[Final] Project 2: Forrest Gump

Overview

After a long, treacherous journey of cropping images and freezing in the dark room, we finally get to present our compositions and silkscreen products! The following post will be detailing the concepts and techniques behind my four compositions as well as the feedback received during critique.

Final Product

Concept

Intrigued by the surrealist art movement, I intended to create compositions based on the methods of storytelling adopted by surrealist artists. The compositions were a result of attempting to emulate the approach in creating films by renowned filmmaker, David Lynch. Inspired by his methods of addressing the ‘various layers of reality’, namely waking, sleeping, and dreaming, I wanted to create compositions that depict narratives related to those areas. The stage of limbo/sleep paralysis is added as a personal choice.

The documentary (around 06:22 – 06:54) discusses his film’s trademarks and recurring motifs used, as well as how his works focus on different layers of reality.

Keeping the different states of reality in mind, the movie quotes chosen are to serve as textual representative of the states, as well as to give a context to the related composition.

Composition 1

I. Concept & Approach

Composition 1 is a pictorial representation of the movie quote ‘He’s a looney. Just like his tunes.’ from 2017’s Baby Driver. Aiming to depict the state of dreaming, I wanted to establish a surreal setting by having things emerging from a man’s head, and using an under-the-sea theme (as shown by the deepsea diver helmets, squid tentacles, and goldfish) to show the nonsensical nature of dreams. To further reinforce a dream-like state, the elements pictured are a result of putting non-related objects together; this includes the straightjacket made up of tentacles and leather straps and a band of deepsea divers.

The elements used are also representative of the words ‘looney’ and ‘tunes’. For ‘looney’, I chose to use a clown with a crazy facial expression and tentacles and leather straps forming a straightjacket. For ‘tunes’, I chose performing musicians (a singer, banjo player, and saxophonist in this case).

II. Techniques Applied

Using a combination of storytelling methods, I tried to construct an accompanying narrative for this composition. The composition was a result of expanding on caricature and anthropomorphism, which is evident in the clown’s striking features being exaggerated (swapping his long tongue for a squid tentacle), as well as using tentacles to resemble a straightjacket.

Some of the principles of design I experimented with included:

Balance and unity

The Gestalt Principle (proximity)

Scale and size

Textures and values

Following a star-like layout, I wanted to establish a sense of balance by aligning the main elements with one another; the structure of the main elements – the clown and deepsea diver musicians – are parallel to one another, and from the vertical centre, the elements and breathing space on the left and right sides are somewhat similar (e.g. the goldfish on the right balances with the squid tentacle tongue, and the musicians on the far left and far right balance with the leather straps on the bottom of the tentacles).

I also tried to experiment with a proximity in the composition; having images of musicians with completely non-related instruments and attire, I wanted to try using proximity to establish them as a whole, and therefore, placed deepsea diver helmets on their heads to reinforce them as a group of related elements, and at the same time, contrast them against the clown and goldfish.

The elements are also a result of varying scales and sizes. In terms of sizes, I wanted to reinforce the idea of dream-like states and surrealism through enlarging typically small objects and downsizing life-size objects; enlarging goldfish and downsizing humans. As for scales, similar to the idea behind the goldfish and humans, the composition is made up of life-sized goldfish and squid tentacles, different from their realistic counterparts. Additionally, having two contrasting scales of human figures (i.e. the clown and musicians), helps to establish a more surreal mood.

With regards to value, I wanted to create contrast by varying the levels of threshold; this is shown in the black and white spaces in the clothing of the clown and musicians, and the textures given off by the tentacles and deepsea diver helmets. The textures of the tentacles, different types of clothing, and shine in the helmets and goldfish skin, also helped in creating contrast. Threshold was also useful in creating a silkscreen print as it helped formed the figures.

Composition 2

I. Concept & Approach

Composition 2 is a representation of the quote ‘Sometimes I think I have felt everything I’m ever gonna feel’ from 2013’s Her. Following the concept of David Lynch’s various stages of reality, this composition explores the state of being awake, depicting a divine entity who has reached the pinnacle of feeling all.

Focusing on the words ‘felt everything’ and the idea of the divine, I wanted to use a combination of recognisable religious symbols; lotuses and lit candles to represent Buddhism, a halo to represent Christianity, and the repeated motifs of hands to represent Hinduism. To further emphasise the idea of the ‘all-seeing’ and the worshipped, I chose to have a realistic third eye sat atop a Greek sculpture bust.

II. Techniques Applied

Similar to Composition 1, I used literary devices to help construct a narrative for Composition 2; hyperbole and imagery were mainly used. Hyperbole is evident in taking the sensation of feeling everything and exaggerating it by featuring a being that has reached the utmost point of feeling all there is to feel. Imagery, on the other hand, is shown through the motifs of hands and eyes to represent the sensation of touch, reinforcing having ‘felt everything’.

Balance and emphasis

Scale and size

Pattern

Textures and values

Keeping the theme of divinity in mind, I wanted Composition 2 to echo that of psychedelic patterns, thereby following a radial layout, with the hands, lotus, and halo forming a circle, encompassing the bust in the centre as the main element. Its radial layout allowed for balance, with the elements on the left repeated and aligned on the right. Emphasis is also achieved by placing a contrasting element (i.e. the Greek bust) in the centre, breaking the repeated motifs of hands and lotuses. On the contrary, the repeated motifs of hands and lotuses in a radial format also help to create a pattern.

Composition 2 also expands on the idea of scale. Having trouble finding a suitable image of a halo, I decided to enlarge a picture of a gold ring. In terms of scale, the enlargement of the gold ring into a halo helps to reinforce the composition’s surrealist style. Originally a small object, especially in contrast to hands, lotuses and sculptural busts, the gold ring is now enlarged to the point that it becomes the largest and most prominent element in the composition, further reinforced by its black and white value achieved by threshold.

With regards to value, I chose to use halftones for the majority of the elements. Because of the nature of the original images, halftones had to be used to clearly depict the elements. However, the halftones displayed in the bust were able to create an interesting texture and contrast, showing signs of light and shadows, thereby giving it a more realistic depiction. As mentioned previously, the halo was created using threshold as a means to show contrast to the other elements, as well as to create a variance in texture.

Composition 3

I. Concept & Approach

Composition 3 follows the quote ‘I chose not to choose life. I chose something else’ uttered in 1996’s Trainspotting. Representing the state of sleeping, according to David Lynch’s dissection of reality, this composition is a representation of what happens to one’s body when he/she decides not to deal with matters in life and goes into hibernation mode; construction workers performing maintenance work on the body to prepare it for another day of work.

Echoing the idea of sleep, the elements, namely the man sleeping with smoke coming out from his head and mobile (an ‘adult-style’ mobile made up of doves instead of toys, to symbolise peace as a mechanism to fall sleep) above, are representative of the state. I also chose to draw focus to the words ‘choose’ and ‘life’, where to reiterate the idea of ‘life’, the symbols chosen were the Life magazine and a man sleeping, while the industrial switch on off-mode symbolises the notion behind making a choice.

II. Techniques Applied

When analysing the quote, I used hyperbole and parody to help reconstruct a narrative completely different from its original context in the film. Originally based on choosing to take heroin in the film, I wanted to completely deviate and exaggerate the idea of choosing between facing life and going to sleep, also creating a parody of what happens to one’s body when he/she goes to sleep.

Emphasis

Scale and size

Pattern

The Gestalt Principle

Textures and values

Similar to Composition 1, Composition 3 follows a star-like layout, with the main element (i.e. the man sleeping and Life magazine) placed in the centre, and accompanying elements extending from them, with the exception of the mobile placed on top. This helps in drawing the viewers’ attention to viewing the supposed main elements, followed by its accompanying minor elements, establishing emphasis.

Composition 3 is also a demonstration of variance in scale. To reinforce surrealism, some of the human figures in the composition are shrunk; by contrasting them against a regular, life-size human, it reiterates the surreal mood of the composition. Size was also shown in showing the gradual decrease in the sizes of the construction worker in accordance to the perspective of the composition; the worker in the front is the biggest and the one in the back is the smallest, helping to establish a sense of foreground, middle ground, and background.

To make a more interesting and visually appealing composition, I used geometric patterns to establish a base. The patterns helped in establishing a sense of direction for the composition’s layout; the arrow-like shapes help to draw the viewers’ attention to the main elements (i.e. the man sleeping and Life magazine). They also create a contrast in texture and value; made up of solid black and white values, they contrast against the halftone value of the main elements and the threshold textures of the construction workers and industrial switch.

I also wanted to expand further on using proximity in the Gestalt Principle. Since the construction workers were a minor element, I wanted to group them together to establish a better sense of clarity; this was done through downsizing them to roughly the same size as well as using the same values of threshold to unify them. The same technique was done for the mobile, where the metal frame and repeated motifs of doves were used to show that they belong to the same group.

Composition 4

I. Concept & Approach

Composition 4 is a reconstruction of the quote ‘I’m nothing, I’m not even here’ from 2014’s Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). Meant to depict the state of sleep paralysis or limbo, the composition tells the story of an unknown figure disappearing through a portal in the ground. Inspired by photographer Nicolas Bruno, whose works revolve around capturing moments he witnesses while experiencing sleep paralysis, I wanted to create a composition that mirrors the terrifying nature of his photographs and the accounts of people who suffer from this state. To do so, I blurred out the identity of the human figure in the composition by placing a sack and deer antlers over her head.

Deconstructing the words ‘nothing’ and ‘not even here’, the elements chosen are supposed to revolve around the idea of travelling and disappearing without a trace. This is shown through depicting a suitcase, airplane seat, direction arrow, and the figure waving goodbye, as well as the portal underneath.

II. Techniques Applied

In constructing the narrative of this composition, I tried using hyperbole and anthropomorphism. Exaggerating on the words ‘nothing’ and ‘not even here’, I wanted to give the composition a surreal feeling by using a non-realistic way of disappearing (i.e. a portal), as well as using hints of anthropomorphism (assigning deer antlers to a human figure).

Pattern

Emphasis

Textures and values

Similar to Composition 3, Composition 4 follows a simple layout of having the main focus (i.e. the human figure) in the centre of the composition with accompanying elements branching out from it. This helps in directing viewers’ gaze to the main focus followed by the minor elements, also paving the way for emphasis by drawing attention to the centred main element. The elements also attempt to achieve a sense of balance by aligning with one another; the slanted planes of the arrow, airplane seat, and suitcase are parallel to one another. The placement of the hamburger with a straw in the centre also establishes a more balanced look between the upper and lower sections, thereby helping to create a neater and more visually-appealing layout.

Additionally, reinforcing the concept of the figure disappearing into the portal below, I tilted the elements in the composition, and cropped out the bottom of the suitcase.

Composition 4 also uses patterns, as seen in the circular portal at the bottom. Similar to earlier uses, the solid black and white value of the pattern helps to create contrast in texture and shadows against the halftones of other elements, as well as create variance in structure with its repetitive geometric shapes as opposed to the organic shapes of other elements.

Feedback & Improvements

Feedback left behind by fellow classmates

	Positive	Improvements
Composition 1	High contrast helps to make it seem more vivid and its wild nature Simple composition with minimal elements	Unequal sense of balance; the elements on top outweigh the bottom, making it seem more heavy The under-the-sea theme could have been swapped out with something more related to the quote
Composition 2	Good use of symmetry and balance	Reduce the use of halftones to create more variety and contrast
Composition 3	Use of lines helps to draw viewers’ gaze to the main focal point	The use of threshold for the construction workers and doves could be improved upon; their features are not clearly distinguishable
Composition 4	The elements used as symbols are straightforward	The pattern used could have been swapped out for a more radial pattern to make it more obvious as a portal and to make the composition more visually-appealing

Challenges

Unpredictability of images

The main challenge I faced in this project is the unpredictability of the images used in the compositions. Keeping the requirement of using only found images and black and white tones, it was challenging and tedious to find suitable images and altering their brightness, contrast, and saturation values to compliment one another. Furthermore, having minimal experience with halftone and threshold, it was difficult in adjusting the black and white values of the images to clearly show the details and at times, they would just appear as blobs of black and white, or grey circles (if using half tones). However, with tutorials, I was able to get a better idea of how to use halftones, and using trial-and-error methods with a bunch of different images helped in this process.

Link to research and process:
https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/vwong005/research-process…t-2-forrest-gump/

References

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109830/mediaviewer/rm2864190720

Composition 1:

https://depositphotos.com/23602849/stock-photo-saxophonist.html

https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-image-goldfish-image16533151

https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/tentacles-octopus-isolated-on-white-background-404070004

https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/tentacles-octopus-isolated-on-white-background-404069971

https://hu.pinterest.com/phil_sidey/

http://mainestategrange.org/?tag=music

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2015/oct/30/funny-peculiar-extreme-clown-portraits-by-perou-coulrophobia-in-pictures

Composition 2:

http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?assetId=870901&objectId=1341986&partId=1

https://www.definicionabc.com/salud/muneca.php

https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-illustration-cross-religious-symbol-crucifix-logo-design-icon-image54056213

Lotus

http://chek.lv/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=121

https://www.123rf.com/photo_1415056_small-white-candle-on-a-white-background.html

https://www.catbirdnyc.com/classic-hammered-ring-yellow-gold.html

Composition 3:

http://time.com/4763638/jfk-covers-life/

https://science.idntimes.com/discovery/bayu/ini-15-fakta-ilmiah-unik-soal-tidur-yang-jarang-orang-tahu

http://www.fansshare.com/community/uploads42/7369/pvc_pipe_fittings/

https://www.pinterest.com/freecycleusa/recycled-lighting/?lp=true

https://browniesincinema.bandcamp.com/track/never-going-back

https://www.123rf.com/photo_42784196_vertical-view-of-construction-workers-working-outdoors.html

http://www.fotosearch.com/CSP992/k12824999/

http://www.freeimages.com/premium/worker-putting-out-safety-cones-966568

https://www.pinterest.com/rocketlandphoto/retro-cool/?lp=true

Composition 4:

http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/legs-in-the-air.html?blackwhite=1

https://www.turbosquid.com/Search/3D-Models/seat

https://www.amazon.co.uk/slp/swag-bag/5kx6sbpthakw7cn

https://depositphotos.com/stock-photos/cheeseburger.html

https://www.houzz.com/product/40854476-distressed-red-finish-lighted-led-arrow-wall-hanging-industrial-novelty-signs

https://www.picquery.com/c/antlers_pdvUD3b8SDZv4j0qvyVAu9*ZGJNNaDFTK8QiZVDe43Q/

October 22, 2017October 22, 2017

[Research & Process] Project 2: Forrest Gump

Research

Art Movements

Dadaism

The aim of Dada Art was an aid to stop the war as well as an outlet to ‘vent frustration with the nationalist and bourgeois conventions that had led to it’. ‘Their anti-authoritarian stance made for a protean movement as they opposed any form of group leadership or guiding ideology’.

Dada artists are usually agitated by politics and sought to ‘incite a similar fury in Dada audiences’. Dada artworks involve presenting ‘intriguing overlaps and paradoxes’, where ‘they seek to demystify artwork in the populist sense but’ ‘remain cryptic enough to allow [viewers] to interpret works in a variety of ways’. For example, some artists portrayed people and scenes ‘representationally’ ‘in order to analyse form and movement’. Some perceive that in order to understand these works, one must be able to ‘reconcile the seemingly silly, slapdash styles with the profound antibourgeois message’.

Crucial components:

Irreverence: A lack of respect for bourgeois convention, government authorities, conventional production methods, or the artistic canon.
Readymades and assemblage: Often chosen and assembled by chance or accident to challenge bourgeois notions about art and artistic creativity, bizarre
Chance: Used to embrace the random and accidental as a way to release creativity from rational control
Wit and humour: Interest in humour, typically in the form of irony; an awareness that nothing has intrinsic value; also gave artists flexibility and expressed their embrace of the craziness of the world, thus preventing them from taking their work too seriously

I. Hannah Hoch

Hannah Hoch, the ‘It Girl’ of Berlin Dadaists, was considered the pioneer of the Dada ‘cut-and-paste’ style. Hiding in a tiny suburban cottage away from Nazi scrutiny, due to her bisexuality and anarchic art, Hoch was branded a ‘degenerate’ by Nazis and being constantly being edged out Dadaists. She, however remained a notable figure in the Dada movement, with her distinguishable use of photomontage, the original ‘art of protest’, and the ‘aesthetic of liberation, revolution, and protest’.

Works of Hannah Hoch
From left to right: Flucht (Flight) (1931)
Ohne Titel (1930)
Untitled

Satirising Weimar politics, Hoch’s works are said to be ‘so balletic’, as if her ‘snipped images and dismembered figures dance on the page like leaves in the air’; her work is perceived as ‘tough and punchy, yet always delicate’. Often possessing a ‘narrative undercut’, one can distinguish Hoch’s works through the enlargement of a single feature and deviations from being ‘doctrinaire or narrowly-focused’, where many of her works ‘make men into women and vice-versa’. In contrast to her male counterparts in the movement, Hoch ‘never seems to have lost her characteristic sense of wonder’, possessing a ‘desire to ‘show the world today as an ant sees it and tomorrow as the moon sees it”.

Surrealism

Growing out of the Dada movement, Surrealism was also considered a ‘rebellion against middle-class complacency’, however with artistic influences coming from different sources.

Sharing the same ‘anti-rationalism’ as Dada, Surrealist artists used art as a ‘reprieve from violent political situations and to address the unease they felt about the world’s uncertainties’. This was done through using ‘fantasy and dream imagery’ to create works in a variety of media that ‘exposed their inner minds in eccentric, symbolic ways’, ‘uncovering anxieties and treating them analytically through visual means’.

Mediums include:

Surrealist paintings
Surrealist objects and sculptures
Surrealist photography
Surrealist film

Some distinguishable Surrealist factors, methods, and techniques include:

Hyper-realistic style (objects depicted in crisp detail and three-dimensionality, emphasising their dream-like quality)
Saturated colour schemes
Reliance on automatism or automatic writing as a way to tap into the unconscious mind
Unlikely and outlandish imagery including collage, doodling, frontage, decalcomania, grattage
The ‘prosaic photograph removed from its mundane context’
Vernacular snapshots, police photographs, movie stills, documentary photographs posted in Surrealist journals, disconnected from their original purposes

I. Salvador Dali

‘Epitomising the idea that life is the greatest form of art’, Salvador Dali, one of the most prolific artists of the 20th century is the most famous Surrealist artist. In addition to the fame credited for his works and collaborations with other notable figures, Dali was also renowned for his ‘flamboyant personality and role of mischievous provocateur as much as for his undeniable technical virtuosity’.

His works embody ‘obsessive themes of eroticism, death, and decay’, reflecting his ‘familiarity with and synthesis of the psychoanalytical theories of his time’, his work is embedded with ‘ready-interpreted symbolism, ranging from fetishes and animal imagery to religious symbols’.

Works of Salvador Dali
From left to right:
Persistence of Memory (1931)
Apparition of Face and Fruit Dish on a Beach (1938)
The Temptation of Saint Anthony (1946)

His body of work also ‘evolved the concepts of Surrealism and psychoanalysis on a worldwide visual platform’, as well as ‘modelled permission for people to embrace their selves in all our human glory’.

Shows visual representation of dreams
Exquisite draftsmanship and master painting techniques
Paved the way for artists to inject the personal, mysterious, and emotional into works
Showed that there was no separation between man and work
Used avant-garde filmmaking, provocative public performance, and random, strategic interaction, bringing his work to life in ways differing from paintings
Spearheaded the idea that art, artist, and artistic ability could cross many mediums and become a viable commodity

Techniques

Storytelling Methods

Hyperbole	Exaggerated statements or claims not to be taken literally.
Metaphor	A comparison between two objects with the intent of giving clearer meaning to one of them.
Caricature	A picture, description, or imitation of a person in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated in order to create a comic or grotesque effect.
Parody	An imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect.
Anthropomorphism	The attribution of human characteristics or behaviour to a god, animal, or object.
Juxtaposition	The fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.
Imagery	Words or phrases that appeal to any sense or any combination of senses.
Personification	A figure of speech which endows animals, ideas, or inanimate objects with human traits or abilities

Reference Artists

I. David Lynch

David Lynch is a director and screenwriter most well-known for his ‘dark, offbeat’ films and TV series, the more recognisable ones including Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive, and Twin Peaks.

Works of David Lynch
From top to bottom: Twin Peaks (1990)
Mulholland Drive (2001)
Blue Velvet (1986)

Branded with his own style, the ‘Lynchian Style’. Lynch’s films are known to be ‘bizarre’, with ‘dark worldview[s], disturbing subject matter, and a surreal tone’. In his approach to films, he uses repeated motifs, emphasises on setting, and expands on the idea of ‘superreality’ and the subconscious.

II. Joe Webb

Portrait of Joe Webb

Joe Webb is an artist recognised for his ‘collages with a message’. Reimagining found imagery through simple editing, he addresses issues that range from ‘climate change’ to ‘war and inequality’, ‘challenges of living in today’s modern world’.

Works of Joe Webb
From left to right: The Cloud Eaters
Citizens of Earth
Antares and Love
Stirring Up A Storm

“Joe navigates a rich landscape with grace and humor, making nice with many recognizable visual pastimes. He plays them against each other in a way that puts different eras in dialogue, allowing characters to travel far from their 50’s Home Gardening Magazine roots to the far cosmos. He flirts with the themes of nostalgia and loss but ultimately composes lighthearted images that are in dialogue with today’s sampling culture, collapsing and hacking together sources from across the universe in fun and rudely jacked up color schemes.” – Wangechi Mutu

III. Eugenia Loli

Collage artist Eugenia Loli is most known for her style of works where she uses ‘photography scanned from vintage magazines and Science publications’ to ‘create bizarre visual narratives’ that have hints of ‘pop art, dada, and traditional surrealism’.

IV. Nicolas Bruno

Nicolas Bruno is an established photographer who suffers from sleep paralysis, a condition in which ‘keeps him in a halfway state between being asleep and being awake’. Through his haunting, yet incredible images, he recreates the experiences from his dreamscape. He starts with experimenting with dream recollections, ‘creat[ing] a concentration of work’ where he ‘[warps] his anxiety into a positive product and expresses his vision to the world’.

Learning Points

Distinguishable factors of Dadaist works
Distinguishable factors of Surrealist works
Varying methods of using found imagery in forming new compositions
Different, modern approaches in Surrealist art

Process

The processes in this project is made up of two main stages: preparing the compositions and silkscreening.

Preparing Compositions

In preparation for composing our prints, we were first required to have an understanding of the two major art movements we would be drawing inspiration from; Surrealism and Dadaism. This was followed by selecting our movie quotes.

QUote Picking

When selecting appropriate movie quotes, I began with narrowing down some of my favourite films and directors, keeping films with excellent dialogue and writing in mind. I then filtered through these films by bringing in the direction I was going for; using David Lynch’s method of dissecting reality into three states – being awake, sleeping, dreaming (and limbo, added as a personal choice). The quotes were then categorised into the respective states.

The quotes were then narrowed down further after considering their literal context and if taken out of context, their ability to reconstruct a completely different and surreal narrative. Some of the words that stood out in the quotes were also taken into consideration. After deliberating and brainstorming some ideas, I decided to go with the following quotes:

Limbo/Sleep Paralysis: Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)

Composition Arranging

After finalising the quotes and having a clear direction in mind, I was ready to layout the compositions. Since this was based on Surrealism, I decided to take the quotes completely out of their contexts and focus only on selected words and ideas.

I. Composition 1

‘He’s a looney. Just like his tunes.’

Keeping in-line with depicting the state of dreaming, I wanted to create a composition based on the nonsensical nature of dreams. The following images show different compositions and ideas.

Drafts 1 and 2 reflect the same concept; portraying the madness associated with conspiracy theories through the use of symbols such as aliens, red thread and thumbtacks, and spaceships made up of musicians, vinyls, and bell jars. Draft 3, on the other hand, depicts a man who has ‘lost his senses’, and as a result, has his sense of hearing and taste jumbled up, resulting in him wanting to eat music. However, given the nature of the images in threshold and halftone value, they were not able to fully form on the silkscreen.

Composition 1: Breaking down ‘looney’ and ‘tunes’

II. Composition 2

‘Sometimes I think I have felt everything I’m ever gonna feel.’

Exploring the state of being awake, Composition 2 was originally meant to represent the sense of feeling and touch.

With regards to feeling, I wanted the composition to show various levels of emotions; the use of knives to represent anger, pill bottles to represent sadness, and flowers to represent happiness. The repeated motif of hands and the third eye were meant to embody the sense of touch. However, after consulting, the message being conveyed was not as clear, and I decided to try another concept of divinity and depicting an entity who has reached the pinnacle of feeling all there is to feel.

Composition 2: Breaking down ‘felt everything’

III. Composition 3

‘I chose not to choose life. I chose something else.’

Expanding on the state of sleeping, I wanted the composition to convey a narrative of what happens to one’s body when one chooses to sleep instead of facing life.

Satisfied with the elements used, I chose to try out different layouts as the layout was pretty messy; the main focal point is difficult to pinpoint. This was adjusted by changing the directions of the geometric patterns, as well as altering the Life Magazine direction and adding more elements representative of the situation.

Composition 3: Breaking down ‘not to choose life’

IV. Composition 4

‘I’m nothing. I’m not even here.’

Based on the state of limbo or sleep paralysis, I looked to photographer Nicolas Bruno for inspiration. Known for his works where he captures moments and figures he witnesses during his encounters with sleep paralysis, his works echo Surrealist elements and reinforces the terrifying nature of sleep paralysis.

Generally satisfied with the layout of the composition, I just experimented further with changing some of the elements to make it more visually appealing. In this case, I swapped out the paper bag for a potato sack to make the figure seem more terrifying and draw a better sense of unity amongst the elements.

Composition 4: Breaking down ‘nothing’ and ‘not even here’

Silkscreening

This project also had a silkscreen component which allowed us to learn more about preparing for and exposing our own silkscreens, followed by printing our own tote bags.

Experience

The silkscreen process, although tedious, was eye-opening. We were taught the process of preparing silkscreens, the technical aspects of each procedure, and the functions of various materials.

Personally, I faced quite a number of challenges in exposing my own screens. After preparing my first composition, I was quite satisfied with the layout and the elements I used; the positive feedback received made me all the more confident with how the print turned out. However, given the nature of the original images, they did not turn out very well when imposed with halftones and threshold and as a result, the silkscreen print did not turn out as expected.

Given the time constraints left in preparing other compositions and the limited time left in exposing our screens, I was not able to experiment with varying levels of threshold and halftone, and had to change the top half of my composition completely.

Challenges

Using threshold and halftone values
Adjusting compositions to fit the layout of found images, therefore working in reverse
Silkscreen issues and pinpointing exactly where the problem rose from

Link to final:

[Final] Project 2: Forrest Gump

References

https://quizlet.com/4073015/list-of-poetic-devices-flash-cards/

https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/mvbne3/an-oral-history-of-the-movie-trainspotting

https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/6/27/15874888/baby-driver-review

A Romance for HER (and him)

https://www.indyweek.com/arts/archives/2014/10/31/movie-review-birdman-soars-despite-some-turbulence

10 Famous Surrealist Artists You Must Know

Dada

http://www.thecallalilydialogues.com/the-dialogues/2016/10/24/hannah-hoch-a-pioneer-of-photomontage-a-pivotal-figure-in-dada

http://time.com/4318151/salvador-dali/

193 Portrait of David Lynch

MAGRITTE: COME VIVERE LA VITA CON IRONIA

https://hanguppictures.com/artists/joe-webb

https://www.biography.com/people/david-lynch-9389739

http://www.artnet.com/artists/david-lynch/biography

http://www.joewebbart.com/about/

Surreal Collages by Eugenia Loli

https://fstoppers.com/originals/interview-nicolas-bruno-sleepless-photographer-7958

http://www.theartstory.org/movement-surrealism.htm

http://www.theartstory.org/artist-dali-salvador.htm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/10545071/Hannah-Hoch-The-woman-that-art-history-forgot.html

http://www.theartstory.org/artist-hoch-hannah.htm