieved if we move away from using it so often. 
• Own opinions are coming out through work - negative view of technology.
• The visual work moves away from your original essay subject, and you can see the transition into this. 
• The message is clear and not condescending. The use of the symbol and test - makes the message and link to technology clear. 
• The simplicity of the composition, use of negative space and textures really gets across this relaxed atmosphere. 
• The contrast of the nature collages to the hectic patterns of the technology stuff really puts across the intended message 

Ways to move forward -:

• Look at using printing as a technique to make similar work to that of the mindfulness collages - mono-print, potatoe printing, screen printing, lino...?

Jake Hollings

This illustration I think communicates a real sense of serenity and immersing oneself in nature. Hollings sense of the handmade in his work - painterly, textured and hand-cut shapes - I think is really appropriate and effective with this imagery. 

I think that again, even though it is more abstract, this image still communicates a sense of nature - through the use recognisable shapes, colour palette and texture within each cut shape.

Adopting a similar aesthetic to my own work could do really well in communicating my concept of disconnecting from technology, returning to the present moment and reconnecting with nature. 

New ideas/plan

Create a series of collages:

• Play around with the idea of handmade and digital 
• digitally printed -  created on illustrator/photoshop
• one with cut paper - gouache, pastel, ink to make texture, sense of the handmade ect.
• Collages looking at achieving greater mindfulness through switching off and disconnecting from technology - negative space, simplistic, soothing colours, focus on nature and physical relationships/contact, meditation, idea of harmony and balance
• In contrast make collages looking at the negatives of technology - cluttered, too much information, garish, overwhelming, clashing colours, unbalanced composition, shapes associated with technology - screens, computers, likes, followers, friends, - but try not include logos ect. - large white spaces to demonstrate screens? 

Progress Crit

Key points:

• Need to do more drawings 
• Explore other medium - collage 
• Like the square eyes concept - explore other cliché fears of technology? (millenium bug)
• More abstract images? 
• Stop spoon-feeding your audience!

Moving Forward:

• Focus upon the concept of the negative affects surrounding technology - maybe revisit the idea of mindfulness I talked about earlier
• Do more work! Look at trying to communicate these ideas through means of process and more abstract imagery. 
• Make work thats better crafted and visual quality - how does your media affect what you are communicating?

Mindfulness and Technology

In my last tutorial Matt suggested that I look at the relationship between technology and mindfulness. I think this follows on well with the idea of 'digital natives', a theory I have already been looking at within my visual journal, as it again wrestles with the idea of people absorbing themselves in technology, and becoming too reliant upon it within both their social and professional lives. This is something I personally resonant with as often when I go home I turn off my phone. Being 'online' I think removes us from the present, we place too much importance on our interaction with others through social media - 'friends', 'followers' ect - and search for immediate entertainment - loud and brash - instead of appreciating silence, stillness ect. (the little things)

Collages looking at mindfulness

 Recently I have been exploring a concept of achieving mindfulness through 'switching off' or 'disconnecting' from technology. Personally I associate peace and serenity with nature, therefore I wanted to merge the two together with these collages. Alike to Jack Holling's work I wanted to have a real sense of the handmade in this work, as through emphasising this I think it communicates, through media, a retreat from what we may associate with digital technology - flat colour, 2 dimensionality ect.

I think that the painterly quality of gouache and texture of other media, like pastel and coloured pencil, within the cut shapes creates what I wanted with a real sense of the handmade and analogue media. I think that the use of negative space and the balance of each of the components, as well as the simplicity - does create this feeling of calm, serenity and unwinding. 

When making these collages I realised that I preferred the ones looking more at nature, rather than the figures meditating or relaxing. I think my preference to this is because they are perhaps a less conventional image to communicate this concept - as well as I feel like in the figurative collages, the sense of nature and wilderness is lost. I do, however, prefer the ones in which I have added the short phrases and symbols, as I think without this there does not seem to be direct link to disconnecting from technology - therefore I feel I should add text to these final three...

'Square eyes'

This is a character I have started to draw, playing off the concept of 'square eyes' - an old fear associated with technology. I think as a concept this works really well with what I am trying to explore - as it communicates this idea of all of us spending too much time absorbed in technology. On the other hand I think the images are a bit obvious, and definitely poorly crafted! Character work is also something that Im not really too sure about, I would like to try and find a way to express the same concept but perhaps in a different way that works with the kind of process I enjoy...

Project Proposal

A term of particular interest to me within my research was 'Digital Natives', used to describe younger generations it suggests a familiarity with technology, developed through not knowing a world without iPhones, iPads, laptops ect. I would like to investigate how this developing  reliance on technology, especially from a young age, affects social interaction both privately and in public spaces, as well as attitudes towards old technology like vinyl, print and film. In order to do this I will be carrying out both secondary and primary research - reading relevant articles and books, carrying out surveys or interviews and exploring these ideas through visual investigation. Looking at the work of Jean Jullien in his series Allo! - exploring the affects and realities of digital technology on our daily lives - brings to life a similar social commentary that I would like to achieve through my own work and research. In creating this work I think it is also very important to consider the influence of using digital or analogue processes, as the images themselves  may debate this issue. I think making a clear identification between the two, or using both in combination, could be really appropriate and aid the communication of my ideas.

Cop Session

In this cop session we tried to draw links between images we had found and collected within our research so far, and passages or quotes within our essay. From this I identified two ways in which I can go forward with my visual journal - 

• Technology
• Either looking at this idea of 'digital natives', people being accustomed and reliant upon technology, how this is affected people growing up...the younger generation - making a visually representation of a 'digital native', how would this look? 
• The negative impacts of digital technology - how it affects our social interaction both in private and in public spaces. As well as not being able to escape from technology - its constant presence in our lives (I think this has been really well illustrated in Jean Jullien's 'Allo!' series already though, and I feel like this will distract and prevent me from creating original work on this subject)
• Looking at the growth of independent publishing 
• the value of print media, how could I capture this/communicate the value of the handmade?
• The revolutionary ways to distribute, create/design magazines
• maybe I could make my own magazine that pushes these boundaries/reinvents a genre.

Essay Feedback

Essay Feedback

•  Strong start, real understanding 
• Kylie example need changing
•   Good triangulation, sources used throughout
•   Citations need page numbers
• Another critic theorist – similar all the way through
• Interesting conclusion – start with in introduction. new golden age of print based on digital technologies
• Separating into more paragraphs
• Need to stop using words connective words
• Good sentence structure
•  Need to be more economical with language.

Studio Brief 2: Visual Response

Draft Essay

Leslie, J. (2013) ‘The Modern Magazine, Visual Journalism in the Digital Era’ London: Laurence King Publishing

Mag+ (Bonnier concept video)

•  scrolling is more appropriate
• vertical – articles sit next to eachother horizontally
• moving between images and text with tapping
• endless infinite expanding – you have finished content
• there is no forced orientation
• search, saved for later, bookmarking
• cut out, send to a friend
• luxurious impactful imagery
• richer deeper reading experiences 

Sports illustrated - tablet demo 1.5

• Offers a higher level of interaction - different ways of navigating, interaction with advertising, as well as looking at photos, text ect. 
• Ability to watch videos (play backs of sport) - works really well with this particular content
• Able to view more photos, infinite content. 
• Sending and sharing with friends
• You can have live interaction with games.