I didn’t get the pleasure of watching all of ‘Mimesis- African Soldier’ due to time constraints. Still, my IxD hat was one, and what I couldn’t stop thinking about was the use of three large projectors, each playing a different film that intertwined to make something bigger. Screen 1 would be referring to footage on screen 3, as screen 2 provides more context or shows an abstract recreation of a young African soldier walking through the jungle.
The dance of the 3 different screens that sometimes had Q&A, other times they followed one another or sometimes visually harmonised, I’d love the opportunity to bring some of this into my own work.
Still Glasgow:
The photography exhibition Still Glasgow featured works by several artists from different time periods in Glasgow’s modern history. I mainly wanted to see this exhibition on how a traditional photography exhibition is presented for the consideration of the general public.
My personal takeaway from this exhibition was that it was a collection of photographs, but there was not enough space for each to ‘speak’. The one piece I did feel connected to was the video of children holding their breath going through the Clyde tunnel, which was given space and focus, a fake wall presenting the screen flush like the rest of the photography, but given an indent in the room to stand alone.
I thought I also had this, and while observing others, I considered the distance from the viewer and the art on the walls; some seemed to keep their distance, while others wanted to interrogate the details of others’. I’ll need to keep this in mind when considering how people will view my work.
Also, something I didn’t consider was the framing of the photography. If I plan to use projectors, the frames will need to be considered, along with the glass within those frames and the reflections… I might not use frames or frames wih no glass.
Glasgow Kiss- 25 Years of Art:
I didn’t plan on seeing Glasgow Kiss, but during my Christmas shopping, I happened across it. I loved the humour, the attitude, how game it is.
How this exhibition informs my own is that it’s not trapped within the frames that it uses for some of the work; some of the work wouldn’t fit in a frame, or maybe doesn’t need one. My own piece won’t be similar to this, but I want to bring a small sense of its fun and adventure into my own.
By finding the line between ‘Still Glasgow’ and ‘Glasgow Kiss’, using technology and my own vision, it might hit the target I’m aiming for: sparking something within people and asking them to really look at the work.
At the end of last week I spend some time working on some design aspects of the project within my new framing of being more abstract with it or less like a real exhibition in a museum and trying to do everything myself when usually it would be a team of people for each section.
Sadly the quest of finding unknown stories of Clydebank and Glasgow might have been too much of an ask so along with being less literal with the outcome I’ll be less laser focused on one aspect when considering my focus for the exhibition which I think might allow me to be more artistically open than before.
At this moment I want to select a couple of objects from the GSA archives, Katie at the archives who have suggested a few great work to include, some not digitised yet but I would love to have digital copies, physical copies or even the real work displayed in my collection. Katie has also put me in contact with one of her colleagues Jennifer who is in the WestDunbartonshire archives, so that might supply me with even more material.
GSA Archives:
Katie in the archives has already suggested the photography work of Robert Trotter who was a street photographer from Dumbarton (which I have also spent most of my life as my mothers family is from there) who has one digitised work (seen below) and a collection in the archives that I’d like to see properly and integrate into my project.
Robert Trotter, a piece from his ‘At Work’ collection.
My thoughts at point:
At this point of the project as my focus shifts and the project shifts so does my feelings towards it, before I was feeling stressed and a lot of pressure to produce meaningful work or to do something that has never been done before. But as the shift focuses more to artistic curation and displaying and engaging in work as well as helping others engage with it I cant stop thinking about the C.S. Lewis quote :
“Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it”
I also think the meaning of this exhibition has shifted, and not just in a literal sense as the outcome will be different as I imagined it, but for myself, I’m not really sure I even know what it was before but now its a subtle celebration of where I grew up, Clydebank, Dumbarton and Glasgow, after trying to distance myself for so long, those who shaped me, my family and my friends who would encourage my creative spirit as I would try and see myself as a one man army doing it all myself and my creative interests and endeavours that have been with me from a young age, encouraged by those around me and what I aim to continue into my life.
More Media:
As well as photography displayed from the GSA archives, I’d also like to get some archival footage of Glasgow, Clydebank and Dumbarton, so I’ve had a look at the National Library of Scotlands video archives and would either like to stabilise some footage and have it playing through to add to the overall theme and aid in the story of the project or to use them for a piece of my own work that I can display alongside the archival work.
During my appointment at the Mitchell Library I was told firstly that any pictures I take had to be documented and that anything from their archive was not allowed for exhibition or display of any kind, so anything I did find or found interesting can only be shown here in my research.
That being said, even though its not for my exhibition this was still eye opening and moving to see real stories of the people of Glasgow and really put it into perspective that if I am using these photographs from the past that, I know it might seem obvious, but that they are real people.
At this stage I’m still wanting to focus on the fact that my first draft of my dissertation in due by the end of Week 9 but I am still continuing with my research and looking for stories and objects.
Over the weekend on my way to Edinburgh for my friend Neil’s stag do I had a conversation with another friend of mine, Keir, who’s grandfather had worked one of the bridges we past, who then became the bridgemaster for that same bridge and who then stopped a man from jumping of the bridge, saving his life.
I’ve asked Keir to allow me to include this story and one of his grandfathers belongings because this is exactly the sort of thing I’m looking for, just a normal man who had worked his life and during that life stepped up to save another mans, without want or need for accolades.
Through the starting stages of these two stories I have so far, the photography of Robert G Taylor and now the story of Keir’s family the growing through line is one of Glasgows industrial past. This is a topic that has been covered more than enough but I want to focus on the people that made it happen.
Archived Industrial Images:
Looking through the Trove Digital Archive and searching for Clydebank now with this vision of people and Glasgows industrial past has narrowed my search, below is some images taken from the archive that caught my eye either for their artistic vision or the potential to use them within my work somewhere.
With this gallery of collected archived images I wanted to paint the visual image and lanuage of the work, I think with a black and white images with choice colours or full colour images with in them then it will draw more attention to them, highlighting certain aspects, people or places.
Another detail I want to point out with some of these images is the difference in scale, the relationship between the structures and the people that build them.
Finally Seeing SEEP:
It was long awaited as the exhibition was either closed or I was busy but I finally got in to see the exhibition and was not disappointed the level of multimedia outputs but still with the amount of consideration and attention that went to displaying these pieces in such a way.
In such a small space they used the space efficiently with consideration to the hight of the room as well as the audience and eye levels. Even something as simply elevating the projection felt like a dynamic use of the space, the spaces created with the use of walls to make them feel like almost different rooms.
The use of light and even multiple light sources, to either highlight or use in a dynamic lighting of the exhibition its self.
When looking at the videos shown the mix of speaker audio on the larger more focused custom built rig and the personal headphone output, the only problem that I personally had with it was that one custom rig was welded metal and the other was a wooden set up for the projection stand and I understand that both are the exposed material but personally I would have liked if they both were the same material.
To Do:
Getting myself back on track.
Keep looking for the objects and stories of the people Glasgow and Clydebank.
At this moment I have contacted people about stories, turned to my family and friends to try and find stories as well, I have now been in contact with Barbra at the Glasgow Archieves in the Mitchell Library though, so thats another line to follow. I am worried that I wont find the stories I’m looking for and that this might have been too big of an ask.
Develop the exhibition that I will put on when I have these stories, how will I display the work, how will I realise the stories and objects that I have collected with the same amount of respect and consideration I have seen SEEP.
I think it might be a good use of my time to get a stand in object or a collection of stand in objects that I can then start to develop with and realise so that when I do have the stories and objects I can insert them in and find out any issues or developments before I have peoples things and stories so that I might make them proud of the output and show the stories and objects respect.
Tidy up my Design Domain digitial form sculpture for TechTonic.
I won’t let it get into my way but I would like to allocate some time to the Design Domain VR scultpure so that I may display that confidently at the exhibition, I want to tidy it up and impliment some things that make it impossible to break or wander.
Continue developing the REDACTED night.
I want to continue dedicating my weekends to REDACTED at ISO with Pav and faciliate the guys on making a great show and showcasing their talents and abilities as well as showcasing my capabilities to those in the field.
Continue researching and writing my essay
Even though I have sent away the draft I still want to continue working on it, writing the second half to a passible level and then once I have the feedback redraft the essay.
Extended Design development
Extended Design will take a back seat until semester two, once everything else is sorted and the essay is submitted then I can focus on Extended Design and give it the time it requires.
Group Tutorial:
Initially I was worried about the group tutorial and felt like I didnt have enough to show because I’ve got bogged down in trying to find the story and the object but after talking about my project with Paul and the guys helping me think less about the story and the object and more about how its shown, it reminds me about what Nicholas Oddy said:
Its less about the object and what the facts are and more about the story and how its told.
Also after a cobversation with Marco about how today went he said something about my project that I liked “you’re working on the envelope, not whats inside… work on the envelope”
Devlopment with the new direction:
Below is a initial sketches and development considering the new direction for my project and how I will display the the research and artifacts, with more of a focus on the soul of the story and the artitsic expression of my final year, instead of being too literal which I often struggle with when it comes to design work.
The three sketches above show the development and the detatchment from the usual work seen in exhibitions and building upon that, by using exhibition displays that I felt communcated well as a starting point I believed that I then could.
Appointments:
Mitchell Library:
I have an appointment with the archieves at the Mitchell Library on Wednesday the 3rd of December to look through the most recent Glasgow Poor relief records with a request of any stories that tie to Clydebank or industry, due to the information act the records from 100 years ago are the only ones I can access but it might still be informative.
GSA Archives:
I have also been in contact with the GSA archives and messaged them to contact Katie who I met when I tagged along to the year 3 scanning days at the archives, who asked me to just contact her with any questions or requests for access to the archives. With the new direction I have now, I feel more confident with what to ask for and because its less specific or tied to the objects.
Week 7 has been independent study week and I’ve took this time to focus on finishing the first draft off my dissertation as well as planning.
Collecting Images:
Typographic History:
Even from old painted signs of business on the wall can tell the story id people, their lives, the times they lived, the state and style of Glasgow at the time.
Photographic History of Clydebank:
A collection of archival photography from Clydebank’s history, the main draw of these is the people of Clydebank.
Personal Object Stories:
Recently I have snapped my house key, it sits in my flat as a reminder but now I have a story, emotions and a time and story in my life of the time.
War and Peace of a Garden Exhibition:
My main focus on with the ‘War and Peace of a Garden Exhibition’ was the character communicated through it, I felt a greater connection just through the amount of care and attention the the display and layout of the objects. The ability to do so much in such a small amount of space.
Write a brief:
Chat with Gillian:
Finding the Stories:
As the main hurdle I’m facing now is that I do not have the specific stories and objects to focus my work on and as advised by Gillian, I need to find the story and the objects and then all the work and set up I’ve done can be put to good use.
This message was also stated by Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert:
‘Just get out and do the work and it’ll all come eventually, you’ll find your way.”
Following good advice my next step is to go out and find the stories, my only concern is that people spend a lot of time trying to find what they consider the ‘best story’, I don’t have years to search so I’ve contacted the people who might know on the off chance of sending me in the right direction, so I have emailed:
The Clydebank Post
The Clydebank Post Photography Club
Clydebank Museum and Local History & Archives
Hub Singer Camera Club
I need to revisit the idea of crowd sourcing these stories and objects, be that through online, or by making posters and then posting them around Glasgow, Clydebank and more of West Dunbartonshire. As well as physical posters I think it will be useful to utilise the community of local groups online and in social media, after a conversation with Lil and her suggestion of the app Nextdoor and putting posts on asking for objects and inputs, or doing the same on facebook market place and asking for stories for the objects they’re selling.
First Contact:
After sending out a number of emails I came into one reply from Rab Taylor of the Hub Singer Camera Club who let me know that his father, Robert G Taylor, was an avid photgrapher and that he had scanned in his fathers photography from the 50’s and 60’s.
Above is a few of the photos I’ve selected from the archive that Rab has supplied, personally these photos appealed to me the most, either for his portrait photgraphy work or even just the snap shot into the lives of life at that time.
I know these locations and streets so well but they are also so different and alien to me, seen in this era.
I’ve emailed Rab to ask more about his father, his photpgraphy, if there is any objects that remind him of his father and that if he would mind that his father and the photography be included in my piece.
Clydebank Industry:
When thinking about making a poster to ask people for stories and objects, I thought that looking to two of Clydebank’s biggest histoical business would inform my use of font and style to be indicative of that time.
At this moment in time the questionnaire isnt live bnecause as I’m asking for peoples names and contact information which means an ethics form will need to be filled out.
I’m also working on posters and posts for the online communities on social media to ask for their input.
Today the QR Code is slapped on the bottom of forms, screens and posters with very little thought to it, a second thought. With this work I want to put the QR code at the front, make it the main focus and explore the idea that it is a portal of information.
Idea 01:
With this concept I want the footage to be just as polished as the sculpture and have the relationship between them to be clear and cohesive.
Idea 02:
Chandelier:
Idea 01:
At this moment in time I think another possible idea would to be take my Expressive Data project from last year forward for the extended design project.
This button will take you to this project for a more in depth look.
During the development of that project the idea was floated that this chandelier or collection of chandeliers is more akin to a light sculpture and data visualisation, and that it would be very fitting in places such as the United Nations headquarters in New York or the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo, so remembering this I have asked a friend of mine, Elias, who might be working with the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo for his masters.
With the basic font of this wordpress website, it had the bold punchy font and with it being
The Tone:
For the overall tone of the design I was struggling to find the words to describe it but I feel that this song by LCD Soundsystem encapsulates the tone, enegry and theme I want for the design and studio.
Possible Name Change:
After a conversation with Lexie and getting a secondary opinion on the possible name of the design studio that does not exist. But continuing with the same style of the ‘process’ idea when considering the font and weight of that font along with the full stop and the digital identity but changing the name to ‘cobalt’.
Cobalt is usually found in rechargeable ion batteries that is found in computers and as a design studio that uses a lot of technology
cobalt.
But playing on the colour that shares the name it could be a fun idea that the one colour we can not use within the studio is cobalt or similar colours.
Working within restrictions boosts creativity.
brickwork.
Another possible name was brickwork, something solid and dependable but with the air of not taking yourself too seriously.
After ‘Show and Tell’ I didn’t feel that I had done my project justice either in my work or my presentation. I wasn’t very sure or very confident in my work in front of others because I feel like their work was better or at least more artistic, I think I need to be less focused on design and more artistic in my practice.
You can’t help but be a designer, so be an artist. You’ll be a designer anyway.
Mikhail did give me a good photographer to look into who has a trio of zines of ship building on the clyde and the working, his work shows the tones and scale of the shipyards.
See things to their conclusion, don’t stop too early and move on to the next thing without exploring it fully.
With the typographic experimentation I had explored one tone, come reading from one poet and one style that fit those parameters, to analyse it thoroughly, I need to look into how different tones and different images add to the experience and the storytelling, how the harmonious relationship between audio, in whatever form, and the visuals tell the story.
Scottish Poetry:
Glasgow:
Sing, Poet, ’tis a merry world; That cottage smoke is rolled and curled In sport, that every moss Is happy, every inch of soil;— Before me runs a road of toil With my grave cut across. Sing, trailing showers and breezy downs — I know the tragic hearts of towns.
City! I am true son of thine; Ne’er dwelt I where great mornings shine Around the bleating pens; Ne’er by the rivulets I strayed, And ne’er upon my childhood weighed The silence of the glens. Instead of shores where ocean beats, I hear the ebb and flow of streets. …
Afar, one summer, I was borne; Through golden vapours of the morn, I heard the hills of sheep: I trod with a wild ecstasy The bright fringe of the living sea: And on a ruined keep I sat, and watched an endless plain Blacken beneath the gloom of rain.
O fair the lightly sprinkled waste, O’er which a laughing shower has raced! O fair the April shoots! O fair the woods on summer days, While a blue hyacinthine haze Is dreaming round the roots! In thee, O city! I discern Another beauty, sad and stern.
Draw thy fierce streams of blinding ore, Smite on a thousand anvils, roar Down to the harbour-bars; Smoulder in smoky sunsets, flare On rainy nights, while street and square Lie empty to the stars. From terrace proud to alley base, I know thee as my mother’s face.
When sunset bathes thee in his gold, In wreaths of bronze thy sides are rolled, Thy smoke is dusty fire; And from the glory round thee poured, A sunbeam like an angel’s sword Shivers upon a spire. Thus have I watched thee, Terror! Dream! While the blue Night crept up the stream…
But all these sights and sounds are strange; Then wherefore from thee should I range? Thou hast my kith and kin; My childhood, youth, and manhood brave; Thou hast that unforgotten grave Within thy central din. A sacredness of love and death Dwells in thy noise and smoky breath.
It was so fine we lingered there for hours. The long broad streets shone strongly after rain. Sunset blinded the tremble of the crane we watched from, dazed the heliport-towers. The mile-high buildings flashed, flushed, greyed, went dark, greyed, flushed, flashed, chameleons under flak of cloud and sun. The last far thunder-sack ripped and spilled its grumble. Ziggurat-stark, a power-house reflected in the lead of the old twilight river leapt alive lit up at every window, and a boat of students rowed past, slid from black to red into the blaze. But where will they arrive with all, boat, city, earth, like them, afloat?
As fast as Glasgow burned its theatres to the ground it built them back again – we couldn’t do without our plays and tunes, we need a dance and song to keep us going. This gaff’s given us the lot: couthie comics, rude rhymes, romance, camp and catchphrase, flicks (with music), Ali Baba’s thieves, diverse monsters (Mary Shelley’s, Columba’s), wafting Rhine Maidens, our very own Marie Loftus, a masked ball, a harlequinade, a circus, Dan Leno’s Orlando Dando, Henry Irving, and Sarah Bernhardt for one matinée only – not to mention the sensational telly (One O’Clock Gang still daft in the memory).
Whatever walls come down, go up, go round, this magic box holds all, swirling, birling in the waiting darkness the works shine through.
Out of this ugliness may come some day, so beautiful a flower that men will wonder at that hour, remembering smoke and flowerless slum, and ask , glimpsing the agony of the slaves who wrestle to be free ‘But why were all the poets dumb?’
What is at the heart of this? What is the soul of it?
During the weekend, I again had another breakthrough and a meaningful conversation. With Lexie, I discussed what I loved, but I didn’t really have an answer beyond design. I have always loved it, and I practice design thinking, streamlining interactions and processes even when I was working a retail job in Dunelm in Clydebank:
In the bulb section for years, it was a mess, no one could find out where the correct bulb was and staff couldn’t accurately count or stock these bulbs because of that mess, there was no system in place and anything that anyone tried over the years make technical sense because of the barcode on them or the stock levels and how often the had to be restocked but they didn’t consider how people actually thought, so inspired by all those design books I read, Don Norman obviously, I designed a system that within groups of fittings, from left to right, as we read in the west, went from smallest wattage to largest and then again from left to right prioritised the most common light temperature to the least (warm to cool). The customer could come up and by process of elimination identify what type of fitting, what wattage they needed and what colour of light they wanted.
Why am I waxing on about how proud I am of the design of this bulb selection in a retail store that I don’t even work at anymore? Because I loved doing it, and I loved how much easier and simpler it made a small section of people’s lives — and yes, the store’s employees were very thankful —but no customer considered what system was in place or who had done it.
Design is the heart of it.
And with the soul, when I was younger, I didn’t really have much nostalgia for anything, as all young children of that age do. Still, when I was a teenager, I think at 16, just before my exams, I had a house fire and a lot of the things from my childhood, memories, heirlooms from people that had passed went up in flames due to a poorly designed old extractor fan in the toilet, it had went through the walls and up into the the loft and anything the fire didn’t get the water damage from the firefighters seen to it. I didn’t think it had effected me but till this day that smell puts me on edge. But not until recently did I realise that after that, I long for the things I took for granted, I collect things, I don’t throw things out that I should, I put so much importance on the objects in our lives and the objects that people give us or leave to us. And the add fuel to the fire , horrible pun, my memory is horrible until I have something that triggers those memories, a sight, a smell, the texture of an object in my hand. To remember the things I’ve done and the people in my life I have objects that transport me back to those moments in perfect detail.
The soul of it is the objects and heirlooms that remind me of my life and the people, places, and experiences in it.
I was distancing myself beforehand, but I should embrace it.
Show and Tell Feedback:
Show & Tell 21.10.25
This is a good start. You reflected on previous work to find a direction for YR4. Although a bit unfocused to start with you have found your topic; museum exhibition, storytelling engagement and communication. ‘Museology’ is a cross-disciplinary field of study within cultural heritage and museums that has become more visitor-focused to communicate cultural and scientific heritage. Visitors now expect interactive media, immersive installations and themed galleries to bring heritage/history to life.
You have already carried out some research in this field but perhaps you could be more forensic about what each company you’ve researched does well. This may help you identify how you can bring this to your own work, i.e. film, motion sensing, interaction, 2D animation, etc.
You have decided to use the town of Clydebank (stories, history, people) to build your project. The town has rich historical resources, objects and a wider thematic context.
Write yourself a ‘Digital Exhibit Brief’ for this project — specify a venue (e.g. a gallery in the V&A Dundee or Burrell) and/or format. You should include details of the work’s proposed materials, its scale, and its technical requirements. This would provide you a framework for your creative response. You intend to make a collection of objects that tell the story of your chosen theme (Clydebank, Shipbuilding in Clydebank, Singer etc). You then decide what shape this takes.
Continue to add to your Learning Journal. Consider categorization, perhaps use Weeks – Week1-2, Week 3-4 etc. or months. Perhaps add subheadings to identify changes in direction/additional topics, artist influences, technical developments etc.
Write yourself a brief.
Create 2 or 3 studies using your preferred medium, 2D animation, photography, AR, interaction. Push each of the studies as far as you can and see where that takes you before moving on to the next
Tagging along to the Archives :
I emailed the archives and heard nothing back, so when I heard that Sean and Lexie were going to meet Neil to do some scanning of their object for their project, I tagged along on the off chance that I would gain some knowledge and as well as learning more about how to scan in objects and stitching together the photographed images, I also got into contact with Katie In the archives that was so helpful and that if I needed anything or had any question to contact her.
So not a waste of time at all.
Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert:
Initially one of my photographic inspirations, Sutton Hibbert’s was so appealing that I ordered a 3 set of his photography zines but also contacted him on the off chance just to seek a pit of direction, and he very promptly responded.
Last week, I was unsure of what I was doing and found myself getting into a bit of a funk. I wasn’t sure why until I took some much-needed time away to spend with my family and watch Scotland beat Belarus 2-1 at Hampden. But as I was sitting there getting a bit too swept up in a game of football, I don’t usually follow, I realised a few things, firstly, how much I loved the motion graphics of the Scottish Football team and how I couldn’t take my eyes off it and that I wanted to do something like that, I wanted to work for somewhere that did something like that.
And secondly, when I was enjoying the shared experience with my family and 50,000 other people, it hit me why I initially wanted to do the stories of people, because we are who we are by the lives we have, the stories we experience and tell, and the stories we share with others are essential. Today, we are more technologically advanced than ever before, but the art of communication, of spoken word and of telling stories in informal, spontaneous settings is dying out.
With ‘Listen to Bridgeton’, the story being told is such a personal one, of one man helping another through the language and structure of vintage bus restoration. This documentary has the exact same elements I would love to create: the personal, touching story, the honesty, and even the beauty of the spoken testimonies and the footage of the warehouse.
It was once again the spoken testimony of people who actually lived in the flats, sharing their stories and describing it as a palace when it was new, with the beautiful footage of the flats themselves before their demolition. We often look at things, perceive them as we initially do, and don’t change our opinion until shown otherwise or given a look at the same place, object or time through someone else’s lens.
If I do love graphic design, motion graphics, and creative direction, then it would make the most sense to go to a conference for it, to see the front-runners in the field and look to them for a goal and inspiration.
Looking at more studios:
Initially, I was looking at Interaction Design studios last week, but as I mentioned earlier, I think motion graphics will likely be a significant part of it. No matter what the outcome is, I want to give consideration to the typography, the identity and the graphics of the piece.
As with the previous studios, I want to look deeper and think of what works and what doesn’t, in an ploy to improve myself and with Pentagram, that is obviously a legacy brand, their work is obviously great and feels like the front runners in a modern yet feasible motion graphics and graphic design work, but the product design work follows that same methods but I believe that when in a different creative practice like product design, that must have its own style and more of a focus on form instead of flat aethetics.
D8:
D8 is a studio that I have recently enjoyed without even knowing it. After reviewing their projects, I was surprised to discover numerous design campaigns I was familiar with and enjoyed, all originating from a single studio. They consistently delivered a modern, vibrant style that has recently caught my attention and held it. My only concern is the longevity of this style, and I’m sure they will adapt with the times as they have in the past but their most recent work already feels very “of its time”.
Applying that to my own work:
I see the style of these studios as two sides of the same coin: a new, modern style that’s cool and controlled, and another that’s more vibrant and punchy. My initial takeaway is that locking myself into one style is a quick way to go stale. I should be constantly developing and changing, both in my style and in my life, rather than being locked into one thing and turning away from everything else and secondly is that wether its cool and sleek or loud and punchy the presence of soul put into the project can be seen.
Typographical Motion Graphics:
After my chat with Gillian and enjoying the typographical motion graphics of the Scotland game, I thought this might be an interesting avenue to explore. Given how moving and engaging the documentaries were, I realised I could create something equally moving with simple imagery and audio.
With the foggie bummer video, it packs so much character and soul into such a short time. The energy and speed of the text on the screen carry through that same energy.
Looking to Clydebank:
In Clydebank, a local Facebook page is where locals share updates about the area, its current events, and its history. While it’s mostly filled with traffic updates and lost keys looking for owners, it occasionally offers hints at the town’s rich history.
A Bankie Lad by Iain Ingram:
Wi a Jaurie a Peerie and a Tuppeny pie by Adam McNaughton:
Giving time and consideration to the timing, the inflection, their voices, the relationship between the two men and the imagery that these poems describe and trigger in your mind, while still not taking away from the writing. Less is more.
In all honesty I’m unsure what the year ahead holds, I’m not sure what I’m going to produce. At this moment I have ideas of what I might look into and what my work might follow.
I have the edges of the puzzle but I have no idea what the middle of the picture is and I don’t have the picture of the box.
I have been thinking about the project throughout the summer but as life always does, other things took up my time or got in the way.
Firstly I’ll go through the questions posed to us by the Proposal Overview and try to answer them as honestly and instinctively as possible.
Design Proposal Notes :
What am I exploring ? :
I think through one way or another, I’ve been mainly drawn to the relationship between humans and technology from a young age, driven by my own relationship with technology, but more recently and more broadly, it’s the multiple relationships within my career: design/art and its creator; the piece and the audience and even the designer and user or the artist and the viewer.
I look back to previous work that I think touches on these themes unknowingly:
When I consider my work and who it is for I would like to be able to say something deep and thoughtful or that I think of a group to focus on, that would overall benefit my project, but in all honesty I want to be able to reach the widest group of people possible, when I consider who my work is for I want to consider my friends, my family, those I admire, respect and wish to impress.
Who influenced me ? :
I was initially trying to think of less cliche or obvious picks for artists and designers that inspire myself and my work but I believe that for this year and my work going forward that honesty is the best policy.
Shown in my notes above and the images and links below are artists, designer and thinkers who came to my mind when initially considering the question, producers of work; writing and methodology that I find myself revisiting time and time again.
What personally interests me (about the topic) ? :
For as long as I’ve known I have always had an interest in technology, and for as long as I can remember there has always been a fear mongering around each part of technology, I believe that this fear and anxiety is from a lack of knowledge or from a lack of positive experiences with that technology.
Without sacrificing the quality or professionalism of my work I wish to imbue it with a levity that will welcome others to interact and enjoy my work that will ideally help to relax any worry people may have around technology as well as exploring the relationships previously mentioned.
How will I realise it ? :
From my first time in Interaction Design I was drawn to and fascinated by the idea of the physical world and the digital world interconnected, intermingling. The relationship of digital art work and physical viewers/ participants, that something in the intangible digital space could be influenced by the physical world or vice versa.
To realise this relationship between both spaces as well as the relationships previously discussed above I’ll consider using technology that both works within those spaces, be that projection mapping and a Kinect to allow for human input in the projection or something with VR and AR. I will be looking at whatever technology makes these connections possible.
As previously stated I am unsure of where this year may take me but as I’ve learned from previous self studies and evaluations, I have a better outcome if I trust the process and do not to the end destination. I will trust the process.
I was sitting going a bit mad, overthinking things but not actually doing anything so I gave myself a shake and thought that I need to do something, anything.
“They were frozen by possibilities”
This quote was looping round in my head over and over again until I realised that I was the same and for some reason I had a high-vis slap bracelet in my possession, so with a marker and bad hand writing I made a tool/symbolic gesture to shake me out of it and to remind me that those possibilities are with me not against me.
It is very early for this sort of thing, but when discussing it with Cat and considering possible ways to realise this project I had a few ideas and thought it would be better to get them down on paper than to have them rattling around my head.
The research and the findings of that research will be what drives these outcomes, I want to display option to be the most harmonious with the object that is being displayed.
Research:
At this point in the process I need to research a few things:
Research the theme that I want to look into, I want to focus on the history and the people of Glasgow and bring those stories to life with my work, so the first thing is to find these people, their stories and the objects that carry these stories, whether that be secondary research or going out myself to find these people or these stories. A possible plan was suggested by Mikhail, that I make a poster asking people for their objects and their stories.
I also want to do primary research in exhibitions, displays and museums, see how the experts do it and then build on from that. How do these places tell stories, how do they explore the work and highlight aspects of each object, artefact and piece, and being their myself will give me a better understanding and a better feel for the space.
Secondary research will be the final method of research, as I am one man and I do actually need to start making at some point and secondary research will obviously allow me a wider reach or to find pieces that have been taken down or find stories from people no longer with us.
Primary Research:
Tenement House :
To get the ball rolling with research I wanted to look at how its already being done. If I can start from a good place then I’ll surpass that easily throughout the year.
As its just round the corner from the Barnes Building I thought a lunch time well spent would be going round to the Tenement House and obverse and document their immersive experience.
Secondary Research:
With my initial secondary research I wish to look at studios that produce exciting, interactive or technical work that tell the story, spark excitement and use technology how I would like to; sleek, cool, almost invisibly. Using the technology as a vehicle for the story.
The work that Ammonite has done in theatre is what really grabbed my attention, their use in perspective and doing so much in a relatively constrained space, as I will also be working within a constrained space, using the space as effectively as possible is the name of the game.
What really grabbed me in Squint/Opera’s exhibitions is their use of the larger space and their sense of scale in each job, from the small table displays to the huge monolithic structures and how they both tie together.
EventComm uses their screen and displays in a way that I want to try and replicate, much like ISO and the work they have collaborated on, the screens are not just screens for the sake of it, they are highlights of details and visual story telling.
Seen in the displays above is the same sense of fun or awe that I’d love to bring a touch of to my work, the levity is not just there in an obvious way but in more serious displays there is still a palatable light tone.
The screen shots shown above show the power of lighting and highlighting with that intentionality to light and darkness, and I’d love to capture that same attention in my own work.
Personal Note/Reminder:
ISO – Consider the displays and how people are to interact.
Ammonite – Small Spaces | The small spaces that you have to work with, use them wisely and efficiently.
Squint/Opera – Large Spaces | Use the space properly, do not be afraid to take up the space, use the hight, use the space.
Event – Screens and displays are not just to be thrown in, use them sparingly and focused, highlight, inform, subvert how people always see screens.
CassonMann – Light, levity and yet still meaningful and deep, palatable.
MB Studios – The power of light and darkness, how the tone changes with the light used and how the eye follows that light.
The end of another academic year and with that OpenShare again for IxD considering last years exhibition I wanted this one to be good, better than last year and promoted more than last year.
So after discussing it on and off with my colleagues and with my added confidence after this year and more specifically projects such as Interactive Systems I had a want and need for this project to be better than the last year.
My motivation is from that when I was in first year, OpenShare had such a great turn out and as a first year I really benefited from it and I think it set me up in a great space and a great mindset for the coming years after it. So when it came to my hands I wanted to pay that forward and use this as an opportunity to show off the amazing work done at IxD.
My plan was three fold , first the posters and getting them out, second was the IxD Instagram and promoting the show online and third was word of mouth.
IxD OpenShare
Promo Work:
Firstly the poster. I thought that Interaction Design has great opportunities for icons and visual identification with the “IxD” short hand but before I had the chance to complicate it or over design it, I found a fitting clean yet digital font on adobe fonts and after running it by the others it was a winning success.
And the main focus of this personal ‘promotional project’ is the work that the students of our course produce so it felt natural to put it in the forefront and again with input from my colleagues a framing was decided and I made a template that would hopefully work for the visuals they provided.
Personal Work :
For my open share project it was between my expressive data project and XR project but with the time we have I think there would be too much work to do with expressive data to get it to the place I want but with the VR project it only needs a couple of minor tweeks and possible scripted events to get it where I’d like.
Above is more of my mad scribbled trying to make sense of the ideas I had and trying to come up with new ones that would elevate the BlackLight demo to a higher quality.
BlackLight Logo Design:
As my mind was in the space of graphic design and giving things a brand I made a quick mock up of a possible logo for the finished project.
The name change was an odd one, so initially it was called BlackLight during the concept stage when the idea was to have a custom shader or the visuals inverted so that the light itself was a cone of black in front of the player. But when re-visiting the project for OpenShare and realising I might not have time to create my own shader I thought of renaming it ‘Light the Way’ as BlackLight might not make sense but then when I went to edit the Unity file I learned that I didn’t have the most recent build and didn’t have time to rebuild it. So with the file unable to be changed in time and the name being BlackLight on the makeshift title card of the game then BlackLight it had to stay.
Displaying the work :
So with the work itself frozen in its current state I wanted to give more time to the displaying of the work and the promotional aspect of the exhibition.
Insta Bookends:
To tie the instagram post together with the poster design, I thought some designed bookends for the post could be used when uploading other IxD images.
Troubles :
Ok so major/ not major problem. I do not have the most recent unity scene that is running on the headset. But, it is running on my headset at home, I have a finished that version. I would have liked to improve the current version of it but to do that I would have to rebuild at least half of the project in a day which I don’t think is possible.
As I do like this project and think it does have some legs to go further I might rebuild it during the summer in my own time improving and rebuilding it at the same time.
But with the time remaining and what I have at this moment I’ll present my work to the best of my ability.
Location :
I claimed the space closed off from the rest of the exhibition as to allow space for the people more enough and explore the space within VR.
And by complete accident the starting point of BlackLight doesn’t look a million miles away from how the space I have in the gallery looks.
Setting up the VR :
With my work being on the VR and it being self contained, it felt like there was very little to actually display as the work was contained within so with the time I have I’m trying to make more of a display for it.
IxD Promo Poster Collection :
The collection of posters for the exhibition, I was so happy how they turned out and was so proud of everyone that submitted such amazing images for the posters, it really shows the varied work from everyone on the course.
Posters around GSA:
With the posters designed and the deadline passed we got to work putting them out around the campus trying to hit high traffic areas around GSA.
BlackLight Screenshots :
During this time I played through BlackLight for two reasons, one was to re-familiarise myself with the application as well as getting stills from the game to display with the headset.
To be honest as soon as I put up the stills they felt silly and cheap so I took them down.
Stripping back the set up:
Before the opening of OpenShare I was just adding more and more to it, screen shots, decals, but after talking with my colleagues they reminded me that the art work is what is in the VR headset and that in that headset you are transported to another world and that world is the art, not the headset itself and to not “give it away”.
Credit going to Blaise Treverton for this great video!
Reflection:
There is a few things that I would have wanted to do differently for this OpenShare and there are things I would have wanted.
I would have liked to be able to improve my previous project and get it to a better level and made sure it was gallery ready with things built into it like resetting the scene when finished or failed along with title screens and end screens. I would liked to evaluate my displaying of the work within a gallery to a higher level with either a projector showing gameplay or more of a thematically representing display.
I would have liked more engagement and energy from some of my collaborators.
But all that aside I am very pleased with OpenShare this year, I am happy with what I got done, I am happy with the work I did in promoting IxD and the show and I am so happy and proud of everyone that put in so much work and effort into the show and helping me produce and promote everything, I couldn’t have done it alone and thankfully I didn’t need to.
Thank you to the lectures, to everyone that helped and contributed and thank you to everyone that came to the exhibition.
Nicholas McLaughlin Blog 