About that wall sculpture thing. We had an update on the brief which said it should include text. I was sick of that tubes idea anyway, it was nice, but frustrating to try and construct, and would have been highly impractical.
This new idea... well, think of it as the most super classy elegant neon sign ever. The text would say 'University of Brighton', 'Faculty of art and design', and 'Grand Parade', and these three would alternate, sometimes layer over each other, 'write' in and out, fade in and out and generally create gorgeous patterns...
Here were initial drawings on the lightbox...
And layered up on the lightbox.
I imagine in the final sign the lines would be white neon/strip light, shone through frosted glass to create a slightly misty effect. I tried to simulate this by creating a cut out, and holding it up to a lit computer screen...
And then holding a piece of tracing paper just in front...
I tried some different colour backlights too, mmm! The final thing will almost certainly be white though.
This all looks quite crude, and I'm concerned the text is a bit too 'coca cola'esque, but I've had fun doing it. The final thing would be a lot more slick. I really like the idea of the text swirling in like it's being handwritten, if you know what I mean. Anyway anyway anyway... I still have flu, OK!
So, a new project. I'm sort of in two minds about it, really. Both Graphics and Illustration third year students have been commisioned to design a mural/sculpture/thingy to go on the end of the main Grand Parade arts building in Brighton. Well, I say commissioned, it's a competition. The brief is kind of odd. Well not odd, just, I'm not really sure what I make of it. Part of me thinks I'd really rather the university spent their money on useful things, like a functioning colour printer.......... but that's another rant entirely, and I suppose I should be glad they're commissioning us on something so different and interesting. But really, wouldn't this be far more exciting for the product design students, who spend all their time doing work like this? I don't know, I'm just struggling to get into the spirit of it.
Anyway, the brief says 'a white on white project that is responsive to the weather and is designed to say different things in different climatic conditions'
White on white? Does that mean we're not allowed colour? And as far as I can tell it should in some way represent the faculty, although I'm not sure how I'm going to do this yet. Some people are working in groups, but to be honest, a) I'm too bossy, and b) it's more hassle than it's worth... more time is spent arranging when to meet up, rearranging when to meet up, coming up with ideas everyone agrees on than it is on actually producing!
Not that I'm one to talk, struck down with flu this week, I've been spending more time moping about and procrastinating than working, but ho hum, here are some beginnings.
The idea of it interacting with the weather interested me. The wall is north facing, so this sort of rules out the 'sun' element... I was quite interesting in the idea of some kind of sound art. Inspired quite a lot by this, the 'sea organ' in croatia, which I absolutely love.
I was interested in using the wind to this effect, creating a series of pipes at different levels, which would hopefully create soft, ambient noise as the wind blows over them. With this in mind, I spent two and a half hours curled up on the sofa yesterday afternoon doing THIS:
That's right everyone, hundreds of rolls of masking tape at different heights. The idea being if they were up on that wall, bigger, and made of something sturdy, they'd make organy nice noises.
Yeeah, it was dark and the only light place in the flat is our kitchen. Hence the sexy lino. (Disclaimer... I'm aware Tom Friedman has already produced some similar art using tubes of masking tape like this. I'm merely using this as a modelling process, not as a final piece, so I hope it doesn't infringe any sort of copyright...)
And just in case you didn't quite understand...
There is a catch to this however... The university is in a residential area, and the noise could get just a teeeensy bit annoying. As someone who can't sleep through even the tiniest bit of noise, I would have huge sympathy for the nearby residents... I'm hoping there's a way to engineer it so the noise is noticable, but minimal, and certainly not disturbing.
I'm also thinking of something involving mirrors, which, once I have modelled, I will post here. And, I've been thinking of some other wind related but not sound making ideas involving effects similar to rippling grass, but I haven't modelled or drawn these yet either. I'm really inspired by Theo Jansen's absolutely stunning 'strandbeests' (Beach monsters) which are powered entirely by the wind.
Here's another idea which didn't work out. I feel like a 7 year old trying to recreate something I saw on Blue Peter. I bought straws especially! *weeps*
I don't think my tutors will like this. It probably doesn't 'meet the brief'. But I'm proud of this, it's a real book, entirely made by me, full of pictures taken by me. For more information, see previous post.
I'm especially pleased with the binding, and letterpress cover, got it spot on. Also, really like the patterned end papers I designed. Enjoying attention to detail at the moment.
Apologies for my frightfully grubby fingers, I'd just been in letterpress, and no amount of soap will get those inks off!
WELL, scarily it's already time for us (Graphic Design and Illustration third years at Brighton) to start thinking about our final show in Brighton/London and accompanying identity. Now, I know it will be a ridiculous amount of work if I win the brief, and I'm not expecting to win, but I've given it a go anyway... and if I do say so myself, I love this. I'd even go so far as to use the word 'sexy', if I used words like that to describe design. But I don't.
Anyway, logo, colour scheme. Trade Gothic (Condensed no. 18) is the typeface. Pantone colours listed below. It was always going to be purple in my mind. Purple is awesome.
There was sort of an assumption that we'd refer to ourselves as 'GDI X'... Roman numerals and all, and X's are awesome... but I don't really think that's obvious enough, and people might wonder what it means. In some contexts that's good, but I've decided to spell it out. Brighton Graphic design and Illustration, 2010. I may do an 'x' variation later.
My summer project was rubbish. And I knew it. Now it's better, and all thanks to the joys of letterpress, fluorescent ink and typography as image. I will add better pictures, these are photographs, I will scan the posters soon soon.
