A/B
While I am focusing on interaction in contemporary 3d animation practice I have picked up a project that has been on the back burner for a while.
I always find that if I start work on something seemingly unrelated to my main enquiry I discover new ways of looking at it. I also need something tangible to work with, a brief or personal concept so that I can explore within the bounds of the project.
Breaking away from routine creative practices really helps to keep ideas fresh and work original.
For example I have just designed a Serbian poster for email delivery. This project required me to research constructivism (and constructionism) in the work of Francis Picadia, Theo Van Doesburg and Da Stilj. I love Eastern European design and have researched the notion of constructionism in the inter war period in Weimar, around the time of quantum mechanics became more well founded and then surrealism evolved... a mixed up up material/intellectual time... which is evident in the design of my poster.
However, the project I am talking about here is a print project (or at least it is at this point). I am also interested in the origins of civilisation and have been researching Sumerian Culture. This area of the world is fascinating, rich in history, very beautiful and extremely conflicted. I have long been interested in this area of the world and I will explain why.
On the day of the terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo, it was my understanding that the illustrators there had drawn some pretty offensive satirical illustrations about the prophet Mohammad.
Pondering on this led me to really think about why France, as a nation could be a target for extremist Islamic groups such as Isis. I had a view as to why these illustrators had been killed but it was limited to a western informed view of what is a very complex situation. I had to admit I didn't really understand the bigger picture. As a child I had been told about Iran, shown pictures of Persepolis and told stories by my father who had worked there as a manager in a car manufacturing plant in the mid 80's.This was an outsiders view, a westernised view of a very different culture.
I'd also met an Iranian businessman on a bus as I travelled back from The Annecy Animation festival a few years ago. He was there working for the Iranian government promoting educational animation. We spoke about the elections that had just taken place in which there was much controversy about the voting system. He took a showreel and asked if I'd be interested in attending an animation festival in Tehran... of course I agreed.
And so while I was thinking about all of this, I began tidying my studio (a usual displacement activity) and I found myself fiddling with a Chinagraph pencil. I began to wonder... what is the original use of this tool? I was aware of its use in marking stone for print making.
As I investigated more about the chinagraph pencil, my curiousity led me to map making, which led me to the Middle East, which led me to the Sykes-Picot agreement, which led me to Sumerian Culture and the Fertile Crescent, which led me to thinking about climate change, mass migration and war while investigating the Sumerian culture of ancient libraries, poetry, tools and technology and clay tablet making... which led me back to print making.
And so began the research into a new print project entitled A/B.
And people wonder what an artist does all day...
I always find that if I start work on something seemingly unrelated to my main enquiry I discover new ways of looking at it. I also need something tangible to work with, a brief or personal concept so that I can explore within the bounds of the project.
Breaking away from routine creative practices really helps to keep ideas fresh and work original.
For example I have just designed a Serbian poster for email delivery. This project required me to research constructivism (and constructionism) in the work of Francis Picadia, Theo Van Doesburg and Da Stilj. I love Eastern European design and have researched the notion of constructionism in the inter war period in Weimar, around the time of quantum mechanics became more well founded and then surrealism evolved... a mixed up up material/intellectual time... which is evident in the design of my poster.
However, the project I am talking about here is a print project (or at least it is at this point). I am also interested in the origins of civilisation and have been researching Sumerian Culture. This area of the world is fascinating, rich in history, very beautiful and extremely conflicted. I have long been interested in this area of the world and I will explain why.
On the day of the terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo, it was my understanding that the illustrators there had drawn some pretty offensive satirical illustrations about the prophet Mohammad.
Pondering on this led me to really think about why France, as a nation could be a target for extremist Islamic groups such as Isis. I had a view as to why these illustrators had been killed but it was limited to a western informed view of what is a very complex situation. I had to admit I didn't really understand the bigger picture. As a child I had been told about Iran, shown pictures of Persepolis and told stories by my father who had worked there as a manager in a car manufacturing plant in the mid 80's.This was an outsiders view, a westernised view of a very different culture.
I'd also met an Iranian businessman on a bus as I travelled back from The Annecy Animation festival a few years ago. He was there working for the Iranian government promoting educational animation. We spoke about the elections that had just taken place in which there was much controversy about the voting system. He took a showreel and asked if I'd be interested in attending an animation festival in Tehran... of course I agreed.
And so while I was thinking about all of this, I began tidying my studio (a usual displacement activity) and I found myself fiddling with a Chinagraph pencil. I began to wonder... what is the original use of this tool? I was aware of its use in marking stone for print making.
As I investigated more about the chinagraph pencil, my curiousity led me to map making, which led me to the Middle East, which led me to the Sykes-Picot agreement, which led me to Sumerian Culture and the Fertile Crescent, which led me to thinking about climate change, mass migration and war while investigating the Sumerian culture of ancient libraries, poetry, tools and technology and clay tablet making... which led me back to print making.
And so began the research into a new print project entitled A/B.
And people wonder what an artist does all day...
