Capturing memories through photography

I came across this website, which asks that people take a photograph of a picture in the past in the present. The website is much like an archive of memories from lots of different people. It documents past memories and happiness. I felt that this idea links with my approach to the Collide project.

A book by Taylor Jones has been published with the intention to tell our stories in a different way. The documentation of photographs stimulates emotion. I have created my own interpretation of this idea by photographing a picture of my grandma and grandad in front of the scene it was originally taken (my grandads house).

http://dearphotograph.com/

Analogue Communique - 3D Outcomes

Melting Ice Typography from Sam Atack on Vimeo.


Melting Butter Typography from Sam Atack on Vimeo.

Cinema 4D Prototyping Packaging

I have created digital prototypes of a can and bottle. I practised using the example labels we were given in the workshop and then went away and developed the design so my prototypes were more unique.
This example of a still image demonstrates the effects I am able to create using Cinema 4D. Lighting and cameras can be put in place to experiment with shadows, creating a three dimensional image. Cinema 4D can be used to create realistic representations of design for a product, modelled digitally. This is an effective way of experimentation and is cheaper than it would be producing it physically.

After Effects Showreel

After Effects Showreel from Sam Atack on Vimeo.

Making Memory Palace, V&A

A past exhibition at the V&A, London talks about ideas I am exploring within my Collide project.

Making Memory Palace is a physically immersive illustrated story that explores the idea of an exhibition as a walk-in-book. 

The article, found on the V&A website, highlights that digital publishing has not just changed the experience of readers but has also impacted the role of graphic designers and illustrators, who must ‘consider a more complex set of technological networks and possibilities as they work on-screen, where text rarely exists in isolation.’

Curator Andrew Blauvelt states, ‘in the future, most designers will be creating reading experiences not book designs’.

When designing my future self booklet for the Collide project, I aim to create an experience, rather than a traditional book format. The booklet is personal to me, and is aimed at my future self, therefore it is necessary that I make it visually interesting as technology will advance in years to come and books may become less popular.

‘While it would seem as if physical books might be losing importance, the physicality of an individual book is increasingly significant. Publishing houses experiment with material and printing techniques to create collectable cover designs and unusual formats. So if readers buy fewer ‘real’ books, it makes sense that those they do buy should be beautiful objects. This enables graphic designers and illustrators to work on book projects with more varied visual content and material qualities.’ The Dutch book designer Irma Boom, creator of some of the most highly acclaimed book designs published in recent years, observed in an interview:

‘in older days, a book was made for spreading information, but now we have the Internet to spread information. So to spread something else – maybe sheer beauty or a much slower, more thought-provoking message – it’s the book.’ 

The article on the exhibition discusses the modern social trend of using the internet over reading which have obtained a deeper understanding of since exploring this subject within my essay.

I aim to create a book for the physical final outcome and have carefully considered the appearance and positioning of each page when designing them to communicate a meaningful message.

Linking to Umberto Eco's 'Open Works', this article suggests that in order for people to buy books, they must be seen as interesting and beautiful. Consumers must interpret books to be something other than the norm, something beautiful and enjoyable to read. I have thought about consumer thinking and how people may perceive my work. My future self booklet will be thought provoking for me and will not be something I can obtain from the internet. The piece will be an individual, personal response therefore it is necessary to make it a reading experience.

Sky Arts Ignition: Memory Palace- About the Exhibition (2013) Retrieved from http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/exhibition-sky-arts-ignition-memory-palace/making-memory-palace/

An example of Irma Boom's work. Her books are engaging to read and are unusual to a traditional book. It shows that not all publications need to be printed in oversize.

Orange's #futureself technology

Orange have launched a website called Orange #futureself which allows you to talk to a digital version of yourself 20 years in the future. This is an example of a technological advancement which I have previously looked at in my theory essay.
This platform uses face recognition through a webcam to create a future representation of you which you can ask questions about whats going on in your life or in the world in 20 years time.
This technology also relates to the Collide brief of future self and has encouraged me to think about what I want to be like in the future. Within a booklet, I will put together advice for myself to live by in years to come.

An example of Orange's #futureself platform.  https://futureself.orange.com/index.html

'To celebrate the brand's 20th Anniversary, Publicis enlisted digital shop Jam3 to build an online experience that gives you a glimpse of what your future self might look and be like. Using motion capture software and a combination of 3D rendering, aging stimulation and browser technologies, Jam 3 built a site that allows you and a version of your future self to chat via webcam.'
http://www.fastcocreate.com/3036454/now-you-can-meet-and-talk-to-yourself-20-years-into-the-future

As opposed to this digital experience, my booklet will create a reading experience for my future self to look back at. My booklet includes advice for my future self based on past memories that have made me happy. We are a generation who does not keep photo albums. Photographs only stimulate our memories which our kept within our minds, therefore I will make my booklet an experience which is the future for books, as stated by Andrew Blauvelt, curator of past exhibition, 'Making Memory Palace' at the V&A, London.

Digital Showreel Experimentation

Memories Showreel on Cinema 4D from Sam Atack on Vimeo.

Memories Showreel with Reflection from Sam Atack on Vimeo.

Cinema 4D - Sound Visualisation

Sound and Vision from Sam Atack on Vimeo.

Proposed Final Outcome Idea

My proposed final idea is to be presented in the physical form of a booklet. This outcome will be a guide to happiness, written for my future self. 

Each page will consist of different thoughts, presented as guidelines which I believe will create happiness for me in the future, so long as I live by them. By looking to the future through the past, I will include childhood photographs capturing happy moments with family which I aim to re-live with a family of my own. Thinking about photographs and possessions has encouraged me to consider my past and how this has and will impact my future.

I aim to produce a digital form of the pages within the booklet, presented as a showreel. With a continuously developing world of technology, this will enable me to access this guide in years to come digitally.

Finding Old Photos/ Memories

I have gathered old photographs from my childhood which have triggered happy memories. These memories, spent with loved ones, are something I wish to take into the future. I have photographs with my parents, who I consider to be role models. I would like to include these within my booklet as I wish to have children in the future who consider me to be the same.

Laser Cutting Imagery

I engraved a raster image using the laser cutter onto 3mm MDF and 2mm mount board. I created these initial samples to test out the visual outcome of this technique.

The idea of me using this process, is to embed the image of my Grandma onto a material, just like my memories of her are embedded into my mind.

The image turned out a lot clearer when engraved onto the mount board rather than the MDF. I like the effect that this technique gives as it makes the image look quite old-fashioned. This therefore makes it obvious that it is an image from the past.

I will experiment and develop this idea further. 

Cinema 4D - Dynamics Deformers Particles

Researching Typography

Oliver Munday

Counter Hand - FWIS Design

Jiani Lu - To My Future Self

Jiani Lu’s collection of booklets narrate three aspects of her life which define her identity. Her books contain an accumulation of personal pieces from journal entries to tweets that she has documented throughout her life. Lu reflects on imagery that illustrates her childhood as well as more recent travel experiences. Her work provides  a transparency of her personality. When brainstorming what makes me happy, I have reflected on past memories a lot therefore, the theme of memory and happiness will influence my final outcome for the Collide Project.

Business lecture 4, Business & Design

As talked about in previous business lectures, many aspects such as ethical, social, macro environment and market issues impact the design of a product.  Through research, designers familiarise themselves with their market and clients in order to provide the most effective product.

Communication Issues

Shannon-Weaver Model of Communication

-Especially designed to develop the effective communication between the sender and the receiver. 

-They find factors which affect the communication process called ‘noise.'

Sender: Originator of the message or information source

Encoder: The transmitter which converts messages into signals

(Email text, binary data, wave signals from telephone transmitted though cables. (Noise))

Channel

Decoder:The reception place of the signal which converts signal into message. Reverse of encode.

Receiver: Destination of message from sender.

Noise from external sources can effect the communication of the message between the sender and receiver. This could be caused by crowd noise, thunder, phone network problems.

http://communicationtheory.org/shannon-and-weaver-model-of-communication/

Cinema 4D- Channel 4 Rebranding

At the beginning of the cinema 4D workshops, I was introduced to an example using Cinema 4D. A new Channel 4 ident has used Cinema 4D to create an advertisement of moving and shifting blocks. An advantage of Cinema 4D is that the graphics can be created to look realistic fairly quickly. To create the advert physically, it would cost to create and take longer.

Since taking part in the Cinema 4D workshops, I have begun to notice other public advertisements when passing that look to have been created using this software. 

Reflecting on previous Channel 4 research I have looked at last year, Channel 4 have yet again stood out as unique and creative. The rebrand is dynamic and playful as the '4' has been broken down and each individual part and has been used across all of Channel 4's branding, such as on-screen graphics menus, new typeface and idents.

Channel 4 Rebrand from DBLG on Vimeo.

Idea Experimentation

Experimenting with Typography

In addition to looking at memories, I have experimented with fruit to create handmade typography as another way to give my future self advice. I like this idea as I feel that the message is exaggerated because of what the text it is written in, in this case fruit. I think that this idea allows me to be more creative when communicating the messages that I want to get across. These messages could be presented as visuals in my Guide to Happiness Booklet.
This idea came across me from the work we have started doing in the process and production module which I have enjoyed. I could therefore link this idea in with my food typography work too.

After Effects - Turning a Story into Infographics

Bill Maher - Irritable Bowl Syndrome from Cub Studio on Vimeo.

This video is an example of infographics. The video uses simplistic graphic design such as icons, charts and diagrams, which are suggestive of data and information.

Minimal text is used within the design. Infographics are interactive with the viewer and the appearance of the design is important to be made visually engaging.

It is a form of communication, informing knowledge that can be presented quickly and clearly. Infographics also provides a creative way of stating facts and figures. 

Bill Maher’s infographic video uses a limited colour palette and simplistic shapes to communicate the information given. When presenting information quickly, it must not be overly complicated therefore the minimal design is more effective.

Three Little Pigs from Sam Atack on Vimeo.

I have created my own infographic animation using After Effects. The task asked that we base it on a fairytale or children’s story therefore, I based mine on The Three little pigs. I can demonstrate numbers of the pigs, wolf and houses using an infographic animation. I created the imagery using Adobe Illustrator.

The Big Bad Wolf from Sam Atack on Vimeo.

I have developed my first attempt at the infographic animation and created a version I feel tells the story more clearly. Through practicing a process over, you are less likely to forget how it was done. An infographic needs to be clear in communicating its purpose or information.

One Hundred Iterations - Yingxi Zhou

William Kentridge: Animation and Motion Graphics

I have watched a video of William Kentridge discussing his process of making. He talks about how animations can depict transformation. Kentridge uses charcoal which is a fluid material to work with. It can be manipulated and and is very easy to erase. Kentridge says that the tonal range in colour is very good for creating photographic film, and likes working with it because of its 'speed of transformability'. He states that he can change the drawing as quickly as he can think, therefore uses drawing with charcoal as a way of thinking rather than a physical medium. 
The contrasting black and white medium may be significant of the segregation of black and white community in South Africa. After a massacre in South Africa, Kentridge visited the location and drew from the remaining landscape. He found that the thoughts of this tragedy disappeared when making practical decisions and then arrived back to the image that corresponded to the first thinking. The grubby charcoal medium reflects the dirty, horrific imagery caused within the scene.

William Kentridge's films are created without a script or story board. He plans out one or two key images at the beginnings of the film and starts with drawing those. From these drawings, the physical process of making the film suggests new ideas which transform the development of the film.

A film would usually be shot in a day. Kentridge's films are more time consuming to create as his camera is set up on the other side of the studio, facing his paper upon the wall. He walks back and forth between the two and will shoot 2 frames each time something on the paper has been changed. Kentridge will make lines fatter, thinner, darker and lighter in order to create the effect he wants. He makes many alterations on one piece of paper and is not aware of what is being shot. He only sees the state of the drawing at that present moment.

Kentridge is considered by some people as a political artist however by some political artists, is not. He says there is evidence of politics within his work however is not interested in illustrating a political thesis but is 'polemic about the provisionality of it.'
When drawing, his inspiration is a combination of what comes from the picture and what he projects onto it from his own experiences, histories, readings and prejudices.
Uncertainty and provisionality are key aspects which ground Kentridge's work. Like Martha Rosler, he speaks about the artist as a viewer and a maker. It is obvious in the studio to step back and see what is wrong through being critical of your own work. However, it is less obvious that this is how we operate within the world. The demonstration in the studio is how we make sense of the world which is emblematic for how it is done outside of the studio.

As a student, Kentridge was told to specialise in either theatre or drawing, otherwise he would only be an amateur. It took him years to unlearn what he had been told and understood that his hope was the cross fertilisation between mediums and genres.
This relates to the the Collide brief we have been exploring.

I like the gestural approach to drawing as a way of thinking. The charcoal medium is something which can be transformed instantly therefore it can be manipulated as fast as your mind can change. This is similar to working digitally. Previous stages can be undone with the click of a button, as opposed to working with a more permanent material such as ink or paint. The difference is, you are still left with a faint impression of the charcoal when rubbed out. The one piece of paper holds his constant flow of thoughts and is like a record of this process which has slowly developed when shooting the film. When creating animations, it would be interesting to consider exploring alternative ways of working and incorporating the idea of interdisciplinary within my practice. This 'cross fertilisation' of mediums and genres may lead to a broader set of opportunities for design. The idea of uncertainty can also provide multiple ideas and pathways to explore.

'William Kentridge on his process'- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_UphwAfjhk

'William Kentridge: How we make Sense of the world'-  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G11wOmxoJ6U

Memories - Idea Generation

"Memory makes us. If we couldn't recall the who, what, where, and when of our everyday lives, we would never be able to manage. We mull over ideas in the present with our short-term (or working) memory, while we store past events and learned meanings in our long-term (episodic or semantic) memory.
What's more, memory is malleable–and it tends to decay with age. So stay sharp by reading our articles on the science of recollection." - https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/memory

In my opinion, memories are a key to genuine happiness. In the future, I want to be able to look back on my life and think of the exciting moments from my life and have nothing to regret. Without memories, 'we would never be able to manage' and recall happiness.

As memory's 'tend to decay with age', I think that taking photographs at key moments are essential. For my guide to happiness to my future self booklet, I could find and include images from my past, these images store a happy moment for my future self to feel and take advice from. - Looking forward through the past.

Creating Typography with Food

When using different foods, I found that some mediums are harder to work with than others. This must be taken into consideration when deciding what to use for the type you wish to create. To experience using different foods to create type, I created one letter to see how it would turn out. Jam has a consistency that changes with temperature. When left in the fridge, the jam is stiff in the jar however, when warmer, can liquify and become harder to control when working with. 

Temperature is a factor I could experiment with as it may transform the material I choose to work with and create an alternative effect.

Thinking about transforming materials using temperature, I have used toast to create type. I thought about using breakfast foods to suggest words relating to the morning such as 'Wake Up' and 'Good Morning.' 

Experimenting with sauce, a medium I thought would be hard to work with, I found that I could control the type with the bottle. It may be that I have to source other objects to control how my type is formed. 

Type Delight - Nina Harcus

"Type Delight' is a conceptual illustrative cookbook about Marcell, a Patisserie chef who uses food to communicate his infatuation.'

I have used foods such as jam and toast to create type and generate ideas for a final outcome. When researching others approaches, I found an example of typography using food. I felt that when making my handmade type, the word I wrote must reflect the medium used to create it.

Using food to create type within a cookery book is relevant and a creative way to communicate with the reader. When coming to a final outcome, I will think about how I will capture the image and the medium used to create the type.

http://cargocollective.com/ninaharcus/TYPE-DELIGHT

“HAND MADE TYPE” BY TIEN-MIN LIAO

'“Hand Made Type” is an animated project that shows hand-drawn uppercase letters painted on hands, speedily and subtly converting to their lowercase equivalents in fluid movements.'

https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2012/08/creating-lasting-impression/

This type is unusual and original which makes the design memorable. Through using hands as type, we are able to illustrate the letters in an expressive way. From the two images, an illustration has been created which transforms the upper case letter into the lower case letter. 
This is an example of 3D typography which I have been exploring for the Processes and Production module. 3D handmade typography is a technique to consider when thinking about designing my Guide to Happiness project for the Collide project.  It is necessary to think about how I will communicate my advice through the use of type, to form a reading experience.

Richard Billingham: Photographer

Richard Billingham's work 'Ray's a laugh', published by Scalo in 2000, captures personal records of family life, not usually captured. His photographs, taken between 1990 and 1996, tell a story of his upbringing by parents, Ray and Liz Billingham. Ray was an unemployed alcoholic and Liz was an overweight animal lover. Richard Billingham was brought up in Cradley Heath, West Midlands, where his family lived in a cramped council flat, after being made redundant.

'This book is about my close family. My father Raymond is a chronic alcoholic. He doesn’t like going outside and mostly drinks home brew. My mother Elizabeth hardly drinks but she does smoke a lot. She likes pets and things that are decorative. They married in 1970 and I was born soon after. My younger brother Jason was taken into care when he was 11 but is now back with Ray and Liz again. Recently he became a father. Ray says Jason is unruly. Jason says Ray’s a laugh but doesn’t want to be like him.'
(Quoted in Ray’s a Laugh, back cover.)

The photography was not taken to shock, offend or be political. Billingham created the work to be meaningful and to communicate the reality of his family life. He used out of date film and got the images processed at the cheapest place, emphasising the families poverty. He states 'I was just trying to make order out of chaos.'

Richard Billingham, 'Ray’s A Laugh', Scalo, Zurich, Berlin, New York (1996)

Richard Billingham, Unitled (1994), Fuji, long life colour photograph on aluminium, 105x158cm

Billingham's work is something out of the ordinary. I take photographs to remember occasions and have used a collection of photos taken on holidays and anniversaries within my collide project to emphasis happy memories. Billingham's photographs do not capture happy moments. They capture the reality of his everyday life. His collection of photographs are personal, yet we have access to them and they have been published within a book. 
Through photography, we have been introduced to the personalities of Ray and Liz Billingham. The images capture these characters, that are representative of a story. The collection is a story which narrates Richard Billingham's upbringing. Linking this example to the conversation project, the collection of photographs converse emotion and demonstrate a lifestyle we may not be familiar with.

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/billingham-untitled-p11756/text-summary
http://www.americansuburbx.com/2010/07/richard-billingham-rays-laugh.html

Richard Billingham, Ray’s a Laugh, London 1996, reproduced [pp.94-5] in colour 
Mario Testino, Richard Billingham, exhibition catalogue, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham 2000 

Happiness/ Future Self Idea Development

Happiness/ Future Self Survey

For the Collide Project, I decided to create a survey to see peoples thoughts on the theme happiness. I found that working hard was something most considered to be successful which I also feel to be true. Inspired by Shannon Lea's work, I asked peoples dream and nightmare scenario. I found that most peoples dream scenario focused on having a happy family. Something I have been thinking about is past memories that have made me happy therefore, thinking about family and childhood was a theme I felt most personal and strongly about.

Cinema 4D

Paul Dolan on Happiness

 Extract taken from the article by The Sydney Morning Herald, 'Paul Dolan on Happiness by Design: finding a balance between purpose and pleasure.'

I have analysed this extract to further enhance my understanding of happiness and different people's interpretations.

Power, J. (2015). Paul Dolan on Happiness by Design: finding a balance between purpose and pleasure. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved from http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/paul-dolan-on-happiness-by-design-finding-a-balance-between-purpose-and-pleasure-20150515-gh2doo.html

Shannon Lea (Home) Maker 2015

Shannon Lea's work has been something that I found most interesting when doing initial research at the beginning of the Collide Project. Two different inks where used to created the printed version of the scene and neither could touch as phosphorescent ink would only glow if printed onto a white background. Therefore, both illustrations had to be built up around the other, together but entirely different. Lea has also created a digital version of this so the screen changes when the lights are turned off.

The one seen in day light shows what she wants for herself 10 years from now. She wants to be designing and concentrating on her craft, being a wife and a mother is something she does not consider.  The image visible during the day shows her current ambitions and in the night she is faced with a future she doesn't want to be hers.

Her question to herself is will she still feel the same in 10 years to come. Will her ambitions and future turn out differently.

I like the exploration of materials use within this project. Lea has thought outside of the box which suggests her creativity as a designer.

Talking About Happiness - Matthieu Ricard

 Extract taken from, 'Happiness: a guide to develop life's most important skill", pages 17-18.

I have analysed this extract to find a clearer understanding of different people's interpretations of happiness.

I feel more aware that everyone feels different emotions about different things to one another.

Ricard, M. (2006). Happiness. New York: Little, Brown.

Happiness Survey

Mind map of Initial Ideas