another part of the research so far

This is really quite amazing in my opinion... sound creating form....

hmmm maybe I won't need After Effects after all!)

And another installment... from neuroscience to cymatics to metaphor and language... all roads are leading to synaesthesia now. ... its all in the eye of the beholder!

a little part of the research...

Vilayanur Ramachandran

An interesting talk by one of the world's top neurologists about the creative centre of the brain, recognition, abstraction, metaphor, and synesthesia and how they relate to structures in the brain.

Research + Broadband = Progress?

So, this week has mostly been spent in frustration with my broadband connection. I had decided that the first thing to tackle would be getting my head around the technology and so that meant getting my hands on some software (After Effects) and commencing the tutorials once I had it up and running on my mac. There is going to be a phenomenal amount of learning to be done on this so the process (and progress) will be slow, especially initially.

The problem is that my broadband connection was not up to the task of the hefty download of Adobe's Creative Suite 5 Master Collection (rolls off the tongue doesn't it!). Thankfully, eventually, I was able to request a copy of the disks to be posted out to me from AIT, so am hoping to get them in the next couple of days. I've mostly spent the week watching intro tutorials (but admittedly without the software this was of limited use). This all culminated in a insomniac couple of nights spent feeling desperately out of date on my tech skills and a tad overwhelmed by the amount to absorb, strange to think that some research into neuroscience and cognition provided some light relief!

My research into synaesthesia has been more fruitful and it was serendipity at play reading the Sunday Times Magazine, where leading light into Synaesthesia research, VS Ramachdran, had an 8 page article into his work into neroscience (eventhough synaesthesia didn't get a mention!). His name has come up again and again on the subject and I've found a couple of very interesting and helpful articles by him. I also discovered there is on going research into it happening at TCD, so hope to make contact with the group involves when I've a bit more progress made. (http://www.tcd.ie/Neuroscience/multisensory/)

In summary (for those of you still awake through this whine), I've realised the following...

1. I'm not afraid of hard work, and there will be plenty of it

2. I need to polish up on my patience

3. The research stage of any project I tackle is always indepth and seems slow to manifest visual results, but inevitably the final visual piece is all the richer for it.

There's a strong sense of logic in my work and every mark needs to be backed up with meaning.

4. While immersing myself in After Effects and syneasthesia research I need to offset the weightiness with some hap hazard image creation.

Despite how this post reads I'm very enthusiastic, intrigued and optimistic about my chosen subject matter and the creation of the visual piece!

5 + 2 = YELLOW

Statement of Intent

I am coming to REV with a buzz of anticipation… excited, nervous energy, eager, over eager, unsure. Wanting to start, but where to start, casting my net too wide? From the outset of the Masters I have had a project on my shoulder, it’s been there for a while.

I have been intrigued with the phenomena of synaesthesia for a number of years, but only intermittently dip into some articles found on the subject. Synesthesia is an involuntary joining, in which the real information of one sense is accompanied by a perception in another sense. (e.g. seeing a sound). (R. Cytowic, "Synesthesia: A Union of the Senses") Synaesthetic experiences are often driven by symbolic rather than sensory representations, such as letters, numbers and words, being perceived as having particular colours/hues.

It is an intriguing phenomenon because it challenges the assumption that other people's perceptual experiences of the world are the same as our own. I have loved letters for years and the notion that some people perceive those symbols with the added dimension of colour (another love of mine) is remarkable. The experience of colour associations with sound is as fully remarkable.

When I think of using this phenomenon as my jump off point for personal creative work I become flooded. Flooded with possibility, too many avenues and some of them, no doubt, blind. So to move into action…

THESE THINGS I KNOW…

I intend to explore using layering. I intend to produce work physically – using paper, ink, translucency. I intend to produce work on screen – layering with light, utilising non-static modes of communication, interacting with the viewer.

LATE BLOOMER…

I am finally grasping the nettle; for too long I have allowed my lack of technical knowledge impede creative expression in moving type and image. Reluctant to learn for fear of failing, of becoming overwhelmed by the amount to learn. Technophobic - no more. I will embrace my ignorance and use it to usher me into the “mysterious” world of AfterEffects, Flash, IMovie, whatever I need. I’ve signed up and subscribed to Lynda.com and from there can download tutorials, hours and hours of them. Any down time for the next while will be spent with Lynda (and a weekly dose of Greys Anatomy!). I am a late bloomer, but it’s the season for it and the time is ripe!

AS TO WHERE THE WORK WILL HAPPEN...

I have a loft, a loft with an easel and a table and a couch (it has a clothes horse, a broken guitar and bags of ‘used to fit me clothes’ but I’ll turn a blind eye to those for a while). So (what we call in this house) the ‘make-y do-ey’ stuff will happen there. As for the polished world of the Mac, (Lynda and her tutorials, the trial and error of Software learning, and the exploratory steps into moving and layering type and image) the only realistic place for this to happen is at my kitchen table. With the stove to my back and the garden and fields beyond it on the other side of the windowpane. Yes, my need to be always available can break my flow, but on a positive level it refocuses my view with each return. It’s the only way it’ll work for me.

I will just begin. Gathering ephemera, collaging, making marks inspired by the synaesthete experience, photographing it, uploading it, writing about it, and in tandem with this learning the software.

For now, as may be revealed in this writing, I envisage 2 things: firstly, a physical piece of work – of collected imaginings produced in their own right in response to the subject and also produced for the purpose of an on screen existence; and secondly an on screen moving/animated piece that will also be a response to the theme.

SOME INSPIRATION POINTS:

Fabien Barral (layering, collaging ephemera, using word and image):

John Kingerlee (sensory, textural layering; collaging)

Video Mapping – layering with light expressing one sense overlaid on the other (examples here by The Macula and Wild Beaming)

Ambient Motion Graphics (examples here by Tom Muller and Arian Camilleri)

Some audio of synaesthetes’ experience:

http://web.mit.edu/synesthesia/www/Carol1.au http://web.mit.edu/synesthesia/www/Karen3.au

VET Voicethread Steph and Aengus

NATIONAL EXHIBITION - REVIEW 4

Channel Branding of TRTÉ

Design of on-air branding of RTÉ TV's tween/teen channel TRTÉ.

Alan Dunne // Brand Design, Illustration, Art Direction & Classical Animation.
Stephen McNally // After Effects Compositing & 3D Animation
Ivan Fitzpatrick // Sound Design & Music Composition

On 20 September 2010 RTÉ launched the biggest overhaul of its children's television schedule to date. It consists of two new programme strands. RTÉjr is broadcast for under 6’s and TRTÉ for children aged 9 to 16 on RTÉ2. RTÉ Young Peoples Programme commissioning editor Sheila de Courcy said the new programme strands were "quintessential public service broadcasting for 21st century audiences.” RTÉjr would be a "safe, fun, magical place for children" while TRTÉ would reflect the demands of the older cohort. "These schedules ensure that our audiences are never more than 30 minutes away from Irish production, from stories and output that reflect their immediate world and their lives," she said.

Whatever was to replace The Den had a legacy to live up to – there would be anticipation and expectation – not only among the current crop of children and teenagers but it would also come under the scrutiny of the generations who fondly recall the years of joy The Den brought– of which I am one! RTE decided early on in the branding process that a programme which catered for an audience aged between 0-16 created a major branding issue. The decision was made to take a ‘divide and conquer’ approach; RTÉjr catering to the 0-6 year olds and TRTÉ would cater for an audience of 9-16 year olds. 7 and 8 year olds wandering somewhere between, perhaps having to resort to reading a book or partake in some appalling outdoor activity!

The TRTÉ identity does indeed look to be part of the extended RTÉ visual family which would, no doubt, have been a main focus point of the design challenge. There is an inherent familiarity to the colours and the form that place it as part of the RTÉ family. It leads the audience from the safe world of RTÉjr and ushers them into the adult world of RTÉ Two. It resides visually somewhere between the two, echoing certain distinguishing traits of RTÉjr such as its position over the RTÉ logo while looking like the more angular older sibling. Infact it seems that the efforts to establish its familial lineage is its’ problem. The decision to position the new TRTE logo over the main RTE logo is questionable and diminishes the communication considerably. The viewer is essentially presented with two visual entities appendaged together. Why the reluctance to drop the main channel logo? To a degree, it smacks of a lack of self-confidence, and demonstrates a degree of ownership that visually constrains and smothers the fledgling programme strand. The name itself binds the newbie to its mother but it would have been advisable to cut the apron strings. One gets the feeling that the decision was very much a management one as the visual effect is quite compromised, especially when viewed in relation the rest of the design work produced for TRTE. (If your wondering what the ‘T’ in TRTÉ stands for, its a “deliberate enigma” according to the channel, but one assumes it alludes to some extent to the target audience of tweeagers and teenagers.)

Most tweens have aspirational tendencies. Aspirational as in they want to be spoken to like teenagers by brands. So the visual style seems to target a slightly older audience, hinting at MTV in its efforts to entice. The visual inspiration seems to come from an urban, surf/skater culture, and is reminisant of the tendency of Irish teenagers to customise their schoolbags and pencil cases with intensely detailed pen doodles. All of which works well as do the colour combinations for the branding.

This back to basics doodle approach by RTÉ's in-house Graphic Design Department is really effective. The highly detailed doodle illustrations communicate ‘street cred’ and I while I would never purport to understand the teenage mind, there is I feel a distinct element of ‘cool’ here. The hand drawn classical animated idents have a beguiling psychedelia to their style and kudos must go to their originator Alan Dunne. He produced something in the region of 1500 hand drawn frames for the animation process and the result is an approach that one imagines would have huge audience appeal and appreciation. It offers attainability and a level of achievable aspiration.

The unique ‘hands on’ approach has a strong level of visual sophistication that stands out for all the right reasons. Often it is just too easy to go down the route of 3D animation or the route of something which is obviously computer generated artwork, traditional classical animation has an air of timeless craft in the field of motion design. The notion that a fluorescent light box would be a key piece of equipment for the project is admirable, well that and some After Effects courtesy of Stephen McNally! This video post production work really brings the illustrations to life. Most importantly it looks like fun and punches above its weight among competitor’s identity designs that in the main feature big budgets.

I, for one, am easily impressed when it comes to motion graphics, filled with giddy “how do they do that” enthusiasm. There is available to us such a procession of styles that have evolved over time – those that are earnest in their initial efforts and as technology advances they gain an extroverted confidence. (A similar pattern is visible in the realm of print, from an illustration on the cover of an early 20th century magazine to the holograms and special effects possible, and visible, on covers today). And so with TRTE it is enjoyable to see simple 2D animation revisited in a contemporary context. It is refreshing in a world of highly polished computer game graphics to be presented with an exciting rendition of achievable grounded animation. Yes, it lacks that mesmerizing allure of polished perfection, but it is precisely in its ‘girl next door’ qualities that its’ success lies. Now there’s a message to bring into the home to your average 9 to 16 year old!

CULTURAL EVENT – REVIEW 3

Church on Sunday and the visual merits of the local parish newsletter

‘O SHE WAS THE SUNDAY IN EVERY WEEK’
The Planters’ Daughter, Austin Clarke

At the outset let it be clear that I have a degree of unease in dealing with this topic, pertaining as it does to Sunday Mass, as I am not a mass goer nor do I have any great affinity with the Church. However, the subject interested me from a purely visual and typographic standpoint and in relation to the theme of engaging with your audience that my last two reviews have touched upon.

There‘s something special about Sunday, a day of rest, a day of reflection, quiet, all stop. For many people this day begins with the weekly pilgrimage to the parish church, to take care of their Christianly duty and for the rest – cuttin’ a dash’ in your Sunday best; who won the match - it’s all about community.

The parish newsletter is an important piece of that community. It’s where the tittle tattle of daily parish life is played out on a folded piece of A4 paper… a months mind mass; a local sale of work; the time of the under 12s match on Saturday. It’s the most traditional of mediums and embodies how Church and community still are bound, in rural Ireland at least. The front cover of this most modest of communications usually has a more ecclesiastical theme and grounds the newsletters’ function as Church document. An opportunity to speak to the converted.

Herein lies the kernel of the matter. The newsletter provides the Church with a rare and unique opportunity to ‘speak’ to the parishioners and it appears that the Church has lost its voice, visually in any case. Just think for one moment of the vast and rich visual heritage of the Church. Some of the most pivotal masterpieces in history are derived from biblical stories and metaphors of Church and religion, from the Sistine Chapel to the illuminated manuscripts.

The function of religious art, directly or indirectly, is to win converts. With architecture to inspire, teach and house a congregation, while interior mosaics and stained glass illustrate divine stories - not unimportant in ages where illiteracy was the norm. It came at a price and Papal overspending on art was an important cause of the Reformation, as it led to higher taxes on the common people, and greater corruption among the officers of the Church. Even so, during at least the nine centuries between 800 and 1700, the Church of Rome was by far the largest patron of the arts. With art the Church wooed its’ audience and used it’s vast collections and grandiose architecture to impress upon them the Churchs’ power and wealth.

The Sistine Chapel

This creativity and visual exuberance was continued across illuminated manuscripts, and into the age of printing, with the first book off Gothenburg’s’ (and the worlds’) printing press being the Holy Bible.

So how is it, that amid all this visual grandeur and with centuries of a suitably seduced and impressed public, have we arrived with our contemporary parish newsletter? How has all that high art been reduced to clichéd images of sunsets, silhouettes and bad clip art? What a lost opportunity to engage your audience, if only visually seduce us.

Why so little regard for creating a degree of impact? Why no thought for the layout, font choice, imagery, atmosphere? Why no attempt towards typographic sensibility? It could be argued that the newsletter is a simple communication, produced by a local priest with the assistance of a parish committee and on a minimal budget, however there is no escaping the fact that this humble item carries huge potential to engage with a dwindling and often under stimulated audience. Ultimately, irrespective of budget and the local scale, this is an opportunity. Not just locally, but for the wider Church. Given the preponderence of visual communication today the Church has used the same channels of communication for decades, if not longer – architecture, iconography, written and spoken word. Some improvement could doubtless be achieved by using centrally available templates. These templates could offer contemporary design and layout and give the viewing public a more compelling and aesthetic form. See the work below for inspirational directions from some contemporary practitioners of “word”.

Sample of some of Phil Baines' work





Illumination inspired samples of the work of Marian Bantjes,

(The top image created tongue in cheek using pasta - a reference to Rome perhaps?)

Contemporary typefaces designed by Jon Barnbrook, with a decidedly ecclesiastical feel
Typefaces: Mason, Priori, Exocet

On a simpler level, a quick online search led me to faithclipart.com An American site offering “34,000 Worship Templates to help you communicate with relevance – for only $129/year!” The site offers newsletter templates and clip art under a vast array of titles from the kitsch ‘Virgin Mary clipart” to the intriguing sounding “Transfiguration clipart”. While I’ll not debate the merits of what’s available here below are a few examples, in the land of the cliché no doubt, but perhaps an improvement on what currently blands our eyes at the average Sunday service.

At a time when the Church is in crises with mass numbers ever decreasing, vocations at an all time low, and with the country itself in a depressed recessionary state, the potential for the sense of community that this weekly 'cultural event' has traditionally brought seems clear. Now, for the first time in a number of years, and perhaps despite the revelations of the Murphy and Ryan Reports, people are once again seeking comfort, direction and camaraderie. It has always been during these times that the Church has fared well. The parish newsletter speaks to, and of, the fabric of every town and village across the land and the Church who are responsible for its publication would benefit from giving it greater attention.