Messing about with forms and shapes in C4D.. ended up looking like a boob. yup.

// 20 THINGS

1// create photobook from macro photo experiments
2// darkroom day making photograms
3// camera + animation experiment
4// ways of combining photograms etc with animation/3D
5// storyboard/mind map real-life scenes/scenarios to fit theme
6// experiment and determine colour scheme/plan
7// play with and create test transitions/cuts/joiny clips
8// cinema 4D/AE plugin/techniques experiments – render tests
9// play with and gather sound library for final video
10// create A1 fold out leaflet/booklet on the uncanny using above renders/tests/edits
11// research and document using human/animal movement to manipulate graphics/images
12// research and document using human/animal movement to manipulate sound
13// look at other unusual printing layouts/methods
14// look for/contact possible models for video shoot (if using them)
15// create 10 organic/cyborg forms in C4D – animate at least 2
16// (more to come)

Really nice film about young artists and new art, a lot of moving image and new media sexiness..
well worth a watch

There are a lot of artists included from whom i can take reference for my FMP, with works on the subject of the body etc..

:)

Field of Study |

‘The uncanny is a concept of an instance where something can be familiar, yet foreign at the same time, resulting in a feeling of it being uncomfortably strange.’
‘A cyborg, also known as a cybernetic organism, is a being with both biological and artificial (e.g. electronic, mechanical or robotic) parts.’
Cyborg culture is the term I will be using for the current use of robotics/science/medicine which is making the cyborg a reality.
The above will be the general focus of my project, paying particular attention to ‘cyborg culture’ and the way this subject is perceived; familiar, yet unfamiliar.

Design Focus/Question/Problem/Proposition |

How much a part does the uncanny play in the interpretation of cyborg culture?
I am interested in how we aesthetically judge visual objects/scenes to be strangely familiar, considering the sometimes grotesque circumstances of the scene.
I want to blur the lines of what is currently publicly acceptable. By exploring the elements and conditions which govern the opinions of people concerning this ‘cyborg culture’ I hope to create a piece which will alter the viewers perception of what is publicly/ethically acceptable.

Context |

The cyborg has continuously been a prominent subject in literature and science since the birth of modern science/medicine.
With technologies currently available regarding cloning, transplant surgery, robotics etc the modern world is now living in a time of real cyborg culture. Stories such as Frankenstein which has alway been explored for its ethical complications and ties with the uncanny have now been made possible.
People are living today as the result of their own bodies being combined with foreign organic or man made components. Cloning has taken place with sheep and maybe soon with humans. Limbs have been replaced by artificial/robotic counterparts which can be controlled by the brain alone. All of these examples have direct relation to the uncanny, the perspective of viewing a mechanical device behaving like an organic human limb, is both viewed as familiar yet unfamiliar. (Ehrsson rubber hand experiment – out of body experience) 
What does this mean for the way this new cyborg culture should be ethically viewed?

Rationale |

There has in recent years been a renewed interest in cloning and the cyborg, effectively creating a new sub-genre across the medias. Films such as blade runner, irobot, ironman, moon, never let me go, species have refreshed interest in this cyborg culture, questioning the human, phycological, ethical and ultimately uncanny complications which come with such an extensive subject.

Methods |

To understand the subject further I will first study the findings of various relevant studies from the field of phycology, to gain a deeper understanding of how the human mind works regarding unconscious thought and out of body experience.
Following this I must gain an understanding of what is technically possible regarding cloning/the cyborg etc, and the effects which radiate from these technologies being applied in real life.
To present this project graphically, two conflicting visual elements must be found to represent the organic and the mechanical, which can be combined in ways to represent the uncanny. Naturally analog vs digital mediums are an appropriate starting point to represent this clash in subjects, but this has to be explored further taking technical possibilities into account.
I hope to take an existing story on the subject of uncanny/cyborg culture which can serve as a base or blank canvass for which this clash of elements can take place. Resulting in a feeling of familiar, yet foreign from the viewer.

Skills Evidence |

Understanding of the uncanny as a subject.
Existing stories/examples relevant to cyborg culture.
Ways to aesthetically influence the mind into creating the feeling of familiar, yet foreign.
Predicted Resolutions |
I am hoping to create for the main part of my FMP a moving image piece with an overlying narrative, exploring the ethical/psychological implications of cyborg culture.
To accompany this there will be various printed materials (books, posters, look books, prints) and possibly a web presence.

Bibliography |

Sigmund Freud
Uncanny networks – Lovink, Geert
The uncanny, an introduction – Royle, Nicholas
The uncanny, experiments in cyborg culture – Grenville, Bruce
The haunted self, surrealism, psychoanalysis, subjectivity – Lomas, David
Apocalypse, beauty & horror in contemporary art – rosenthal, Norman
Necronomicon, the best weird fiction of H.P. Lovecraft – H.P. Lovecraft
Creative Closeups – Harold Davis
Experiments in Form – Peter Pearce
Introducing Photograms – Pierre Bruandet
Making Photograms – The Creative Process of Painting with Light – Virna Haffer
Photography Without A Camera – Patra Holter
Principles of Visual Perception – Carolyn M. Bloomer
The Fractal Geometry of Nature – Benoit B. Mandelbrot

Plan of Work |

(to follow)

FMP

Carrying on with the same concept of the reliability of separate elements to create something, the electronics, programming, camera shutter, and wifi all have to be working in harmony for the outcome to exist.

It is this i want to take further. Somehow creating separate pieces which in themselves could be outcomes, but when working together in a certain way create something else, more complex and interesting.. somehow.

Thanks to Emma for blogging this, more on the project here

:)

For my FMP i know i want to create something incorporating moving image, interactivity and visual illusion. But what this will amount to i haven’t a clue.

I spent an afternoon browsing in the library and took home a stack of books, I ended up with over 100 interesting scanned images, which can be used as a visual starting point for the development of my final idea..

more images at FMP Blog

Been scouring the British Library website for research and am amazed at the amount of stuff they have to access which i had no idea about..

UK SOUNDMAP

‘The UK SoundMap is a new community-led survey in sound of the acoustic landscape (‘soundscape’) of Britain.’

Pretty cool to look through, sounds sent in by the public of their surroundings..
[site]

UK Web Archive

Takes and stores a ‘snapshot’ of websites at regular intervals so you are able to see how a website evolves over time..
It began archiving in 2004 and has since collected thousands of websites which anyone can look through.
(i had a look at a page from the CR Blog from back in 2007, when the London 2012 logo was releaved)

[site]

British Library Blogs

Theres also a wealth of information and interesting stuff on the British Library Blogs, definitely worth a look..
[blogs]

:)

A clock-makers shop in Vienna has been turned into a ‘network concept store’ whereby other local manufacturers and merchants can sell their custom products..

Products being sold include lighters, soaps, pyjamas, kitchenware and wallets

[original article]

1/ Generative Soundscapes (or something not sure)

2/ I will collaborate with people from different professions by recording the sound of some of the everyday tasks which they perform in their field, these sounds will then be used to manipulate a fixed variable in the form of an image or logo representing collaboration.
The image would be manipulated via either digital means, using javascript/after effects or in alanogue form, where real world elements would be effected using soundwaves, or both.
This would then create a unique ‘soundscape’ for each recorded sound or workplace which could be presented in moving or static image form.

Initial Research:

Neave Bounce [link]

This uses sound from your computers microphone to manipulate a series of balls over your screen, the artist has also made all of his source code and files available for download, but is flash based which is something i want to stay away from if possible..

HTML 5 + Javascript – Noise Field [link]

Particle motion, something a little closer to the aesthetic i am hoping to achieve, although i dont think this is controlled by noise, i could only manage to manipuate the particles via mouse clicks..

Jemapur – Clarte

Just another look i like..

Manipulating sand with soundwaves - Cymatic experiment

" A simple experiment demonstrating the visualisation of cymatics can be done by sprinkling sand on a metal plate and vibrating the plate, for example by drawing a violin bow along the edge, the sand will then form itself into standing wave patterns such as simple concentric circles. The higher the frequency, the more complex the shapes produced, with certain shapes having similarities to traditional mandala designs. "

Using this analogue way to generate patterns could be a way to create my images, for example i could take a frame from each few seconds of footage and overlay.

Universal Everything – Advanced beauty

" Advanced Beauty is an ongoing exploration of digital artworks born and influenced by sound, an ever-growing collaboration between programmers, artists, musicians, animators and architects. "

Search flickr for your images and inspiration, you can also filter by licence for images to use in your own work…

link